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Launch of Shenzhou-19 crewed spaceship (Pics) 

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China’s Shenzhou-19 crewed spaceship is to be launched at 04:27am BJT Wednesday (Oct. 30) from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China.

Cai Xuzhe, Song Lingdong and Wang Haoze, the three Chinese astronauts for the upcoming Shenzhou-19 spaceflight mission, met the press on Tuesday (Oct. 29).

The three astronauts will take over command of China’s Tiangong space station from the Shenzhou-18 crew currently in orbit, and will spend about six months in space.

The mission will be commanded by experienced astronaut Cai Xuzhe, who participated in the Shenzhou-14 manned spaceflight mission, while Song Lingdong and Wang Haoze, among the third batch of Chinese astronauts, will carry out a space flight for the first time.

Wang is currently China’s only female space flight engineer and will become the third Chinese woman to embark on a crewed spaceflight mission.

Shenzhou-19 is the 33rd flight mission of China’s manned space program, and the 4th manned mission during the application and development stage of China’s space station.

The Shenzhou-19 spaceship, sitting atop a Long March-2F carrier rocket, was previously transferred to the launching area, with pre-launch function checks and joint tests conducted to ensure the spaceship’s readiness.

Meanwhile, the Shenzhou-18 crew aboard China’s orbiting Tiangong space station is preparing for their return mission while wrapping up the remaining experiments. The three astronauts, Ye Guangfu, Li Cong and Li Guangsu, were sent into space for a six-month mission in April this year. Their return will take place after completing a handover with the Shenzhou-19 members at the space station.

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Spain’s king and queen pelted with mud in flood-hit Valencia

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The King and Queen of Spain have been pelted with mud and other objects by angry protesters during a visit to flood-hit Valencia.

Shouts of “murderer” and “shame” were directed at the royal couple, Spain’s prime minister and other leaders as they walked through the town of Paiporta – one of the worst-affected in the region.

With mud on their faces and clothes, King Felipe and Queen Letizia were later seen consoling members of the crowd.

More than 200 people were killed in the floods, the worst in Spain for decades. Emergency workers are continuing to comb through underground car parks and tunnels in the hope of finding survivors and recovering bodies.

There has been anger at a perceived lack of warning and insufficient support from authorities after the floods.

Footage showed the king making his way down a pedestrian street, before his bodyguards and police were suddenly overwhelmed by a surge of protesters, hurling insults and screaming.

They struggled to maintain a protective ring around the monarch, as some of the protesters threw mud and objects.

The king engaged with several, even embracing them.

Images showed mud on the faces and clothes of the king, queen and their entourage, who held umbrellas over the monarch as they departed.

Queen Letizia in tears on visit to flood-hit Valencia

Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez and the head of Valencian regional government, Carlos Mazón, joined the royal couple on the visit, but were swiftly evacuated as the crowd grew increasingly hostile.

Spanish media reports that objects were hurled at Sánchez, while footage verified by the BBC appears to show stones being thrown at his car as he was driven away.

After he left, the crowd chanted: “Where is Sánchez?”

“I’m just 16,” one boy, Pau, told the BBC through tears. “We’re helping – and the leaders do nothing. People are still dying. I can’t stand this anymore.”

Another woman said: “They left us to die. We’ve lost everything: our businesses, our homes, our dreams.”

The civil guard and mounted officers were later seen attempting to disperse the angry crowd.

The royal entourage had intended to travel on to Chiva, another town in the Valencia province badly impacted by the flooding, but that visit has since been postponed.

The king later said he understood the “anger and frustration” of the protestors in a video posted on the royal household’s Instagram account.

The mayor of Paiporta, Maribel Albalat, told the BBC she was shocked by the violence, but that she understood “the frustration and desperation of the people”.

Juan Bordera, a member of the Valencian parliament, called the king’s visit “a very bad decision”.

Authorities “didn’t listen to any warnings,” Mr Bordera told the BBC.

“It’s logical that the people are angry, it’s logical that the people didn’t understand why this visit is so urgent,” he added.

On Saturday, Sánchez ordered 10,000 more troops, police officers and civil guards to the area.

He said the deployment was Spain’s largest in peacetime. But he added that he was aware the response was “not enough” and acknowledged “severe problems and shortages”.

The flooding began on Tuesday, following a period of intense rainfall. Floodwaters quickly caused bridges to collapse and enveloped towns in thick mud.

Many communities were cut off, left without access to water, food, electricity and other basic services.

On Sunday, the death toll from the flooding rose to 217, with many more feared missing.

Almost all of the deaths confirmed so far have been in the Valencia region on the Mediterranean coast.

Some areas have been particularly devastated. Authorities in Paiporta, the town visited today by the royal delegation, have reported at least 62 deaths.

Spain’s meteorological agency AEMET issued its highest level of alert on Sunday for parts of southern Valencia – including the cities of Alzira, Cullera and Gandia.

Intense storms forecast to pass the area will not be on the scale of Tuesday’s, the agency said, with 90mm (3.45 inches) of rainfall expected.

(BBC News)

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Schools close in Lahore as pollution hits record level

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Unprecedented air pollution in the Pakistani city of Lahore has forced authorities to close all primary schools for a week.

From Monday, 50% of office workers will also work from home, as part of a “green lockdown” plan. Other measures include bans on engine-powered rickshaws and vendors that barbecue without filters.

“This smog is very harmful for children, masks should be mandatory in schools,” Punjab Senior Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb said.

Lahore, Pakistan’s second-largest city, topped the world list of cities with the most polluted air for a second time on Sunday.

The air quality index, which measures a range of pollutants, exceeded 1,000 on Saturday, well above the benchmark of 300 considered “dangerous” by the World Health Organization, according to data from IQAir.

The level of fine particulate matter in the air, the most damaging to health, also soared well into hazardous levels.

Raja Jehangir Anwar, a senior environment official, said the “biggest headache” causing the smog was the practice of burning crop waste, known as stubble, across the Indian border.

Aurangzeb said the fumes were “being carried by strong winds into Pakistan”.

“This cannot be solved without talks with India,” she said, adding that the provincial government would initiate such discussions through the foreign ministry.

The government is urging people to stay indoors and avoid unnecessary travel.

Vehicles equipped with pumps are spraying water into the air to help control the smog level. Construction work has been halted in certain areas.

The situation will be assessed again next Saturday to establish whether schools should remain shut.

Inhaling toxic air can have catastrophic health consequences, including strokes, heart disease, lung cancer and some respiratory diseases, according to the WHO.

Last month pupils were banned from outdoor exercise until January and school hours were adjusted to prevent children from travelling when pollution levels are the highest.

“As a mother, I am full of anxiety,” 42-year-old Lilly Mirza told AFP news agency.

“Last year was not this bad… Somebody needs to tell us what has happened. Did a pollution bomb explode somewhere?”

The smog crisis is worse in winter, when cold, denser air traps pollutants closer to the ground.

(BBC News)

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Rescue operations continue in Spain after flash floods kill at least 95

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Emergency teams in southern Spain are continuing to look for those feared missing after flash flooding killed at least 95 people in the region.

Hundreds of soldiers have been deployed to Valencia, one of the worst-hit areas, to help with the rescue effort; some places can only be reached by helicopter.

It comes after Spain’s King Felipe VI warned yesterday that there had been “enormous destruction” to infrastructure and, as a result, some communities were harder to access.

Footage uploaded to social media showed floodwaters causing chaos in some areas, dragging cars through streets and leaving some people clinging to trees.

Local authorities have issued warnings about false information circulating online, including whether Valencia’s tap water is safe to drink.

(BBC News)

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