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Here are today’s picks from our editors.
Second city in China to carry out mass testing for COVID-19
Mudanjiang, a northeastern border city in China, has started to conduct citywide nucleic acid tests since early this week to assess some 2.8 million people, according to the local government.
The announcement came after 15 asymptomatic COVID-19 patients reported there last week.
Mudanjiang will be the second city in China to conduct such a large-scale nucleic acid testing for COVID-19, following the former epicenter of Wuhan as the pioneer. (CGTN)
US suspends flights by Chinese airlines starting June 16
The US Transportation Department said it would suspend all flights by Chinese airlines into and out of the United States after it failed to get a permit for US carriers to conduct scheduled passenger air services to and from China.
The suspension order takes effect June 16 but could be implemented sooner if President Donald Trump orders it. (China Plus)
Murder charge upgraded in Floyd case, 3 other cops charged
US prosecutors are charging a Minneapolis police officer accused of pressing his knee against George Floyd’s neck with second-degree murder, and for the first time will level charges against three other officers at the scene, a newspaper reported Wednesday.
The officer, Derek Chauvin, was fired May 26 and initially charged with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. The three other officers involved were also fired but were not immediately charged.
The Star Tribune reported that Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison would be upgrading the charge against Chauvin while also charging Thomas Lane, J. Kueng and Tou Thao with aiding and abetting second-degree murder. (AP)
Biden seeks to lock down the presidential nomination next week
Joe Biden is on the cusp of formally securing the Democratic presidential nomination after winning hundreds more delegates in primary contests. He could lock down the nomination within the next week as West Virginia and Georgia hold primaries.
Biden and President Donald Trump easily swept their respective primary contests and the two men are certain to face each other on the presidential ballot in November, yet party rules require them first to accumulate a majority of delegates in the monthslong state-by-state primary season. (AP)
Russia to never initiate use of nukes
Russia will never initiate the use of nuclear weapons, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said regarding the country's newly released nuclear deterrence policy on Wednesday.
On Tuesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree on the fundamentals of the country's state policy of nuclear deterrence.
"The Russian Federation reserves the right to launch a nuclear strike either in response to a similar attack or in the event of a threat to the existence of the state," the decree reads, stressing that the policy is defensive in nature. (Xinhua)
Italy opens borders ahead of neighbors, still eyed warily
Italy officially ended its long coronavirus lockdown Wednesday, opening regional and international borders in a bid to boost summer tourism, but found itself alone as European neighbors viewed the move as premature and remained wary of visitors from Italy.
Italy is the first European country to fully open its international borders, dropping the 14-day quarantine requirement for visitors from most of Europe. Many European nations are waiting until June 15 to open their borders, and some much later than that. (AP)
Potala Palace in Tibet reopens as epidemic measures eased
The Potala Palace in southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region reopened to the public on Wednesday after being closed for more than four months due to the COVID-19 epidemic.
Situated in the regional capital of Lhasa, the palace will be open from 9am to 4pm, and visitors must make reservations, either online or at the entrance, one day in advance. No more than 2,100 daily visits will be allowed, according to the site's administration.
The Potala Palace was built by Tibetan King Songtsen Gampo in the seventh century and was expanded in the 17th century by the fifth Dalai Lama. (Xinhua)
Thanks for listening and be sure to catch us tomorrow.
And now for the Question of the Day:
What names were given to the three tunnels in the movie The Great Escape?
(Answer: Tom, Dick and Harry.)
Today's quote is from Lebanese poet Khalil Gibran (1883-1931).
"We choose our joys and sorrows long before we experience them."
(Produced by Nancy Yan Xu, Ryan Yaoran Yu, Brian Lowe, and Elaine Yue Lin. Music by Eugene Loner.)