NuseReal
Curated by Peter Hulm
News from 2020 not involving COVID-19, unless it predicts the impacts. See also: POST-COVID for assessments and reports on what comes next.
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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)
Greenland suspends oil exploration because of climate change — apnews — 16 July 2021 (LINK)
Climate change: Amazon regions emit more carbon than they absorb — bbc — 15 July 2021 (LINK)
23M children missed vaccines in 2020, nearly 4M more than year before: UN — anadolu online — 15 July 2021 (LINK)
Hundreds missing in Germany after massive floods leave scores dead — france24 — 16 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."
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)
Suez Canal officials release Ever Given ship after settlement — dw — 7 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)
'Potentially the worst drought in 1,200 years': scientists on the scorching US heatwave — theguardian — 18 June 2021 (LINK)
New ways of working call for new ways to measure work: UNECE-led statisticians investigate — unece — 9 June 2021 (LINK)
Environmental disaster feared as ship sinks off Sri Lanka — apnews — 2 June 2021 (LINK)
Nobel Laureate Esther Duflo To Deliver UNCTAD’s major public lecture online on 15 June: good economics for hard times —unctad —2 June 2021— (LINK)
EU agrees new tax transparency rules for multinationals — businesstimes — 2 June 2021 (LINK)
Carbon dioxide in the air at highest level since measurements began — reuters — 1 June 2021 (LINK)
Nike and others back Naomi Osaka after she withdraws from French Open — cnn — 1 June 2021 (LINK)
Solar project in Bahamas engineered to withstand 180 mph hurricane winds — solarbuildermag — 17 May 2021 (LINK)
"It includes a 2 MWh battery plant that enables all resort generators to be switched off for the first time in 50 years, resulting in cleaner air and greater savings for up to 100 residents and guests at the resort at any given time. This microgrid will also pay for itself in just five to six years due to diesel powerplant savings alone. About two-thirds of the island’s diesel fuel consumption will be eliminated as a result of this project. After the system has paid for itself, the island owners will continue to save more than $700,000 on operating expenses per year in addition to the significant non-financial benefits."
Elizabeth Warren: US taxes are rigged in favor of Amazon, Netflix and other big companies — cnn — 27 April 2021 (LINK)
Swiss launch first transnational science expedition to study Red Sea corals in June 2021 (pdf) — transnational_red_sea_center — 22 April 2021 (LINK)
Transnational Red Sea project that could help save Earth’s coral reefs (LINK)
UN experts urge Switzerland to repatriate two abducted girls from Syria
camps — reuters / nationalpost — 22 April
2021
Iran, Egypt, Iraq, Saudi Arabia accounted for 88% of known global executions in
2020 — amnesty — 21 April 2021
But lowest number of executions globally in a decade, for third consecutive year.
Police say no one was in driver's seat in fatal Tesla crash
— cnn — 19 April 2021
Self-driving (autonomous) vehicles present us squarely with one of the toughest brain-teasing conundrums in philosophy and ethics: the trolley problem (LINK)
CEO who gave employees $70K minimum wage says revenue tripled 6 years later — thehill — 15 April 2021
Buckminster Fuller, Isaac Asimov &
Other Futurists Make Predictions About the 21st Century in 1967: What They Got Right &
Wrong — openculture — 13 April 2021
What Netflix's Seaspiracy gets wrong about fishing, explained by a marine
biologist — vox — 13 April 2021
Study finds commonly-used pain killer paracetamol is likely almost useless — yahoo — 5 April 2021
Rethinking cities to beat pandemics — genevasolutions — 1 April 2021 (LINK)
Baltimore will no longer prosecute drug possession, prostitution, low-level
crimes — nbcnews — 26 March 2021
60 largest banks in the world have invested $3.8 trillion in fossil fuels since the
Paris Agreement — cnbc — 24 March 2021
'Intriguing new result from the LHCb experiment at CERN: results strengthen hints of
a violation of lepton flavour universality'
— cern — 23 March 2021
Feeding cows seaweed could cut their methane emissions by 82%, scientists
say — theguardian — 18 March 2021
Senate Dems introduce 'assault weapons' ban bill on 205 gun models, incl. shotguns,
hunting rifles — americanmilitarynews — 12 March
2021
China and human rights at the Council: a conservative Roman Catholic's view after a
Chinese Foreign Minister addresses Geneva body for the first time
— bitterwinter — 27 February 2021
Florida has the best beach in the U.S., Tripadvisor says — but it’s not in
Miami or on the east coast — miamiherald — 24
February 2021
Clunky software with a confusing UI just cost Citibank $500 million — techspot — 19 February 2021
IKEA will help turn a Swedish city into a sustainable community — engadget — 11 February 2021
Tokyo 2020 Olympics president to resign following sexist remarks — cnn — 11 February 2021
'Invisible killer': fossil fuels caused 8.7m deaths globally in 2018, research
finds — theguardian — 9 February 2021
'Your email and password were probably posted online in the mother of all data
leaks' — bgr — 9 February 2021
Check whether
your email was leaked — cybernews — 9 February
2021
Hundreds of Olympics volunteers resign over president's remarks about women — theguardian — 9 February 2021
Scientists
debunk long-held theory about spicy food
— inverse — 9 February 2021
Libya forum elects new transitional government
— genevasolutions — 8 February 2021
Outrage over French girl's rape case sparks demand for law to protect
minors — theguardian — 7 February 2021
Vale will pay nearly $7 billion over Brazilian dam collapse that killed 270
people — cnn — 5 February 2021
Leading baby food manufacturers knowingly sold products with high levels of toxic
metals, a congressional investigation found
— cnn — 5 February 2021
For more equitable parks, design them to be inclusive for the homeless — citymonitor — 4 February 2021
Myanmar’s military says elections will be held after year-long state of emergency:
Aung San Suu Kyi detained, US and Britain condemn detentions
— scmp — 1 February 2021
Phoenix may be uninhabitable by the end of this century
— salon — 1 February 2021
A Hint From Davos: Regulating Crypto Is 'in the Public Interest' — cryptonews — 25 January 2021
Ageing Pompidou Centre in Paris to close for four years for renovation — theguardian — 26 January 2021
Weinstein Co to pay out $17m over sexual abuse claims as part of
liquidation — theguardian — 26 January 2021
Mastercard to raise fees by at least 400% for EU firms selling to UK
customers — theguardian — 25 January 2021
IMF Urges Governments To Spend As Much Money As They Can To Support Sputtering
Economies — dailyhodl — 18 January 2021
Alexei Navalny arrest: Return to Russia seen as 'brave step'
— dw — 17 January 2021
Poison squad stalked Alexei Navalny on 40 flights, says Bellingcat
investigator — theguardian — 17 January
2021
South Korea: Ex-president Park Geun-hye's long jail term upheld, making her eligible
for a special pardon — dw — 14 January 2021
Top scientists warn of 'ghastly future of mass extinction' and climate
disruption — theguardian — 13 January 2021
'Ndrangheta crime group: Biggest mafia trial in decades kicks off in Italy — france24 — 13 January 2021
50 countries commit to protection of 30% of Earth's land and oceans — theguardian — 11 January 2021
6 rangers killed in DR Congo's Virunga gorilla reserve
— dw — 10 January 2021
Goldman, M. Stanley to delist some Hong Kong products after U.S. investment
ban — reuters — 10 January 2021
Kazakh ruling party set to retain hold on power in Sunday's vote — reuters — 10 January 2021
Though not all SIDS are heavily indebted, 17 are considered by the IMF as being at
'high risk' of debt distress, unable to meet their loan payments
— unctad — 7 January 2021
The world’s largest free trade area starts up on Jan. 1, 2021: in Africa — qz — 31 December 2020
From "Hillbilly Elegy" to "The Gentlemen", here are the worst films of 2020 — salon — 31 December 2020
Understanding the hysteria over Hillbilly Elegy (LINK)
Climate catastrophes cost nations billions in 2020, report finds — aljazeera — 28 December 2020
EU member states unanimously approve post-Brexit trade deal
— axios — 28 December 2020
EU bans plastic waste from being shipped to developing countries — euronews — 24 December 2020
UNECE mobilizes action to tackle $200bn per year damage from nitrogen — unece — 22 December 2020
U.S. trade deficits continue to grow
— axios — 22 December 2020
U.S. Naval Academy physics exams reviewed over 'inconsistencies' — thehill — 22 December 2020
West Point faces worst
cheating scandal in decades — bbc — 22 December
2020
U.K. finds 2 men guilty of manslaughter in deaths of 39 Vietnamese migrants — nbcnews — 21 December 2020
Essex lorry
deaths: The supposed 'VIP' journey that killed 39 people
— bbc — 21 December 2020
50 years
of tax cuts for the rich failed to trickle down, economics study says
— cbsnews — 17 December 2020
UN Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty: 'We need to build back better' — france24 — 17 December 2020
The Top Ten Ocean Stories of 2020
— smithsonianmag — 17 December 2020
Credit Suisse indicted over alleged ties to Bulgarian mafia
— apnews — 17 December 2020
Transforming trade, backing productive capacities is key to fixing global
economy — unctad — 17 December 2020
French court finds 14 people guilty of complicity in Charlie Hebdo, supermarket
attacks — dw — 16 December 2020
Visitors to Palau are now required to sign an eco-pledge on arrival — euronews — 16 December 2020
At the Edge of the World (LINK)
WEF World Competitiveness Report:Few Economies Are Ready for Long-term Prosperity
through Improved Public Services, Green Investments and Digitization
— wef — 16 December 2020
Countries with advanced digital economies and digital skills have been more successful at keeping their economies running while their citizens worked from home. The Netherlands, New Zealand, Switzerland, Estonia, and the United States have performed well on this measure.
Countries with robust economic safety nets, such as Denmark, Finland, Norway, Austria, Luxembourg and Switzerland, were well placed to support those who could not work. Similarly, countries with strong financial systems such as Finland, the United States, the United Arab Emirates and Singapore, could more easily provide credit to SMEs to prevent insolvency.
Countries that could successfully plan and integrate health, fiscal and social policies have been relatively more successful in mitigating the effects of the crisis, including Singapore, Switzerland, Luxembourg, Austria and the United Arab Emirates.
UN Human Development Report: includes a new experimental index on human
progress that takes into account countries’ carbon dioxide emissions and material
footprint. — source — 15 December 2020
More than 50 countries in the “very high development” group — including Singapore, Luxembourg,
Australia and the United Arab
Far-right activists convicted in France following Al Jazeera investigation — aljazeera — 15 December 2020
Paris city hall fined for putting too many women in senior roles — theguardian — 15 December 2020
Two men beheaded in videos from Nagorno-Karabakh war identified — theguardian — 15 December 2020
What we know about Russia's sprawling hack into federal agencies — axios — 14 December 2020
Iran sentences British-Iranian researcher to 9 years prison for "subversive"
work — dw — 14 December 2020
The Companies With the Largest Plastic Footprint
— statista — 10 December 2020
Ghana election: Nana Akufo-Addo wins second term
— dw — 10 December 2020
4 myths about corruption: Western Europe 66%, Sub-Saharan Africa 32% — weforum — 9 December 2020
UK and EU 'on a knife edge' as trade talks near year-end deadline — aljazeera — 7 December 2020
Romanian opposition takes
narrow lead after election — bbc — 7 December
2020
Ghana set for tight presidential election as old rivals compete — france24 — 7 December 2020
This was
easily the warmest November on record, as three times earlier this year
— mashable — 7 December 2020
28
Startups to Watch — ozy — 6 December 2020
Climate change is already a disaster to health, doctors say
— theverge — 2 December 2020
Brexit: Ministers unveil next
steps in England's farming policy: more trees, meadows and wetlands - and fewer sheep and
cows — bbc — 30 November 2020
Ministers say it represents the most fundamental shift in farming policy for 50 years.
White Island volcano: NZ
officials charge 13 parties over tragedy
— bbc — 30 November 2020
Joe Biden picks all-female senior White House communications team: first time in
US history — dw — 30 November 2020
Biden
to require walking boot after fracturing his foot
— politico — 29 November 2020
France, UK agree fresh deal to curb Channel migrant crossings — newswires/france24 — 29 November 2020
Ethiopian army takes ‘full control’ of Tigray capital, Abiy says — aljazeera — 28 November 2020
The 10 best cities to live in the world as an expat: Valencia, Alicante and
Lisbon tops — yahoo — 26 November 2020
Vancouver Just Voted to Decriminalize All Drugs
— vice — 26 November 2020
Far-right political terrorism 'is surging' in Western countries, report
warns — euronews — 25 November 2020
UK supermarket and fast food chicken linked to deforestation in Brazil — theguardian — 25 November 2020
NRA admits some executives used nonprofit money for personal benefit — thehill — 25 November 2020
French Caribbean islands poisoned by
a carcinogenic pesticide — bbc — 20 November
2020
India only G20 nation doing its 'fair share' to meet 2 degree goal — dw — 19 November 2020
Wheel-Flash’s minimalist bike reflectors could potentially save thousands of lives
each year — yankodesign — 19 November 2020
Asylum Seeker Who Lost His Son on Trek to Greece Is Charged in His Death: Rights
groups warn that the charges set a worrying precedent
— nytimes — 18 November 2020
Self-proclaimed ‘prophet’ hands himself over to Malawi police — aljazeera — 18 November 2020
Alain Werner of Geneva-based Civitas Maxima recognised for his fight in protecting
victims of war crimes — genevasolutions — 18
November 2020
More than 1,000 killed in six months in South Sudan
— aljazeera — 17 November 2020
Countries most at risk from climate change being left behind, says IFRC: World
Disasters Report (LINK) — genevasolutions/ifrc — 17
November 2020
Poland
and Hungary block EU budget plan — dw — 16
November 2020
WWF Receives $100 Million for Nature-based Climate Solutions from the Bezos Earth
Fund — source — 16 November 2020
The 3 winners of the World Economic Forum New Champions awards — source — 16 November 2020
Moldova election: Pro-EU Maia Sandu wins presidency
— dw — 15 November 2020
New clashes in Western Sahara threaten decades-old cease-fire — dw — 14 November 2020
Cummings gone: UK PM’s top aide leaves with immediate effect
— aljazeera — 14 November 2020
Al Qaeda's No. 2, Accused in U.S. Embassy Attacks, Was Killed in Iran — nytimes — 13 November 2020
Forget Russia—Iranian Hackers Behind Malicious New Cyber Attacks, Warns New
Report — forbes — 12 November 2020
Australia to prosecute troops for war crimes in Afghanistan
— apnews — 12 November 2020
Defiant Hong Kong
opposition condemned by China — bbc — 12 November
2020
Libya peace talks reach 'breakthrough' agreement to hold elections — france24 — 11 November 2020
Organized crime in the
fisheries sector threatens a sustainable ocean economy
— nature — 11 November 2020
Development banks pledge climate action but keep fossil fuels — aljazeera — 11 November 2020
Barcelona launches 10-year plan to reclaim city streets from cars — theguardian — 11 November 2020
Study confirms racism and police brutality in Germany
— dw — 11 November 2020
Azerbaijan’s drones owned the battlefield in Nagorno-Karabakh — and showed future of
warfare — washingtonpost — 11 November 2020
Biden
Has Finally Won Arizona, Turning It Democratic For The First Time In Decades
— buzzfeednews — 11 November 2020
3 lessons for crafting a future with safer, more efficient self-driving
cars — weforum — 11 November 2020
UNECE tackles philosophy’s trolley problem (LINK)