Jane Goodall, the famed conservationist known for her expertise on chimpanzees and her globe-spanning advocacy of environmental causes, has died.

Goodall, a UN Messenger of Peace and Founder of the Jane Goodall Institute, was 91.

The Jane Goodall Institute confirmed the news on Instagram.

 

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What we know:

The organization said she died of natural causes in California while on a speaking tour across the U.S.

She had been scheduled to meet with students and teachers on Wednesday to launch the planting of 5,000 trees around wildfire burn zones in the Los Angeles area. Organizers learned of her death as the event was set to begin at the EF Academy in Pasadena, California, said spokesperson Shawna Marino. The first tree was planted in Goodall’s name after a moment of silence.

What they’re saying:

“Dr. Goodall’s discoveries as an ethologist revolutionized science, and she was a tireless advocate for the protection and restoration of our natural world,” the institute said in a statement.

“When we listen to [young people’s] voices [they] actually are changing the world and making it better for people, for animals, and for the environment because everything is interconnected.”—Dr. Jane Goodall, DBE,

Make a difference through our youth program, @RootsandShoots! pic.twitter.com/8ZcNQgNBFc

— Dr. Jane Goodall & the Jane Goodall Institute (@JaneGoodallInst) November 8, 2023

Jane Goodall’s work

The backstory:

Goodall, born in London in 1934, traveled to Kenya in 1957 and met the famed anthropologist and paleontologist Louis Leakey. In 1960, at his invitation, she began her groundbreaking study of chimpanzees in what is now Tanzania.

Her field research revolutionized the field of primatology, helping transform how scientists and the public perceive the emotional and social complexity of animals. She was the first to observe that chimpanzees engage in activities previously believed to be exclusive to humans, such as creating tools, and she demonstrated that they have individual personalities.

Her findings were circulated to millions when she first appeared on the cover of National Geographic in 1963 and soon after in a popular documentary. A collection of photos of Goodall in the field helped her and even some of the chimps become famous. One iconic image showed her crouching across from the infant chimpanzee named Flint. Each has arms outstretched, reaching for the other.

David: “How did you first get to Africa?”

Jane: “With great difficulty.”

Audience: *Boisterous laughter*

Jane sat down with David Rubenstein on Sunday for a conversation at @92ndStreetY that earned many laughs from this #NYC audience.

📸 credit: Vladimir Kolesnikov pic.twitter.com/UGr5glXx93

— Dr. Jane Goodall & the Jane Goodall Institute (@JaneGoodallInst) October 3, 2023

In a 2021 interview with The Associated Press, Goodall recalled how her work with the chimpanzees led to a broader appreciation for nature as she spent hours by herself in the forest.

“Out there in nature by myself, when you’re alone, you can become part of nature and your humanity doesn’t get in the way,” she said. “It’s almost like an out-of-body experience when suddenly you hear different sounds and you smell different smells and you’re actually part of this amazing tapestry of life.”

In her later years, Goodall devoted decades to education and advocacy on humanitarian causes and protecting the natural world. In her usual soft-spoken British accent, she was known for balancing the grim realities of the climate crisis with a sincere message of hope for the future.

From her base in the coastal U.K. town of Bournemouth, she traveled nearly 300 days a year well into her 90’s to speak to packed auditoriums around the world. Between more serious messages, her speeches often featured her whooping like a chimpanzee or lamenting that Tarzan chose the wrong Jane.

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit in 2020 and halted her in-person events, she began podcasting from her childhood home in England. Through dozens of “Jane Goodall Hopecast” episodes, she broadcast her discussions with guests including U.S. Sen. Cory Booker, author Margaret Atwood and marine biologist Ayana Elizabeth Johnson.

“If one wants to reach people; If one wants to change attitudes, you have to reach the heart,” she said during her first episode. “You can reach the heart by telling stories, not by arguing with people’s intellects.”

Two teenage girls were mowed down and killed Monday in leafy Cranford, New Jersey, by a hit-and-run driver who had allegedly been stalking one of them.

The two 17-year-old Cranford High School students, Maria Niotis and Isabella Salas, were riding on an ebike together around 5:30 p.m. when a black 2021 Jeep with tinted windows rammed into them, according to authorities and local reports.

Both girls later died at the hospital.

A 17-year-old boy from Garwood — a small borough next door to Cranford — was arrested near the crash scene, and on Wednesday authorities said he was charged with two counts of first-degree murder.

He has not been named by the Union County Prosecutor’s Office.

Loved ones told local TV outlets that the accused killer was stalking one of the girls, leading her to take out a restraining order against him.

“She made complaints and nothing was done,” friend Tammy Carbajal told CBS 2. “It’s just a tragedy. It’s just a tragedy.”

A neighbor told Fox 5 that the killer parked outside the girl’s house for three months leading up to the alleged murder.

“He was never stopped,” the neighbor said.

It’s unclear which girl was targeted by the driver.

A witness to the aftermath of the hit-and-run was sickened by the trail of destruction on the peaceful residential street, where the speed limit with 25 mph.

“I had only seen one girl. And then I walked down the street a little bit and I saw the other girl,” the resident told Fox 5.

“Just horrible. Nothing in the world is more horrible than what I saw yesterday. I have kids, you know, and so no family should have to go through this.”

Relatives of Niotis described as kind and fun while Salas was called “a joy to have around,” by a pal, according to CBS 2.

“She was an amazing singer,” friend Leah Davitt said.

The 17-year-old walked the runway during Paris Fashion Week on Wednesday, Oct. 1 — one day after Kidman filed for divorce from Urban

Keith Urban and Nicole Kidman’s daughter Sunday Rose has shared her first Instagram post since news of her parents’ divorce broke.

On Wednesday, Oct. 1, the 17-year-old posted a clip of her walking during Paris Fashion Week on Instagram, which marked the first time she’s shared anything since news of her parents’ divorce broke.

The teenager shared a clip and a photo of herself on the runway, writing, “j’adore dior🩶SS26,” in the caption. She also tagged Dior, creative director of the brand Jonathan Anderson and others on the post.

 

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Alongside Sunday, the Babygirl actress and the country singer are also parents to daughter Faith Margaret, 14. Kidman is also mom to daughter Bella, 32, and son Connor, 30, whom she shares with ex-husband Tom Cruise.

On Tuesday, Sept. 30, the Oscar winner officially filed for divorce from Urban in Nashville courts after news of their separation came to light the day prior.

According to court documents obtained by PEOPLE, Kidman and Urban have agreed to a parenting plan that sees the actress becoming the primary residential parent of their two daughters.

Kidman will get 306 days with her daughters while Urban will get 59 days with them — meaning the Holland star has more than five times the amount of days as her estranged husband.

They’ve also worked out a parenting schedule and will make major decisions regarding their two girls together. Neither party will receive monthly child support, but rather an “other” agreement they worked out in which Urban has “already prepaid all child support obligations.”

Kidman and Urban have also agreed not to speak badly of each other or other members of their family, according to the agreement. They will “encourage each child to continue to love the other parent and be comfortable in both families,” it stipulates. Both are also mandated to attend a parenting seminar within 60 days of the divorce filing.

One insider told PEOPLE on Monday, Sept. 29, that Kidman “didn’t want this,” and the Big Little Lies star “has been fighting to save the marriage.”

However, a source in Urban’s circle told PEOPLE that the star has “just been going through some stuff” as of late. “He has been making questionable choices for some time now and this was not the case of them just drifting apart,” added a Kidman source.

Kidman and Urban have been married since 2006. They’ve said they had an instant attraction when they first met at a gala in 2005 and eventually wed the following year.

Laken Snelling’s roommates heard loud noises coming from the University of Kentucky cheerleader’s bedroom around the time she gave birth — then snuck into her room when she went to get McDonald’s, finding the dead newborn stuffed in her closet.

The roommates — who were suspicious that Snelling was hiding a pregnancy — heard the commotion as the 21-year-old student gave birth to a baby boy at about 4 a.m. on Aug. 27 in her off-campus house in Lexington, according to court documents obtained by Lex18.

Hours later, the cheerleader allegedly told them that the noise was from her having fallen over, passing out from a routine illness.

She then left the apartment to pick up a McDonald’s, ditching her 9:30 a.m. class, the court documents stated.

While she was gone, her roommates went snooping in her bedroom — and found a “blood-soaked towel on the floor and a plastic bag containing evidence of childbirth,” according to the affidavit.

They then found the newborn stuffed inside a black plastic bag in a closet, calling 911 and telling the dispatcher the infant was “cold to the touch.”

The cheerleader — who skipped a planned trip to a clinic — then returned home to find cops already waiting for her.

The details were laid bare after Snelling pleaded not guilty to charges of abuse of a corpse, tampering with physical evidence and concealing the birth of an infant.

Snelling initially told cops the baby fell on the floor after she gave birth, but she didn’t think he was “breathing or alive,” according to the affidavit.

She then claimed to have passed out “on top of the baby” and woke up to find “the baby turning blue and purple.”

Snelling then admitted she wrapped “the baby up like a burrito and laid next to it” because it “gave her a little comfort in the moment,” the court documents said.

She hid her son in the closet before showering and cleaning up the blood in her room, authorities said.

But the probe has since revealed she told medical staff that the newborn had shown “a little bit of fetal movement” and made a “whimper” after he was born, the court documents state.

She allegedly took several photos while she was in labor, too, but deleted them “in an attempt to hide the birth,” police said.

In the wake of her arrest, Snelling withdrew from the Lexington-area school and is no longer a member of the STUNT team.

CAMBRIA HEIGHTS, Queens (WABC) — The decision to donate the organs of a 13-year-old boy killed in a fatal shooting in Queens has saved the lives of five people.

The heart of Sanjay Samuel was transplanted and is now beating in another 13-year-old boy. A 15-year-old teen received Samuel’s liver, while two adults in their 50s received his lungs, pancreas and kidneys.

While on his way to school on Monday, Samuel was shot in the head in a parking lot of a Dunkin Donuts in Cambria Heights. A 16-year-old suspect accused of fatally shooting him is currently in custody facing up to 25 years in prison.

The president of LiveOnNY, a nonprofit which helps coordinate organ donation, said while the pain from Samuel’s death is immeasurable, his donation to others will be felt for a lifetime.

“In the case of Sanjay and the beautiful gift that he gave, he was able to save four lives and donate six organs, which is a rare circumstance. And we are incredibly grateful for that gift of the family and Sanjay,” said LiveOnNY President Leonard Achan in an interview with Eyewitness News.

Samuel’s father said the decision to donate was an easy one for their family.

The recipients of Samuel’s organs live in New York, Ohio and Washington, D.C.

The Mercer University women’s volleyball team is mourning the loss of “a tremendous teammate” who died from bone cancer at 19.

The Macon, Georgia university’s volleyball team announced Monday, Sept. 29 in a social media post that sophomore Aliyah “Ali” Waldon died from bone cancer on Sunday. They asked fans to “please keep Ali’s family in your thoughts and prayers.”

“Our hearts are extremely heavy tonight as the entire Mercer community mourns the passing of Aliyah ‘Ali’ Waldon,” the team wrote. “Ali was a tremendous teammate, daughter and friend whose smile could light up Hawkins Arena. Ali brought the entire volleyball community together in her fight. She will be sorely missed.”

A native of Odessa, Fla., Waldon joined the team in 2023 and was named to the All-Southern Conference team after recording 210 points in 28 matches, according to the school.

Local WMAZ reported last year that Waldon was diagnosed with osteosarcoma, a rare but aggressive bone cancer in the femur, and sat out her entire sophomore season in 2024. The star player was back home in Florida while receiving treatment for the cancer, according to the outlet.

Waldon told WMAZ last year that she first became concerned after a nagging pain in her hip would not get better. An MRI showed that what Waldon suspected to be an injury was instead bone cancer.

“I was definitely shocked because I was just looking for a tear,” Waldon told the outlet.

Throughout the 2024 season, Mercer’s volleyball team wore shirts that said “fight” with a yellow ribbon for an “i” in support of Waldon. WMAZ reported that Waldon was able to return to the school to cheer on her teammates in person at points during the 2024 season.

Waldon’s mother Julie Rodgers provided 100 updates on her daughter’s recovery process via GoFundMe, where she also announced her death on Sunday.

South Africa’s ambassador to France had “expressed his intention to end his life” in a message to his wife the night before he was found dead in the courtyard of a high-rise hotel, Paris’ public prosecutor said Tuesday.

Nkosinathi Emmanuel “Nathi” Mthethwa’s wife had reported him missing on Monday, having last seen him shortly before 4:30 p.m. as “he was scheduled to attend a cocktail party,” prosecutor Laure Beccuau said in a statement.

“(She) then received a message from him shortly after 9:30 p.m., in which he apologized and expressed his intention to end his life,” Beccuau added.

The 58-year-old envoy had booked a room on the 22nd floor of the Hyatt hotel about 10 days before, Beccuau wrote, and had checked in at 4:30 p.m. on Monday.

At 11:30 a.m. on Tuesday, a security guard discovered Mthethwa’s body in the courtyard below.

Beccuau said hotel staff had noticed “the window’s safety mechanism had been forced open with scissors left at the scene.”

“Investigators found no signs of a struggle or traces of medication or narcotics,” the prosecutor said, adding that while Mthethwa’s death appeared to have been self-inflicted, law enforcement would conduct an investigation “to gather any evidence useful to understanding the facts.”

South Africa’s foreign ministry confirmed Mthethwa’s death “with deep sorrow and profound regret” in a statement on Tuesday, expressing condolences to the ambassador’s family.

“I have no doubt that his passing is not only a national loss but is also felt within the international diplomatic community,” South Africa’s Foreign Minister Ronald Lamola said, according to Tuesday’s statement.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa eulogized Mthethwa in a post on social media on Tuesday, writing that the diplomat had “served our nation in diverse capacities during a lifetime that has ended prematurely and traumatically.”

Mthethwa was appointed ambassador to France in December 2023. He had previously served as a member of South Africa’s parliament and as minister of sports, arts and culture, according to his embassy profile.

A White farm owner and his farm supervisor from South Africa are on trial for allegedly shooting two Black women who entered their property and feeding their bodies to pigs. The brutal case has sparked national outrage over race and justice.

Zachariah Olivier, 60, is accused of shooting the women with the help of 19-year-old Adrian De Wet. Authorities say the killings happened in August 2024, on a farm in Sebayeng, outside Mankweng, Limpopo.

Police found the decomposed bodies in a pigsty on August 20. A third person, a 47-year-old man who was with the women, survived the attack but was shot and hospitalized. He told reporters that one of the victims was his wife and the other was a neighbor. The group had gone to the farm to collect expired dairy products.

The men were arrested after the survivor’s statement and police investigation. They now face charges including two counts of murder, attempted murder, defeating the ends of justice, and illegal possession of firearms. Musoro also faces immigration-related charges.

The accused appeared in Limpopo Polokwane High Court but did not enter pleas. The court postponed the hearing to Thursday.

The killings have renewed attention on farm-related violence in South Africa. In a similar 2023 case, four men were charged for killing and burning three people accused of stealing sheep. In 2019, two White farmers were convicted, then later acquitted, for the death of a Black teenager in a sunflower theft case.

South Africa continues to battle high crime rates. Between April and December last year, nearly 20,000 murders were recorded. Farm-related killings, though rare, remain deeply divisive in a country still struggling with racial wounds.

Keith Urban and Nicole Kidman’s inner circle allegedly believes the singer moved on with another woman following the couple’s split.

Sources connected to Kidman, 58, told TMZ on Tuesday that “all the signs point to the fact Keith is with another woman.”

“Let’s just say, Nicole doesn’t dispute that,” the insider added, “but she’s still shocked over it.”

Another Kidman source said, “It’s all over Nashville,” referring to where the former couple has lived with their two daughters.

The Post has reached out to Urban and Kidman’s reps for comment.

News broke Monday about the pair’s split after 19 years of marriage.

Kidman officially filed for divorce from Urban, 57, on Tuesday, TMZ reported.

The “Big Littles Lies” actress and the “For You” singer reportedly separated in June and have been living apart since then.

Sources have claimed that Urban initiated the split and moved out of their family home in Nashville, while Kidman allegedly did not want to separate and tried saving their relationship.

Insiders further claimed that Kidman had been taking care of their two daughters, Sunday Rose, 17, and Faith Margaret, 14, all while “holding the family together through this difficult time since Keith has been gone.”

In addition, a source close to the former couple told People that their split “really hasn’t been a secret” to their inner circle.

“People close to Keith felt like the split was kind of inevitable,” an insider told the outlet.

The duo’s last public appearance together was on June 20 at the FIFA Club World Cup at the Geodis Park stadium in Nashville.

That same month, Urban failed to share a loving tribute to his wife on social media for their 19th wedding anniversary.

Kidman, for her part, marked the anniversary by posting a black-and-white image of the duo cuddling in what appeared to be a dressing room. She captioned the snap, “Happy Anniversary Baby ❤️.”

Urban’s last Instagram post with Kidman was shared on May 9, when he uploaded photos of them at the Academy of Country Music Awards.

Last year, Urban opened up about difficulties in his marriage to Kidman as he honored the actress at the 49th AFI Life Achievement Award Gala.

During his speech, the Grammy Award winner admitted that he nearly “blew” up the pair’s marriage shortly after they tied the knot in 2006 because of his addiction struggles.

“Four months into a marriage, I’m in rehab for three months,” said Urban, who got sober after the rehab stint. “I had no idea what was going to happen to us.”

Urban, however, recognized that Kidman “pushed through every negative voice” and chose to stay by his side.

Lewis Hamilton mourned his beloved bulldog Roscoe, who passed away after battling pneumonia. Roscoe was a paddock icon with 1.4 million Instagram followers.

It’s a tiresome period for Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton, who confirmed that his cherished pet bulldog, Roscoe, passed away after a short but fierce battle with pneumonia.

The seven-time Formula One world champion revealed that Roscoe had been placed in a coma last week and placed on life support.

Hamilton, who had shared emotional updates throughout the ordeal, announced the heartbreaking news on Sunday with a moving tribute on Instagram.

 

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“After four days on life support, fighting with every bit of strength he had, I had to make the hardest decision of my life and say goodbye to Roscoe,” Hamilton wrote.

“He never stopped fighting, right until the very end. I feel so grateful and honoured to have shared my life with such a beautiful soul, an angel and true friend.”

Hamilton added that bringing Roscoe into his life was “the best decision I ever made,” while reflecting on how painful it was to put him to sleep. “It is one of the most painful experiences and I feel a deep connection to everyone who has gone through the loss of a beloved pet,” he said.

A Star Beyond the Track

Roscoe had become a familiar presence in Formula One circles, often spotted alongside Hamilton in the paddock during race weekends. With more than 1.4 million Instagram followers, he was arguably the most famous animal in the sport and even featured in this year’s upcoming F1 movie.

The fan favourite’s demise brought gloom into many others, as Formula One’s official social media account shared their condolences as well online:

“Rest in Peace Roscoe Hamilton, a true star in his own right. Lewis Hamilton’s beloved Roscoe brought smiles to the paddock and warmed the hearts of fans all over the world. Our thoughts are with Lewis during this difficult time,” the post read.

“Rest easy Roscoe, from paddock pup to Dogue icon, thank you for the pawprints you left on all of our hearts.”

Hamilton’s Focus Turns to Singapore

The loss comes just days before the Singapore Grand Prix.

Hamilton, who withdrew from a Pirelli tyre test at Mugello last week to remain by Roscoe’s side, has not yet confirmed whether he will take his place on the grid at Marina Bay.

Ferrari reserve driver Zhou Guanyu stepped in for Hamilton at Mugello, but the seven-time World Champion has not decided on this weekend’s race.