Biden has authorized Ukraine to use long-range missiles inside Russia: Reports. — 17 November 2024 (LINK)

UN chief urges G20 'leadership' on stalled climate talks. — 17 November 2024 (LINK)

— AFP reports: "The annual UN talks in Baku are deadlocked at the midway point, with nations no closer to agreeing a $1 trillion deal for climate investments in developing nations after a week of negotiations. The talks are stuck over the final figure, the type of financing, and who should pay, with Western countries wanting China and wealthy Gulf states to join the list of donors. "The spotlight is naturally on the G20. They account for 80 percent of global emissions," Guterres said, calling on the group to "lead by example."

UN: Ahead of G20 Summit in Brazil, Guterres urges bloc to take the lead on peace, climate and other challenges — (LINK)

Russia targets Ukraine's power grid in biggest missile strike in months, officials say: Blasts heard in Kyiv, Zaporizhzhia and the Black Sea port of Odesa as Poland scrambled fighter jets within its airspace as a precaution. — 17 November 2024 (LINK)

Israeli troops reach deepest point in Lebanon since Oct. 1 invasion before being pushed back by Hezbollah militants, Lebanese media say. — 17 November 2024 (LINK) — ground.news: 92 media reports (LINK)

Israeli strike in Beirut kills Hezbollah spokesman Mohammad Afif. — 17 November 2024 (LINK)

Eight killed and 17 injured in mass stabbing in eastern China: second mass attack in a week. — 17 November 2024 (LINK) — ground.news: 279 media reports (LINK)

— Police in Wuxi said it appeared the stabbing suspect was angry over not getting his graduation certificate and failing an exam.

Fire engulfs hospital ward in northern India, killing 10 newborn babies. — 17 November 2024 (LINK) — ground.news: 314 media reports (LINK)

Trump picks oil industry CEO and climate change sceptic Chris Wright as Energy Secretary. — 17 November 2024 (LINK) — ground.news: 373 media reports (LINK)

Robert Kennedy Jr. calls Bitcoin the 'currency of freedom,' backs Trump's Treasury Secretary pick as best for crypto. — 17 November 2024 (LINK)

Top Australian radio host and rugby coach Alan Jones charged with sexually abusing eight people. — 18 November 2024 (LINK)

Ukraine's Zelenskyy says he wants to end war with Russia through diplomacy next year: "It is certain that the war will end sooner with the policies of the team that will now lead the White House. This is their approach, their promise to their citizens." Ukraine "must do everything so that this war ends next year, ends through diplomatic means.". — 16 November 2024 (LINK)

IDF says 10 gunmen in Gaza's Jabalia killed in drone strike. — 16 November 2024 (LINK)

Israeli military says its planes targeted Hamas operatives at former Gaza school serving as a shelter for displaced Palestinians, after 10 said killed in strike. — 16 November 2024 (LINK)s

— The IDF says that the Hamas operatives had set up a command center within the former UN-run school, and were using it to plan "imminent" attacks against troops operating in Gaza. To mitigate civilian harm, the IDF says it used a "precision munition," aerial surveillance, and other intelligence.

Two Palestinian Islamic Jihad leaders killed in Israel strike on Syria. — 16 November 2024 (LINK) — ground.news: 30 media reports (LINK)

Austria says Russia to cut off gas from today in a development that signals a fast-approaching end of Moscow's last gas flows to Europe. — 16 November 2024 (LINK)

AP: U.S. House elections produced a stalemate: the chamber's exact partisan divide is still to be determined as votes are tallied in a handful of states. Can Republicans figure out how to work with a thin majority? — 16 November 2024 (LINK)

— Republicans and Democrats have each flipped seven seats, while just eight incumbents nationwide have lost their races. "Democrats will actually have increased the number of seats in the new Congress." Trump is on track to win the popular vote for the first time. House Republicans held onto the majority largely thanks to two seats the party flipped in Pennsylvania, as well as three more that were redistricted by the GOP-controlled North Carolina General Assembly to favor their party.

— Democrats did best in New York, where they flipped three seats. They also picked up two redistricted seats, in Louisiana and Alabama, that were ordered by courts to ensure fair representation for Black voters. FairVote estimates that 85% of House seats are now safe for one party — the highest percentage it has tracked in two decades.

Asia-Pacific summit closes in Peru with China's Xi front and center as Trump whiplash looms. — 16 November 2024 (LINK)

The Onion's acquisition of Alex Jones's InfoWars faces a legal review. — 16 November 2024 (LINK)

— The winning bid was backed by families of Sandy Hook victims, who agreed to reduce their recovery claims to boost the offer's appeal. Concerns have arisen about the auction's transparency due to secret bid submissions. Pending approval, The Onion plans to relaunch InfoWars in 2025 as a satirical platform mocking far-right culture.

Heather Cox Richardson: the battle over U.S. schools since 1954. — 16 November 2024 (LINK)

Karoline Leavitt, 27, to become youngest White House press secretary. — 16 November 2024 (LINK)

— After leaving the White House, Leavitt served as the communications director for Elise Stefanik, a senior Republican congresswoman whom President-elect Trump has nominated to serve as United Nations ambassador. Leavitt departed that role to run for Congress, winning the Republican nomination for New Hampshire's first congressional district in 2022, only to lose in the general election to Democrat Chris Pappas.

Venezuela releases from prison some of the thousands detained after presidential election. — 16 November 2024 (LINK)

— They left prison a day after the attorney general, who is loyal to the ruling party, announced the review of 225 cases linked to the aftermath of the election, which Maduro and opposition candidate Edmundo González both claim to have won.

W. Australian plant will have 25 million solar panels and 3,000 turbines: it is expected to displace fossil fuels in numerous sectors, including maritime, steel, and other industries. — 16 November 2024 (LINK)

— The panels and turbines are anticipated to provide a constant flow of power to produce green hydrogen, which doesn't release greenhouse gases during utilization. The WGEH project is planned to start its first production by 2025 and reach its maximum capacity by 2032. The Mirning Traditional Lands Aboriginal Corporation, representing the Mirning people, has a 10% interest in the project. Any economic benefits generated by the project can be shared with communities.

The banana is about to go extinct but there might be a solution: the genetically engineered banana. — 16 November 2024 (LINK)

UN climate talks 'no longer fit for purpose' and need an urgent overhaul, say key experts. — 15 November 2024 (LINK)

Global measles cases rise by 20% as WHO blames one key factor: alarming gaps in vaccine coverage. — 15 November 2024 (LINK)

Texas judge rejects Biden's overtime rule benefitting 4 million U.S. workers: "the Labor Department went beyond its authority." — 15 November 2024 (LINK)

US hacker sentenced over Bitcoin heist worth billions. — 15 November 2024 (LINK)

Trump to nominate his criminal defense lawyer for deputy attorney general. — 14 November 2024 (LINK)

Two Trump cabinet choices in jeopardy over sexual misconduct allegations: Pete Hegseth as defence secretary and Matt Gaetz as attorney general. — 15 November 2024 (LINK)

Health stocks hit after Trump taps RFK Jr for top job. — 15 November 2024 (LINK)

Heather Cox Richardson: Biden's "largest investment in our nation's infrastructure in a generation". — 15 November 2024 (LINK)

— In the past three years, the Biden administration launched more than 66,000 projects across the country, repairing 196,000 miles of roads and 11,400 bridges, as well as replacing 367,000 lead pipes and modernizing ports and airports. Today the administration announced an additional $1.5 billion in funding for railroads along the Northeast Corridor, which carries five times more passengers a day than all the flights between Washington, D.C., and New York City.

— In his first term, Trump had promised a bill to address the country's long-neglected infrastructure, but his inability to get that done made "infrastructure week" a joke. Biden got a major bill passed, but while the administration nicknamed the law the "Big Deal," Biden got very little credit for it politically. Republicans who had voted against the measure took credit for the projects it funded, and voters seemed not to factor in the jobs and improvements it brought when they went to the polls last week.

Rudy Giuliani makes a down payment on $148M judgment. sHe turns over his car but wants to keep DiMaggio jersey. — 15 November 2024 (LINK)

Elon Musk's X sues California over AI law targeting deepfakes, deceptive election content — claims it violates First Amendment free speech protections. — 15 November 2024 (LINK)

Scientific American editor resigns after disparaging comments about Trump supporters went viral. — 15 November 2024 (LINK)

North Korea accelerates drone production after defence pact with Russia. — 15 November 2024 (LINK) — ground.news: 161 media reports (LINK)

Suspected bomber dead after trying to enter Brazil's top court ahead of G20. — 14 November 2024 (LINK) — ground.news: 312 media reports (LINK)

Colombian Congress votes to end child marriages after 17-year-long campaign. — 15 November 2024 (LINK) — ground.news: 58 media reports (LINK)

Brilliant AI bot imitates a granny to keep phone scammers on the line for hours. — 15 November 2024 (LINK)

— "O2's Daisy (stylized as 'dAIsy') is easily among the best. It's an incredibly brilliant idea from a British operator who wants to prevent scammers from reaching. it does this by having Daisy and its lovable grandma personality waste scammers' time by keeping them on the line until they can't take anymore."

Some of Substack's biggest newsletters rely on AI writing tools: A new analysis of Substack's top newsletters estimated that around 10 percent publish AI-generated or AI-assisted content. — 15 November 2024 (LINK)

Scientists discover why dinosaurs grew so large: unique respiratory system, supported by air sacs, lightened their skeletal structures. — 15 November 2024 (LINK)

Scientist says the specific creature most likely to 'rule Earth' if humans become extinct is the octopus. — 15 November 2024 (LINK)

2 Israeli airstrikes hit Syria's capital and a suburb, killing 15 people, Syrian state media say. — 14 November 2024 (LINK) — ground.news: 126 media reports (LINK)

— The Israeli military said it hit infrastructure sites and command centers of the Islamic Jihad militant group in Syria and "inflicted significant damage to the terrorist organization's command center and to its operatives".

Israel strikes Hezbollah areas in Beirut, southern Lebanon for third day. — 14 November 2024 (LINK)

Geneva Conventions conference on Middle East scheduled for March 2025. — 14 November 2024 (LINK)

Human Rights Watch accuses Israel of forced population transfer in Gaza, a war crime and a crime against humanity. — 14 November 2024 (LINK) — ground.news: 215 media reports (LINK)

Head of UN's nuclear watchdog visits Iran: Rafael Grossi, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, stated that the "space for negotiation and diplomacy... is getting smaller" regarding Iran's atomic program as tensions heighten. Iran tells UN nuclear chief it won't negotiate under 'intimidation' — 15 November 2024 (LINK) — ground.news: 93 media reports (LINK)

Trump promise to repeal Biden climate policies could cost US billions, report finds. — 14 November 2024 (LINK)

— It threatens to push $80bn of investment to other countries and cost the US up to $50bn in lost exports, the analysis found, surrendering ground to China and other emerging powers in the race to build electric cars, batteries, solar and wind energy for the world.

Liberals are fleeing X again — this time for Bluesky. — 14 November 2024 (LINK)

Bluesky says 1 million people signed up for the platform in last 24 hours. — 14 November 2024 (LINK)

Dogecoin investors drop $248 billion class action lawsuit against Elon Musk. — 14 November 2024 (LINK)

— The billionaire beat the lawsuit in August when U.S. District Judge Alvin K. Hellerstein ruled that Musk's public statements about Dogecoin were "aspirational and puffery", rejecting a complaint that had been amended four times with prejudice.

Heather Cox Richardson: Biden-Harris administration policies have kick-started a boom in the creation of small businesses across the country — and Trump's alternative. — 14 November 2024 (LINK)

— Since the Biden-Harris administration took office, entrepreneurs have filed more than 20 million applications for new businesses, the most of any presidential term in history. This averages to more than 440,000 applications a month, a rate more than 90% faster than averages before the pandemic. Black business ownership has doubled, and Hispanic business ownership is up by 40% since before the pandemic.

— The administration encouraged that growth with targeted loans, tax credits, federal contracts, and support services. Small businesses are major job creators and employ about 47% of all private sector employees. The "neoliberalism" of the previous 40 years had moved about $50 trillion dollars from the bottom 90% of Americans to the top 1%.

The House now belongs to the GOP. Here's what party leaders say they'll do first. — 14 November 2024 (LINK)

Trump victory drives gold to near 2-month lows as investors pile into equities, cryptocurrencies. — 14 November 2024 (LINK)

Bluesky says 1 million people signed up for the platform in last 24 hours. — 14 November 2024 (LINK)

— This also meant the social network crossed the mark of 16 million users overall. The platform's announcement comes hours after Instagram head Adam Mosseri said that Threads had seen more than 15 million sign-ups in November. He added that the Meta-owned platform has had 1 million sign-ups a day for the last three months.

— The decentralized social network has seen a steady inflow of users in the last few months with different events like X's ban in Brazil, moderation issues on Threads, and the recent election results in the U.S.

Suspected bomber dead after trying to enter Brazil's top court ahead of G20. — 14 November 2024 (LINK) — ground.news: 312 media reports (LINK)

Britain sees biggest migration spike of any advanced economy despite Brexit: a net influx of 750,000 migrants, following demand in the care sector. Permanent migration to Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development countries reached record levels in 2023, according to a new report. The report indicates that there were 2.7 million new applications for asylum in OECD countries, a 30% increase from the previous year. — 14 November 2024 (LINK) — ground.news: 37 media reports (LINK)

Switzerland stakes its claim as Europe's hottest tech centre: Founderful, the Swiss pre-seed fund, announces it has raised an over-subscribed $140 million fund from investors looking for exposure to the growing number of technology-focused start-ups based in the country. — 14 November 2024 (LINK)

Watch gifted to John Lennon months before death belongs to Yoko Ono not man who bought it not knowing stolen by her chauffeur, Swiss Federal Court rules. — 14 November 2024 (LINK)

— The Patek Philippe 2499 perpetual calendar chronograph, a "holy grail" of the vintage watch market, was stolen by the Japanese artist's former chauffeur and "there was no evidence to show that Yoko Ono intended to donate to the driver something as special as the watch, engraved with an inscription, that she had given to John Lennon two months before his death," the court ruled in its decision, per Bloomberg.

Top Swiss court confirms Yoko Ono's ownership of John Lennon's watch. — (LINK)

French cross-border workers in Switzerland fear 'discriminatory' unemployment reform. — 13 November 2024 (LINK)

US 'committed' to delivering all Ukraine aid by January: Blinken. — 13 November 2024 (LINK)

Trump picks Matt Gaetz for attorney general and Marco Rubio for secretary of state. — 13 November 2024 (LINK)

The New Humanitarian: What's the common ground between Trump and humanitarians? — 13 November 2024 (LINK)

— It's a given that a government led by Trump will use aid money and cuts as a bludgeon along ideological and political lines. Governments already do this and most humanitarians accept the cash; Trump 2.0 will simply be more overt.

— Who will face the most pressure in the international aid system? Trump's volatility is the key factor. The starting points are obvious: reproductive healthcare, given the certainty of a return to the so-called "global gag rule"; aid organisations that are too dependent on the US, given the threat of expanding the rule to cover more kinds of funding including humanitarian aid; the UN system, given Trump's past ire and likely appointees.

Argentina withdraws delegates from climate summit as Milei heads for Mar-a-Lago. — 13 November 2024 (LINK)

Bank of America stock is on fire post Trump win. — 13 November 2024 (LINK)

X lost record number of users after U.S. election day. — 13 November 2024 (LINK)

US debt 'set to explode' under Trump — top bankers at the Institute of International Finance (IIF): "The incoming president's plan to slash taxes without equal cuts to spending would push US national debt up from around 100pc of GDP today to more than 135pc in a decade's time." — 13 November 2024 (LINK)

Beirut bombing victims' $1.68 billion Iran judgment overturned by US appeals court. — 13 November 2024 (LINK)

— In a 3-0 decision, the panel rejected a claim that a 2019 federal law designed to make it easier to seize Iranian assets held outside the United States waived Bank Markazi's sovereign immunity. The court returned the case to U.S. District Loretta Preska in Manhattan to address state law questions in the 11-year-old case, and whether the case can proceed at all in Bank Markazi's absence.

Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby resigns in abuse fallout: accused of not taking sufficient action to stop one of the Church of England's most prolific serial abusers. — 13 November 2024 (LINK) — ground.news: 487 media reports (LINK)

FBI arrests alleged leaker of US intelligence documents related to Israel's attack plans against Iran. — 13 November 2024 (LINK)

"The marketing lie Lindt chocolate just admitted to telling about its Excellence dark chocolate bars." — 13 November 2024 (LINK)

"Lindt Chocolate isn't 'expertly crafted' — it's actually full of lead." — (LINK)

— The lawsuit against Lindt & Sprüngli began with a 2023 report by Consumer Reports which found that 28 dark chocolate bars contained lead and cadmium. Eight of those bars were found to have high levels of cadmium. One of those was a Lindt bar. Another 10 of those bars were found to contain lead—one of those was a Lindt bar.

— Lawsuits ensued as consumers felt it was the perfect opportunity to go after the company whose marketing claimed that its chocolate products were "expertly crafted with the finest ingredients" and were "safe, as well as delightful."

New research challenges Einstein's predictions on cosmic expansion. French-Swiss team examined 100 million galaxies at four distinct points in cosmic history: 3.5, 5, 6, and 7 billion years ago. — 13 November 2024 (LINK)

Earth's biggest polluters aren't sending leaders to UN climate talks in a year of weather extremes. — 12 November 2024 (LINK) — ground.news: 23 media reports (LINK)

— In a year of weather extremes, four nations with more than 42% of all the world's population — China, the U.S., India and Indonesia — do not have heads of state present.

Trump Picks Mike Huckabee, an Evangelical Christian and Annexation Proponent, as U.S. Ambassador to Israel. — 12 November 2024 (LINK)

Al Jazeera Gaza team stops broadcasting over unpaid bills. — 12 November 2024 (LINK)

Ecuador prison violence kills at least 15 and 14 injured in clash between inmates. — 12 November 2024 (LINK) — ground.news: 82 media reports (LINK)

Woman pediatrician, 68, accused of criticizing Russia's war in Ukraine is convicted and given over 5 years in prison. — 12 November 2024 (LINK)

— Dr. Nadezhda Buyanova, who was born in western Ukraine, denied the accusation, insisting she never said what she was accused of saying. Her defense argued the prosecution failed to present evidence that the purported conversation took place, including any recordings of it, and alleged that her accuser fabricated the story out of animosity toward Ukrainians.

Oil giant Shell wins appeal against landmark Dutch climate ruling to slash emissions. — 12 November 2024 (LINK) — ground.news: 233 media reports (LINK)

Argentina's monthly inflation drops to 2.7%, the lowest level in 3 years. — 12 November 2024 (LINK) — ground.news: 82 media reports (LINK)

Hertz falls on mounting losses from failed bet on Tesla EVs. — 12 November 2024 (LINK)

Michigan jury awards $12.6m to a woman fired after 30 years when she refused to get a COVID-19 vaccine. — 12 November 2024 (LINK) — ground.news: 58 media reports (LINK)

— A Catholic, she claimed religious discrimination when her request for an exemption from the vaccine in 2021 was denied.

Jury awards three Abu Ghraib detainees $42 million, holds contractor responsible. — 12 November 2024 (LINK) — ground.news: 106 media reports (LINK)

Azerbaijan president hails oil and gas as 'gift from God' as he lambasts climate activists in COP29 opening speech, defends human rights record. — 12 November 2024 (LINK) — ground.news: 78 media reports (LINK)

Ghana's Supreme Court restores ruling party's parliamentary majority ahead of Dec. 7 election. — 12 November 2024 (LINK) — ground.news: 33 media reports (LINK)

"Lindt Chocolate isn't 'expertly crafted' — it's actually full of lead." — 12 November 2024 (LINK)

— The lawsuit against Lindt & Sprüngli began with a 2023 report by Consumer Reports which found that 28 dark chocolate bars contained lead and cadmium. Eight of those bars were found to have high levels of cadmium. One of those was a Lindt bar. Another 10 of those bars were found to contain lead—one of those was a Lindt bar.

— Lawsuits ensued as consumers felt it was the perfect opportunity to go after the company whose marketing claimed that its chocolate products were "expertly crafted with the finest ingredients" and were "safe, as well as delightful."

Over $100 million worth of watches sold in Geneva last weekend. — 12 November 2024 (LINK)

Russian glide bombs, drones and a ballistic missile kill 6, injure 30 in Ukraine. — 11 November 2024 (LINK) — ground.news: 17 media reports (LINK)

Drones strike Moscow as top UK official highlights Russian casualties in Ukraine — (LINK)

Russia denies Trump call with Putin urging restraint in Ukraine. — 11 November 2024 (LINK)

— The call, which was first reported by the Washington Post on 10 November, is said to have happened on Thursday.

COP29 nations approve new rules for creation of global carbon market. — 11 November 2024 (LINK) — ground.news: 179 media reports (LINK)

COP29 climate talks open amid Trump's vow to reverse US commitments. — 11 November 2024 (LINK) — ground.news: 56 media reports (LINK)

Taliban will attend the COP29 climate summit in Baku, marking their first participation since 2021. — 11 November 2024 (LINK) — ground.news: 104 media reports (LINK)

Media Medic warns of growing AI deepfake threat to public trust and social stability. — 11 November 2024 (LINK)