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Here are today’s picks from our editors.
China launches new Long March-5B rocket for space station program
China's new large carrier rocket Long March-5B made its maiden flight on Tuesday, sending the trial version of China's new-generation manned spaceship and a cargo return capsule for test into space.
The large white rocket blasted off from the Wenchang Space Launch Center on the coast of southern China's island province of Hainan at 6pm local time.
Specially developed for China's manned space program, Long March-5B will be mainly used to launch the modules of the space station. (Xinhua)
COVID-19 deaths in US top 70,000: Johns Hopkins University
The number of COVID-19 deaths in the United States topped 70,000 on Tuesday, reaching 70,115 as of 2:15pm, according to the Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) at Johns Hopkins University.
A total of 1,192,119 cases have been reported in the country, according to the CSSE.
The state of New York suffered the most, with 321,192 cases and 25,073 deaths. (Xinhua)
UK overtakes Italy as worst-hit country in Europe by coronavirus
Britain has overtaken Italy as the worst-hit country in Europe by the novel coronavirus, according to the latest official figures released on Tuesday.
Chairing Tuesday's Downing Street press briefing, Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said another 693 COVID-19 patients have died, bringing the total coronavirus-related death toll in Britain to 29,427.
The coronavirus-related death toll in Italy currently stands at 29,315. (Xinhua)
Macron criticized for opening schools next week
French President Emmanuel Macron confirmed plans to gradually reopen schools next week amid concerns from mayors, teachers and parents about the timing.
More than 300 mayors in the capital region, including Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo, urged Macron in an open letter to delay the reopening of primary schools scheduled for next week.
They denounced an “untenable and unrealistic timetable” to meet the sanitary and safety conditions required by the state, including class sizes capped to a maximum of 15. (AP)
US service sector shrinks; first time since Great Recession
The US service sector shrank for the first time in a decade last month as the pandemic forced shutdowns and layoffs nationwide.
The Institute for Supply Management said Tuesday that its service-sector index fell to 41.8 in April, compared with a March reading of 52.5.
Any reading below 50 signals that the service sector, where the majority of Americans work, is in a contraction. It was the first time the services index has been in contraction since December 2009. (AP)
FINA postpones 2021 Fukuoka world championships to May 2022
The 2021 World Aquatics Championships in Japan will now be held in 2022, the sport's governing body FINA said in a statement on Monday.
The event was initially scheduled for the summer of 2021 from July 16 to August 1 in the Japanese city of Fukuoka. However, the postponement of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics in March caused FINA to reconsider its own dates so there won't be any clash and eventually make the adjustment to postpone the event to May 13-29.
FINA also made other moves following the Tokyo Olympics' delay including postponing a series of Olympic Games qualifying events to new dates that are yet to be confirmed. (CGTN)
WikiLeaks: London court delays Assange extradition hearing
WikiLeaks says its founder Julian Assange will have to wait at least until September before a British judge will hear a US request for his extradition.
Assange, who faces espionage charges over the activities of WikiLeaks, is currently in Belmarsh Prison in London and is fighting the allegations.
Assange’s lawyers have been seeking to get him released on bail over fears for his health during the coronavirus pandemic. (AP)
Thanks for listening and be sure to catch us tomorrow.
And now for the Question of the Day:
In what year was the 3-point field goal introduced to the NBA?
(Answer: 1979.)
Today's quote is from American writer Oliver Wendell Holmes (1809-1894).
"Language is the blood of the soul into which thoughts run and out of which they grow."
(Produced by Nancy Yan Xu, Ryan Yaoran Yu, Brian Lowe, and Elaine Yue Lin. Music by Eugene Loner.)