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Here are today’s picks from our editors.

China, Philippines agree to upgrade ties, jointly advance Belt and Road construction

China and the Philippines agreed on Tuesday to upgrade their ties to comprehensive strategic cooperation and jointly advance the Belt and Road construction.

The decision was made at a meeting between visiting Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Philippine counterpart Rodrigo Duterte.

The upgrade of bilateral relations meets the expectation of both peoples and matches the development of China-Philippines ties, Xi said, calling on the two sides to enhance strategic guidance on bilateral relations by the two heads of state, promote exchanges on all levels and consolidate strategic mutual trust.

Extending warm welcome to Xi, Duterte noted that it was the first state visit to his country by a Chinese head of state in 13 years.

The visit, carrying historic significance and being a milestone in the Philippines-China relations, will open a new chapter in their cooperation, he said. (Xinhua)

Chinese, Palestinian leaders exchange congratulations on 30th anniversary of diplomatic ties

Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Palestinian counterpart Mahmoud Abbas on Tuesday exchanged congratulations on the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

In his congratulatory message to the Palestinian president, Xi said the two countries enjoy a long history of friendship. China is among the first countries to support the just cause of the Palestinian people and to recognize the Palestine Liberation Organization, as well as one of the earliest countries to establish diplomatic relations with the State of Palestine.

China will push forward the Palestine-Israel peace talks and continue to play a positive role in the early realization of a comprehensive and just settlement of the Palestinian issue, he said.

In his congratulatory message to Xi, Abbas said that he is very proud of the traditional friendship between the two countries and their peoples, and highly appreciates the outstanding and important role that China has played in supporting the Palestinian people and their cause. (Xinhua)

Hospital gunman had been kicked out of firefighting academy

A man who fatally shot his ex-fiancee outside a Chicago hospital before killing two people inside the building was once kicked out of the city’s firefighting academy after threatening a female cadet, officials said Tuesday.

Juan Lopez, who died following the shooting Monday at Mercy Hospital, was also the subject of a protection order request filed four years ago, and he legally purchased several guns in recent years, police said.

Four years ago, fire department officials learned of the threats to the cadet and told Lopez that he would be disciplined. He was dismissed after he went AWOL, a fire department spokesman said. (AP)

1 dead, 44 injured after train derailment in eastern Spain

One person was killed and 44 others injured when a passenger train derailed Tuesday morning following a landslide in eastern Spain.

The accident happened at 6:15 am local time between the towns of Terrassa and Manresa, located in the industrial belt surrounding the outskirts of Barcelona. (Xinhua)

Three injured in nuclear plant incident in UK's Lancashire

Three people have been injured in a serious incident at a nuclear power plant in Lancashire, reported British media Tuesday.

The injured are employees of power company EDF, which owns the nuclear station in Heysham, Lancashire.

The company said the incident happened Monday night and the injured were taken to hospital following an "accidental steam release".

EDF said the incident was not related to the nuclear process and there was no danger to public safety. (Xinhua)

China arrests 576 suspects on charges of solid waste smuggling in Jan-Oct

China investigated a total of 412 criminal cases related to solid waste smuggling and arrested 576 suspects in the first ten months of this year, according to the General Administration of Customs (GAC) Tuesday.

The GAC investigated a total of 1.46 million tonnes of solid waste during the January-October period, data shows.

The Chinese government is also set to introduce a new and tightened ban on solid waste imports effective from Dec. 31, 2018, with 32 types of solid waste due to be banned. The newly-added products include hardware, ships, auto parts, waste, stainless steel scraps, titanium and wood. (Xinhua)

Footprint fossils suggest China's trade hub once dinosaur paradise

Paleontologists have identified over 100 dinosaur footprints in Yiwu in eastern China's Zhejiang Province after a dinosaur research project concluded its excavation stage.

The findings, the largest of its kind in southeast China, suggest the city, the world's biggest hub for small commodities, was bustling with giant lizards 100 million years ago.

The footprints date back 80 to 100 million years to the late Cretaceous period, said Jin Xingsheng, deputy curator of the Zhejiang Museum of Natural History. (China Plus)

Thanks for listening and be sure to catch us tomorrow.

And now for the Question of the Day:

What is the capital of the Philippines?

(Answer: Manila.)

Today’s quote is from Pakistani poet Muhammad Iqbal (1877-1938).

“The ultimate aim of the ego is not to see something, but to be something.”

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