Commitments on inclusive AI standards and capacity building announced at ITU's AI for Good Global Summit — ITU — 31 May 2024 (LINK)

— ITU's AI for Good platform, established by ITU in 2017, identifies practical applications of AI to accelerate progress toward the SDGs. It also connects AI innovators with public and private-sector decision-makers to help scale up AI solutions globally.

—At AI Governance Day, ITU and UNESCO launched UN Activities on Artificial Intelligence, a compilation of more than 400 projects by 47 UN agencies addressing all 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

— A new multistakeholder initiative was also announced to support coordinated standards development for AI watermarking, multimedia authenticity, and deepfake detection. This partnership includes the Content Authenticity Initiative, Coalition for Content Provenance and Authenticity, Internet Engineering Task Force, IEC, ISO, and ITU.

UN Agencies call for international aid as war-torn Sudan faces famine threat — commondreams.org — 31 May 2024 (LINK)

— 18 million Sudanese are acutely hungry as a civil war that began in April 2023 continues to ravage the country. Billions of dollars have been pledged, but not yet delivered. Food needs to be planted before the rainy season.

— "Extreme hunger is unfolding, and the outlook for food production in 2024 is bleak," according to the statement. "We have a rapidly shrinking window to get seeds to farmers before the main planting season ends and the rainy season begins."

Sudan has one of the highest numbers of internally displaced people of any country in the world, roughly 10 million, and the number continues to climb as the war goes on. Al-Fashir, the capital of North Darfur, has been a somewhat safe zone that many displaced people have moved to, but as the two sides in the conflict jockey for position there, that status is in jeopardy. A fragile truce in the city fell apart on May 10 and a battle there is already underway, according to The Economist. IASC warned that it may only get worse.

South Sudan receives its first batch of a new vaccine for malaria from the WHO — 11 media reports — 31 May 2024 (LINK)

Heat kills at least 15 in eastern India in one day as temperatures near 50C — ground.news: 37 media reports — 31 May 2024 (LINK)

Six civilians and 5 soldiers killed by separatist militants in southeast Nigeria — ground.news: 18 media reports — 31 May 2024 (LINK)

Zambia’s former first lady and daughter arrested on money laundering charges over properties worth more than $2 million — main source, AP: 10 media reports — 31 May 2024 (LINK)

Small Island Developing States can lead in digital transformation for climate resilience: 5 opportunities and lessons — weforum.org — 31 May 2024 (LINK)

— There are 50 non-SIDS countries with similar population sizes; what did they do to grow and how can that be applicable to SIDS? Could SIDS who are LDCs have lessons to offer for development pathways to the other 45 non-SIDS?

• Avoid vendor lock–in, e.g. through Digital public goods (DPGs)
• Co-design solutions with ecosystem players
• Invest in resilience building
• Deploy evidence-based governance: SIDS are often data poor and understudied
• Collaborate

Geneva auto show calls Switzerland quits, relocates to Qatar — ground.news: 19 media reports — 31 May 2024 (LINK)

— The organizers have announced that the 2024 edition of the Geneva International Motor Show was a disappointment, notably in terms of participation from carmakers.

— Even younger enthusiasts remember when Geneva was the most exciting date on the auto show circuit. Even younger enthusiasts remember when Geneva was the most exciting date on the auto show circuit.

— The first nail in Geneva's coffin came in 2020, and it was a big one: Swiss authorities indirectly canceled the show by banning all public and private gatherings attended by over 1,000 people due to coronavirus-related fears. The announcement was made days before the show was scheduled to open; tickets had already been sold and the stands were about 95% assembled. The organizers took a massive financial hit, and they weren't able to recoup their investment by postponing the show.

What mariners can do against Iberia's bored Orcas ramming boats' rudders for fun — CBC — 31 May 2024 (LINK)

— According to the GT Atlantic Orca, which tracks the incidents, at least 673 boats have reported being rammed by this pod of whales near Spain since 2020. While there have been no injuries to humans, two Moroccan fishing vessels and five sailboats ended up sinking, including a 50-foot sailboat just a few weeks ago.

— Only 40 of the animals are left in the region. And just 14 of the whales, mostly juveniles with four mature females, are believed to be the ones causing trouble. . In recent years, mariners have been spotted shooting at the whales, pouring gasoline into the water and even dropping explosives as the whales approach.

— One method is to have weighted lines over the side of the boat that surround the rudder area. This may repel the whales, de Stephanis says, because they look like jellyfish. Another approach is to install small cones on the rudders, which make it uncomfortable for the whales to push with their heads. Until these methods are commercially available, a scientists' report suggests the best thing for concerned mariners to do is to keep on moving if they see the killer whales nearby."If [mariners] continue driving away in their boat for two to three kilometres, the whales generally will give up."

Berlin joins U.S. in allowing Ukraine to fire German weapons at targets in Russia — ground.news: 179 media reports — 31 May 2024 (LINK)

16 lab-grown brains run world's first 'living computer' and uses 1 million times less power than a microchip — thebrighterside.new — 31 May 2024 (LINK)

GPT-4 didn't ace the bar exam after all, MIT research suggests — it didn't even break the 70th percentile: the much-hyped 90th-percentile figure was actually skewed toward repeat test-takers who had already failed the exam one or more times — a much lower-scoring group than those who generally take the test — livescience — 31 May 2024 (LINK)

A Thailand-based Chinese man who created a cybercrime operation that seized control of Americans' computers and led to $5.9 billion in fraudulent claims from the U.S. COVID-19 relief program was arrested in Singapore, according to the U.S. Justice Department. — eurasiareview — 31 May 2024 (LINK)

— The U.S. Treasury Department on 28 May issued sanctions against YunHe Wang, 35, and two associates based in the Thai beach resort of Pattaya, alleging that they created a “botnet” — or robot network — called 911 S5 that took control of 19 million computers so criminals could use their internet connections.

Heather Cox Richardson: for the first time in our history, a former president of the United States is a convicted felon — substack — 30 May 2024 (LINK)

— Republican senators could have convicted Trump of high crimes and misdemeanors in 2019. In that year, the House impeached Trump after he tried to rig the 2020 presidential election by withholding congressionally appropriated funds to support Ukraine’s resistance to Russia’s 2014 invasion. He withheld the funds to try to force Ukraine president Volodomyr Zelensky to manufacture dirt on Democrat Joe Biden. Republican senators could have convicted Trump, but they acquitted him.

— Republican senators could have convicted Trump of high crimes and misdemeanors in 2021. In that year, the House impeached him after he tried to seize the presidency by instigating an attack on the U.S. Capitol and trying to rig the count of the electoral vote after Americans had elected Democrat Joe Biden. Republican senators could have convicted Trump, but they acquitted him.

— MAGA lawmakers, including House speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) and Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX), both of whom were involved in the events of January 6, 2021, joined him in attacking the system that produced the guilty verdicts, although they steered clear of defending Trump himself.

— ground.news: 593 media reports (LINK)

Donald Trump cannot own a gun, hold public office or even vote in many states. But in a deeply divided America, it’s unclear whether Trump’s status as someone with a felony conviction will have any impact at all on the 2024 election. — AP — (LINK)

Trump's repeated false claims in his New York hush money trial — factcheck.org — 30 May 2024 (LINK)

• Trump has repeatedly claimed, without evidence, that President Joe Biden is behind the prosecution of this case. This is a New York state case, and Biden has no control over it.
• Trump wrongly has claimed a limited gag order — barring remarks about certain trial participants — prevented him from answering "simple questions" or criticizing the Biden administration.
• He falsely claimed that Merchan "wouldn't let" Trump's defense team call campaign finance expert Bradley Smith as a witness. The judge did not say Smith couldn't testify, although he limited what Smith could potentially discuss if he testified.
• and more

Israel in effective control of entire Gaza land border after taking Philadelphi Corridor in south — The Guardian UK ● — 30 May 2024 (LINK)

Israel reopens Gaza food sales as Rafah raid chokes aid — ground.news: 6 media reports — 30 May 2024 (LINK)

Hong Kong court convicts 14 pro-democracy activists in the city's biggest national security case — ground.news: 157 media reports — 30 May 2024 (LINK)

The United Nations has logged an increasing number of crew members abandoned by shipowners, leaving sailors aboard months and sometimes years without pay. More than 2,000 seafarers on some 150 ships were abandoned last year. — AP — 30 May 2024 (LINK)

El Salvador: Police said they had arrested seven "veterans" of the Central American nation's 1980-1992 civil war, including the plot's alleged financier, Jose Santos Melara, an ex-congressman for the leftist FMLN party, which was formed by former guerrillas. The suspects "were part of the so-called Salvadoran Insurrection Brigade and their objectives were to detonate (explosives) at gas stations, supermarkets and public institutions," the national police said on social media — main source: Reuters, ground.news: 30 media reports — 30 May 2024 (LINK)

Europol hits malware network in major cybercrime operation: Germany, France and the Netherlands have headed a sting operation against cyber infrastructure used for criminal purposes. Four arrests were carried out and more than 100 internet servers were taken down or disrupted — ground.news: 55 media reports — 30 May 2024 (LINK)

China launches world's first AI hospital with robot doctors 'able to treat 3,000 patients daily': Researchers from Tsinghua University in Beijing, are the minds behind 'Agent Hospital'

— supercarblondie.com — 30 May 2024 (LINK)

UN refugee chief Filippo Grandi says 114 million have fled homes because nations fail to tackle causes of conflict — ground.news: 17 media reports — 30 May 2024 (LINK)

OpenAI introduces ChatGPT Edu, revolutionizing higher education: designed for universities to responsibly integrate AI into academic and campus operations. This advanced AI tool supports text and vision reasoning, data analysis, and offers enterprise-level security — neurosciencenews.com — 30 May 2024 (LINK)

Researchers have identified the Black Death's source strain through reconstruction of ancient plague genomes. They even know its exact date, which is 1338, and the source: the Chu-Valley region near Lake Issyk Kul in Kyrgystan — thebrighterside.news — 30 May 2024 (LINK)

IFRC, world's largest humanitarian network, calls for Gaza ceasefire — Reuters ● — 29 May 2024 (LINK)

Israel says Gaza war likely to last another seven months as tanks probe Rafah — ground.news: 8 media reports — 29 May 2024 (LINK)

Israel denies strike on camp near Rafah that Gaza officials say killed 21 people — Reuters ● — 29 May 2024 (LINK)

Nearly 3 out of 10 children in Afghanistan face crisis or emergency level of hunger in 2024 — AP — 29 May 2024 (LINK) — ground.news: 12 media reports (LINK)

Guardian on Ukraine: Macron, Scholz agree Kyiv should use allies' weapons against launchers in Russia: Nato secretary general says alliance members should allow deep strikes, which White House says it doesn't 'encourage or enable'. What we know on day 826 — The Guardian UK ● — 29 May 2024 (LINK)

Executions worldwide jumped last year to 1,153, the highest number since 2015, a 30% increase since 2022 — Amnesty. China, North Korea, and Vietnam's unrecorded executions excluded, the report highlighted a substantial increase in 2023 executions, largely because of Iran (853 publicly documented executions) — ground.news: 98 media reports — 29 May 2024 (LINK)

U.N. Working Group on Business and Human Rights says Japan needs to do more to counter human rights abuses with more training in businesses and sanctions on human rights violations — AP — 29 May 2024 (LINK) — ground.news: 13 media reports (LINK)

— The report highlighted problem areas such as the gender wage gap, discrimination against various groups, and issues with working conditions for foreigners and migrants. Concerns were raised about cancer cases among Fukushima nuclear plant workers, and the need for improved protection of whistleblowers and access to the judicial process in Japan.

Two years late, developed countries achieved their pledge to provide $100 billion to help poorer countries cope with climate change in 2022 — OECD — ground.news: 23 media reports — 29 May 2024 (LINK)

Suspected militants burn girls' school in northwest Pakistan, in third such attack this month — ground.news: 8 media reports — 29 May 2024 (LINK)

Thailand indicts former leader Thaksin Shinawatra on royal insult charges — CNN — 29 May 2024 (LINK)

Tornado season is the second-busiest so far in the U.S., behind 2011 — axios — 29 May 2024 (LINK)

Aid deliveries suspended after rough seas damage US-built temporary pier in Gaza, US officials say — ground.news: 117 media reports — 28 May 2024 (LINK)

Medics say new Israeli strikes kill 37 in Rafah as residents report an escalation in fighting: Shelling in Rafah's Tel al-Sultan area on Monday and Tuesday resulted in at least 16 deaths, as reported by Palestinian authorities. A drone strike by Israel near a field hospital in Rafah led to the deaths of 21 individuals, including 13 women, according to Gaza's Health Ministry. — ground.news: 146 media reports — 28 May 2024 (LINK)

Haiti transition council taps former PM Conille, UNICEF's regional director for Latin America, to again lead country — ground.news: 75 media reports — 28 May 2024 (LINK)

Biden administration issues guidelines on carbon credit integrity — thehill — 28 May 2024 (LINK)

Melinda French Gates to donate $1B over next 2 years in support of women's rights after the US Supreme Court's 2022 Dobbs decision that let individual states decide abortion rights — ground.news: 16 media reports — 28 May 2024 (LINK)

Vatican apologises after Pope Francis uses derogatory term for gay men — ground.news: 17 media reports — 28 May 2024 (LINK)

Judge throws the book at Bankman-Fried's political henchman: Ryan Salame, 30, is losing his Porsche 911 and getting 7.5 years in prison — thedailybeast.com — 28 May 2024 (LINK)

— The defense asked the judge to give Salame just 18 months, while the feds called for five to seven years. Kaplan went with the prosecutors and tacked on an extra six months. Salame, who must pay $11 million in restitution and fines and forfeit $1.5 billion and a Porsche 911, is the first of four Bankman-Fried acolytes to be sentenced in connection with plea bargains.

How JournalismAI has shaped the state of AI in news since 2019: 2023-4 impact report — journalismai.info — 28 May 2024 (LINK)

Netanyahu acknowledges 'tragic mistake' after Rafah strike kills at least 45 Palestinians — ground.news: 216 media reports — 27 May 2024 (LINK)

Caribbean leader blasts 'empty' climate promises at small islands summit — Reuters ● — 28 May 2024 (LINK)

CO2 levels are rising faster than at any point over the last 50,000 years, study finds — thebrighterside.news — 27 May 2024 (LINK)

— "Historically, CO2 levels fluctuated due to ice age cycles and other natural factors. However, today's increase is primarily driven by human emissions."

Top oil firms climate pledges failing on almost every metric, report finds — onegreenplanet.org — 27 May 2024 (LINK)

— The analysis scrutinized the climate plans of eight leading US and European-based oil and gas producers. The report assessed these companies against ten criteria and found that none of them were fully aligned with the 1.5°C goal. All eight firms were ranked as "grossly insufficient" or "insufficient" on nearly all metrics.

4th International Conference on Small Island Developing States: 27–30 May 2024: Antigua and Barbuda — news.un.org — 27 May 2024 (LINK)

— Small island development ‘a test case’ for climate and financial justice, says Guterres (LINK): 9 min read.

UN says terrain, remote location hamper relief after landslide buries hundreds in Papua New Guinea — ground.news: 9 media reports — 27 May 2024 (LINK)

Cyclone floods coastal villages, blows away thatched roofs and cuts power in Bangladesh and India — AP — 27 May 2024 (LINK) — ground.news: 50 media reports (LINK)

Tornadoes and storms leave 15 dead across central US — BBC — 27 May 2024 (LINK)

A synthetic drug, kush, a derivative of cannabis mixed with synthetic drugs like fentanyl and tramadol and chemicals like formaldehyde, ravages youth in Sierra Leone — AP — 27 2024 (LINK)

— The drug leaves people lethargic, desperate and ill. The government does not publish official figures on kush-related deaths or hospital admissions.

Over 300 million children a year face sexual abuse online: one in eight children, or 12.6%, are affected by non-consensual sharing of sexual content — study — ground.news: 16 media reports + Ground News Analysis — 27 May 2024 (LINK)

Gazprombank Switzerland ex-employees appeal in Zurich over negligence in financial transactions with a Putin confidant, "Putin's cellist": They failed to confirm if he was the actual beneficial owner of the assets, through which millions of euros flowed. Previously, the Zurich District Court sentenced them to conditional fines in March 2023 — theswisstimes.ch — 27 May 2024 (LINK)

Swiss asylum law changes 1 June to improve refugee employment, housing, and training — theswisstimes.ch — 27 May 2024 (LINK)

High-paying remote work jobs fading fast: Study — ground.news: 5 media reports — 27 May 2024 (LINK)

— Remote and hybrid jobs paying at least $250,000 annually plummeted by 95% and 60%, respectively. Only about 4% of these quarter-million-dollar jobs are fully remote, down from 10% a year ago. Less than 1% are now hybrid, down from 6% last year.

Trump and the Libertarians: Trump pretends he wasn't booed relentlessly — MSNBC — 27 May 2024 (LINK)

— A New York Times report noted, "Mr. Trump's speech was without modern precedent: the presumptive nominee of a major political party giving a prime-time address at another party's convention." Trump turned to his social media platform to claim, "The reason I didn't file paperwork for the Libertarian Nomination, which I would have absolutely gotten if I wanted it (as everyone could tell by the enthusiasm of the Crowd last night!), was the fact that, as the Republican Nominee, I am not allowed to have the Nomination of another Party." If Trump isn't allowed to have another party's nomination, perhaps he can explain why he spoke at the Libertarian event and asked for its nomination.

11 months after Titan tragedy, US billionaire says will take sub to Titanic site to prove journey is safe — ground.news: 24 media reports — 27 May 2024 (LINK)

Over 8000 people, including sports and health champions, join 5th WHO Walk the Talk in Geneva to kick off the 77th World Health Assembly — WHO — 27 May 2024 (LINK)