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Liang took the grueling two-day exam, known as the “gaokao,” in early June alongside nearly 13 million students nationwide. Students’ exam results are their only criteria for college admission – and most candidates only get one shot, with the test happening once a year. “It may be a little difficult if I want to go to a good university this year,” he said in the video. He’d even accepted that Sichuan University might be out of reach, deciding to attend any “key university” that would accept him. Ahead of this year’s test, many students visited temples to light incense and pray for good results.

Persons: Liang Shi, Liang, ”, he’s, “ I’m, livestream, “, He’d, master’s Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Sichuan University, China Daily Locations: Hong Kong, ”, Sichuan, China, Nanjing

☆ This man is traveling the world on non-motorized transport
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-19 | by ( Tamara Hardingham-Gill | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

Not even an elevator,” Pukonen says of his epic adventure, which has seen him travel around 80,000 kilometers without using motorized transport. Ambitious questAdventurer Markus Pukonen has spent over seven years traveling the world using non-motorized transport. Before beginning the trip, Pukonen founded nonprofit organization Routes of Change, with the aim of raising funds and awareness for small social and environmental organizations throughout his journey. “So the fact that what I’m doing is such a crazy, astonishing thing [to some people] is really, really bizarre to me. Although Pukonen has used almost every form of non-motorized transport possible during the journey, he says there’s nothing quite like traveling on water.

Persons: Markus Pukonen, Pukonen, he’d, “, it’s, ”, he’s, ” Pukonen, Randy Mitson, ’, “ I’ve, ” He’s, “ I’m Organizations: CNN, CNN Travel, Children’s, Swift, Toronto Locations: Toronto, rafted, Mississippi, Canada, Lake Ontario, Columbia, Washington, Hawaii, Macau, Vietnam, kayaked, Indonesia, Canadian, Winnipeg, Tofino, Vancouver Island, India, Seychelles, Tanzania, Mozambique, South Africa, Brazil, Florida, Savannah , Georgia, North America's, Superior, Georgia, Maine, Hudson, New York, Caribbean, Tobago, Asia, Pukonen, British Columbia

☆ How charging drivers to go downtown would transform American cities
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-10 | by ( Nathaniel Meyersohn | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

New York City is still clawing out of from the devastating impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. The plan would also mark the culmination of more than a half-century of efforts to implement congestion pricing in New York City. Ultimately, it was the need to improve New York City’s public transit that became the rallying cry for congestion pricing. The stakes of New York City’s program are high, and leaders in other cities are watching the results closely. “It’s good to see New York City’s program is moving forward,” said the Los Angeles Times Editorial Board last month.

Persons: Joe Biden’s, ”, Kathy Hochul, Michael Bloomberg, Andrew Cuomo —, Yuki Iwamura, Kate Slevin, Sam Schwartz Organizations: New, New York CNN, Central Business District, Federal Highway Administration, New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority, ” New York Gov, MTA, Bloomberg, Getty, Regional Plan Association, London, Drivers, Los Angeles Times Locations: New York, New York City, Lower Manhattan, Manhattan, United States, Stockholm, London, Singapore, New Jersey, York, Los Angeles

CNN —For nearly 13 million high school students across China, Wednesday marks a day that could make or break their plans for college and the increasingly competitive job market beyond. A high score in the two-day “gaokao” college entrance exam is the only way to get into the country’s top universities, and most Chinese students only get one shot at the grueling test, unlike US students who can take the SAT several times. A user on Douyin, China’s version of TikTok, recalled taking the gaokao in 2000 when there were only about 3.75 million other test takers. The urban unemployment rate for 16- to 24-year-olds hit a record high of 20.4% in April, according to data released by the National Bureau of Statistics. And the rate could increase further, as a record 11.6 million college students are set to graduate this year.

Persons: gaokao, ”, TikTok, Fu Linghui, Xi Jinping’s Organizations: CNN, Getty, Authorities, Times, National Bureau of Statistics, NBS Locations: China, Shenyang, honking

☆ How Victor Wembanyama Could Fit on the San Antonio Spurs
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( Kris Rhim | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Victor Wembanyama, the 7-foot-4 dynamic forward who is this year’s most prized N.B.A. prospect, cheered with his family in France as the San Antonio Spurs won the 2023 draft lottery Tuesday night. In San Antonio, fans, perhaps understandably, celebrated like they had won a championship, yelling in bars and honking car horns. “What are the San Antonio Spurs getting in Victor Wembanyama?” the reporter asked. He isn’t a typical draft prospect, and he wasn’t going to pretend to be one, either.

☆ Opinion | Seniors, Do You Have Trouble Getting Around Town?
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( New York Times Opinion | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

By 2030, at least 1 in 5 Americans will have reached retirement age, and cities are the major focal point for this demographic tide. Currently, 8 in 10 Americans age 65 or older already live in metropolitan areas, and many older Americans increasingly prefer to age in place. Yet, many neighborhoods aren’t designed to account for the needs of older populations. A narrow sidewalk, a rapidly changing streetlight and limited options for resting areas can make getting around dangerous, and the lack of open public spaces can keep seniors from getting much-needed exercise and social time. In rural areas and sprawling suburbs, insufficient public transportation choices also make it harder for older people to buy their groceries, live independently and stay connected with family and friends.

☆ I ditched a big city for a $5,000 fixer-upper with 8 bedrooms in a small town. It's nice to live in a place where people don't treat each other like strangers.
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-13 | by ( Alcynna Lloyd | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

John Nichols moved to Huntington, West Virginia, in 2021 after growing tired of Chicago. Katie thought that living in West Virginia would be nice because the weather was much warmer than it was in Chicago. In West Virginia, there's no traffic and everyone is friendly — I haven't heard a horn honk since I moved to the state. The Nichols' house in Huntington, West Virginia. I think aspects like these are making West Virginia more popular, especially for people who have had enough of big city life.

☆ Opinion: Is Tucker Carlson the reason Texas Gov. Abbott says he’ll pardon a convicted killer?
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-10 | by ( Dean Obeidallah | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Abbott’s pardon announcement came after he was goaded to do so by figures on the right – from Fox News host Tucker Carlson to the chairman of the Texas Republican Party to Kyle Rittenhouse. There are conflicting accounts as to whether Foster pointed his weapon at Perry or Perry made the first move. They are rioting outside my apartment complex.” Defense attorneys said that Foster had threatened Perry by pointing his gun at Perry. Then Carlson and others on the right began to pressure Abbott to issue a pardon, because they didn’t agree with the verdict. On his Fox News show on Friday night, Carlson called on Abbott to pardon Perry, arguing that the defendant had acted in self-defense – despite the jury rejecting that argument.

☆ To Make Phone Calls Clearer, Do This
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-05 | by ( Cordilia James | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Babies babbling, drills drilling, horns honking. Tech companies are rolling out new noise-reduction tools to filter out cacophony on your calls—but you need to know how to find them. As part of its iOS 16.4 update last week, Apple added its Voice Isolation feature to cellular phone calls, bringing the caller’s voice to the forefront and blocking out ambient noise.

☆ How to Block Out Barking Dogs, Crying Babies and Other Background Noise During Calls
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-05 | by ( Cordilia James | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

☆ Why is the Trump 'hush-money' grand jury taking so @#$%& long? Wrong question, experts say.
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-26 | by ( Laura Italiano | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

An uncanny lack of secrecy surrounds the secret Trump 'hush money' grand jury now underway in NY. Grand jury witnesses, lawyers, and Trump himself are shouting about each other on TV and online. The right question may be, "Why is this supposedly secret grand jury such a honking, spotlit spectacle?" On Friday, an envelope of white powder was sent to Bragg at the office building where the grand jury sits. The grand jury was not there that day, and the powder proved non-hazardous.

☆ New Starbucks CEO plans to pull barista shifts in stores every month
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-23 | by ( Danielle Wiener-Bronner | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

New York CNN —Starbucks’ new CEO Laxman Narasimhan teased his plan for the company in a letter to employees. It includes working in Starbucks stores as a barista once a month. “Critically, we will reinvigorate our culture around what it means to be a partner at Starbucks,” Narasimhan continued. Starbucks employees react and cheer at the sound of honking motorists supporting them in a nationwide strike at the Starbucks at 1601 W. Irving Park Road on Dec. 16, 2022, in Chicago. Schultz, who remains on Starbuck’s board, is scheduled to testify about Starbucks’ labor practices during a Senate hearing next week.

☆ Iraqi ambush of Americans made a mockery of 'Mission Accomplished'
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-16 | by ( Michael Georgy | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +9 min

[1/5] FILE PHOTO: A U.S. soldier walks past Iraqi detainees standing behind a wired fence, at Abu Ghraib prison outside Baghdad, Iraq May 17, 2004. Arriving in the city an hour or so after the ambush on March 31, 2004, I was confronted by a crowd kicking the head of an incinerated body. I was taking notes, trying to make sense of the furore, when a boy, who was probably aged about nine, approached. HOTSPOTIn the two decades of turmoil since the invasion, Falluja repeatedly emerged as a hotspot. I saw an Iraqi douse one of the corpses with petrol, sending flames soaring into the air.

☆ I left Manhattan for LA. It's easier to make friends, my cost of living is lower, and I'm so much happier here.
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-18 | by ( Daniel Zahler | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +14 min

I got the full New York City experienceI lived in Manhattan for 12 years. In 2015, I decided to sublet my West Village pad and spend the winter in Santa Monica. Santa Monica is one of the priciest areas of California, but it's still cheaper than Manhattan. Today I'm paying $3,000 a month for a spacious apartment in the heart of Santa Monica with amazing views of mountains and palm trees. New York City is unrivaled in its energy and diversity and is the major league of cities — truly world-class.

☆ New York nurses strike: Key takeaways
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-09 | by ( Chris Isidore | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

New York CNN —The 7,000 nurses who went on strike in New York Monday say the 19% pay hike that hospital management offered them was never the main issue. And so thousands of nurses went on strike with no end in sight. The overall effect on the New York hospital system appear to be minor so far, according to a city official. While the union and Montefiore are due back at the bargaining table Monday afternoon, no new talks are scheduled as of midday for Mount Sinai. The union says Mount Sinai and Montefiore have severe staffing problems and need to do more than the others to improve patient care and work conditions.

☆ Tesla owners who just want a normal steering wheel on their Model S and Model X get their wish
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-07 | by ( Aaron Mok | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Tesla's Model S/X owners will have the option to replace the yoke steering wheel with a round one. The move comes after Tesla car owners complained about the learning curve of the box wheel. Starting in March, Tesla owners can replace their current steering wheels for $700. Unlike a conventional wheel, the yoke wheel is rectangular with a tiny button for honking. The stalk — the part in conventional cars that controls core functions such as turn signals, headlights, and windshield wipers — was replaced with buttons on the steering yoke.

☆ Mystery solved! We identified the big chonky ring that Sam Bankman-Fried wore to court.
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-05 | by ( Jacob Shamsian | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

On his right ring finger was a big honking metal ring. Indeed, the ring appears to be an MIT class ring, also known as the "brass rat." The beaver design for the MIT class ring, taken from the school's mascot, dates to 1930. The chair of the 2014 ring committee didn't immediately respond to Insider's request for comment for this story. A representative for Bankman-Fried responded to Insider's request for comment and confirmed Bankman-Fried was wearing an MIT class ring.

☆ Tesla driver found sleeping at the wheel as car reached 70 mph on highway, report says
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-31 | by ( Joshua Zitser | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A driver fell asleep while his Tesla car was using its autopilot assistance system on a German highway. Police tried to stop the driver as the car reached up to 70 mph, The Times of London reported. The car reached close to 70 mph on the highway in Bavaria, Germany, while the 45-year-old driver continued to snooze, the newspaper reported. Elon Musk, Tesla's CEO, has championed the car company's Autopilot assistance system. Insider previously reported that vehicles using Tesla's Autopilot software were involved in 273 crashes in the US from July 2021 to May 2022.

☆ The Oath Keepers promised to defend liberty — and ended up trying to overthrow American democracy
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-31 | by ( Charles R. Davis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

The Oath Keepers were founded in 2009, pledging to stand up to tyranny. The Oath Keepers, to be sure, are not to be confused with a charming but a little bit problematic ex. A look at the list of 10 orders the Oath Keepers insisted its members — cops and soldiers — would not carry out reveals as much. Thanks to the magic of the Internet Archive, however, we can see just how they were received on the Oath Keepers' website at the time. But there is, in my take, nothing different about the underlying threat that Oath Keepers posed from day one."

☆ Morocco, France fans clash with police in Paris after World Cup win
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] Soccer Football - FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 - Fans gather in Paris for Morocco v Portugal - Paris, France - December 10, 2022 Police officers are seen near a motorbike during the Morocco fans celebrations REUTERS/Benoit TessierPARIS, Dec 10 (Reuters) - French police fired tear gas on the Champs Elysees in Paris as fans were celebrating victories by France and Morocco in the World Cup, sending them to the tournament’s semi-finals. Thousands of supporters had filled the famous Parisian avenue soon after the match between Morocco and Portugal, chanting, waving flags and honking their horns amid large police deployment. Reuters TV footage showed people smashing shop ventures and fights with police. Some fires could also be seen on avenue de Friedland close to the Champs Elysees. Reporting by Antony Paone and Sybille de La Hamaide; Editing by David GregorioOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Moroccans celebrate historic World Cup win against Spain
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

Its World Cup success has reverberated across the Arab world and among Moroccan and some other immigrant communities in Europe. “Today is a day of joy for Moroccans and all the Arab world,” Lotfi said. “Morocco is representing all the Arab world, all the African continent, that is beyond description, it is the most glorious part,” he said. In Qatar, Moroccan fans clashed briefly with police outside the stadium before the game started. Ten days ago riots broke out in Belgium and the Netherlands as Morocco fans celebrated beating Belgium in the group stage in Qatar.

Spain fans were dejected to see their team crash out of the tournament. "We go back to Spain crying and we will have to reflect," said Julia Calvet, 21, in a Barcelona bar. In Barcelona, Morocco fans packed into the central Raval neighbourhood to celebrate, lighting flares and singing. "We needed to win so that Moroccans have confidence in themselves in Spain," Anass, a 22-year-old Moroccan cook told Reuters in downtown Barcelona. Spain retained the enclaves of Melilla and Ceuta, which were previously colonial territories, after Morocco gained independence in 1956.

In earlier matches they had tied with Croatia and scored a surprise win over Belgium, the second-ranked team in the world. "This team can go all the way in this World Cup!" In Qatar, where the home team along with Saudi Arabia and Tunisia have already been knocked out, Morocco now carries the mantle for an Arab world that has cheered victories by Arab teams against some of the tournament favourites. FIFA and Qatar's World Cup organisers, the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy, did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment on the crowding outside the stadium. Morocco's last World Cup appearance, four years ago, ended in the group stage.

After Iran’s loss to the United States on Tuesday, however, many Iranians cheered their players’ failure, saying they represented the repressive theocratic regime rather than the people it violently oppresses. On Tuesday, those criticizing the team made their voices heard: This was the Islamic Republic’s loss, not Iran’s. Meanwhile, there were thousands of tweets in Persian, or in English from prominent Iranians, saying how happy they were their own team had fallen at the first hurdle of the competition. “For 43 years the regime brainwashed Iranians to hate America,” Masih Alinejad, a New York-based Iranian journalist and activist, tweeted. “But see how people across Iran are celebrating the victory of the U.S. soccer team against the Islamic Republic.”Read the full story here.

On Tuesday, those criticizing the team made their voices heard: This was the Islamic Republic's loss, not Iran's. Meanwhile, there were thousands of tweets in Persian, or in English from prominent Iranians, saying how happy they were their own team had fallen at the first hurdle of the competition. Dean Mouhtaropoulos / Getty Images"For 43 years the regime brainwashed Iranians to hate America," Masih Alinejad, a New York-based Iranian journalist and activist, tweeted . "But see how people across Iran are celebrating the victory of the U.S. soccer team against the Islamic Republic." Reuters TVWhere the Iranian soccer team fits into all this has been a subject of debate among Iranians and those watching from abroad.

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