4 Israeli soldiers killed, more than 60 people injured in Hezbollah drone strike 60k north of Tel Aviv — 13 October 2024 (LINK) — ground.news: 232 media reports (LINK)

Israeli airstrike killed at least 20 people in central Gaza, local hospitals say — (LINK)

Ukraine's Zelensky says North Korea sending troops to Russian army — 13 October 2024 (LINK)

World Bank: Poorest countries facing worst debt since 2006 — 13 October 2024 (LINK)

Switzerland deports two convicted Afghan nationals, the first since 2019, citing security concerns — 13 October 2024 (LINK) — ground.news: 11 media reports (LINK)

Heather Cox Richardson: Authoritarianism 101 — 13 October 2024 (LINK)

40 countries contributing to the United Nations peacekeeping mission in Lebanon 'strongly condemn' Israeli attacks on UN peacekeepers — 12 October 2024 (LINK)

Israel ramps up military push in northern Gaza, issuing evacuation orders and blocking food supplies after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu considered a siege plan against Hamas: UN peacekeepers in Lebanon are hit again — 12 October 2024 (LINK) — ground.news: 235 media reports (LINK)

— In Lebanon, the U.N. peacekeeping force said its headquarters in Naqoura was hit again, with a peacekeeper struck by gunfire late Friday and in stable condition. It wasn't clear who fired. It occurred a day after Israel's military fired on the headquarters for a second straight day . Israel, which has warned peacekeepers to leave their positions, didn't immediately respond to questions.

UN official appeals for Lebanon's ports and airport to be spared as Israel presses its offensive — 12 October 2024 (LINK) — ground.news: 36 media reports (LINK)

Foreign Minister Israel Katz defends decision to ban UN chief from Israel after over 100 member states protest — 12 October 2024 (LINK)

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukrainian troops were holding their lines in Russia's Kursk border region as Russian drones attacked central Ukrainian cities — 12 October 2024 (LINK)

Russia's black-market Starlink terminals power advance in Ukraine — 12 October 2024 (LINK)

Indian politician Baba Siddique known for his close ties with Bollywood is killed in Mumbai: two suspects arrested, claimed they were part of a gang run by Lawrence Bishnoi, who is in jail accused of running a crime gang that has carried out multiple killings — 12 October 2024 (LINK) — ground.news: 196 media reports (LINK)

Hurricane Milton death toll rises to 17 with 1.8m still without power as flooding threat to last 'weeks' — 12 October 2024 (LINK)

Billions of Gmail users at risk from sophisticated new AI hack — 12 October 2024 (LINK)

— Hackers are spoofing Google email and phone numbers to steal your Gmail credentials.

Bing / Microsoft Copilot "AI" medical advice may be capable of causing you severe harm, at least 22% of the time ... — 12 October 2024 (LINK)

— Microsoft Copilot only offered scientifically-accurate information 54% of the time. The research also suggested that 42% of the answers generated could lead to "serious harm", and in 22% of extreme cases, even death.

"Comet of the century", the Oort Cloud Comet C/2023 A3 Tsuchinshan-ATLAS, last seen by Neanderthals 80K years ago, could be visible from Northern Hemisphere 12-30 October — 12 October 2024 (LINK) — ground.news: 72 media reports (LINK)

Tesla stock sank, Uber rose after robotaxi event — 12 October 2024 (LINK)

TikTok was aware of risks kids and teens face on its platform, legal document alleges — 12 October 2024 (LINK) — ground.news: 77 media reports (LINK)

Israel's genocidal attack has unleashed 'most profound crisis since the end of World War II': "one year later, the promise by Israeli leaders to destroy Gaza has been fulfilled," said 37 United Nations special rapporteurs. "The strip is now a wasteland of rubble and human remains." — 11 October 2024 (LINK)

— OHCHR: 'The international order is breaking down in Gaza': UN experts mark one year of genocidal attacks on Palestinians — (LINK)

Nicaragua breaks diplomatic relations with Israel calling the Israeli government "fascist and genocidal" — 11 October 2024 (LINK) — ground.news: 106 media reports (LINK)

Israel used US-supplied bomb in Beirut strike that killed at least 22 Lebanese. "The Biden-Harris administration gave Israel at least 3,000 of these munitions from October-December 2023 alone," noted one expert — 11 October 2024 (LINK)

Europe to impose sanctions over Iranian ballistic missile transfer to Russia — 11 October 2024 (LINK) — ground.news: 11 media reports (LINK)

What lies ahead for the UN's new relief chief, Tom Fletcher, a former UK ambassador to Lebanon and foreign policy aide to prime ministers from both sides of Britain's political aisle — 11 October 2024 (LINK)

— He inherits a post that has been branded the "toughest job in international civil service" — and that has seen its two previous incumbents step down early. Already, he has faced pointed questions over his relative lack of humanitarian experience, and frustration that the UN system has chosen a sixth straight Briton to take the role — many had hoped the appointment would break from the long-criticised convention of global powers dominating choice UN positions.

At Hamburg Sustainability Conference UNECE shares practical solutions for climate action and sustainable development — 11 October 2024 (LINK)

— Of some 250 initiatives mapped, 10 projects from South-Eastern Europe and Central Asia requiring financing of over $15bn were shortlisted for showcasing at COP29.

Ukraine war briefing: Zelenskyy presented 'victory plan' to European allies as long-range strikes discussed on 10 October — 11 October 2024 (LINK)

— What we know on day 961: Ukrainian journalist dies in Russian detention: Victoria Roshchyna, who would have turned 28 this month, disappeared in August last year after travelling to Russian-held east Ukraine for a report. She remained missing until April this year, when her father received a letter from Moscow's defence ministry saying she was being held in Russian detention, according to Ukraine's main journalist union. The circumstances of her arrest were not made public and it was not clear where she was being held inside Russia.

— Four people were killed by a Russian missile strike in Ukraine's southern Odesa region on 11 October, the governor said.

— The World Bank's executive board has approved the creation of a financial intermediary fund to support Ukraine, with contributions expected from the US, Canada and Japan, Reuters reported.

— Russia attacked Ukraine's port infrastructure almost 60 times in the past three months and is intensifying such strikes, Ukraine's deputy prime minister has said.

UNIFIL reported that new explosions hit its headquarters on Friday morning, injuring two peacekeepers, a day after the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) targeted the same area injuring two other peacekeepers — 11 October 2024 (LINK)

US imposes sanctions on Iran's oil sector over missile attack on Israel — 11 October 2024 (LINK)

Nobel Peace Prize given to Japanese organization Nihon Hidankyo, survivors of the U.S. atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, for its work against nuclear weapons — 11 October 2024 (LINK)

Widespread hygiene deficiencies in Swiss hospitals — 11 October 2024 (LINK)

ETH Zurich remains top-ranked in continental Europe — 11 October 2024 (LINK)

Swiss authorities have given the green light to a three-year pilot project to install removable solar panels on a railway track in western Switzerland. The unique technology has been generating interest in other countries — 11 October 2024 (LINK)

Switzerland criticised over wolf shootings: the Bern Convention office of the Council of Europe argues preventatively shooting wolves because of "potential damage" is a misinterpretation of this wildlife protection text — 11 October 2024 (LINK)

— Only serious damage caused by wolves can lead to shootings, the Bern Convention office recalled in a letter.

France's credit rating cut to negative outlook by Fitch on fiscal deficits day after government presented a 2025 budget that aims to reduce the hole in the public finances by 60 billion euros ($65.5 billion) through spending cuts and tax hikes focused on the wealthy and big companies — 11 October 2024 (LINK) — ground.news: 106 media reports (LINK)

Boeing to lay off 10% of staff, delay first 777X delivery — 11 October 2024 (LINK)

England suffers its second worst harvest on record: its 2023/4's winter was the wettest for nearly 200 years — 11 October 2024 (LINK)

Heather Cox Richardson: Why "by just about every measure, the U.S. economy is in good shape" — 11 October 2024 (LINK)

US Justice Department sues Virginia for purging voters before election if officials are "unable to verify that they are citizens "through the state's Department of Motor Vehicles" — 11 October 2024 (LINK)

Rafael Nadal announces he will retire from tennis after Davis Cup finals in November — 11 October 2024 (LINK)

Third update of the European Strategy for Particle Physics: aim is to develop a visionary and concrete plan that greatly advances human knowledge in fundamental physics through the realization of the next flagship project at CERN including which major project should succeed the Large Hadron Collider — 11 October 2024 (LINK)

Switzerland imposes entry ban on far-right Austrian activist Martin Sellner: this prevents him from speaking at an event planned by the Swiss Junge Tat far-right group in canton Zurich on 19 October — 12 October 2024 (LINK) — ground.news: 5 media reports (LINK)

Cointrin, Geneva's international airport, posted the worst performance results in Europe in terms of punctuality and reliability of flights during the summer of 2024. The finger of blame has been pointed at easyJet. — 11 October 2024 (LINK)

— The budget airline saw frequent delays and cancellations with 2.62 percent of flights cancelled and 35 percent delayed. In comparison Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris saw just 1 percent of flights cancelled during the summer.The budget airline saw frequent delays and cancellations with 2.62 percent of flights cancelled and 35 percent delayed. In comparison Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris saw just 1 percent of flights cancelled during the summer. This poses a problem to the airport's management because it relies heavily on the airline, which represents 46.4 percent of its market share.

— "The airport is affected both by repeated strikes by air traffic controllers in France and by staff shortages inherited from the pandemic period in German airports" Oskar de Felice, in charge of legal affairs at Flightright, told Le Temps newspaper.

'My novels explore human suffering': Nobel Prize winner Han Kang writes with empathy for vulnerable lives — 11 October 2024 (LINK)

— The 53-year-old is the first South Korean writer to win the prize, and only the 18th woman (of 121 winners to date). She is also a musician, and interested in visual art.

Tron founder Justin Sun appointed 'Prime Minister' of Liberland, crypto-focused micronation in Europe — 11 October 2024 (LINK)

— Sandwiched between Croatia and Serbia on the west bank of the Danube River, Liberland was founded by Czech politician Vít Jedlička, who now serves as the president. Though Liberland says that the 7 km2 space it occupies hasn't been claimed by either of the two countries, Croatia has deemed it a "fictitious project" and contrary to international law.The cryptocurrency entrepreneur was declared the winner of a blockchain-based election process.

Elon Musk's SpaceX is the MyPillow of government contractors: its litany of lawsuits against the government got Musk what he wanted — more possible government contracts. In fact, such suits have been as much a hallmark of SpaceX as its rockets — 11 October 2024 (LINK)

Almost half of UK higher education institutions experience a cyberattack every week — 11 October 2024 (LINK)

Israeli offensive in hard-hit northern Gaza kills dozens and threatens hospitals — 10 October 2024 (LINK) — ground.news: 160 media reports (LINK)

Internet Archive suffers from cyberattack affecting 31m users — 10 October 2024 (LINK) — ground.news: 57 media reports (LINK)

Portugal proposes decade of tax breaks for young people to stem brain drain: government says will help up to 400,000 people included in budget after negotiations with opposition Socialists — 10 October 2024 (LINK)

Quitting smoking even at 75 can increase life expectancy, study finds — 10 October 2024 (LINK)

— A study of nearly 13,000 middle-aged men found those smoking 30 or more cigarettes a day at the start of the investigation faced a 21 percent greater risk of dying over the following 25 years. Estimates suggest that people between the ages of 35 and 75, who used to smoke in the past, have added considerable time back to their life expectancy by giving up cigarettes.

— Compared to those who never smoked, individuals who smoked at age 35 and continued smoking throughout the remainder of their lives were predicted to lose about 9 years of life on average (23 percent of their total life expectancy). By contrast, people who stopped smoking at age 35 only had about a year difference between their life expectancy and that of those who never smoked. In other words, they had regained, on average, about 8 years of expected life.

— Individuals who smoked at age 75 and who continued for the rest of their lives were predicted to lose about 4.4 years of life on average (nearly 50 percent of their life expectancy at this age). Based on probability curves, however, the chances of gaining at least 1 year of life among those who quit smoking at age 65 and 75 are 23 percent and 14 percent, respectively. And that's nothing to scoff at.

World-first stem cell treatment reverses diabetes for a patient in China, study suggests — 10 October 2024 (LINK)

CNN Fact check: Trump, on a lying spree, made at least 40 separate false claims in two Pennsylvania speeches — 10 October 2024 (LINK)

Wildlife numbers fall by 73% in 50 years, global stocktake finds — 10 October 2024 (LINK)

The Living Planet Report, a comprehensive overview of the state of the natural world, reveals global wildlife populations have shrunk by an average of 73% in 50 years — (LINK)

DNA Test reveals Christopher Columbus was a Spanish Jew — 10 October 2024 (LINK)

U.S. inflation drops to lowest point in 3 years at 2.4 percent, some price pressures remain — 10 October 2024 (LINK)

Hurricane Milton dumped so much rain over parts of Florida's Tampa Bay area that it qualified as a 1-in-1,000-year rainfall event — 10 October 2024 (LINK)

— St. Petersburg had 18.31 inches of rain — or more than 1.5 feet (0.47m) — in the 24-hour period during which the storm made landfall, according to precipitation data from the National Weather Service. That included a staggering 5.09 inches in one hour, from 8 p.m. to 9 p.m. ET — a level considered to have roughly a 0.1% chance of happening in any given year.

AI's exploited workforce: Here's how to make supply chains ethical — 11 October 2024 (LINK)

— Many companies are cutting costs, which affect those at the very bottom of the AI supply chain who are often highly vulnerable: data labelers. Earlier this year nearly 100 data labelers and AI workers from Kenya who do work for companies like Facebook, Scale AI and OpenAI published an open letter to United States President Joe Biden in which they said: Our working conditions amount to modern day slavery.

— Self-driving cars, for example, rely on labeled video footage to distinguish pedestrians from road signs. Large language models such as ChatGPT rely on labeled text to understand human language. Tech giants like Meta, Google, OpenAI and Microsoft outsource much of this work to data labeling factories in countries such as the Philippines, Kenya, India, Pakistan, Venezuela, and Colombia. China is also becoming another global hub for data labeling.

— Outsourcing companies that facilitate this work include Scale AI, iMerit, and Samasource. These are very large companies in their own right. For example, Scale AI, which is headquartered in California, is now worth US$14 billion. An hourly rate for AI data labelers in Venezuela ranges from between 90 cents and US$2. In comparison, in the United States, this rate is between US$10 to US$25 per hour.

— Many data labelers work in overcrowded and dusty environments which pose a serious risk to their health. They also often work as independent contractors, lacking access to protections such as health care or compensation. The mental toll of data labeling work is also significant, with repetitive tasks, strict deadlines and rigid quality controls. Data labelers are also sometimes asked to read and label hate speech or other abusive language or material, which has been proven to have negative psychological effects.

— One answer: companies can apply a human right-centreed design, deliberation and oversight approach to the entire AI supply chain. They must adopt fair wage policies, ensuring data labelers receive living wages that reflect the value of their contributions. Clear payment systems and recourse mechanisms will ensure workers are treated fairly. Instead of busting unions, as Scale AI did in Kenya in 2024, companies should also support the formation of digital labour unions or cooperatives. This will give workers a voice to advocate for better working conditions.

Almost half of UK higher education institutions experience a cyberattack every week — 11 October 2024 (LINK)

Alzheimer's disease can be transmitted between people, major study finds — 10 October 2024 (LINK)

How to build your first iOS app with AI — 10 October 2024 (LINK)

Crypto fraud: US charges 3 market makers, 18 others in sting operation — 10 October 2024 (LINK)

GESDA takes a new step towards a global audience — 10 October 2024 (LINK)

— GESDA is launching its public anticipation portal on 11 October. This will include a global training framework, an interactive exhibition and an observatory.

Sixty years later, and thalidomide is still with us — 10 October 2024 (LINK)

— In September 2024, a group of American thalidomide survivors and their family members arrived in Washington, D.C., to lobby the government for support. Although Food and Drug Administration medical examiner Frances Kelsey stopped the drug from going on the market in the U.S., thousands of pregnant people still took thalidomide in Merrell's so-called clinical trials, and many had babies with shortened limbs and other serious medical conditions. Others had miscarriages or stillborn babies. Kelsey continued to work at the FDA until she was 90. "She was a scientist who did important work and now, nearly a decade on, with the exception of a few doctors of a certain age, almost no one I asked recognized the name Frances Kelsey. Then again, that would probably be true if she'd been a man. She represents another group of people who are, if not forgotten these days, often reviled: public servants."

Dogecoin founder claims Hal Finney is Bitcoin founder Satoshi Nakamoto — 10 October 2024 (LINK)

Documentarian says he's solved the mystery of Bitcoin's creator. Insiders are extremely skeptical — 8 October 2024 (LINK)

A quest to unmask Bitcoin inventor Satoshi Nakamoto finds a man named Peter Todd — (LINK)

Fox News's Cavuto: Trump hurricane 'misinformation' cannot be 'tolerated' — 10 October 2024 (LINK)

Switzerland allocates CHF7 million ($8.1 million) more for humanitarian aid to Lebanon and Syria — 9 October 2024 (LINK)

Saudi Arabia narrowly fails to win seat on U.N. Human Rights Council — 9 October 2024 (LINK)

Nobel Prize in chemistry honors 3 scientists who used AI to design proteins, life's building blocks — 9 October 2024 (LINK)

Biochemist David Baker receives Nobel Prize: By harnessing the power of computing, Baker has transformed biological research — 9 October 2024 (LINK)

Musk's 'Free' Internet offer to hurricane victims requires $400 hardware and automatically subscribes users to $120-a-month plan — 9 October 2024 (LINK)

Trump 'God Bless the USA' Bibles printed in China, records show — 9 October 2024 (LINK) — ground.news: 35 media reports (LINK)

California, as first U.S. State to ban sell-by-date stamping, could save more than 70,000 tons of food waste each year — 9 October 2024 (LINK)

People are stuffing wikipedia with AI-generated garbage: the issue is so widespread that wikipedia now has an entire task force dedicated to cleaning it up — 9 October 2024 (LINK)

China puts provisional tariffs on European brandy after EU OKs duties on Chinese EVs — 9 October 2024 (LINK) — ground.news: 84 media reports (LINK)

The largest storm in our solar system, Jupiter's Great Red Spot, is moving unexpectedly, scientists say — 9 October 2024 (LINK) — ground.news: 16 media reports (LINK)

Family dog locates 11-year-old boy under 12 feet of mudslide debris during Hurricane Helene — 9 October 2024 (LINK)

Honda recalls 1.7 million vehicles, including Civics, to fix defective steering wheel — 9 October 2024 (LINK)

Swiss court rules firm can force workers to clock out for bathroom breaks — 9 October 2024 (LINK) — ground.news: 9 media reports (LINK)

FTX settlement requires Caroline Ellison to give up 'all of her assets' — 9 October 2024 (LINK)

Geoffrey Hinton warns of AI's growing danger after Nobel Prize win — 9 October 2024 (LINK)

— Speaking to the media in the aftermath of his win, Mr Hinton – once dubbed the "godfather" of AI – reiterated urgent calls for companies to do more research into AI safety. Left unchecked, he said, the technology increases the risk of cyber and phishing attacks, fake videos and ongoing political interference."Quite a few good researchers believe that sometime in the next 20 years, AI will become more intelligent than us, and we need to think hard about what happens then," he said.

— He said he was still in "shock" to discover he had won, having received the call at 1am in a California hotel without even knowing he had been nominated. "I'm not a physicist, I have very high respect for physics," he said."I dropped out of physics after my first year at university because I couldn't do the complicated math. So getting an award in physics was very surprising to me. I'm very pleased that the Nobel committee recognised that there's been huge progress in the area of artificial neural networks."

Israeli military says it eliminated a commander of Hezbollah in Beirut strike — 8 October 2024 (LINK) — ground.news: 56 media reports (LINK)

Kenya's deputy president defends himself before impeachment — 8 October 2024 (LINK) — ground.news: 62 media reports (LINK)

PolitiFact: Hurricane Helene was not artificially created, despite what Alexa says — 8 October 2024 (LINK)

Three astronauts and one cosmonaut stranded in space due to Hurricane Milton — 8 October 2024 (LINK)

— NASA has announced that the crew for its latest return mission won't be able to leave until at least October 13. It's the second time the agency has had to scrub the date due to the rapidly-approaching Hurricane Milton.

Musk-founded PAC says it will give $47 for every swing-state voter referral who signs petition — 8 October 2024 (LINK) — ground.news: 29 media reports (LINK)

— Federal law prohibits paying or offering to pay someone to vote or register to vote, but it is legal to pay people to encourage others to vote. It is also legal to compensate individuals who gather signatures for petitions, although some states have laws making it illegal for campaigns to pay based on reaching a target number of signatures. America PAC is based in Texas, where there are no specific laws regarding pay-per-signature compensation, making Musk's financial incentive legally valid for garnering more signatures. The petition is described as pledging support for the First Amendment and Second Amendment, which grant freedom of speech and the right to bear arms.

Japan government admits doctoring 'untidy' Cabinet photo — 8 October 2024 (LINK) — ground.news: 31 media reports (LINK)

Qantas Airways apologizes after R-rated film reportedly airs on every screen during flight — 8 October 2024 (LINK) — ground.news: 81 media reports (LINK)

Hezbollah strikes Israel on Gaza war anniversary; rockets hit Israel's third-largest city of Haifa; fears grow over Middle East instability — 7 October 2024 (LINK)

IDF orders evacuations in Beirut: Over 1,000 people in Lebanon have been killed in the last two weeks — 7 October 2024 (LINK)

Israel marks anniversary of Hamas attacks as Middle East war rages — (LINK)

US spends a record $17.9 billion on military aid to Israel since last Oct. 7 — (LINK)

Japan leads Asia stock rally, dollar firms after blowout US payrolls — 7 October 2024 (LINK)

Dollar holds gains made on US jobs data and Middle East flare-up — 7 October 2024 (LINK)

Oil prices dip after strongest weekly rise in over one year — 7 October 2024 (LINK)

— Brent crude futures fell 28 cents, or 0.36%, to $77.77 per barrel by 0645 GMT. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude futures slipped 19 cents, or 0.26%, to $74.19 per barrel. Brent rose by more than 8% last week, the biggest weekly gain since January 2023, while the WTI contract gained 9.1% week-on-week, the most since March 2023, on expectations that Israel could strike Iranian oil infrastructure in response to an Iranian missile attack on Israel on Oct. 1.

Nobel Prize in medicine awarded to US duo Victor Ambros, Gary Ruvkun for discovery of microRNA — 7 October 2024 (LINK) — ground.news: 245 media reports (LINK)

FTX to finally repay customers after bankruptcy plan gets court approval — 7 October 2024 (LINK)

U.S. moves to seize $2.7 million from North Korean Lazarus hacks traced through Tornado Cash, other mixers — 7 October 2024 (LINK)