Annually, whales migrate from Antarctica to give birth off the coast of Eastern Cape, South Africa, in the warmer waters of the Atlantic Ocean. In the vicinity of the small town of Hermanus, dozens of whales can be observed each day.

Desmond Tutu, the Anglican archbishop and a symbol of the fight against apartheid in South Africa, passed away at the age of 90, prompting a wave of tributes from global leaders. South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, former U.S. President Barack Obama, European Council President Charles Michel, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Queen Elizabeth II, Pope Francis, and the Dalai Lama all expressed their condolences and admiration for Tutu's work. Tutu was known for his peaceful protests against apartheid and was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1984. He chaired the Truth and Reconciliation Commission after the end of apartheid and was a vocal critic of the ANC government's policies. Tutu leaves behind his wife, known as 'Mama Leah,' and four children.

The World Health Organization (WHO) warns of a 'toxic cocktail' of low vaccination rates and insufficient testing, exacerbated by the spread of the Omicron variant, which has reached Brazil and the United States. The European Commission is considering mandatory vaccination, while the OECD warns Omicron could threaten global economic recovery. The first Omicron case in the U.S. was detected in California, and Brazil has reported three cases. South Africa is experiencing a significant increase in cases due to Omicron. The UN and African Union criticize border closures as unjust and ineffective, with the UN Secretary-General António Guterres calling them 'unjust' and 'ineffective.' Concerns are raised about the reduced efficacy of current vaccines against Omicron, with Moderna's president warning of a potential significant decrease in vaccine effectiveness.

Windows 10's file explorer now includes advertisements for Microsoft's OneDrive cloud storage service. This move is part of a broader trend of increasing ads within the Windows 10 system, including in the Start menu and taskbar. The ads encourage users to subscribe to OneDrive and related software like Word, Excel, and PowerPoint for 7 euros per month. While Microsoft claims these notifications are meant to enhance user experience, they can be disabled. However, this strategy is seen as intrusive and potentially disadvantageous to competitors like Dropbox and Google Drive.

Facebook, in partnership with fact-checking teams from the Poynter International Fact Checking Network, is introducing four new features to combat misinformation on its platform. These features include a simplified reporting system, public challenges to false information, demotion in the news feed, and ending the economic benefits for authors of misinformation. Facebook aims to focus on the 'worst of the worst' clear misinformation spread by spammers for profit, with the involvement of both the community and third-party organizations. Mark Zuckerberg emphasizes Facebook's responsibility to have the most positive impact worldwide and believes in building a more informed community.

Elon Musk's recent comments have reignited scientific debates on the theory that we might be living in a simulation. This theory, which suggests our reality could be a virtual construct created by an advanced civilization, has found support from figures like philosopher Nick Bostrom and NASA scientist Rich Terrile. They argue that the mathematical nature of our universe and advancements in AI lend credibility to this idea. However, prominent scientists like MIT's Max Tegmark and Harvard's Lisa Randall dismiss the theory due to a lack of empirical evidence. The debate remains unresolved, hinging on future advancements in AI and our understanding of consciousness.