Briefly

UNITED STATES

NASA rover set to touch down on Mars

A NASA rover streaked toward a landing on Mars on Thursday in the riskiest step yet in an epic quest to bring back rocks that could answer whether life ever existed on the red planet. Over the course of several years, it will attempt to collect 30 rock and soil samples in sealed tubes, to be eventually sent back to Earth sometime in the 2030s for lab analysis. Perseverance is the largest and most sophisticated vehicle sent to Mars.

MALAYSIA

Graft trial of ex-leader's wife ruled to proceed

The corruption trial of Rosmah Mansor, wife of ex-prime minister Najib Razak, will proceed after a judge ruled on Thursday that prosecutors had presented sufficient evidence to make a case. Notorious for her overseas shopping trips and vast collection of handbags, she became a rod for public anger as her husband's government was engulfed by graft allegations.

Agencies - Xinhua