While You Were Sleeping: 5 stories you might have missed, Oct 24 edition

UK's Manchester hosts China's Xi and seeks to lure investment

British city Manchester sought to position itself as a gateway for investment from China as it welcomed Chinese President Xi Jinping for the conclusion of his state visit to the country on Friday (Oct 23).

Xi was in the city for the announcement that China's Hainan Airlines will start flying between Manchester and Beijing four times a week next year, and of a £130 million (S$260 million) expansion of a business park near the airport to encourage Chinese firms to set up British bases.

Manchester, one of the country's biggest cities, is at the heart of a British government plan to regenerate northwestern England, which was one of the birthplaces of the 19th-century Industrial Revolution but has fallen behind the south as industries like coal and textiles have declined.

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WHO expert panel urges pilot roll-out of first malaria vaccine

A World Health Organization expert panel on Friday (Oct 23) recommended pilot roll-outs of the world's most advanced malaria vaccine to young children in several areas of sub-Saharan Africa, before considering wider use.

The panel said the Mosquirix or RTS,S vaccine, should be given in three to five different areas with moderate-to-high malaria transmission, reaching up to a million children.

The first dose would be given to children between the ages of five and 17 months and the aim would be to assess its protective effect and whether it will be practical to administer four doses in routine vaccination programmes.

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Watch worn by US astronaut on Moon sells for $2.2 million

An exceptionally rare watch worn by an American astronaut on the Moon has sold for more than US$1.6 million (S$2.2 million), a US auction house said on Friday.

Dave Scott, the commander of the Apollo 15 mission to the Moon in 1971, wore the Bulova Chronograph watch on his third lunar walk after his standard-issue Swiss Omega became damaged.

It is the only watch worn on the Moon in private hands and was bought by a Florida businessman in a frenetic, 12-minute bidding war with a rival in Britain, said Boston-based RR Auction.

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Hands-free gadgets create safety hazards for drivers: Study

Are those hands-free tech tools aimed at helping motorists keep their eyes on the road a safety hazard?

A new study commissioned by the American Automobile Association found that these tools which aim to cut down on "distracted" motorists driving" could be distractions themselves.

The findings released this week raise fears that motorists who use wireless, voice-activated tools as they heed warnings about texting and driving may be doing little to improve safety.

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Formula One: Hurricane power puts US Grand Prix at risk

Torrential rain and electrical storms wiped out afternoon practice at the United States Grand Prix on Friday, plunging Sunday's race into doubt as Texas braced for collateral damage caused by Hurricane Patricia.

The scheduled second practice session was initially postponed indefinitely because marshals at the Circuit of the Americas were unable to work because of the close proximity of the lightning.

Hopes of starting the session later were dashed when it was confirmed that practice had been abandoned because the circuit's medical helicopter would not be allowed to take off for at least two hours due to the conditions.

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