China astronauts return after 90 days aboard space station
Beijing, Sep 17: A trio of Chinese astronauts returned to earth Friday after a 90-day stay aboard their nation's first space station in China's longest mission yet.
Nie Haisheng, Liu Boming and Tang Hongbo landed in the Shenzhou-12 spaceship just after 1:30 p.m. (0530 GMT) after having undocked from the space station Thursday morning.
State broadcaster CCTV showed footage of the spacecraft parachuting to land in the Gobi Desert where it was met by helicopters and off-road vehicles. Minutes later, a crew of technicians began opening the hatch of the capsule, which appeared undamaged.
After launching on June 17, mission commander Nie and astronauts Liu and Tang went on two spacewalks, deployed a 10-meter (33-foot) mechanical arm, and had a video call with Communist Party leader Xi Jinping.
While few details have been made public by China's military, which runs the space program, astronaut trios are expected to be brought on 90-day missions to the station over the next two years to make it fully functional.
The government has not announced the names of the next set of astronauts nor the launch date of Shenzhou-13.
China has sent 14 astronauts into space since 2003, when it became only the third country after the former Soviet Union and the United States to do so on its own.
China embarked on its own space station program after being excluded from the International Space Station, largely due to U.S. objections to the Chinese space program's secrecy and military backing.
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Allahabad HC dismisses plea seeking FIR against Rahul Gandhi for 'fighting Indian State' remark
Prayagraj (PTI): Allahabad High Court on Friday dismissed a petition seeking registration of an FIR against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for an alleged controversial remark in 2025.
Justice Vikram D Chauhan passed the order after hearing a petition filed by Simran Gupta of the right-wing organisation Hindu Shakti Dal.
Gupta challenged a Sambhal court's rejection of her plea seeking directions to lodge an FIR against Gandhi, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha.
The petitioner had alleged that Gandhi, during the inauguration of the All India Congress Committee office in 2025, stated that "we are now fighting the BJP, the RSS, and the Indian State itself."
The petitioner said the remark hurt public sentiments and amounted to a seditious and anti-national statement allegedly intended to destabilise the country.
Justice Chauhan had, on April 8, reserved the order after hearing the counsels of the petitioner and the state government at length.
