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China’s first Mars rover starts exploring red planet

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(Last Updated On: May 22, 2021)

China’s first Mars rover, Zhurong, drove down from its landing platform and set its wheels on Martian soil at 10:40 (Beijing Time) on Saturday, according to the telemetry data from the China National Space Administration (CNSA).

Zhurong’s first successful drive made China the second country after the United States to land and operate a rover on Mars.

The six-wheeled solar-powered rover slowly trundled off a ramp on the lander to hit the red and sandy soil of Mars, starting its journey to explore the fourth planet from the sun.

China’s Mars probe Tianwen-1, consisting of an orbiter, a lander, and a rover, was launched on July 23, 2020. The lander carrying the rover touched down in the southern part of Utopia Planitia, a vast plain on the northern hemisphere of Mars, on May 15, eight days before the rover left the lander.

“The reason why we need eight days is that the rover needs to capture the clear images of the area where it will touch down. If the assessment came out to be no difficulties, risk-free and safe, we will decide which way to go for the guide rail on the lander, which can stretch to this direction or this direction,” said Zhang Yuhua, deputy chief commander of Tianwen-1 mission, with the Eighth Academy of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation.

As planned, Zhurong will stay on Mars for 92 Earth days for explorations, during which the orbiter of Tianwen-1, with a design life of one Martian year (about 687 days on Earth), will relay communications from the rover to Earth. And after it completes the relay communications, the orbiter will continue its own scientific detection operations of Mars.

While on Mars, Zhurong will record the Martian landscape with high-resolution three-dimensional images, analyze the material composition of the planet’s surface, detect its sub-surface structure and magnetic field, search for traces of water ice and observe the surrounding meteorological environment.

“The real Mars-orbiting exploration starts only after the three-month relay communications completes. We hope we could have a comprehensive covering of Martian topography, landform and environment, and the exploratory data of the radar detecting the Martian subsurface during one Martian year. By doing so, our country will have our own abundant and first-hand data about Martian resources,” said Zhang.

Zhurong is named after the god of fire in ancient Chinese mythology. The name echoes with the Chinese name for the red planet, Huoxing (the planet of fire), while the name of the mission, Tianwen, means Questions to Heaven, the title of a poem by the ancient Chinese poet Qu Yuan (circa 340-278 BC).

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Afghans in Europe Union members meet with ministers of defense, mining

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(Last Updated On: April 23, 2024)

Representatives of the Union of Afghans living in Europe on Tuesday met with the ministers of defense and mining for talks on several issues.

Acting Minister of National Defense Mohammad Yaqoub Mujahid said in a meeting with union delegates that the current security situation in the country has provided an opportunity for everyone to participate in the progress of Afghanistan.

Mujahid added that there were still some problems in certain areas but that these will be removed.

In this meeting, Mujahid called Afghanistan the common home of all Afghans and said the problems in the country will be solved soon.

“The problems that exist in some issues will be solved soon; but there was nothing more than the security that has been revealed in this land today with the help of Allah and with the sacrifices of our people,” he was quoted in a statement as saying.

According to the statement, a number of Afghans, who only moved to the country after the Islamic Emirate’s takeover, expressed their satisfaction with the current situation in the country.

In addition, Shahabuddin Delawar, acting Minister of Mines and Petroleum, also met with union representatives and asked Afghans living abroad to return to Afghanistan and contribute to the country’s progress.

In this meeting, the Afghans living in Europe asked Delawar to provide better facilities to Afghans who want to invest in the country. The Ministry of Mines and Petroleum says that Delawar also asked the visiting delegation to return to Afghanistan and contribute to the country’s development.

Earlier, in a meeting with a number of other officials of the Islamic Emirate, including the political deputy of the Prime Minister and the Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs, this delegation emphasized the need to strengthen the system and provide work and education to Afghan girls and women.

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Regional developments require Afghanistan, China’s full coordination to protect interests: Muttaqi

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(Last Updated On: April 23, 2024)

Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs Amir Khan Muttaqi has said that recent events and developments in the region require that Afghanistan and China continue their cooperation in full coordination so that they can protect their common interests.

Muttaqi stated this in a meeting with the Chinese ambassador in Kabul Zhao Xing.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement Tuesday that the two sides discussed bilateral political, economic and cultural cooperation between Afghanistan and China and the recent developments in the region.

Muttaqi expressed his satisfaction with the expansion of political, economic and cultural relations between the two countries and said that the Islamic Emirate has created good opportunities in the field of trade and investment.

He pointed out that the increase in the export of pine nuts to China and the progress in the Mes Aynak and Wakhan Corridor projects are clear examples of this policy of the Islamic Emirate.

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ statement, the Chinese ambassador considered the developments in various fields with Afghanistan as positive and added that he seeks to encourage Chinese businessmen and investors to play their role for long-term economic cooperation with Afghanistan.

He also said that his country is considering ways of bilateral cooperation and resources regarding Wakhan Corridor.

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Rashid Khan named AWCC’s brand ambassador

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(Last Updated On: April 23, 2024)

Afghanistan’s cricket superstar Rashid Khan has joined Afghan Wireless Communication Company (AWCC) as its exclusive brand ambassador.

“Rashid Khan is a young and prominent personality of the country who has shone brilliantly in cricket and in his social life,” AWCC said in a statement.

Rashid said he was thrilled to join AWCC as its brand ambassador.

“This is a great brand that I have always believed in and AWCC has been a front runner in the digital possibilities materializing in the country,” Khan said on X.

“Together I hope that we help more people to connect, encourage people to learn more and further utilize their talents and share their experiences more widely.”

What makes Rashid great!

Rashid Khan was Afghanistan’s first global superstar, and the key to the team’s successes in their early years in international cricket.

ESPNcricinfo experts say his extraordinarily effective leg spin has made him one of the greatest T20 bowlers ever, and among the first names on wish lists of teams in leagues all around the world.

Not a big turner of the ball, he puts batters under pressure with his speed through the air, like his bowling idol Shahid Afridi, while maintaining a stump-to-stump line. His biggest weapon is an accurate googly, and he has many variations. With bat in hand he is more than capable of clearing the boundary late in an innings, and he has airbrushed many a middling total into a match-winning one for his team, ESPNcricinfo states.

Rashid was just 17 when he made his ODI debut during Afghanistan’s tour of Zimbabwe in October 2015. Less than two years later, he was snapped up by Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL for close to US$600,000.

After a superb 17-wicket first season with them, he picked up franchise deals with Guyana Amazon Warriors – for whom he took the first-ever hat-trick in the CPL in 2017 – and Adelaide Strikers, with whom he won his (and their) first BBL title in 2018.

He scaled new heights for Afghanistan as well, taking 5 for 3 in a T20I against Ireland to keep a record 11-match T20I winning streak alive, and later in 2017, taking his country to a win over West Indies in their first ODI in the Caribbean with 7 for 18.

He was duly honored as the 2017 ICC Associate Cricketer of the Year.

The following year, he became the youngest cricketer to top the ODI bowling rankings, the youngest man to captain an international side, and the fastest to 100 ODI wickets.

In Afghanistan’s inaugural year in Test cricket, Rashid took five second-innings wickets in the team’s first win, against Ireland, and six months later made an important fifty and took twin five-fors, finishing with 11 wickets in a famous win over Bangladesh in Chattogram. In 2021, he took 11 again, this time in a win over Zimbabwe.

In his five seasons with Sunrisers, he was a huge presence, taking 93 wickets at an economy rate of 6.33. When he moved to Gujarat Titans in 2022, he took 19 wickets in a run that led the side to the title.

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