Israel targets Hezbollah's financial arm and begins striking Beirut — 20 October 2024 (LINK) — ground.news: 239 media reports (LINK)

Berlin authorities arrest Libyan man allegedly linked to ISIL who is suspected of planning attack on Israeli Embassy — 20 October 2024 (LINK) — ground.news: 176 media reports (LINK)

'Historic': Egypt declared malaria free by the World Health Organization — 20 October 2024 (LINK)

WHO: Q&A on malaria-free certification of Egypt — (LINK)

— Egypt is the third country to be awarded a malaria-free certification in this region, after United Arab Emirates (2007) and Morocco (2010). With this announcement, a total of 44 countries and 1 territory have been certified malaria-free by WHO. A country must demonstrate the capacity to prevent the re-establishment of transmission. Malaria has been traced in the country as far back as 4000 B.C., with genetic evidence of the disease found in Tutankhamun and other ancient Egyptian mummies. Cases were historically reported in human settlements near the Nile River. The construction of the Aswan Dam, completed in 1969, created a new malaria risk for Egypt in the area close to the Sudan border.

Groundbreaking cancer treatment destroys advanced-stage tumors in less than 6 days: The advanced-stage cancer treatment involves tiny drug-producing beads, each no larger than a pinhead, which are implanted near tumours — 20 October 2024 (LINK)

— Study authors Amanda Nash and Omid Veiseh and colleagues showed the implants could eradicate ovarian and colorectal cancer in mice in as little as six days. The beads continuously release high doses of interleukin-2 (IL-2), a natural compound that activates white blood cells to fight cancer.

Internet Archive breached again through stolen access tokens — 20 October 2024 (LINK)

Ex-general Prabowo Subianto became Indonesia's eighth president on Sunday after winning the election with policies like free meals for school children and an outgoing leader's son as his running mate — 20 October 2024 (LINK) — ground.news: 110 media reports (LINK)

78th Concours de Genève announces composition winners: Léo Albisetti and Caio De Azevedo — 20 October 2024 (LINK)

— The third prize went to Sang-Min Ryu, who also received the Nicati-De Luze Special Prize. Meanwhile, the Audience Prize, the Young Audience Prize, and the Students' Prize were awarded to Léo Albisetti.

Tiny Caribbean island of Anguilla turns AI boom into digital gold mine: the British territory was allotted control of the .ai internet address in the 1990s — 20 October 2024 (LINK)

'At least 73 killed' in strike on Gaza town of Beit Lahiya, medics say - as Israel says drone launched at Netanyahu's house — 19 October 2024 (LINK) — ground.news: 436 media reports (LINK)

Gunmen kill two Mozambique opposition figures ahead of election protests — 19 October 2024 (LINK) — ground.news: 99 media reports (LINK)

Cuba's electrical grid collapses for second time, entire country without power for a time, but government now sys it has restored power to one-fifth of population — 19 October 2024 (LINK) — ground.news: 436 media reports (LINK)

Japan's ruling party headquarters attacked with firebombs, suspect arrested, media report — 19 October 2024 (LINK) — ground.news: 105 media reports (LINK)

— The ruling Liberal Democratic Party faces growing unpopularity due to a ballooning money scandal involving dubious funding and suspected tax evasion. Although the motive for the attack was not immediately clear, Japanese media reports said social media posts believed to be suspects's showed him complaining about the sums of money required to run for office under Japanese law, implying he had political ambitions.

Trump kicks off a Pennsylvania rally by talking about Arnold Palmer's genitalia — 19 October 2024 (LINK)

Noe Ponti breaks 50m butterfly world record in Shanghai; first Swiss swimming world record in almost 40 years — 19 October 2024 (LINK) — ground.news: 4 media reports (LINK)

11 virtual museum tours from around the world — 19 October 2024 (LINK)

Renewed calls for cease-fire after Israel kills Hamas leader — 18 October 2024 (LINK)

— US President Biden expected to renew Gaza cease-fire calls on Berlin visit.

— Chancellor Scholz, speaking in Brussels, said: "There is a proposal from President Biden and others as to what such a ceasefire could look like and we fully support that."

— Hezbollah threatens 'new phase' in Israel attacks, saying that it used precision-guided missiles against troops for the first time.

— Some 100 hostages abducted on October 7 are still thought to be held in Gaza.

Ukraine Mine Action Conference UMAC2024 — 24 October 2024 (LINK)

— Switzerland and Ukraine jointly hosted the Ukraine Mine Action Conference UMAC2024 in Lausanne on 17–18 October 2024. The 'Lausanne Call for Action' was adopted at the Conference, calling on states to take concrete action in the area of humanitarian mine clearance . This is crucial for social and economic reconstruction. Switzerland is supporting Ukraine with its expertise and contributing CHF 100 million over a four-year period to clear civilian areas of mines.

— It is estimated that almost a quarter of Ukrainian territory, an area 3.5 times the size of Switzerland, is contaminated by mines and other explosive ordnance. Due to this situation, Ukraine, known as the breadbasket of Europe, is unable to fully resume agricultural production.

Cuba's power grid fails, plunging country into darkness — 18 October 2024 (LINK) — ground.news: 233 media reports (LINK)

Kenya's president nominated Kithure Kindiki as the new deputy after Rigathi Gachagua was voted out due to impeachment over corruption and ethnic division allegations: but High Court temporarily suspended the senate's decision to impeach Gachagua. — 18 October 2024 (LINK) — ground.news: 106 media reports (LINK)

Neutral Switzerland signs declaration to join unified European Sky Shield initiative — 18 October 2024 (LINK)

Vatican reprimands Swiss bishops for their handling of abuse allegations — 18 October 2024 (LINK)

Russia returns 500 dead soldiers to Ukraine as world leaders mull next steps — 18 October 2024 (LINK)

Arosa Lenzerheide in Switzerland has been crowned the best ski resort in the world: The research ranked a whopping 6,000 ski resorts on 11 factors — 18 October 2024 (LINK)

— In second place it was Sölden, an Austrian resort on the border with Italy.It appeared in the Bond movie Spectre. Austria swoops all over everywhere else in this list, claiming eight of the 10 spots.

US probes Tesla's full self-driving software in 2.4 mln cars after fatal crash — 18 October 2024 (LINK)

Elon Musk raises payment offer to $100 for voters who sign petition supporting 'free speech & right to bear arms' — 18 October 2024 (LINK)

Malaysia to revamp gasoline subsidies and raise taxes in a bid to narrow deficit — 18 October 2024 (LINK) — ground.news: 13 media reports (LINK)

Gold touches new high to hold above $2,700 per ounce — 18 October 2024 (LINK)

Oil steadies, but on track for biggest weekly loss in over a month — 18 October 2024 (LINK)

The Long-Term Societal Impacts of AI: A Holistic View of Opportunities and Challenges with Lambert Hoganaut, Chief of Data and AI at the United Nations Secretariat — 25 min — 18 October 2024 (LINK)

Symone D. Sanders-Townsend, co-host of "The Weekend": Harris' Fox News interview revealed an ugly double standard in the media: She's putting herself out there, while Trump sticks to safe spaces. But pundits don't care — 18 October 2024 (LINK)

Some new rules for using AI in academic research: Geeky Gadget's best practices and guidelines — 18 October 2024 (LINK)

• Researchers must disclose AI usage in their publications, detailing the type of AI tool and its role to ensure transparency and accountability.
• AI tools should enhance language and readability but not conduct original research or alter findings, maintaining the originality and validity of the research.
• AI cannot be credited as an author; researchers are responsible for the accuracy and integrity of their work, ensuring trust in their intellectual contributions.
• AI should not be used to evaluate others' ideas or manuscripts in peer review, but can be used to enhance feedback clarity with proper acknowledgment.
• Researchers should adhere to specific AI use guidelines set by academic journals to maintain research credibility and ethical standards.

Renewed calls for cease-fire after Israel kills Hamas leader — 17 October 2024 (LINK)

— US President Biden expected to renew Gaza cease-fire calls on Berlin visit.

— Chancellor Scholz, speaking in Brussels, said: "There is a proposal from President Biden and others as to what such a ceasefire could look like and we fully support that."

— Hezbollah threatens 'new phase' in Israel attacks, saying that it used precision-guided missiles against troops for the first time.

— Some 100 hostages abducted on October 7 are still thought to be held in Gaza.

Palestinian officials say an Israeli strike on a school-turned-shelter in northern Gaza killed 28 — 17 October 2024 (LINK) — ground.news: 137 media reports (LINK)

BBC: Israeli air strike on UN-run north Gaza school kills at least 22, medics say — (LINK)

— Israel named 12 men it said were among "dozens" of members of Palestinian armed groups present in the compound at the time of the strike.

US stealth bombers strike Houthi weapons storage facilities in Yemen — 17 October 2024 (LINK) — ground.news: 160 media reports (LINK)

US charges former Indian intelligence officer in American Sikh separatist murder plot — 17 October 2024 (LINK)

— The US Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York said it had registered "murder-for-hire and money laundering charges" against Vikash Yadav for trying to kill Gurpatwant Singh Pannun.

— The Indian government has said that it was co-operating with the US' ongoing investigation. It has not responded to the specific charges against Yadav yet. Earlier this year, Nikhil Gupta, an Indian national also charged in the case, was extradited to the US from a prison in Prague.

US imposes first sanctions on 2 Chinese firms for making weapons for Russia's war in Ukraine — 17 October 2024 (LINK)

— The Chinese companies had collaborated with Russian defense firms in the production of Moscow's "Garpiya series" long-range unmanned aerial vehicles, the department said in a statement. The drones were designed, developed and made in China before being sent to Russia for use in the battlefield, it said.

Bangladesh court issues arrest warrant for ex-prime minister in protester deaths: Sheikh Hasina fled to India more than two months ago after being toppled in a student-led uprising — 17 October 2024 (LINK) — ground.news: 119 media reports (LINK)

Mexico's ex-public security chief sentenced to 38-plus years in US prison for taking cartel bribes — 17 October 2024 (LINK) — ground.news: 105 media reports (LINK)

Global water crisis leaves half of world food production at risk in next 25 years — 17 October 2024 (LINK)

UN expert on violence against women and girls takes shot at IOC over women's boxing — 17 October 2024 (LINK)

— Jordan's Reem Alsalem on 15 October: "At the 2024 Paris Olympics, female boxers had to compete against two boxers whose sex as females was seriously contested, but the International Olympic Committee refused to carry out a sex screening. Current technology enables a reliable sex screening procedure through a simple cheek swab that ensures non-invasiveness, confidentiality and dignity."

Public prosecutor closes church abuse case in canton Valais — 17 October 2024 (LINK)

— All the facts denounced are statute-barred or have not been the subject of a criminal complaint, it stated in a press release.

— Opened in September 2023, the investigation has identified 20 potential perpetrators. Seven of them are now deceased, while three have been implicated by several people for separate acts. And in eleven cases, the Capuchin canons or priests could not be identified.

— In all, thirty-six people reported to the police. Twenty-five reported criminal acts of which they were victims or witnesses. Eleven reported acts which did not give rise to a criminal offence, explained the Public Prosecutor's Office.

Three Americans among five foreigners detained in Venezuela over alleged anti-government plot — 17 October 2024 (LINK) — ground.news: 25 media reports (LINK)

— The recent arrests increase the count of detained foreigners by the Maduro government to at least 12. Interior minister Diosdado Cabello claimed that US intelligence agencies were involved in the plot, though he provided no evidence for the allegation. The CIA previously denied a claim it was involved in an alleged plot to assassinate President Nicolás Maduro.

In a historic move, the Kenyan Senate has voted to impeach Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, marking the first time a deputy president has been removed from office since the country's 2010 constitutional reforms — 17 October 2024 (LINK)

— During a tense session, the Senate found Gachagua, 59, guilty on five out of the 11 charges leveled against him. The charges included corruption, money laundering, insubordination, ethnic divisiveness, and undermining the government. The Senate needed to convict him on only one charge to secure his removal.

Trump family gets 75% of crypto coin revenue from World Liberty Financial, has no liability, new document reveals — 17 October 2024 (LINK)

Hurricane-resistant, net-zero Florida Hunters Point community near Tampa Bay survived a direct hit from Milton: solar panels and living quarters over garage, 4m above ground: the innovation comes at a price — 17 October 2024 (LINK)

— Even if a storm surge does reach the second level, the living space is also equipped with vents to let floodwaters pass through the house instead of getting trapped inside. Every Hunters Point home is also held down by steel-reinforced straps that run from the foundation to the roof. Even the solar panels are fixed to the roof so they are protected from extreme winds and highly resistant to being blown off.

— Homes are available in Hunters Point, but they are listed between $1.4 million and $1.9 million, roughly two to three times the average home price for the area.

Mexico Beach, Florida domed homes survived category 5 hurricanes — 17 October 2024 (LINK)

— Of the 5,500 domed and rounded homes Deltec has constructed, only one has sustained damage from high winds, according to its records, despite facing some of the country's most powerful hurricanes on record, including Irma, Michael, Katrina, Dorian and, most recently, Milton. Deltec says it has heard from dozens of homeowners and none have reported damage from Hurricane Milton.

— A circular shape means the home is more aerodynamic, with Deltec president Steve Linton claiming the round design leads to significantly less pressure building up on the outside of the home. The design means the home can absorb and distribute the energy better than a traditional house, regardless of the direction of the wind force, he adds. "This works much like the spokes on a wheel," Linton says.

— The domed form also has an advantage, Landolf Rhode-Barbarigos, an associate professor in the University of Miami's civil, architectural and environmental engineering department and associate director of the Climate Resilience Institute, explains, because the homes don't resist the flow of the wind around them. "A regular house with edges like a box, and a flat roof, that creates a certain obstacle to the flow of the wind," he explains. "When you have a house that's round, by default it receives less force from the wind. It's not only the engineering but also the architecture that can affect the [wind] load. s"[These homes] are resistant. They're not affected by the strong winds that we have with hurricanes," says Rhode-Barbarigos.

— In the past, Deltec houses were only available in custom designs. A new line of pre-designed models are "hurricane ready", designed to withstand wind speeds up to 190 miles (307km) per hour, and 25% cheaper than the custom builds. Deltec provides the "shell" of the house, while the site prep, roof shingles, insulation and drywall are completed by the buyer's own builder. The shells cost, on average, one-third of the total house cost, and ranges from $45,900 (£35,000) for a 515 sq ft (48 sq m) home to $132,500 (£101,000) for a 2,070 sq ft (192 sq m) home.

IFAW: 24th annual Animal Action Awards honours. — 17 October 2024 (LINK)

• Charles Emogor is a scientist on a mission to protect pangolins—a small, scaly mammal that is known as one of the world's most trafficked animals.
• Head of Restoration with the Beaver Trust, Roisin Campbell-Palmer is one of the driving forces behind the return of beavers to Britain. Roisin has been instrumental in the re-wildling of these animals, which now have official protected status, with around 2,000 of them living across the country. She
• Panjit Basumatary has been a wildlife veterinarian with the Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) for 14 years, rescuing, rehabilitating, and helping with the release of wild animals who have faced distress, disease, and injury. Working tirelessly around the clock, Dr. Basumatary has hand-raised rhinos, elephants, clouded leopards, and numerous bear cubs.
• Bantu Lukambo, who founded the organisation Innovation for Development and Environmental Protection (IDPE) in 1994, has worked tirelessly to defend the wildlife around Virunga National Park, Democratic Republic of the Congo, sometimes facing armed poachers in life-threatening situations.
• Reid, an English Springer Spaniel, is a specialist detection dog who undertakes groundbreaking conservation work—identifying invasive rodents that pose a catastrophic threat to seabird colonies in Scotland. He works alongside his handler, Rachel Cripps, for Biosecurity for Scotland, a project focusing on protecting 38 remote and globally important seabird islands.
• A boat constructed out of recycled plastic has sailed from the Kenyan coast to Lake Victoria, bringing awareness to the issue of plastic pollution—this is the Flipflopi Project. Flipflopi is working with coastal communities to recover and recycle plastic waste, creating artisanal boats and traditional furniture while leading a regional legislative campaign to ban unnecessary single use plastics.
• David Rio, an award-winning premium chai and tea brand based in San Francisco, is recognized for its commitment to quality, sustainability, and social responsibility. As a valued partner of IFAW, they support wildlife conservation in Kenya's Southern Rangelands and have recently committed to rhino protection in Tsavo.
• Dia Mirza is an award-winning actor, green entrepreneur, founder of One India Stories, UN Environment Goodwill Ambassador, and UN Secretary-General's Advocate for Sustainable Development Goals. She has been a WTI and IFAW Global Ambassador since 2017 and is a founding member of WTI's Club Nature initiative.
• 2024 Lifetime Achievement Winner: Professor Rudi Van Aarde was the founder and director of the Conservation Ecology Research Unit (CERU) in the University of Pretoria's Department of Zoology and Entomology. He passed away in July 2023, leaving a legacy of innovative and practical conservation.

How do WhatsApp and similar messaging services make money? — 17 October 2024 (LINK)

Pants on Fire: J.D. Vance finally asserts on 16 October that former President Donald Trump did not lose the 2020 election — PolitiFact — 17 October 2024 (LINK)

Israel's foreign minister confirms that Hamas' top leader Yahya Sinwar, responsible for the October 7th massacre, was killed by Israeli forces in Gaza: — 16 October 2024 (LINK) — ground.news: 468 media reports (LINK)

Israeli strike hits municipal building in south Lebanon, mayor and five others killed — 16 October 2024 (LINK)

New tax regime for cross-border remote workers begins in 2025: teleworking by a cross-border worker can continue to be taxed in Switzerland up to a certain limit (in Italy up to 25% of annual working time and in France up to 40%) — 16 October 2024 (LINK)

Cross-border shopping to be taxed at lower threshold: purchases above CHF150 made across the Swiss border will be subject to VAT — 16 October 2024 (LINK)

Zelensky presents 'victory plan' to Ukrainian parliament — 16 October 2024 (LINK)

— Key elements include a formal invitation to join Nato, the lifting by allies of bans on long-range strikes with Western-supplied weapons deep into Russia, a refusal to trade Ukraine's territories and sovereignty, and the continuation of the incursion into Russia's western Kursk region.

— Three "addendums" remain secret and will only be shared with Ukraine's partners, Zelensky said.

North Korea claims 1.4 million young people joined or applied to rejoin its military this week — 16 October 2024 (LINK) — ground.news: 63 media reports (LINK)

Italy makes it illegal to seek surrogacy abroad — 16 October 2024 (LINK) — ground.news: 62 media reports (LINK)

CNN Fact check: Trump makes at least 19 false claims in one-hour Fox town hall with women — 16 October 2024 (LINK)

Heather Cox Richardson: Two Fox News Channel interviews with US Presidential candidates — (LINK)

The FTC puts an end to "click to subscribe, call to cancel" — 16 October 2024 (LINK)

How AI is transforming academic research: 4 tools you need to know — 16 October 2024 (LINK)

• AI tools are simplifying tasks like reference management, literature reviews, and data visualization, allowing researchers to focus on core aspects.
• A4 AI streamlines reference management with features like document annotation and a research assistant, though its free version has limited storage.
• Seamless accelerates literature reviews by generating draft content, requiring careful resource management to avoid plagiarism and maintain content integrity.
• Paper Guide enhances PDF interaction with AI-driven information extraction and concise summaries, aiding in the quick understanding of complex papers.
• BioRender improves data visualization with its graphing functions, offering professional-looking graphs to enhance research presentations and papers.

CERN teams up with Luxembourg and the World Food Programme to tackle global hunger: the new partnership aims to leverage state-of-the-art AI technology to speed up progress towards a world with zero hunger — 15 October 2024 (LINK)

Italy sends first group of 16 migrants to asylum processing centres in Albania — 15 October 2024 (LINK)

An important UN election you've probably never heard of: for the International Civil Service Commission (ICSC) — 15 October 2024 (LINK)

Only one-third of Europe's surface water is in good health, report warns — 15 October 2024 (LINK) — ground.news: 39media reports (LINK)

Earth's 2nd-warmest September on record: 2024 is virtually certain to surpass 2023 as Earth's warmest year on record — 15 October 2024 (LINK)

North Korea blows up parts of inter-Korean roads no longer in use in a symbolic display of anger after claims South Korea flew drones over its capital Pyongyang. — 15 October 2024 (LINK)

Breakthrough new algorithm reduces AI energy consumption by 95% — 15 October 2024 (LINK)

Sheriff accused of claiming Donald Trump assassination attempt 'for clout' — 15 October 2024 (LINK)

— Business partner: "His passes for the event were real, the cops knew he was a Trump supporter because he overheard one making fun of him for it, and he didn't realize all the guns he had legally in Nevada were all illegal in California, which does have some ridiculous rules. He was given a ticket and let go. The fact this sheriff is still pushing this as an assassin [sic] attempt is insane, it seems he's doing it for clout," she said.

Truth Social shares plunge on record volumes, are briefly halted, after going up roughly 150% since its 23 September low: closed the day down roughly 10% — 15 October 2024 (LINK)

* Reports: Tesla's prototype Optimus robots were controlled by humans * — 15 October 2024 (LINK)

Israel kills at least 18 in strike on Christian town in north Lebanon — 14 October 2024 (LINK)

4 Israeli soldiers killed, more than 60 people injured in Hezbollah drone strike 60k north of Tel Aviv — 14 October 2024 (LINK) — ground.news: 232 media reports (LINK)

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

UN launches second round of polio vaccinations for children in Gaza: About 590,000 children under the age of ten will be vaccinated, according to UN agencies. Israel and the organizers have agreed to area-specific humanitarian truces — (LINK)

UN Security Council voices 'strong concern' for UN peacekeepers after Israeli attacks — 14 October 2024 (LINK)

The Israeli government has accused UNIFIL of acting as a "human shield" for Hezbollah and demanded its immediate removal from southern Lebanon on 13 October. EU Foreign Minister says Israeli attacks on UNIFIL are 'completely unacceptable' before heading into a meeting of foreign affairs ministers in Luxembourg — 14 October 2024 (LINK)

IOM and UN Women scale-up efforts to advance women's rights in migration policies and humanitarian responses — 14 October 2024 (LINK)

Canada and India expel each other's diplomats in escalating dispute over a 2023 assassination of Canadian Sikh separatist in Vancouver in June 2023 — 14 October 2024 (LINK) — ground.news: 271 media reports (LINK)

Breakthrough study finally reveals the cause of Alzheimer's disease and dementia: a form of cell death known as ferroptosis, caused by an accumulation of iron within cells, is responsible for the obliteration of microglia cells in the brain — 14 October 2024 (LINK)

Lack of snowfall due to climate change forces closure of two, popular French ski resorts: Alpe Du Grand Serre Ski Resort in the southern French Alps near Grenoble, and Grand Puy Ski Resort in the Alpes-de-Haute Province — 14 October 2024 (LINK)

True Value declares bankruptcy and sells itself to hardware rival Do it Best: said its stores will remain open, because they are not part of the bankruptcy proceedings — 14 October 2024 (LINK)

AI detectors claim the Declaration of Independence was 98% AI-generated: "When AI detectors fail to recognize iconic texts, it raises questions about their reliability and risks" — 14 October 2024 (LINK)

The Internet Archive, Wayback Machine are back online after cyberattack, but is read-only — 14 October 2024 (LINK)

Tesla stock sell-off after robotaxi event could be just the beginning, pros warn after more than $60 billion wipeoff valuation in a sell-off — 14 October 2024 (LINK)

Orbán threatens to mess with Ukraine aid to help Trump: — 14 October 2024 (LINK)

— He's concocted a way to let Trump, if he successfully makes it to the White House for a second term come November, wriggle out of a $50 billion loan the U.S., the European Union and leaders of the G7 offered to Ukraine to back its fight for survival against Russia. That would let Trump off the hook, allowing him to tell Republican voters that, if elected, he won't give Ukraine another cent. Hungary says it won't consent to a change in rules that would allow Washington to play a major role in the loan until after the U.S. election.

Trio wins economics Nobel for work on wealth inequality — co-winner: "work that we had done favours democracy" — 14 October 2024 (LINK)

Man pursues $647m legal claim for lost Bitcoin buried in trash — 14 October 2024 (LINK)

How to get more space on flights: legroom, empty rows, & more: one tip — try SeatGuru — 14 October 2024 (LINK)