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Here are today’s picks from our editors.

China continues efforts to spur private investment

China will continue to ease market access and step up financial support for private investment and businesses, a senior official said Thursday.

The country will ease restrictions on private investment into sectors such as infrastructure, public services, elderly care and health care, Yan Pengcheng, spokesperson of the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), said at a press conference.

Yan said the country will encourage local governments to set up infrastructure private investment funds and encourage financial institutions to use big data technology to grant loans to private businesses.

At the end of 2017, private businesses accounted for more than 60 percent of China's GDP and provided more than 80 percent of urban jobs. (Xinhua)

Nine confirmed dead, hundreds injured after earthquake in Japan

Nine people were confirmed dead and roughly 300 were injured after an earthquake rocked Japan's northernmost prefecture of Hokkaido early Thursday, local police and rescue officials said.

Around 30 people still remained missing in the wake of the quake, with almost 2,000 people taking refuge in emergency evacuation shelters that have been set up at more than 400 locations, local authorities said.

The powerful earthquake with a magnitude of 6.7, measuring a maximum of 7 on Japan's seismic intensity scale, hit early Thursday morning. The death toll is likely to rise, officials said, as multiple houses were buried by landslides. (Xinhua)

Japan admits first Fukushima radiation death

Japan for the first time accepted that a worker employed at the Fukushima nuclear plant, destroyed during a powerful tsunami roughly seven years ago, died due to excessive radiation exposure.

The 50-year-old man was suffering from lung cancer, detected in 2016. The victim’s primary job was to measure the radiation level in the plant after the meltdown of the nuclear reactors.

Earlier, the Japanese government confirmed radiation-related illness among four workers; however, this is the first time it acknowledged death. (CGTN)

Four dead, including gunman, in Cincinnati bank shooting

A gunman opened fire Thursday morning in Cincinnati in an attack that left him and three other people dead, police said.

Police Chief Eliot Isaac said the shooter opened fire at the loading dock of the Fifth Third Bank building. Isaac said the gunman then entered the bank’s lobby where he exchanged gunfire with police. It’s unclear if the gunman shot himself or was shot by officers.

The gunman was not immediately identified and police did not comment on his motive. (AP)

China's Mobike suspends operation in Manchester due to vandalism

China's bike-sharing firm Mobike confirmed on Wednesday that it was pulling out of Manchester this week after losing ten percent of its bicycles each month to theft and vandalism.

According to a statement by Mobike, the company suffered "unsustainable" losses as too many of its bikes had been stolen, dumped in canals and bins, had locks hacked off, or been set on fire.

The company has already started removing the bicycles and will transfer them to London, Oxford, Cambridge, and Newcastle, where it will continue to operate. (Xinhua)

First robot boat finishes Atlantic crossing

The SB Met, built by Norwegian company Offshore Sensing AS, reached the finish line of the Microtransat Challenge, a transatlantic race for autonomous robots on Aug. 26, became the first unmanned sailboat to cross the Atlantic.

It's a milestone that shows the technology for unmanned boats is robust enough to carry out extended missions that can dramatically cut costs for ocean research, border security, and surveillance in rough or remote waters.

They're part of wider efforts to develop autonomous marine vessels such as robotic ferries and cargo and container ships that could be operating by the end of the decade, outpacing attempts to commercialize self-driving cars. (CGTN)

Popular game King of Glory now linked to police data

Popular Chinese mobile game King of Glory, developed by Tencent Games, has enhanced its anti-addiction system to strictly adopt real-name registration with users identities verified by police data.

In June 2017, Tencent implemented a filter mechanism known as the "health system,” limiting minors 12 years old and younger to playing one hour a day between 8 a.m. and 9 p.m. Those aged 13 to 18 can play two hours a day any time they choose.

The latest upgrade for the iOS version is expected to be officially launched around Sept. 15 with a stringent verification process. (ECNS)

 Thanks for listening and be sure to catch us tomorrow.

And now for the Question of the Day:

Who is the author of The Joy Luck Club?

(Answer: Amy Tan.)

Today’s quote is from Italian artist Michelangelo.

“There is no greater harm than that of time wasted.”

(Produced by Nancy Yan Xu, Ryan Yaoran Yu, and Raymond Mendoza.)