Xi extends congratulations on China's first Mars landing

Chinese President Xi Jinping has extended congratulations on the successful landing of the country's first probe on Mars.

Tianwen-1 landed at Utopia Planitia on the red planet on Saturday morning.

It is the first time China has landed a probe on a planet other than Earth.

Facts about China's Mars rover

After its successful landing, China's first Mars rover will conduct scientific exploration for its expected lifespan of at least 90 Martian days, or about three months on Earth.

Here is a brief introduction about the machine.

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China's first Mars rover is named after Zhurong, the god of fire in ancient Chinese mythology.

It also echoes the Chinese name for Mars, Huoxing, or the planet of fire.

The six-wheel machine is solar-powered and looks like a blue butterfly with a mass of 240 kg.

It will study Mars' geological structure, surface soil characteristics, water-ice distribution, surface material composition, the ionosphere, the characteristics of the Martian climate and environment at the surface, as well as its physical fields and internal structure.

Various cameras, radars, and other state-of-the-art devices are on board to assist Zhurong in accomplishing China's first Mars mission.

Mars rover Zhurong to transmit data back to Earth through orbiter

The orbiter of Tianwen-1 has its own tasks as the Zhurong rover roams on the red plant. Associate Professor Zhang Fan from Beijing Normal University explains.

China's new naval fleet embarks on escort mission

The 38th escort fleet of the Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy has left for the Gulf of Aden and waters off Somalia to escort civilian ships.

The fleet includes guided-missile destroyer Nanjing, which is going on an escort mission for the first time.

Missile frigate Yangzhou and supply ship Gaoyouhu, as well as dozens of special operation soldiers and two helicopters, are also among those carrying out the mission.

The PLA Navy began performing escort missions in the Gulf of Aden and the waters off Somalia in December 2008.

COVID-19 hits Asian-American buying power

The COVID-19 pandemic has compromised the spending power of Asian-Americans.

This group has been the fastest-growing consumer segment in the United States for the last 20 years with 1.2 trillion U.S. dollars in annual buying power.

Before the pandemic, that figure was projected to reach 1.6 trillion dollars by 2024.

Professor Joseph Foudy from the NYU Stern says the impact on this demographic will also weigh on the U.S. economy.

"COVID is really a blip in the long-term story of just a dynamic community that's sort of growing a percent each decade. And with a $20 trillion economy, you can imagine in 20 or 30 years, that Asians are 10 percent of the U.S. population. That'll be at least 10 percent of the spending power."

A Nielsen report shows that Asian American households have been earning about 40 percent more in income compared to the national average.

Iran's 1st vice president runs for president

Iran's First Vice President has signed up for the country's presidential election scheduled on June 18.

Eshaq Jahangiri says he will seek sustainable economic growth and the removal of sanctions, adding that employment and redistribution of equitable wealth are on the agenda of his presidential campaign.

The names of qualified candidates will be released later this month.

The nominees will have 20 days to campaign before the election day.

F1 Turkish GP canceled, replaced by second race in Austria

Formula 1's Turkish Grand Prix scheduled for June 13 has been called off due to COVID-19-related travel restrictions.

A race in Turkey was rendered impractical after the country was placed on a travel red list by the UK, where the majority of F1 personnel is based.

Austria will fill the void on the calendar and stage two races on consecutive weekends.

Turkey was only added to this season's calendar at the end of last month, replacing the Canadian Grand Prix.