Scientists find huge meteor crater in China

Harbin: Chinese scientists have discovered a meteor crater with a diameter of 1,850 metres and a depth of 150 metres at Yilan in northeast China’s Heilongjiang province. Located in the southwestern Lesser Khingan Mountains, the bowl-shaped impact crater is mostly well preserved, with just one-third of its edges eroded. Most of the pit area is covered by white birch. IANS

‘Colours of the Mountain’ author Da Chen dies at 57

los angeles: Da Chen, the brilliant storyteller who drew from the hardships he suffered as a persecuted child growing up in the midst of China’s cultural revolution to create the critically acclaimed memoir “Colours of the Mountain”, has died at age 57. Chen died of lung cancer on December 17, his wife Sun-Ling Chen, said. His most recent book, “Girl Under a Red Moon”, was published just three months ago. AP

Human dancing skills may have evolved from chimpanzees

london: Scientists have observed two chimpanzees in a US zoo performing a duo dance-like behaviour similar to a human conga-line, a hitherto never-before-seen behaviour that has sparked the question about how human dance evolved. The researchers led by the University of Warwick in the UK also found that the levels of co-ordination, synchrony and rhythm between the two female chimpanzees matched those shown by orchestra players performing the same musical piece. PTI

China detains 99,000 telecom fraud suspects

Beijing: Chinese police have cracked 1,18,000 cases of telecom fraud and detained 99,000 suspects during their “Cloud Sword” operation launched in June, the Ministry of Public Security said on Wednesday. The figures marked a year-on-year increase of 62.7 per cent and 135.6 per cent, respectively, said Liu Zhongyi, director of the criminal investigation bureau under the ministry, at a press conference. IANS