Biden administration to urge Americans get new COVID-19 boosters — ground.news main source: Reuters ●, 18 media reports — 20 August 2023 (LINK)

IFRC Secretary-General appeals for funds to help Sudanese trapped in war between generals: only 7% raised of the $45 million appealed for — ground.news main source: AP , 29 media reports — 20 August 2023 (LINK)

Ecuadorians reject oil drilling in the Amazon in historic decision — ground.news main source: AFP, 71 media reports — 20 August 2023 (LINK)

Anti-graft crusader wins Guatemala presidency by landslide — ground.news: media reports — 20 August 2023 (LINK)

Russia's first moon mission in decades fails after spacecraft collides with surface on 19 August — AP / yahoo — 20 August 2023 (LINK)

US court rules against copyright filing for AI-generated works — cryptopolitan — 20 August 2023 (LINK)

Pakistan's president refuses to sign new national security laws — ground.news main source: Reuters ●, 15 media reports — 20 August 2023 (LINK)

Libya's central bank announces reunification after nearly a decade of division due to civil war — ground.news main source: AP, 18 media reports — 20 August 2023 (LINK)

Somalia bans TikTok, Telegram and 1XBet over 'horrific' content, misinformation and "harm to youth" — ground.news: 43 media reports — 20 August 2023 (LINK)

2 Israelis killed in shooting at car wash after Palestinian medics reported that a 19-year-old Palestinian died of wounds sustained in an Israeli military raid into the West Bank on Wednesday — ground.news: 98 media reports — 19 August 2023 (LINK)

Egypt's president pardons activist Ahmed Douma,jailed for nearly 10 years after Mubarak ouster, and others — ground.news: 31 media reports — 19 August 2023 (LINK)

Ecuador mayor survives assassination attempt ahead of general elections when 30 shots fired at vehicle — ground.news: 7 media reports — 19 August 2023 (LINK)

90 migrants rescued from a stranded inflatable dinghies in Greece as the number of arrivals rises — ground.news main source main source: AP, 20 media reports — 19 August 2023 (LINK)

Officials commemorate 20th anniversary of deadly attack on UN headquarters in Iraq — ground.news main source: AP, 17 media reports — 19 August 2023 (LINK)

Turk Cypriots say road project disputed by UN is 'essential' — Reuters ● — 19 August 2023 (LINK)

Swiss national and 13 citizens arrested on 8 August in Myanmar for allegedly insulting Buddhism in film — ground.news main source: ANI, 41 media reports — 19 August 2023 (LINK)

— The film "Don't Expect Anything" was released on July 24 on YouTube and TikTok, Myawady Daily said.

Elon Musk backs Vivek Ramaswamy, young Republican Presidential hopeful with pro-crypto views, but currently he is embroiled in two lawsuits filed by former employees of Strive Asset Management, a company he co-founded. The employees claim that they were coerced into breaching securities laws during their time at the firm — cryptopolitan — 19 August 2023 (LINK)

Elon Musk admits X 'may fail' after glitch deletes Twitter photos — ground.news: 14 media reports — 19 August 2023 (LINK)

WFP says forced to cut Yemen rations, compounding food crisis — ground.news main source: AFP, 9 media reports — 18 August 2023 (LINK)

— Yemen, the poorest country on the Arabian Peninsula, has been facing a devastating conflict for eight years, with 17 million Yemenis experiencing food insecurity and millions requiring treatment for acute malnutrition.

UNRWA suspends services in Palestinian refugee camp in Lebanon over gunmen inside its facilities — ground.news: 21 media reports — 18 August 2023 (LINK)

UN rights office condemns "extremely brutality" of gang attacks that killed at least 2,400 Haitians this year and lead 5,000 to flee: gangs control about 80 percent of Haiti's capital — ground.news: 20 media reports — 18 August 2023 (LINK)

— More than 950 kidnappings and 902 injuries have been reported.

US, allies condemn assault on UN peacekeepers by Turkish Cypriots — The Hill — 18 August 2023 (LINK)

Chad's FACT rebel group ends ceasefire over alleged attack by junta — ground.news main source: Reuters ●, 9 media reports — 18 August 2023 (LINK)

Brazil arrests 7 senior military police officers for allegedly assisting in Jan. 8 riots: officers not yet charged, but among those arrested is the general commander of the military police of Brasilia — ground.news: 23 media reports — 18 August 2023 (LINK)

At least 21 civilians killed in central Mali attack on Mopti village — ground.news main source: Reuters ●, 9 media reports — 18 August 2023 (LINK)

US cancels visas of 100 Nicaraguan municipal officials, barring them over rights abuses — ground.news main source: AP, 22 media reports — 19 August 2023 (LINK)

Guatemala court ends suspension of Seed Movement party ahead of Sunday's election — ground.news main source: AP, 9 media reports — 18 August 2023 (LINK)

Canada demands Meta lift news ban to allow wildfire info sharing — rReuters ● — 18 August 2023 (LINK)

UN rights chief: North Korea is increasing repression as people are reportedly starving in parts of the country — AP / yahoo news — 18 August 2023 (LINK)

At historic Camp David summit US, Japan and South Korea condemn 'dangerous and aggressive actions' by China: also agreed to hold trilateral military training exercises annually and share real-time information on North Korean missile launches — ground.news main source: Reuters ●, 27 media reports — 18 August 2023 (LINK)

Dominican officials say plastics company to blame for explosion that killed 31 people — ground.news main source: AP, 11 media reports — 18 August 2023 (LINK)

Japanese government panel finds rampant coverups, mishandling of harassment cases in military — ground.news main source: AP, 18 media reports — 18 August 2023 (LINK)

FIFA head Infantino says Women's World Cup breaks even but plays down calls for equal prize money: $110m for women, $440m for men — ground.news: 14 media reports — 18 August 2023 (LINK)

— FIFA President Gianni Infantino says women should "pick the right battles" to "convince us, men, what we have to do" over equality issues in soccer.

Neonatal nurse,33, in a British hospital found guilty of killing 7 babies and attempted murder of 7 others in 2015 and 2016: country's most prolific child serial killer in modern times — ground.news main source: AP, 280 media reports — 19 August 2023 (LINK)

— Her motives remain unclear, but the scale of her crimes points to intricate planning. One of the senior doctors at the Countess of Chester Hospital told the BBC he had repeatedly tried to raise the alarm about Letby but hospital executives failed to investigate the allegations. Dr Stephen Brearley, the lead doctor in the neonatal unit, said the hospital tried to silence doctors who complained about Lucy Letby and delayed calling the police.The British government launched an independent inquiry soon after the verdicts that will look into the wider circumstances around what happened at the hospital, including the handling of concerns raised by staff. Police launched an investigation into the baby deaths at the hospital in May 2017 and Letby was eventually charged in November 2020.

Letby testified for 14 days, proclaiming her innocence. During the trial, the defense argued that she was a "hard-working, dedicated and caring" nurse who loved her job and that the infants' sudden collapses and deaths could have been due to natural causes, or in combination with other factors such as staffing shortages at the hospital or failure by others to provide appropriate care.

A note police found at Letby's home after she was first arrested in 2018 will now stand as a chilling confession."I don't deserve to live," she wrote on a green sticky note shown in court. "I killed them on purpose because I'm not good enough to care for them. I am a horrible evil person," she wrote. "I AM EVIL I DID THIS."

Michael Jackson sexual abuse lawsuits revived by appeals court — ground.news: 91 media reports — 18 August 2023 (LINK)

Canada wildfire: all 20,000 Yellowknife residents evacuating — Reuters ● — 18 August 2023 (LINK)

Tenerife fires: 3,000 evacuated from Spanish island: most complex wildfire the Canary Islands has faced in the last 40 years — Reuters ● — 18 August 2023 (LINK)

WHO, CDC tracking new "Pirola" lineage of virus that causes COVID detected in US, Israel and Denmark — ground.news: 36 media reports — 17 August 2023 (LINK)

Moderna's updated COVID-19 vaccine effective against 'Eris' variant in humans — ground.news main source: Reuters ●, 11 media reports — 17 August 2023 (LINK)

First civilian cargo ship from Ukraine port reaches Istanbul despite Russian blockade — AP / yahoo — 17 August 2023 (LINK)

— The Hong Kong-flagged Joseph Schulte left the port of Odesa on Wednesday — the first vessel to directly challenge Russia's new bid to seal Ukraine's access to the Black Sea. Marine traffic sites showed it approaching its final destination in Istanbul after moving along a western route that avoided international waters in favour of those controlled by NATO members Romania and Bulgaria.

Study reveals America's wealthiest 10% responsible for 40% of US greenhouse gas emissions through companies they own — ground.news main source: PLOS Climate, 8 media reports — 17 August 2023 (LINK)

China Evergrande seeks Chapter 15 protection in Manhattan bankruptcy court to safeguard US assets — ground.news: 38 media reports — 17 August 2023 (LINK)

Australian megachurch founder Brian Houston acquitted of covering up father's child sex crimes: followed the wishes of his father's victim — CNN — 17 August 2023 (LINK)

ECOWAS commissioner says all member states will join ECOWAS standby force for Niger except those under military rule and Cape Verde. — Al Jazeera — 17 August 2023 (LINK)

Court clears the way for Thai Parliament to pick a new prime minister 3 months after elections — ground.news: 13 media reports — 17 August 2023 (LINK)

— Thailand's Constitutional Court declined to rule on a complaint over the rejection of the progressive Move Forward Party's leader as a prime ministerial candidate, clearing the way for Parliament to vote for a new prime minister. The court's decision was based on the grounds that the complainants were not directly affected by Parliament's decision and therefore not entitled to submit the case.

Unable to sell their harvests, Ukrainian farmers struggle to survive — Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty — 16 August 2023 (LINK)

Gotthard rail tunnel, world's longest at 57km, inaugurated in 2016, closes to passengers for months after Swiss derailment — The Guardian — 17 August 2023 (LINK)

— The tube that was unaffected in the derailment — should be operable "in principle" starting next Wednesday for cargo trains, SBB said, but passenger train traffic would have to wait for months.

"It appears that the extent of damage is considerably greater than that shown by the first estimates. In total, about eight kilometres (five miles) of track and 20,000 concrete railroad ties will have to be replaced," SBB said. "Restoration work should continue until the end of 2023. "Passenger trains will run on the panoramic route until further notice," it said. The alternate route adds an hour for domestic travellers and two hours for international travelers.

H&M probes alleged Myanmar factory abuses as pressure intensifies — ground.news main source: Reuters ●, 17 media reports — 17 August 2023 (LINK)

More than 100 people have been arrested in a city in east Pakistan after thousands of Muslims burned churches and vandalised homes. Violence in Jaranwala was sparked by claims that two Christian men had torn pages from the Quran — BBC — 17 August 2023 (LINK)

British Museum sacks staff member over missing and stolen items — euronews — 17 August 2023 (LINK)

— Most were small items kept in a storeroom and none had been on display recently, the museum said. The stolen artefacts include gold jewellery and gems of semi-precious stones and glass dating from the 15th century B.C. to the 19th century A.D.

China's government tries to defuse economic fears after real estate developer Country Garden's debt struggle — ground.news main source: apnews, 13 media reports — 17 August 2023 (LINK)

ChatGPT shows 'significant and systemic' left-wing bias, study finds — ground.news: 7 media reports — 17 August 2023 (LINK)

More than 60 migrants, believed to be from Senegal, feared dead at sea off Cape Verde coast after more than a month at sea — BBC — 17 August 2023 (LINK)

Maui Emergency Management Agency head resigns: death toll from the wildfires rises to 111 — ground.news main source: AP, 131 media reports — 17 August 2023 (LINK)

Wildfire on Spain's Tenerife spreads across island's north in one day, half a dozen villages evacuated — Reuters ● — 17 August 2023 (LINK)

Hundreds of wildfires raging in Canada's Northwest Territories prompt evacuations in what officials are calling a 'crisis situation' threatening capital city of Yellowknife: more than 230 active fires are charring areas across the Northwest Territories — CNN — 17 August 2023 (LINK)

Explosion on 14 August at a bakery in the Dominican Republic has now claimed the lives of at least 27 people — agencies / New York Daily News — 17 August 2023 (LINK)

China Evergrande seeks Chapter 15 protection in Manhattan bankruptcy court to safeguard US assets — ground.news: 38 media reports — 17 August 2023 (LINK)

Asian stocks hit 9-month lows on worries over China economy, US rates — ground.news: 10 media reports — 17 August 2023 (LINK)

World chess federation bars transgender women from competing in women's events on 14 August, draws criticism from advocacy groups and supporters of transgender rights — ground.news: 20 media reports — 17 August 2023 (LINK)

Russian spacecraft reaches lunar orbit in preparation for moon landing — ground.news: 25 media reports — 16 August 2023 (LINK)

First cargo ship leaves Ukraine, defying Russia's threat — ground.news: 22 media reports — 16 August 2023 (LINK)

Putin opponents exiled in Europe allege they were poisoned — Newsweek — 16 August 2023 (LINK)

Afghan women demand education rights in UN appeal — ground.news main source: afp, 13 media reports — 16 August 2023 (LINK)

Libya fighting on 14 and 15 August leaves 55 dead, dozens injured, worst clashes in one year — medics: ends after commander released — Al Jazeera — 16 August 2023 (LINK)

At least 90 rivers in northeastern China have risen above warning levels and 24 have already overflowed, threatening Songliao Basin and 100 million with flooding — ground.news: 18 media reports — 16 August 2023 (LINK)

Rescuers recover 33 bodies from a landslide at a Myanmar jade mine, with 3 people still missing — ground.news: 65 media reports — 16 August 2023 (LINK)

Pig kidney works in a donated body for over a month, a step toward animal-human transplants — ground.news: 115 media reports — 16 August 2023 (LINK)

$750 million in properties, luxury cars and assets seized in Singapore police probe into money laundering from overseas criminal activities; 10 foreigners charged — ground.news: 18 media reports — 16 August 2023 (LINK)

New York City bans TikTok on government-owned devices over security concerns — ground.news: 34 media reports — 16 August 2023 (LINK)

Associated Press limits how journalists can use Generative AI — decrypt — 16 August 2023 (LINK)

UK inflation falls sharply to 6.8% as cost of living pressures from oil and electricity ease in August but core inflation increases — ground.news: 9 media reports — 16 August 2023 (LINK)

Jury awards Texas woman $1.2 billion in 'revenge porn' lawsuit — ground.news main source: nyt, 30 media reports — 16 August 2023 (LINK)

Sudan crisis: Situation 'spiraling out of control,' UN says — ground.news: 15 media reports — 15 August 2023 (LINK)

— The UN expresses particular concern for women and girls in Sudan, citing an increase of more than 900% in gender-based violence in conflict areas. Over 14 million children are in need of aid and more than four million people displaced.

At least 27 dead following clashes between rival factions in Libya — ground.news: 35 media reports — 15 August 2023 (LINK)

YouTube announces new policies to target medical misinformation: content that contradicts established health guidance on topics like Covid-19, reproductive health, cancer, and harmful substances will be removed — ground.news: 56 media reports — 15 August 2023 (LINK)

Global wealth declined for the first time since the 2008 financial crisis, with a loss of $11.3 trillion in household wealth in 2022, hitting the richest countries the hardest, including the US, Japan, China, Canada, and Australia — ground.news: 10 media reports — 15 August 2023 (LINK)

Russia's central bank makes huge interest rate hike of 3.5% to 12% to stem steep fall in ruble — ground.news: 142 media reports — 15 August 2023 (LINK)

Russia strikes western Ukraine in large-scale air attack — ground.news: 5 media reports — 15 August 2023 (LINK)

Ukrainian musicians, the Similar Girls, sang in the streets — hours later they were dead on 11 August — NBC news: yahoo — 15 August 2023 (LINK)

At least 30 die in inferno at petrol station in Dagestan southern Russia — BBC — 15 August 2023 (LINK)

China opposes UN Security Council meeting on North Korea rights requested by the United States, Albania, and Japan — the first public discussion on this issue since 2017. — ground.news: media reports — 15 August 2023 (LINK)

The Taliban believe their rule is open-ended and don't plan to lift the ban on female education — interview marking second anniversary of takeover — ground.news main source: apnews, 41 media reports — 15 August 2023 (LINK)

A passenger charged in Australia with allegedly threatening to blow up an airliner on flight to Malaysia — AP — 15 August 2023 (LINK)

Australian ex-priest, jailed since 1994, has prison sentence extended to 40 years for molesting 72nd child victim — ground.news: 17 media reports — 15 August 2023 (LINK)

Strong tropical storm lashing central and western Japan and disrupting holiday travel — ground.news main source: apnews, 19 media reports — 15 August 2023 (LINK)

China suspends giving update on surging youth unemployment as economic slump deepens — ground.news: 14 media reports — 15 August 2023 (LINK)

Trump indicted in Georgia over 2020 election meddling, the 4th criminal case against him — ground.news: 353 media reports — 14 August 2023 (LINK)

— The charges include racketeering, violating the oath of a public officer, forgery, and false statements. The defendants, including Rudy Giuliani and Trump's former chief of staff Mark Meadows, must surrender to authorities by August 25th.

Montana judge hands historic win to young plaintiffs in climate change case — ground.news: 174 media reports — 14 August 2023 (LINK)

Heavy rains trigger floods and landslides in India's Himalayan region, leaving at least 48 dead — AP / abcnews — 14 August 2023 (LINK)

Political leader in Ecuador is killed less than a week after presidential candidate's assassination — ground.news: 27 media reports — 14 August 2023 (LINK)

Pakistan's caretaker prime minister sworn in as people celebrate Independence Day — AP / Yahoo — 14 August 2023 (LINK)

Polish premier looks to hold referendum to ask citizens if they support accepting 'illegal immigrants' — Al Jazeera — 14 August 2023 (LINK)

In a rare televised speech, Sudan's military leader accuses rival of committing war crimes — Al Jazeera — 14 August 2023 (LINK)

Volcanic cloud closes airport after Mount Etna erupts — CNN — 14 August 2023 (LINK)

After 30% students quit universities as unprepared, UK to revert to strict 'pre-pandemic' grading system — ground.news: 6 media reports — 14 August 2023 (LINK)