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European spacecraft on way to Jupiter and its icy moons

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:46:50 GMT

A European spacecraft rocketed away Friday on a decadelong quest to explore Jupiter and three of its icy moons that could have buried oceans.The journey began with a perfect morning liftoff by Europe’s Ariane rocket from French Guiana on the coast of South America. But there were some tense minutes later as controllers awaited signals from the spacecraft.When contact finally was confirmed close to an hour into the flight, Mission Control in Germany declared “The spacecraft is alive!”“It’s a moment of pride for Europe,” noted Josef Aschbacher, the space agency’s director general. “I’m just relieved and just so happy.”It will take the robotic explorer, dubbed Juice, eight years to reach Jupiter, where it will scope out not only the solar system’s biggest planet but also Europa, Callisto and Ganymede. The three ice-encrusted moons are believed to harbor underground oceans, where sea life could exist.Then in perhaps the most impressive feat of all, Juice will attempt t...

Weather curveball: Snow expected in southern Ontario early next week as temperatures plunge

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:46:50 GMT

Mother Nature gave southern Ontario an incredible tease of the summer as Toronto broke a nearly 50-year weather record due to soaring temperatures and sunny skies. That’s all about to change as we head into the weekend.Thanks to a Colorado Low, regions north of Toronto — including Sault Ste. Marie, Sudbury, Huntsville and Barrie — could wake up to snowy conditions on Tuesday, with temperatures forecasted to plummet through the weekend — temperatures more typical of late March and early April.Snowfall amounts will be limited to flurries across the GTA and much of southern Ontario, but Lake Huron and parts of cottage country could have up to 5 cm of snow through Monday.Toronto is expected to evade the snow and will likely get a messy mix of rain and flurries to start the week, with an early forecasted high of 8 C and a similar daytime high on Tuesday — a far cry from what was felt this week.There could be a rain shower-flurries mix in Toronto on Monday ni...

Dutch prosecutors investigate activist who desecrated Quran

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:46:50 GMT

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — An anti-Islam activist who tore pages out of the Quran and called it a “fascist book” in front of the Dutch parliament building in January is being investigated on suspicion of insulting Muslims, prosecutors said Friday.The action by Edwin Wagensveld, leader of the Dutch branch of the far-right Pegida movement, and a Danish far-right activist’s burning of the Quran outside the Turkish embassy in Stockholm the same month sparked protests in several predominantly Muslim countries around the world.While desecrating Islam’s holy book is not a crime in the Netherlands, prosecutors said comments that Wagensveld made while damaging the Quran amounted to an unlawful insult to the Muslim community.In a written statement, the Public Prosecution Service of The Hague said his comments are suspected of breaching an article of the Dutch penal code “which states that deliberately insulting a group of people because of their religion or belief is a crime.”T...

In Ireland, ‘Cousin Joe’ feels the love that’s elusive in US

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:46:50 GMT

KNOCK, Ireland (AP) — In Ireland this week, well-wishers have lined the streets to catch a mere glimpse of President Joe Biden. Photos of his smiling face are plastered on shop windows, and one admirer held a sign reading, “2024 — Make Joe President Again.”No wonder Biden keeps joking about sticking around. Back home, Biden’s approval rating is near the lowest point of his presidency. And even some fellow Democrats have suggested he shouldn’t run for reelection. On trips within the U.S. to discuss his economic and social policies, Biden often gets a smattering of admirers waving as he drives by, and friendly crowds applaud his speeches. But the reception doesn’t compare with the overwhelming adoration he’s getting here in the old sod. On Friday, his final day here, the president flew west to County Mayo, where his great-great-grandfather Patrick Blewitt lived until he left for the United States in 1850. Biden, a Catholic who speaks often of his faith, stopped...

Supreme Court says Quebec’s ban on homegrown cannabis plants is constitutional

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:46:50 GMT

OTTAWA — Canada’s high court says Quebec’s ban on possessing and cultivating cannabis plants for personal purposes is constitutional.The Supreme Court of Canada says the province has jurisdiction to pursue public health and security objectives by prohibiting homegrown marijuana plants.It says Quebec’s rules don’t frustrate the purpose of the 2018 federal Cannabis Act, which permits people to grow or own up to four cannabis plants at home.Chief Justice Richard Wagner says Quebec’s ban has the same objective as the federal law, which is to reduce the presence of criminal organizations in the cannabis market and restrict growing marijuana at home.The unanimous decision dismisses an appeal brought by Janick Murray-Hall, a Quebecer who had challenged the provincial ban successfully before Quebec’s Superior Court.Quebec’s attorney general appealed that decision and won, and Murray-Hall appealed to the Supreme Court.This report by The Canadian Press was ...

Average home price to end the year 4.8% lower than 2022, will rise 4.7% in 2024: CREA

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:46:50 GMT

The Canadian Real Estate Association expects the average price of a home to end the year 4.8 per cent lower than 2022, but says prices will rise by roughly the same amount in 2024.The association’s prediction revealed Friday amounts to an average price of $670,389 this year and $702,214 next year, when prices are expected to increase by 4.7 per cent.The board also foresees home sales falling 1.1 per cent to 492,674 this year and then rising 13.9 per cent to 561,090 in 2024.The forecast accounts for little change in month-over-month sales seen since summer 2022 and the modest monthly gains recorded in February and March, as buyers edged closer to make purchases.“As the spring market heats up and it looks as though some buyers are coming off the sidelines, it’s important to remember that the intense market conditions of recent years have not gone anywhere, they’ve just been on pause,” said Jill Oudil, CREA’s chair, in a press release.The market Canadians are re-entering ha...

Stocks are mixed on big bank profits, worries about rates

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:46:50 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks are mixed Friday as a swirl of competing forces spins Wall Street, from strong profits for financial giants to worries about interest rates and the economy’s strength. The S&P 500 was 0.2% higher in early trading. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 39 points, or 0.1%, at 34,069, as of 9:45 a.m. Eastern time, while the Nasdaq composite was virtually unchanged.Big banks were helping to lead the way after several of the industry’s titans reported profits for the first three months of the year that blew past analysts’ expectations. They helped kicked off the reporting season for big U.S. companies, where expectations are mostly dismal. Despite such worries, JPMorgan jumped 7.4% after it said profit surged by more than half last quarter. It benefited from the strains unearthed in the banking system last month that shook global markets, because the worries pushed some customers to pull their cash from smaller banks and move it to bigger on...

Chief: Flames out, but Indiana plastic fire still smoldering

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:46:50 GMT

RICHMOND, Ind. (AP) — Firefighters have doused the flames at a major industrial fire in Indiana fueled by tons of scrap plastics, but crews continue trying to extinguish hot spots, and an evacuation order for people nearby remains in place, the fire chief said Friday.Richmond Mayor Dave Snow tweeted Thursday night that Fire Chief Tim Brown had informed him that “the fire has been fully extinguished ahead of schedule,” but Brown said Friday morning that was not the case.“When I told him it was under control, he thought that meant it was out. He and I spoke this morning, and it was just a difference of definition between him and I,” Brown told The Associated Press.The chief said the fire was “under control” as of Thursday night at the 14-acre former factory site in Richmond, a city of 35,000 about 70 miles (115 kilometers) east of Indianapolis, near the Ohio border.But he said it may be weeks before the fire is considered fully extinguished because plastics continue to smolder in four...

WATCH LIVE | Funeral services for Chicago firefighter Jermaine Pelt

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:46:50 GMT

CHICAGO — Chicago firefighter Jermaine Pelt will be laid to rest Friday following funeral services on the city's Far South Side.Pelt's funeral comes nearly 24 hours after the department, along with family and friends, said goodbye to Lieutenant Jan Tchoryk, another firefighter who died in the line-of-duty.Words used to describe Pelt include selflessness, bravery and heroism. Pelt died April 4 while battling a fire in the city's West Pullman neighborhood. He was on a hose line inside a burning home, when he went down. His cause of death was smoke inhalation. Pelt joined the department in 2005 and had just recently walked his daughter down the aisle at her wedding.The 49-year-old also had a 6-year-old son. Funeral services held Thursday for fallen CFD Lt. Jan Tchoryk Pelt's visitation Thursday night at the Blake-Lamb Funeral Home came just hours after the funeral for Lt. Tchoryk, who collapsed and died in a high-rise fire in the city's Gold Coast.Pelt ...

Motorcyclist dead following police pursuit in Gary

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:46:50 GMT

GARY, Ind. — A man on a motorcycle died following a police pursuit in Gary late Wednesday night.Just before 11:30 p.m., a 41-year-old Hammond man, riding on a motorcycle, was heading north on Broadway near Ridge Road when an officer with the Lake County Sheriff's Department attempted to pull him over.Police said there was no visible license plate and the man fled the attempted traffic stop.A pursuit began and the officer lost sight of the motorcycle near 11th and Broadway. Near that intersection, the motorcycle crashed into a car, which caused the vehicle to roll over.A passenger was transported to a hospital for lacerations to her head and a 6-year-old was transported for observation. 1 dead in Northwest Indiana house fire It was determined the driver of the motorcycle was thrown and struck a building near 5th and Broadway. He was later pronounced dead.Police said the investigation is ongoing.