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A European spacecraft is on its way to Jupiter in a mission to explore whether its ocean-bearing moons can support life. The six-tonne probe, named Juice (Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer), blasted off on an Ariane 5 rocket on Friday at 1.14pm UK time from the European spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana. Juice was due to take off on Thursday but weather conditions showed there was a risk of lightning. The

The leaders of the five largest political parties in Northern Ireland sent a statement supporting the use of a rebuilt Casement Park in the UK and Ireland Euro 2028 bid. The statement said the proposed new stadium was an Executive commitment which would be a “world class, state of the art” facility. The Gaelic sports stadium in Belfast is part of the joint bid to host Euro 2028 along with

Liam Payne has said being a father has encouraged him to support Unicef’s Soccer Aid match more as he wants every child to have the “right to play”. The 29-year-old singer, who shares 6-year-old Bear with singer Cheryl, is returning to play for the England team in the upcoming charity football game in June. Payne also revealed that he hopes some of his former One Direction bandmates are not drafted

Erik ten Hag still does not know the full extent of Lisandro Martinez and Raphael Varane’s injuries but says there can be no excuses as Manchester United prepare to face Nottingham Forest. Thursday’s Europa League quarter-final against Sevilla looked set to end in a comfortable first-leg win, only for it to unravel in a chaotic, and potentially costly, 2-2 draw. Tyrell Malacia’s 84th-minute own goal was compounded by a serious-looking

Fresh strikes are to be held by civil servants after unions attacked an announcement of a pay rise for this year of between 4.5% and 5%. Prospect said its members will walk out on May 10 and June 7 across government departments and other areas such as the Met Office and Health and Safety Executive. Mike Clancy, general secretary of Prospect, said: “We have repeatedly offered to engage in pay

Animal Rising activists plan to scale the fences and enter the track of Aintree Racecourse before the Grand National race begins, the group has said. The climate and animal rights group said up to 300 activists will attend the race from 9.30am on Saturday where they intend to prevent the race from starting. They will also block traffic by performing a slow march along Ormskirk Road, the main access route. Nathan McGovern, a

Shoppers are opting for frozen meat and meals like pizza and chips as food price inflation continues to add hundreds of pounds to households’ grocery shops. New figures from research firm Kantar showed frozen food sales were ticking up in British supermarkets. Frozen poultry like chicken and game meats increased in the three months to mid-March, compared with the same period last year, as well as frozen prepared foods which includes