Sunday, 11 May 2025

Pope Leo XIV warns of spectre of global war in first Sunday address: condemned the "third world war" threat and urged for peace in Ukraine and Gaza, emphasised humanitarian aid and freeing hostages in the Israel-Hamas conflict (LINK) 11 May 2025

Pope Leo XIV reopens papal apartment sealed since the death of Pope Francis on 21 April: has yet to confirm whether he will live there (LINK) 11 May 2025

Dow Futures rally over 400 points as US, China 'come to agreement' in Geneva trade talks (LINK) 11 May 2025

Trump claims 'total reset' in US-China trade relations from continuing tariff talks in Geneva (LINK) 11 May 2025

First group of White South Africans granted refugee status depart to U.S. (LINK) 11 May 2025

MLK bust quietly removed from Oval Office (LINK) 11 May 2025

College student dies after falling from balcony during senior trip to Bahamas Paradise Island (LINK) 11 May 2025

Brazilian pulp exporter Suzano SA, the world's largest, is warning that supply chain disruptions due to new U.S. tariffs could result in a shortage of toilet paper, although so far, store shelves around the country are well stocked (LINK) 11 May 2025

Geneva hosts Switzerland's largest marathon: record 25,428 participants across various race formats, including 5,512 marathon runners (LINK) 11 May 2025

Who are the Japanese? DNA study reveals three, not two, ancestral groups (LINK) 11 May 2025

— For years, it was believed that Japan's ancestry stemmed mainly from the Jomon hunter-gatherers and rice-farming migrants from East Asia. But this new research adds a third player to the mix: the Emishi, a lesser-known group from northeast Asia.

Saturday, 10 May 2025

India and Pakistan agree to a ceasefire following four days of intense cross-border drone and missile strikes. Will it hold? (LINK) 10 May 2025

Ecuador declares national mourning for 11 troops killed by guerrillas (LINK) — ground.news: 150 media reports (LINK) — 10 May 2025

Scientists at UC San Diego discover hidden cause of Alzheimer's hiding in plain sight: the PHGDH gene directly causes disease and discovered a drug-like molecule, NCT-503, that may help treat the disease early by targeting the gene's hidden function: gene previously identified as a biomarker for Alzheimer's disease (LINK) 10 May 2025

Failed Soviet Venus lander Kosmos 482 crashes to Earth after 53 years in orbit: Reentry occurred over the Indian Ocean west of Jakarta, Indonesia, according to Russia's space agency Roscosmos. Kosmos 482 appears to have fallen harmlessly into the sea. It's unclear when or if we'll get a definitive answer to where Kosmos 482 came down (LINK) 10 May 2025

Despite flooding, Florida's real estate is booming because of climate denial bubble (LINK) 10 May 2025

Mexico is suing Google over 'Gulf of America' name change for US users: says name change only applies to the US portion of the oceanic basin (LINK) 10 May 2025

Gold could soar 80% to $6,000 if there's even a minuscule shift away from US assets, analysts say (LINK) 10 May 2025

Heavy social media use linked to believing and spreading fake news: first-of-its-kind study (LINK) 10 May 2025

— "Individuals with signs of problematic social media use may also be more susceptible to health-related misinformation, so clinicians specializing in different fields may benefit from awareness of their patients' degree of social media use," said a researcher. "By identifying people who are more likely to believe fake news, we can help reduce its spread."

Journalist Ekaterina Barabash after escaping Russia: Russians have "always been taught that Ukraine is just a part of Russia. But this belief is a kind of poison. It's something that every Russian grows up with, often without even realizing it." (LINK) 10 May 2025

— "I often hear [...] 'Everyone lies.' They're willing to accept the lies from Russian propaganda, but they won't even consider competing narratives from other sources. 'Everyone lies,' they say. It's an awful argument — a foolish one, really."

Swiss parliament chooses compromise on individual taxation (LINK) 10 May 2025

— Under the proposal, each taxpayer would be assessed independently, a shift that supporters say will reduce disincentives to work, especially for second earners in dual-income households. Critics, however, argue it risks penalising traditional family models.

Friday, 9 May 2025

UN agencies warn Israel plans for aid distribution endanger lives in Gaza: would only provide food and aid to around 60 percent of Gaza's civilians initially (LINK) — ground.news: 84 media reports (LINK) — 9 May 2025

EU endorses special tribunal to prosecute Russian leaders, aiming to secure accountability beyond the scope of existing ICC warrants (LINK) 9 May 2025

White House considering suspending habeas corpus, Stephen Miller says (LINK) 9 May 2025

U.S.: Tufts student Rumeysa Öztürk out of ICE custody since March after judge orders her release: "Öztürk is free to return to her home in Massachusetts ... because, frankly, I don't find that she poses any risk of flight," the judge ruled (LINK) 9 May 2025

Pentagon directs military to pull library books that address diversity, anti-racism, gender issues — by 21 May (LINK) 9 May 2025

Trump-linked USD1 stablecoin, issued by World Liberty Finance (WLFI), hits $2.12 billion market cap from $130m on BNB chain with StakeStone cross-chain partnership (LINK) 9 May 2025

Why the conclave elected Robert Prevost, now Pope Leo XIV (LINK) 9 May 2025

2024 Sir Paul Curran award for academic journalism goes to Paul Whiteley (LINK) 9 May 2025

— Paul has contributed 120 articles to The Conversation since August 2014, helping readers understand the seismic political shifts that have taken place over that period. Paul's award was linked to his work analysing the rise of the Reform party at a time when hard evidence is hard to come by.

Thursday, 8 May 2025

Pakistan says 31 people have been killed and 57 injured by air strikes in Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir, and firing along the Line of Control, since Wednesday morning. India's army says at least 16 civilians were killed by Pakistani shelling on its side of the de facto border (LINK) 8 May 2025

What will the new Pope be like? He's chosen to be called Leo: that's no accident (LINK) 8 May 2025

— That Prevost has decided to become Leo XIV will make Catholics think immediately of the last Leo — Leo XIII — and his 1891 encyclical or teaching document, Rerum Novarum, which outlined workers' rights to a fair wage, safe working conditions and the rights of workers to belong to trade unions. If Pope Francis was the People's Pope, then Leo XIV is all set to be the Workers' Pope.

Why the guards who protect the conclave are wearing those crazy uniforms: the Vatican Swiss Guards (LINK) 8 May 2025

Trump's first new trade deal triples taxes on Americans buying British products (LINK) 8 May 2025

— According to a chart used by Trump, the new trade deal with the United Kingdom will bring in $6 billion in "external revenue", a term he and his administration use to describe payments collected by U.S. Customs from American importers. The new 10% rate for nearly all goods, which was announced last month for countries all over the world, is three times higher than the 3.4% average rate Americans have paid for goods from Britain and Northern Ireland.

— Trump said he agreed to lower his 25% tax on imported cars to 10% for the first 100,000 cars entering from the U.K. each year to help the British auto industry because it mainly produces high-end luxury cars. "They make a very small number of cars that are super luxury, and that includes Bentley and Jaguar," he said. In return, the U.K. has agreed to open its market to American beef and other agricultural products, Trump said. "We're a very big country. We have a lot of beef." he added.

Trump asks U.S. Supreme Court to allow him to end humanitarian parole for 500,000 people from 4 countries (Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela), setting them up for potential deportation. (LINK) 8 May 2025

None of the objects on the Oval Office mantle were made in the U.S. (LINK) 8 May 2025

Trump's acting FEMA chief fired a day after breaking from the administration when he told lawmakers he does not support dismantling the agency (LINK) 8 May 2025

President Trump fires Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden in email from White House: Hayden was the first woman and the first African American to be librarian of Congress: Conservative advocacy group aAF said a few hours before: "The current #LibrarianOfCongress Carla Hayden is woke, anti-Trump, and promotes trans-ing kids." (LINK) 8 May 2025

US cuts $50 million in medical aid to Zambia over 'systematic' medicine theft (LINK) — ground.news: 16 media reports (LINK) — 8 May 2025

Scientists studied Fox News: 11 findings (LINK) 8 May 2025

— Trump's public attacks on Fox News correlated with dips in the network's ratings: Democrats responded by viewing Fox News as more moderate and were more open to watching it.

— Fox News viewers who watched Dr. Anthony Fauci were more likely to adopt COVID-19 mitigation behaviors, such as using disinfectant and social distancing, compared to those who saw him on other platforms like CNBC. Although watching Fauci didn't change beliefs about hydroxychloroquine, it did lead to increased commitment to health behaviour, but only when he appeared on Fox News. This suggests that scientists may be more persuasive when speaking directly to skeptical audiences through trusted channels.

— Using Fox News website correlated with reduced knowledge of societal issues, such as climate change, unemployment, and economic trends.

Bill Gates tears into Elon Musk for being 'involved in the deaths of the world's poorest children' (LINK) 8 May 2025

Switzerland to give CHF39 million ($47 million) to three UN organizations: Unicef, UN Women, UN Population Fund (UNFPA) (LINK) 8 May 2025

— The contributions are in addition to the CHF282 million recently approved by the government for other UN organizations and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). The contributions set an example for International Geneva, said the foreign ministry. The funds will be charged to the commitment credit for financing international cooperation from 2025 to 2028.

Switzerland unveils a national drought-detection system (LINK) 8 May 2025

Geneva's impressive array of 14 Michelin-starred restaurants, a selection including Tse Fung, the only Michelin starred Chinese diner in all of Switzerland, at La Reserve (LINK) 8 May 2025

10 jobs that will definitely get replaced with AI, including content writer, marketing professional and project manager (LINK) 8 May 2025

CERN detects lead atoms turning into gold (LINK) 8 May 2025

— Lead is made of 82 protons and around 126 neutrons at its core. Gold instead has 79 protons, just three fewer than lead. Removing three protons from each lead atom is what is needed to make this transmutation. The ALICE experiment of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) looks at what happens when heavy ions smash together. Mostly, it is to understand the quark-gluon plasma that existed in the first moments after the Big Bang. But smashing lead ions together can break those atoms into more commonly recognizable forms, such as the conversion of lead to gold.

Wednesday, 7 May 2025

Top US officials will meet with Chinese delegation in Switzerland at weekend in first major talks of trade war (LINK) 7 May 2025

China has cut interest rates and bank reserve requirements as part of a barrage of measures meant to counter the blow to its economy from U.S. (LINK) 7 May 2025

Pakistan calls Indian strikes an 'act of war' and vows to respond (LINK) 7 May 2025

CNN: Live Updates — (LINK)

A 'Trump Gold Card Visa' is already showing up in immigration forms: (LINK) 8 May 2025

— A reference to the Trump Card Visa has also been added in the live application form for Global Entry, a program run by US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) that allows preapproved US citizens, green card holders, and traveplers from certain countries to enter the US through a fast lane, saving them time at the airport. People who apply for Global Entry with a foreign passport are currently given the option to select if they have "submitted an application for a Trump Card Visa," tests by WIRED show.

Old Soviet Venus lander Kosmos 482's fall to Earth in coming days (LINK) 7 May 2025

Vatican News: Black smoke signals end of first day of conclave. No Pope was elected after the first ballot of the conclave to elect the 267th Pope (LINK) 7 May 2025

New York: Dozens of pro-Palestinian protesters arrested at Columbia University after administration calls in police (LINK) 7 May 2025

Moderna study shows immune response in older adults for a combo flu and COVID-19 shot (LINK) 7 May 2025

Trump withdraws surgeon general nominee Janette Nesheiwat after questions about her medical education and criticism of her by conservative gadfly Laura Loomer (LINK) 7 May 2025

— The Hill: Trump "has instead chosen chronic disease entrepreneur Casey Means, a physician with close ties to the 'Make American Healthy Again', or MAHA, movement, as his new pick. Means, a graduate of Stanford Medical School, is the sister of Calley Means, a close ally to Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and a special government employee at HHS. They are both high-profile proponents of Kennedy's MAHA agenda." — (LINK)

— The president said Nesheiwat will work at the Department of Health and Human Services "in another capacity". She is the sister-in-law of Trump's former national security advisor Mike Waltz. Trump removed Waltz from his post six days before and said he was nominating Waltz to become the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.

— CBS News, citing records it reviewed, last week reported that Nesheiwat, who had said she had a degree from the University of Arkansas School of Medicine, actually earned her medical degree from the American University of the Caribbean School of Medicine, located in St. Maarten. "A spokesperson for the University of Arkansas confirmed to CBS News she completed her residency through its family medicine program in Fayetteville, Arkansas, but did not obtain her medical degree there," the network reported.

— Loomer criticized Nesheiwat for having previously said that "vaccine hesitancy is a Global health threat", and for using her position at Fox News to promote the Covid-19 vaccine.

Trump plans to announce next week that the US will call the Persian Gulf the Arabian Gulf, officials say (LINK) 7 May 2025

US jury acquits three Memphis police officers in beating death of Tyre Nichols, 29-year-old father who was killed after a traffic stop in Memphis, Tennessee (LINK) 7 May 2025

— Former officers were found not guilty in a state-level case that included charges of second-degree murder, aggravated assault, aggravated kidnapping, official misconduct and official oppression. This was their second criminal trial, after facing federal charges for Nichols's death as well. In that case, the three officers were also acquitted of the most serious charges they faced, though they were found guilty of witness tampering for allegedly attempting to cover up the beating.

Arizona governor signs law for state to keep unclaimed crypto. Arizona is now the second US state that could hold Bitcoin, as Governor Katie Hobbs signed a bill allowing the state to hold onto unclaimed cryptocurrencies (LINK) 7 May 2025

Stock futures higher after S&P 500 posts first positive day in three following Fed decision holding steady on rates (LINK) 7 May 2025

Record rainfall soaks Las Vegas, shattering a near 60-year record: over a half inch of rainfall bringing total up to 0.83 inches for the month. May is typically one of the driest months in Las Vegas, averaging only 0.07 inches of rain (LINK) 7 May 2025

Trump administration has shut down CDC's infection control committee (HICPAC) — as of 31 March (LINK) 7 May 2025

— Four professional societies previously wrote to Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on March 26 asking him to preserve the committee amid widespread cuts to federal health agencies.

WeightWatchers files for bankruptcy protection to eliminate its debt burden (LINK) 7 May 2025

World's richest 10% caused two-thirds of global heating since 1990, study calculates (LINK) 7 May 2025

— "We link the carbon footprints of the wealthiest individuals directly to real-world climate impacts," lead author Sarah Schoengart, a scientist at ETH Zurich, told AFP. "It's a shift from carbon accounting toward climate accountability." Emissions from the wealthiest 10 percent in China and the United States — which together account for nearly half of global carbon pollution — each led to a two-to-threefold rise in heat extremes.

Geneva's Tunnel des Nations is seeing far less use than anticipated, with just 11,000 vehicles passing through daily, well below the 17,600 projected in its 2016 building permit. The 1.2-kilometre route opened after a CHF 171m investment by the canton (LINK) 7 May 2025.

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Old Soviet Venus lander Kosmos 482's fall to Earth in coming days after 53 years in orbit (LINK) 7 May 2025

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Hours before a solar eclipse, spruce trees 'talk' to each other (LINK) 7 May 2025

— Custom sensors were placed across a forest in the Dolomite mountains in Italy. Using the sensors, the team recorded simultaneous bioelectrical responses from the spruce trees. Before and during the eclipse, electrical activity from individual trees became "significantly" more synchronized, the researchers found. This phenomenon, they say, is evidence the forest is a unified living system.

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Climbing gyms are as polluted as busy city streets — and shoes are to blame (LINK) 7 May 2025

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