China's Zhurong Rover Touches Down on Red Planet

A replica of the Tianwen-1 Mars rover is displayed during an exhibition inside the National Museum in Beijing, China March 3, 2021. REUTERS/Tingshu Wang
A replica of the Tianwen-1 Mars rover is displayed during an exhibition inside the National Museum in Beijing, China March 3, 2021. REUTERS/Tingshu Wang
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China's Zhurong Rover Touches Down on Red Planet

A replica of the Tianwen-1 Mars rover is displayed during an exhibition inside the National Museum in Beijing, China March 3, 2021. REUTERS/Tingshu Wang
A replica of the Tianwen-1 Mars rover is displayed during an exhibition inside the National Museum in Beijing, China March 3, 2021. REUTERS/Tingshu Wang

China's probe to Mars touched down on the Red Planet early Saturday to deploy its Zhurong rover, state media reported.

The lander carrying Zhurong completed the treacherous descent through the Martian atmosphere using a parachute to navigate the "seven minutes of terror" as it is known, aiming for a vast northern lava plain known as the Utopia Planitia.

It "successfully landed in the pre-selected area", state broadcaster CCTV said, launching a special TV program dedicated to the mission called "Nihao Mars" ("Hello Mars").

The official Xinhua news agency cited the China National Space Administration (CNSA) in confirming the touchdown.

It makes China the first country to carry out an orbiting, landing and roving operation during its first mission to Mars -- a feat unmatched by the only other two nations to reach the Red Planet so far, the US and Russia.

President Xi Jinping sent his "warm congratulations and sincere greetings to all members who have participated in the Mars exploration mission", Xinhua reported.

China has now sent astronauts into space, powered probes to the Moon and landed a rover on Mars, the most prestigious of all prizes in the competition for dominion of space.

Zhurong, named after a Chinese mythical fire god, arrives a few months behind America's latest probe to Mars -- Perseverance.



Acropolis Trims Hours Again Amid Greek Heatwave

A drone view of the empty Acropolis, after the authorities closed the site for the hottest part of the day, as a heatwave grips Athens, Greece, July 8,  2025. REUTERS/Stelios Misinas
A drone view of the empty Acropolis, after the authorities closed the site for the hottest part of the day, as a heatwave grips Athens, Greece, July 8, 2025. REUTERS/Stelios Misinas
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Acropolis Trims Hours Again Amid Greek Heatwave

A drone view of the empty Acropolis, after the authorities closed the site for the hottest part of the day, as a heatwave grips Athens, Greece, July 8,  2025. REUTERS/Stelios Misinas
A drone view of the empty Acropolis, after the authorities closed the site for the hottest part of the day, as a heatwave grips Athens, Greece, July 8, 2025. REUTERS/Stelios Misinas

The Acropolis in Athens will limit its operating hours for a second straight day because of heatwave conditions, the Greek culture ministry said Wednesday.

The ministry in a statement said the world-renowned site would be shut till 5:00 pm (1400 GMT) "for the safety of workers and visitors, owing to high temperatures."

The four-day heatwave confirmed by meteorologists began Sunday and is the second to grip Greece since late June.

Temperatures are expected to reach 41 Celsius (105.8 Fahrenheit) on Wednesday, with a maximum of 37 Celsius in Athens, according to national weather service EMY.

The Greek civil protection authority has warned of high fire risk in the greater Athens area, in central Greece and the Peloponnese peninsula on Wednesday.

The heatwave will abate on Thursday.