International
First-of-its-kind Mars livestream by ESA spacecraft interrupted at times by rain on Earth
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — A European spacecraft around Mars sent its first livestream from the red planet to Earth on Friday to mark the 20th anniversary of its launch, but rain in Spain interfered at times.
The European Space Agency broadcast the livestream with views courtesy of its Mars Express, launched by a Russian rocket from Kazakhstan in 2003.
It took nearly 17 minutes for each picture to reach Earth, nearly 200 million miles (300 million kilometers) away, and another minute to get through the ground stations.
The transmission was disrupted at times by rainy weather at the deep space-relay antenna in Spain.
Still, enough images made it through to delight the European space officials hosting the hourlong livestream. The initial views showed about one-third of Mars, which gradually grew bigger in the frames before shrinking again as the spacecraft circled the planet. White clouds could clearly be seen in some of the shots.
“If you were currently sitting on board Mars Express … this is what you would be seeing,” said Simon Wood, the mission’s spacecraft operations engineer. “We typically don’t normally get images in this way.”
Pictures and other data usually are stored aboard the spacecraft and later transmitted to Earth, according to Wood, when the spacecraft’s antenna can be pointed this way.
Near real-time footage from so far away is “rather rare,” according to ESA. The agency pointed to the live broadcasts by the Apollo moonwalkers more than a half-century ago and, more recently, live snippets from spacecraft deliberately crashing into the moon and an asteroid.
“These missions were all pretty close to home and others farther away sent perhaps an image or two in near real-time. When it comes to a lengthy livestream from deep space, this is a first,” ESA said in a statement before the event.
The rain on the plains in Spain cut into the number of pictures shown. ESA devoted only an hour to the livestream because it did not want to overload the spacecraft’s batteries.
Mars Express traveled to the red planet with a lander, dubbed Beagle-2, which lost contact with Earth as it attempted to touch down on the Martian surface.
More than a decade later, NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter captured pictures of Beagle-2. Although it made it to the surface, the lander’s solar panels didn’t fully unfurl.
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Virginia Giuffre sued the Duke of York in 2021, claiming that he had sexually abused her while she was a teenager. According to her, Jeffrey Epstein, a former sex offender, trafficked her to Prince Andrew.
From LifeSiteNews
By Stephen Kokx
Giuffre had become the most visible of Epstein’s accusers in recent years, with her reported suicide coming just a month after she was struck by a bus.
Jeffrey Epstein accuser Virginia Giuffre died by suicide Friday, her family has reportedly announced, according to NBC News. She was 41-years-old.
Giuffre had become the most visible of Epstein’s accusers in recent years. She was hit by a bus in March and suffered injuries that apparently left her in critical condition, though the New York Post stated that police described the accident as a “minor collision.”
Giuffre posted on Instagram not long after the incident that medical staff had given her “four days to live.” Paradoxically, she was released from the hospital on April 7. She reportedly passed away in Neergabby, Australia, where she had been living. Her cause of death is not known.
In 2019, Giuffre published a statement on X that declared, “in no way, shape or form am I suicidal … too many evil people want to see me quieted,” leaving many on social media to speculate that foul play was involved with her death. Though some have argued that the abuse she apparently suffered at the hands of her husband, her recent injuries and media attacks took such a toll on her that she likely did take her own life.
Giuffre has long-maintained that Epstein and his then-girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell, who is currently behind bars, coerced her and others into performing illicit acts with prominent figures, including the U.K.’s Prince Andrew. Giuffre filed a lawsuit against Andrew that claimed he had abused her while she was still a minor. The case was settled out of court for $12 million.
In a disturbing development, Lady Victoria Hervey, who has dated Prince Andrew, took to Instagram to seemingly celebrate Giuffre’s suffering. Attached to a photo of a bruised Giuffre during her visit to the hospital, Hervey added the words “karma” and “what goes around comes around.”
Epstein was reportedly an Israeli intelligence asset. For decades he would fly high-profile Western politicians and prominent figures like former U.S. President Bill Clinton to his private compound in the U.S. Virgin Islands. He also had other luxurious properties as well. His New York penthouse included a painting of Clinton in a purple dress. It was at his island where he would allegedly record his guests in compromising situations to blackmail them for political favors.
NEW YORK, NY – JULY 08: US Attorney for the Southern District of New York Geoffrey Berman announces charges against Jeffery Epstein on July 8, 2019 in New York City. Epstein will be charged with one count of sex trafficking of minors and one count of conspiracy to engage in sex trafficking of minors. (Photo by Stephanie Keith/Getty Images)
The “Epstein files” were partially released by the Trump administration earlier this year. They were supposed to have included the names and details of Epstein’s many schemes. Conservatives have ridiculed the files for lacking transparency. Some have suggested that Trump himself along with other public persons are implicated in them, including Epstein’s former lawyer Alan Dershowitz, which would explain why they were not fully released.
GOP Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna took to X to express sympathy for Giuffre’s family.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with the family of Virginia Guthrie, who bravely came forward to bring Jeffrey Epstein to justice. We will continue to push the DOJ to release the Epstein files, as the American people deserve to know the truth,” she said. “Trafficking is a serious crime and destroys lives. If you know someone who is a victim please, report to 1-888-373-7888.”
Our thoughts and prayers are with the family of Virginia Guthrie, who bravely came forward to bring Jeffrey Epstein to justice. We will continue to push the DOJ to release the Epstein files, as the American people deserve to know the truth.
Trafficking is a serious crime and… pic.twitter.com/nlZgpp6gLa
— Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (@RepLuna) April 26, 2025
Giuffre was born in 1983. She had a troubled youth, eventually finding work at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago country club. She was first approached by Maxwell in the year 2000. Epstein reportedly died by suicide in his New York jail cell in 2019 while Maxwell is currently serving 20 years in prion on federal sex-trafficking charges.
If you are struggling with suicidal thoughts or are experiencing a mental health crisis, call the the 24/7 National Suicide Prevention hotline at 988 or go to SuicidePreventionLifeline.org.
International
History in the making? Trump, Zelensky hold meeting about Ukraine war in Vatican ahead of Francis’ funeral
From LifeSiteNews
By Stephen Kokx
Trump and Zelenksy held an impromptu 15-minute meeting inside the Vatican just moments before Francis’ funeral. The Ukrainian leader later said a ‘ceasefire’ was discussed.
U.S. President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met inside St. Peter’s Basilica today moments before the start of Pope Francis’ funeral.
Video from Trump team of Trump’s meeting with Zelensky at the Vatican for Pope Francis’ funeral todaypic.twitter.com/Mp4R8Jpiwo
— Michael Haynes 🇻🇦 (@MLJHaynes) April 26, 2025
Trump and Zelensky were in Rome along with over 160 dignitaries, including Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, Javier Milei of Argentina, and Prince William of the United Kingdom. The ceremony was presided over by Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, dean of the College of Cardinals.
Trump and Zelenksy held an impromptu 15-minute meeting inside the Vatican while seated in two chairs. Zelenksy later said on X that their conversation involved discussing a “full and unconditional ceasefire” and forging a “reliable and lasting peace that will prevent another war from breaking out.”
Good meeting. We discussed a lot one on one. Hoping for results on everything we covered. Protecting lives of our people. Full and unconditional ceasefire. Reliable and lasting peace that will prevent another war from breaking out. Very symbolic meeting that has potential to… pic.twitter.com/q4ZhVXCjw0
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) April 26, 2025
Photographs circulating on social media showed British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron also joined in on the conversation. They held private meetings with Zelensky as well.
Macron, Starmer, Trump
How much Zelensky asked from them? pic.twitter.com/bKpmmiuVlP
— Lord Bebo (@MyLordBebo) April 26, 2025
Zelensky catches some words with UK's Starmer after meeting with Macron https://t.co/5s9NS9qmpk pic.twitter.com/1B0RXrpWbc
— RT (@RT_com) April 26, 2025
Trump’s social media team shared photos and videos of the president and his wife Melania. In one of them, Trump is seen meeting with New York Cardinal Archbishop Timothy Dolan, who is a longtime friend.
President @realDonaldTrump and First Lady @MELANIATRUMP catch up with @CardinalDolan of New York this morning at St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City… pic.twitter.com/BYfpAkt7Ht
— Dan Scavino (@Scavino47) April 26, 2025
President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump pay their respects to Pope Francis in St. Peter's Basilica. pic.twitter.com/PVSR33OU5p
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) April 26, 2025
Leaders from various non-Catholic religions attended the funeral as well, including Buddhists, Sikhs, Hindus, Zoroastrians, though no Muslim or Jewish leaders were officially present per Vatican reporter Michael Haynes. Israel’s Foreign Ministry X account deleted several controversial posts it had initially issued after Francis’ death. Francis had been especially critical of the country’s war in Gaza, hinting on multiple occasions that it may constitute genocide.
After landing in Rome for the funeral Friday, Trump posted on Truth Social that he had “a good day in talks and meetings with Russia and Ukraine.” He urged both countries to “meet, at very high levels, to ‘finish it off.’”
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