Computer scientist lied about new language

The Chinese Academy of Sciences has suspended a computer scientist who claimed to have independently developed a new programming language but was later found to have copied scripts from popular programming language Python.

Liu Lei, an associate researcher at the academy's Institute of Computing Technology, had recently lied to the public about the capabilities and origin of Mulan, an educational programming language for teenagers, the institute said in a statement posted online on Sunday.

Liu's actions constituted academic misconduct, including fraud and false description, and he had been suspended as a result and is being investigated by the institute, the statement said. The results of the investigation will be published as soon as possible, it added.