Shrinking international aid and enduring conflict compound earthquake misery for Syrians one year on: The devastating 7.8 magnitude earthquake on Feb. 6, 2023, killed more than 59,000 people in Syria and Turkey — ground.news main source: AP, 19 media reports — 4 February 2024 (LINK)

Russian cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko sets record for most time in space — more than 878 days. He is expected to reach 1,000 days in space on June 5 and a total of 1,110 days by late September — ground.news: 22 media reports — 4 February 2024 (LINK)

Namibia's President Hage Geingob dies at 82 after undergoing cancer treatment: Vice President Nangolo Mbumba will serve as acting president until the end of the year when presidential and parliamentary elections will take place — ground.news: 178 media reports — 4 February 2024 (LINK)

Houthis vow more Red Sea attacks after third wave of US-UK strikes on Yemen: Washington says assault targeted 13 locations, including underground weapons stores, missile systems and launchers — The Guardian UK ● — 4 February 2024 (LINK)

CNN staff say network's pro-Israel slant amounts to 'journalistic malpractice': Insiders say pressure from the top results in credulous reporting of Israeli claims and silencing of Palestinian perspectives — The Guardian UK ● — 4 February 2024 (LINK)

UN food agency says it has reports of people dying from starvation amid the conflict in Sudan — ground.news main source: AP, 29 media reports — 3 February 2024 (LINK)

New head of U.N. weather agency announces plans to strengthen early-warning systems: 'our strategies must reflect the urgency': One-third of the world's people, mainly in least-developed countries and small island developing states, are still not covered by early warning systems — thecooldown.com — 3 February 2024 (LINK)

Study uncovers alarming underestimates of global threat expected to expand drastically in coming decades: 'expect survivable but not livable conditions' — thecooldown.com — 3 February 2024 (LINK)

— "Areas like North India and Bangladesh may expect survivable but not livable conditions much more frequently by the end of this century at six months every decade.

Previous studies failed to look at the effects of individual differences that may affect warming or cooling. In contrast, the new study took into account factors such as clothing, body size, level of activity, and variations in sweating. The team also considered environmental variables as well as interventions designed to mitigate or reduce the impact of heat stress.

Debt-stricken Sri Lanka signs a free trade pact with Thailand — ground.news: 13 media reports — 3 February 2024 (LINK)

Senegal's leader postpones Feb. 25 presidential vote, citing controversies over candidates list — ground.news: 49 media reports — 3 February 2024 (LINK)

Hamas deploys police, distributes funds in sign of resurgence in Gaza areas Israeli troops have left — ground.news main source: AP, 26 media reports — 3 February 2024 (LINK)

Pakistan's former premier Imran Khan and wife convicted of "unIslamic" marriage law violation in a fourth case — ground.news: 78 media reports — 3 February 2024 (LINK)

— The prosecution said Khan and his wife violated the law that a woman must wait three months before marrying again. Bibi had been married previously. It was Khan's fourth conviction since 2022, when he was ousted from power. The sentences will be served concurrently.

Sinn Féin first minister a defining moment in Northern Ireland: for the first time in more than 100 years, the top office in NI will be held by a nationalist — BBC — 3 February 2024 (LINK)

Kenya's president blames corruption and incompetence for huge liquid petroleum fireball that killed three and hurt hundreds in Nairobi — ground.news main source: AP, 23 media reports — 3 February 2024 (LINK)

— The National Environment Authority (NEMA) has suspended four officials, including the director of environmental compliance. The illegal gas depot in Nairobi's crowded Embakasi neighborhood had been demolished twice, and its owner had been found guilty of operating unlawfully. At least 72 businesses were affected by the resulting explosion.

U.S. job growth is trending up even as some industries experience big layoffs — apnews — 3 February 2024 (LINK)

I Prosecuted Donald Trump and Won. Here's How It's Done. — thedailybeast — 3 February 2024 (LINK)

UN climate chief's blunt message: Fewer loopholes, way more cash to really halt climate change — apnews — 2 February 2024 (LINK)

US forces attack at least 85 targets across Iraq and Syria; US has no plan to bomb Iran, which would be a huge escalation, officials say — The Guardian UK ● — 2 February 2024 (LINK)

The latest figures from the Gaza health ministry, which is run by Hamas, said 112 Palestinians were killed in Israeli strikes and 148 were injured in the past 24 hours. According to the statement, at least 27,131 Palestinians have been killed and 66,287 have been injured in Israeli strikes on Gaza since 7 October. The ministry does not distinguish between combatants and non-combatants. — The Guardian UK ● — 2 February 2024 (LINK)

Russian dissident's Swiss start-up has secretly supplied Ukraine with military drones: The Swiss-based company Destinus, best known for designing hypersonic rocket-propelled aircraft, has opened up to the French business magazine Challenges about its support to Ukraine's military — kyivpost — 2 February 2024 (LINK)

— 47-year-old Mikhail Kokorich said that Destinus is "already among the main drone producers in Europe" and "Ukraine is one of our main customers." Kokorich, the former head of Russia's space startup Dauria Aerospace, founded Destinus in 2021. He left his native Russia and moved to the US after Vladimir Putin came to power.

UN court to rule on progress of Ukraine's case against Russia disputing its 'genocide' basis for invasion; Russian warship believed sunk by sea drones off Crimea — The Guardian UK ● — 2 February 2024 (LINK)

EU countries approve technical details of AI Act — euronews — 2 February 2024 (LINK)

— It now needs a sign-off from EU lawmakers before the rules enter into force. France in particular has been sceptical about regulating so-called foundation models such as ChatGPT; the country opposed any binding obligation for providers of such models. It also had reservations about transparency requirements and trade secrets, but in the meeting of EU ambassadors, the text was unanimously approved.

How to end female genital mutilation? UN seeks to eradicate practice by 2030 — france24 — 2 February 2024 (LINK)

UN urges Philippines to curb killings of journalists — dw — 2 February 2024 (LINK)

Turkey central bank chief quits, citing need to protect her family — ground.news: 30 media reports — 2 February 2024 (LINK)

China pledges help for renters, among other moves to prop up its ailing property market — ground.news main source: AP, 13 media reports — 2 February 2024 (LINK)

Missing Chinese banker resigns from China Renaissance for 'health reasons' a year after disappearing and his reported custody by China's top anti-graft watchdog — ground.news: 17 media reports — 1 February 2024 (LINK)

London judge acquits climate activist Greta Thunberg over a protest at an oil industry conference — apnews — 2 February 2024 (LINK)

— The judge said that the police could have taken less restrictive measures, didn't properly define where protesters should move and the order to disperse that was given was "so unclear that it was unlawful," and those who didn't comply committed no offense.

U.S. economy added 353,000 jobs in January, much better than expected — ground.news: 4 media reports — 2 February 2024 (LINK)

First-ever chat between humans and humpback whales paves the way for extraterrestrial interactions — scoop.upworthy.com — 2 February 2024 (LINK)

What PolitiFact learned in 1,000 fact-checks of Donald Trump: It's not unusual for politicians of both parties to mislead, exaggerate or make stuff up. But few share Trump's disregard for factual accuracy. — www.poynter.org — 2 February 2024 (LINK)

?Biden left with few choices as immigration takes center stage in American politics? — ground.news main source: AP, 16 media reports — 2 February 2024 (LINK)

Lebanon's economic rebirth through Bitcoin — Forbes ● — 2 February 2024 (LINK)

— The Lebanese Pound, also known as the Lebanese Lira, has undergone an devastating depreciation, leaving citizens contending with the erosion of their life savings. As of October 17, 2019, even USD deposits were not spared and transformed into what locals have termed 'Lollars,' a phrase coined by a Lebanese economist. This meant that in practical terms, having $100 in the bank equated to being able to use it as only $10, highlighting the stark devaluation and financial reality facing the country.

U.S. President Joe Biden has issued an executive order imposing financial sanctions and visa bans on Israeli settlers in the West Bank who have been attacking Palestinians — ground.news: 230 media reports — 1 February 2024 (LINK)

The international court of justice (ICJ) has found Russia violated some parts of a UN anti-terrorism treaty by not investigating financial support for separatist groups in eastern Ukraine in 2014. The top UN court declined to rule specifically on alleged Russian responsibility for shooting down Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 over eastern Ukraine on 17 July 2014. The ICJ ruled that Russia violated the UN anti-discrimination treaty by failing to protect education in the Ukrainian language in Crimea. — The Guardian UK ● — 1 February 2024 (LINK)

First penguins die in Antarctic of deadly H5N1 bird flu strain, experts raise alarm — ground.news: 27 media reports — 1 February 2024 (LINK)

Global cancer cases to rise by more than 75% by 2050, WHO predicts — ground.news: 66 media reports — 1 February 2024 (LINK)