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Here are today’s picks from our editors.

China standardizes sign languages, braille

On Monday, the China Disabled Persons' Federation announced they will release official standards for sign language and braille that will go into effect July 1.

The standards were tested for eighteen months before being approved by the federation, the Ministry of Education and the State Language Commission.

China has more than 34 million people with hearing, vision and speech impairments.

Standardizing sign languages and braille is part of efforts to protect the rights of people with hearing and vision disabilities, said the federation. (Xinhua – People’s Daily app)

China's FAST telescope to get new receiver

China's 500-meter Aperture Spherical Radio Telescope (FAST), the world's largest single-dish radio telescope, will have a new receiver installed to boost its efficiency in surveying the sky.

The 19-beam L-band receiver, the first and only one of its kind worldwide, will increase the telescope’s survey speed by six times, according to Science and Technology Daily.

The $3.1 million-dollar receiver was developed by scientists from China and Australia.

Located in a natural, deep round karst depression in Southwestern China’s Guizhou Province, the telescope is believed to be the world's most sensitive radio telescope ever made. (Xinhua – People’s Daily app)

Maduro secures reelection victory in Venezuela run-off

Venezuela’s National Electoral Council President Tibisay Lucena announced Sunday night that incumbent candidate and current President Nicolás Maduro had garnered enough votes to secure a presidential victory.

Lucena said that Maduro had received nearly 68 percent of the vote.

The victory marks the second time for Maduro to be reelected to the nation’s top seat.

He will officially take office on January 10, 2019. (People’s Daily app)

North Korea refuses to grant South Korea reporters access to nuke site dismantlement

North Korea on Monday refused to receive a list of South Korean journalists who would witness the dismantlement of its nuclear test site, Seoul's unification ministry said.

Unification Ministry spokesman Baik Tae-hyun told a press briefing that South Korea tried to send the list of journalists who will witness the dismantlement of North Korea’s Punggye-ri nuclear test site via the communications hotline at the border village of Panmunjom.

North Korea continued to deny receiving the list, clouding the South Korean journalists' participation in the coverage of the dismantlement scheduled for Wednesday to Friday, the spokesman said.

Pyongyang has not responded to the unification ministry's comments.

On May 12, North Korea invited journalists from China, Russia, the US, Britain and South Korea to cover the dismantlement of the Punggye-ri nuclear test site, where Pyongyang conducted all of its six nuclear tests. (Xinhua – People’s Daily app)

Syrian forces proclaim Damascus region safe

Syrian army officials on Monday announced Damascus was safe and free of rebel forces, following the defeat of the Islamic State in areas south of the capital, reported state news agency SANA.

The news agency said that Islamic State forces had been removed from Hajar al-Aswad and Yarmouk Camp, two key areas south of the capital.

The significance of this achievement emanates from the defeat of the most "vicious terrorist group," proving the Syrian army is more powerful and determined to eliminate rebel factions throughout the country.. (Xinhua – People’s Daily app)

US and Canadian regulators open probes into cryptocurrency scams

US and Canadian state securities regulators announced Monday they have launched dozens of investigations into cryptocurrency scams in an initiative dubbed “Operation Crypto-Sweep.”

The investigations, some of which have already concluded, are aimed at unregistered securities offerings and initial coin offerings that promise significant returns without informing investors of the risks.

Regulators have already sent cease and desist letters to several alleged schemes, including websites that relied on fake addresses and photos to appear legitimate when seeking investors. (Reuters)

Dangerous 'laze' forms as Hawaii volcano lava reaches ocean

Hawaii officials warned beachgoers and motorists of caustic "laze" fumes as molten lava from the erupting Kilauea volcano reached the Pacific Ocean.

Two streams of lava "reached the ocean along the Southeast Puna coast overnight," on the Big Island, the US Geological Survey, which monitors volcanoes and earthquakes worldwide, said in a statement Sunday.

The term “laze” is a combination of “lava” and “haze” and created when erupting lava reacts with sea water to produce acid fumes. (AFP)

Zhang Yimou receives honorary degree from Boston University

World-renowned Chinese filmmaker Zhang Yimou on Sunday received a Doctor of Humane Letters from Boston University during its 145th commencement ceremony.

While addressing the graduating class of 2018, Boston University President Robert Brown said that Zhang Yimou’s films, “offer not only a perspective on the people and culture of China, but also a window into the universal qualities of human nature and yearning.”

Speaking before a crowd of 7,000, Brown also praised Zhang Yimou’s work outside of filmmaking including his creative efforts in directing the opening and closing ceremonies for the 2008 Beijing Olympics. (Xinhua – People’s Daily app)

Thanks for listening and be sure to catch us tomorrow.

Today’s quote is from Chinese philosopher Xun Zi.

“The person attempting to travel two roads at once will get nowhere.”

(Produced by Nancy Yan Xu, Ryan Yaoran Yu, Lance Crayon, and Ziyi Zeng.)