Sierra Leone's President Bio to be the next ECOWAS chairman with region in turmoil (LINK) — ground.news: 50 media reports (LINK) 22 June 2025

Price of oil could spike after Iran's parliament votes to close key shipping route: move could cause a global recession (LINK) 22 June 2025

BBC: Decoy flights and seven B-2 stealth bombers: how US says it hit Iran's nuclear sites (LINK) 22 June 2025

CNN: The US struck several key Iranian nuclear facilities early Sunday (?), including Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan. During an address at the White House, US President Donald Trump claimed the sites were "totally obliterated" and warned the US could go after additional targets if Iran does not make peace (LINK) 22 June 2025

— American B-2 bombers were used in the strikes, and sources said the US also utilized a 30,000-pound "bunker buster" bomb. It's the first known instance of the bomb being used operationally. Iranian officials are downplaying the impact of the strikes, with one lawmaker saying they were "superficial" and did not seriously damage Fordow. Iranian leaders have warned the attack will have "everlasting consequences", and requested an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council. There has not yet been an official response from Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

86 admitted to hospital after fresh Iranian strikes, Israel's health ministry says

Pakistan condemns US strike on Iran day after nominating Trump for Nobel Peace Prize — (LINK)

World Central Kitchen says it has begun operating Gaza community kitchens for first time in 12 weeks (LINK) 22 June 2025

Tesla co-founder and CEO Elon Musk launches robotaxi service in Austin, Texas, with flat fee of $4.20 (LINK) 22 June 2025

Texas will require permits for self-driving cars starting in September — (LINK)

BBC: The US has changed the course of the Iran-Israel conflict. How will Iran respond? Netanyahu: Trump's bold decision "will change history" (LINK)

— "If the nuclear sites bombed last night are now indeed out of use then Israel's prime minister will be able to declare his main war aim complete, perhaps bringing this conflict closer to an end. For its part, Iran says it had already moved its nuclear material out."

Al Jazeera: Israel attacks southwest Iran; drones target Israel: Israel hit nuclear site in Isfahan, IAEA confirms (LINK) 21 June 2025

— Gulf Cooperation Council ambassadors have expressed concerns to UN nuclear watchdog chief Rafael Grossi about the safety of Iran's nuclear facilities close to their countries. Iran says more than 400 people have been killed and at least 3,056 others wounded since Israel launched its attack on June 13.

Israel says it killed Iran's military coordinator with Hamas (LINK) 21 June 2025

Belarus releases political prisoners in surprise move to ease tensions with the West (LINK) 21 June 2025

Columbia graduate and legal US resident Mahmoud Khalil, targeted by White House for speaking out against the Israeli war in Gaza, reunites with family after more than 100 days in ICE detention (LINK) 21 June 2025

Erdogan announces opening of UNRWA office in Turkiye: "We must not allow UNRWA, which plays an irreplaceable role in terms of taking care of Palestinian refugees, to be paralysed by Israel" — (LINK)

Wheelchair across the Alps: Two British wheelchair users attempt to become the first people in the world to push themselves across the Alps and raise money for Ataxia UK: start Montreux, end Lake Como, Italy, via the St. Gotthard pass (LINK) 21 June 2025

— Ben Spencer has progressive cerebellar ataxia. Peter Smorthit was the first person to push a manual wheelchair unsupported the entire length of Great Britain from Land's End to John O'Groats.422 km distance (= 10 marathons) due to take 10-12 days (possibility of 14). (LINK)

Switzerland budgets CHF269 million for International Geneva (LINK) 20 June 2025

— The support measures envisaged by the Federal Council include a supplementary credit of CHF21.5 million for the current year. Secondly, the Federal Council is requesting a credit of CHF130.4 million for the years 2026–2029. This sum includes CHF21.5 million for the continuation of the urgent measures begun in 2025 in the coming year. The third pillar of the package concerns the real estate foundation for international organizations. On the one hand, the Federal Council is suspending the repayment of loans for certain organisations for the years 2025 and 2026. In addition, the Federal Council is requesting an interest-free loan of CHF78 million with a term of 50 years. The money will reportedly be used to renovate a third of its property portfolio.

Senior White House adviser Kari Lake issued mass layoff notices to 639 employees of the U.S. Agency for Global Media, the federal outlet which owns the Voice of America and through which Congress directs money for other government-funded international networks, such as Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and Radio Free Asia. (LINK) 20 June 2025

— The vast majority of the job cuts, intended to be a permanent reduction in the size of the workforce, affects Voice of America, the government-owned international network that has beamed news reports to countries under autocratic regimes since World War II. In a press release, Lake called her action "part of a long-overdue effort to dismantle a bloated, unaccountable bureaucracy." She said 85% of jobs, or 1,400 positions, had been eliminated in total, in keeping with an executive order in mid-March from President Trump.

UK parliament votes for assisted dying paving way for historic law change (LINK) — ground.news: 375 media reports (LINK) 20 June 2025

Glass bottles found to contain 50x more microplastics than plastic: beer, soda, and lemonade had the highest contamination — study by Researchers at France's food safety agency ANSES (LINK) 22 June 2025

Bans or fees on plastic bags resulted in a 25-47% decrease in plastic bag litter on US shorelines compared to areas without such policies (LINK) — ground.news: 31 media reports (LINK) 20 June 2025

Common Dreams: Inventing the Iranian Threat: Where does the Western obsession with Iran come from? The "Ayatollah regime" is said to threaten world peace. U.S. intelligence agencies and the military see things differently. (LINK) 20 June 2025

Has anything actually gotten more expensive because of Trump's tariffs? A massive, tariff-induced inflation spike hasn't materialized. Not even close. Not yet, anyway (LINK) 20 June 2025

Wingsuit flyer dies after jump off Gitschen in Swiss Alps: British champion Liam Byrne, 24, was critically injured after taking off from 2,400m (LINK) 21 June 2025

Paul Cézanne's hometown of Aix-en-Provence is finally celebrating its most famous native son: this summer, the artist's historic home and studio are opening to the public alongside a massive retrospective exhibition at the museum that once refused his works (LINK) 20 June 2025

Never-before-seen Picasso ceramics break record (CHF272,000) at auction in Geneva (LINK) 20 June 2025

— The hand-painted ceramics, featuring birds, fish and goats, were designed in the Madoura Pottery Workshop in Vallauris (Alpes-Maritimes). They had been kept privately for almost 40 years. Piguet of Geneva (Switzerland), which handled the sale, noted in a press release that the estimated price for the lots was CHF145,000 Swiss francs, making the auction a surprising success.

Telegram founder and billionaire Pavel Durov plans to leave fortune to his 100-plus children fathered through sperm donation at a clinic over the past 15 years in addition to 6 others with 3 different partners. (LINK) — ground.news: 157 media reports (LINK) 20 June 2025

11 dark chocolate bars, ranked: Lindt Excellence 70% 3rd, Ghirardelli Intense Dark 72% 2nd, Chocolove Hawaiian Sea Salt in Strong 72% Dark Chocolate top (LINK) 20 June 2025

French scientists discover new blood type in Guadeloupe woman (LINK) 20 June 2025

— The woman is the only known carrier of a new blood type, dubbed "Gwada negative", the French Blood Establishment (EFS) said. The discovery was made 15 years after researchers received a blood sample from a patient who was undergoing routine tests ahead of a surgery. "The EFS has just discovered the 48th blood group system in the world!" the agency said in a statement.

Trump sets deadline of two weeks to decide if US will join Israel's war on Iran (LINK) 19 June 2025

Israel says Khamenei 'can no longer be allowed to exist' after Iran strikes hospital (LINK) 19 June 2025

Hackers say they wiped out $90 million from Iran cryptocurrency exchange (LINK) 19 June 2025

UN: Violence against children in conflict reached 'unprecedented levels' in 2024, with Gaza worst (LINK) — ground.news: 99 media reports (LINK) 19 June 2025

Climate misinformation turning crisis into catastrophe, report says: False claims obstructing climate action, say researchers, amid calls for climate lies to be criminalized (LINK) 19 June 2025

Zelensky announces new leader of ground forces: Henadii Shapovalov previously commanded Ukraine's southern military district, which has seen combat almost continuously since the February 2022 start of Russia's full-scale invasion. (LINK) 19 June 2025

U.S. appeals court lets Trump keep control of National Guard troops deployed to Los Angeles (LINK) 19 June 2025

— The decision halts a ruling from a lower court judge who found Trump acted illegally when he activated the soldiers over opposition from California Gov. Gavin Newsom. The deployment was the first by a president of a state National Guard without the governor's permission since 1965.

— "The undisputed facts demonstrate that before the deployment of the National Guard, protesters 'pinned down' several federal officers and threw 'concrete chunks, bottles of liquid, and other objects' at the officers. Protesters also damaged federal buildings and caused the closure of at least one federal building. And a federal van was attacked by protesters who smashed in the van's windows," the court wrote. "The federal government's interest in preventing incidents like these is significant."

Swiss cut key interest rate by a quarter percentage point, putting its target now at 0% (LINK) 19 June 2025

UNCTAD World Investment Report: Global foreign direct investment fell by 11% to $1.5 trillion in 2024, second consecutive year of decline (LINK) 19 June 2025

— " Modest growth seemed possible at the start of the year, but escalating trade tensions, geopolitical fragmentation and economic volatility have led to sharp downward revisions of most FDI prospects. These include GDP growth, capital formation, trade flows, financial market stability and investor confidence. Early 2025 data show record-low deal and project activity."

Climate study warns of more heavy summer storms in the Alps (LINK) 19 June 2025

— If the climate warms by two degrees, a Swiss-Italian research team expects a doubling of short, heavy summer rainfall in the Alps. Researchers from the University of Lausanne (Unil) and the University of Padua (Italy) analysed data from almost 300 mountain weather stations in Switzerland, Germany, Austria, Italy and France.

Procurement and deployment of artificial intelligence must be aligned with human rights: UN experts (LINK) 19 June 2025

Political interference in US education undermines academic freedom and equitable access to education: UN expert (LINK) 19 June 2025

— "Recent developments, including the contested decision to bar Harvard University from enrolling international students, are part of a wider trend threatening academic freedom, student rights and democratic integrity."

Rapporteur's 2024 report — (LINK)

— "Special Rapporteur on the right to education, Farida Shaheed, visited the United States of America from 29 April to 10 May 2024: The growing privatization of education threatens the integrity of public schooling, while inadequate mental health support, teacher shortages and poor working conditions undermine student well-being and learning outcomes. Political interference, discriminatory censorship laws, book bans and other attacks on academic freedom further restrict access to diverse perspectives and critical inquiry, creating what has been identified as a chilling effect by a number of interlocuters. Student protests are increasingly met with criminalization, surveillance and disciplinary actions, stifling free expression and civic engagement. Without systemic reforms to funding, governance and assessment, these challenges will continue to erode equitable access and the broader role of education in fostering democracy and social progress."

Swiss exports to the US plummeted in May (LINK) 19 June 2025

— Exports to North America dropped by 39.6%. This is the lowest figure recorded since the end of 2020. As recently as March, exports to the US had doubled and reached a record level. Goods were shipped quickly before the feared tariff hammer took effect. By April, exports to the US had already fallen by around a third.

— The decline in exports was widespread across all sectors. The chemical-pharmaceutical industry, which accounts for more than half of total Swiss exports, made a particularly large contribution (-19%). Meanwhile, exports stagnated in the hard-hit Swiss machinery and electronics industry. Imports increased by 0.8% in May (real: +0.5%) to CHF19.02 billion. The export surplus thus shrank to CHF1.98 billion.

Serial rapist Zhenhao Zou jailed for minimum of 24 years: London student who police fear may have drugged and raped more than 60 women receives life sentence (LINK) 19 June 2025

Expedition to 'real home of the pirates of the Caribbean' hopes to unearth ships and treasure: exploration of Bahamas seabed will be first time notorious New Providence hideout has been searched (LINK) 19 June 2025

US moving fighter jets and troops to Middle East as Israel-Iran war rages (LINK) — ground.news: 108 media reports (LINK) 18 June 2025

FDA approves Gilead's twice-yearly HIV prevention injection, offering a powerful and convenient new option (LINK) 18 June 2025

— The launch of the injection faces potential threats, including the Trump administration's proposed cuts to federal funding for HIV prevention efforts.

Breakthrough for gig workers: ILO to develop first binding global standards (LINK) 18 June 2025

— the gig economy accounts for up 12% of the global labour force, with over 400 million workers.The standards aim to tackle misclassification, low pay, exclusion from social security benefits, and opaque algorithmic management systems.

— The decision received majority support from ILO member states and worker delegates, though employer delegates and several governments including the US, Switzerland, and India opposed the initiative. The final round of negotiations will take place in 2026.

SpaceX's Starship explodes during routine test in Texas (LINK) 18 June 2025

UBS: Switzerland is still the richest country in the world: average per-capita wealth in Switzerland rose last year to $687,000 (CHF561,000), an increase of 3% compared to the previous year, followed by the United States (LINK) 18 June 2025

— "Many new millionaires have become millionaires simply because the value of their own property has risen." Eastern Europe recorded the largest asset growth with an increase of 12%. This was closely followed by North America with 11.98%.

Israel-Iran conflict at critical juncture as Trump demands Tehran's 'unconditional surrender' (LINK) 17 June 2025

G7 leaders fail to reach ambitious joint agreements on key issues after Trump's exit (LINK) 17 June 2025

— Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and his counterparts from the U.K., France, Germany, Italy and Japan were joined during Tuesday's final sessions by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and NATO chief Mark Rutte.

Blatten damages estimated at CHF320 million, payments already started (LINK in French) 17 June 2025

— CHF260 millions for buildings and goods, CHF60 million in lost earnings and vehicles. Insurance companies have started payouts. A 2023 hailstorm caused comparable damage in Locarno in 2023 in a few minutes.

Amazon says it will reduce its workforce as AI replaces human employees (LINK) — ground.news: 103 media reports (LINK) 17 June 2025

Thermodynamics: Study solves 120-year-old problem and corrects one of Einstein's ideas (LINK) 17 June 2025

The latest edition of the Olympic Review reflects on more than a decade of reform and renewal under the leadership of President Thomas Bach. It also celebrates the election of Kirsty Coventry as the IOC's 10th President, the first woman and the first African to hold the position (LINK) 17 June 2025

Blue-Chip works by Rothko, Richter, and Picasso headline Art Basel (19-22 June), where dealers cast wide range of price points and styles against market uncertainty (LINK) 17 June 2025

12 things not to miss at Art Basel 2025 — (LINK)

The best large-scale works at Art Basel Unlimited 2025 — (LINK)

60 Swiss Alpine glaciers out of 300 present a danger for inhabited zones and infrastructure, most in Valais, especially Weisshorn in the valley leading to Zermatt, Gruben, Dolent and the Allalin (LINK in French) 16 June 2025

G7 summit opens in Canada with a focus on trade, wars — and not riling Trump (LINK) 16 June 2025

Israel issues Tehran evacuation order as Iran threatens to leave nuclear weapons treaty: order similar to those issued in Gaza a further sign Israeli campaign is evolving towards war of attrition (LINK) 16 June 2025

Iran renews missile attacks on Israel, killing 5 and wounding dozens (LINK) 16 June 2025

Pakistan shuts border with Iran as Tehran trades strikes with Israel (LINK) — ground.news: 17 media reports (LINK) 16 June 2025

UNHCR to cut around 3,500 jobs worldwide: hundreds of temporary contracts will also be cut (LINK) 16 June 2025

Human Rights Council opens amid more budget cuts (LINK) 16 June 2025

— PassBlue: "Shortened speaking slots and debates axed from the program are only the visible tip of a liquidity iceberg threatening to sink the entire system. Behind the scenes, the human rights mechanisms that underpin the council are struggling to stay afloat."

— Limiting speaking time and scrapping certain debates has shortened the session by two and a half days and saved roughly CHF 250,000 (about $370,000), according to Swiss Ambassador Jurg Lauber, the current chair of the body.

Geneva Graduate Institute to welcome record number of new students in September: up 21.2% compared to 2024 (LINK) 16 June 2025

— 502 new students: 34 doctoral students — up 6% compared to 2024. 165 disciplinary MA students — up 16% compared to 2024. 305 International and Development Studies (MINT) students — up 27% compared to 2024. With 2104 candidates for the 2025-2026 academic year, up 32.3% from 2024-25, this is the highest number of candidates in the history of the Institute. The number of applicants to competitive doctoral programmes was 602, nearly double that of 2024-2025.

Transparent peer review to be extended to all of Nature's research papers (LINK) 16 June 2025

— "From today, all new submissions to Nature that are published will be accompanied by referees' reports and author responses — to illuminate the process of producing rigorous science."

The world's most-visited museum shut down with staff sounding the alarm on mass tourism: The Louvre Museum failed to open on time Monday because of staff strike, leaving thousands of visitors stuck in long, unmoving lines. (LINK) 16 June 2025

— The Louvre's spontaneous strike erupted during a routine internal meeting, as gallery attendants, ticket agents and security personnel refused to take up their posts in protest over unmanageable crowds, chronic understaffing and what one union called "untenable" working conditions. Some workers returned temporarily to open a limited "masterpiece route" for a couple of hours, allowing access to select highlights including the Mona Lisa and the Venus de Milo.On Tuesday the Louvre is closed. The full museum might reopen as normal on Wednesday, and some tourists with time-sensitive tickets for Monday may be allowed to reuse them then. The Louvre's annual operating subsidies from the French state have shrunk by more than 20% over the past decade — even as visitor numbers soared. On Sunday the 15th, coordinated anti-tourism protests swept across southern Europe. Thousands rallied in Mallorca, Venice, Lisbon and beyond, denouncing an economic model they say displaces locals and erodes city life. In Barcelona, activists sprayed tourists with water pistols — a theatrical bid to "cool down" runaway tourism.

10 cities around the world expats say they'd never move to again (LINK) 16 June 2025

Top AI researchers meet to discuss what comes after humanity (LINK : few details) 15 June 2025

— "Speakers at the weekend event talked about how AI can seek out deeper, universal values that humanity hasn't even been privy to, and that machines should be taught to pursue 'the good', or risk enslaving an entity capable of suffering."

The appendix is much more important than we once thought (LINK) 16 June 2025

— Not just a vestigial organ: an important component of immune function, especially in early life. May play role in protecting the gastrointestinal system from invading pathogens, and removal may be related to the increased incidence of other conditions such as heart disease and Parkinson's disease. The role of the appendix in maintaining microbial diversity therefore appears to be critical to overall health.

AI monitors wildlife behaviour in the Swiss Alps (LINK) 16 June 2025

— scientists at EPFL have collected and curated MammAlps, the first richly annotated, multi-view, multimodal wildlife behaviour dataset in collaboration with the Swiss National Park. MammAlps is designed to train AI models for species and behaviour recognition tasks, and ultimately to help researchers understand animal behaviour better. This work could make conservation efforts faster, cheaper, and smarter. MammAlps was developed by Valentin Gabeff, a PhD student at EPFL under the supervision of Professors Alexander Mathis and Devis Tuia, together with their respective research teams.

— MammAlps brings a new standard to wildlife monitoring: a full sensory snapshot of animal behaviour across multiple angles, sounds, and contexts. It also introduces a "long-term event understanding" benchmark, meaning scientists can now study not just isolated behaviours from short clips, but broader ecological scenes over time—like a wolf stalking a deer across several camera views.

— The researchers set up nine camera traps that recorded more than 43 hours of raw footage over the course of several weeks. The team then meticulously processed it, using AI tools to detect and track individual animals, resulting in 8.5 hours of material showing wildlife interaction. They labeled behaviors using a hierarchical approach, categorizing each moment at two levels: high-level activities like foraging or playing, and finer actions like walking, grooming, or sniffing. This structure allows AI models to interpret behaviors more accurately by linking detailed movements to broader behavioral patterns.

— To provide AI models with richer context, the team supplemented video with audio recordings and captured "reference scene maps" that documented environmental factors like water sources, bushes, and rocks. This addition al data enables better interpretation of habitat-specific behaviours. "By incorporating other modalities alongside video, we've shown that AI models can better identify animal behaviour," explains Alexander Mathis. "This multi-modal approach gives us a more complete picture of wildlife behaviour."

EasyJet flight en route from Geneva to Edinburgh was forced to return just minutes after takeoff. The aircraft, which had barely begun its journey, encountered a bird strike that compromised safety and triggered an emergency declaration — TTW — 16 June 2025 (LINK)

— The event adds to a growing list of technical incidents straining passenger confidence and operational reliability.