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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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)