41 satellites launched

CHINA launched a Long March 2D carrier rocket Thursday afternoon to transport 41 satellites into space, setting a new national record for the most satellites launched in a single mission.

The rocket blasted off at 1:30 p.m. from a service tower surrounded by mountains at the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in Shanxi Province, thundering up into sunny skies.

Unemployment rate

CHINA’S surveyed urban unemployment rate stood at 5.2% in May this year, unchanged from the April level, data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) showed Thursday.

The rate among those aged between 25 and 59, the majority of the labor market, declined to 4.1% last month from 4.2% in April, according to the NBS.

The surveyed unemployment rate in 31 major cities came in at 5.5% in May, also unchanged from the previous month, the data showed.

Yellow alert

CHINA’S national observatory renewed a yellow alert Thursday for high temperatures, as heatwaves swept some parts of the country.

According to the forecast, temperatures in some of these regions will reach 37 to 39 degrees Celsius, and may exceed 40 degrees Celsius in some locations.