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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.

 
As desperation in Gaza grows, Israel pledges...
JERUSALEM (AP) — The Israeli military pulverized the Gaza Strip with airstrikes, prepared for a possible ground invasion and said Thursday its complete siege of the territory — which has left Palestinians desperate for food, fuel and medicine — would remain in place until Hamas militants free some 150 hostages taken during a grisly weekend incursion. A visit by Secretary of State Antony Blinken, along with shipments of U.S. weapons, offered a powerful green light to Israel to drive...

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Bryce Harper slugs 2 more homers as...
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — When gossip spread among the Phillies that Bryce Harper — of all the superstars to poke — had been laughed at inside the Braves clubhouse, his teammates dared the slugger to deliver. “They looked at me,” Harper said, “and they were like, ‘What are you going to do?’” Well, how about two homers, two staredowns, four RBIs, and one more marvelous game for to his growing October lore. Harper answered Orlando Arcia’s mockery with a mammoth...

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Federal judge won’t block suspension of right...
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — A federal judge cleared the way Wednesday for enforcement of a public health order that suspends the right to carry guns at public parks and playgrounds in New Mexico’s largest metro area. The order from U.S. District Judge David Urias rejects a request from gun rights advocates to block temporary firearms restrictions as legal challenges move forward. It marks a victory for Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham and her advocacy for temporary gun restrictions in...

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NASA shows off its first asteroid samples...
This photo provided by NASA on Wednesday, Oct. 11, 2023 shows the outside of the Osiris-Rex sample collector with material from asteroid Bennu at middle right. Scientists have found evidence of both carbon and water in initial analysis of this material. The bulk of the sample is located inside. (Erika Blumenfeld, Joseph Aebersold/NASA via AP(AP/Erika Blumenfeld, Joseph Aebersold) This photo provided by NASA on Wednesday, Oct. 11, 2023 shows the outside of the Osiris-Rex sample collector with material from...

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Safer streets for pedestrians at the heart...
Montgomery County, Maryland, has a detailed road map with one goal: making the county’s streets safer for pedestrians. Now, the comprehensive plan to improve pedestrian safety has gotten a stamp of approval from the county’s council. The Pedestrian Master Plan was passed unanimously by the 11-member county council on Tuesday. According to county officials, 12 pedestrians have been killed and 450 have been injured so far this year. Last year, 19 pedestrians were killed and 541 were seriously injured...

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6.3 magnitude earthquake shakes part of western...
HERAT, Afghanistan (AP) — Another strong earthquake has shaken part of western Afghanistan where a quake on Saturday killed more than 2,000. The 6.3-magnitude earthquake Wednesday morning was about 28 kilometers (17 miles) outside Herat, the capital of Herat province, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The epicenter of Saturday’s quake was about 40 kilometers (25 miles) northwest of the provincial capital, and several aftershocks have been strong, including another 6.3 magnitude Saturday. Taliban officials said more than 2,000...

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Russia reports coolant leak in backup line...
MOSCOW (AP) — Coolant leaked from a backup line at the International Space Station, Russian officials said Monday, adding that there was no risk to the crew or the outpost. Russian space agency Roscosmos said that coolant leaked from an external backup radiator for Russia’s new science lab. The lab’s main thermal control system was working normally, the agency emphasized. “The crew and the station aren’t in any danger,” Roscosmos said. NASA confirmed that there is no threat to...

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Gates Foundation funding $40 million effort to...
DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — A $40 million investment will help several African manufacturers produce new messenger RNA vaccines on the continent where people were last in line to receive jabs during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation announced Monday. While it could still take at least three more years before any of the vaccines are approved and on the market, the foundation said that its mRNA investment marks an important step forward in improving vaccine equity....

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Minnesota tops Dallas, sweeps 2-game NBA preseason...
ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Karl-Anthony Towns and Naz Reid each scored 14 points, and the Minnesota Timberwolves topped the Dallas Mavericks 104-96 on Saturday to complete a two-game sweep of the NBA Abu Dhabi Games. Anthony Edwards, who missed the first game on Thursday with an ankle issue, scored 13 for Minnesota. Luka Doncic had 18 points, six assists and five rebounds in 19 minutes for Dallas, which was without Kyrie Irving (left groin), Seth Curry...

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Rapinoe honored by club team OL Reign...
SEATTLE (AP) — Retiring star Megan Rapinoe was honored by club team OL Reign on Friday night in front of a National Women’s Soccer League record crowd of 34,130 fans, many of whom wore pink wigs in her honor. With her family and fiancé Sue Bird looking on, Rapinoe started for the Reign in a scoreless draw against the Washington Spirit as Lumen Field’s public address system played “Ain’t No Sunshine When She’s Gone” when she took to the...

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Pakistan says its planned deportation of 1.7...
ISLAMABAD (AP) — Pakistan will carry out its recently announced plans to deport all illegal immigrants, including 1.7 million Afghans, in a “phased and orderly manner,” the foreign ministry said Friday. The statement is likely meant to assuage international concerns and calm fears among Afghan refugees in Pakistan after Islamabad’s unexpectedly said Tuesday that all migrants — including the Afghans — without valid documentation will have to go back to their countries voluntarily before Oct. 31 to avoid mass...

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Colorado funeral home with “green” burials under...
PENROSE, Colo. (AP) — Authorities said Thursday they were investigating the improper storage of human remains at a southern Colorado funeral home that performs “green” burials without embalming chemicals or metal caskets. The investigation centers on a building owned by the Return to Nature Funeral Home outside Colorado Springs in the small town of Penrose. Deputies were called to the single-story building on Tuesday night in reference to a suspicious incident. Investigators returned the next day with a search...

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Fukushima nuclear plant starts 2nd release of...
TOKYO (AP) — Japan’s wrecked Fukushima nuclear power plant said it began releasing a second batch of treated radioactive wastewater into the sea on Thursday after the first round of discharges ended smoothly. Plant operator Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings said workers activated a pump to dilute the treated water with large amounts of seawater, slowly sending the mixture into the ocean through an underground tunnel. The wastewater discharges, which are expected to continue for decades, have been strongly...

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Zack Wheeler strikes out 8, NL champion...
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Zack Wheeler struck out eight in a sensational effort, José Alvarado preserved the lead with a pivotal strikeout and the Philadelphia Phillies opened a resolute postseason push with a 4-1 win over the Miami Marlins in the opener of their NL Wild Card Series on Tuesday night. Nick Castellanos provided the game’s signature moment, directing his ring finger toward a joyous Phillies dugout after a key double and sending a message the defending NL champions crave...

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Texas RB Jonathon Brooks honors father’s memory...
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — When Texas running back Jonathan Brooks gets to the end zone, he celebrates with a tap of his right forearm. It is a quick and subtle gesture that can be easy to miss, but it’s a powerful one for Brooks. His arm is tattooed with the Roman numerals for 3-28-22, for March 28, 2022, the date his father James “Skip” Brooks died at age 49 after long struggles with kidney failure. “I really just miss,...

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