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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.

 
The Latest: UK: 2 people report allergic...
LONDON — British regulators warned that people with a history of serious allergic reactions shouldn’t receive the new Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine while they investigate two adverse reactions on the first day of the country’s mass vaccination program. The U.K.’s Medical and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency is looking into whether the reactions were linked to the vaccine. The two people affected were staff members with the National Health Service who had a history of allergies, and both are recovering. Authorities have...

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Capsule with asteroid samples arrives in Japan...
TOKYO (AP) — A small capsule containing asteroid soil samples that was dropped from space by Japan’s Hayabusa2 spacecraft and landed in the Australian Outback arrived Tuesday in Japan for research into the origin of the solar system and life on Earth. The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency said its capsule, tightly sealed and carefully stored in a container box, arrived in Japan on a flight from Australia attended by a group of JAXA officials and was later taken its...

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Bahrain now 2nd nation to grant Pfizer...
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The island kingdom of Bahrain said it has become the second nation in the world to grant an emergency-use authorization for the coronavirus vaccine made by Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech. The state-run Bahrain News Agency made the announcement on Friday night, following an earlier announcement by the United Kingdom on Wednesday, making Britain the first in the world. “The confirmation of approval by the National Health Regulatory Authority of the kingdom...

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Saudi FM says ‘final agreement’ in Qatar...
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister has express optimism that the ongoing boycott of Qatar by four Arab nations may be nearing an end. Prince Farhan bin Farhan made the comment to the Italy’s annual Mediterranean Dialogues on Friday. He said: “We hope this progress can lead to a final agreement that looks in reach.” THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below. DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Kuwait on Friday...

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If these walls could talk
For many tourists, a stroll through Rome’s famous Piazza del Popolo is an opportunity to take in beautiful architecture, get some fresh air, and enjoy a little people-watching. What may not be top of mind is that the place has a much darker side: It was used for public executions by hanging. ElDante Winston doesn’t overlook this fact. The PhD student in MIT’s History, Theory and Criticism of Architecture and Art program is keenly interested in how spaces designed...

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China says probe sent to retrieve lunar...
BEIJING (AP) — A Chinese robot probe launched to return lunar rocks to Earth landed on the moon Tuesday, the government announced. The Chang’e 5 probe “successfully landed on the moon in the pre-selected landing area,” the official China News Service said, citing space officials. The one-sentence report gave no more details. The probe adds to a string of increasingly ambitious missions by a Chinese space program that aims eventually to land a human on the moon. Source

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The Latest: Madrid to open hospital for...
MADRID — Madrid officials held a ceremony to open part of a 1,000-bed hospital for emergencies. About 200 health professionals gathered Tuesday at the Nurse Isabel Zendal Hospital, built in 100 days at a cost of 100 million euros ($119 million), twice the original budget. Health workers’ unions say the investment should had instead gone to shore up an existing public health system run down by years of spending cuts. The regional Madrid president, Isabel Díaz Ayuso, says it...

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Headed to Delaware beaches next year? Bring...
When you head to Rehoboth, Bethany or Fenwick next year, be aware: A ban on plastic carryout bags starts in larger stores, including grocery and convenience stores, Jan. 1. You won’t find single-use plastic bags at larger Delaware stores — those over 7,000 square feet, or those with at least three locations that are 3,000 square feet or more. That means you won’t see them in grocery stores, pharmacies or big box stores. You’ll need to either bring or...

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Many turn to real Christmas trees as...
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Ani Sirois, a respiratory nurse, has spent months caring for coronavirus patients at a Portland, Oregon, hospital, and she’s only getting busier as infections — and hospitalizations — surge before the holidays. But on a recent sunny day, COVID-19 seemed far away as she, her husband and their 2-year-old daughter roamed a Christmas tree farm in search of the perfect evergreen for a holiday season unlike any other. The family was tree-shopping nearly a week...

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AP source: VanVleet staying with Raptors; Hayward...
Fred VanVleet bet on himself. It paid off. Gordon Hayward, meanwhile, is heading to a new home. VanVleet agreed Saturday to a four-year, $85 million contract to remain with the Toronto Raptors, a person with direct knowledge of the discussions told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the contract remains unsigned. The fourth year of the contract is at VanVleet’s option. The Charlotte Hornets have wanted Hayward for years. On Saturday, they finally landed him, according to...

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Bodies of man and his slave unearthed...
ROME (AP) — Skeletal remains of what are believed to have been a rich man and his male slave attempting to escape death from the eruption of Mount Vesuvius nearly 2,000 years ago have been discovered in Pompeii, officials at the archaeological park in Italy said Saturday. Parts of the skulls and bones of the two men were found during excavation of the ruins from what was once an elegant villa with a panoramic view of the Mediterranean Sea...

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Back in Premier League, Leeds turns to...
LONDON (AP) — Back in the Premier League after a 16-year absence, Leeds is now being assisted by the sports and entertainment marketing agency founded by Jay-Z to grow the northern English club’s brand and global appeal. “To watch the team on the pitch — it’s extraordinarily fun,” Michael Yormark, president of Roc Nation Sports International, told The Associated Press. “It’s great entertainment.” While Leeds has only collected 10 points from its opening eight games, there have been thrilling...

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Doing the Touchy Math on Who Should...
Credit: Josep Gutierrez Getty Images Advertisement If the book of nature is written in the language of mathematics, as Galileo once declared, the Covid-19 pandemic has brought that truth home for the world’s mathematicians, who have been galvanized by the rapid spread of the coronavirus. So far this year, they have been involved in everything from revealing how contagious the novel coronavirus is, how far we should stand from each other, how long an infected person might shed the...

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Cavaliers take Auburn small forward Okoro with...
The Cavaliers haven’t gotten consistent production at small forward since LeBron James left in free agency for the Lakers two years ago. Cleveland also hasn’t made the playoffs without James on its roster since 1998. Auburn small forward Isaac Okoro is eager to change that after being chosen with the fifth overall pick in the NBA draft Wednesday night. “I feel like I can play and fit in with this team right away, just by running the floor and...

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DC opens holiday market Friday; city reminds...
Since the outbreak in March, the COVID-19 pandemic has been causing disruption on countless levels — and for many people, life-altering hardship. In addition to deaths and illness related to coronavirus, economic offshoots are being felt by lower-income people struggling to pay their rents, and small business owners that are trying to survive with fewer customers. In an effort to help small businesses, artisans and entrepreneurs reconnect with their customers, the slightly reconfigured 16th annual Downtown Holiday Market opens...

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