Hamas released three Israeli hostages and Israel released 90 Palestinian prisoners, the first day of a ceasefire suspending ^the 15-month-old war. — 19 January 2025 (LINK)

US rejects Venezuelan President Maduro's reelection, but keeps financial lifeline for his government. — 19 January 2025 (LINK) — ground.news: 26 media reports (LINK)

Trump's crypto meme coin rakes in $13bn in value. — 19 January 2025 (LINK) — ground.news: 328 media reports (LINK)

Trump proposes suspending security clearances of intelligence officials over letter claiming the Hunter Biden laptop story had 'all the classic earmarks of a Russian information operation' but did not provide new evidence. — 19 January 2025 (LINK) — ground.news: 11 media reports (LINK)

Trump says he will issue an executive order Monday to get TikTok back up, suggests a joint venture with US ownership. — 19 January 2025 (LINK) — ground.news: 66 media reports (LINK)

TikTok says it's restoring service to US users based on Trump's promised executive order. — 19 January 2025 (LINK)

Netanyahu says Israel has retained 'right to return to fighting if needed'. — 19 January 2025 (LINK) — ground.news: 140 media reports (LINK)

Mexico expands regional migrant aid to Latin America as Trump inauguration nears. — 18 January 2025 (LINK) — ground.news: 30 media reports (LINK)

Colombia suspends peace talks with ELN rebel group again after violence in northeastern region kills 39. — 18 January 2025 (LINK) — ground.news: 85 media reports (LINK)

Swiss state-owned PostFinance bank now offers ETH staking. — 18 January 2025 (LINK)

— This addition comes about a year after PostFinance first offered trading and custody of cryptocurrencies, in collaboration with Sygnum Bank.

Russia could lose billions in 'worst ecological disaster of 21st century'. — 17 January 2025 (LINK)

Scientists built an AI model that analysed millions of images of retreating glaciers — what it found is alarming: the Arctic has warmed nearly four times faster than the global average since 1979. — 18 January 2025 (LINK)

— The new study, using AI to analyse millions of satellite images of 149 marine-terminating glaciers taken between 1985 and 2023 enabled scientists to estimate glacier retreats at unprecedented scale and scope.

Biden declares Equal Rights Amendment is now part of consitution as 28th Amendment: questioned by some. — 17 January 2025 (LINK)

— The archivist of the United States, who is tasked with certifying and publishing new amendments, said that Biden does not have the power to do so alone.

— The ERA — which seeks to establish an equality of rights that cannot be denied on the basis of gender — cleared both chambers of Congress more than five decades ago but fell short of getting enough support from states required for a new amendment within an initial seven-year deadline that was then extended to 1982. That requirement was officially met nearly 40 years after the extension in 2020, when Virginia became the 38th state to ratify the amendment.

All the scary things Donald Trump vowed he'll do on 'Day One' of his new Presidency (slide show). — 17 January 2025 (LINK)

The IMF has raised its global growth outlook to 3.3% for 2025 and 2026, driven primarily by India and China's economies, which are expected to grow at 6.5% and 4.6%, respectively. — 17 January 2025 (LINK) — ground.news: 52 media reports (LINK)

— Growth forecasts have been revised upwards slightly for the United States: 2.7%, 0.5% more than previously expected. But IMF warns of dangers of 'boom-bust' economy: Trump's plans to slash regulations on business could "boost potential growth in the medium term if they remove red tape and stimulate innovation". But "excessive deregulation could also weaken financial safeguards and increase financial vulnerabilities, putting the US economy on a dangerous boom-bust path."

Donald Trump and Xi Jinping hold first phone call since 2021: In a historic move, China will send Vice President Han Zheng to inauguration. — 17 January 2025 (LINK) — ground.news: 394 media reports (LINK)

Bloomberg: Oil tankers U-turn and buyers go elsewhere as Russia sanctions bite. — 17 January 2025 (LINK)

Colombia suspends peace talks with ELN rebel group again after violence in northeastern region kills 39. — 17 January 2025 (LINK) — ground.news: 85 media reports (LINK)

Bolivia judge orders arrest of ex-president Morales in teen trafficking case. — 17 January 2025 (LINK) — ground.news: media reports (LINK)

South Sudan imposes nationwide overnight curfew to curb violence targeting Sudanese traders. — 17 January 2025 (LINK) — ground.news: 24 media reports (LINK)

Geneva Airport nearly matches pre-Covid passenger levels with fewer flights in 2024: 17.8 million passengers, just 0.73% below 2019 levels, with 3.73% fewer flights. — 17 January 2025 (LINK)

WHO launches $1.5 billion appeal to tackle global health crises: outlines the urgent priorities for addressing 42 ongoing health emergencies, including 17 requiring immediate and coordinated action. — 16 January 2025 (LINK)

Biden issues an 11th hour executive order aimed at strengthening U.S. cybersecurity. — 16 January 2025 (LINK)

— Internally, the U.S. government will require agencies to adopt quantum-resistant algorithms to protect against theft and decryption by adversaries. And the Department of Homeland Security's Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, or CISA, will be given more responsibility to hunt for known vulnerabilities across federal systems. They'll have more "centralized visibility".

Global economy could face 50% loss in GDP between 2070 and 2090 from climate shocks, say actuaries. — 16 January 2025 (LINK)

Trump open to Strategic Crypto Reserve featuring Solana And XRP, New York Post reveals. — 16 January 2025 (LINK)

Former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan gets 14-year prison sentence in corruption case. — 17 January 2025 (LINK) — ground.news: 247 media reports (LINK)

Nigerian army says it killed 76 extremists during a weeklong operation in Borno State. — 16 January 2025 (LINK) — ground.news: 14 media reports (LINK)

Trump's inauguration to be moved indoors due to dangerously cold temperatures projected in the nation's capital. — 17 January 2025 (LINK)

— The last president to be sworn in indoors was Reagan in 1985, when daytime temperatures dipped to 7 degrees with a windchill of -25. Reagan took the oath of office inside the Capitol rotunda. His inaugural parade was canceled.

— The temperature on Inauguration Day at noon — when the president-elect swears in — is expected to be in the low 20s, which is around 20 degrees below normal — likely the coldest since Reagan's second inauguration.

— President William Henry Harrison is widely believed to have caught a cold during his 1841 inaugural ceremony, during which he gave a two-hour speech and wore no coat or hat, according to the University of Virginia's Miller Center. He later contracted pneumonia and died one month after his inauguration.

TikTok will be removed from U.S. app stores on 19 January. — 17 January 2025 (LINK)

Strong winds weaken in LA, giving respite to weary firefighters. — 17 January 2025 (LINK)

Oil heads for fourth weekly advance as market girds for Trump. — 17 January 2025 (LINK)

'Spooky' quantum entanglement discovered inside individual protons for 1st time ever. — 16 January 2025 (LINK)

— Physicists have observed entanglement between quarks before but had never found evidence that they exist in a quantumly connected state inside protons. "With evidence that quarks and gluons are entangled, this picture has changed. We have a much more complicated, dynamic system."

David Lynch, the filmmaker, musician, and painter, died this week following a serious decline in health after evacuating his home during the Southern California wildfires. He was 78 and a heavy smoker; in recent years he had revealed that he was suffering from emphysema. The physical difficulties of his condition left little hope he would ever direct another feature or television show. Other than short films and music videos (of which there were many, to be fair), Lynch hadn't directed anything of prominence since 2015. — 16 January 2025 (LINK)

How David Lynch changed television forever — and for the better. — 16 January 2025 (LINK)

Vogue: Lynch influenced fashion many times — (LINK)

David Lynch's influence beyond Hollywood examined in new academic book out 6 February — (LINK)

Lawyers for detained South Korean president say he will reject questioning by investigators over his ill-fated declaration of martial law last month. — 16 January 2025 (LINK)

Russian national sentenced to 7 years jail for funding Ukrainian forces With crypto. — 16 January 2025 (LINK)

Leaders congregate at the DavosWeb3 Roundtable to shape the future of decentralized technologies. — 16 January 2025 (LINK)

Trump considers executive order to 'Save TikTok' from U.S. ban, Washington Post reports. — 16 January 2025 (LINK) — ground.news: 66 media reports (LINK)

Justin Baldoni dispute with Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively over It Ends With Us. — 16 January 2025 (LINK)

WHO says at least 8 dead in suspected Marburg outbreak in Tanzania: the viral haemorrhagic fever has a fatality rate as high as 88%. — 15 January 2025 (LINK)

South Korea's President Yoon Suk Yeol arrested after hours-long standoff at residence, questioned over martial law declaration a month after first arrest attempt ended in stalemate. — 15 January 2025 (LINK)

FDA bans Red No. 3, artificial coloring used in beverages, candy and other foods, suspected of being carcinogenic in animals. — 15 January 2025 (LINK) — ground.news: 489 media reports (LINK)

— This decision comes over 30 years after the dye, also known as erythrosine or FD&C Red No. 3, was prohibited in cosmetics due to its links to cancer in laboratory animals.

WEF Global Risks Report 2025: conflict, environment and disinformation top threats. — 15 January 2025 (LINK)

Cuba starts freeing prisoners a day after the US said it would lift terror designation. — 15 January 2025 (LINK)

Joe Biden warns against concentrated power of the ultra-wealthy in farewell speech. Hindustan Times:'subtle yet ominous warning about Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg'. — 15 January 2025 (LINK)

Guardian: US House speaker dumps key Ukraine backer Mike Turner: removes him as chair of powerful intelligence committee. What we know on day 1,058. — 15 January 2025 (LINK)

Trump says he won't hire anyone associated with Haley, Cheneys, Pence or other MAGA critics. — 15 January 2025 (LINK) — ground.news: 10 media reports (LINK)

NATO launches new Baltic Sea mission, Baltic Sentry, to protect undersea cables. — 14 January 2025 (LINK) — ground.news: 189 media reports (LINK)

— While Russia was not directly singled out as a culprit in the cable damage, Nato chief Mark Rutte said Nato would step up its monitoring of Moscow's "shadow fleet" — ships without clear ownership that are used to carry embargoed oil products.

153 winners of Nobel and World Food prizes urge new ways to grow food to meet surging global need. — 14 January 2025 (LINK) — ground.news: 26 media reports (LINK)

— Their letter advocates transformational efforts, including enhancing photosynthesis in crops and developing less fertilizer-dependent varieties, to increase food production. The letter grew from a meeting of food accessibility experts last fall.

Hegseth clears fiery Senate hearing. — 14 January 2025 (LINK)

German Far-Right Party investigated for sending mock deportation tickets to migrants in Karlsruhe. — 14 January 2025 (LINK) — ground.news: 99 media reports (LINK)

Why a vicious strain of norovirus('stomach flu') is rapidly spreading across the U.S. (and how to avoid it). — 14 January 2025 (LINK)

— The virus causes 58% of foodborne illnesses in the U.S. annually. Each year, on average, norovirus causes: 19 to 21 million illnesses, 900 deaths, mostly in people older than 65 years.

— Drink plenty of fluids to replace fluid lost from vomiting and diarrhea, and to prevent dehydration. Avoid caffeine and alcohol. Oral rehydration fluids, which can be purchased over the counter, are most helpful for mild dehydration. Wash your hands often and thoroughly with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. Surprisingly, hand sanitizer does not work well against norovirus.

Videocapitalist: AI's perceived impact on job creation, by country: global 43%, China 77%, Indonesia 74%, Thailand 71%, U.S. 36%, Switzerland 34%, France 33%, U.K. 32% — 14 January 2025 (LINK)

Global electric vehicle sales up 25% in record 2024. — 14 January 2025 (LINK) — ground.news: 41 media reports (LINK)

— Sales in China surged by 36.5% to 1.3 million vehicles in December, contributing to a total of 11 million for 2024, as reported by research firm Rho Motion. The United States and Canada saw an 8.8% rise in EV sales to 190,000 in December, while Europe's sales reached 310,000, up 0.7% from the previous year. In the rest of the world, December sales rose by 26.4%.

Ukraine fires US, British missiles into Russia, launches one of largest drone attacks so far. — 14 January 2025 (LINK)

White House removes Cuba's state sponsor of terrorism designation, reversing Trump administration move. — 14 January 2025 (LINK)

Speaker Johnson orders US Capitol flags raised to full height for Trump's inauguration. — 14 January 2025 (LINK)

World Economic Forum says Trump to take part virtually in Davos meeting, days after inauguration. — 14 January 2025 (LINK) — ground.news: 28 media reports (LINK)

— Trump has attended the forum in-person twice before, in 2018 and 2020. Trump will speak to Davos participants virtually on Thursday, Jan. 23, Børge Brende, president of the World Economic Forum, told reporters.

Trump would have been convicted if he were not reelected, says US special counsel report: made 'unprecedented criminal effort' to retain power after losing the election. — 14 January 2025 (LINK) — ground.news: 299 media reports (LINK)

Trump loses it over Jack Smith report finding only election saved him. — (LINK)

UN: More than one million people internally displaced in Haiti: half of them children. — 14 January 2025 (LINK) — ground.news: 29 media reports (LINK)

Ugandan military court rules it can try opposition figure Kizza Besigye on treachery charge carrying death penalty. — 14 January 2025 (LINK) — ground.news: 24 media reports (LINK)

— Besigye, who has contested the presidency four times, went missing in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, on Nov. 16. Days later, he and his co-accused, an assistant named Obeid Lutale, appeared before a military court in Kampala, the Ugandan capital.

Three out of ten Ukrainian refugees in Switzerland have a job. — 14 January 2025 (LINK)

— According to the figures, 12,280 people with S status were employed on December 30, 2024. This results in an employment rate of 29.6%. The government had set a target of 40% in November 2023.

Schwab, Blackstone among firms fined in SEC Communications crackdown for failing to record and preserve messages employees sent through unapproved communications channels. — 14 January 2025 (LINK: limited)

Top ICJ judge Nawaf Salam named Lebanon's next prime minister. Aoun's election as President and Salam's designation mark the end of a more than two-year long stalemate with a presidential vacuum and a cabinet operating in a day-to-day caretaker capacity. — 13 January 2025 (LINK)

Climate group Net Zero Asset Managers suspends activities days after BlackRock quits. — 13 January 2025 (LINK)

NY Post: BlackRock quits 'Net Zero' initiative at perfect time as woke policies contribute to devastating LA fires. — (LINK)

House GOP crafts bill to let Trump purchase Greenland. — 13 January 2025 (LINK)

India's Maha Kumbh Mela festival gets under way for first time in 144 years.The grand version of the 12-yearly Hindu pilgrimage is expected to draw more than 400 million devotees. — 13 January 2025 (LINK)

All life on Earth can be traced back to a single common ancestor: New research reveals LUCA, Earth's last universal common ancestor, was a complex organism shaping early ecosystems 4.2 billion years ago. — 13 January 2025 (LINK)

Residential property prices in Switzerland continued their ascent last year, albeit at a slower pace towards the end of the period. Rents, on the other hand, stalled after two years of high inflation.. — 13 January 2025 (LINK)

Swiss households are increasingly turning away from meat. The proportion of households that consume animal products without restrictions has fallen from around 71% in 2022 to around 64%, according to a survey by the University of St Gallen. — 13 January 2025 (LINK)

Oil prices jump to 4-month high on fresh U.S. sanctions. — 13 January 2025 (LINK)

Iran, European powers hold 'constructive' nuclear talks ahead of Trump return. — 13 January 2025 (LINK)

Hanging out at Starbucks will cost you as company reverses its open-door policy. — 13 January 2025 (LINK)

The Washington Post's internet traffic tanks. — 13 January 2025 (LINK)