SpaceX launches 2nd crew, regular station crew flights begin

The crew members of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket depart for the launch pad for the first operational NASA commercial crew mission at Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, the United States, on Sunday. SpaceX launched four astronauts to the International Space Station on Sunday on the first full-fledged taxi flight for NASA by a private company.SD-Agencies

Peru’s political turmoil takes a chaotic turn

Peru’s political turmoil took a chaotic turn on Sunday when interim leader Manuel Merino quit and Congress couldn’t decide on his replacement. That left Peru rudderless and in crisis less than a week after legislators ignited a storm of protest by removing President Martín Vizcarra, an anti-corruption crusader highly popular among Peruvians.

After several hours of closed-door negotiations, congressional leaders emerged in the early hours of Monday to announce that their session was recessing without any decision and would reconvene later.

British PM in self-isolation

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is self-isolating after being told he came into contact with someone who tested positive for the coronavirus, officials said on Sunday.

“He will carry on working from Downing Street, including on leading the government’s response to the coronavirus pandemic,” a statement from his office said. Johnson “is well and does not have any symptoms of COVID-19,” it added.

Johnson met with a small group of lawmakers for about a half-hour on Thursday, including one who subsequently developed coronavirus symptoms and tested positive.

Romania: Fire in COVID-19 intensive care unit kills 10

A fire at a hospital treating COVID-19 patients in northeastern Romania killed 10 people on Saturday and injured 10 others, seven of them critically, officials said. Prosecutors quickly opened a criminal investigation.

The blaze spread through the intensive care ward designated for COVID-19 patients at the public hospital in the city of Piatra Neamt, local Emergency Situations Inspectorate spokesperson Irina Popa said. Most of the people who died or were injured in the blaze were hospital patients.

Health Minister Nelu Tataru told Romanian media the fire at Piatra Neamt Regional Emergency Hospital was “most likely triggered by a short circuit.”

Romania’s national prosecutor’s office said it would investigate the blaze as a possible case of criminal manslaughter.

New Delhi air quality deteriorates to its worst in 2020

Air quality in India’s capital deteriorated to its worst this year on November 10 prompting a social media barrage of residents complaining about stinging eyes, sore throat and breathlessness in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic.

New Delhi’s overall air quality index, which measures pollutants including PM2.5 particles, rose to 488, its highest level in a year, according to government data. That was up from 477 on a scale of 500 Monday.

Moderna says its vaccine is 94.5% effective

Moderna Inc. said on Monday its experimental vaccine was 94.5 percent effective in preventing COVID-19 based on interim data from a late-stage clinical trial, becoming the second U.S. company in a week to report results that far exceed expectations.

Together with Pfizer Inc.’s vaccine, also shown to be more than 90 percent effective, and pending more safety data and regulatory review, the United States could have two vaccines authorized for emergency use in December with as many as 60 million doses of vaccine available by the year’s end.

(SD-Agencies)