Colombia's leftist ELN rebels agree to stop kidnapping for ransom, at least temporarily if negotiations with the government continue: it remains uncertain if the ELN will release the 38 Colombians currently held in captivity — ground.news: 21 media reports — 17 December 2023 (LINK)

Trade rules and climate change: Africa stands to lose from proposed WTO policy tools — theconversation — 17 December 2023 (LINK)

Pope Francis' 87th birthday closes out a big year of efforts to reform the church, cement his legacy — AP — 17 December 2023 (LINK)

heathercoxrichardson: Trump's ideological allies — substack — 17 December 2023 (LINK)

Madagascar president starts new term amid opposition boycott — ground.news: 16 media reports — 16 December 2023 (LINK)

South African ex-President Jacob Zuma denounces the ANC, pledges to vote for a new party — ground.news: 35 media reports — 16 December 2023 (LINK)

Kuwait’s Emir Sheikh Nawaf al-Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah dies at 86 after 3-year rule: His half-brother, Sheikh Meshal al-Ahmad al-Jaber, 83, will assume the role of Kuwait's ruler — ground.news: 199 media reports — 16 December 2023 (LINK)

Vatican court convicts cardinal Angelo Becciu, 75, a former adviser to Pope Francis who was once considered a papal contender himself, of embezzlement — ground.news: 169 media reports — 16 December 2023 (LINK)

— The 10 defendants in a trial that focused on a disastrous investment by the Vatican in a luxury building in London, included financiers, lawyers and ex-Vatican employees accused of a range of financial crimes — all of whom were found guilty Saturday barring one, Becciu's former secretary Mauro Carlino. More than two and a half years after the trial opened, court president Giuseppe Pignatone read out sentences ranging from a fine to more than seven years in jail. The court also ordered the confiscation from those convicted of 166 million euros, and ordered them to compensate the civil parties to the tune of more than 200 million euros.

UN peacekeeping chief says has strong support for operations despite `headwinds' — ground.news main source: AP, 11 media reports — 16 December 2023 (LINK)

— 33 countries pledged 117 military and police units for UN peacekeeping operations, while 45 countries pledged over 100 training and partnership commitments. The number of UN peacekeepers has decreased from over 100,000 to 70,000 due to mission completions and demands by Mali and Congo for troops to leave.

The top 15 jobs workers are planning to quit partially due to stressful work environments, return-to-office mandates, low compensation packages and the current state of the economy: including computer technicians and health care workers — ground.news: 6 media reports — 16 December 2023 (LINK)

— Senior product manager, Phlebotomist, Line cook, Patient care technician, Emergency room registered nurse, Patient services representative, Cyber security analyst, Welder, cutter, solderer or brazer, Forklift operator, IT program manager, Critical care registered nurse, Retail sales associate, Software development engineer, Senior data analyst, Patient care coordinator.

Shipping giants Hapag-Lloyd and Maersk pause Red Sea travel amid attacks — ground.news: 71 media reports — 15 December 2023 (LINK)

The $10 billion charity in favour of the U.N.'s SDGs no one has heard of: SDG Impact Fund grew from $238 million in assets in 2020 to $10 billion in 2021 — Chronicle of Philanthropy — 15 December 2023 (LINK)

— It's impossible to know where donations came from because donor-advised funds are not required to identify donors. Nor is it clear how the DAF put its donations to charitable use or whether donors to the fund are receiving any benefits. SDG Impact's leaders did not respond to repeated requests for answers to questions related to the fund's assets, growth, and donations.

— One criticism of DAFs is that they allow the wealthy to derive benefits from charitable giving — without the actual charitable-giving part, at least not at the time they receive the tax benefit.

In 2018, a news release described the fund as the first to accept all types of crypto, token, and digital assets to support the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals, 17 interlinked global objectives designed to reduce hunger, improve the environment, and increase equality.

On its website, the fund allows donors to click on links to contribute to any of 16 causes. They include Gaia Gives, a crowdfunding platform dedicated to meeting the Sustainable Development Goals through "storytelling and engagement," and the Costa Rica Regenerative Retreat Sanctuary, where visitors "level up your life so you can be more productive in sharing your gifts with the world, making a lasting positive change for humanity." Another link on the site's "impact" section leads to "Donate to Win," which offers participants the chance to buy into a lottery for tickets to a Taylor Swift concert and a college football game. The website does not explain how these tickets are related to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.

Building AI for climate: opportunities and considerations — forbes — 15 December 2023 (LINK)

How solutions journalism is sparking change — reasonstobecheerful — 15 December 2023 (LINK)

Russia's Central Bank raises key rate to 16% amid growing inflation — themoscowtimes — 15 December 2023 (LINK)

Rudy Giuliani hit with $148M verdict for defaming two Georgia election workers — ground.news: 270 media reports — 15 December 2023 (LINK)

Prince Harry wins phone hacking lawsuit against Mirror Group Newspapers, awarded over $180 — AP — 15 December 2023 (LINK)

New York's Metropolitan Museum will return stolen ancient sculptures to Cambodia and Thailand — ground.news: 43 media reports — 15 December 2023 (LINK)

Slovenia to regulate AI use in media — euractiv — 15 December 2023 (LINK)

— ensuring all media outlets label content created using AI, according to a draft media bill released this week. Media will also be required to inform audiences about how they use generative AI, and they will be prohibited from publishing AI-generated content without such disclosures. There is an explicit ban on deep fakes, except in comedy and satirical shows, and youth and educational shows if the purpose is to improve media literacy. Even in such cases, deep fakes must be properly labelled. Fines for violating these regulations could reach up to €20,000.

The surprising reason airline crews dim the cabin lights (it's not to help you sleep): in case of an emergency where passengers and the flight crew have to abandon the aircraft, their eyes already are adjusted to the dark — rd.com — 15 December 2023 (LINK)

Ukraine gets historic EU green-light after Orban drops veto — dw — 14 December 2023 (LINK)

EU busts the Orbán myth with historic decision on Ukraine accessio — politico — (LINK)

Hungary blocks €50bn of EU funding for Ukraine — BBC ● — (LINK)

WHO calls for ban on flavored vapes — ground.news: 18 media reports — 14 December 2023 (LINK)

Taliban sending Afghan women to prison to protect them from gender-based violence, says UNAMA report — ground.news: 28 media reports — 14 December 2023 (LINK)

Leaders of Venezuela and Guyana agree to avoid use of force in land dispute — ground.news: 71 media reports — 14 December 2023 (LINK)

Nine breakthroughs for climate and nature in 2023 you may have missed — BBC — 14 December 2023 (LINK)

— Record-setting spending on clean energy in the US. A clean energy milestone in the world's power sector. A surge in lawsuits against polluters. Plastics manufacturers sued for pollution. A treaty for the oceans 40 years in the making. America's biggest dam removal. The EU promises to become forest-friendly. Deforestation of the Amazon slows. Upholding indigenous rights in Brazil. Climate cash for vulnerable countries.

The first marine fish declared extinct by IUCN in a tipping point for marine biodiversity: Java Stingaree last seen in 1862: more than 120 Critically Endangered marine fishes — cosmosmagazine — 14 December 2023 (LINK)

Dominica giant ditch frog: Scientists stunned after witnessing one of the fastest calamities to hit any species: 'Facing imminent extinction' — thecooldown — 14 December 2023 (LINK)

Australian mother wrongly jailed for 20 years over the death of her four children has convictions quashed — ground.news: 30 media reports — 14 December 2023 (LINK)

Circular X's latest newsletter reveals that the research project has been extended by its funder, the European Research Council, to run until 2026, and its focus has also expanded to include the full regions of the Europe, Asia and North America. It also recommends a 28 November article at The Network for Business Sustainability on Business Models for the Circular Economy based on the Circular X team's work — nbs — 14 December 2023 (LINK)

heathercoxrichardson: Republican narrative on Hunter Biden etc. finally challenged extensively — substack — 14 December 2023 (LINK)

Fox News top-rated cable channel for 8th straight year with 1.2 million viewers, but down from 1.4 million — The Hill — 15 December 2023 (LINK)

You can sign up for ChatGPT Plus again, no waiting required — zdnet — 14 December 2023 (LINK)

DeepMind AI with built-in fact-checker makes mathematical discoveries: company claims it has developed a way to harness the creativity of chatbots to solve mathematical problems while filtering out mistakes — newscientist — 14 December 2023 (LINK)

Millions infected with dengue as hotter temperatures cause virus to flare: sweeping across the Western Hemisphere in numbers not seen since record-keeping began in 1980 — AP — 13 December 2023 (LINK)

COP28 nations adopt first-ever climate deal to 'transition away' from fossil fuels — ground.news: 3 media reports — 13 December 2023 (LINK)

— The global deal, approved without comments, calls for transitioning away from fossil fuels but falls short of seeking a phase-out. Critics argue that the deal contains loopholes allowing for the continued expansion of fossil fuels, including natural gas.

Scores injured in missile attack on Kyiv; Zelenskiy gets frosty reception from Republicans in Washington; Biden announces $200m military aid package — The Guardian UK ● — 13 December 2023 (LINK)

Russia has lost 87% of troops it had prior to start of Ukraine war, according to US intelligence assessment — CNN — 13 December 2023 (LINK)

Declassified US intelligence reveals massive Russian losses in Ukraine — more than 13,000 Russian forces have been killed or wounded: Analysis — eurasiareview — 13 December 2023 (LINK)

Ukraine has lost 18% of its scientists fleeing the war — epfl — 13 December 2023 (LINK)

Al Jazeera: Israel-Hamas war: List of key events, day 68 — Al Jazeera — 13 December 2023 (LINK)

U.S. House of Representatives formally approves Biden impeachment inquiry — ground.news: 258 media reports — 13 December 2023 (LINK)

Judge puts hold on Trump's federal election interference case while appeals process plays out — ground.news main source: AP, 114 media reports — 13 December 2023 (LINK)

Argentina inflation tops 160%, with December expected "substantially higher", spotlighting challenge for Milei — ground.news: 15 media reports — 13 December 2023 (LINK)

Fed holds rates steady at 5.25%-5.5% (22-year high), indicates three cuts coming in 2024 — ground.news: 31 media reports — 13 December 2023 (LINK)

Tesla's 2 million cars recall will make it harder — but not impossible — to misuse Autopilot: "minimal progress" — theverge — 13 December 2023 (LINK)

UN warns nearly 50 million people could face hunger next year in West and Central Africa — ground.news main source: AP, 27 media reports — 12 December 2023 (LINK)

Argentina devalues its currency by over 50% and cuts subsidies as part of shock economic measures — ground.news: 117 media reports — 12 December 2023 (LINK)

Taliban suicide bomber attacks police compound in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan, killing 23 officers and wounding 32 — ground.news: 120 media reports — 12 December 2023 (LINK)

Nearly one-fifth of Israeli soldiers killed in Gaza died due to friendly fire and other accidents, IDF says — ground.news: 16 media reports — 12 December 2023 (LINK)

Israeli forces raid Gaza's Kamal Adwan Hospital after days of strikes: Dozens of patients and about 3,000 displaced people are inside, UN says, as Gaza Health Ministry calls for international help. — Al Jazeera — 12 December 2023 (LINK)

UN aid agency chief visits Gaza amid Israel war: Situation 'hell on earth' — ground.news: 13 media reports — 12 December 2023 (LINK)

4 NGOs — Amnesty International, Campaign Against Arms Trade, Human Rights Watch, War on Want — call for UK government to intervene and halt arms sales to Israel — The Guardian UK ● — 12 December 2023 (LINK)

Mahsa Amini's name is 'secret code for freedom' says mother as EU presents award — ground.news: 27 media reports — 12 December 2023 (LINK)

— The European Parliament awarded the EU's top human rights prize to 22-year-old who died in police custody in Iran last year, along with an Iranian human rights group. The family of Jina Mahsa Amini was restricted from speaking out about women's rights and human rights abuses in Iran.The movement called 'Woman, Life, Freedom' in Iran received international recognition after activist Narges Mohammadi won the Nobel Peace Prize.

NOAA's Arctic "report card" points to rapid and dramatic impacts of climate change: warmest summer since 1900 — ground.news: 12 media reports — 12 December 2023 (LINK)

5 big promises made at annual UN climate talks and what has happened since — ground.news main source: AP, 27 media reports — 12 December 2023 (LINK)

• Kyoto Protocol, 1997: Despite the agreement to cut emissions, it was only in 2005 that countries agreed to finally act on the Protocol. The United States and China — the two highest emitters both then and now — didn't sign the agreement.
• Copenhagen, 2009: Rich countries promised to channel $100 billion a year to developing countries for green technologies by 2020. But they didn't reach $100 billion by the start of the 2020s, drawing criticism from developing states and environmentalists alike. In 2022, the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development said rich countries might have finally met and even exceeded the $100 billion goal. But Oxfam, a group focused on anti-poverty efforts, said it's likely that 70% of the funds were in the form of loans that actually increased the debt crisis in developing countries.
• Paris Agreement, 2015: The world hasn't exceeded the 1.5C warming limit set in the Paris agreement — it has warmed around 1.1 or 1.2 degrees Celsius (2 to 2.2 degrees Fahrenheit) since the early 1800s — but is currently well on its way there, unless drastic emissions cuts are made quickly.
• Glasgow 2021: So far, countries have failed to deliver on the Glasgow deal. Emissions from coal have slightly increased and major coal-using countries have yet to begin moving away from the dirtiest of fossil fuels.
• Sharm el-Sheikh, 2022: fund to help poorer nations recover from the impacts of climate change. Formally created on first day in Dubai. Over $700 million has already been pledged. Climate experts say the pledges are just a fraction of the billions of dollars.

Sri Lanka will get the second tranche of a much-need bailout package from the IMF: Sri Lanka's economy is projected to continue negative growth in 2023 but could grow by 1.8% in 2024, putting its debt on a path towards sustainability — ground.news main source: AP, 27 media reports — 12 December 2023 (LINK)

South African court rules government's recognition of Zulu king was unlawful — ground.news: 36 media reports — 12 December 2023 (LINK)

Sam Bankman-Fried's attorney calls him the 'worst' witness ever after fraud conviction — forbes — 12 December 2023 (LINK)

AI unlocks new insights in neurodegenerative disease research — epfl — 12 December 2023 (LINK)

Homeowner tests water-generating hydropanels — money- and potentially life-saving technology — thecooldown — 12 December 2023 (LINK)

— The panels basically work as advertised — over the course of the year, the panels produced 2,539 liters of water (about 670 gallons), or around 5,000 bottles' worth. With a $6,000 upfront installation cost and $100 yearly maintenance costs, the SOURCE panels would cost $7,500 over 15 years. They would produce 38,000 liters (about 8,359 gallons) of water, coming out to roughly $0.20 per liter (or $0.90 per gallon) — about half the cost of bottled water from Costco. But the panels are very loud and that the water they produced was often warm.

World leaders agree to a climate deal on food for the first time: but it sidesteps contentious issues such as meat consumption — scientificamerican — 11 December 2023 (LINK)

World Economic Forum at COP28: 12 high-impact business, government and civil society partnerships for climate and nature — eurasiareview — 12 December 2023 (LINK)

UN warns of massive funding shortfall as global crises mount — Al Jazeera — 11 December 2023 (LINK)

Nearly one in four people now drought stricken — UNCCD — eurasiareview — 11 December 2023 (LINK)

Italy, France and Germany call on EU to impose 'ad hoc sanctions regime' against Hamas — The Guardian UK ● — 11 December 2023 (LINK)

EU passes historic environmental law that will impact the entire world: 'This is highly significant and to be wholeheartedly commended' — yahoo — 11 December 2023 (LINK)

— Law criminalizes some of the most serious forms of environmental damage. Although the text of the law does not use the word "ecocide," its preamble says that it intends to criminalize "cases comparable to ecocide."

The Mexican government was the latest to propose such a law which, if it passes, would see Mexico join Vietnam, Russia, Ukraine, and France, all of which have criminalized ecocide — formally defined as "unlawful or wanton acts committed with knowledge that there is a substantial likelihood of severe and widespread or long-term damage to the environment being caused by those acts."

The EU law should be formalized next spring, at which point we will have to wait and see how exactly, and against whom, it is enforced.

The text of the law mentions water abstraction, ship recycling and pollution, the introduction and spread of invasive alien species, and ozone destruction (the Guardian notes that it does not mention fishing, the export of toxic waste to developing countries, or carbon market fraud).

Five countries in East and Southern Africa have anthrax outbreaks, WHO says — ground.news: 31 media reports — 11 December 2023 (LINK)

— A total of 1,166 suspected cases had been reported in Kenya, Malawi, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe. Thirty-seven cases had been confirmed by laboratory tests, WHO said. It said the five countries have seasonal outbreaks every year, but Zambia was experiencing its worst since 2011 and Malawi reported its first human case this year. Uganda had reported 13 deaths. Seven more deaths in other countries.

Why is Gen Z so pro-Palestine and anti-Israel? On TikTok, where half the users are under 30, #freepalestine has 31 billion posts compared to 590 million for #standwithisrael — more than 50 times as many — thehill — 11 December 2023 (LINK)

National Security Minister suggests bias in recent UN report on New Providence prison and detention centers — ewnews — 11 December 2023 (LINK)

Sports Illustrated CEO fired following AI articles controversy — ground.news: 25 media reports — 11 December 2023 (LINK)

Harvard, Penn and MIT's presidents made a fatal error in their free speech defense: they "missed the forest through the trees, upholding the right to free speech above the safety of students" — CNN — 11 December 2023 (LINK)

COP28 Summit: UN, activists ramp up urgency as talks enter final days: poring over the latest language on how the world plans to cap planet-warming emissions and keep the worst of warming at bay — AP — 11 December 2023 (LINK)

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has called talks in Switzerland for 14 January 2024 on the peace plan he is advocating, Swiss Foreign Ministry confirms. The meeting, announced by Zelensky on 19 December, will take place the day before the start of the World Economic Forum in Davos — Keystone-SDA (German) — 11 December 2023 (LINK)

— The meeting is to be attended by the security advisers of several countries.

India court upholds Modi's move to scrap Kashmir's autonomy — Bloomberg ● — 11 December 2023 (LINK)

Nearly 300 killed in Gaza in 24 hours as Hamas, Netanyahu trade threats — Al Jazeera — 11 December 2023 (LINK)

Bernie Madoff victims to get additional $158 million in restitution: Nearly 25,000 of the victims in Madoff's Ponzi scheme will see restitution through the Madoff Victim Fund — CBS — 11 December 2023 (LINK)

Upper-Valais village of Grengiols votes by 190 to 70 with 80% participation to plant 230,000 solar panels at 2500m to provide enough electricity for 40,000 households — lenouvelliste (French) — 10 December 2023 (LINK)