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Suborbital space tourism finally arrives | FCC prepares to run public C-band auction | The big four in the U.S. launch industry — United Launch Alliance, SpaceX, Blue Origin and Northrop Grumman — hope to be one of two providers that will receive five-year contracts later this year to launch national security payloads starting in 2022. | China’s launch rate stays high | The International Space Station is the largest ever crewed object in space.

 
Today in History
Today in History Today is Friday, Oct. 29, the 302nd day of 2021. There are 63 days left in the year. Today’s Highlight in History: On Oct. 29, 2018, a new-generation Boeing jet operated by the Indonesian budget airline Lion Air crashed in the Java Sea minutes after takeoff from Jakarta, killing all 189 people on board; it was the first of two deadly crashes involving the 737 Max, causing the plane to be grounded around the world for...

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As Latino communities grow in Maryland, leaders...
This content was republished with permission from WTOP’s news partners at Maryland Matters. Sign up for Maryland Matters’ free email subscription today. The 2020 census revealed that Latinos grew from 8% of the Maryland population in 2010 to 12% in 2020, making representation in government more critical than ever, Latino leaders said Thursday. “Representation matters because if we’re not present, we are an afterthought. We are invisible,” Del. Joseline Peña-Melnyk (D-Prince George’s) said in a virtual discussion about Latino representation with...

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Amid scandal, Quenneville resigns as Florida Panthers...
SUNRISE, Fla. (AP) — Joel Quenneville resigned as coach of the Florida Panthers on Thursday, two days after the second-winningest coach in NHL history was among those implicated for not swiftly responding to allegations by a Chicago Blackhawks player of being sexually assaulted by another coach during the 2010 Stanley Cup playoffs. The announcement was made shortly after Quenneville met with NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman in New York to discuss his role in the Blackhawks’ response to claims from...

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Myanmar military uses systematic torture across country
JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — The soldiers in rural Myanmar twisted the young man’s skin with pliers and kicked him in the chest until he couldn’t breathe. Then they taunted him about his family until his heart ached, too: “Your mom,” they jeered, “cannot save you anymore.” The young man and his friend, randomly arrested as they rode their bikes home, were subjected to hours of agony inside a town hall transformed by the military into a torture center. As...

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The Latest: Siri sparks Astros; Houston...
HOUSTON (AP) — The Latest on Game 2 of the World Series between the Atlanta Braves and the Houston Astros (all times local): 10:20 p.m. Rookie José Siri sparked a team whose biggest stars took a while to shine, sending the Houston Astros over the Atlanta Braves 7-2 to even the World Series at one game apiece. The career minor leaguer’s speed and aggressive play created havoc on the bases, leading to a four-run second inning and a lead...

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VanVleet scores 26, Raptors beat Pacers for...
TORONTO (AP) — Fred VanVleet and the Raptors pushed around the Indiana Pacers to pick up a long-awaited home win. VanVleet had a season-high 26 points and a career-high 10 rebounds, OG Anunoby scored a season-high 25 points, and the Raptors won at home for the first time in 20 months, beating the Pacers 118-100 on Wednesday night. “I thought we were definitely very physical tonight,” VanVleet said. “OG set the tone in the paint offensively. I thought all...

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Johnny Russell scores twice, Sporting KC beats...
KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — Johnny Russell scored twice to extend his goals streak to eight games and Sporting Kansas City beat the LA Galaxy 2-0 on Wednesday night to move into first place in the Western Conference. Kansas City (17-7-7) has 58 points, tied with Seattle atop the conference, and has won six of its last eight games. The 31-year-old Russell, who has a career-high 14 goals this season, ran onto a cross by Gadi Kinda, burst past...

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Caissie Levy gets uncomfortable in ‘Caroline, Or...
NEW YORK (AP) — Caissie Levy has vacated her palace on Broadway for a modest Louisiana home. She has traded in being a queen for a stepmother. And she couldn’t be happier. The singer and actor who led the “Frozen” cast as Elsa before the pandemic now stars in a revival of “Caroline, Or Change” on Broadway, playing a complex character in a challenging musical that explores America’s racial, social and economic divisions. “As scary as it was at...

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US, China sparring over Taiwan heats up...
WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States and China are stepping up their war of words over Taiwan in a long-simmering dispute that has significant implications for the power dynamic in the Indo-Pacific and beyond. Amid a surge in Chinese military activity near the island that China regards as a renegade province and has vowed to reclaim by force if necessary, Washington and Beijing have launched new campaigns for global support for their respective positions, each using the stern and...

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Protestas contra las políticas económicas en Ecuador...
(CNN) — Al menos 37 personas fueron detenidas este martes en Ecuador, durante las protestas en todo el país contra las políticas económicas del presidente Guillermo Lasso, según informó la ministra de Gobierno, Alexandra Vela. Los enfrentamientos entre los manifestantes y las fuerzas de seguridad dejaron cinco policías heridos, según un comunicado de prensa del Gobierno. Dirigente indígena niega intención de desestabilizar al Gobierno 1:23 Las claves de las movilizaciones indígenas en Ecuador: crisis económica, desigualdad y el creciente...

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Indiana city offers stand-in ‘grandparents’ to new...
GREENSBURG, Ind. (AP) — A rural city in southeastern Indiana has piqued the interest of hundreds of families considering a move there after it offered stand-in ”grandparents” to babysit their children as part of an incentive program aimed at attracting remote workers. A local couple, Tami and Dan Wenning, volunteered to serve as grandparents to children from the first five families that agree to move to Greensburg under the program. If more new residents make the move, other grandparents...

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Mutual aid groups ponder future of community-based...
More than a decade ago, Erin Barnes came across data that drove home the importance of grassroots, volunteer-led groups. The U.S. Forest Service was trying to document all the groups that maintain green space in New York City, of which there were nearly 3,000 in 2007. About three-quarters were led by volunteers, and more than a third had annual budgets of less than $1,000. “They were literally stewarding all the open green space of New York City,” Barnes says....

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Virginia Film Festival brings Oscar contenders to...
toggle audio on and off change volume download audio WTOP’s Jason Fraley previews Virginia Film Festival (Part 1) $(function () { $(‘.fa-play’).on(‘click’, function(){ var audio_filename= $(‘div.wtop-audio-file’).data(“mp3-url”); ga(‘send’, ‘event’, ‘Audio’, ‘play’, audio_filename); }); }); Don’t worry if you missed the Middleburg Film Festival and Washington West Film Festival. The Virginia Film Festival returns to Charlottesville this Wednesday through Sunday. “We’ll be screening over 85 films in that five-day period on the downtown mall in Charlottesville and on the grounds of the...

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Henry Winkler, Lin Oliver to participate in...
Listen to the full conversation on our podcast “Beyond the Fame with Jason Fraley.” toggle audio on and off change volume download audio WTOP’s Jason Fraley chats with Henry Winkler (Part 1) $(function () { $(‘.fa-play’).on(‘click’, function(){ var audio_filename= $(‘div.wtop-audio-file’).data(“mp3-url”); ga(‘send’, ‘event’, ‘Audio’, ‘play’, audio_filename); }); }); The 23rd annual Fall for the Book Festival, based out of George Mason University, runs this week in Northern Virginia. This Friday afternoon, Henry Winkler and co-author Lin Oliver will discuss their...

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Facebook’s language gaps weaken screening of hate,...
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — As the Gaza war raged and tensions surged across the Middle East last May, Instagram briefly banned the hashtag #AlAqsa, a reference to the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem’s Old City, a flash point in the conflict. Facebook, which owns Instagram, later apologized, explaining its algorithms had mistaken the third-holiest site in Islam for the militant group Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, an armed offshoot of the secular Fatah party. For many Arabic-speaking users, it was...

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