Our daily expedition around the world

🇨🇳 China yesterday launched three astronauts into orbit with the task of completing the construction of the country’s new space station. The launch marks the first time astronauts already aboard the Tiangong space station – basically China’s version of the ISS – will be met by a crew arriving from Earth. In an interview following the launch, government officials said Beijing’s next major goal is to put astronauts on the moon for the first time.

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 Christians now comprise less than half of the population of England and Wales for the first time, per new census data. Around 46% of the population of England and Wales described themselves as Christian on the day of the 2021 census, down from 59% a decade earlier. The second most common response was “no religion,” at 37% – up from 25% in 2011. Muslims and Hindus both saw a slight uptick in proportional representation over the past decade.

🇺🇦 The US announced $53 million in new funding to help restore Ukraine’s power grid. Russia has launched hundreds of missile strikes in recent weeks targeting critical infrastructure across Ukraine, causing millions of residents to lose access to power and running water. Separately, Russian analysts told CNBC that anxiety is rising in Moscow over how the war is progressing, and that “losing is not an option” for President Vladimir Putin.