NuseReal
Headlines: 18-24 November 2024
Sunday, 24 November 2024
Cop29 agrees $1.3tn climate finance deal but campaigners brand it a 'betrayal': Deep divisions remain after high-stakes talks end with agreement to help developing world shift to low-carbon economy. — 24 November 2024 (LINK)
— Only $300bn will come in the form they are most in need of — grants and low-interest loans from the developed world. The rest will have to come from private investors and a range of potential new sources of money, such as possible levies on fossil fuels and frequent flyers, which have yet to be agreed.
— Two groups of particularly vulnerable nations, the Alliance of Small Island States and the Least Developed Countries, walked out of one meeting in protest late on Saturday afternoon, but later returned.
FBI arrests Florida man Harun Abdul-Malik Yener who planned bombing of New York Stock Exchange. — 24 November 2024 (LINK)
Ukraine reports destruction of Russian S-400 system in Kursk. — 24 November 2024 (LINK)
Gunman shot dead, 3 police injured in shooting near Israeli embassy in Jordan. — 24 November 2024 (LINK) — ground.news: 70 media reports (LINK)
Swiss vote against expansion of motorways - funds for Eurovision Song Contest approved in Basel. — 24 November 2024 (LINK) — ground.news: 19 media reports (LINK)
Rare, fatal skin disease — an immune response to medication, called toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN) — has been cured in patients for the first time. — 24 November 2024 (LINK)
Bird flu virus detected in California raw milk. — 24 November 2024 (LINK)
The size of Donald Trump's 2024 election victory, explained in 5 charts. — 24 November 2024 (LINK)
Saturday, 23 November 2024
Rich nations raise COP29 climate-finance offer to $300 billion, developing nations fume. — 23 November 2024 (Reuters LINK blocked)
By 2100 30 million people could die each year from climate change, Max Planck Institute for Chemistry ssays. — 23 November 2024 (LINK)
Saudi Arabia accusation 'risks placing entire Cop in jeopardy', expert says: Saudi Arabian delegate has been accused of directly making changes to an official Cop29 negotiating text. — 23 November 2024 (LINK)
— Two groups — the Alliance of Small Island States and the Least Developed Countries — walked out of key meeting on Saturday, saying they were not being consulted by the presidency.
Lebanon, Hezbollah agree to US cease-fire plan, Reuters says. — 23 November 2024 (LINK)
At least 15 killed after Israeli strike flattens building in central Beirut overnight, Lebanese officials say. At least 63 other people were injured in the strike, according to a toll provided by Lebanon's Ministry of Health. The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) did not issue an evacuation order for the area ahead of the strikes, and has not yet commented on the attack. — 23 November 2024 (LINK)
Zelensky marks Holodomor Remembrance Day, honouring the victims of the Soviet man-made famine that killed an estimated three to five million Ukrainians from 1932 to 1933. — 23 November 2024 (LINK)
The future of UN peacekeeping in a fracturing world: experts weigh in. — 23 November 2024 (LINK)
Philippine vice president publicly threatens to have the president and family assassinated if she is killed. — 23 November 2024 (LINK)
Trump names experienced doctors to head CDC, FDA and for Surgeon General but declares: "Americans have lost trust in the CDC and in our Federal Health Authorities, who have engaged in censorship, data manipulation, and misinformation." — 23 November 2024 (LINK)
Trump taps Sebastian Gorka, controversial far-right pundit, as Deputy National Security Advisor. Gorka, who served in Trump's first term, has been dogged by ties to Hungarian far-right nationalist groups and incendiary remarks about Muslims. — 23 November 2024 (LINK)
SpaceX successfully launched its Starship spacecraft for 6th time. — 23 November 2024 (LINK)
— "Musk would like Starship to launch more Starlink internet satellites. Now, they can already launch these on their regular Falcon 9 rockets, but Starship could launch a lot more and larger satellites, and that will allow them to build out the Starlink network."
The East African: EAC@25 — broke bloc trudges on: Border closures, stringent entry requirements, lack of electronic identity cards, expensive work permits continue to gnaw at the gains that EAC has made. — 23 November 2024 (LINK: limited)
Afraid of losing the US-Canada trade pact, Mexico alters its laws and removes Chinese parts. — 23 November 2024 (LINK)
SEC shatters record with $8.2bn in penalties for 2024, led by Terraform Labs' $4.5bn settlement. — 23 November 2024 (LINK)
— This is a 67% increase from the $4.9 billion collected in fiscal year 2023. Despite the record penalty collection, the SEC saw a 26% decline in enforcement actions during the year, with 583 actions taken. The regulator also barred 124 individuals from serving as officers and directors of public companies, marking the second-highest number in a decade.
— The agency also processed 45,130 tips, complaints, and referrals during the year — a record high — including over 24,000 whistleblower submissions. More than 14,000 of those submissions came from just two individuals. The regulator has awarded whistleblowers a total of $255 million.
Six overlooked women who pioneered early computer art. — 23 November 2024 (LINK)
Friday, 22 November 2024
After years of negotiations, a global agreement to tackle plastic pollution is within sight. — 22 November 2024 (LINK)
Alliance to End Plastic Waste (AEPW) members created 1,000x more plastic than they cleaned up, Greenpeace investigation finds. — 22 November 2024 (LINK)
— Alliance set out to reduce the amount of plastic flowing into the environment by around 15 million metric tons by the end of 2023. But according to a new report by Unearthed, a Greenpeace investigative journalism team, the initiative members have actually produced more than 1,000 times the amount of plastic than they've cleaned up in the 2019 to 2023 timeframe.
— The Unearthed team examined data provided by Wood Mackenzie, a consultancy firm, and found that five companies that are major players in the alliance, including Shell, ExxonMobil, TotalEnergies, ChevronPhillips and Dow, were producing more plastic in just two days than the total amount of plastic the alliance has cleaned up since 2019.
COP29 draft proposes wealthy nations pay $250B a year in climate finance, significantly less than the $1.3 trillion that developing nations require to handle climate change. Vulnerable nations like Kenya, Uganda, and Malawi are angered, stating that they will not accept less than $500 billion in support. — 22 November 2024 (LINK) — ground.news: 131 media reports (LINK)
How the global distribution of wealth has changed (2000-2023): more than $1m 1% to 2%, less than $10K 75% to 40%, . — 22 November 2024 (LINK)
— North America and the Middle East have experienced the largest percentage increase in the number of millionaires since 2016, with +52% and +50% growth, respectively.
Trump hush money sentencing delayed indefinitely. — 23 November 2024 (LINK) — ground.news: 388 media reports (LINK)
Trump chooses Bessent to be Treasury Secretary, Vought as budget chief, Chavez-DeRemer for Labor. — 22 November 2024 (LINK)
— Billionaire hedge fund manager Scott Bessent is an advocate for deficit reduction. Russell Vought held the same position during Trump's first presidency. Vought was closely involved with Project 2025, a conservative blueprint for Trump's second term that the GOP nominee tried to distance himself from during the campaign.
Trump picks Oregon Congresswoman Lori Chavez-DeRemer to lead Labor Department — (LINK)
— In recent days, Teamsters President Sean O'Brien had pushed for Chavez-DeRemer's selection, noting that she is one of only a few Republicans in Congress to have supported the PRO Act, a bill aimed at making it easier for workers to organize unions including by overturning state Right to Work laws, which weaken unions.
Mehmet Oz's controversial health claims, from the HCG diet to green coffee extract: Donald Trump's pick to head Medicare is now more known for dubious promotion of supplements and hormones unsupported by scientific evidence. — 22 November 2024 (LINK)
Spain fines budget airlines including Ryanair and EasyJet €179m for "abusive practices" including charging for hand luggage. — 22 November 2024 (LINK)
— Ryanair has been given the largest fine of €108m, followed by EasyJet's penalty of €29m. Vueling, Norwegian and Volotea were issued with sanctions by Spain's Consumer Rights Ministry.
The first child in the U.S. diagnosed with bird flu. — 22 November 2024 (LINK)
Why are UK homes rubbish at staying warm? — 22 November 2024 (LINK)
Scarlett Johansson movie Under the Skin labelled a 'surreal cinematic masterpiece' and voted best British film this century. — 22 November 2024 (LINK)
ChatGPT: Everything you need to know about the AI-powered chatbot. — 22 November 2024 (LINK)
Thursday, 21 November 2024
UN Foundation hosted its annual Global Leadership Awards to recognize extraordinary individuals and organizations whose work embodies the values and purposes of the UN — 21 November 2024 (LINK)
— The 2024 honorees are: Rt. Hon. Dame Jacinda Ardern, former Prime Minister of New Zealand; TIME, accepted by Jessica Sibley, Chief Executive Officer; Amanda Gorman, Poet and Activist; Angélique Kidjo, Grammy-Winner and UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador; Louise Mabulo, Founder of the Cacao Project; and UN Emergency First Responders, accepted by team members from United Nations Disaster Assessment and Coordination (UNDAC) and the International Search and Rescue Advisory Group (INSARAG).
Russia launched intercontinental ballistic missile and others toward Ukraine, air force says: Ukraine's Air Force say they were able destroy six of the missiles. — 21 November 2024 (LINK)
International Criminal Court issues arrest warrants for Israel's Netanyahu, former Defence Minister Gallant and Hamas leader. — 21 November 2024 (LINK) — ground.news: 385 media reports (LINK)
!Daniel Pomerantz, Allgemeiner: ICC Prosecutor Karim Kahn has accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant of "war crimes," specifically, "deliberately depriving Gaza's civilian population of essential goods, including food, water, electricity and medical supplies" as part of a "widespread and systematic attack against civilians."
In reality, the claims are preposterous. Israel delivers an average of 3,729 food trucks to Gaza per month, representing an average of 3,374 kcal per person per day, almost double the needs of an average adult human! — (LINK)
— "This data is from a detailed study by the Hebrew University in Jerusalem (whose figures have been independently verified by RealityCheck). Similar data is available regarding fuel, water, medical supplies, and all other forms of humanitarian aid."
Climate solutions to keep 1.5C alive: 2 December 2024 1530-1700. — 21 November 2024 (LINK)
House passes bill 'giving Donald Trump unlimited authority' to target political enemies. — 21 November 2024 (LINK)
President-elect Trump announces former Florida AG Pam Bondi as his new pick for US attorney general after Matt Gaetz withdrew. — 21 November 2024 (LINK)
Brazil's former president Jair Bolsonaro charged with plotting coup d'etat. Police accuse 37 people of crimes including conspiracy and trying to tear down one of world's largest democracies. — 21 November 2024 (LINK)
New WTO report examines how artificial intelligence may shape future of international trade. — 21 November 2024 (LINK)
— The report estimates that, under an optimistic scenario of universal AI adoption and high productivity growth up until 2040, global real trade growth could increase by almost 14 percentage points. In contrast, a cautious scenario, with uneven AI adoption and low productivity growth, projects trade growth of just under 7 percentage points.
Bitcoin nears $100,000 as SEC chair Gary Gensler announces he will step down. — 21 November 2024 (LINK)
Death toll from gun attack in Pakistan on Shiites jumps to at least 28. — 21 November 2024 (LINK) — ground.news: 115 media reports (LINK)
Espionage: Two Italian entrepreneurs investigated for obtaining information on behalf of Russia, such as mapping video surveillance systems in the cities of Milan and Rome. — 21 November 2024 (LINK)
Switzerland to add more solar power to rooftops and highway noise barriers. — 21 November 2024 (LINK)
Wednesday, 20 November 2024
UNESCAP conference calls for renewed, bold efforts to make gender equality commitments a reality in Asia and the Pacific. — 20 November 2024 (LINK)
The Vatican joins Iran, Saudi Arabia in blocking women's rights agreement at climate talks: apparently because of an objection to relevant agreements including any reference to "gender" or transgender women, or to gay women. — 20 November 2024 (LINK)
The United States announces $275m new military assistance for Ukraine. — 20 November 2024 (LINK)
US Embassy in Kyiv shuts down after receiving warning of 'significant' Russian air attack. — 20 November 2024 (LINK)
Jan. 6 rioter is convicted of plotting to murder FBI agents who investigated him. — 20 November 2024 (LINK)
Hong Kong's Jimmy Lai trial. — 20 November 2024 (LINK)
Netanyahu offers a $5 million reward to Gazans for each hostage returned. — 20 November 2024 (LINK) — ground.news: 195 media reports (LINK)
Climate change has amped up hurricane wind speeds by 29 kph on average, an entire category. — 20 November 2024 (LINK)
Indian billionaire Gautam Adani indicted in New York on bribery charges. — 20 November 2024 (LINK)
Switzerland has fallen 12 places to 33rd place in a climate protection ranking in the space of a year. The main reason for the fall is the "standstill" in climate policy until 2030, say environmental organisations WWF and Greenpeace. — 20 November 2024 (LINK)
Palestinian journalist Iyad Alasttal awarded PEC 2024 prize. — 20 November 2024 (LINK)
Death penalty for Thai woman accused of murdering 14 friends with cyanide. — 20 November 2024 (LINK)
— Police say Sararat Rangsiwuthaporn, 36, had a gambling addiction and targeted friends she owed money to, then stole their jewellery and valuables.
Scientists take huge step forward in mapping all 37 trillion cells in the human body. — 20 November 2024 (LINK)
— Scientists with the Human Cell Atlas (HCA), an international research consortium, have profiled 100 million cells from more than 10,000 people around the world. Working in over 100 countries, the researchers aim to pinpoint similarities and differences in the cells of people from different demographics and genetic backgrounds.
A breath of fresh air — HEAD Genève 2024 Graduation Show. — 20 November 2024 (LINK)
Higher energy bills push UK inflation to 6-month high in October. — 20 November 2024 (LINK)
Tuesday, 19 November 2024
'HK47': dozens of pro-democracy activists jailed in Hong Kong's largest national security trial. — 19 November 2024 (LINK)
— Benny Tai, a legal academic and activist who pleaded guilty, was sentenced to 10 years in jail for his role as an organiser of the primaries. Tai's is the longest sentence handed out so far under the national security law (NSL), which was passed in mid-2020.
NATO holds large Arctic exercises in Russia's backyard. — 19 November 2024 (LINK)
Putin signs new Russian nuclear doctrine after Biden's arms decision for Ukraine: The new doctrine asserts that Russia may use nuclear weapons against non-nuclear states if supported by nuclear powers, escalating tensions around Ukraine. — 19 November 2024 (LINK) — ground.news: 171 media reports (LINK)
Ukraine strikes arsenal amid reports U.S. ATACMS used in Russia for first time. — 19 November 2024 (LINK)
Wired: Anyone can buy data tracking US soldiers and spies to nuclear vaults and brothels in Germany. — 19 November 2024 (LINK)
Iran has increased its stockpile of uranium enriched to near weapons-grade levels, UN says. — 19 November 2024 (LINK) — ground.news: 76 media reports (LINK)
Somaliland opposition leader wins presidential election. — 19 November 2024 (LINK) — ground.news: 64 media reports (LINK)
UN Force in Lebanon says four Ghanaian peacekeepers wounded, Israel blames Hezbollah rockets. — 19 November 2024 (LINK) — ground.news: 10 media reports (LINK)
Armed gunmen loot more than 100 aid trucks in Gaza on 16 November, according to the United Nations. — 19 November 2024 (LINK) — ground.news: 84 media reports (LINK)
Residents in Haiti's capital fight alongside police in a battle to repel the latest gang attack: at least 28 suspected gang members were killed and hundreds of munitions were seized. — 19 November 2024 (LINK) — ground.news: 33 media reports (LINK)
9 animals that have gone extinct during your lifetime (if you are over 50). — 19 November 2024 (LINK)
Trump nominates Dr. Oz to run medicare. — 19 November 2024 (LINK)
Trump picks Linda McMahon, former wrestling executive, to head Department of Education. — 19 November 2024 (LINK)
SpaceX's Starship completes sixth test flight with Trump in attendance: SpaceX faced technical challenges preventing the booster stage from being captured by the launch tower's 'chopstick' arms. Despite a failed booster landing, Starship's upper stage completed a partial orbit and splashed down in the Indian Ocean after about an hour. — 19 November 2024 (LINK) — ground.news: 222 media reports (LINK)
Brazilian police arrest five in alleged plot to kill president Lula and stage coup. — 19 November 2024 (LINK) — ground.news: 9 media reports (LINK)
Nestle to cut costs, boost marketing under new CEO. — 19 November 2024 (LINK) — ground.news: 21 media reports (LINK)
Ahead of the final round of negotiations for a global plastics treaty scheduled to run from 25 Nov.to 1 Dec. in Busan, Korea, a new report puts it bluntly: "Despite the manifest benefits of plastics, plastics pollution now threatens the environment, food security, and human health." — 19 November 2024 (LINK)
— A study published in March found that half of patients with asymptomatic cardiovascular disease had microplastics in their carotid artery plaque and were at higher risk of a heart attack, stroke and death in the next three years than those who did not. A similar correlation has been found between the presence of microplastics in feces and inflammatory bowel disease. In the lab, microplastics can be deadly to human cells.
— "It's important to note here, correlation does not prove causality."
Italy recovers Etruscan artifacts worth $8.5 million bound for black market. — 19 November 2024 (LINK)
Monday, 18 November 2024
Beirut schools closed after deadly airstrikes hit central Beirut near key government buildings and embassies. — 18 November 2024 (LINK) — ground.news: 113 media reports (LINK)
Incoming majority leader says U.S. Senate will sanction ICC unless case against Israelis dropped. — 18 November 2024 (LINK)
Trump vows to use US military for mass deportations. — 18 November 2024 (LINK)
"Entire cities, villages and towns have been reduced to rubble. Bakhmut, Avdiivka, Vovchansk and Vuhledar have been virtually wiped off the map." — UN Secretary-General's remarks to the Security Council [as delivered by USG Rosemary DiCarlo on behalf of the Secretary-General] on 1,000 days since Russian invasion of Ukraine as of 19 November. — 18 November 2024 (LINK)— "Since February 2022, at least 12,164 civilians have been killed, including over 600 children. At least 26,871 others have been injured. The past several months have seen a significant increase in civilian casualties. October and November saw some of the most intense and large-scale missile and drone attacks of the war.
— "At least 580 medical facilities have been damaged or destroyed, with many first responders and medical personnel killed and injured. At least 1,358 educational facilities have been damaged or destroyed."
UK and EU expand sanctions on Iran for supplying weapons to Russia. — 18 November 2024 (LINK) — ground.news: 40 media reports (LINK)
UNEP and IGF strengthen collaboration on environmental sustainability of minerals and metals. — 18 November 2024 (LINK)
— Under the agreement they will "support the implementation of UNEA resolution 6/5 through the development of joint capacity-building opportunities, such as online and in-person training and workshops on enhancing environmental sustainability of minerals and metals management, including on the topics of circularity as well as net-zero, nature-positive, and pollution-free mine closure and rehabilitation".
— Most recently, UNEP and IGF provided technical expertise and best practices on mine closure and rehabilitation at a two-day workshop for policy-makers and other stakeholders from Africa on environmental and social aspects of critical energy transition minerals and the African mining vision.
17 key charts to understand the COVID-19 pandemic: over 20 million deaths. — 18 November 2024 (LINK)
— Deaths directly averted by vaccines December 2021-December 2022: 15.5 million. Excess deaths: 11.6m.
Sri Lanka's Marxist-leaning president appoints Cabinet after election win: reappointed educationist Harini Amarasuriya as the country's prime minister. — 18 November 2024 (LINK) — ground.news: 42 media reports (LINK)
Impose minimum tax on world's billionaires, Spanish minister urges G20. — 18 November 2024 (LINK)
— Brazil, which backs proposals to raise an estimated $250bn a year from the world's billionaires by ensuring they pay taxes worth at least 2% on their assets, is expected to push for formal negotiations on global wealth taxes when it hosts next year's CoP climate summit. France, Germany and South Africa have expressed support.
Speaker Johnson open to supporting recess appointment for Trump nominees without Senate confirmation if needed. — 18 November 2024 (LINK) — ground.news: 15 media reports (LINK)
Heather Cox Richardson: As final vote tallies are coming in, it turns out that Trump did not win 50% of the vote, and CNN statistician Harry Enten notes that his margin comes in at 44th out of the 51 elections that have been held since 1824. He also had very short coattails — four Democrats won in states Trump carried — and the Republicans have the smallest House majority since there have been 50 states, despite the help their numbers have had from the extreme gerrymandering in states like North Carolina. — 18 November 2024 (LINK)
What is impoundment? How Trump thinks he can control spending without Congress. — 18 November 2024 (LINK)
— If "recess appointments" are the unlikely and unprecedented way Trump wants to work around the Senate to get his most controversial nominees in charge of Cabinet agencies, "impoundment" is the unlikely way he envisions shrinking the federal government with or without congressional approval. Trump took the time to record a video about impoundment during the Republican primary season, and he promised seizing control over spending from Congress would be a top priority if he was elected. Impoundment occurs when Congress appropriates money that the president then declines to spend. Richard Nixon abused the privilege, according to Congress at the time.
Trump taps Brendan Carr, an Elon Musk-backed critic of big tech, for chairman of the Federal Communications Commission. — 18 November 2024 (LINK) — ground.news: 166 media reports (LINK)
Tesla soars over 5% in overnight trading as Trump Administration reportedly seeks to ease FSD norms. — 18 November 2024 (LINK)
Russia is locking up butter as inflation crisis reaches new heights. — 18 November 2024 (LINK)
Delhi shuts schools, bans construction as pollution levels hit new high. — 18 November 2024 (LINK) — ground.news: 114 media reports (LINK)
Ecuador declares 60-day national emergency as wildfires, drought intensify. — 18 November 2024 (LINK) — ground.news: 19 media reports (LINK)
Undersea cable disruptions linking Finland and Germany in Baltic Sea raise security concerns. — 18 November 2024 (LINK) — ground.news: 188 media reports (LINK)
Russia vetoes UN resolution calling for immediate cease-fire in the war between Sudan's rival forces. — 18 November 2024 (LINK) — ground.news: 43 media reports (LINK)
North Korean leader calls for expanding his nuclear forces in the face of alleged US threats. — 18 November 2024 (LINK) — ground.news: 98 media reports (LINK)
"Segregation academies" across the U.S. South are getting millions in taxpayer dollars. — 18 November 2024 (LINK)
— "In North Carolina alone, we identified 39 of these likely 'segregation academies' that are still operating and that have received voucher money. Of these, 20 schools reported student bodies that were at least 85% white in a 2021-22 federal survey of private schools, the most recent data available."
"Trump's pick for energy secretary loves fracking so much, he drank its liquid." — 18 November 2024 (LINK)
— The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), however, has said that the chemicals used in fracking formulas are considered hazardous to human health. The process of fracking also contaminates groundwater and pollutes the air, causing health hazards.
Portugal wins World Cheese Awards as UK misses out due to post-Brexit customs. Swiss cheeses 2nd and 3rd. — 18 November 2024 (LINK)
— It's a soft and buttery sheep's milk cheese from Portugal, made by Quinto do Pomar in the Serra da Gardunha in the centre of the country that has been named the best in the world. The cheese topped the charts (86 points) at this year's World Cheese Awards, which was held in Viseu, northern Portugal, beating two Swiss cheeses: Tea Fondada (84 points) and Alpenhorn Mifroma (84) — coming in second and third place, as well as Spanish and American cheeses: La Cava Barus García-Baquero and Bayley Hazen Blue, which rounded off the Top 5). Awards 2025 in Berne 13-15 November 2025, for first time in Switzerland (link in German)
Swiss church in Lucerne unveils 'AI Jesus' in art project that melds faith and data. — 18 November 2024 (LINK) — ground.news: 25 media reports (LINK)
— "Church has an AI hologram of Jesus, named Sermon-ator, for confessions, which has gained popularity online.
Catholic News Agency: No, 'AI Jesus' isn't actually hearing confessions: fact check: the parish notes on its website that the AI installation is intended for conversations, not confessions, which can only be performed by a priest or bishop, and never in a virtual setting. — (LINK)
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