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SpaceX sends Saudi astronauts, including nation’s 1st woman in space, to International Space Station

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:02:35 GMT

By MARCIA DUNN (AP Aerospace Writer)CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — Saudi Arabia’s first astronauts in decades rocketed toward the International Space Station on a chartered multimillion-dollar flight Sunday.SpaceX launched the ticket-holding crew, led by a retired NASA astronaut now working for the company that arranged the trip. Also on board: a U.S. businessman who now owns a sports car racing team.The four should reach the space station in their capsule Monday morning; they’ll spend just over a week there before returning home with a splashdown off the Florida coast.Sponsored by the Saudi Arabian government, Rayyanah Barnawi, a stem cell researcher, became the first woman from the kingdom to go to space. She was joined by Ali al-Qarni, a fighter pilot with the Royal Saudi Air Force.They’re the first from their country to ride a rocket since a Saudi prince launched aboard shuttle Discovery in 1985. In a quirk of timing, they’ll be greeted at the station ...

Celtics’ Derrick White returns to starting lineup for critical Game 3 against Heat

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:02:35 GMT

MIAMI — Under dire circumstances in Game 6 against Philadelphia, Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla moved Robert Williams back into the starting lineup, a shift that helped turn the series.Facing a similar situation – down 2-0 heading into Sunday’s Game 3 – Mazzulla changed it back. The Celtics returned to the smaller starting lineup that they played with for most of the regular season, inserting Derrick White in place of Robert WilliamsThe lineup change wasn’t much of a surprise after Mazzulla went back to start the second half of Game 2, when the Celtics started strong and ultimately turned a four-point halftime deficit into an eight-point lead entering the fourth quarter.“I thought it gave us a different look,” Mazzulla said. “I thought we were able to change the matchups a little bit. I thought we got off to a good start.”Part of the thought process to moving back into the starting lineup was to help the Celtics get into their spacing better offensively after some tough stretches with t...

Massachusetts weather forecast: ‘A lot of uncertainty’ for Memorial Day weekend

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:02:35 GMT

Planning to relax on a Cape beach or heading to a cookout over Memorial Day weekend? Keep a close eye on the weather forecast because there’s a good amount of uncertainty about whether it will be rainy for the unofficial start of summer.It should be a fairly quiet weather week ahead for Massachusetts, but the National Weather Service said there’s “still a fair amount of uncertainty heading into Memorial Day weekend.”Both Saturday and Sunday have the potential for rain.“There’s a lot of uncertainty when it comes to next weekend,” Torry Gaucher, meteorologist at the National Weather Service’s Boston office, told the Herald on Sunday.“The guidance isn’t in the best of agreement,” he added. “So it’s a little too soon to put any fine details on next weekend’s forecast at this point, unfortunately.”Ahead of the holiday weekend, dry and quiet weather is expected through a good portion of Wednesday.It ...

First Cape Cod shark sighting of the season as great white chomps on seal: ‘Graphic content warning’

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:02:35 GMT

Great white sharks are starting to make their way back to the Cape ahead of Memorial Day, as one of the apex predators put on quite the show for those out on the water this weekend.The first confirmed white shark sighting of the season was reported on Saturday when a shark chomped on a seal off of Provincetown. The shark was seen by those on board the Dolphin Fleet Whale Watch.Passengers were surprised with an early season white shark predation of a seal.“GRAPHIC CONTENT WARNING,” Dolphin Fleet Whale Watch wrote on Instagram. “Today’s 10am trip was left in awe when we encountered a large great white shark predating a juvenile gray seal on Stellwagen Bank.”The shark’s meal of the seal lasted for about 7 minutes. Those on board estimated that the apex predator was more than 12-feet long.“We’ve shared the video with shark researchers who have confirmed this is the first eyewitness confirmation of a predation this season,” the Dolphi...

Thousands ride for veterans wounded in Afghan withdrawal

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:02:35 GMT

This year’s “Wounded Vet Run,” the 12th and most well attended since its start, according to organizers, was aimed specifically at raising money to help five U.S. Marines who were seriously injured during the deadly withdrawal from America’s 20-year war in Afghanistan.Tyler Vargas-Andrews was one of them.A sniper who volunteered to serve his country more than a decade and a half after the bloody war following the events of 9/11 began, Vargas-Andrews was one of the last Americans deployed in Afghanistan when, in the midst of the chaotic and much criticized evacuation, a suicide bomber attacked Kabul Airport, killing more than 100 Afghan civilians and 13 of Vargas-Andrews’ fellow servicemembers.Vargas-Andrews was himself “catastrophically wounded,” he told Congress when testifying about that day, his right arm and left leg lost due to the blast.On Sunday, despite those injuries, Vargas-Andrews was standing tall as fellow veterans gathered to ride in his honor and in support of o...

Ticket to ride: Saudi astronauts catch private flight to space

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:02:35 GMT

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — Saudi Arabia’s first astronauts in decades rocketed toward the International Space Station on a chartered multimillion-dollar flight Sunday.SpaceX launched the ticket-holding crew, led by a retired NASA astronaut now working for the company that arranged the trip. Also on board: a U.S. businessman who now owns a sports car racing team.The four should reach the space station in their capsule Monday morning; they’ll spend just over a week there before returning home with a splashdown off the Florida coast.Sponsored by the Saudi Arabian government, Rayyanah Barnawi, a stem cell researcher, became the first woman from the kingdom to go to space. She was joined by Ali al-Qarni, a fighter pilot with the Royal Saudi Air Force.They’re the first from their country to ride a rocket since a Saudi prince launched aboard shuttle Discovery in 1985. In a quirk of timing, they’ll be greeted at the station by an astronaut from the United Arab Emirates.&...

World summits’ ‘family photos’ show Putin’s isolation

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:02:35 GMT

They’re known as “family photos,” the images of world leaders posed in faux relaxation during global summits. And like portraits of a family that has isolated a dysfunctional member, recent “family photos” from the G7 and G8 — the world’s most industrialized nations — show how Russian President Vladimir Putin has been outcast. The Russian president has faced unprecedented international isolation since his nation invaded Ukraine in February 2022. An International Criminal Court arrest warrant hangs over his head and clouds his prospects of traveling to many destinations, including those viewed as Moscow’s allies.It was only 10 years ago when Putin stood proudly among his peers at the time -– former U.S. President Barack Obama, former German Chancellor Angela Merkel and former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe — at a Group of Eight summit in Northern Ireland. But Russia has since been kicked out of the group, which consists of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Britai...

US to sign new security pact with Papua New Guinea amid competition with China

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:02:35 GMT

PORT MORESBY, Papua New Guinea (AP) — The United States is scheduled to sign a new security pact with Papua New Guinea on Monday as it continues to compete with China for influence in the Pacific.Papua New Guinea’s location just north of Australia makes it strategically significant. It was the site of fierce battles during World War II, and with a population of nearly 10 million people, it’s the most populous Pacific Island nation. The State Department said the new agreement would provide a framework to help improve security cooperation, enhance the capacity of Papua New Guinea’s defense force and increase regional stability.At a breakfast meeting on Monday, Papua New Guinea Prime Minister James Marape said his country faced significant security challenges, from skirmishes within the country to illegal fishing boats that lit up the night like skyscrapers. “We have our internal security as well as our sovereignty security issues,” Marape said. “We’re stepping ...

Wrigley Field vendor gives inside look at the job through social media videos

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:02:35 GMT

CHICAGO — Jonah Fialkow started vending at Wrigley Field in 2015 while he was looking for a summer job, but this season is his first creating videos and a community around it.He had just finished his senior year of high school and was looking for something to do before attending the University of Illinois. Cubs’ Friday moves include saying goodbye to a veteran player "One of my friend's dads used to vend back in the day and a lot of the vendors are still there that my buddy's dad used to vend with," Fialkow said. "So he put us in contact with the people that he knew. I emailed them like, 'Hey, do you guys need help this summer? I'm a huge Cubs fan, would love to work for you.' And they're like, 'Yeah, we actually do.'" @jewishjonah Replying to @userboy1990 I got the job in 2015 and it’s safe to say it’s the best job I’ve ever had. #wrigleyfield #chicagocubs #baseball #chicago #vendors #askontiktok #dayinthelife #jonahthevendor ♬ original sound - jewishjonah So Fialkow and two ...

"We're supposed to step in together:" Fundraiser supports families of 4 high school seniors killed in car crash

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:02:35 GMT

WHEELING, Ill. — A fundraiser was held in the northwest suburbs Sunday in support of the families of four Buffalo Grove High School seniors who died in a car crash."I wanted to do something for the community," said Josh Kaplan, owner of Josh's Hot Dogs in Northbrook. "It's these times where we're supposed to step in together and really help those families that really need our support."Kaplan and his staff took over the parking lot at St. Joseph the Worker Catholic Church in Wheeling to grill up hot dogs and hamburgers, with the plan of donating all proceeds to the families of Richard De Ita, Kevin Hernandez-Teran, Ricky Barcenas and Jesus Rodriguez — the four high school seniors who were killed in a car crash last Tuesday.The turn out was more than Kaplan expected."It's just touched my heart honestly," Kaplan said. "I'm just taken back by this all." PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Buffalo Grove High School mourning loss of 4 students killed in Wheeling crash "There were almost a thousand peopl...