Lifestyle

A joint European-Chinese spacecraft blasted into orbit to investigate what happens when extreme winds and giant explosions of plasma shot out from the Sun slam into Earth's magnetic shield.

His face smiles out from every kiosk in Rome on the cover of the ubiquitous "sexy priest" calendar sold to tourists, but Giovanni Galizia was never a man of the cloth.

From gardens to inspire younger generations, to havens of peace and sanctuary, to a hothouse space designed to stir desire, the UK's top flower show is flourishing.

Etienne Davignon, a former Belgian diplomat and EU commissioner implicated in the 1961 killing of Congolese independence icon Patrice Lumumba, has died aged 93, his family told AFP Monday.

Superstar John Travolta said he had channelled some of cinema's greatest filmmakers into his plane-themed directorial debut, which has premiered to mixed reviews.