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UN Human-Rights Experts Raise Alarm Over the Fate of a Russian Ex-Guantánamo Detainee — passblue — 20 July 2021 (LINK)

Chair of Trump 2017 inaugural fund arrested on federal charges of acting as unregistered agent for U.A.E. — axios — 20 July 2021 (LINK)

The Economics of Hosting the Olympic Games — cfr — 19 July 2021 (LINK)

UNESCO chides Australia over Great Barrier Reef proposal — apnews — 19 July 2021 (LINK)

Solar Impulse pioneers make anniversary flight in electric-powered plane — ats / swissinfo (French only) — 19 July 2021 (LINK)

Military-grade spyware reportedly found on phones of journalists, activists — cnet — 18 July 2021 (LINK)

Women's groups call for UN peacekeeping force in Afghanistan — apnews — 16 July 2021 (LINK)

Greenland suspends oil exploration because of climate change — apnews — 16 July 2021 (LINK)

Hundreds missing in Germany after massive floods leave scores dead — france24 — 16 July 2021 (LINK)

The current drought is worldwide. Here's how different places are fighting it — latimes — 16 July 2021 (LINK)

Migrants returned to Libya suffer horrific abuse, Amnesty says — euronews — 16 July 2021 (LINK)

Danish Siddiqui: Pulitzer Prize winning photojournalist killed in Afghanistan — dw — 16 July 2021 (LINK)

Shipping container shortage inflicts pain on German shoppers — dw — 16 July 2021 (LINK)

Market information shows that between 25-30% of available capacity is simply not operating. The average cost of transporting a 40-foot steel box of cargo by sea has more than quadrupled from a year ago.

Biden administration drops Trump-era showerhead rule — axios — 16 July 2021 (LINK)

"The Trump-era rule had little effect when it was adopted since almost all commercially-made showerheads follow the 2013 rule. The official noted that it is difficult to find showers that provide the extra water supply demanded by former President Trump."

23M children missed vaccines in 2020, nearly 4M more than year before: UN — anadolu online — 15 July 2021 (LINK)

Climate change: Amazon regions emit more carbon than they absorb — bbc — 15 July 2021 (LINK)

Leaked Kremlin documents support claim that Russia has compromising material on Trump, report says — guardian / businessinsider — 15 July 2021 (LINK)

EU sues Hungary and Poland over LGBTQ discrimination — dw — 15 July 2021 (LINK)

Dutch investigative journalist Peter R. de Vries dies after shooting — dw — 15 July 2021 (LINK)

Cultural appropriation, deplatform and zaddy: Dictionary.com adds more than 300 new words — thehill — 14 July 2021 (LINK)

UN: Migrant deaths on sea routes to Europe more than double — apnews — 14 July 2021 (LINK)

MIT Predicted in 1972 That Society Will Collapse This Century. New Research Shows We're on Schedule — vice — 14 July 2021 (LINK)

"It's [...] unclear whether a future decline can be expected to be moderate or sharp, but both scenarios indicate society will run into limits in the medium term. [...] It is not too late to change course. [...] A deliberate trajectory change is still possible."

South Africa Zuma riots: Death toll reaches 72 as unrest rages across country — bbc — 14 July 2021 (LINK)

Consumer prices in U.S. rise by largest amount in 13 years — upi — 13 July 2021 (LINK)

France's anti-trust authority fines Google €500 million in news copyright row — france24 — 13 July 2021 (LINK)

Italy bans cruise liners from Venice, after years of hesitation — reuters — 13 July 2021 (LINK)

SWISS becomes first commercial airline to fly from Switzerland with sustainable aviation fuel — swiss.newsmarket.com/ — 13 July 2021 (LINK)

UN rights boss urges reparations for slavery, racism — dw — 12 July 2021 (LINK)

Jordan: Court convicts former top aide and a member of the royal family over coup plot against King Abdullah II — dw — 12 July 2021 (LINK)

Reef Rescue: ETH alumni Marie Griesmar and Ulrike Pfreundt are printing 3D Lego-like clay bricks to help rebuild and regenerate the world's coral reefs. — the-good-times.org — 12 July 2021 (LINK)

Myanmar's Suu Kyi hit by four new charges in Mandalay court — reuters — 12 July 2021 (LINK)

Top US general in Afghanistan stepping down Monday — thehill — 12 July 2021 (LINK)

Marine Gen. Kenneth "Frank" McKenzie, the chief of U.S. Central Command, will reportedly take over for Austin "Scott" Miller in Afghanistan on Monday. He is expected to manage the final stages of the mission from his headquarters in Tampa, Fla. Miller will leave Afghanistan as the longest-serving senior U.S. officer in the war, under three years.

Afghanistan calls on Europe and Switzerland to stop expelling its nationals — rts (French) — 12 July 2021 (LINK)

Afghanistan has called on European countries to stop deporting Afghan migrants over the next three months, due to the intensification of fighting in the country, amid an all-out offensive by Taliban insurgents.

Thousands march in Cuba in rare mass protests amid economic crisis — theguardian — 12 July 2021 (LINK)

Almost a quarter of global banking assets now in the Net-Zero Banking Alliance — unepfi — 11 July 2021 (LINK)

Big insurance companies launch net-zero climate alliance — reuters — 11 July 2021 (LINK)

Swiss banks in the climate vortex — watson.ch — 11 July 2021 (LINK)

"UBS and CS [...] invested more than 80 billion in fossil fuels between 2016 and 2019. And thus financed 20 times the greenhouse gas emissions that Switzerland causes."

Haiti says 26 Colombians, two Haitian Americans among group that killed president — wionews — 9 July 2021 (LINK)

Biden fires Trump-era Social Security commissioner who refused to resign — axios — 9 July 2021 (LINK)

"Since taking office, Commissioner Saul has undermined and politicized Social Security disability benefits, terminated the agency's telework policy that was utilized by up to 25 percent of the agency's workforce," the White House said in a statement. The Biden administration added that Saul had "not repaired SSA's relationships with relevant Federal employee unions including in the context of COVID-19 workplace safety planning, reduced due process protections for benefits appeals hearings, and taken other actions that run contrary to the mission of the agency and the President's policy agenda."

World Bank estimates cost of rebuilding Gaza at $485M — abcnews — 8 July 2021 (LINK)

Biden announces US war in Afghanistan will end ahead of schedule by Aug. 31 — conservative U.S.: theblaze — 7 July 2021 (LINK)

EU fines German carmakers over alleged cartel activities — dw — 8 July 2021 (LINK)

The EU's antitrust chief, Margrethe Vestager, said Daimler, BMW, Volkswagen, Audi and Porsche, "possessed the technology to reduce harmful emissions beyond what was legally required under EU emission standards".

12-year-old Indian American becomes youngest chess grandmaster in history — thehill — 8 July 2021 (LINK)

Taliban looted, torched Afghan homes after evicting residents: Human Rights Watch — reuters / swissinfo — 7 July 2021 (LINK)

Biden Pledges to End $90 Billion Worth of Tax Breaks for Gas Companies — nationalreview — 7 July 2021 (LINK)

Suez Canal officials release Ever Given ship after settlement — dw — 7 July 2021 (LINK)

Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights in Myanmar Tells Human Rights Council that the International Community is Failing the People of Myanmar — ungeneva — 7 July 2021 (LINK)

Ageing in the Digital Era — unece — 7 July 2021 (LINK)

Many older persons struggle to access essential goods and services — from online vaccination appointment registrations, to pensions, food and medication during lockdowns — if they cannot access them online.

Benjamin Swanson of the U.K. appointed Assistant Secretary-General, Office of Internal Oversight Services — un — 7 July 2021 (LINK)

UNAIDS strongly condemns violence against LGBTI activists in Tbilisi, Georgia — unaids — 7 July 2021 (LINK)

Occupied Palestinian Territory: Attacks against critics must stop, those responsible arrested – UN experts — ohchr — 7 July 2021 (LINK)

South Sudan: UNICEF warns of 'desperation and hopelessness' for children 10 years after independence — un — 6 July 2021 (LINK)

Viktor Babariko: Belarus jails former presidential contender — dw — 6 July 2021 (LINK)

How UK aid cuts are impacting International Geneva — genevasolutions — 6 July 2021 (LINK)

"Many UN organizations and programmes with headquarters in Geneva such as UNAIDS, Unitaid, UNICEF and UNCTAD have confirmed they will be impacted by the cuts, which would imperil projects fighting disease and supporting women and children in crisis around the world. International NGOs with advocacy offices in Geneva, such as Save the Children and the International Rescue Committee, are also facing drastic funding shortfalls for their operations in countries like Syria and Yemen, where the combination of conflict, rising poverty and famine are pushing millions into emergency."

Geneva NGOs face funding uncertainties amid Covid and government cuts — genevasolutions — 6 July 2021 updated 7 July 2021 (LINK)

"According to a recent survey by the canton’s International Geneva Welcome Center (CAGI in French), 31 per cent of the 108 NGOs surveyed state they have been hit severely by Covid-19, and 17 per cent even cut jobs. The impact on revenues was better than many surveyed last year had feared, with only 37 per cent of NGOs reporting a decrease compared with the 57 per cent who envisioned budget restrictions in the previous survey."

How can the world address inequality? 7 experts explain — weforum — 5 July 2021 (LINK)

"Support our people outside of the "nine to five" "Increase the minimum wage." "Well-funded and quality universal healthcare." "Support our people outside of 'nine to five'." "Promote more transparent and accountable systems." "Address the basic fundamentals of knowledge creation and collaboration." "Increase public investments in the formal and informal care economies." "Don’t use the pandemic as a justification to discriminate and exclude."

Antarctica Just Recorded Its Highest Temperature Ever — hypebeast — 4 July 2021 (LINK)

Belarus closes border to Ukraine over coup claim — bbc — 3 July 2021 (LINK)

UNRWA has 'resolved its problems', Swiss chief says — swissinfo — 2 July 2021 (LINK)

400,000 in Tigray cross 'threshold into famine', with nearly 2 million on the brink, Security Council told — un — 2 July 2021 (LINK)

"Tragedies of historic proportions": U.N. confronts Ethiopia as famine grips Tigray region — cbsnews — 2 July 2021 (LINK)

Uproar Over Japan's Decision to Disperse Radioactive Fukushima Waste Water — counterpunch — 2 July 2021 (LINK)

Greenpeace Japan said in a press release the decision itself and any such dumping would violate international maritime law and that the planned release "completely disregards the human rights and interests of the people in Fukushima, wider Japan, and the Asia-Pacific region".

Bee-friendly living roofs on the Leicester city bus stops are part of goal to become carbon-neutral by 2030! — yankodesign — 2 July 2021 (LINK)

Over $40 Billion Pledged To Advance Gender Equality During The Generation Equality Forum — forbes — 2 July 2021 (LINK)

Older people excluded from climate response, says UN — genevasolutions — 2 July 2021 (LINK)

Banks urged to think green or face extinction — swissinfo — 2 July 2021 (LINK)

"Campaigning groups regularly call Swiss banks to account for funding companies and projects that cause environmental damage. This roll call of shame includes deforestation in the Amazon basin and in other parts of the world, the Norislk-Taimyr Energy oil spill in Siberia and the controversial Dakota oil pipeline project in the United States."

Where Is a Cup of Coffee Most Expensive? And Who Drinks it More? No it's not Switzerland (just) — frommers — 2 July 2021 (LINK)

Is global plastic pollution nearing an irreversible tipping point? — phys.org — 1 July 2021 (LINK)

Australia ranks last for climate action among UN member countries — theguardian — 1 July 2021 (LINK)

Number of international migrant workers rises to 169 million: ILO — business-standard.com — 1 July 2021 (LINK)

Trump Organization and financial chief charged with tax-related crimes — theguardian — 1 July 2021 (LINK)

Nature Within Cities and Cities Within Nature — genevaenvironmentnetwork — 30 June 2021 (LINK)

Bill Cosby's sexual assault conviction overturned by Pennsylvania court — theguardian — 30 June 2021 (LINK)

We Just Got Our Clearest Picture Yet Of How Biden Won In 2020 — npr — 30 June 2021 (LINK)

£17bn of UK arms sold to rights’ abusers — theguardian/observer — 27 June 2021 (LINK)

"Weapons licensed for export to two-thirds of states on ‘not free’ register, including Libya, Saudi Arabia and Turkey"

Chauvin sentenced to 22.5 years in prison for murder of George Floyd — thehill — 25 June 2021 (LINK)

Diplomats say China put squeeze on Ukraine — apnews — 25 June 2021 (LINK)

China pressured Ukraine into withdrawing its support for a call for more scrutiny of human rights in China’s western region of Xinjiang by threatening to withhold Chinese-made COVID-19 vaccines destined for Ukraine unless it did so, diplomats told The Associated Press.

White House confirms it plans to evacuate 18,000 Afghans who worked with the U.S. in Afghanistan — cbsnews — 24 June 2021 (LINK)