The main ruling party People's National Congress (PNC) has won a majority in the Maldives' parliamentary election held on Sunday, according to preliminary results.
The PNC led by incumbent President Mohamed Muizzu had won 50 out of the 93 seats by 20:00 local time, according to the preliminary results. The official results of the election will be released on April 28.
More than 280,000 voters are eligible for voting in the current election. According to the Elections Commission, 368 candidates contested for 93 seats in the parliament.
Preliminary results show PNC wins majority in Maldives parliamentary election
China has opened a new chapter of lunar exploration with the successful launch of the Chang'e-6 spacecraft on Friday.
A Long March-5 rocket, carrying the Chang'e-6 spacecraft, blasted off from the Wenchang Space Launch Site on the coast of China's southern island province of Hainan at 17:27 (Beijing Time).
Approximately 37 minutes after liftoff, the Chang'e-6 spacecraft separated from the rocket and entered its planned Earth-moon transfer orbit, which had a perigee altitude of 200 kilometers and an apogee altitude of about 380,000 kilometers, according to the China National Space Administration (CNSA).
The launch of the Chang'e-6 spacecraft was a complete success, the CNSA announced.
The Chang'e-6 spacecraft, like its predecessor Chang'e-5, comprises an orbiter, a lander, an ascender and a returner.
Regarded as one of the best open view sites, the beach at Qishui Bay in Longlou, a coastal town in Wenchang, attracted tens of thousands of people from all over the country to watch the launch.
"China is becoming more and more strong, and our technology is becoming more and more advanced," said one spectator.
"This is another exceptional, flawless launch, and I believe we have made a great start with a highly precise and accurate orbit insertion. We also wish the Chang'e-6 mission all the best," said Wang Jue, a technician at the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation.
"The entire set of parameters for today's launch is excellent, laying a solid foundation for us. We will carry out trans-lunar injection, followed by lunar landing on the far side of the moon, sampling, takeoff from the far side of the moon, rendezvous and docking, and finally, the return from the moon to Earth," said Zhang Gao, another technician at the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation.
China opens new chapter of lunar exploration with launch of Chang'e-6
