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United States announces plan to land international astronaut on the moon

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:40:24 GMT

(CNN) — Vice President Kamala Harris announced Wednesday that an international astronaut will be landing on the surface of the moon as part of NASA’s Artemis program.While the United States had previously committed to flying international astronauts around the moon on future Artemis missions, today’s announcement takes that commitment a step further by allowing one of them to actually walk on the surface of the moon — thereby joining an elite club that thus far has only 12 members.“Today in recognition of the essential role that our allies and partners play in the Artemis program, I’m proud to announce that, alongside American astronauts, we intend to land an international astronaut on the surface of the moon by the end of the decade,” Harris said Wednesday during a meeting of the White House’s National Space Council in Washington, DC. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and National Security advisor Jake Sullivan also attended the meeting.Each planned Artemis moon-landing missio...

A Dutch court has sentenced a man convicted in a notorious Canadian cyberbullying case to 6 years

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:40:24 GMT

AMSTERDAM (AP) — A Dutch man, who was convicted in British Columbia of charges including extortion and harassment related to a Canadian teenager who took her own life after he blackmailed her online, had his sentence cut Thursday by an Amsterdam court from 13 years to six.Aydin Coban wasn’t present in Amsterdam District Court for a brief hearing to announce the sentence. His lawyer, Robert Malewicz, said he would appeal the decision to the Dutch Supreme Court.Coban was extradited from the Netherlands to Canada in 2020 to stand trial on charges linked to Amanda Todd, who took her own life in 2012 at the age of 15 after posting a video that described being tormented by an online harasser. Coban was born in 1978, according to court documents, making him 44 or 45.He was sent to Canada on condition that his sentence would be served in a Dutch prison. That also meant that prison time imposed by the British Columbia Supreme Court last year had to be converted into a sentence in the N...

Good news: You can fix your broken stuff

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:40:24 GMT

Before we break for the holidays, The Big Story team decided to try to end our year on a positive note with a week of good news stories. We hope this week brings you hope, light and laughter. On the show we often deliver bad news, but that doesn’t mean that’s all the world is.In today’s Big Story, lots of companies make a tidy profit from the notion that you’ll throw out their products and buy new ones every so often. This applies to everything from clothes to appliances to electronics. But now, a growing community of millions of DIYers is rediscovering the lost art of repair, teaching others how to do it and fighting for the access and tools needed to make our stuff last, at long last.Allie Volpe is a senior reporter for Vox, where she wrote about this growing DIY repair movement. “The mindset here is: let’s keep this stuff out of the landfills, it’s better for the Earth, it’s better for your wallet, and you get to learn something in the process,” says Volpe...

Berlin film festival to honor Martin Scorsese for lifetime achievement

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:40:24 GMT

BERLIN (AP) — Martin Scorsese will be honored for his lifetime achievement at the Berlin International Film Festival in February, organizers said Thursday.The 81-year-old director, whose extensive work ranges from decades-old classics such as “Taxi Driver” and “Raging Bull” to this year’s “Killers of the Flower Moon,” will be given an honorary Golden Bear — the festival’s top award — on Feb. 20.“For anyone who considers cinema as the art of shaping a story in such a way that is both completely personal and universal, Martin Scorsese is an unmatched role model,” festival directors Mariette Rissenbeek and Carlo Chatrian said in a statement. They described Scorsese as “a good friend of the festival.”The festival noted that he “is also very committed to historical film heritage,” pointing to his support of extensive restoration work with the Film Foundation.Scorsese won the best director Oscar in 2007 for “The Departed.”The “Berlinale,” the first of the year’s ma...

Serbia opposition urges EU to help open international probe into disputed vote after fraud claims

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:40:24 GMT

BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — Serbia’s main opposition group on Thursday urged the European Union to help open an international investigation into reported irregularities during last weekend’s election that have caused political tensions in the troubled Balkan nation seeking EU membership.The Serbia Against Violence group said in a letter to EU institutions, officials and member states that they won’t recognize the outcome of last Sunday’s parliamentary and local election. They called on the EU to do the same and initiate the inquiry.Early results showed victory for the Serbian Progressive Party of President Aleksandar Vucic in both ballots. But its main opponents, the Serbia Against Violence alliance, said they were robbed of a win in Belgrade. Vucic and other ruling party officials denied the claims of vote rigging and said they would do everything to “defend voters’ will of the people.”Vucic said Thursday that authorities in Serbia are compiling “an import...

Turkish central bank raises interest rate to 42.5% to combat high inflation

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:40:24 GMT

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkey’s central bank hiked its key interest rate by 2.5 percentage points on Thursday as part of its efforts to combat high inflation that has left many households struggling to afford rent and essential items.The bank’s Monetary Policy Committee raised its benchmark rate to 42.5%, delivering its seventh interest rate hike in a row to tame inflation, which rose to 61.98% last month.But the bank signaled that the rate hikes — which took borrowing costs from 8.5% to the current 42.5% — could soon end.“The committee anticipates to complete the tightening cycle as soon as possible,” it said. “The monetary tightness will be maintained as long as needed to ensure sustained price stability.”The series of rate hikes came after President Recep Tayyip Erdogan — a longtime proponent of an unorthodox policy of cutting rates to fight inflation — reversed course and appointed a new economic team following his reelection in May.The team includes former Merrill Lynch ba...

Toddler found wandering alone on South Side: police

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:40:24 GMT

CHICAGO — Chicago police are asking for help to identify a child found alone on the city's South Side.Police said the toddler, who appears to be 2 or 3-years-old, was seen walking alone in the 100 block of West 107th Street in the Roseland neighborhood around 1:30 a.m. Thursday.The child is described to be about 31 pounds with dark brown straight hair, light complexion, hazel eyes and was found without shoes or pants. The toddler only speaks Spanish.According to police, he was transported to Roseland Hospital for a medical evaluation where doctors found him to be healthy with no signs of physical abuse. Vigil held for 5-year-old migrant boy who died at Chicago shelter Anyone who recognizes the child or has any information that would assist in locating his parents, please call 911 or contact the Area Two Special Victims Unit at (312) 747-8274.

Unseasonable 50+ degree December 'warmth' this weekend and Christmas Day

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:40:24 GMT

Thursday night and Friday rainy spells are forerunners of more significant rains Monday into next weekWGN WEATHER HEADLINESCHECK OUT THE MILD AIR WHICH IS TO PRODUCE THESE HIGH TEMPS AND ABOVE NORMAL TEMP DEPARTURES EACH DAY THROUGH CHRISTMAS DAYChristmas Day temps this coming Monday will be VERY DIFFERENT than the chilly air which occurred a year ago.Current projections have the area of the Lower 48 with high temps at or above 50 degrees are to cover twice the size of last Christmas while nighttime sub-freezing temps will cover half the area than occurred a year ago.Here in Chicago Christmas day is likely to produce mid 50-degree temps, though SE winds will lower shoreline temps along with clouds and rain in the afternoon. A 55-degree high at O'Hare would come in 41 degrees warmer than last Christmas' 14-degree high!Forecast highs ThursdayForecast highs FridayForecast highs SaturdayForecast highs SundayForecast highs Christmas DayHERE'S THE STORM DRENCHING CALIFORNIA AND HEADED FOR...

Thursday Forecast: Temps in low 40s with isolated showers late

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:40:24 GMT

CHICAGO — Overcast skies Thursday won't keep temperatures from reaching the lower 40s.  Interactive Radar: Track showers and storms here There's a slight chance for isolated showers late this afternoon, before a better chance for scattered showers arrives this evening and continues overnight as temperatures fall into the upper 30s.  Chicago will stay cloudy Friday, with widespread rainfall expected as highs reach the mid-40s.Full forecast details and more at the WGN Weather Center blog

COVID, flu, RSV or strep? How to know which you have

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:40:24 GMT

(NEXSTAR) – If everyone you know is falling victim to illness this season, there's any number of widely circulating viruses – or even bacteria – that could be to blame. Respiratory illnesses, including COVID-19, RSV and the flu, are trending upward nationwide. Strep throat, which is caused by bacteria, is also more common in the winter and spring. Not to mention, rhinoviruses, also known as the common cold, circulate year-round. When you start to feel sick, it can be hard to tell what's the blame, and how you should seek treatment. 5 things to know about the new COVID variant of interest, JN.1 Using information from Children’s National Hospital in Washington, D.C. and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, we've created a chart that compares the illnesses at a glance. But remember while examining your symptoms is a good place to start, doctors recommend getting tested to help inform next steps. You can use a COVID test at home, and get tested for flu, RSV and strep ...