Compiled by LIEW JIA XIAN and CHOW HOW BAN

       MANY cities in China cancelled their New Year’s Eve countdown events in view of the rising cases of Covid-19, Sin Chew Daily reported.

       The local public security bureau in Guangzhou announced that there would be no large-scale celebrations at the Canton Tower, Huacheng Square and other public places.

       In Shanghai, the Great World amusement centre also called off the countdown party. The event was to include stage performances and an artificial snowfall show.

       In Beijing, the Happy Valley amusement park said its celebration event was cancelled and closed its facilities at 10pm on the eve of the new year.

       Similar announcements on the cancellation of light shows and mass events were also made by the local authorities in Nanjing and Wuhan.

       China recorded 270 new Covid-19 cases on Thursday, bringing the cumulative total to 102,083 cases.

       > Hong Kong singer and activist Denise Ho, who was released on police bail on Thursday over sedition charges, hailed fellow singer Anthony Wong as her pillar of strength, reported China Press.

       The 44-year-old later posted on her Facebook: “I’m home already, and feeling a bit tired but I’m okay. Thank you all for your love.”

       She added that she had sung songs by Wong and the late Anita Mui to calm herself while in police custody in the past two days.

       Ho and three other former board members of the Stand News media outlet have been released after their arrest on Wednesday.

       The above articles are compiled from the vernacular newspapers (Bahasa Malaysia, Chinese and Tamil dailies). As such, stories are grouped according to the respective language/medium. Where a paragraph begins with a >, it denotes a separate news item.