SpaceX returned four astronauts from the International Space Station on Sunday, making the first U.S. crew splashdown in darkness since the Apollo 8 moonshot.The Dragon capsule parachuted into the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Panama City, Florida, just before 3 a.m., ending the second astronaut flight for Elon Musk’s company.It was an express trip home, lasting just 6 1/2 hours.The astronauts, three American and one Japanese, flew back in the same capsule — named Resilience — in which they launched from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in November.Their 167-day mission is the longest for astronauts launching from the U.S. The previous record of 84 days, about 3 months, was set by NASA’s final Skylab station crew in 1974.Saturday night’s undocking left seven people at the space station, four of whom arrived a week ago via SpaceX.“Earthbound!” NASA astronaut Victor Glover tweeted after departing the station. “One step closer to family and home!”Glover — along with NASA’s Mike Hopkins and Shannon Walker and Japan’s Soichi Noguchi — should have returned to Earth last Wednesday, but high offshore winds forced SpaceX to pass up a pair of daytime landing attempts. Managers switched to a rare splashdown in darkness, to take advantage of calm weather.SpaceX had practiced for a nighttime return, just in case, and even recovered its most recent station cargo capsule from the Gulf of Mexico in darkness. Infrared cameras tracked the capsule as it re-entered the atmosphere; it resembled a bright star streaking through the night sky.All four main parachutes could be seen deploying just before splashdown, which was also visible in the infrared.Apollo 8 — NASA’s first flight to the moon with astronauts — ended with a predawn splashdown in the Pacific near Hawaii on Dec. 27, 1968. Eight years later, a Soviet capsule with two cosmonauts ended up in a dark, partially frozen lake in Kazakhstan, blown off course in a blizzard.That was it for nighttime crew splashdowns — until Sunday.Despite the early hour, the Coast Guard was out in full force to enforce an 18-kilometer keep-out zone around the bobbing Dragon capsule. For SpaceX’s first crew return in August, pleasure boaters swarmed the capsule, a safety risk.Once aboard the SpaceX recovery ship, the astronauts planned to hop on a helicopter for the short flight to shore, then catch a plane straight to Houston for a reunion with their families.Their capsule, Resilience, will head back to Cape Canaveral for refurbishment for SpaceX’s first private crew mission in September. The space station docking mechanism will be removed, and a brand-new domed window put in its place.A tech billionaire has purchased the entire three-day flight, which will orbit 120 kilometers above the space station. He will fly with a pair of contest winners and a physician assistant from St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, his designated charity for the mission.SpaceX’s next astronaut launch for NASA will follow in October.NASA turned to private companies to service the space station, after the shuttle fleet retired in 2011. SpaceX began supply runs in 2012 and, last May, launched its first crew, ending NASA’s reliance on Russia for astronaut transport.Boeing is not expected to launch astronauts until early next year.
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Month: May 2021
COVID Spurs Uganda to Suspend Flights from India
Uganda has suspended all flights coming into the country from India after recording new variants of the coronavirus, including the COVID-19 variant from India.The ban began Saturday at midnight.The new directive follows the Ministry of Health researchers detecting one case of the coronavirus disease, an Indian variant, in the East African country.India has so far recorded more than 18.8 million COVID-19 cases, with deaths topping 200,000 in the past week — with new infection cases surpassing 400,000.Dr. Jane Ruth Aceng, Uganda’s minister for health, outlined the travel restrictions.“All passenger flights between Uganda and India are suspended until further notice,” she said. “No travelers from India shall be allowed into Uganda, regardless of the route of travel.”Aceng stressed that all travelers who may have been in India or traveled through India in the last 14 days, regardless of route taken, will not be allowed into Uganda.She said Uganda has so far recorded 399 cases out of the five variants circulating in Uganda. Other variants identified include variants from Nigeria, the United Kingdom and South Africa.Minister Aceng says even though the epidemiological distribution and impact of these variants in Uganda is currently unknown, experts continue to study the progression.Mohan Rao, head of the Indian Association in Uganda, a community-led organization, said that even though the cancelation of flights is going to affect trade and other engagements, the association welcomes the move.Rao said his group has written to the Ministry of Health seeking permission to carry out a sensitization drive among the Indian community. He has been sending text messages to members of the community and also wants to have community meetings. These are allowed in Uganda, as long as people wear masks and social distance, with a limit of 200 people at a time.Back in March, India was one of the countries that donated 100,00 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine to Uganda as it kicked off distributing vaccination among frontline workers, such as health care professionals and other service providers.In an address to the country in March, President Yoweri Museveni noted it was becoming riskier for a country like Uganda to depend on external vaccine support to curb the spread of COVID-19.“India now has got very big rise in the cases,” the president said. “They are in a very big crisis. They are struggling to solve their own problems and here we are waiting also in line to get support from them. This is not correct.”Since March 2020, Uganda has recorded 41,866 COVID cases and 342 deaths.
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Fauci Recommends Lockdown for India
India set a record Saturday, for the first time surpassing 400,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus.The new infections count for the previous 24-hour period was a record 401,993 cases, according to India’s health ministry. Public health officials believe the actual count may be at least five times higher.“This virus has shown us that if left to its own devices, it will explode in society,” top U.S. infectious disease expert Anthony Fauci said in an interview with Indian Express newspaper. “If you don’t respect its ability to cause serious damage, you are going to get into trouble.”Fauci recommended a lockdown for India.“Literally, lock down so that you wind up having less spread. No one likes to lock down the country. … But if you do it just for a few weeks, you could have a significant impact on the dynamics of the outbreak.”Overall, India has 19,164,969 coronavirus infections and 211,853 deaths, the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center said Saturday. The U.S. has the most cases in the world, with more than 32 million, according to Johns Hopkins. There are more than 151 million global infections.In New Delhi, 12 patients died Saturday when their hospital ran out of oxygen for 80 minutes.A charred hospital bed is seen at a ward of the Welfare Hospital after a fire broke out overnight, in Bharuch, some 190 kms from Ahmedabad, India, May 1, 2021.Also Saturday, 18 others people died when a fire erupted in a COVID-19 ward at a hospital in western India. Authorities say 30 patients were rescued from the ground floor fire at the Welfare Hospital in Bharuch, in Gujarat state.It was not immediately clear what caused the fire, officials said. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi posted on Twitter that he was “Pained by the loss of lives due to a fire” at the hospital. “Condolences to the bereaved families,” he added.Pained by the loss of lives due to a fire at a hospital in Bharuch. Condolences to the bereaved families.— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) May 1, 2021India expanded its vaccine eligibility Saturday to anyone 18 and older, but many locations are saying that they just do not have any vaccines.The country did receive some good news Saturday: Its first shipment of Sputnik V vaccine arrived from Russia, which is to send 125 million doses in all.Only 2% of India’s 1.3 billion people have been vaccinated.In Brazil, thousands of people ignored their own coronavirus surge Saturday to march in the streets of Brasilia, Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro in support of President Jair Bolsonaro.The South American country has recorded more than 400,000 deaths, including more than 2,600 on Saturday. It is second only to the U.S. in COVID-19 deaths. The U.S. has more than 576,600 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins.Bolsonaro, who opposes pandemic restrictions put in place by governors and mayors, recently said the army “could take to the street one day, to ensure … freedom to come and go.” Some of Saturday’s banners called for a “military intervention” and bolstering Bolsonaro’s powers.In Wuhan, China, the two-day Wuhan Strawberry Music Festival opened Saturday. About 11,000 people danced and sang along with their favorite bands on three stages, with the crowds at each limited.
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Medina Spirit Wins Kentucky Derby
Medina Spirit stormed to victory Saturday in the Kentucky Derby to deliver trainer Bob Baffert a record seventh win in the Run for the Roses.Jockey John Velazquez and Medina Spirit jumped to an early lead and fended off challenges from Mandaloun, Hot Rod Charlie and Essential Quality down the stretch to cross the line first in front of 51,838 fans in the largest U.S. sporting event since the start of the coronavirus pandemic.Mandaloun finished second, with Hot Rod Charlie third.The win was Hall of Fame jockey Velazquez’s fourth in the Triple Crown race, which returned to its usual first-Saturday-in-May spot on the sport’s calendar after being pushed to September last year because of the pandemic.The Preakness Stakes, the second jewel of horse racing’s Triple Crown, will be run May 15 at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore.
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Olympia Dukakis, Oscar-winning ‘Moonstruck’ Star, Dies at 89
Olympia Dukakis, the veteran stage and screen actress whose flair for maternal roles helped her win an Oscar as Cher’s mother in the romantic comedy “Moonstruck,” has died. She was 89.Allison Levy, her agent at Innovative Artists, said Saturday that Dukakis died Saturday morning in her home in New York City. A cause of death was not immediately released.Dukakis won her Oscar through a surprising chain of circumstances, beginning with author Nora Ephron’s recommendation that she play Meryl Streep’s mother in the film version of Ephron’s book “Heartburn.” Dukakis got the role, but her scenes were cut from the film. To make it up to her, director Mike Nichols cast her in his hit play “Social Security.” Director Norman Jewison saw her in that role and cast her in “Moonstruck.”Dukakis won the Oscar for best supporting actress and Cher took home the trophy for best actress.She referred to her 1988 win as “the year of the Dukakii” because it was also the year Massachusetts Governor Michael Dukakis, her cousin, was the Democratic Party’s presidential nominee. At the ceremony, she held her Oscar high over her head and called out: “OK, Michael, let’s go!”Studied physical therapyDukakis had yearned to be an actress from an early age and had hoped to study drama in college. Her Greek immigrant parents insisted she pursue a more practical education, so she studied physical therapy at Boston University on a scholarship from the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis.After earning her bachelor’s degree, she worked at an understaffed hospital in Marmet, West Virginia, and at the Hospital for Contagious Diseases in Boston.But the lure of the theater eventually led her to study drama at Boston University.It was a shocking change, she told an interviewer in 1988, noting that she had gone from the calm world of science to one where students routinely screamed at the teachers.”I thought they were all nuts,” she said. “It was wonderful.”Her first graduate school performance was a disaster, however, as she sat wordless on the stage.After a teacher helped cure her stage fright, she began working in summer stock theaters. In 1960, she made her off-Broadway debut and two years later had a small part in “The Aspen Papers” on Broadway.After three years with a Boston regional theater, Dukakis moved to New York and married actor Louis Zorich.During their first years of marriage, acting jobs were scarce, and Dukakis worked as a bartender, waitress and other jobs.She and Zorich had three children — Christina, Peter and Stefan. They decided it was too hard to raise children in New York with limited income, so they moved the family to a century-old house in Montclair, a New Jersey suburb of New York.Motherly rolesHer Oscar victory kept the motherly film roles coming. She was Kirstie Alley’s mom in “Look Who’s Talking” and its sequel “Look Who’s Talking Too,” the sardonic widow in “Steel Magnolias” and the overbearing wife of Jack Lemmon (and mother of Ted Danson) in “Dad.”But the stage had been her first love.”My ambition wasn’t to win the Oscar,” she said after her “Moonstruck” win. “It was to play the great parts.”She accomplished that in such New York productions as Bertolt Brecht’s “Mother Courage and Her Children,” Eugene O’Neill’s “Long Day’s Journey Into Night” and Tennessee Williams’ “The Rose Tattoo.”For two decades she ran the Whole Theater Company in Montclair, specializing in classic dramas.While her passion lay in stage, a line from her Oscar-winning performance as Rose nonetheless seemed fitting: “I just want you to know no matter what you do, you’re gonna die, just like everybody else.”
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Somalia Lawmakers Cancel Presidential Term Extension
Somalia’s lawmakers have voted to cancel a presidential term extension they had approved last month in an action that might end a political stand-off.
Somalia’s lower house of Parliament reversed a 2-year extension Saturday for its term and that of the president to ease internal and international pressure that urged it to back away from the controversial resolution passed on April 12.
The Parliament — responding to a request by President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed, nicknamed Farmajo, asking lawmakers to restore last year’s agreement between the federal government and the leaders of five federal member states and the governor of Mogadishu — has unanimously voted for the reversal. The move could help to defuse an armed stand-off in capital city Mogadishu.
The decision was announced by the speaker of the Parliament, saying that all 140 lawmakers at the meeting have voted “yes” on the agreement.
Speaking before Parliament shortly before the vote, Farmajo also pledged to hand over the electoral process and the leadership of the country’s security to Prime Minister Mohamed Hussein Roble.
“I want to clear in front of the Parliament that I will hand over the electoral process and the leadership of the country’s security to Prime Minister Roble, and I call for politicians who differ from us to work for the common good of our nation and our people.”
During his speech, the president said he made the decision in an effort to save the country from returning to a civil war.
“It is unacceptable that our country returns to the same ugly path it took 30 years ago. We have chosen to solve our differences among us, so that foreign elements would not take advantage of our disagreements.”
The president’s request was the result of pressure by Somalia’s international partners, including the United States, who opposed the term extension that triggered armed clashes in Mogadishu between government soldiers and those loyal to opposition candidates, including two former presidents and a prime minister.
Pressure reached its peak last Tuesday when two federal members states that are allies of the president, Galmudug and Hirshabell, broke ranks with Farmajo and opposed the term extension, joining Puntland and Jubaland states.
Roble issued a statement shortly afterward, endorsing the joint statement issued by the two federal member states.
Later the same day, Farmajo said he would ask Parliament to reverse the extension and urged the signatories of the September 17 agreement for immediate talks to discuss the way forward to implement the agreement without conditions.
Ruling out any kind of term extension, today’s parliament decision supported indirect elections to be held based on the deal, known as the September 17 agreement. According to that plan, federal lawmakers would be indirectly elected. The lawmakers would then elect the president.
That agreement was unilaterally invalidated by the lower house without the upper house vote, giving the executive and legislative branches two more years to prepare popular elections.
Mohamed signed the resolution into law on April 13, triggering opposition anger and the disapproval of the international community. It also split Somalia’s national army and police forces along clan lines, threatening the security of the capital.
The president’s term expired on February 8, 2021, while the Parliament’s mandate ended on December 27, 2020.
Mogadishu residents, who have been worrying about the crisis created by the term extension, expressed relief after today’s parliament decision and the president’s speech.
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India Tops 400,000 in Daily Count of New COVID Cases
India’s daily COVID count of new cases has, for the first time, surpassed the 400,000 mark. The new infections count for the previous 24-hour period was a record 401,993 cases, India’s health ministry said Saturday. Public health officials believe the actual count may be at least five times higher.
“This virus has shown us that if left to its own devices, it will explode in society,” top U.S. infectious disease expert Anthony Fauci said in an interview with Indian Express newspaper. “If you don’t respect its ability to cause serious damage, you are going to get into trouble.”
Fauci recommended a lockdown for India. “Literally, lock down so that you wind up having less spread. No one likes to lock down the country … But if you do it just for a few weeks, you could have a significant impact on the dynamics of the outbreak.”
Eighteen people were killed early Saturday when a fire erupted in a COVID-19 ward at a hospital in western India.
Authorities say 30 patients were rescued from the ground floor fire at the Welfare Hospital in Bharuch, in Gujarat state.
It was not immediately clear what caused the fire, officials said. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi posted on Twitter that he was “Pained by the loss of lives due to a fire” at the hospital. “Condolences to the bereaved families,” he added.Pained by the loss of lives due to a fire at a hospital in Bharuch. Condolences to the bereaved families.— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) A charred hospital bed is seen at a ward of the Welfare Hospital after a fire broke out overnight, in Bharuch, some 190 kms from Ahmedabad, India, May 1, 2021.India expanded its vaccine eligibility Saturday to anyone 18 and older, but many locations are saying that they just do not have any vaccines.
Only 2% of India’s 1.3 billion people have been vaccinated.
In contrast, the White House says 100 million Americans are now fully vaccinated against COVID-19, nearly double the 55 million vaccinated a month ago.
White House COVID-19 response coordinator Jeff Zients proclaimed the number a “major milestone” at a briefing Friday.
Every American older than 16 is now eligible for the vaccine, and President Joe Biden has promised there will be enough vaccine for every U.S. adult by the end of May.
Aid from the U.S. and other countries arrived in India Friday. U.S. assistance includes oxygen supplies, rapid diagnostic tests and vaccine-manufacturing materials.
The second wave of the coronavirus has overwhelmed India’s health care system, with hospitals at full capacity and an acute shortage of oxygen aggravating an already desperate situation. Many parks and parking lots have been converted into makeshift crematories that are working day and night.
Gayle Smith, U.S. State Department coordinator for global COVID-19 response, said during a Friday briefing that the crisis in India “has not peaked yet.”
She added that the pandemic in the country was “going to need urgent and persistent attention for some time.”
Smith said most of the requests India has made to the U.S. for oxygen, personal protective equipment, and vaccine production materials “have been met,” and she called the U.S. response “pretty prompt.”
India has 19,164,969 coronavirus infections, the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center said Saturday. The U.S. is the only place that has more infections than India with more than 32 million cases, according to Hopkins. There are more than 151 million global infections.
In other virus developments, French President Emmanuel Macron announced Friday that all French adults will be eligible to be vaccinated starting June 15. Currently, only those with chronic illnesses are eligible.
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12 COVID-19 Patients Die in Hospital Fire in Western India
At least 12 patients were killed early Saturday when a fire erupted in a COVID-19 ward at a hospital in western India.Authorities say 50 patients were rescued from the ground floor fire at the Welfare Hospital in Bharuch, in Gujarat state.It was not immediately clear what caused the fire, according to officials.Meanwhile the White House says 100 million Americans are now fully vaccinated against COVID-19, nearly double the 55 million vaccinated a month ago.White House COVID-19 response coordinator Jeff Zients proclaimed the number a “major milestone” at a briefing Friday.”That’s a hundred million Americans with a sense of relief and peace of mind, knowing that after a long and hard year, they’re protected from the virus,” Zients said.Every American older than 16 is now eligible for the vaccine, and President Joe Biden has promised there will be enough vaccine for every U.S. adult by the end of May.The situation in the U.S. stands in stark contrast to India, where the coronavirus is raging out of control. According to India’s health ministry, only 2% of the country’s population was fully vaccinated as of Thursday. On Friday, the health ministry reported 386,452 new infections.The official count of new cases has exceeded 300,000 for nine consecutive days. Indian media reports say some public health experts think the tally of new infections may be at least five times higher.Aid from the U.S. and other countries arrived in India Friday. U.S. assistance includes oxygen supplies, rapid diagnostic tests and vaccine-manufacturing materials.The second wave of the coronavirus has overwhelmed India’s health care system, with hospitals at full capacity and an acute shortage of oxygen aggravating an already desperate situation. Many parks and parking lots have been converted into makeshift crematories that are working day and night.Gayle Smith, U.S. State Department coordinator for global COVID-19 response, said during a Friday briefing that the crisis in India “has not peaked yet.” She added that the pandemic in the country was “going to need urgent and persistent attention for some time.”Smith said most of the requests India has made to the U.S. for oxygen, personal protective equipment and vaccine production materials “have been met,” and she called the U.S. response “pretty prompt.”Indian public health experts have blamed the spread on more contagious variants of the virus, plus the easing of restrictions on large crowds when the outbreak appeared to be under control earlier this year.Dr. Hans Kluge, the World Health Organization’s European regional director, warned Thursday that “it is very important to realize that the situation in India can happen anywhere … when personal protection measures are being relaxed, when there are mass gatherings, when there are more contagious variants, and the vaccination coverage is still low. This can basically create a perfect storm in any country.”Only the U.S. has more COVID cases than India. The U.S. has more than 32 million infections, while India has 18.3 million, according to Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center.In other virus developments, French President Emmanuel Macron announced Friday that all French adults will be eligible to be vaccinated starting June 15. Currently, only those with chronic illnesses are eligible.More than a quarter of British health care workers say they are wary of the COVID-19 vaccine. Reasons for their reluctance included several conspiracy theories and the lack of people of color in vaccine trials.Vaccine maker Pfizer has begun exporting doses manufactured at one of its U.S. plants, according to a report from Reuters. The report said the vaccines were sent to Mexico.Meanwhile, the head of Australia’s drug regulatory agency said Thursday there is no evidence the AstraZeneca vaccine was responsible for the deaths of two people shortly after their inoculations.In New South Wales state in southeast Australia, two men, including one in his 70s, died within days after receiving the vaccine.The AstraZeneca vaccine has had a troubled rollout across the world, with many nations suspending its use after reports first surfaced of rare blood clots following inoculation that resulted in a handful of deaths.
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