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It's been announced that the fifth plenary session of the 19th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China will be held in Beijing in October.
An official statement says the CPC Central Committee Political Bureau will present its work report to the fifth plenary session.
Attendees will assess the proposals for formulating the 14th Five-Year Plan for Social and Economic Development and future targets for 2035.
The CPC Central Committee Political Bureau also studied the current economic situation at Thursday's meeting and made arrangements for the economic work for the second half of this year.
China has pledged more measures to stabilize foreign trade in the face of weakening global demand and rising protectionism.
The country will provide financing support to foreign trade firms, including further expanding export credit to micro, small and medium-sized companies.
The Ministry of Commerce says China will continue to encourage foreign trade firms to tap the domestic market and support the development of new forms of business such as cross-border e-commerce.
NASA's Mars rover Perseverance has been launched atop an Atlas 5 rocket from Florida on a mission to search for traces of potential past life on Earth's planetary neighbor.
The next-generation robotic rover also is scheduled to deploy a mini helicopter on Mars and test out equipment for future human missions to the red planet.
It is expected to reach Mars next February.
This is the third launch from Earth to Mars during a busy month of July, following probes sent by the United Arab Emirates and China.
Hong Kong's retail sales declined significantly in the first half of the year as the COVID-19 pandemic dampened consumption.
Official figures show the value of total retail sales during the first six months decreased by 33 percent compared with the same period in 2019.
Retail sales came in at about 3.4 billion U.S. dollars in June, down 25 percent from a year ago, narrowing from the 30-percent fall in May.
Of all, sales of medicines and cosmetics suffered the largest year-on-year decline at 57 percent in June.
A new tally by Johns Hopkins University shows global COVID-19 cases have surpassed 17 million, with more than 667,000 deaths.
The United States suffered the most from the pandemic, with more than 4.4 million cases and over 150,000 fatalities, followed by Brazil with more than 2.5 million cases and over 90,000 deaths.
Countries with more than 300,000 cases also include India, Russia, South Africa, Mexico, Peru, Chile and Britain.
Australia recorded its deadliest day in the coronavirus pandemic on Thursday with at least 13 deaths and more than 700 new infections mainly in Victoria state.
The local government has ordered all residents to wear face-coverings outside.
Victoria state Premier Daniel Andrews:
"So that is from midnight Sunday, everyone in regional Victoria, and therefore everyone across the whole state, will have to wear a mask, and I stress, or a face covering, whenever they're out of their home."
The total number of active cases within the state has surged to over 5,500.
Australia's Ashleigh Barty, the top-ranked singles player in women's tennis, says she will skip the U.S. Open and the tournament preceding it in New York due to concerns over the coronavirus pandemic.
The Western and Southern Open, which is held annually in Cincinnati, has been moved to New York this year and is set to start in mid-August.
The U.S. Open kicks off on Aug. 31 and will be held in its usual home in Flushing Meadows, Queens, but will be played without fans in attendance to limit the spread of the virus.
