Elon Musk’s SpaceX took one small ‘hop’ closer towards the surface of Mars on Tuesday after completing the first successful launch and landing of its Starship rocket. Dubbed the SN5, the potentially revolutionary prototype performed an almost 500-foot leap above SpaceX’s development facility in Boco Chica, Texas, at 5pm local time. The nine-story large metallic cylinder ignited its single Raptor engine and slowly rose into the air before gently returning to the ground and landing upright a short distance away from where launched. ‘Mars is looking real,’ Musk tweeted in response to the launch Tuesday evening, later adding that ‘Progress is accelerating’.

Meanwhile, in Portland. A police officer and some protestors are having a dialogue. Police declare a riot. Police disperse protestors using a walking line and smoke. Portland police making arrest, one officer maces a protestor for not moving onto the sidewalk while arrest is occurring on the street.

Two black bears have been killed and another two injured after being hit by cars in Yosemite National Park in the last three weeks alone, after park closures during coronavirus lockdowns led wildlife to freely roam the roads in recent months. Rangers are begging visitors to California's sprawling park to slow down after the four bears were struck by vehicles leaving at least two of the creatures dead. The two other bears were seriously injured after vehicles speeding faster than the 25 mph limit plowed into them, according to the National Park Service's Bear Team Blog. The wounded wild animals were seen limping off into the woodland and their conditions are currently unknown. 'We will never know the severity of their injuries,' the blog read. Around 20 bears are hit by cars in Yosemite each year, with accidents most often occurring on the roads coming in and out of Yosemite Valley and along the Tioga Road and Wawona Road.

Fire erupts in Ajman, UAE. Residents report plumes of thick, black smoke billowing out of a souq. A fire has broken out in Ajman market.