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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.

 
Q&A: Janelle Monae talks about freedom, how...
LOS ANGELES (AP) — If you believe Janelle Monae ’s hyper-sexual expression is a front, think again. These days, Monae is unapologetically living her truth in a bold manner while trying to avoid negativity. The star, once known for sporting custom-made suits, has shed that attire (at least for now) to nearly bare all, like on the cover of her latest studio album, “The Age of Pleasure,” where she’s seen swimming topless in a pool. It’s her first release...

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Musk threatens to sue researchers who documented...
WASHINGTON (AP) — X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, has threatened to sue a group of independent researchers whose research documented an increase in hate speech on the site since it was purchased last year by Elon Musk. An attorney representing the social media site wrote to the Center for Countering Digital Hate on July 20 threatening legal action over the nonprofit’s research into hate speech and content moderation. The letter alleged that CCDH’s research publications...

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For remote and laid back Dunedin, a...
DUNEDIN, New Zealand (AP) — Hanging on the edge of the stunning South Island, in one the world’s more remote countries, sat a scenic, minor-league sized city founded by Scottish immigrants. Then, a few weeks ago, one of the world’s biggest sporting events came to town, bringing in thousands of visitors. Reporter, in a cab: “So, is Dunedin excited for the Women’s World Cup?” Cab driver: “Yes – and no.” Welcome to Dunedin, which at a latitude of 45.88...

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Grab a telescope and a beach chair:...
Stargazing at Big Meadows, just at the entrance of Rapidan Road, during the 2018 Night Sky Festival. This program was led by Park Rangers with Greg Redfern also talking about the night sky. (Courtesy NPS/Mary O’Neill) Star gazers from across the country are expected to make the trip to Shenandoah National Park’s Annual Night Sky Festival this year. “This year we’re really expecting a big turnout because the Perseid meteor shower will be occurring during the Night Sky Festival....

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Ukraine again reported bringing war deep into...
Ukraine brought the war far from the front line into the heart of Russia again Sunday in drone penetrations that Russian authorities said damaged two office buildings a few miles (kilometers) from the Kremlin and a pig breeding complex on the countries’ border. The attacks, which Ukraine didn’t acknowledge in keeping with its security policy, reflected a pattern of more frequent and deeper cross-border strikes the Kyiv government has launched since starting a counteroffensive against Russian forces in June....

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Canadian Summer McIntosh, 16, gets second gold...
FUKUOKA, Japan (AP) — Canadian teenager Summer McIntosh should be a star at next year’s Paris Olympics, and she showed why Sunday on the closing day of the swimming world championships in Japan. The 16-year-old McIntosh won her second gold of the event, taking the 400-meter individual medley after winning the 200 butterfly gold on Friday. That made up for a slow start for the young Canadian, who finished fourth in the 400 free, where she held the world...

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Cambodia’s Hun Sen, Asia’s longest serving leader,...
PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) — Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen said Wednesday he will step down in August and hand the position to his oldest son, though Asia’s longest-serving leader is expected to continue to wield significant power. The widely anticipated move comes after the autocratic Hun Sen’s Cambodian People’s Party secured a landslide victory Sunday in elections that Western countries and rights organizations criticized as neither free nor fair, partially because the country’s main opposition was barred from...

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Md. congressmen file bill honoring Henrietta Lacks,...
NEW YORK, NY – APRIL 06: General atmosphere at HBO’s The HeLa Project Exhibit For “The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks” on April 6, 2017 in New York City. (Photo by Nicholas Hunt/Getty Images for HBO)(Getty Images for HBO/Nicholas Hunt) NEW YORK, NY – APRIL 06: General atmosphere at HBO’s The HeLa Project Exhibit For “The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks” on April 6, 2017 in New York City. (Photo by Nicholas Hunt/Getty Images for HBO)(Getty Images for HBO/Nicholas...

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A guide to how Paris will welcome...
PARIS (AP) — The Olympics is on track to be back in business with millions of visitors coming to Paris for the 2024 Games. The French capital has the expert experience to stage the event and welcome guests for the first Olympics of the post-pandemic era. That should be a relief after a chaotic lead-in to the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics and uncertainty from postponing the Tokyo Olympics in 2020 with no guarantee it would eventually happen one...

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Wrexham striker Paul Mullin injured in collision...
SAN DIEGO (AP) — Striker Paul Mullin, one of the stars of the “Welcome to Wrexham” docuseries, was injured in a collision with Manchester United goalie Nathan Bishop in a friendly Tuesday night and had to be helped off the field. Mullin was attempting a header when Bishop challenged him just outside the box in the 11th minute and the two went down. Mullin grabbed his head with his right hand and his left hip with his left hand....

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Kyle Tucker and Martín Maldonado power Astros...
HOUSTON (AP) — Kyle Tucker and Martín Maldonado homered, rookie starter J.P. France worked seven solid innings and the Houston Astros beat the Texas Rangers 4-3 on Tuesday night. The Astros (58-44) moved within a game of the AL West-leading Rangers (59-43). The injury-plagued Astros could see the return of stars José Altuve and Yordan Alvarez on Wednesday when they go for a series sweep and the top spot in the division. Tucker’s line-drive homer narrowly cleared the wall...

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Lionel Messi shines again in first Inter...
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — Inter Miami co-owner Jorge Mas has one lasting memory from Lionel Messi’s debut: the image of Messi running to embrace his family after delivering the game-winning free kick and cementing a new era for the club and Major League Soccer. “That was for the fans. This community is hungry,” Mas said. Messi’s follow-up performance Tuesday night against Atlanta United in the Leagues Cup showed the impact that one player — the right player —...

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Column: Golf’s majors delivered inspiring comebacks minus...
HOYLAKE, England (AP) — Wyndham Clark was on the 18th green, 60 feet away from the hole. Rory McIlroy was in the scoring room, watching on television. Clark rolled the long putt to within a foot of the hole and pumped his fist. All that remained was tapping in for par to win the U.S. Open. That was the extent of Sunday drama in the majors this year. The champions are not about to complain, least of all Clark...

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One of Libya’s rival prime ministers returns...
CAIRO (AP) — One of Libya’s rival primer ministers on Monday returned to the capital of Tripoli from Italy on a charter flight by a commercial airliner, the first direct flight between the two countries in a decade. Abdul-Hamid Dbeibah, who heads the Tripoli-based government, boarded the flight from Fiumicino airport in Rome. Flight AZ894 is operated by Italy’s national airline, ITA Airways. “From Rome to Tripoli through the Italian airways, ITA,” Dbeibah wrote on Twitter attaching a photo...

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