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Here are today’s picks from our editors.

China, Panama agree to further promote ties

Visiting Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday reached extensive consensus with his Panamanian counterpart, Juan Carlos Varela, on further promoting bilateral relations.

Xi arrived on Sunday for a state visit to Panama, the first of its kind since China and the Central American country established diplomatic relations in June 2017.

During their talks on Monday, the two leaders spoke highly of the momentum of bilateral relations and cooperation results since the forging of diplomatic ties.

Xi hailed the strong start of bilateral relations highlighted by the exchange of visits of the two presidents and the deepening of mutual political trust.

He also lauded the rapid development of bilateral cooperation in various fields and the achievements made so far led by the joint construction of the Belt and Road Initiative.

The two countries also issued a joint press communique on Monday to advance the development of their ties. (Xinhua)

China makes security checks on 75 chemical enterprises after Hebei blast

China will carry out nationwide security checks on 75 chloroethylene enterprises after an explosion killing 23 hit a factory zone in Northern China on November 28, according to a special session of the country’s State Council Work Safety Committee and Ministry of Emergency Management.

In addition, 10 safety guidance groups have been established by the committee to inspect 50 counties with abundant hazardous chemicals.

The session stressed that the government should enhance safety supervision and law enforcement, and strictly implement the blacklist mechanism to raise the cost for violations of enterprises. (People's Daily app)

Global demand for intellectual property tools soars, China driving growth: report

Global demand for intellectual property (IP) tools hit a new record in 2017, with China leading the growth in filings at the heart of the global economy, the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) said Monday.

WIPO Director General Francis Gurry said at a press conference at the UN that the applications include those for patents, trademarks, industrial designs and other IP rights.

Across the globe, innovators filed 3.17 million patent applications in 2017, up 5.8 percent from 2016 figures and representing an eighth straight yearly increase, according to WIPO's annual World Intellectual Property Indicators (WIPI) report. (Xinhua)

Sri Lanka court denies Rajapakse authority to act as PM

A court in Sri Lanka suspended Mahinda Rajapakse's powers as prime minister on Monday and ruled his disputed cabinet could not govern the strife-torn island until it proved its legitimacy.

The decision casts further legal doubt over Rajapakse's claim to lead Sri Lanka, which has been in turmoil since his controversial appointment a month ago.

Rajapakse, who was installed after the country's president sacked Ranil Wickremesinghe as prime minister on October 26, has twice been voted out by parliament but has refused to step down. (AFP)

World stocks surge after China-US trade truce

World stocks saw a nearly one percent surge and emerging currencies were higher against the US dollar, after US and Chinese leaders brokered a truce in their trade conflict, a relief for the global economic outlook and a tonic for emerging markets.

Equity futures showed all three New York indexes set for a strong session, with the tech-heavy Nasdaq seen opening 2.3 percent higher while futures for Dow Jones and S&P500 rose 1.6 to 1.9 percent.

Asian shares kicked off the gains, with Chinese mainland and Hong Kong stocks closing up sharply, while Japan's Nikkei gained as much as 1.3 percent to a six-week high. (CGTN)

Frenchman in Nobel rape scandal found guilty on appeal

A Frenchman at the center of a scandal that led to the postponement of this year's Nobel Literature Prize was on Monday found guilty on appeal of two counts of rape and jailed for two-and-a-half years.

Once an influential figure in Stockholm's cultural scene, 72-year-old Jean-Claude Arnault was convicted by a Stockholm appeals court of raping a young woman in October 2011 and again in December the same year.

He had pleaded innocent to the charges, insisting the sex was consensual.

The case was one of the first big trials to come out of the #MeToo movement, and has left the venerable Swedish Academy, which awards the Nobel Literature Prize, in tatters. (AFP)

Most patients not 100 percent honest with doctors: study

Between 60 and 80 percent of people surveyed have not been forthcoming with their doctors about information that could be relevant to their health, according to a national online survey.

According to the survey, people who identified themselves as female and were younger and who self-reported as being in poor health were more likely to report having failed to disclose medically relevant information to their clinician.

Besides fibbing about diet and exercise, more than a third of respondents didn't speak up when they disagreed with their doctor's recommendation.

Another common scenario was failing to admit they didn't understand their clinician's instructions. (Xinhua)

Thanks for listening and be sure to catch us tomorrow.

And now for the Question of the Day:

What is the capital of Panama?

(Answer: Panama City.)

Today’s quote is from Persian poet Omar Khayyam (1048-1131).

“Be happy for this moment. This moment is your life.”

(Produced by Nancy Yan Xu, Ryan Yaoran Yu, Lance Crayon and Elaine Yue Lin.)