Sunday, 10 August 2025

Netanyahu defends new military offensive in Gaza and says it will be wider than announced (LINK) 10 August 2025

— Netanyahu said the security Cabinet last week instructed the dismantling of Hamas strongholds not only in Gaza City but also in the "central camps" and Muwasi. The camps — sheltering well over a half-million displaced people, according to the U.N. — had not been part of Israel's announcement Friday. He declared that his government "has no choice but to finish the job and complete the defeat of Hamas".

Prominent Al Jazeera correspondent among five journalists killed in Israeli airstrike on Gaza: Israel admits deliberate attack on the journalist, known for frontline coverage, in a strike on a tent outside al-Shifa hospital (LINK) 10 August 2025

— The Israel Defense Force claimed the reporter had "served as the head of a terrorist cell in the Hamas terrorist organization and was responsible for advancing rocket attacks against Israeli civilians and IDF forces".

US President Donald Trump has said homeless people must "move out" of Washington DC as he vowed to tackle crime in the city, opposed by Democrat mayor (LINK) 10 August 2025

— "The Homeless have to move out, IMMEDIATELY," Trump wrote on his social media site Truth Social on Sunday. "We will give you places to stay, but FAR from the Capital. The Criminals, you don't have to move out. We're going to put you in jail where you belong." But Mayor Muriel Bowser, a Democrat, said: "We are not experiencing a crime spike."

Historic flash floods hit Milwaukee as Midwest faces heavy rains threat for Monday (LINK) 10 August 2025

— Record flooding rains fell in Wisconsin over the weekend, triggering dozens of water rescues, shutting down the Wisconsin State Fair and prompting Milwaukee County officials to declare a state of emergency.

Russia and Ukraine hold fast to their demands ahead of a planned Putin-Trump summit (LINK) 9 August 2025

The Swiss economy owes its growth largely to increase in population, through growth in areas such as retail or healthcare: an average of 1.5% per year in recent years (more than three-quarters of employment growth). Other employment grew by only 0.8% (LINK) 10 August 2025

— Switzerland is the most competitive country in the world. This is the conclusion of the Lausanne economic institute IMD. Compared to 68 other national economies, the Confederation stands out mainly for its political stability and cutting-edge infrastructure. However, per capita wealth has declined slightly in recent years. Zurich benefits from the service sector. The Lake Geneva region is resisting deindustrialization. Rolle-Saint-Prex has become a pharmaceutical site which, with research and development, represents the majority of growth. Nyon and Renens-Ecublens are developing through a combination of cutting-edge industries (medical technology and machine and equipment construction) and high-knowledge services.

Saturday, 9 August 2025

Ukraine will not cede land, Zelenskiy says, as Trump, Putin plan meeting (LINK) 9 August 2025

Police arrest 474 people at protest over Palestine Action ban in London: Number of arrests was highest recorded in relation to single operation in at least past decade, according to Met police (LINK) 9 August 2025

Thousands protest plan to build world's longest bridge from Sicily to Italy: residents are opposed to the bridge over its scale, earthquake threats, environmental effect, and mafia interference (LINK) 9 August 2025

Commercial fishing in a vast Pacific nature area is halted after a judge in Hawaii blocks a Trump order (LINK) 9 August 2025

— The remote Pacific Islands Heritage Marine National Monument is home to turtles, marine mammals and seabirds, which environmental groups say will get snagged by longline fishing, an industrial method involving baited hooks from lines 60 miles (about 100 kilometers) or longer.

Friday, 8 August 2025

President Donald Trump said Friday that he'll meet Russian President Vladimir Putin on 15 August, earlier previewed terms of a potential peace deal to end the war in Ukraine that could include "some swapping of territories" (LINK) 8 August 2025

Israel plans to retake Gaza City, escalating the war with Hamas and fueling worries for hostages (LINK) 8 August 2025

Germany halts military exports to Israel, urges ceasefire in Gaza (LINK) — ground.news: 17 media reports (LINK) 8 August 2025

Leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan shake hands and sign deal at White House peace summit aimed at ending decades of conflict (LINK) 8 August 2025

UNCTAD: Mobilizing trade to curb plastic pollution: Global Trade Update (August 2025) (LINK) 8 August 2025

— A successful treaty should include:

• Tariff and NTM reforms to support sustainable substitutes
• Investment in waste management and circular infrastructure
• Digital tools for traceability and customs compliance
• Policy coherence across the WTO, UNFCCC, Basel Convention, and regional frameworks

— In 2023, global plastic production reached 436 million metric tons, while trade in plastics surpassed $1.1 trillion, accounting for 5% of global merchandise trade. However, 75% of all plastic ever produced has become waste, much of which leaks into oceans and ecosystems. The traded volume of plastics increased by 48% during 2005-2023. 98% of plastics are derived from fossil fuels. The average Most Favoured Nation (MFN) tariffs on plastic and rubber products have decreased from 34% to 7.2% over the past three decades, making fossil fuel-based plastics artificially inexpensive. In contrast, natural alternatives such as paper, bamboo, natural fibers, and seaweed face average MFN tariffs of 14.4%. Many countries are employing non-tariff measures (NTMs) to restrict the flow of harmful plastics. However, the lack of alignment among these regulations increases compliance costs and slows trade in safer and more sustainable goods. Small businesses and low-income exporters often struggle to navigate overlapping or inconsistent requirements, which limit their ability to engage in sustainable trade. In 2023, global trade in non-plastic substitutes reached $485 billion, with developing countries experiencing annual growth of 5.6%.

Cybersecurity's worst week yet? Firefox phishing attacks, meta steals data, and ransomware outsmarts defenders (LINK) 9 August 2025

ITC: For Ukrainians fleeing war, online businesses offer fresh start: almost all of Ukraine's businesses are small and medium-sized enterprises (SMES). Supporting them is crucial for economic recovery (LINK) 8 August 2025

— ITC Executive Director Pamela Coke-Hamilton told the Ukraine Recovery Conference 2025 in Rome that Ukraine has $30 billion in untapped export potential, according to the ITC Export Potential Map.

Barron's: President Donald Trump dismissed Internal Revenue Service Commissioner Billy Long from his job after less than two months in the role. He will be replaced by Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who will serve as acting commissioner (LINK limited) 8 August 2025

ITC Market Access Map: latest U.S. tariffs, before and after, for 69 countries and territories (LINK) 8 August 2025

Nidwalden set to be hardest-hit Swiss canton by US tariffs: 47% of its exports are U.S.-bound: region's biggest employer is aircraft manufacturer Pilatus, which in Stans employs almost 3,000 people (LINK) 8 August 2025

— In second place in the ranking (which also takes gold exports into account) of the hardest-hit cantons is Neuchâtel (25% of its exports go to the US), largely due to its watch industry. Aargau (23%), Valais (21%) and Vaud (21%) follow. Least impacted are the central Swiss cantons of Schwyz (6%) and Uri (1%), the newspaper Blick writes.

Funding crisis fears grow after gold market 'upended' on report of US tariffs on Swiss bullion (LINK) 8 August 2025

— As Switzerland refines 90% of gold sourced from industrial mines, gold is set to become significantly more expensive in the US than in the international market. As a reminder, the global trade flow for bullion is normally triangular: large gold bars travel between London and New York, via Switzerland, where they are recast into different sizes. February: "Currently, [US gold stocks] are valued at just $42 an ounce in national accounts. But knowledgeable observers reckon that if these were marked at current values — $2,800 an ounce — this could inject $800bn into the Treasury General Account, via a repurchase agreement. That might reduce the need to issue quite so many Treasury bonds this year". Things have accelerated a little since then: if we assume the 39% tariff that applies to Swiss goods, then gold is currently worth $4726 (1.39 x $3400)... which implies a $1.235 Trillion bump for the US Treasury.

Trump tariffs: Did Swiss gold refiners fuel the crisis? Their outsize role in gold refining is distorting trade data. (LINK) 8 August 2025

— The Trump administration has counted the billions of dollars of gold that passes through Switzerland every year in its tariff calculation. On the face of it, the Swiss make a fortune from refining gold from Africa, Asia, Australia and South America. More than 2,000 tons of gold are imported annually, much of it from intermediary banks in London, New York and elsewhere, and later reexported. Despite being the world's largest gold refining hub, Switzerland's gold sector is tiny, with just five major refiners employing around 1,500 people.

— The 39% tariff, which took effect on Thursday, hits luxury and consumer goods hardest, with watches, skin care and cosmetics products, precision instruments and chocolate expected to face large price rises in the US. Around 18% of Swiss exports crossed the Atlantic to the U.S. last year. Swiss products will soon be uncompetitive for US consumers versus similar goods produced in the EU or Britain, which clinched a 10% tariff deal.The Swiss National Bank (SNB) has argued that gold should be excluded from Washington's tariff calculation since refiners earn just a small fee for processing the metal. But on Thursday, the Financial Times (FT) reported that the US has imposed tariffs on one-kilo gold bars, citing a letter from US customs authorities.

Residents in Alaska's capital city prepare for possible glacial flooding (LINK) 8 August 2025

Suspected gunman and DeKalb officer dead in shooting near CDC and Emory University (LINK) 8 August 2025

— A man opened fire outside the headquarters of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta on Friday, leaving bullet marks in windows across the sprawling campus and killing a police officer before he was found dead in a nearby building, authorities said.

Which nations have the highest and lowest minimum wages across Europe? (without Switzerland) (LINK) 8 August 2025

— As of July 2025, the monthly minimum wage before deductions in the EU ranged from €551 in Bulgaria, to €2,704 in Luxembourg, according to Eurostat. When EU candidate countries are included, Ukraine has the lowest minimum wage, at just €164. Five EU countries — Italy, Denmark, Sweden, Austria, and Finland — do not have a national minimum wage at all.

— Purchasing power standards (PPS) provide a fairer comparison by using an artificial currency that reflects what people can actually buy in each country. One PPS is an artificial currency unit that, in theory, buys the same amount of goods and services in every country, according to Eurostat. When adjusted for purchasing power, the wage gaps between countries become significantly narrower. For example, in Luxembourg, the minimum wage is 4.9 times that of Bulgaria — the highest and lowest in the EU. In PPS terms, this gap narrows to 2.3 times. While Luxembourg (2,035) still ranks at the top, Estonia (886) has the lowest PPS minimum wage. When EU candidate countries are included, Albania is an outlier at the bottom, with a PPS of 566.

Grist: the global plastics crisis explained in 6 charts (LINK) 8 August 2025

Almost 2 million Americans are collecting unemployment in highest figures since pandemic times (LINK) 8 August 2025

GOP's Texas map has Austin residents sharing district with rural Texans nearly 500km away: it would "suppress the votes of Black and brown Austinites," Democrat says (LINK) 8 August 2025

— Central Texas' 37th Congressional District, which is currently represented by Democrat Rep. Lloyd Doggett, will be consumed by four neighboring districts, three of which Republicans now hold. One of those portions stretches into rural Ector County, about 30 km away from the New Mexico border.

OpenAI beats Elon Musk's Grok in AI chess tournament (LINK) 8 August 2025

Thursday, 7 August 2025

Top Kremlin aide says agreement reached for Trump-Putin meeting 'in coming days' (LINK) 7 August 2025

Thailand and Cambodia to deploy ceasefire monitors despite deadlock over captured soldiers (LINK) 7 August 2025

Ukrainian drones strike train station in Russia's Volgograd Oblast, governor reports (LINK) 7 August 2025

White House plans increase in federal law enforcement in DC over crime as Trump threatens to bring in National Guard on Thursday and Friday following an assault on a well-known former Department of Government Efficiency staffer over the weekend (LINK) 7 August 2025

Trump doubles reward to $50 million for arrest of Venezuela's president to face US drug charges (LINK) 7 August 2025

Secretary General of the WHO Expert Group on Immunization (SAGE)criticises RFK decision to cancel funding for mRNA vaccines (LINK) 7 August 2025

Tedros says 400 WHO jobs phased out — half in Geneva (LINK) 7 August 2025

Unseasonal fires trigger above-trend $80 billion catastrophe losses in first half of 2025: unseasonal wildfires in California and large thunderstorms in the US led to the second costliest half-year ever (after the first half of 2011) (LINK) 7 August 2025

Greenpeace sprays UN entrance in Geneva black during plastics conference (LINK) 7 August 2025

— Seven activists climbed onto the roof of the security building. The banners they unfurled read "Big oil pollutes indoors" and "The plastics treaty is not for sale".

Trump says Intel's CEO with China ties must resign and sends its stock tumbling (LINK) 7 August 2025

— Trump made the post after Sen. Tom Cotton sent a letter to Intel Chairman Frank Yeary expressing concern over CEO Lip-Bu Tan’s investments and ties to semiconductor firms that are reportedly linked to the Chinese Communist Party and the People’s Liberation Army, and asked the board whether Tan had divested his interests in these companies to eliminate any conflicts of interest. Cotton specifically called out Tan's recent leadership of Cadence Design Systems in the letter. The tech company admitted in July to selling its products to China’s National University of Defense Technology in violation of U.S. export controls.

EPA cancels $7 billion Biden-era grant program to boost solar energy, including projects for nearly 1 million households in low-income communities (LINK) 7 August 2025

France faces largest wildfire in 7 decades in Southeastern France's Aude department (LINK) 7 August 2025

— Since Tuesday, the fire has burned an area 1.5 times larger than Paris. One person has died, and three are missing. Dry, windy conditions are fueling the wildfire. The French Prime Minister François Bayroucalled it an unprecedented disaster. The blaze began in the village of Ribaute, near the Spanish border. It spread across the rural area of Corbières, which is famous for its mediaeval villages and vineyards. Greece, Italy and Türkiye have suffered from wildfires so far this summer, alongside southern Cyprus and Balkan countries such as Albania, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia and Bulgaria.

Turning geography into opportunity: New priorities for landlocked economies: regional cooperation, digital readiness and targeted reforms (LINK) 7 August 2025

— Awaza, Turkmenistan, hosted a United Nations summit this week focused on the future of landlocked developing countries. Representing 32 nations and more than 570 million people, the conference addressed the persistent barriers these economies face in trade, logistics and investment. Landlocked economies today face transport costs 50% above the global average and wait twice as long for imports. Though home to over 7% of the world's population, these countries still account for just 1.2% of global trade — a figure unchanged for over a decade. Internet use in landlocked developing countries has more than doubled since 2014, with mobile broadband now reaching 86% of the population. The ASYCUDA customs modernization programme, used in 66% of landlocked developing countries, has transformed customs systems by digitizing procedures, reducing clearance times by up to 90% and significantly boosting revenues. In Malawi alone, customs income rose by 42% and over 600 logistics workers — 40% of them women — were trained in the system, creating long-term national capacity.

A bus carrying mourners from a funeral overturns in Kenya, killing 25 people (LINK) — ground.news: 44 media reports (LINK) 8 August 2025

Commander of Apollo 13 mission, Jim Lovell, dies at 97 (LINK) — ground.news: 340 media reports (LINK) 7 August 2025

New urine test uses AI to diagnosis prostate cancer with 92% accuracy (LINK) 7 August 2025

Scientists discover a viral cause of one of the world's most common cancers, skin cancer: beta-HPV hijacks DNA to directly drive cancer growth (LINK) 7 August 2025

Scientists spent 25 years studying 'super-agers': they have different personalities, memories and brain structures compared to most adults over the age of 80 (LINK) 7 August 2025

The US Air Force wants to buy 2 Musk Cybertrucks for target practice because they may start showing up on the battlefield (LINK) 7 August 2025

— The contract stipulates that the Cybertrucks need only be towable, not functional, and their batteries must be removed.

Elon Musk says Tesla is training a new full self-driving model amid its Autopilot woes (company found partially liable in a 2019 fatal car crash) (LINK) 6 August 2025

China's July exports top expectations, rising over 7% ahead of U.S. tariff rise; imports record biggest jump in a year (LINK) 7 August 2025

Wednesday, 6 August 2025

U.S. brokers meeting between UN and Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (LINK) 6 August 2025

Call for applications for young entrepreneurs: UN green business accelerator, seed funding opportunity (LINK) 6 August 2025

Trump moves to shut down NASA missions that measure carbon dioxide and plant health (LINK) 6 August 2025

Trump targets Asian-made crypto mining rigs with 100% chip tariff (LINK) 6 August 2025

Fox News opinion: Trump breaks 'Day One' promise to lower costs as prices surge across America in first six months: tariffs drive grocery and household prices higher while 'big beautiful bill' cuts Medicaid for 10M Americans (LINK) 6 August 2025

Hidden details of Putin's private life: reveals the sharp contrast between his public image as a defender of traditional values and a reality where extramarital affairs, nepotism, and connections to organized crime reign. (LINK) 6 August 2025

Italy OKs $15.5 billion project to build world's longest suspension bridge from mainland to Sicily (LINK) 6 August 2025

New Zealand evacuates three from US Antarctic base in high risk winter rescue lasting 20 hours: in freezing temperatures of -24 Celsius and perpetual darkness (LINK) 6 August 2025

— One person requiring urgent medical care and two others needing medical attention were taken on the rescue flight from the McMurdo Station on Tuesday, the Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) said in a statement. The aircraft landed in the New Zealand city of Christchurch on Wednesday morning. The statement gave no details of the medical emergency or nationalities.

US is auctioning a seized $325M Russian yacht with 8 state rooms, a helipad, a gym and a spa: first American sale of a seized Russian luxury ship since the start of Moscow's invasion of Ukraine (LINK) 6 August 2025

Great Barrier Reef suffers worst coral decline in nearly 40 years of records (LINK) 6 August 2025

U.S. FDA issues highest recall alert on Navarro Pecan Holdins, LLC,'s popular pecan snack sold across US, Netherlands and UAE (LINK) 6 August 2025

JD Vance ordered an Ohio river's water level raised for his family boat trip (LINK) 6 August 2025

— As The Guardian notes, USACE has modified water levels before upon request, including for community events or when training emergency responders, but their anonymous source also notes that requests designed to accommodate individuals are incredibly rare.

Heather Cox Richardson: 60 years after the Voting Rights Act (LINK) 6 August 2025

Tuesday, 5 August 2025

UN: Around 88% of aid trucks collected in Gaza since mid-May did not reach destinations due to looting or theft (LINK) 5 August 2025

Switzerland's president rushes to Washington in effort to avert steep US tariffs (LINK) 5 August 2025

Health secretary RFK Jr. shuts door on U.S. investment in U.S. mRNA vaccine research (LINK) 5 August 2025

Federal judge rules Trump administration cannot reallocate $4 billion meant for disaster mitigation (LINK) 5 August 2025

Trump narrows Fed chair candidates to four, excluding Treasury Secretary Bessent (LINK) 5 August 2025

Netherlands to buy US arms for Ukraine under new NATO scheme (LINK) 5 August 2025

— The $577 million package is the first funding of US military equipment for Ukraine under a new NATO mechanism. It includes US Patriot missile parts.

2 Russian oil refineries cut production after Ukrainian drone attacks, Reuters reports (LINK) 5 August 2025

Al Jazeera: Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events, day 1,258 (LINK) 5 August 2025

Grist: Delegates are meeting in Geneva for a sixth — and potentially final — round of negotiations on a plastics pollution treaty (LINK) 5 August 2025

Google AI releases LangExtract: an open source Python library that extracts structured data from unstructured text documents (LINK) 5 August 2025

Tesla struggles with Europe sales as U.S. legal issues pile up (LINK) 5 August 2025

Trump's crypto advisor plans $200m PAC to send $BTC to $10M (LINK) 5 August 2025

UK Repair Shop's Jay Blades charged with two counts of rape (LINK) 5 August 2025

Guardian long read: The landslide in Switzerland's Maggia valley in June 2024 (LINK) 5 August 2025

Monday, 4 August 2025

Bill and Hillary Clinton subpoened in House committee's Epstein probe (LINK) 4 August 2025

FoxNews opinion: Hillary Clinton is finally paying dearly for dirty tricks that hurt Trump and American voters (LINK) 5 August 2025

Trump pledges to 'substantially' raise US tariffs on India over Russian oil: India rejects criticism of its business dealings with Russia as 'unreasonable', vowing to safeguard its own interests (LINK) 4 August 2025

— Trump accused India in a social media post on Monday of buying and reselling "massive amounts" of Russian oil "for big profits". "They don’t care how many people in Ukraine are being killed by the Russian War Machine," the US president wrote. "Because of this, I will be substantially raising the Tariff paid by India to the USA. Thank you for your attention to this matter!!!"

Tesla awards boss Elon Musk $29bn in shares (LINK) 4 August 2025

Swiss president under fire after Trump call leads to US tariffs shock: Karin Keller-Sutter accused of mishandling phone talk with White House as shares dive after Switzerland hit with 39% tariff: cabinet said after an emergency meeting it would improve its offer to Trump (LINK) 4 August 2025

— Local media had reported that after three months of talks, negotiators believed they had secured a 10% tariff on exports to the US, a key market for Swiss products such as luxury watches, jewellery and chocolate but also machinery and pharmaceuticals. But after a 30-minute call with Keller-Sutter on Thursday evening variously described as "bad-tempered", "disastrous" and "badly misjudged", Trump imposed a levy even higher than the 31% he had announced on his so-called "liberation day" in April.

UBS settles Credit Suisse legacy case in the US concerning so-called mortgage-backed securities: will pay $300 million (LINK) 4 August 2025

Billions of starfish have died in a decade-long epidemic off the Pacific coast of North America. Scientists say they now know why: Vibrio pectenicida bacteria (LINK) 4 August 2025

— Starting in 2013, a mysterious sea star wasting disease sparked a mass die-off from Mexico to Alaska. The epidemic has devastated more than 20 species and continues today. Worst hit was a species called the sunflower sea star, which lost around 90% of its population in the outbreak's first five years. The International Union for Conservation of Nature has listed Pycnopodia Helianthoides, is among the largest sea stars in the world with a maximum arm span of one metre, as critically endangered.

— Early research hinted the cause might be a virus, but it turned out the densovirus that scientists initially focused on was actually a normal resident inside healthy sea stars and not associated with disease, said Melanie Prentice of the Hakai Institute, co-author of the new study. Other efforts missed the real killer because researchers studied tissue samples of dead sea stars that no longer contained the bodily fluid that surrounds the organs. But the latest study includes detailed analysis of this fluid, called coelomic fluid, where the bacteria Vibrio pectenicida were found.

— Prentice said that scientists could potentially now test which of the remaining sea stars are still healthy — and consider whether to relocate them, or breed them in captivity to later transplant them to areas that have lost almost all their sunflower sea stars. The study notes that Vibrio bacteria have been called "the microbial barometer of climate change" because the species are more prevalent in warming water temperatures. The authors say an important next phase of research will be to work on better understanding the relationship between rising seawater temperatures and sea star wasting disease.

Donald Trump & his caddie were caught cheating red-handed once again, this time during club championship tournament that he ended up winning (LINK) 4 August 2025

Pre-owned Rolex prices have soared 550% in 15 years (LINK) 4 August 2025

MIT shows even minimal disturbance erases light's wave pattern, proving Einstein wrong about the double slit experiment (LINK) 4 August 2025

Sunday, 3 August 2025

Gov. Greg Abbott threatens Texas Dems with removal if they deny quorum, also alleged absconding Democrats may have committed felonies by fundraising to cover the $500-a-day fines they will face under House rules (LINK) 3 August 2025

Texas Democrats leave state to prevent vote on redrawing congressional map: about 30 lawmakers headed to Illinois for a week to hinder Republicans' redistricting plan pushed by Trump (LINK) 4 August 2025

Confusion and anger in Switzerland — hit by highest US tariffs in Europe: 39% (LINK) 3 August 2025

The EU's 'fantasy' $750B energy promise to Trump: technical issues, limited U.S. supplies and the EU's minimal control over imports render the pledge infeasible, experts say (LINK) 3 August 2025

Smithsonian restores Trump impeachment exhibit after public pressure (LINK) 3 August 2025

Russian volcano erupts days after monster quake shakes Kamchatka Peninsula (LINK) 3 August 2025

Playing video games has an unexpected effect on kids' IQ, study discovers: researchers have linked spending more time playing video games with a boost in intelligence in children, which goes some way to contradicting the narrative that gaming is bad for young minds. Watching TV and using social media didn't seem to have a positive or negative effect on intelligence (LINK) 3 August 2025

Margaret Thatcher's right to buy for council houses in England ‘fuelled housing crisis and cost taxpayers £200bn’ (LINK) 3 August 2025

Saturday, 2 August 2025

Hamas says it won't disarm unless independent Palestinian state established with Jerusalem as its capital (LINK) — ground.news: 113 media reports (LINK) 2 August 2025

— US President Donald Trump's Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff had said Hamas was prepared to disarm in order to end the war.

Ukraine claims attacks on Russian drone storage airbase and military plant (LINK) 2 August 2025

Ukraine MP, heads of district and city administrations and several National Guard service members held in military drone corruption probe 2 days after independence of Ukraine's anti-corruption agencies restored (LINK) 2 August 2025

— Charges involve state contracts with suppliers being signed at prices inflated by up to 30%.

Myanmar military courts sentence 12 to life for human trafficking, including Chinese nationals (LINK) — ground.news: 29 media reports (LINK) 2 August 2025

— Under Myanmar's Anti-Trafficking in Persons law, convictions include planning to transport two Myanmar women recently married to Chinese men into China, involving online sex videos and forced marriages. About 21,000 women and girls from northern Myanmar were forced into marriage in China between 2013 and 2017, according to a 2018 report by the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and the Kachin Women's Association Thailand.

Trump reaffirms support for Morocco's sovereignty over Western Sahara (LINK) — ground.news: 30 media reports (LINK) 2 August 2025

— Trump at the end of his first term in office recognized the Moroccan claims to Western Sahara, which has phosphate reserves and rich fishing grounds, as part of a deal under which Morocco agreed to normalize its relations with Israel.

Bitcoin dives to a low of $112,680 as crypto carnage grips the market, then bounces back to $113K (LINK) 2 August 2025

Nordic countries hit by 'truly unprecedented' heatwave: Scientists record longest streak of temperatures higher than 30C in region in records going back to 1961 (LINK) 2 August 2025

Rapid Swiss glacier ice loss after weak winter snowfall (LINK) 2 August 2025

— Glacier Loss Day — marked every year by researchers in Switzerland — represents the point when a glacier has melted away all the snow and ice it gained during the winter. Depending on the glacier, it has arrived as early as late June or early July this year.

US officials investigate former special counsel Jack Smith who led two federal criminal cases against Donald Trump before resigning from his post earlier this year (LINK) 2 August 2025

— US media reported on Saturday that the OSC is investigating Mr Smith for alleged violations of the Hatch Act, a law that prohibits political activities by government officials.

Behind one of the fastest growing far-right YouTube channels rife with neo-Nazi ideology, antisemitism and racism: U.S. YouTuber has garnered 2.3m views and likely thousands of dollars from YouTube in about two months through Partnership Programme (LINK) 2 August 2025

— YouTube's community guidelines explicitly prohibit content that "promotes violence or hatred against individuals or groups based on race or ethnic origin, religion, disability, age, nationality, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, or other characteristic that is associated with systemic discrimination or marginalization."

US travel advisories for the Caribbean void most travel insurance (LINK) 2 August 2025

Breakthrough study reveals 57 genetic causes of stuttering — offering new hope for millions (LINK) 2 August 2025

Quantum breakthrough could shrink giant particle accelerators onto a silicon chip (LINK) 2 August 2025

You can no longer go live on Instagram unless you have 1,000 followers (LINK) 2 August 2025

3D study finds Shroud of Turin matches low-relief sculpture, not human imprint (LINK) — ground.news: 19 media reports (LINK) 2 August 2025

— The findings, along with other studies, suggest the shroud is likely a medieval artwork made for funerary purposes.

Friday, 1 August 2025

Rwanda, Congo agree on outline for economic framework as part of peace deal (LINK) — ground.news: 21 media reports (LINK) 1 August 2025

Trump orders 2 nuclear submarines near Russia after Medvedev warning to be mindful of "how dangerous" Russia's nuclear weapons could be (LINK) — ground.news: 921 media reports (LINK) 1 August 2025

— Earlier this week, Trump insulted Medvedev directly, stating, "Russia and the USA do almost no business together. Let's keep it that way, and tell Medvedev, the failed former President of Russia, who thinks he's still President, to watch his words. He's entering very dangerous territory!"

More than 1,000 rabbis and Jewish leaders denounce starvation in Gaza (LINK) 1 August 2025

A jury orders Tesla to pay more than $240 million in Autopilot crash (LINK) 1 August 2025

— A Miami jury decided Tesla was partly responsible for a deadly 2019 crash in Florida involving its Autopilot driver-assist technology. The automaker said it will appeal.

ICC appeals judges order prosecutor to recuse himself from Venezuela investigation due to a conflict of interest involving his sister-in-law representing the Maduro government (LINK) — ground.news: 25 media reports (LINK) 1 August 2025

— In written filings, Karim Khan told the court he could not "recall" any discussion with his sister-in-law about the facts of the case and did not attend any meetings where she was present. The British barrister, who is currently on leave from the court, stepped down temporarily pending an investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct.

Swiss to launch open source Large Language Model under the Swiss AI Initiative pooling resources from over 10 Swiss institutions (LINK) 1 August 2025

Buying a Swiss watch in America is about to get a lot more expensive (LINK) 1 August 2025

Corporation for Public Broadcasting says it's shutting down after being defunded by Congress, targeted by Trump (LINK) 1 August 2025

Bitcoin (5.6% down from the recent peak), Ethereum (10.5% downturn) and XRP (a 10.2% dip since last weekend) sink as crypto liquidations top $900 million (LINK) 1 August 2025

— The downturn was due mainly to macro political and economic factors, including a poor U.S. jobs report, new sweeping global tariffs from the Trump administration, and escalating tensions with Russia.

Colombia ex-president Uribe sentenced to 12 years of house arrest for witness tampering and fraud, will appeal (LINK) — ground.news: 293 media reports (LINK) 1 August 2025

Meidas+: Epstein/Maxwell victim Virginia Giuffre's family speaks out against leniency for Maxwell, FBI told to redact Trump's name from Epstein files, dismal employment figures "rigged", says Trump, who fires Commissioner of Labour Statistics: other experts protest (LINK) 1 August 2025

Volunteers clean up shores of Geneva lake as plastic waste tops 100 tons a year (LINK) 1 August 2025

When your mind goes 'blank', your brain activity resembles deep sleep, scans reveal (LINK) 1 August 2025