Science & Technology

XICHANG, May 17 (Xinhua): China sent a new satellite of the BeiDou Navigation Satellite System (BDS) into space from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in Sichuan Province at 11:48 p.m. Friday.

Launched on a Long March-3C carrier rocket, it is the fourth BDS-2 backup satellite and the 45th satellite of the BDS satellite family.

After being sent to the geostationary earth orbit and in-orbit tests, it will be connected to the BDS to provide users with more reliable services and enhance the stability of the constellation.

17 May 2019; DW: The next-generation ALFA-X train is on course to become the fastest in the world. Testing will continue for three years, and the train is scheduled to go into use in 2030.

Japan's JR-EAST rail company unveiled a next-generation Shinkansen bullet train codenamed ALFA-X on Thursday. The company said the €82 million ($91 million) 10-car train, which was completed in early May, had already reached speeds of 320 km/h (198 mph).

17 May 2019 (AP) - Boeing says it has finished with its updates to the flight-control software implicated in two deadly crashes involving its 737 Max, moving a step closer to getting the plane back in the sky.

Aviation regulators still have more questions about how pilots interact with the plane’s controls under different circumstances, and Boeing says it is providing that information.

The Federal Aviation Administration, foreign regulators and airlines are reviewing Boeing’s plans for additional pilot training, the company said Thursday.

LONDON, May 16 (Xinhua): Chinese company Huawei launched its 5G smartphone here on Thursday, as mobile network operators are preparing to switch on 5G network in parts of Britain.

The HUAWEI Mate 20 X (5G) is the latest Huawei smartphone that introduces consumers to 5G with a premium experience comprising high-speed connectivity, flagship performance, large display, reliable battery life and more.

SYDNEY, May 17 (Xinhua): Asthma sufferers can breathe a little easier with a potential new treatment revealed on Friday, targeting the underlying cause of the disease rather than the symptoms.

A study by Australia's Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research has shown in preclinical trials that by inhibiting the enzyme Ezh2 they can "switch off" and reverse the uncontrolled inflammation associated with asthma.

MOSCOW, May 16. /TASS/: Russian scientists have proposed that Russia should start building astrophysical observatories on the Moon in the late 2020s and the early 2030s, Scientific Head of the Space Research Institute within Russia’s Academy of Sciences Lev Zelyony told TASS on Thursday.

MOSCOW, May 16. /TASS/: Most Russians are not afraid of losing jobs to artificial intelligence (AI), while one in two feels robots’ assistance in performing duties at work, as follows from a survey by the analytical center Bitrix24, the IT company 1S Bitrix told TASS.

The survey is based on an opinion poll of 1,300 Russian companies held on April 16-18. Taking part in the survey were companies in the IT segment, sales, marketing and PR, education, finance, e-commerce, logistics and others - most of them small and medium businesses.

CAIRO, May 15 (Xinhua): Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi attended on Wednesday the opening of Rod al-Farag Axis Bridge, the widest suspension bridge in the world, state-run Nile TV reported.

"Egypt is seeking to carry out public projects in the shortest possible time to save money and effort," al-Sisi said in his address at the inauguration ceremony.

The construction of the bridge was implemented by the Armed Forces Engineering Authority (AFEA) in cooperation with a number of national companies.

CHANGSHA, May 16 (Xinhua): A leading saline soil rice research center in eastern China's Shandong Province made the decision to expand its experimental land to over 666 hectares early this month.

The Saline-Alkali Tolerant Rice Research and Development Center in the coastal city of Qingdao said the move aims to speed up research and development and optimize the types of saline soil rice.

The center said one other important purpose of the expansion is to seek the best cultivation methods.

BEIJING, May 16 (Xinhua): China has developed a number of new-generation carrier rockets to take the country's space industry to the next level.

LONG MARCH-7

The Long March-7 is a medium-sized carrier rocket with high reliability and safety. It is designed to launch cargo vehicles during the construction of China's manned space station project and meet the long-term demand for upgrading manned carrier rockets in service.