Mars and Jupiter get chummy in the night sky. The planets won’t get this close again until 2033
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — Mars and Jupiter are cozying up in the night sky for their closest rendezvous this decade. They’ll be so close Wednesday, at least from our perspective, that just a sliver of moon could fit between them. In reality, our solar system’s biggest planet and its reddish neighbor will be more than 350 million miles apart. Their orbits haven’t brought them this close together, one behind the other, since 2018. And it won’t happen again until 2033. Known as planetary conjunctions, these cosmic pairings happen only every three years.
Canadian b-boy Phil Wizard takes gold in Olympic breaking final
PARIS (AP) — Canadian b-boy Phil Wizard (Philip Kim) took gold in the first Olympic men’s breaking tournament Saturday. Hometown favorite French b-boy Dany Dann won silver, and American b-boy Victor took the bronze after taking out Japanese b-boy Shigekix. “Local hero” Dany Dann, as the emcees referred to him, took the stage each round to rapturous applause, with the crowd chanting “Dany! Dany!” every time he landed a power move. Kim amazed spectators with his powerful moves, quick feet and quirky personality that he synced to the music.
Three German open water swimmers fall ill after Olympic races in the Seine River
PARIS (AP) — Three German swimmers have become ill after competing in the women’s open water race at the Paris Olympics, though it’s not clear if the long-polluted Seine River was responsible for their sickness. The swimmers were not identified in a statement released Saturday by the German Olympic Sports Confederation. But Leonie Beck went on social media to reveal her condition after finishing ninth in the 10-kilometer event. She posted a picture of herself on Instagram giving a thumbs up but looking ill. Beck wrote: “Vomited 9 times yesterday + diarrhea.” The German committee said in its statement that a total of three open water swimmers became ill, two females and one male.
Susan Wojcicki, former YouTube CEO and longtime Google executive, has died at 56
Susan Wojcicki, the former YouTube chief executive officer and longtime Google executive, has died. Her husband, Dennis Troper, said in a statement posted on social media late Friday that Wojcicki, who was 56, has died after suffering with non small cell lung cancer for the past two years. No other details of her death were provided. Wojcicki stepped down as YouTube’s CEO in 2023 after spending nine years running the video-sharing service that reshaped entertainment, culture and politics. She also played a key role in Google’s creation and rented her garage in Menlo Park, California, to the company’s co-founders.
Large geological feature known as the ‘Double Arch’ and the ‘Toilet Bowl’ collapses in southern Utah
PAGE, Ariz. (AP) — A large geological feature in southern Utah known as the “Double Arch,” the “Hole in the Roof” and sometimes the “Toilet Bowl” has collapsed. National Park Service officials said Friday that no injuries were reported. The popular arch in the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area fell Thursday. Park rangers suspect changing water levels and erosion from waves in Lake Powell contributed to its demise. The arch was formed from 190 million-year-old Navajo sandstone originating in the late Triassic to early Jurassic periods. The fine-grained sandstone has endured erosion from weather, wind and rain.
Travis Scott is released from police custody after arrest over a Paris hotel altercation
PARIS (AP) — Prosecutors in France say Travis Scott, the rapper, has been released from police custody a day after his arrest at a Paris hotel following an altercation with a security guard. The Paris prosecutor’s office said, “the police custody order for Travis Scott has been lifted and all proceedings (against him) were terminated because the incident was minor.”  The rapper is in Paris for the Olympics. He watched the United States rally over Serbia in the men’s basketball semifinal on Thursday night. Scott is one of the biggest stars in hip hop whose birth name is Jacques Webster. He has more than 100 songs that made the Billboard Hot 100.
Amanda Knox wasn’t coerced but ‘freely’ accused a bar owner in roommate’s murder, Italian court says
MILAN (AP) — An Italian appeals court says that Amanda Knox’s hand-written memo at the center of her latest retrial for falsely accusing a Congolese bar owner in the 2007 murder of her British housemate contained enough elements for her to be reconvicted of slander in June. The Florence court gave its reasonings on Friday. Knox’s lawyer has said that she plans to appeal. The slander conviction remains the only one remaining against her long after Knox was definitively exonerated of the murder, and she traveled to Florence in June hoping to remove the last legal stain against her — only to be convicted again.
FDA approves first nasal spray to treat dangerous allergic reactions
U.S. health officials have approved the first nasal spray to treat severe allergic reactions, offering an alternative to injectable products like EpiPen. The Food and Drug Administration said Friday it approved the spray as an emergency treatment for adults and older children experiencing life-threatening allergic reactions. The new spray will be marketed under the brand name Neffy. It’s one of several needle-free devices being developed to treat millions of Americans with severe allergies to food and other triggers.
Japan’s Kishida cancels Asia trip after scientists urge preparations for a possible ‘megaquake’
TOKYO (AP) — Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has canceled a planned trip to Central Asia to lead the government’s response after scientists urged people to prepare for a possible “megaquake” off the country’s southern coast. The Japan Meteorological Agency issued its first ever “megaquake advisory” on Thursday warning of a possible future major earthquake after a magnitude 7.1 quake shook Kyushu island earlier in the day. Thursday’s quake injured 16 people, most of them slightly, and caused no major damage. Scientists at the meteorological agency analyzed the quake and issued the “megaquake advisory” for areas near a long underwater trough responsible for past devastating earthquakes, sparking public unease.
Plane carrying Panthers players, coaches and staff gets stuck in the mud after landing in Charlotte
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Carolina Panthers players, coaches and staff members were unharmed after their Delta Airlines flight veered off the taxiway and got stuck in the mud while making its way to the gate at Charlotte Douglas International Airport Friday morning. The team was returning from a 17-3 preseason loss at New England and arrived safely around 2:35 a.m. on the runway. But as the plane was making its way to the terminal it got stuck in the mud and couldn’t move, forcing passengers to have to deplane via stairs and be transported to the terminal. No injuries were reported.
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