Final Report — Governing AI for Humanity + United Nations Secretary-General's video message: seven recommendations to address gaps in current AI governance arrangements. — 10 November 2024 (LINK)

1. An international scientific panel on AI
2. Policy dialogue on AI governance:a twice-yearly intergovernmental and multi-stakeholder dialogue
3. AI standards exchange
4. Capacity development network
5. Global fund for AI
6. Global AI data framework
7. AI office within the Secretariat

At least 23 killed in Israeli strike on Lebanon's Almat, ministry says. — 10 November 2024 (LINK) — ground.news: 130 media reports (LINK)

— Over 80 people have been reported killed in Israeli strikes across Lebanon, northern Gaza, and Syria since late Saturday.

Israel claims killing of Islamic Jihad's head of operations in Gaza — (LINK)

Amsterdam police detain pro-Palestinian protesters at banned demonstration. — 10 November 2024 (LINK) — ground.news: 157 media reports (LINK)

Trump announces Tom Homan as incoming border czar: Homan touts hard-line immigration views and has previously vowed to "run the biggest deportation force this country has ever seen." — 10 November 2024 (LINK)

Trump picks Rep. Elise Stefanik for UN ambassador. — 10 November 2024 (LINK)

— She stepped up for Trump after his 2020 defeat, when she objected to certifying President Joe Biden's win in the House and promoted Trump's false claims about election fraud.

Israeli strikes across Gaza: at least 44 Palestinians have been killed — 9 November 2024 (LINK) — ground.news: 110 media reports (LINK)

— One of the strikes targeted a school sheltering displaced Palestinians in Gaza City's eastern Tuffah neighbourhood, killing six people from two families — including a pregnant woman and children — and wounding 22 others. Another Israeli air strike hit tents housing displaced Palestinians in al-Mawasi, in the southern region of Khan Younis, killing at least nine people and injuring 11 others. Four more Palestinians were killed in two separate attacks on the northern town of Beit Lahia. Palestinian health authorities said that at least 44 people have been killed in the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of Palestinians killed since the start of Israel's war on Gaza last year to 43,552.

An Israeli air strike on the southern port city of Tyre has left at least seven dead, among them five siblings, three of whom were deaf and mute, officials said. — (LINK)

First aid in weeks reaches the north of Gaza. — (LINK)

Suicide bombing at Quetta rail station in southwestern Pakistan kills at least 26: the Balochistan Liberation Army claimed responsibility. — 9 November 2024 (LINK) — ground.news: 363 media reports (LINK)

North Korean GPS manipulation disrupted dozens of planes and vessels, South Korea says. — 9 November 2024 (LINK) — ground.news: 140 media reports (LINK)

Putin signs into law mutual defence treaty with North Korea. — 9 November 2024 (LINK) — ground.news: 105 media reports (LINK)

Ukrainian drones hit 52,000 Russian targets in October including 4,000 troops, Ukraine says. — 9 November 2024 (LINK)

Nigeria rights body finds 'no evidence' military conducted secret mass abortions in North-East. — 9 November 2024 (LINK) — ground.news: 27 media reports (LINK)

FEMA: Worker fired after directing workers to avoid helping hurricane survivors who supported Trump. — 9 November 2024 (LINK)

At least 10 dead, 13 injured after bar shooting in Queretaro, Mexico. — 9 November 2024 (LINK) — ground.news: 123 media reports (LINK)

Swiss village of Brienz-Brizauls southwest of Davos threatened by vast rockslide must be evacuated again by its 100 inhabitants: over past 20 years an Alpine rockslide has been moving 1m per year. — 9 November 2024 (LINK) — ground.news: 57 media reports (LINK)

Switzerland's cross border workers reach record level. — 9 November 2024 (LINK)

— At the end of September 2024, around 403,000 people residing in France, Germany, Italy and further afield crossed into Switzerland to work. This figure is 2.4% higher than at the the same point in 2023. The total number has grown by 19% in the five years since 2019 when the figure was 339,000.

— 57% of cross-border workers were resident in France, 23% resident in Italy, 16% in Germany and another 4% from further afield. At 112,000 (28% of the total), the canton of Geneva had the largest number of cross-border workers. Many of these people are Swiss citizens, who in search of a lower cost of living, have decided to move across the border and retain their jobs in Switzerland.

50 countries and WHO chief warn at Security Council of ransomware attacks on hospitals. — 8 November 2024 (LINK) — ground.news: 30 media reports (LINK)

— Over a third of global healthcare organizations reported an attack in 2021, and many paid ransoms yet "31% of respondents did not regain access to their encrypted data."

Haitian transitional presidential council has voted to replace prime minister. — 8 November 2024 (LINK) — ground.news: 120 media reports (LINK)

— Haiti's transitional council has appointed Alix Didier Fils-Aimé as the new prime minister following an executive order. The council dismissed former Prime Minister Garry Conille after less than a year in office amid worsening violence and announced famine-like conditions in certain areas. Conille stated that the council only had the power to appoint a prime minister, not to dismiss one.

Nearly 70% of Gaza war dead women and children, UN rights office says. — 8 November 2024 (LINK) — ground.news: 231 media reports (LINK)

Israeli soccer fans attacked in Amsterdam, Israeli and Dutch authorities say. — 8 November 2024 (LINK)

World food prices reach 18-month high in October, FAO says. — 8 November 2024 (LINK) — ground.news: 44 media reports (LINK)

Relations between Ukraine and UK are worse under U.K.'s Labour government, say Kyiv officials: Zelenskyy administration expresses frustration with Starmer over lack of missiles. — 8 November 2024 (LINK)

Japanese automaker Nissan cuts 9,000 jobs as its vehicles fail to sell. — 8 November 2024 (LINK) — ground.news: 153 media reports (LINK)

Justice Department brings criminal charges in Iranian murder-for-hire plan targeting Donald Trump. — 8 November 2024 (LINK)

"Trump talked to Putin, told Russian leader not to escalate in Ukraine." — 8 November 2024 (LINK)

Special counsel Jack Smith tells court he is assessing future of Trump criminal case. — 8 November 2024 (LINK)

Heather Cox Richardson: Trump's policy implications: gaming consoles +40%, switching production from China to Asia and Latin America, undocumented relatives in danger of deportation, tax cuts for the wealthy and corporations. — 8 November 2024 (LINK)

California Governor Gavin Newsom fined $13,000 for failing to report on time charitable donations made at his request between 2018 and 2024. — 8 November 2024 (LINK)

Common mineral supplement magnesium could prevent dementia, new study finds. — 8 November 2024 (LINK)

Chinese nationals gain access to stablecoins in Hong Kong via new trial. — 8 November 2024 (LINK)

"World Must Prepare For Climate Calamity": UN Chief. — 7 November 2024 (LINK) — ground.news: 8 media reports (LINK)

Record drought in Amazon impacts 420,000 children: UNICEF. — 7 November 2024 (LINK) — ground.news: 22 media reports (LINK)

Trump win sparks record $64 billion gain for world's 10 richest people: Bloomberg Billionaires Index. 9 out of 10 are techies, but Zuckerberg lost money. — 7 November 2024 (LINK) — ground.news: 69 media reports (LINK)

Heather Cox Richardson: Trump's future. — 7 November 2024 (LINK)

Trump names Susie Wiles as first female White House chief of staff in history: longtime GOP operative going back to working as former President Reagan's campaign scheduler for his 1980 presidential bid. — 7 November 2024 (LINK)

What a second Trump Presidency means for the UN: Trump's approach to the UN is more nuanced than critics might think. — 7 November 2024 (LINK)

— In his first administration, he had several productive engagements with the UN, working through the Security Council on sanctions for North Korea and Iran, for instance. He also had a good working relationship with António Guterres, whom he invited to the White House. By all accounts, he rather enjoyed his annual addresses to the General Assembly and the pomp that surrounds UNGA each September.

Climate tech stock market shares tumble after Trump's win. — 7 November 2024 (LINK)

California wildfire forces thousands to evacuate. — 7 November 2024 (LINK)

— The fast-moving wildfire was first reported near Moorpark, 40 miles north-west of Los Angeles, early on Wednesday and has been boosted by heavy winds. California governor Gavin Newsom confirmed in a statement that more than 10,000 evacuation orders had been issued, while 3,500 homes and other structures were under threat and federal funds had been secured to help fight the fire.

Hospitals and health center operator CarePoint Health Systems, whose facilities operate as safety nets for a large underprivileged community, files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. The largest U.S. private hospital operator Steward Health Care, which operated 31 hospitals in eight states, in May filed for bankruptcy to sell its assets to reduce its $9 billion in debt. About 58 healthcare companies with $10 million or more in liabilities were heading for bankruptcy filings by the end of 2024 — 7 November 2024 (LINK)

— The New Jersey-based debtor Carepoint claimed in court papers that it faced financial and liquidity challenges resulting from unreimbursed Covid-19 expenditures and inadequate state government funding to cover a disproportionately large number of uninsured and undocumented patients who are admitted through its emergency rooms.

Walgreens is closing 1,200 stores and investors should expect even more big moves in the future: its financials have been abysmal with the company often reporting a negative operating margin. — 7 November 2024 (LINK)

First artwork by humanoid robot to be handled by major auction house, depicting Alan Turing, sells for $1.3 million. — 7 November 2024 (LINK) — ground.news: 32 media reports (LINK)

Switzerland's innovative floating solar panels: the 35 platforms generating photovoltaic energy would recover the energy investment in just over two years with a significant reduction in carbon footprint. From January through May, as water levels recede, the platforms rest on the lakebed at Lac des Toules. — 7 November 2024 (LINK)

New DNA evidence proves popular narratives about Pompeii victims are entirely false: study. — 7 November 2024 (LINK) — ground.news: 15 media reports (LINK)

Raygun the Australian breakdancer clarifies her stunning retirement announcement: she will still dance in "community jams," but as for elite competitions, she's done. — 7 November 2024 (LINK)

Protocol Village: Blockstream Opens R&D Center in Lugano, Switzerland. — 7 November 2024 (LINK)

Moldova sets out to attract foreign businesses: Dutch entrepreneur Luc Vocks, who moved to Moldova in 2007 "with a backpack, and set up a business", is now owner of a Moldovan company called DevelopmentAid. Based in the capital Chisinau, it employs 180 people in the country, and runs a website that lists job vacancies in the international development community. — 7 November 2024 (LINK)

— The country's standard corporation tax rate — the amount that firms have to pay on their profits — is just 12%. This compares with 25% in the UK, and 25.8% in the Netherlands where Mr Vocks had initially launched his company before relocating it to Moldova. Tech firms in the Moldova IT Park (MITP), a virtual scheme open to all IT firms in the country — and those that wish to move there from overseas, only have to pay a corporation tax rate of 7%.

I've been opposed to AI, but Perplexity AI is so good I'm changing my mind. — 7 November 2024 (LINK)

Donald Trump was elected the 47th president of the United States on Wednesday, an extraordinary comeback for a former president who refused to accept defeat four years ago, sparked a violent insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, was convicted of felony charges and survived two assassination attempts. With a win in Wisconsin, Trump cleared the 270 electoral votes needed to clinch the presidency. — November 2024 (LINK) — ground.news: 841 media reports (LINK)

The Trump agenda: Here's what to expect from his second term. — 6 November 2024 (LINK)

Republicans take Senate majority for first time in 4 years with wins in Ohio and West Virginia. — 6 November 2024 (LINK)

Trump gave his first speech as newly elected President, bringing new ATH in Bitcoin! He did not mention Bitcoin, price dropped!: Trump appeared before voters in West Palm Beach and declared victory.. — 6 November 2024 (LINK)

Sarah McBride wins Delaware congressional seat, becomes first transgender rep in US history. — 6 November 2024 (LINK)

Europe already 'Trump proofing' Ukraine war aid: !"Coalition countries are giving Kyiv money that helps prolong a losing war while saddling the suffering country with enormous debt." — 7 November 2024 (LINK)

Russia-linked hoax bomb threats in battleground states on election day. — 6 November 2024 (LINK)

AlJazeera: Re-election for Tlaib and Omar — first Muslim women to serve in US Congress. — (LINK)

BBC: How Trump pulled off an incredible comeback. — 7 November 2024 (LINK)

— "So many people who voted for Donald Trump told me again and again that they felt the economy was much better when he was in office and they were sick of trying to make ends meet. Although much of the cause of inflation was due to outside forces such as the Covid-19 pandemic, they blamed the outgoing administration. Voters were also deeply concerned about illegal immigration which had reached record levels under Biden. They usually didn't express racist views or believe that migrants were eating people's pets, as Trump and his supporters had claimed. They just wanted much stronger border enforcement. 'America first' was another one of Trump's slogans that really seemed to strike a chord with voters."

How Substackers are covering Donald Trump's win. — (LINK)

Ukraine says it fought N Korean troops for first time. — 6 November 2024 (LINK)

— In an interview with South Korean broadcaster KBS, Ukrainian Defence Minister Rustem Umerov said a "small group" of North Korean soldiers were attacked. Seoul, however, said it "does not believe [troops on both sides] engaged in direct combat", but that there was an "incident" involving a small number of North Korean soldiers "near the frontline". Ukraine says an estimated 11,000 North Korean soldiers were in the Kursk border region, where Ukrainian troops have a foothold.

Afghan opium cultivation bounces and shifts two years after ban, UN says. — 6 November 2024 (LINK)

Swiss 'burqa ban' to take effect from 2025. — 6 November 2024 (LINK) — ground.news: 17 media reports (LINK)

Swiss NGOs decry rise in wolf culling despite fewer attacks. — 6 November 2024 (LINK)

CERN selects new director-general: British physicist Mark Thomson. — 6 November 2024 (LINK)

Kashmir legislature passes resolution asking India to restore its partial autonomy. — 6 November 2024 (LINK) — ground.news: 64 media reports (LINK)

Mysterious bamboo cart discovered in melting glacier in Switzerland. — 6 November 2024 (LINK)

UN to conduct new study of the broad impacts of nuclear war. Not all countries want to know. — 5 November 2024 (LINK)

Benjamin Netanyahu fires defence minister Yoav Gallant, triggering protests across Israel: minister widely seen by Israel's allies as a brake on far-right elements of Israeli government. — 5 November 2024 (LINK) — ground.news: 484 media reports (LINK)

American Airlines won't fly to Israel again until at least September 2025. — 5 November 2024 (LINK) — ground.news: 17 media reports (LINK)

Iraq orders Kurdish region to transfer oil output to state-run oil firm immediately. — 5 November 2024 (LINK)

Brazilian police official chosen as next head of Interpol. — 5 November 2024 (LINK) — ground.news: 23 media reports (LINK)

South Korea fines Meta $15 million for illegally collecting information on Facebook users. — 5 November 2024 (LINK) — ground.news: 52 media reports (LINK)

— A four-year investigation revealed that Meta unlawfully gathered data on approximately 980,000 users, including their religion and political views, from July 2018 to March 2022. Meta shared this sensitive information with around 4,000 advertisers, categorizing ads based on users' interests without obtaining specific consent, said Lee Eun Jung of the watchdog commission.

US stock futures, dollar surge as markets sense Trump win. — 5 November 2024 (LINK)

Attorney says Giuliani 'secreted away' his property from poll workers who won $148M judgment. — 5 November 2024 (LINK)

Nigeria arrests 130 foreign nationals primarily from China and Malaysia, 17 Nigerians for cybercrimes and hacking. — 5 November 2024 (LINK)

Russia-linked bomb threats in battleground states on election day. — 5 November 2024 (LINK)

Trump Media reports $19 mln loss in third quarter on TV streaming costs. — 5 November 2024 (LINK)

Israel officially informs UN of end to relations with Palestinian relief agency. — 4 November 2024 (LINK)

Pro-EU President wins in Moldova. — 4 November 2024 (LINK)

34th International Conference of the Red Cross and Red Crescent. — 4 November 2024 (LINK)

— The EU supported the five resolutions presented at the conference, which address compliance with humanitarian law; protection of civilians in armed conflicts, including against cyber threats; enabling locally led humanitarian responses and strengthening resilient communities; and advancing anticipatory action on climate change and natural disasters.

Volcanic eruption burns houses in Indonesia, killing at least 10 people on the remote island of Flores. — 4 November 2024 (LINK) — ground.news: 179 media reports (LINK)

At least 36 dead after overcrowded and dilapidated bus skids into a deep gorge in northern India. — 4 November 2024 (LINK) — ground.news: 267 media reports (LINK)

Spain's flood nightmare continues as heavy rain hits Barcelona, Valencia tries to dig out. — 4 November 2024 (LINK)

Valencia flood survivors confront King and PM during disaster tour. — ground.news: 306 media reports (LINK)

Trial opens in France in the 2020 beheading of a teacher over Mohammed cartoons. — 4 November 2024 (LINK)

Boeing strike ends as workers approve new contract after almost 2 months. — 4 November 2024 (LINK)

China space station crew of 3 returns to Earth after 6 months in space. — 4 November 2024 (LINK) — ground.news: 75 media reports (LINK)

UBS Asset Management launches Ethereum-based tokenized fund. — 4 November 2024 (LINK) — ground.news: 6 media reports (LINK)

'Woman of the Hour' is groundbreaking: it's the first feminist true crime film to achieve commercial success since the #MeToo movement gained momentum in 2017. — 4 November 2024 (LINK)

UN summit ends without agreement on biodiversity funding. — 3 November 2024 (LINK) — ground.news: 80 media reports (LINK)

IKEA will pay 6 million euros to East German prisoners forced to build their furniture. — 3 November 2024 (LINK)

17-year-old student in southern India transforms dementia care worldwide: The Alpha Monitor, a compact wearable, is designed to detect when individuals with Alzheimer's fall or wander away from their caregivers. — 3 November 2024 (LINK)

What Trump has said he would do on Day 1 back in the White House: Trump's campaign pledges have included mass deportations. — 3 November 2024 (LINK)

Switzerland's first biosphere reserve, the UNESCO Biosphere Entlebuch in the canton of Lucerne, is a family-friendly destination with stunning mountain views. — 3 November 2024 (LINK)

— Designated in 2001, it encompasses the 630km2 Emme River valley between Bern and Lucerne, an easy day trip or two away. It offers a range of educational and interactive experiences "for young and old alike". "These activities provide hands-on learning opportunities about the region's ecosystems and the importance of preserving them, all set against the harmonious backdrop of Swiss mountains."

Silicon solar panels are hitting their limit. This UK lab is making perovskite the next big thing. — 3 November 2024 (LINK)

Vitamin D deficiency can trigger autoimmune conditions. — 3 November 2024 (LINK)

ITC offers new microlearning platform: from transport and marketing to electronic waste. — 3 November 2024 (LINK)

UN COP16 nature summit creates permanent body for Indigenous peoples. — 2 November 2024 (LINK)

— Countries also adopted a measure that recognizes the role of people of African descent in caring for nature, which COP16 host Colombia said would grant such communities easier access to resources to fund their biodiversity projects and participate in global environmental discussions.

Summit also approves non-binding fund to share benefits of nature's sequenced genetic data with the communities they come from: one percent of profits or 0.1 percent of revenue. — 2 November 2024 (LINK) — ground.news: 5 media reports (LINK)

Zelenskyy urges allies to act before North Korean troops reach the frontline with Ukraine. — 2 November 2024 (LINK)

— Zelenskyy raised the prospect of a preemptive Ukrainian strike on camps where the North Korean troops are being trained, and said Kyiv knows their location. But he said Ukraine can't do it without permission from allies to use Western-made long-range weapons to hit targets deep inside Russia.

UK Conservative Party picks Kemi Badenoch, the first woman of Afro-Caribbean origin to lead the British Conservative Party as its new leader in wake of election defeat. Badenoch's victory indicates a rightward shift for the Conservative Party, suggesting a more hardline approach to various issues in opposition. — 2 November 2024 (LINK) — ground.news: 317 media reports (LINK)

13 Foods Surprisingly Eaten At The First Thanksgiving: i.e. not turkey. — 2 November 2024 (LINK)

An 'unprecedented' good news story about a potentially deadly viral outbreak of Marburg virus, the first in Rwanda. — 1 November 2024 (LINK)

— "We are at a case fatality rate of 22.7% — probably among the lowest ever recorded [for a Marburg outbreak]," said Dr. Yvan Butera, the Rwandan Minister of State for Health at a press conference hosted by Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Thursday. There's more heartening news: Two of the Marburg patients, who experienced multiple organ failure and were put on life support, have now been extubated — had their breathing tubes successfully removed — and have recovered from the virus.

— In past outbreaks, as many as 9 out of 10 patients have died from the disease. And there are no approved vaccines or medications.

At least 25 killed in central Gaza as Israel resumes raids on Beirut. — 1 November 2024 (LINK)

UNRWA chief says Israeli forces damaged agency's West Bank office; Israel disputes claim. — 1 November 2024 (LINK)

Botswana's ruling party loses election, ending 58-year rule. — 1 November 2024 (LINK) — ground.news: 132 media reports (LINK)

Bomb targeting police assigned for polio drive kills 9 people, including 5 children, in SW Pakistan: separatist groups have stepped up attacks on security forces and civilians in recent months. — 1 November 2024 (LINK) — ground.news: 85 media reports (LINK)

Brazil judge gives 2 former cops long sentences for the 2018 murder of leftist icon Marielle Franco. — 1 November 2024 (LINK) — ground.news: 80 media reports (LINK)

U.S. officials say Russia was behind fake video of alleged voter fraud in Georgia: purports to show Haitians claiming that they illegally voted for Kamala Harris. — 1 November 2024 (LINK)

AI hoax causes thousands to show up in Dublin for Halloween parade that didn't exist. — 1 November 2024 (LINK) — ground.news: 60 media reports (LINK)

Switzerland exploring new form of burial: Werde Erde, which means become soil, proposes a process similar to composting. Tests being carried out at the University of Lausanne using dead pigs. — 1 November 2024 (LINK)

— Cremation, the choice of 90% of people, consumes a similar amount of energy to what someone would consume domestically in one month. Emissions add around 400 kg of CO2 to the atmosphere along with pollutants such as the mercury contained in dental fillings.

— The person's remains are laid on a bed of wood chips and straw and then covered with green plants. The bed provides carbon while the green plants provide nitrogen, the two key ingredients required to compost the body. The process takes place in an enclosed container over a period of 30 to 40 days. Microorganisms present on the skin and in the plants transform the body into soil. Like cremation, only the bones remain. These are then ground and added to the soil.

— Traditional burial does not compost. The microorganisms that stimulate decomposition are missing deep under ground at the dep