NuseReal

China's economy is in trouble — and its youth unemployment crisis is at the heart of the problem — www.businessinsider.com — 23 July 2023 (LINK)

— Unemployment among workers aged 16-24 hit a record 21% last quarter. That's largely due to a shortage of high-skill, high-paying jobs, which will weigh on its economy.

Indian rescuers recover 27 dead but no sign of dozens of missing villagers swamped by a landslide — ground.news: 32 media reports — 23 July 2023 (LINK)

Heavy rains in Afghanistan unleash flash floods that kill 12 people and leave 40 missing — ground.news: 36 media reports — 23 July 2023 (LINK)

30,000 people including tourists evacuated by sea as a 5-day wildfire rages on the Greek island of Rhodes — ground.news: 172 media reports — 23 July 2023 (LINK)

Dozens killed in fuel tanker explosion in Nigeria: police — ground.news: 22 media reports — 23 July 2023 (LINK)

Israel's Netanyahu recovers from a heart procedure while his judicial overhaul plan moves forward — ground.news: 181 media reports — 23 July 2023 (LINK)

Organization of Islamic Cooperation suspends Sweden's special envoy over desecration of Quran — ground.news: main source: ap, 32 media reports — 23 July 2023 (LINK)

Elon Musk says Twitter to change logo, adieu to 'all the birds' — ground.news: 91 media reports — 23 July 2023 (LINK)

G20 fails to reach consensus on cutting fossil fuels at energy ministerial meeting — ground.news: 43 media reports — 22 July 2023 (LINK)

Death toll in 19 July west Indian landslide rises to 26, dozens more feared trapped in Maharashtra — ground.news: 46 media reports — 22 July 2023 (LINK)

Suspected arson attack on bar in northern Mexico claims lives of 11 — ground.news: 29 media reports — 23 July 2023 (LINK)

As Taiwan prepares for anti-invasion exercises, China sends dozens of warplanes toward the island — ground.news: 13 media reports — 22 July 2023 (LINK)

Nova Scotia floods in storm since 21 July cause 'unimaginable' damage; four people missing — www.reuters.com ● — 22 July 2023 (LINK)

'Many may die' warns UN after end of Black Sea grain deal — ground.news: 19 media reports — 21 July 2023 (LINK)

Ukraine using cluster bombs effectively in counteroffensive, says White House — www.theguardian.com — 21 July 2023 (LINK)

— Ukraine has pledged to only use the controversial bombs to dislodge concentrations of Russian enemy soldiers.

Women burn down houses of two accused of parading women from the Kuki tribal group naked on Manipur streets last May: four arrests after video appeared on social media in hortheastern region of inter-ethnic violence — ground.news: 33 media reports — 21 July 2023 (LINK)

— Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the situation in the state for the first time on 20 July, saying: "My heart is filled with grief and anger. The incident in Manipur is shameful for any civil society. What happened with the daughters of Manipur can never be forgiven," adding the "law will take its course with all its might."

Italy starts removing lesbian mothers' names from children's birth certificates, in Padua — edition.cnn.com — 21 July 2023 (LINK)

— The birth certificates belong to 33 children of Italian women who underwent artificial insemination abroad and then registered their children under the city's center-left government, led by Sergio Giordani, in 2017.

Rishi Sunak suffers two election losses as British voters reject ailing Conservative government but holds on to Boris Johnson's old seat — edition.cnn.com — 21 July 2023 (LINK)

Wealthiest People in Switzerland 2023 — ceoworld.biz — 21 July 2023 (LINK)

UN chief unveils new vision for peace across a 'multipolar world' — news.un.org — 20 July 2023 (LINK)

— The New Agenda for Peace presents twelve concrete sets of proposals for action, in five priority areas:

• strong measures to prevent conflicts at the global level and address geopolitical divisions, prioritizing diplomacy, and investments in regional security architectures
• a "paradigm for prevention that addresses all forms of violence", focusing on mediation and social cohesion; ensuring respect for human rights and meaningful participation of women in decision-making; and prioritizing links between sustainable development, climate action, and peace.
• The third area calls for updating peacekeeping operations to adapt to today's conflicts, many of which remain unresolved for decades, driven by complex domestic, geopolitical and transnational factors.
• Preventing weaponization of emerging domains and technologies and promoting responsible innovation, is highlighted as the fourth key area, noting the need for global governance to address threats posed by new technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) and autonomous weapons systems.
• The fifth priority area calls for urgent reforms to the Security Council, General Assembly, the UN's disarmament machinery, and the Peacebuilding Commission, to enhance collective security. "The Security Council in particular should more systematically seek the advice of the Commission on the peacebuilding dimensions of the mandates of peace operations," Mr. Guterres said.

The Secretary-General also introduced other policy briefs on Transforming Education and UN 2.0, aimed at improving education systems and modernising the UN to support the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

yahoo: UN chief says the world is in a new era marked by the highest major power competition in decades — (LINK)

Winners of 2023 UN Human Rights Prize Announced — news.un.org — 20 July 2023 (LINK)

— This year's winners were the Human Rights Center "Viasna", based in Belarus, Julienne Lusenge from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Amman Center for Human Rights Studies from Jordan, Julio Pereyra from Uruguay and the Global Coalition of civil society organizations, Indigenous Peoples, social movements and local communities. The recipients of the Prize were chosen by a Special Committee from more than 400 nominations received from Member States, the UN system, and civil society.

Russia to deem Ukraine-bound ships 'potential carriers of military cargo' — ground.news: 65 media reports — 20 July 2023 (LINK)

— Ukraine said on 19 July it was establishing a temporary shipping route via Romania, one of the neighbouring Black Sea countries.

French fury pushed U.S. economist Fiona Scott Morton to quit before she even took up her top EU post. And it might derail Margrethe Vestager's career, too — www.politico.eu: also version "voiced by artificial intelligence" — 20 July 2023 (LINK)

Senior Australian public servant Kathryn Campbell suspended without pay after robodebt findings — ground.news: 7 media reports — 20 July 2023 (LINK)

— Ms Campbell was made an adviser on the AUKUS security partnership in June last year, with a salary of $900,000 a year. She was singled out in the royal commission report into robodebt. The commission found Ms Campbell gave misleading evidence to cabinet about robodebt but stayed silent because then-minister Scott Morrison wanted to pursue robodebt and the government wouldn't be able to achieve budget savings without it.

Three people dead, several injured after Auckland construction site shooting, hours before the opening match of the Women's soccer World Cup in the New Zealand city — ground.news: 225 media reports — 20 July 2023 (LINK)

Tesla recalling nearly 16,000 of its 2021-2023 Model S and Model X vehicles due to seat belt issue after repairs — ground.news: 33 media reports — 20 July 2023 (LINK)

UK banking boss apologizes to UK populist politician Farage over the closure of his account for his political views — ap / thehill.com — 20 July 2023 (LINK)

— Alleged bank documents said Farage was "seen as xenophobic and racist" and "considered by many to be a disingenuous grifter." They said there was substantial "adverse press" associated with him and discussed the reputational risk to the bank by associating with him.

A judge has rejected 'QAnon Shaman' Jacob Chansley's bid to withdraw his guilty plea of obstructing Congress in the Jan. 6 Capitol attack and said his appearance on Tucker Carlson's show about Jan. 6 was disappointing. — www.washingtonpost.com — 20 July 2023 (LINK)

NYPD body cam data shows the scale of violence against George Floyd protesters: a landmark $13 million settlement with the City of New York is the latest in a string of legal wins for protesters helped by a video-analysis tool — www.wired.com — 20 July 2023 (LINK)

Tourists evacuated from Swiss Alps Glacier 3000 ski resort after cable car breaks down — afp / www.theguardian.com — 20 July 2023 (LINK)

Funding 'simply not enough' for Rohingya refugees with second ration cut in 3 months, UN agencies report — news.un.org — 20 July 2023 (LINK)

— In March, the value of the food vouchers for camp residents was reduced from $12 per person per month to $10, and in June, to just $8; the equivalent of 27 cents a day.

Libya: Rights experts denounce discriminatory travel policy against women — news.un.org — 20 July 2023 (LINK)

Guterres launches latest report on youth participation at the UN — news.un.org — 19 July 2023 (LINK)

— Mr. Guterres said the report reveals encouraging results, with 55 UN entities and 131 UN Country Teams actively supporting youth programming with governments and civil society around the world. "We are establishing a new United Nations Youth Office in the UN Secretariat to advance advocacy, coordination, and accountability for and with young people," he added. "And we are committed to doing even more."

China is reshaping UN development work — www.passblue.com — 19 July 2023 (LINK)

— Since taking over FAO in 2019, Qu Dongyu, recently re-elected, has been credited with making FAO more agile through management reform and innovative partnership mechanisms, including the Hand-in-Hand initiative. At the same time, Qu has attracted criticism for his initial position on the war against Ukraine, which echoed Russian rhetoric, and for evading UN accountability structures.

Taken altogether, Chinese engagement with the UN development pillar reflects a notion of multilateralism that differs from established (Western) concepts. China seems to see the UN more as a platform for facilitating bilateral exchanges, thriving on individual member state contributions. China's approach receives low scores on conventional global governance indices. But it might well offer a mechanism for adjusting the UN to changing political realities.

Swedish embassy in Baghdad stormed, set alight over Koran burning — ground.news: 226 media reports — 20 July 2023 (LINK)

Myanmar's shadow government backs launch of crypto-based bank — cointelegraph.com — 20 July 2023 (LINK)

Despite EU-Tunisia deal, Black refugees pushed out 'at gunpoint' — www.aljazeera.com — 19 July 2023 (LINK)

Egypt pardons jailed activists, including two prominent rights defenders, official reports say — ground.news: 44 media reports — 19 July 2023 (LINK)

heathercoxrichardson: Biden's new measures to promote competition in the economy — heathercoxrichardson.substack.com — 19 July 2023 (LINK)

Russian, Belarusian gymnasts allowed to compete as neutrals from January, says FIG — ground.news: 22 media reports — 19 July 2023 (LINK)

Trump State Department appointee convicted of 8 felonies for joining assault on police on Jan. 6 — www.wusa9.com — 20 July 2023 (LINK)

— Over the government's objection, the Trump-appointed judge allowed Federico Klein to return home to await his sentencing on 3 November.

US soldier who fled to North Korea, the first American detained in NK in 5 years, had served 2 months in South Korea prison on assault charge and was being sent home — ground.news: 17 media reports — 19 July 2023 (LINK)

Pioneering hacker Kevin Mitnick, FBI-wanted felon turned security guru, dead at 59 from pancreatic cancer — AP.com — 20 July 2023 (LINK)

Astronomers find first 'mind-blowing' evidence of exoplanets sharing same orbit — ground.news: 75 media reports — 20 July 2023 (LINK)

UN Secretary General embraces calls for a new UN agency on AI in the face of 'potentially catastrophic and existential risks' — edition.cnn.com — 18 July 2023 (LINK)

Russia raises age limit for conscription by at least five years — ground.news: 10 media reports — 18 July 2023 (LINK)

— New law allows the highest-ranking officers to serve until the age of 70. It also raises the upper age limit for men to be called up for compulsory military service, with men who have completed their compulsory service without further commitment now able to be mobilized up to the age of 40, 50, or 55 depending on their category.

Arresting Putin during his visit to South Africa for a summit in August would be declaration of war against Russia, Ramaphosa says, asking UN for permission not to arrest him — ground.news: 56 media reports — 18 July 2023 (LINK)

— South Africa has previously chosen not to honor its obligation to arrest individuals with ICC warrants, as seen when it allowed safe passage to Sudan's then-President Omar al-Bashir in 2015.

Russia strikes Ukraine grain port after exiting export deal — www.reuters.com ● — 18 July 2023 (LINK)

Islas Malvinas: EU signs deal using Falklands' Argentine and English name — ground.news: 9 media reports — 18 July 2023 (LINK)

Panama Ex-President Martinelli is sentenced to 10 years in prison for money laundering — ground.news: 49 media reports — 18 July 2023 (LINK)

— Martinelli, a supermarket magnate who governed Panama from 2009 to 2014, was elected by his party as its presidential candidate for the upcoming May 5 election. However, his sentencing has derailed his political comeback. Martinelli maintains that he is the victim of political persecution and denies any wrongdoing. The case revolved around the purchase of a media company, involving the funneling of money from companies that had won government contracts during Martinelli's presidency.

Prosecutor says risky investments were 'grave' violations, in closing of Vatican financial case — ground.news: main source: ap, 21 media reports — 18 July 2023 (LINK)

Childhood routine jabs pick up after COVID backslide: UN — ground.news: 5 media reports — 18 July 2023 (LINK)

Millions of sensitive US military emails sent to Russian ally Mali over past decade due to .ml typo for .mil: Report — ground.news: 104 media reports — 18 July 2023 (LINK)

— The issue was first brought to light by Dutch internet entrepreneur Johannes Zuurbier who manages the domain for Mali and whose contract is coming to an end.

16 false Trump electors face felony charges in Michigan, warrants issued on 13 and 14 July — eu.detroitnews.com — 18 July 2023 (LINK)

— They include former Michigan Republican Party Co-Chairwoman Meshawn Maddock and Shelby Township Clerk Stan Grot. All have been charged with eight felony counts, including forgery and conspiracy to commit election law forgery.

US Supreme Court rejected an 11th-hour bid to stop Microsoft's $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard, maker of popular games like Call of Duty, Candy Crush and World of Warcraft — variety.com — 18 July 2023 (LINK)

— A group of gamers asked the Supreme Court to block the deal, asserting that Microsoft's resulting power in the game industry would result in consumer harms. On Friday, the federal Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals denied a request by the Federal Trade Commission to stop the merger. The judge did not provide an explanation for her decision to deny the motion.

Isabelle Adjani will be tried in October for tax fraud and money laundering — afp / www.msn.com — 18 July 2023 (LINK)

— The actress is suspected of having concealed a donation of two million euros from a Senegalese businessman and of having fraudulently established her residence in Portugal. In another legal procedure, she was indicted in October 2020 for fraud after the complaint of a former consultant who accuses her of having disguised the reimbursement of 157,000 euros that she owed him.

Lack of funding forces UN to slash food program in Haiti amid a surge in malnutrition — ap / /news.yahoo.com — 17 July 2023 (LINK)

Russia halts wartime deal that allows Ukraine to ship grain from Black Sea ports in a hit to global food security — ground.news: 219 media reports — 17 July 2023 (LINK)

Millions will 'pay the price' of Russia's grain deal exit: UN chief — (LINK)

Russia: UN rights experts call for release of journalist Evan Gershkovich — news.un.org — 17 July 2023 (LINK)

Separatist attack kills 10 in Bamenda, the capital of northwestern Cameroon, regional governor says — ground.news: 28 media reports — 17 July 2023 (LINK)

Kenyan starvation cult death toll surpasses 400 after authorities find 12 more bodies — ground.news: 22 media reports — 17 July 2023 (LINK)

Chinese property developer Evergrande posts $81 billion loss over the past two years — ground.news: 42 media reports — 17 July 2023 (LINK)

First Swiss condemnation for crime against humanity under law introduced in 2011: Liberian exiled leader Alieu Kosiah convicted on 1 June 2023 of complicity in axe murder as war crime and crime against humanity 30 years ago — www.heidi.news (French) — 1 7July 2023 (LINK)

— Court in Bellinzona convicted Kosiah of several war crimes in June 2021, including the eating a piece of the man's heart. The man in the town of Foya had told a humanitarian group that Ulimo rebels had pillaged the hospital financed by the group. His thorax was publicly removed and his heart ceremonially devoured.

UNAMA says Taliban have further increased restrictions on Afghan women and girls — ground.news: 34 media reports — 17 July 2023 (LINK)

— The Ministry of Public Health has declared that only males can take exams for specialized medical studies, following previous bans on female medical students taking graduation exams and women attending universities. The Taliban has also enforced limitations on women's freedom of movement and employment, with instances of arrests, interrogations, and license suspensions of NGOs employing female staff. There have been reports of physical violence as well.

China reports record temperature for mid-July at 52.2Celsius in Xinjiang region — ground.news: 38 media reports — 17 July 2023 (LINK)

— A weather station in the Xinjiang region's Sanbao village "recorded a temperature peak of 52.2 degrees Celsius at 19:00 on July 16, breaking the historic heat record for the same period of the year", the China Meteorological Administration (CMA) said in a statement. The previous record of 50.6C was set in July 2017, according to the statement.

Tourists head to Death Valley in hopes of experiencing record temperature highs there — boingboing.net — 17 July 2023 (LINK)

Israel recognises Western Sahara as part of Morocco — ground.news: 73 media reports — 17 July 2023 (LINK)

Novak Djokovic fined $8K for Wimbledon racket smash — www.foxnews.com — 17 July 2023 (LINK)

All the positive environmental stories from 2023 so far — www.euronews.com — 17 July 2023 (LINK)

British experts urge health regulators to approve 'turning point' dementia drugs donanemab (slows Alzheimer's by 35%) and lecanemab (slows Alzheimer's by 27%) — ground.news: main report: guardian, 6 media reports — 17 July 2023 (LINK)