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A Chinese Lunar Probe Returns to Earth With the World's First Samples from the Far Side of the Moon

China’s Chang’e-6 probe after it landed on the surface of the moon on June 4. China National Space Administration / Xinhua / AP
China’s Chang’e-6 probe after it landed on the surface of the moon on June 4. China National Space Administration / Xinhua / AP
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A Chinese Lunar Probe Returns to Earth With the World's First Samples from the Far Side of the Moon

China’s Chang’e-6 probe after it landed on the surface of the moon on June 4. China National Space Administration / Xinhua / AP
China’s Chang’e-6 probe after it landed on the surface of the moon on June 4. China National Space Administration / Xinhua / AP

China's Chang'e 6 probe returned to Earth on Tuesday with rock and soil samples from the little-explored far side of the moon in a global first.
The probe landed in northern China on Tuesday afternoon in the Inner Mongolian region, The Associated Press said.
“I now declare that the Chang’e 6 Lunar Exploration Mission achieved complete success," Zhang Kejian, Director of the China National Space Administration said shortly in a televised news conference after the landing.
Chinese scientists anticipate the returned samples will include 2.5 million-year-old volcanic rock and other material that scientists hope will answer questions about geographic differences on the moon's two sides.
The near side is what is seen from Earth, and the far side faces outer space. The far side is also known to have mountains and impact craters, contrasting with the relatively flat expanses visible on the near side.
While past US and Soviet missions have collected samples from the moon's near side, the Chinese mission was the first that has collected samples from the far side.
The moon program is part of a growing rivalry with the US — still the leader in space exploration — and others, including Japan and India. China has put its own space station in orbit and regularly sends crews there.
China's leader Xi Jinping sent a message of congratulations to the Chang'e team, saying that it was a “landmark achievement in our country's efforts at becoming a space and technological power.”
The probe left earth on May 3, and its journey lasted 53 days. The probe has drilled into the core and scooped rocks from the surface.
The samples “are expected to answer one of the most fundamental scientific questions in lunar science research: what geologic activity is responsible for the differences between the two sides?” said Zongyu Yue, a geologist at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, in a statement issued in the Innovation Monday, a journal published in partnership with the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
China in recent years has launched multiple successful missions to the moon, collecting samples from the moon’s near side with the Chang’e 5 probe previously.
They are also hoping that the probe will return with material that bears traces of meteorite strikes from the moon’s past. With the successful reentry of the probe, scientists will begin studying the samples.

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Varieties

Tokyo’s Dazzling Cherry Blossom Season Officially Begins

Flowering cherry blossoms and buds from a sample cherry tree, Somei Yoshino species, for phenological observation conducted by the Tokyo Regional Headquarters of the Japan Meteorological Agency, are seen at Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo on March 19, 2026. (AFP)
Flowering cherry blossoms and buds from a sample cherry tree, Somei Yoshino species, for phenological observation conducted by the Tokyo Regional Headquarters of the Japan Meteorological Agency, are seen at Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo on March 19, 2026. (AFP)
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Tokyo’s Dazzling Cherry Blossom Season Officially Begins

Flowering cherry blossoms and buds from a sample cherry tree, Somei Yoshino species, for phenological observation conducted by the Tokyo Regional Headquarters of the Japan Meteorological Agency, are seen at Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo on March 19, 2026. (AFP)
Flowering cherry blossoms and buds from a sample cherry tree, Somei Yoshino species, for phenological observation conducted by the Tokyo Regional Headquarters of the Japan Meteorological Agency, are seen at Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo on March 19, 2026. (AFP)

Tokyo's meteorologists declared the start of the much-loved cherry blossom season in the Japanese capital on Thursday, as residents prepare to host outdoor picnics under dazzling floral displays.

The cherry season for Tokyo starts when the official sample tree at Yasukuni Shrine opens at least five flowers.

"Today, the blooming of the Somei Yoshino cherry blossoms was observed," the Tokyo Regional Headquarters of the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) said in an eagerly-awaited statement, referring to the most common cherry variety.

Since early Thursday morning, local broadcasters had repeatedly shown dozens of open flowers on the tree.

To make it official, a duo of suit-clad officials from the weather agency stepped in front of dozens of spectators and theatrically counted and pointed to open flowers.

Then they carefully walked around the tree for a closer look and consulted among themselves in front of national media and spectators.

After a few minutes, one of them said they had found 61 open flowers.

"Tokyo's cherry trees came into bloom," he told the crowd, prompting applause.

The JMA said the blooming was five days earlier than the average, March 24, which was last year's arrival date.

The early blooming came as Tokyo experienced warmer-than-usual weather since mid-February, a weather agency official told AFP.

The earliest recorded date for cherry blossom blooming in Tokyo is March 14, which occurred three times in 2020, 2021 and 2023, the JMA said.

One spectator at Yasukuni Shrine, 30-year-old Taira Toru, a public official, said the start of the cherry season offered hope at a time of war.

"It's something that happens every year, but with the situation in Iran right now... the world is in turmoil, and with spring having come, I really hope that peace will come again."

Varieties

Baby Monkey Punch Acclimatizing, Making New friends at Japan zoo

A seven month-old male Japanese macaque monkey named Punch, who was abandoned by his mother shortly after birth, sits with a stuffed orangutan toy at Ichikawa City Zoo and Botanical Gardens in Ichikawa, Chiba Prefecture on March 18, 2026. (Photo by Yuichi YAMAZAKI / AFP)
A seven month-old male Japanese macaque monkey named Punch, who was abandoned by his mother shortly after birth, sits with a stuffed orangutan toy at Ichikawa City Zoo and Botanical Gardens in Ichikawa, Chiba Prefecture on March 18, 2026. (Photo by Yuichi YAMAZAKI / AFP)
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Baby Monkey Punch Acclimatizing, Making New friends at Japan zoo

A seven month-old male Japanese macaque monkey named Punch, who was abandoned by his mother shortly after birth, sits with a stuffed orangutan toy at Ichikawa City Zoo and Botanical Gardens in Ichikawa, Chiba Prefecture on March 18, 2026. (Photo by Yuichi YAMAZAKI / AFP)
A seven month-old male Japanese macaque monkey named Punch, who was abandoned by his mother shortly after birth, sits with a stuffed orangutan toy at Ichikawa City Zoo and Botanical Gardens in Ichikawa, Chiba Prefecture on March 18, 2026. (Photo by Yuichi YAMAZAKI / AFP)

Clutching a monkey plushie, Eliete Ikeda screamed "Punch!" as she caught sight of the underdog baby macaque still drawing crowds of photo-hungry visitors to a Japanese zoo weeks after he shot to stardom.

Seven-month-old Punch was abandoned by his mother and became an internet sensation after clips of him clinging to a plush orangutan toy for comfort -- and seemingly being roughhoused by fellow monkeys -- proliferated online last month.

His plight at Ichikawa City Zoo outside Tokyo has since spawned a dedicated fanbase under the hashtag #HangInTherePunch, leading to the local facility being flooded with an unprecedented number of visitors, including foreign tourists.

"I think it's the relatability of it," 30-year-old Jon Frigillana of the United States told AFP when asked why the monkey is tugging at the heartstrings of so many.

Hand-raised in an artificial environment immediately after his birth in July, the small, dark-furred macaque is gradually acclimatizing, the zoo said, no longer clutching the plushie all the time. He's also making a few friends.

"He's going through a lot, but seeing him come through adversity... It's nice to see strength in that way," Frigillana said.

And with wars around the world dominating his newsfeed, "in this day and age, it's heartwarming to see" Punch, he added.

Ikeda, meanwhile, said seeing the "kawaii" -- or "cute" -- Punch was a "present" during a birthday trip to the zoo to celebrate turning 53.

"Happy birthday for me," she said excitedly.

Lately about 2,000 to 3,000 people a day have been flocking to the facility, roughly 10 times the usual number during the winter off-season, zoo official Takashi Yasunaga told AFP.

One local taxi driver said that "around a half" of pedestrians he drives past on the way to the zoo now appear to be non-Japanese -- an "unprecedented" sight in his typically quiet neighborhood.

"Some foreign tourists get in, and with big smiles on their faces, just tell me: 'Punch'" to convey their destination, said the driver, who declined to be named because he was not authorized to speak to media.

- Rules of monkey society -

But the attention showered on the zoo hasn't all been positive.

The People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) called Punch's initial predicament a reminder of the cruelty faced by animals in captivity.

Widely circulated online clips focusing on a few pitiable interactions with other monkeys have exposed the zoo to criticisms, including from Europe over his state in enclosure.

In the strictly hierarchical society of Japanese macaques, it is not uncommon for higher-ranked individuals to "discipline and scold" newcomers in behaviors that are "fundamentally different from abuse in human society," Yasunaga, the zoo official, said.

"We're watching with patience and care as Punch gets trained in the troop and learns rules of monkey society," he said.

On AFP's recent visit, Punch was spotted playing alone with chains and branches on the floor of his enclosure, and occasionally approaching others -- only to be ignored -- before going back to his plushie.

"We hope he will eventually let go of his stuffed toy and become bigger in size and indistinguishable from others," Yasunaga said.

"Such a sight might bring a bit of sadness to many of our visitors, but his growth into a full-fledged member of the troop is our ultimate hope."

Varieties

World Happiness Report Highlights Social Media's Negative Impact

FILE - Outdoor swimming pools are seen in a harbor of Helsinki, May 29, 2023. (AP Photo/Pavel Golovkin, File)
FILE - Outdoor swimming pools are seen in a harbor of Helsinki, May 29, 2023. (AP Photo/Pavel Golovkin, File)
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World Happiness Report Highlights Social Media's Negative Impact

FILE - Outdoor swimming pools are seen in a harbor of Helsinki, May 29, 2023. (AP Photo/Pavel Golovkin, File)
FILE - Outdoor swimming pools are seen in a harbor of Helsinki, May 29, 2023. (AP Photo/Pavel Golovkin, File)

Heavy social media use contributes to a stark decline in well-being among young people, with the effects particularly worrying in teenage girls in English-speaking countries and Western Europe, according to the World Happiness Report 2026 published Thursday.

The annual report, published by the Wellbeing Research Centre at the University of Oxford, also found that Finland is the happiest land in the world for the ninth year in a row, with other Nordic countries such as Iceland, Denmark, Sweden and Norway ranking among the top 10 countries.

It highlighted how life evaluations among under 25-year-olds in the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand have dropped significantly over the past decade, and suggested that long hours spent scrolling through social media is a key factor in that trend.

A new entry to the top five on the list is Costa Rica, which climbed to fourth place this year after rising through the ranks from 23rd place in 2023.

The report attributes that to well-being boosts from family bonds and other social connections.

“We think it’s because of the quality of their social lives and the stability that they currently enjoy,” said Jan-Emmanuel De Neve, an Oxford economics professor who directs the Wellbeing Research Centre and co-edits the World Happiness Report.

“Latin America more generally has strong family ties, strong social ties, a great level of social capital, as a sociologist would call it, more so than in other places,” he added.

The report said Finland and the other Northern European countries’ steady ranking on top is related to a combination of wealth, its equal distribution, having a welfare state that protects people from the risks of recessions, and a healthy life expectancy.

As in previous years, nations in or near zones of major conflict remain at the foot of the rankings. Afghanistan is ranked as the unhappiest country again, followed by Sierra Leone and Malawi in Africa.

Country rankings were based on answers given by around 100,000 people in 140 countries and territories who were asked to rate their own lives. The study was done in partnership with the analytics firm Gallup and the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network.

In most countries, approximately 1,000 people are contacted by telephone or face-to-face each year.

Respondents were asked to evaluate their lives on a scale from 0 to 10. Among under-25s in English-speaking and Western European countries, that score dropped by almost one point over the past decade.

The report said the negative correlation between well-being and extensive social media use is particularly concerning among teenage girls. For example, it said that 15-year-old girls who use social media for five hours or more reported a drop in life satisfaction, compared to others who use it less.

Young people who use social media for less than one hour per day report the highest levels of well-being, researchers said, higher than those who do not use social media at all. But adolescents are spending an estimated average of 2.5 hours a day on social media.

“It is clear that we should look as much as possible to put the ‘social’ back into social media,” The Associated Press quoted De Neve as saying.

Algorithmic feeds and influencers seen as culprits Researchers noted that in some parts of the world, such as the Middle East and South America, the links between social media use and well-being are more positive — and youth well-being has not fallen despite heavy social media use.

The report said this is due to many factors that differ between continents, but concluded that heavy social media use in some countries is an important contributing factor to the decline in youth well-being.

It said the most problematic platforms are those with algorithmic feeds, feature influencers and where the main material is visual, because they encourage social comparisons. Those who use platforms that mainly facilitate communication do better.

The 2026 rankings mark the second year in a row that none of the English-speaking countries appear in the top 10. The United States is at 23rd place, Canada is at 25th and Britain at 29th.

The report, with its focus on social media, comes at a time when more and more countries have banned or are considering bans of social media for minors.