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Here are today's picks from our editors. 

China's new sci-tech board to start trading on July 22

China's new science and technology innovation board will start trading on July 22, with the first batch of 25 companies debuting on the board, the Shanghai Stock Exchange (SSE) announced Friday.

By Thursday, the SSE handled applications for an initial public offering (IPO) on the sci-tech board from 141 companies, most of which are in the fields of next-generation IT, biomedicine, advanced equipment and new materials.

The new board is the first submarket of China's capital market to adopt the registration-based IPO system. (Xinhua)

South Korea officially dissolves Japan-funded 'comfort women' fund

The South Korean government has officially dissolved a Japan-funded foundation in Seoul for the South Korean victims forced to work in the Japanese military brothels before and during World War II, local daily newspaper Joongang Ilbo reported Friday.

The foundation was launched in July 2016 under the December 2015 agreement between Seoul and Tokyo to "finally and irreversibly" settle the issue over Korean women who were forced into sexual slavery under the 1910-45 Japanese colonization of the Korean Peninsula.

The agreement, reached under the previous Park Geun-hye government of South Korea, was criticized by the victims and civic groups as Japan failed to sincerely apologize and take legal responsibility for the wartime atrocities.

In response, the Japanese government on Friday said it could never accept the decision by South Korea to dissolve the fund. (Xinhua) 

Aftershocks follow Southern California earthquake

Aftershocks from Southern California’s largest earthquake in 20 years rumbled beneath the Mojave Desert on Friday as authorities tallied damage in the sparsely populated region.

The strongest aftershock thus far hit shortly after 4 am, registering magnitude 5.4 and awakening people all the way to the coast.

Thursday’s 6.4 magnitude quake struck at midmorning about 150 miles northeast of Los Angeles, near the town of Ridgecrest.

Multiple injuries and two house fires were reported in the town of 28,000.

Emergency crews dealt with small vegetation fires, gas leaks and reports of cracked roads, said Kern County Fire Chief David Witt. (AP) 

Apple's retail stores reach 51 in Greater China

US tech giant Apple expanded its number of retail stores to 51 in Greater China by the end of 2018, the company said in a recent report.

Apple has also set up nine companies and 71 branch companies, providing over 5 million jobs in Greater China, said the report on Apple's operation and responsibility in China.

The company has launched research and development centers in the Chinese cities of Beijing, Shenzhen, Shanghai and Suzhou, dedicated to innovation in hardware, software and services. (Xinhua) 

China's migratory bird sanctuaries added to UNESCO World Heritage List

China's Migratory Bird Sanctuaries along the coast of the Yellow Sea-Bohai Gulf (Phase I) were inscribed on the World Heritage List as a natural site on Friday at the ongoing 43rd session of the World Heritage Committee in Azerbaijan's capital.

Migratory Bird Sanctuaries along the coast of the Yellow Sea-Bohai Gulf of China are located in the Yellow Sea ecoregion, containing the world's largest continuous mudflat seashore.

The area has a high biodiversity, with about 280 species of fish and more than 500 species of invertebrates, providing a variety of food resources for millions of migratory birds. (Xinhua) 

FIFA looks to expand Women's World Cup from 24 to 32 teams

FIFA is looking to expand the Women's World Cup from 24 to 32 teams.

The plan was revealed by FIFA President Gianni Infantino ahead of Sunday's final between the United States and the Netherlands.

FIFA has already decided to expand the men's World Cup from 32 to 48 teams from 2026.

Infantino wants to double the Women's World Cup prize money, team preparation funding and cash for clubs releasing players, lifting the figure to $100 million. (AP) 

Cockroach nearly unstoppable using insecticide: researchers

The German cockroach has developed a strong resistance to insecticide due to the widespread use of chemical bug sprays, according to a research led by Purdue University in Indiana.

In the study, the researchers used individual and combination insecticides, but nothing could wipe out the population of German cockroaches.

The scientists from Purdue University said the super-immunity gene is passed on to the insect's offspring, so people need to find non-chemical measures to control cockroach populations, such as traps. (China Plus) 

Thanks for listening and be sure to catch us tomorrow.

And now for the Question of the Day:

Who said, "I think, therefore I am"?

(Answer: René Descartes.)

Today's quote is from English novelist Charles Dickens (1812-1870). 

"Life is made of ever so many partings welded together."

(Produced by Nancy Yan Xu, Ryan Yaoran Yu, Lance Crayon, Brian Lowe, Elaine Yue Lin and Chelle Wenqian Zeng. Music by Eugene Loner.)