James Webb Space Telescope lifts off on historic mission
Jonathan Amos
Science correspondent
The $10bn James Webb telescope has left Earth on its mission to show the first stars to light up the Universe.
The observatory was lifted skyward by an Ariane rocket from the Kourou spaceport in French Guiana.
Its flight to orbit lasted just under half an hour, with a signal confirming a successful outcome picked up by a ground antenna at Malindi in Kenya.
Webb, named after one of the architects of the Apollo Moon landings, is the successor to the Hubble telescope.
Chinese city of Xian sees Covid cases rise as it enters third day of lockdown
The Chinese city of Xian has reported an increase in daily Covid-19 infections and local companies have curtailed activity as the country’s latest hotspot entered its third day of lockdown.
Xian, home to 13 million people, detected 75 domestically transmitted cases with confirmed symptoms on Friday, its highest daily count of the year and reversing the previous day’s decline, official data showed on Saturday.
French zoo closes after nine wolves escape during visiting hours
A French zoo was temporarily closed after a pack of nine wolves escaped during visiting hours.
No people were injured in the incident that took place last weekend at the Trois Valleés zoo in Montredon-Labessonié in the south west of France.
Four of the wolves were shot dead by zoo workers and five were anaethetised on the scene.
Fabien Chollet, a local offical, said that “not many people were in the zoo at the time and at no time was the public in immediate danger.”
How should I deal with conspiracy theories at Christmas?
Vaccination opponents and conspiracy theorists aren't just found at demonstrations — they might also join in your holiday celebrations. What should you do if a close friend of relative launches into a dubious debate?
Not everyone who is skeptical of the COVID-19 vaccine is a conspiracy theorist. Some people still have concerns because of how quickly this new type of vaccine has been developed, or because they can't tell the difference between fact and fiction.
These people are usually open to clarification — especially if a trusted person tries to bring order to the chaos with scientific facts. So what can you do if a friend or family member starts spreading misinformation?
Tackling vaccine inequality: ‘There aren’t enough vaccines in the world’
As the emergence of the Omicron variant has caused a scramble for booster shots in richer nations, scientists and international organisations say tackling vaccine inequality is the only way to fight the global threat of Covid-19.
As cases continue to soar, some 120 countries have already started implementing booster programmes, the WHO's Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunisation (SAGE) said Wednesday, even as WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warned that "no country can boost its way out of the pandemic”.
As Omicron gathers pace, boosters have been found to provide higher levels of protection against the variant. But administering third and even fourth doses is also exacerbating vaccine inequalities around the world.
Sudan forces fire tear gas to disperse anti-coup protesters
Sudanese security forces fired tear gas to disperse protesters in the capital Khartoum on Saturday as thousands of Sudanese protesters marched across the country to denounce the October military coup.
It is the 10th day of major demonstrations with protests continuing even after Abdallah Hamdok was reinstated as prime minister on November 21. The demonstrators have demanded that the military have no role in government during a transition to free elections.
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