Syrian rebels capture Aleppo airport as they seize 'most' of city. — 30 November 2024 (LINK) — ground.news: 14 media reports (LINK)

World Central Kitchen stops work in Gaza after three aid workers killed in Israeli strike. — 30 November 2024 (LINK)

— Earlier, the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) said it had targeted a WCK worker who, it claimed, was involved in the 7 October massacre last year. The military has not offered any evidence and The Independent has been unable to independently verify the claim. In a statement responding to the attack, WCK said it "had no knowledge that any individual in the vehicle had alleged ties to the October 7th Hamas attack".

Ukraine War: Trump's Ukraine envoy General Keith Kellogg has proposed to threaten cutting-off military supplies to Kyiv to force Zelenskyy to negotiate. — 30 November 2024 (LINK)

— Under the proposed framework, a ceasefire would freeze the frontlines and establish a demilitarized zone. In return, Russia would receive partial sanctions relief, with the promise of full relief contingent upon signing a peace agreement acceptable to Ukraine.

Zelensky wants to 'work directly' with Trump on ending Ukraine's war with Russia. — 30 November 2024 (LINK) — ground.news: 42 media reports (LINK)

CERN ends cooperation with Russian institutes. — 30 November 2024 (LINK)

— The decision means that some 350 Russian scientists will now be expelled from CERN, which is based near Geneva on Swiss and French territory. Cooperation with Russian scientists associated with CERN under different agreements will continue, the news agency Swissinfo reported. CERN's cooperation with researchers from Belarusian institutes ended earlier this year, when their ICA expired in June.

Russia's ruble is still worth less than a penny, and the Kremlin's piggy bank for propping it up is running low. — 30 November 2024 (LINK)

Phys.org: Why is a global treaty on plastic pollution dividing the world? — 30 November 2024 (LINK)

— The biggest disagreements center on whether the treaty should focus on reducing overall plastic production or whether it is sufficient simply to improve recycling practices.

— Even before the meeting began Monday, South Korean Environment Minister Kim Wan-sup was trying to dial back expectations, telling reporters: "I believe it may be more realistic to pursue stepwise measures."

Kenya and Uganda to mediate in Ethiopia-Somalia dispute. — 30 November 2024 (LINK) — ground.news: 14 media reports (LINK)

British MPs back landmark bill to legalise assisted dying in England and Wales for adults with less than six months to live. — 30 November 2024 (LINK)

Trump threatens 100% tariff on the BRIC bloc of nations if they act to undermine US dollar. — 30 November 2024 (LINK) — ground.news: 246 media reports (LINK)

Trump Nominates Kash Patel as FBI Director. — 30 November 2024 (LINK)

— Patel has vowed to bring the agency to "heel" and has called for shutting down the FBI's DC headquarters along with removing its leadership. He played a key role in defending Trump amid investigations into Russian inference in the 2016 election. Current FBI Director Christopher Wray, whom Trump appointed after firing James Comey in 2017, is serving a current 10-year term that does not expire until 2027, meaning Trump will need to fire him. Patel has vowed to target and possibly prosecute journalists for helping President Joe Biden "rig presidential elections."

Trump selects Jared Kushner's father, Charles Kushner, for ambassador to France. — 30 November 2024 (LINK)

— Kushner Snr was pardoned by Trump in December 2020 after pleading guilty years earlier to tax evasion and making illegal campaign donations.

EU safety agency lifts ban on Pakistan national airline after four years. — 30 November 2024 (LINK) — ground.news: 40 media reports (LINK)

— EASA suspended PIA's authorization to operate in the EU in June 2020 over concerns about the ability of Pakistani authorities and its Civil Aviation Authority (PCAA) to ensure compliance with international aviation standards following a PIA plane crash that killed 97 people.

Vinyl is crushing CDs as music industry eclipses cinema, report says: according to the Recording Industry Association of America, people bought 43 million vinyl records in 2023, which is 6 million more than the number of CDs sold in the same year. — 30 November 2024 (LINK)

— The value of music copyrights and performing rights — the royalties generated from record sales, streaming, radio plays, and live performances — has nearly doubled from $25 billion in 2014 to an impressive $45.5 billion. In contrast, the movie industry's global box office revenues have fallen from their 2019 peak of $41.9 billion to $33.2 billion.

UN talks struggle for breakthrough on plastics treaty as deadline looms. — 29 November 2024 (LINK: limited)

Iran, European powers agree to continue dialogue after talks in Geneva. — 29 November 2024 (LINK) — ground.news: 29 media reports (LINK)

Sweden formally asks China to cooperate with investigation into damaged undersea cables. — 29 November 2024 (LINK) — ground.news: 27 media reports (LINK)

What collapsing Russian ruble means for Ukraine war. — 29 November 2024 (LINK)

British MPs back landmark bill to legalise assisted dying in England and Wales for adults with less than six months to live. — 30 November 2024 (LINK)

Macron visit offers first glimpse of post-fire Notre Dame. — 29 November 2024 (LINK)

Crypto entrepreneur Justin Sun eats banana art he bought for $6.2m. — 29 November 2024 (LINK limited)

Al Jazeera: the goods set to get pricier in the U.S. under Trump's tariff plans: vehicles, fruit and vegetables, meat, alcohol, crude oil, electronics. — 29 November 2024 (LINK)

China sentences journalist to jail on spy charges. — 29 November 2024 (LINK)

— Dong Yuyu, 62, who has been detained since 2022, was active in academic and journalism circles in the US and Japan and met regularly with foreign diplomats. His family said in a statement that according to a court judgement, two other Japanese diplomats Dong met with were named as "agents of an espionage organisation", which is the Japanese embassy.

Gold set for worst monthly drop in 14 on Trump's political comeback. — 29 November 2024 (LINK: limited)

BBC members quit journalists union after asked to support ceasefire and being asked to wear the colours of the Palestinian flag.. — 29 November 2024 (LINK) — ground.news: 18 media reports (LINK)

Big pharma is the only reason anyone still dies from HIV. — 29 November 2024 (LINK)

Ukraine power grid hit by major Russian drone and missile attack: more than one million people in Ukraine have been left without power. — 28 November 2024 (LINK)

— Russian President Vladimir Putin said Russia launched 90 missiles and 100 drones in response to Ukraine's attacks with UK and US-supplied weapons last week.

Iran says it could end ban on possessing nuclear weapons if sanctions reimposed. — 28 November 2024 (LINK)

Israel steps up bombing of central Gaza, strikes kill 26 people. — 28 November 2024 (LINK) — ground.news: 53 media reports (LINK)

Israel says ceasefire with Hezbollah violated, fires on south Lebanon. — 28 November 2024 (LINK) — ground.news: 23 media reports (LINK)

Swiss decide against banning Hezbollah after Hamas banned. — 28 November 2024 (LINK)

— Switzerland's Federal Council says the group could not be banned as a threat to security under the country's intelligence act because the existing law required sanctions or a ban by the United Nations to be in place for such a move to be applied.

— It said it banned Hamas over the "unprecedented terrorist attacks" of October 7, 2023, in line with the practice of proscribing organizations on a case-by-case basis only "for extremely serious reasons."

3 Americans held for years in China — Mark Swidan, Kai Li, and John Leung — have been released, the White House says. — 28 November 2024 (LINK) — ground.news: 302 media reports (LINK)

— The Chinese government said that the US had returned four people to China in exchange for the prisoners, including three Chinese citizens it said were held for "political purposes" and one person sought by Beijing for alleged crimes.

Somalia's Jubbaland government suspends ties with federal administration. — 28 November 2024 (LINK) — ground.news: 8 media reports (LINK)

OPEC+ postpones meeting to decide oil production strategy to Dec. 5. — 28 November 2024 (LINK) — ground.news: 23 media reports (LINK)

Australia passes controversial social media ban for teens. — 28 November 2024 (LINK) — ground.news: 283 media reports (LINK)

IISD: UN Climate Change Conference Baku — November 2024. — 28 November 2024 (LINK)

— Fossil fuels are largely missing from the decisions adopted in Baku. Any decision hinting at transitioning away from fossil fuels was deferred, notably the operationalization of the dialogue on the implementation of the GST outcomes, guidance on NDC features, and the just transition work programme. In each case, the final drafts barely whispered about fossil fuels. The GST dialogue text—which wasn't adopted—referred to the energy transition paragraph in last year's GST decision. That's all. A SIDS negotiator noted that she "was so upset in Dubai over the weak energy language" and "floored" that she had to fight to keep it alive in Baku.

South-west France sweltered in 'staggering' 26.9C November night heat on 26th. — 28 November 2024 (LINK)

Switzerland's Canton Bern passes bill to study Bitcoin effect on utilizing excess energy. — 28 November 2024 (LINK)

Thousands return home to south Lebanon after ceasefire starts. — 27 November 2024 (LINK)

ICC seeks arrest warrant for Myanmar junta leader over Rohingya atrocities. — 27 November 2024 (LINK) — ground.news: media reports (LINK)

Volkswagen to sell Xinjiang operations following allegations of complicity in human rights violations in Uyghur region. — 27 November 2024 (LINK) — ground.news: 157 media reports (LINK)

Trump says he had a 'very productive conversation' with Mexico's president. — 27 November 2024 (LINK) — ground.news: 262 media reports (LINK)

— Trump claimed Sheinbaum agreed to halt migration through Mexico to the U.S., stating, "effective immediately". Sheinbaum called the discussion "excellent" and emphasized that "neither threats nor tariffs" would resolve these problems.

New Republic: Mexican President's harsh takedown of trump exposes an ugly MAGA scam: — (LINK)

— Mexico is already acting extensively to thwart migrants who travel through that country—originating south of Mexico —so they don't reach Southern border.

Trump won the popular vote, contrary to claims online. Social media users are confusing the popular vote with a majority of votes. The unofficial results show Trump received slightly less than a majority, but more votes than any candidate. — 26 November 2024 (LINK)

Brazil's income tax exemption plan sends currency to fresh lows. — 27 November 2024 (LINK) — ground.news: 18 media reports (LINK)

— The Brazilian real slipped 1.8% on the news to 5.91 per U.S. dollar, its weakest close ever in spot trading. Brazil's benchmark Bovespa stock index slid 1.7% and long-term interest rates climbed sharply higher.

Brazil police report: Bolsonaro planned and participated in a 2022 coup plot. — 27 November 2024 (LINK)

China suspends top military official Miao Hua amid corruption probe. — 27 November 2024 (LINK)

Trump's new Ukraine adviser suggested ceding territory to Russia. — 27 November 2024 (LINK)

Trump taps art collector with no experience to lead US Navy: John Phelan is a GOP megadonor who will prioritize the "America First vision," Trump said. — 27 November 2024 (LINK)

Massive Netflix scam is stealing account and credit card info from users in 23 countries: SMS messages are being used in a widespread phishing scare campaign — 27 November 2024 (LINK)

Bluewin: Netflix and Disney Plus users need to be careful now — (LINK)

Car tyres shed a quarter of all microplastics in the environment — urgent action is needed. — 27 November 2024 (LINK)

Lebanon: Türk renews call for ceasefire following grave escalation. — 26 November 2024 (LINK)

— "Nearly half of the attacks on healthcare teams and facilities in Lebanon have each caused at least one death — the highest proportion compared to any other active conflict in the world."

— "Since 8 October 2023, at least 3,754 people have been killed and 15,626 injured in Lebanon by Israeli fire, according to the Ministry of Health. Almost 900,000 have been internally displaced, according to the International Organization for Migration."

— "The Lebanese armed group Hezbollah has continued to fire rockets on the north of Israel, which has also resulted in civilian casualties. 'Most of these rockets are indiscriminate by nature, prolonging the unacceptable displacement of many Israeli civilians,' the High Commissioner said."

Afghanistan: UN urges de facto authorities to protect media freedom. — 26 November 2024 (LINK)

"The largest seizure of fake musical instruments in history." U.S. Customs seize $18 million worth of fake guitars with the help of Gibson. — 26 November 2024 (LINK)

Russian hackers used zero-day attack to hit Firefox, Tor users. — 26 November 2024 (LINK)

HIV cases reach lowest point since rise of disease in 1980s. — 26 November 2024 (LINK)

Heather Cox Richardson: Trump's war on drugs — 26 November 2024 (LINK)

— Trump announced on his social media site that he intends to impose a 25% tariff on all products coming into the U.S. from Mexico and Canada "until such time as Drugs, in particular Fentanyl, and all Illegal Aliens stop this Invasion of our Country!".

— In a separate post, he held China to account for fentanyl and said he would impose a 10% tariff on all Chinese products on top of the tariffs already levied on those goods.

— In fact, since 2023 there has been a drop of 14.5% in deaths from drug overdose, the first such decrease since the epidemic began, and border patrol apprehensions of people crossing the southern border illegally have fallen to the lowest number since August 2020, in the midst of the pandemic. In any case, a study by the libertarian Cato Institute shows that from 2019 to 2024, more than 80% of the people caught with fentanyl at ports of entry — where the vast majority of fentanyl is seized — were U.S. citizens.

Uruguay's left-wing opposition candidate Yamandú Orsi becomes country's new president. — 25 November 2024 (LINK) — ground.news: 388 media reports (LINK)

140 women are murdered every day by relatives, UN Women report reveals. — 25 November 2024 (LINK)

16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence: 25 November - 10 December 2024 (Human Rights Day). — 27 November 2024 (LINK)

The U.K. will electronically monitor U.S. tourists from January — 25 November 2024 (LINK)

— Its Electronic Travel Authorization System (ETA) started in 2023 and was just required for travellers from some Middle Eastern countries, including Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Oman, Kuwait, Bahrain, and Jordan.

Ukraine reportedly strikes Russian military airfield in Kursk Oblast with ATACMS missiles for first time. — 25 November 2024 (LINK)

A defining moment in the Ukraine war — OpEd. — 25 November 2024 (LINK)

— Putin: "The current military and political situation in the world is largely determined by the results of competition in the creation of new technologies, new weapons systems and economic development."

— Oreshnik is not just an effective hypersonic weapon and is neither a strategic weapon nor an intercontinental ballistic missile. But its striking power is such that when used en masse and in combination with other long-range precision systems, its effect and power is on par with strategic weapons. Yet, it is not a weapon of mass destruction — rather, it's a high-precision weapon. Serial production implies that dozens of Oreshnik are in the process of being deployed, which means that no US / NATO staff group and no Anglo-American target intelligence unit in bunkers in Kiev or Lvov is safe any longer.

— Putin said: "there are no means of countering such weapons today. Missiles attack targets at a speed of Mach 10, which is 2.5 to 3 kilometres per second. Air defence systems currently available in the world and missile defence systems being created by the Americans in Europe cannot intercept such missiles. It is impossible."

In Sudan, some women and girls are choosing suicide to avoid rape. — 25 November 2024 (LINK)

Israeli strike that killed 3 Lebanese journalists was most likely deliberate, Human Rights Watch says. — 25 November 2024 (LINK) — ground.news: 34 media reports (LINK)

Trump planning to lift LNG pause, increase oil drilling during 1st days in office: Reuters. — 25 November 2024 (LINK) — ground.news: 36 media reports (LINK)

Murder of Israeli Rabbi in UAE reported missing on 21 November raises regional security and diplomatic concerns. — 25 November 2024 (LINK) — ground.news: 355 media reports (LINK)

Heather Cox Richardson: Trumpeconomics vs Biden's. — 25 November 2024 (LINK)

— Trump is refusing to sign the documents required as part of a presidential transition at least in part because those documents mandate that he disclose who is funding his transition and limit those donations to $5,000 per donor. Without that disclosure, it is impossible to see who is funding him. For all we know, that list could include foreign governments.

Robert Reich: The one big constraint on Trump: On 22 November, Trump picked Scott Bessent to serve as treasury secretary: he's a billionaire hedge fund manager, founder of the investment firm Key Square Capital Management, and a protege of the MAGA arch-villain George Soros (he's also gay, which the MAGA base may not like, either). — 25 November 2024 (LINK)

— Trump doesn't want to do anything that will cause bond traders to raise long-term interest rates out of fear of future inflation, and he wants stock traders to be so optimistic about corporate profits they raise share prices. So he has appointed a treasury secretary who will reassure the bond and stock markets. Bessent has described Trump's plan for blanket tariffs as a "maximalist" negotiating strategy — suggesting Trump's whole tariff proposal is a strategic bluff.

!Robert Reich: special counsel Jack Smith just made a hell of a mistake: he enabled Trump to avoid all accountability! — 25 November 2024 (LINK)

Trump says he will quickly impose tariffs of 25% on goods from Canada and Mexico: the decision may violate the revised free trade pact between the US, Canada and Mexico. — 25 November 2024 (LINK)

Trump's nominee to lead anti-terrorism is chief whackadoo 'Doctor' Sebastian Gorka. — 25 November 2024 (LINK)

Macy's delays earnings report after employee hides $154m in expenses. — 25 November 2024 (LINK) — ground.news: 153 media reports (LINK)

Locals never use Heathrow Express pricey transportation option after landing in London: alternatives can be nine times cheaper — 25 November 2024 (LINK)

This new type of silent Dutch wind turbine, the Liam F1, is the end of solar panels: 1500 kWh from your garden and electricity for free. — 25 November 2024 (LINK)

— Households in tests generated up to 1,500 kWh of electricity per year, which is about a third of the average household's energy consumption.

— The two models are not harmful to birds and bats since they operate at a frequency of below 45 dB. The bigger version has a 1.5-m rotor diameter and a smaller version has a 0.75-m rotor diametre. The larger one has a net rated power of 550 W, and the smaller one only has 100 W.

Unlike old styles of wind turbines, the Liam F1 combines lift forces with drag forces, hence increasing its wind power capture. As for noise, Liam F1 generates sound at about 45 dB during operation and, as such, is much quieter than typical turbines that are noisy and disruptive in residential environments. This makes the Liam F1 particularly suitable in urban areas.