Tag Archives: people

Tampa, United States | AFP | NASA is poised to launch a $337 million washing machine-sized spacecraft that aims to vastly expand mankind’s search for planets beyond our solar system, particularly closer, Earth-sized ones that might harbor life. The Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite, or TESS, is scheduled to launch Monday …

Harare, ZIMBABWE | AFP | Zimbabwe’s former president Robert Mugabe celebrated his 94th birthday on Saturday with a private black-tie party hosted by his family, three months after he was ousted from power. Mugabe’s birthday was previously a major public event in Zimbabwe, marked by an outpouring of fawning congratulations …

Johannesburg, South Africa | AFP | Retired archbishop and Nobel laureate Desmond Tutu announced Thursday that he had quit his role as an ambassador for Oxfam after the British charity was hit by sexual misconduct allegations. “The Archbishop is deeply disappointed by allegations of immorality and possible criminality involving humanitarian …

Miami, United States | AFP | Sea level rise is accelerating and could reach 26 inches (66 centimeters) by century’s end, in line with United Nations estimates and enough to cause significant problems for coastal cities, a study said Monday. The past annual rate of sea level rise — about three …

Johannesburg, South Africa | AFP | South African anti-apartheid activist Winnie Madikizela-Mandela was discharged from hospital Tuesday after being treated for a kidney ailment, the family of her ex-husband Nelson Mandela said. Madikizela-Mandela, 81, was admitted to a Johannesburg hospital 10 days ago. The struggle veteran, who was persecuted by authorities …

Miami, United States | AFP | Flu is sweeping the United States, killing at least 37 children as influenza sends the most people nationwide in search of medical care since the 2009 “swine flu” pandemic, US officials said Friday. This year, the most common strain is H3N2, and nearly every …

Miami, United States | AFP | The oldest remains of a modern human outside Africa have been dug up in Israel, offering evidence of what genetic studies have already suggested — that humans migrated out of Africa some 50,000 years earlier than previously thought. Facial fragments, including a jawbone and …

Washington, United States | AFP | Talk show queen Oprah Winfrey’s impassioned Golden Globes speech triggered speculation about her political future. A 2020 presidential race between Oprah and Donald Trump, himself a TV titan, would be the celebrity-political battle of the millenium, made for — and by — television. But …

London, United Kingdom | AFP |  Beatles drummer Ringo Starr and sole surviving Bee Gee Barry Gibb were each awarded a knighthood in Britain’s traditional New Year Honours, announced late on Friday. The two music legends were joined on the prestigious annual achievement list by Golden Globe-winning actor Hugh Laurie, …

New York, United States | AFP | he experimental R&B singer Solange has revealed a struggle with an autonomic disorder as she canceled a New Year’s Eve performance in South Africa. Solange, the younger sister of pop superstar Beyonce, said doctors had advised her not to make the long journey from …