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Here are today’s picks from our editors.
Chinese Academy of Sciences highlights key research advances of 2019
The Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), China's highest academic institution in natural sciences, revealed its annual "Highlight Researches" list Sunday.
Gene-edited diseased monkey cloning, an archaeological discovery of the earliest human occupation of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, and the unveiling of the African swine fever virus structure are the top three research advances of 2019.
The launch of China's first microgravity technology experimental satellite, deep-sea exploration by a Chinese-manned submersible and new innovative Chinese drugs treating Alzheimer's disease and cancer were also included on the academy's list. (Xinhua)
Iran trying to decode crashed plane’s black box
Iran is trying to decode the black box of the recent crashed passenger plane before sending it to a different country, an aviation official told the IRNA news agency on Sunday.
"Iran holds the black box of the Ukrainian Boeing 737 passenger plane and has currently no plane to send it out," said Hassan Rezaeifar, the investigation head and general-director of Iran's Civil Aviation Authority.
"Ukraine and France are our next options (for reading the data), but we have not decided on sending it to a second country yet," he added. (Xinhua)
India grants citizenship to over 3,900 from Pakistan, Afghanistan, Bangladesh
India granted citizenship to as many as 2,838 people from Pakistan, 914 from Afghanistan, and 172 from Bangladesh over the past years, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said on Sunday.
The minister also stated that more than 400,000 people with the Tamil community from Sri Lanka were granted Indian citizenship between 1964 and 2008.
The revelations assume significance in the aftermath of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, or CAA 2019, passed by the parliament late last year. The bill has triggered protests across India since it was passed. (Xinhua)
2,400 Turkey-backed Syrian rebel fighters reach Libya
As many as 2,400 Turkey-backed Syrian rebels have so far reached Libya to fight against the east-based army led by Khalifa Haftar, a war monitor reported Sunday.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said 1,700 fighters are preparing to fight while 24 fighters had been killed in Libya.
The fighters were sent there to join forces led by the UN-backed government. (Xinhua)
Britain's Prince Harry and Meghan Markle to give up royal titles
Britain's Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle are to give up their royal titles, according to multiple UK reports.
Buckingham Palace on Saturday released a statement saying the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are to no longer use their HRH titles "as they are no longer working members of the Royal Family" as discussions about their future roles came to an end.
The couple will also repay about £2.4 million in taxpayer money that was used to renovate their home in Berkshire.
According to the statement, the new model will come into effect in the spring of 2020. (CGTN)
SpaceX's Crew Dragon conducts in-flight escape test
SpaceX's Crew Dragon conducted an escape test on Sunday to demonstrate its ability in future missions to lift astronauts out of danger in the event of an emergency during a rocket’s ascent.
At 10:30 am, a Falcon-9 rocket, carrying the Crew Dragon and two dummies, was launched from Launch Complex 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, and was shown on US space agency NASA's live broadcast.
About one and a half minutes after liftoff, Falcon 9's first stage engines shut down and Crew Dragon's SuperDraco thrusters fired to trigger a launch escape, catapulting the vehicle away from the rocket which then broke up offshore over the Atlantic Ocean. (Xinhua)
McGregor demolishes Cerrone in 40-second return to UFC octagon
Conor McGregor made a triumphant return to the UFC octagon on Saturday, pummeling Donald "Cowboy" Cerrone in a technical knockout victory in just 40 seconds.
The mixed martial arts superstar from Ireland -- returning to the Ultimate Fighting Championship for the first time since he was battered into submission by arch-rival Khabib Nurmagomedov in October 2018 -- overpowered his American foe without ever being tested.
McGregor, who took his record to 22-4, was the first UFC fighter to hold two championship belts at the same time. (AFP)
Thanks for listening and be sure to catch us tomorrow.
And now for the Question of the Day:
In which of the following countries are there twice as many pigs as people?
(Answer: Denmark.)
Today’s quote is from French actress Jeanne Moreau (1928-2017).
"All fiction becomes autobiographical when the author has true talent."
(Produced by Nancy Yan Xu, Ryan Yaoran Yu, Lance Crayon, and Paris Yelu Xu. Music by Eugene Loner.)