More than 100 killed and 760 injured as Israeli forces open fire in chaos at Gaza food lines, Palestinian health ministry says: CNN is unable to independently confirm these numbers — ground.news main source: CNN, 33 media reports — 29 February 2024 (LINK)

Hamas warns it could end hostage talks after killings: An Israeli source said troops opened fire on Thursday at a crowd that surrounded aid trucks in the Gaza Strip after feeling under threat — The Guardian UK ● — 29 February 2024 (LINK)

Putin warns that sending Western troops to Ukraine risks a global nuclear conflict — ground.news: 228 media reports — 29 February 2024 (LINK)

UN experts accuse Nicaragua's government of abuses 'tantamount to crimes against humanity' — ground.news: 22 media reports — 29 February 2024 (LINK)

Dengue cases in Peru are surging, fueled by mosquitoes and high temperatures brought by El Niño — ground.news: 59 media reports — 29 February 2024 (LINK)

India's economy grows at 7.6%, its fastest pace in six quarters, and 8.4% in final three months of 2023, in election boost for Modi but farm sector faces challenges with a 0.8% contraction in GVA growth for the quarter. — ground.news: 23 media reports — 29 February 2024 (LINK)

Biden administration to investigate national security risks posed by Chinese-made 'smart cars' — ground.news: 12 media reports — 29 February 2024 (LINK)

A new guide from the International Trade Centre explores how small businesses can use AI tools to more efficiently create content and promote their work while maintaining clients' trust — intracen.org — 29 February 2024 (LINK)

ICC awards $56 million in reparations to thousands of victims of convicted Ugandan rebel commander — ground.news: 19 media reports — 28 February 2024 (LINK)

Ukraine war: Russian human rights campaigner Oleg Orlov, co-chair of the Nobel Peace Prize-winning organisation "Memorial", sentenced to 2.5 years' jail for "discrediting" the Russian armed forces: In October 2023, a court had delivered a guilty verdict but the punishment had been considerably milder. Oleg Orlov had received a 150,000 rouble fine (£1,290; $1,630) and walked free. Prosecutors complained that the sentence was too soft. A higher court cancelled the ruling, and a re-trial was ordered — BBC — 28 February 2024 (LINK)

Hong Kong moves towards enacting tougher security law amid concerns about freedoms — ground.news main source: AP, 13 media reports — 28 February 2024 (LINK)

Chad opposition leader Yaya Dillo killed as he led attack on security agency in the capital, official says — ground.news: 28 media reports — 28 February 2024 (LINK)

Thailand to ban recreational cannabis use by year-end: Draft law proposes fines up to $1,700 for recreational use and prison time for selling cannabis without permission — ground.news main source: Reuters, 20 media reports — 28 February 2024 (LINK)

Google paying some news publishers to publish AI-generated articles: The program is apparently a part of the Google News Initiative which was introduced in 2018. — 9to5google.com — 28 February 2024 (LINK)

Majority of top UK news websites are blocking AI crawlers: but more than four in ten allow all AI web crawlers to scrape their content without any hindrance and not Politico or Daily Beast — cryptopolitan — 28 February 2024 (LINK)

— Mirror, Express, Manchester Evening News, Ladbible, Unilad, and publications under the Lebedev-owned Independent and Evening Standard umbrella allow unrestricted access to AI crawlers. Similarly, Politico, Axel Springer's subsidiary, permits access to AI crawlers due to a content-sharing agreement with OpenAI. In a surprising move, the Daily Beast, owned by IAC, refrains from blocking any AI bots despite the company's chairman advocating for compensation to publishers by AI companies.

Conversely, some politically conservative websites, including GB News, Newsmax, Zero Hedge, Breitbart, and Fox News, choose not to block AI crawlers, diverging from other publications under the Murdoch-owned umbrella.

First-ever photos of Humpback Whale sex involve two males — ground.news: 13 media reports — 28 February 2024 (LINK)

Bitcoin jumps above $60,000 for the first time since November 2021 — ground.news: 10 media reports — 28 February 2024 (LINK)

Israel is deliberately starving Palestinians, UN special rapporteur on the right to food Michael Fakhri says — The Guardian UK ● — 27s February 2024 (LINK)

Most UN Security Council members demand Taliban rescind decrees seriously oppressing women and girls — ground.news main source: AP, 18 media reports — 27 February 2024 (LINK)

Argentina's president condemns threat by provincial governor to cut energy supplies in dispute over funding reductions — ground.news: 15 media reports — 27 February 2024 (LINK)

AI chatbots are serving up wildly inaccurate US election information, new study says — cbsnews — 27 February 2024 (LINK)

— For instance, one AI model, Meta's Llama 2, responded to a prompt by erroneously answering that California voters can vote by text message, the researchers found — voting by text isn't legal anywhere in the U.S. And none of the five AI models that were tested — OpenAI's ChatGPT–4, Meta's Llama 2, Google's Gemini, Anthropic's Claude, and Mixtral from the French company Mistral — correctly stated that wearing clothing with campaign logos, such as a MAGA hat, is barred at Texas polls under that state's laws.

Elephants terrorising villagers in Thailand — yahoo.com — 2 F7ebruary 2024 (LINK)

— Recent efforts to bring back the animals — including a ban on hunting with a ten-year jail sentence for killing elephants — have been coupled with an ever-shrinking natural habitat. "Naturally elephants will not attack, but people throw 'ping pong bombs' and make loud noises to drive the elephants away," a researcher says. "Now [the elephants have] become more aggressive."

Figures vary, but the Eastern Elephants Education Centre has tracked 90 human fatalities in this luscious region since 2018 — including four since the Telegraph visited just a fortnight ago. Close to 100 elephants have also died nationwide.

The most affordable cities in the world for expats: Cape Town first, second Denpasar, the provincial capital of Bali, third Athens — timeout — 27 February 2024 (LINK)

Sony to lay off 900 workers from PlayStation division, or 8% of unit's global workforce — CNBC — 27 February 2024 (LINK)

Has the rise of the one percent really been debunked? Not really — theatlantic — 27 February 2024 (LINK)

Bitcoin tops $57,000 for first time since late 2021 — ground.news: 31 media reports — 27 February 2024 (LINK)

Australian police say remains found of former Channel Ten TV presenter and Qantas flight attendant in surfboard bags near Goulburn (NSW) after Sen Const Beau Lamarre charged with murders — The Guardian UK ● — 27 February 2024 (LINK)

It's about to get a lot easier to buy a Rolex in 2024 — dmarge.com — 27 February 2024 (LINK)

— Rolex has launched new facilities in Bulle, Switzerland along with three new temporary facilities slated for this year to increase production of new Rolex models, "support growth and meet ever-increasing demand". Secondly, fewer Rolex models affixed with precious metals are being allocated. Instead, retailers are apparently seeing an increase in the supply of steel models compared to previous years, which could mean Rolex fans will have a better chance of securing the models they're after. Thirdly, waiting times for specific models such as two-tone Datejusts are beginning to decrease compared to other pieces in Rolex's celebration collections. And lastly, certified resellers such as WatchPro, Watchfinder and of course, Chrono24 are reporting huge decreases in previously inflated prices with "some watches losing half their inflated value in the past 18 months."

Thousands of new Rolex watches such as the Sky-Dweller, Submariner and Daytona have previously flooded the grey market, available to purchase fresh out of the box and with the necessary documentation from the Rolex boutique — although they will still come in at an unwanted premium.

Of course, Rolex announced in 2022 that the Certified Pre-Owned (CPO) programme would help to get more Rolex watches on the wrists of hopeful customers, issuing pre-owned models with at least a two-year guarantee directly from Rolex.

The fabric recycling company Renewcell was going to change fashion. Why did it suddenly go bankrupt? — fastcompany — 27 February 2024 (LINK)

— It took time for Renewcell to begin to optimize its production, says an expert, who works with both apparel brands and textile innovators, including Renewcell. The spinners and weavers that it partnered with also weren't prepared to work with a new material, and had to tweak their processes. Brands hadn't necessarily budgeted to pay a premium as production scaled up. (Renewcell declined to comment.)

The bankruptcy is a sign that governments should be offering more incentives to help companies scale up, not just run early-stage pilots, another argues, and that companies need to lean in to embrace the solutions that exist.

— Renewcell created tech to turn old cotton clothing into pulp for new fabric. But shortly after opening its first large factory, it has already stopped operating.

Attack on Rafah will be 'the nail in coffin' of Gaza aid — UN Chief — ground.news: 12 media reports — 26 February 2024 (LINK)

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres says combatants in places such as Congo, Gaza, Myanmar, Ukraine and Sudan are turning a "blind eye" to international law as he made a plea for greater respect for human rights and peace around the world — ground.news: media reports — 26 February 2024 (LINK)

— He defended UNRWA, the agency for Palestinian refugees, as the "backbone" of aid efforts in Gaza at a time when top Israeli authorities have called for its dismantling.

The UN human rights chief, Volker Türk, also lashed out at "attempts to undermine the legitimacy and work" of the UN and its affiliates. "The UN has become a lightning rod for manipulative propaganda and a scapegoat for policy failures," he said.

Palestinian prime minister submits government's resignation, a move that could open door to reforms — ground.news: 188 media reports — 26 February 2024 (LINK)

Netanyahu says a cease-fire deal would only delay 'somewhat' an Israeli military offensive in Rafah — ground.news: 87 media reports — 24 February 2024 (LINK)

Yellen urges world leaders to 'unlock' frozen Russian Central Bank assets and send them to Ukraine — AP — 26 February 2024 (LINK)

Poland hits back at comments by Russian UN Ambassador — called an instant classic by former Swedish Prime Minister Carl Bildt — kyivpost.com — 26 February 2024 (LINK)

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk offered a vision statement, with "signposts for the years to come" for human rights addressing the opening session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva. Türk said the statement contained eight messages to guide renewed action for peace; economies that work for people and planet; effective governance; and guardrails for digital and scientific progress. — ohchr — 26 February 2024 (LINK)

— "It broadens the way we think about rights, in ways that can transform societies and our global community," he told delegates, adding he hoped the plan would inform world leaders coming together for the Summit of the Future in September. Titled "Human Rights: A Path for Solutions", the statement's message 5 is: Governance must be responsive: through full participation and by ending impunity.

Alexei Navalny was killed on eve of prisoner swap, his team claims — politico.eu/span> — 26 February 2024 (LINK)

Ex-PM Nawaz's daughter is Pakistan's first female provincial chief minister — ground.news: 21 media reports — 26 February 2024 (LINK)

World Trade Organization open biennial meeting in the United Arab Emirates as challenges loom — ground.news main source: AP, 18 media reports — 26 February 2024 (LINK)

UN member states meeting to plan how to tackle the world's environmental crises — ground.news main source: AP, 17 media reports — 26 February 2024 (LINK)

Hungary's parliament has ratified Sweden's bid to join NATO — ground.news: 137 media reports — 26 February 2024 (LINK)

Taliban hold third public execution in five days as thousands watch at a stadium in northern Afghanistan — ground.news: 20 media reports — 26 February 2024 (LINK)

UN's Palestinian aid agency 'at breaking point' after $450m budget shortfall — The Guardian UK ● — 25 February 2024 (LINK)

Feleti Teo is named Tuvalu's new prime minister after elections that ousted Taiwan supporter — ground.news: 89 media reports — 25 February 2024 (LINK)

FoxNews: "Putin's 'greatest hits': Russian dissidents continue disappearing in pattern of bizarre deaths" — foxnews — 25 February 2024 (LINK)

Houthi attacks on Belize-flagged ship earlier in February have created an 29-km oil slick in the Red Sea and an 'environmental disaster' that could only get worse, U.S. military says — AP — 24 February 2024 (LINK)

Four Western leaders, including the prime ministers of Italy, Canada, and Belgium, arrived in Kyiv on Saturday to show solidarity with Ukraine on the second anniversary of Russia's invasion. — reuters — 24 February 2024 (LINK)

Alexei Navalny's body handed over to his mother, spokeswoman says — ground.news: 224 media reports — 24 February 2024 (LINK)

Israel-Hamas war: 'Progress' in Paris hostage talks as group 'drops' some of its demands: High-ranking Israeli Cabinet members expected to meet with a delegation that returned from talks in Paris with negotiators from the United States, Egypt and Qatar in search of a deal on pausing the fighting in Gaza — ground.news: 94 media reports — 24 February 2024 (LINK)

U.S. and U.K. conduct fourth round of joint airstrikes on 18 Houthi targets in Yemen — ground.news: 220 media reports — 24 February 2024 (LINK)

West African bloc ECOWAS lifts sanctions against Guinea, Mali and Burkina Faso despite military takeovers — ground.news: 24 media reports — 24 February 2024 (LINK)

West Africa bloc lifts coup sanctions on Niger in a new push for dialogue to resolve tensions — ground.news: 41 media reports — 24 February 2024 (LINK)

Biden administration restores Trump-rescinded policy stating Israeli settlements illegitimate — ground.news: 55 media reports — 23 February 2024 (LINK)

US announces more than 500 sanctions against Russia — The Guardian UK ● — 23 February 2024 (LINK)

Russia's foreign ministry said it had significantly expanded a list of EU officials and politicians banned from entering Russia in response to the latest round of sanctions by the bloc.

G7 leaders admonish Russia for 'irresponsible nuclear rhetoric' on second anniversary of Ukraine war — ground.news: 19 media reports — 25 February 2024 (LINK)

Netanyahu on 22 February proposes plan for post-war Gaza with Israeli army having 'freedom' to operate: It was swiftly rejected on 23 February by Palestinian leaders and runs counter to Washington's vision for the war-ravaged enclave — ground.news: 93 media reports — 23 February 2024 (LINK)

UNOCHR released a report of thousands of incidents of human rights abuses it says have occurred during the ongoing conflict: Rape and sexual violence in Sudan's ongoing conflict may amount to war crimes — ground.news: 21 media reports — 23 February 2024 (LINK)

U.S. rice exports to Haiti have unhealthy levels of arsenic, study finds — Reuters ● — 23 February 2024 (LINK)

— According to the study, average arsenic and cadmium concentrations were nearly twice as high in imported rice compared to Haitian-grown product, with some imported samples exceeding international limits. Nearly all imported rice samples exceeded the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's recommendation for children's consumption.

Tunisia's ex-president Moncef Marzouki sentenced to 8 years in absentia for incitement to violence — ground.news: 23 media reports — 23 February 2024 (LINK)

A teacher and 6 members of a religious congregation have been kidnapped in Haiti, officials say — ground.news: 18 media reports — 23 February 2024 (LINK)

A money laundering watchdog removes the UAE, Uganda, Barbados and Gibraltar from a watchlist — ground.news: 15 media reports — 23 February 2024 (LINK)

Moon lander Odysseus tipped sideways on lunar surface but 'alive and well' — ground.news: 112 media reports — 23 February 2024 (LINK)

— Houston-based Intuitive Machines also revealed that human error led to a failure of the spacecraft’s laser-based range finders, engineers detected the glitch by chance hours before landing time, and they improvised an emergency fix that saved the mission from a probable crash.

Vice Media to close flagship site, slash hundreds of staff: Vice filed for bankruptcy in May before being sold to New York-based Fortress Investment Group for $350m — Al Jazeera — 23 February 2024 (LINK)

Yemen's Houthis say they have banned Israeli-linked and US and UK-flagged vessels from the Red Sea — The Guardian UK ● — 22 February 2024 (LINK)

Suspected Houthi rebel missile sets cargo ship ablaze. Israel intercepts separate attack near Eilat — ground.news: 27 media reports — 22 February 2024 (LINK)

Private lander makes first U.S. moon landing in more than 50 years. It managed just a weak signal back. Intuitive Machines, the company that built and managed the craft, confirmed that it had landed upright. But it did not provide additional details, including whether the lander had reached its intended destination near the Moon's south pole — ground.news: 208 media reports — 22 February 2024 (LINK)

British-born woman who joined Islamic state loses appeal over citizenship removal: now 24 she is still in a Syrian refugee camp — ground.news: 43 media reports — 22 February 2024 (LINK)

→Fox: 7.2M illegals entered the US under Biden admin, an amount greater than population of 36 states→ — ground.news: 9 media reports — 22 February 2024 (LINK)

Slayings of tourists and Colombian women expose the dark side of Medellin's tourism boom — ground.news main source: AP, media reports — 22 February 2024 (LINK)

Southern Mexican church officials have helped arrange a truce between 2 warring drug cartels — ground.news main source: AP, 9 media reports — 22 February 2024 (LINK)

Israeli forces fired on food convoy in Gaza on 5 February, UN documents and satellite analysis reveals — ground.news: 10 media reports — 21 February 2024 (LINK)

US charges Japanese crime boss over attempted trafficking of nuclear materials to Iran — ground.news: 27 media reports — 21 February 2024 (LINK)

White House promises 'major sanctions' on Russia in response to Alexei Navalny's death — ground.news: 306 media reports — 21 February 2024 (LINK)

South Korea orders striking doctors to return to work as their walkouts burden hospital operations — ground.news: 34 media reports — 21 February 2024 (LINK)

Brazil calls for reform of United Nations as it starts its G20 presidency — ground.news: 41 media reports — 21 February 2024 (LINK)

Researchers from Princeton University have successfully used AI to forecast and prevent instabilities in fusion reactions in real-time — ground.news: 7 media reports — 21 February 2024 (LINK)

ChatGPT goes temporarily "insane" with unexpected outputs, spooking users — arstechnica.com — 21 February 2024 (LINK)

Trump claims unflattering image of him playing golf was AI-generated — petapixel.com — 21 February 2024 (LINK)

Eight-year-old Indian becomes youngest chess player to beat grandmaster: Ashwath Kaushik, who lives in Singapore, beat Poland's Jacek Stopa at the Burgdorfer Stadthaus Open in Switzerland — reuters — 21 February 2024 (LINK)

— He broke the record set in January by Leonid Ivanovic from Serbia when he beat grandmaster Milko Popchev. Ashwath finished the tournament in 12th place after losing to International Master Harry Grieve.

With 700K on verge of starving to death in Gaza, US vetoes ceasefire call for third time saying it would interfere with negotiations on a deal to free hostages abducted in Israel — ground.news: 213 media reports — 20 February 2024 (LINK)

WHO accuses Israel of hindering medical rescue missions to Nasser hospital, says destruction is 'indescribable' — The Guardian UK ● — 20 February 2024 (LINK)

— statement: "WHO led two life-saving missions to transfer 32 critical patients, including two children, from Nasser medical complex in southern Gaza on 18 and 19 February.

The transfer of patients was requested by the hospital staff after the facility became non-functional following a military raid on 14 February, after a week-long siege. Weak and frail patients were transferred amidst active conflict near the aid convoy.

Nasser hospital has no electricity or running water, and medical waste and garbage are creating a breeding ground for disease. WHO staff said the destruction around the hospital was 'indescribable.' The area was surrounded by burnt and destroyed buildings, heavy layers of debris, with no stretch of intact road. An estimated 130 sick and injured patients and at least 15 doctors and nurses remain inside the hospital.

Prior to the missions, WHO received two consecutive denials to access the hospital for medical assessment, causing delays in urgently needed patient referral. Reportedly, at least five patients died in the Intensive Care Unit before any missions or transfers were possible.

It goes on to say that due to "unforgiving road conditions" a team had attempted to reach the complex on foot. It said, having reached the Nasser medical complex with an engineer:

They were only permitted to examine the generator, which had ceased functioning after running out of fuel. During both missions, senior WHO staff clearly identified themselves upon entering the hospital compound and requested approval to assess patients and evaluate hospital functionality. These requests were denied.

On the condition of the hospital, WHO says:

The hospital's large medical warehouse, along with supplies provided by WHO and partners, has burnt down, and the warehouse for day-to-day medical supplies is partly damaged."

Putin denies plans to send nuclear weapon into space — ground.news: 61 media reports — 20 February 2024 (LINK)

White House promises 'major sanctions' on Russia in response to Alexei Navalny's death — ground.news: 306 media reports — 21 February 2024 (LINK)

Fox only: Kremlin calls Navalny murder accusations 'unfounded and vulgar' — foxnews — 20 February 2024 (LINK)

Donald Trump again compares his criminal indictments to imprisonment and death of Putin's top rival — ground.news: 88 media reports — 20 February 2024 (LINK)

UN Security Council sanctions 6 rebel leaders for destabilizing activities in Congo — ground.news: 8 media reports — 20 February 2024 (LINK)

AI writes scientific papers that sound great — but aren't accurate: up to 70% of the cited references were inaccurate: they were either incoherently merged from several different studies or completely fictitious. The AI versions were also more likely to be plagiarized. — time — 20 February 2024 (LINK)

UN experts condemn 'credible' reports of executions, sexual assault by Israeli soldiers — ground.news: 32 media reports — 19 February 2024 (LINK)

— statement: "WHO led two life-saving missions to transfer 32 critical patients, including two children, from Nasser medical complex in southern Gaza on 18 and 19 February.

The transfer of patients was requested by the hospital staff after the facility became non-functional following a military raid on 14 February, after a week-long siege. Weak and frail patients were transferred amidst active conflict near the aid convoy.

Nasser hospital has no electricity or running water, and medical waste and garbage are creating a breeding ground for disease. WHO staff said the destruction around the hospital was 'indescribable.' The area was surrounded by burnt and destroyed buildings, heavy layers of debris, with no stretch of intact road. An estimated 130 sick and injured patients and at least 15 doctors and nurses remain inside the hospital.

Prior to the missions, WHO received two consecutive denials to access the hospital for medical assessment, causing delays in urgently needed patient referral. Reportedly, at least five patients died in the Intensive Care Unit before any missions or transfers were possible.

It goes on to say that due to "unforgiving road conditions" a team had attempted to reach the complex on foot. It said, having reached the Nasser medical complex with an engineer:

They were only permitted to examine the generator, which had ceased functioning after running out of fuel. During both missions, senior WHO staff clearly identified themselves upon entering the hospital compound and requested approval to assess patients and evaluate hospital functionality. These requests were denied.

On the condition of the hospital, WHO says:

The hospital's large medical warehouse, along with supplies provided by WHO and partners, has burnt down, and the warehouse for day-to-day medical supplies is partly damaged."

United Nations warns of 'explosion' in child deaths in Gaza — ground.news: 70 media reports — 19 February 2024 (LINK)

Largest multicountry COVID study links vaccines to potential adverse effects — thehill — 19 February 2024 (LINK)

Widow of slain Haitian president, ex-prime minister and a former police chief are indicted in case — ground.news: 112 media reports — 19 February 2024 (LINK)

El Salvador's Bukele wins supermajority (54 of 60 seats) in Congress after painstaking vote count — ground.news: 23 media reports — 19 February 2024 (LINK)

Britain, US, EU, allies take down Lockbit cybercrime gang — ground.news: 44 media reports — 19 February 2024 (LINK)

EU launches maritime security operation as cargo ship damaged in Red Sea after missiles fired from Yemen — The Guardian UK ● — 19 February 2024 (LINK)

Israel sets March Ramadan deadline for Gaza ground offensive in Rafah — ground.news: 139 media reports — 18 February 2024 (LINK)

Norway to help transfer tax funds frozen by Israel to Palestinian Authority — Al Jazeera — 18 February 2024 (LINK)

Russia pushes for further advances after fall of Avdiivka; Denmark will give Ukraine all its artillery, says PM: 'we don't have to use it at the moment' — The Guardian UK ● — 19 February 2024 (LINK)

Navalny's widow vows to continue husband's opposition to Putin, accuses Russian President of killing her husband with novichok — ground.news: 13 media reports — 19 February 2024 (LINK)

At least 53 reported killed in tribal fighting in Papua New Guinea — ground.news: 179 media reports — 19 February 2024 (LINK)

WikiLeaks founder Assange may be near the end of his long fight to stay out of the US — ground.news main source: AP, 22 media reports — 19 February 2024 (LINK)

Former Bank of China chairman indicted for bribery in nation's long-running anticorruption drive — ground.news main source: AP, 18 media reports — 19 February 2024 (LINK)

Strike at the Eiffel Tower closes monument to visitors — AP — 19 February 2024 (LINK)