Stormy weather is threatening to delay SpaceX's first astronaut launch.
A SpaceX rocket is scheduled to blast off Wednesday afternoon from Kennedy Space Center, carrying a Dragon capsule with NASA astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken to the International Space Station. It will be the first time astronauts launch from Florida in nine years and a first for a private company.
The manager of NASA's commercial crew program, Kathy Lueders, said everything was progressing well  at least on the ground.
Now the only thing we need to do is figure out how to control the weather, she said Monday evening as rain continued to drench the area.
We're continuing to be vigilant and careful and make sure we do this right. Forecasters put the odds of acceptable launch weather at 40%. But that doesn't include the conditions all the way up the U.S. and Canadian coasts and across the sea to Ireland  a complicated mix of measurements unique to the Dragon crew capsule.
The Dragon's emergency escape system ..

Stormy weather puts damper on SpaceX's 1st astronaut launch

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As the white van approached Perfect Love Street, one by one chatting neighbours fell silent, covered their mouths and noses and scattered.
Men in full body suits carried an empty coffin into the small, blue house where Edgar Silva had spent two feverish days gasping for air before drawing his last breath on May 12.
It wasn't COVID, Silva's daughter, Eliete das Graas insisted to the funerary workers. She swore her 83-year-old father had died of Alzheimer's disease, not that sickness ravaging the city's hospitals.
But Silva, like the vast majority of those dying at home, was never tested for the new coronavirus. The doctor who signed his death certificate never saw his body before determining the cause: cardiorespiratory arrest. His death was not counted as one of Brazil's victims of the pandemic.
Manaus is one of the hardest hit cities in Brazil, which officially has lost more than 23,000 lives to the coronavirus. But in the absence of evidence proving otherwise, relatives like das ...

Death and denial in Brazil's Amazon capital

Over 300 Indian nationals, who were stuck in the US due to the coronavirus-induced global travel restrictions, have flown home on board the fourth special flight from New York under the Vande Bharat Mission.
The Air India flight from J F K International Airport to Bengaluru flew on May 25 and had 329 passengers, including two infants, according to officials.
India's Consul General in New York Sandeep Chakravorty and Deputy Consul General Shatrughna Sinha were at the airport to supervise the process.
The second phase of non-scheduled commercial flights of Air India from the US to various cities in India is underway from May 19 to May 29.
In the first phase, Air India operated non-scheduled commercial flights from the US to various Indian cities from May 9 to May 15.
Under the second phase, two flights will fly from New York to Delhi, Chandigarh and Bengaluru; two from San Francisco to Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Kochi and Ahmedabad; one from Washington to Bengaluru and Ahmedabad and two from 

Over 300 Indians fly home on board special Air India flight from New York

Veteran musician Brian May has revealed that he recently suffered what he described as a near-fatal heart attack, but said he is now on the road to recovery.
Earlier this month, May shared on social media that he was hospitalised after he ripped the muscles in his glutes "to shreds" in a gardening accident, which left him in debilitating pain.
In an Instagram post on Sunday, the Queen lead guitarist said when he went in for a check-up, doctors found a tear in his gluteus maximus muscle and assumed that must be the cause.
But it was only after an MRI on his lower spine that they found the real problem: a compressed sciatic nerve.
"Why did those discs in my spine get so squished? Well I think 50 years of running around with a guitar strap over my left shoulder holding a heavy guitar might have something to do with it!" May, 72, captioned the video.
The diagnosis was followed by a "small" heart attack one day.
He described the attack as "about 40 minutes of pain in the chest and ...

Queen's Brian May 'grateful' after recovering from 'small heart attack'

Balbir Singh Sr's death evoked emotional tributes from Pakistan's hockey community, which described the legendary centre-forward's demise as a big loss to the sport in general and the subcontinent in particular.
The 96-year-old three-time Olympic gold-medallist, considered one of the best centre-forwards of all time, died on Monday in Mohali.
"He had amazing flexibility, speed and litheness in his game. His sprints were a treat to watch," former Pakistan captain Samiullah said.
Samiullah was nicknamed the "The Flying Horse" for his speed and won three Asian Games and one World Cup gold during his career.
"Hockey has lost a big name as Balbir Singh was someone who enabled India to win three consecutive gold medals in the 1948, 1952 and 1956 Olympics because of his outstanding game," Samiullah added.
The Secretary General of the Pakistan Hockey Federation Asif Bajwa also condoled the death of Singh and said he was one of the greatest.
"Never saw him play but we heard so much about him ..

Lost a big name: Pakistan's hockey fraternity mourns death of Balbir Singh Sr

"Riverdale" stars Cole Sprouse and Lili Reinhart have parted ways, again, this time after three years of dating.
A source told People magazine that the actors, who play love interests Jughead Jones and Betty Cooper on The CW show, tend to be on and off but are currently not together.
The representatives for the actors have not commented.
The breakup comes after Sprouse, 27, posted an open letter on his Instagram Story in April in which he told fans he would not "tolerate" negative comments.
Although he didn't specify the reference to the note, it came amid speculation about his relationship with Reinhart on social media, with some alleging the actor had cheated on her.
"When I first stepped into a public relationship this was one of the foreseeable consequences.
"And while I truly never intended to indulge any part of my private life to the ravenous horde, it's clear my restraint in updating them has allowed them to push their own agenda onto my habits and lifestyle. So in conclusion  

Cole Sprouse, Lili Reinhart reportedly split again

China has reported 36 new coronavirus cases, including 29 asymptomatic infections, mostly in the contagion's first epicentre Wuhan where 6.5 million people have been tested so far, health officials said on Monday.
The country's National Health Commission (NHC) said that seven new imported cases were reported, including five in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region and one each in Shanghai and Fujian.
No deaths due to the COVID-19 were reported on Monday, it said, adding that 403 asymptomatic cases, including 28 from overseas, are currently under medical observation across the country.
Wuhan reported 26 new asymptomatic cases, the local health commission said, adding that 334 people with such symptoms are under medical observation.
More than 6.5 million nucleic acid tests to screen the novel coronavirus infections have been conducted between May 14 and 23 in the city of over 11.2 million people, according to the health authority.
Wuhan started a campaign on May 14 to expand nucleic acid 

China reports 36 new coronavirus cases

Two-time Wimbledon winner Petra Kvitova has said she would prefer Grand Slams did not take place as opposed to playing them behind closed doors due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Speaking on the eve of her court return in an all-Czech tournament the 30-year-old echoed the thoughts of Roger Federer, who said last week he would be against the idea of an empty Roland Garros or Flushing Meadows.
"I have my age and of course I would like to play another Grand Slam, but if it's like this, I'd rather cancel them," Kvitova said.
"Playing a Grand Slam is the greatest thing there is and playing without fans who are our engine doesn't look nice to me and the Grand Slam doesn't deserve it," she added.
This year's French Open has been moved to September, Wimbledon has been cancelled and the WTA tour will not resume until at least July 20 due to the COVID-19 outbreak.
This week's competition in Prague has eight men and eight women in separate draws but there will be no spectators or handshakes.
There 

Kvitova would 'rather cancel' Grand Slams than play without fans

Andre Villas-Boas will return as Marseille coach for next season, the club has announced, despite widespread reports the Portuguese was set to leave after just one year in charge.
"After several discussions in recent days with Frank McCourt and Jacques-Henri Eyraud, Andre Villas-Boas has confirmed that he wants to continue working with OM next season," the club told AFP.
Last week, Marseille offered Villas-Boas -- whose existing deal runs until the end of next season -- a two-year contract extension as doubts persisted over his future at the club following the departure of right-hand man and sporting director Andoni Zubizarreta.
Villas-Boas, 42, led former European champions Marseille to second place behind Paris Saint-Germain in the Ligue 1 season which was ended early because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Marseille, who are owned by American tycoon Frank McCourt, are therefore set to feature in the Champions League next season for the first time since 2013/14.
However, the former ...

Villas-Boas to stay on as Marseille coach

FIFA has suspended the president of Haiti's football federation for 90 days pending an investigation into allegations he sexually abused teenage girls at the national training center.
Yves Jean-Bart, 73, categorically denies accusations that he raped several young female footballers at a training facility outside Port-au-Prince over the course of the past five years.
"In accordance with articles 84 and 85 of the FIFA Code of Ethics, the investigatory chamber of the independent Ethics Committee has provisionally banned Mr Yves Jean-Bart, President of the Haitian Football Federation (FHF), from all football-related activities at both national and international level, for a period of 90 days," FIFA said Monday in a statement.
"This sanction has been imposed in connection with ongoing investigations concerning Mr Jean-Bart. Mr Jean-Bart was notified of the decision today. The provisional sanction comes into force immediately."
Haitian police have launched a probe into the allegations, ...

FIFA suspends Haiti football chief accused of rape

A ban on foreign travellers arriving in the US from Brazil due to the surge in coronavirus cases there will now take effect late Tuesday, two days earlier than previously announced.
The ban had been set to go into effect late Thursday. The White House announced the change Monday without explanation.
Brazil is second to the US in the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases, according to a tally from Johns Hopkins University, and has seen cases surge in recent days.
The White House cited Brazil's status as Latin America's hardest-hit country on Sunday when it announced the ban, saying it would prevent additional infections in the US.
Foreign nationals who have been to Brazil in the two weeks before they attempt to enter the US are to be turned back under the ban.
The ban does not apply to US citizens or legal permanent residents, and their spouses, parents or children.

Brazil travel ban by US to start 2 days earlier on Tuesday

Lyon will challenge the decision to end the Ligue 1 season early because of the coronavirus pandemic before the Council of State, France's highest administrative court, a club source told AFP.
The club criticised the April 30 ruling made by the French league (LFP) to declare the season over following an announcement by the government that football could not restart because of the health crisis.
Lyon president Jean-Michel Aulas also wrote a letter Monday to France's prime minister and sports minister urging them to reconsider the decision, with the government expected to announce next week a further loosening of the lockdown.
"Could we imagine that 2 June is also a great opportunity to rectify the mistake concerning French football and to allow, with a health protocol used everywhere, a gradual resumption of training and, why not, a resumption of the 2019-20 season over the months of July or August?" Aulas said.
Lyon, who have reached this season's Champions League last 16, were left ..

Lyon take Ligue 1 appeal to Council of State A

Prolific Indian-American inventor Rajiv Joshi has bagged the prestigious Inventor of the Year award in recognition of his pioneering work in advancing the electronic industry and improving artificial intelligence capabilities.
Dr Joshi, who is a master inventor with more than 250 patented inventions in the US, works at the IBM Thomson Watson Research Center in New York.
He was presented with the prestigious annual award by the New York Intellectual Property Law Association early this month during a virtual awards ceremony.
An IIT Mumbai alumnus, Joshi has an MS degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and a PhD in mechanical/electrical engineering from Columbia University, New York.
His invention span from novel interconnect structures and processes for more scaling, machine learning techniques for predictive failure analytics, high bandwidth, high performance and low power integrated circuits and memories and their usage in hardware accelerators, meant for ...

Indian-American IBM scientist bags inventor of the year award for improving AI capabilities

South Korea has reported 19 new cases of the coronavirus, most from the densely populated Seoul metropolitan area, where officials have been actively tracing transmissions linked to nightclubs and other entertainment venues.
South Korea's Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Tuesday also reported two more deaths, bringing national totals to 11,225 cases and 269 fatalities. Officials linked three of the new cases to international arrivals.
South Korea has been reporting around 20 new cases per day over the past two weeks after health workers found hundreds of infections linked to club goers who went out in early May as the country eased social distancing measures.
The new infections in the greater capital area have caused concern as authorities proceed with a phased reopening of schools, which began with high school seniors last week.
Around 2.4 million high school juniors, middle school seniors, first and second graders and kindergarten students will be returning to school on 

South Korea reports 19 new virus cases

An Indian-American couple has developed a low-cost portable emergency ventilator which is soon to hit the production stage and will be available in India and the developing world at an affordable rate to help doctors deal with the COVID-19 patients.
Prompted by the lack of adequate ventilators during the coronavirus pandemic, Devesh Ranjan, a professor and associate chair in the prestigious Georgia Tech's George W Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering and his wife Kumuda Ranjan, a practising family physician in Atlanta, developed the emergency ventilator from concept to prototype in just about three weeks-time.
"If you can do a manufacturing of scale, it can be produced (item cost) in less than USD 100. Even with a price point of USD 500, they (the manufacturer) would have enough money to make sure that they are making enough profit in the market," Professor Ranjan told PTI.
He said a ventilator of this type, on an average in the US, costs USD 10,000.
Ranjan, however, clarified ...

COVID-19: Indian-American couple develops low-cost ventilator

Jimmy Cobb, a percussionist and the last surviving member of Miles Davis' 1959 Kind of Blue groundbreaking jazz album which transformed the genre and sparked several careers, died on Sunday.
His wife, Eleana Tee Cobb, announced on Facebook that her husband died at his New York City home from lung cancer. He was 91.
Born in Washington, D.C., Cobb told The Associated Press in 2019 he listened to jazz albums and stayed up late to hear disc jockey Symphony Sid playing jazz in New York City before launching his professional career. He said it was saxaphonist Cannonball Adderley who recommended him to Davis, and he ended up playing on several Davis recordings.
But Cobb's role as a drummer on the Kind of Blue jam session headed by Davis would forever change his career. That album also featured Adderley and John Coltrane.
The album, released on Aug. 17, 1959, captured a moment when jazz was transforming from bebop to something newer, cooler and less structured.
The full takes of the songs ...

Jimmy Cobb, 'Kind of Blue' drummer for Miles Davis, dies

Richard Branson's Virgin Orbit has failed in its first test launch of a new rocket carried aloft by a Boeing 747 and released over the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Southern California.
The inaugural launch had appeared to be going well until moments after the rocket was dropped from beneath the left wing of the jumbo jet dubbed Cosmic Girl.
We've confirmed a clean release from the aircraft. However, the mission terminated shortly into the flight. Cosmic Girl and our flight crew are safe and returning to base, Virgin Orbit said in its official Twitter commentary on the launch on Monday.
There was no immediate word on what went wrong with the rocket, which carried a test satellite.
Will Pomerantz, Virgin Orbit's vice president for special projects, commented during a preflight briefing Saturday that about half of first rocket launches fail.
History is not terribly kind, necessarily, to maiden flights, he said.  Chief Executive Officer Dan Hart said during the briefing that there had ..

Branson's Virgin Orbit fails on first rocket launch attempt

A US biotechnology company announced on Tuesday the start of human trials in Australia of a vaccine for the coronarvirus with hopes of releasing a proven vaccine this year.
Novavax has begun the first phase of the trial in which 131 volunteers in the cities of Melbourne and Brisbane will test the safety of the vaccine and look for early signs of the vaccine's effectiveness, the company's research chief Dr. Gregory Glenn said.
We are in parallel making doses, making vaccine in anticipation that we'll be able to show it's working and be able to start deploying it by the end of this year, Glenn told a virtual press conference in Melbourne from Novavax' headquarters in Maryland.
About a dozen experimental vaccines are in early stages of testing or poised to start, mostly in China, the US and Europe. It's not clear that any of the candidates ultimately will prove safe and effective. But many work in different ways, and are made with different technologies, increasing the odds that at least 

US company trials coronavirus vaccine in Australia

Few leaders have the sort of shadows that hang over Suriname's President Desi Bouterse, a former coup leader and strongman, convicted of murder and drug smuggling, who is overseeing a dire economy.
Yet the charismatic 74-year-old president stands a fair chance of holding onto power as the small South American nation elects a new National Assembly on Monday  a body that will choose the next president in August.
Bouterse's National Democratic Party has built deep support among the country's poor, many of them black or mixed race, who feel Bouterse is the first politician ever to pay attention to them.
Their economic pain is eased somewhat by food parcels distributed to party supporters, and many credit Bouterse for recent oil discoveries off the Surinamese coast, which give some confidence in their future.
Recent polls in the former Dutch colony have shown a swing toward the opposition United Reform Party  the VHP by its Dutch initials  which has worked for years to broaden its base ...

Ex-strongman Bouterse seeks another term in Suriname

Some 115 Indians, including out of work and broke caregivers, students and pregnant women, were all smiles as they boarded an Air India flight here on Tuesday and left for India after being stranded in Israel for more than two months due to the COVID-19 lockdown.
The flight took off at 1 AM IST and also carried a Nepalese national Prabha Baskota, married to an Indian, and five Israeli diplomats posted in Delhi.
Out of the 121 passengers aboard flight AI 140, some 85 of them would take a connecting flight to Kochi on Tuesday from Delhi. Most of the Kochi passengers are caregivers who have wished to be quarantined close to their home.
"These are very challenging times and the Vande Bharat Mission flight to India is one of our many efforts to reach out to our community of students and caregivers here in Israel," India's ambassador to Israel Sanjeev Singla told PTI at the airport.
"The Ministry of External Affairs, the Civil Aviation Ministry, the Home Ministry, the Israeli Foreign ...

COVID-19: Air India evacuates 115 stranded Indians from Israel

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has pledged to annex parts of the occupied West Bank in the coming months, vowing to move ahead with the explosive plan despite a growing chorus of condemnations by key allies.
The Palestinians, with wide international backing, seek the entire West Bank as the heartland of a future independent state. Annexing large chunks of this territory would all but destroy the faint remaining hopes of a two-state solution.
In an apparent reference to the friendly administration of President Donald Trump, Netanyahu said on Monday Israel had a historic opportunity to redraw the Mideast map that could not be missed. Israeli media quoted him as saying he would act in July.
This is an opportunity that we will not let pass, he told members of his conservative Likud party. He added that the historic opportunity to annex the West Bank had never before occurred since Israel's founding in 1948.
The comments threatened to push Israel closer to a confrontation with ..

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