NuseReal
Headlines of the week: 20–26 March 2023
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IPCC 6 in headlines: — (LINK)
Argentina default on foreign currency debt 'imminent,' says Fitch — www.batimes.com.ar — 26 March 2023 (LINK)
DR Congo Militia Executes 17 Hostages — ground.news: 20 sources — 26 March 2023 (LINK)
Referendum for more ambitious climate targets in Berlin failed — ground.news: 17 sources — 26 March 2023 (LINK)
Croatia joins Europe's Schengen area, the world's largest free travel zone — euronews.com — 26 March 2023 (LINK)
Cuba holds National Assembly elections Sunday, but only 470 candidates ran for the 470 seats, with no opposition challengers and no campaigning. Voters essentially will do no more than endorse the nominated slate of candidates. — ground.news: 14 sources — 26 March 2023 (LINK)
UAE pardons Israeli woman jailed for life on drugs charges, Israel says — ground.news: 26 sources — 26 March 2023 (LINK)
Trump Predicts Russia Will Conquer Ukraine, Gushes Over 'Very Smart People' Putin and Xi at Waco Rally — mediaite — 26 March 2023 (LINK)
US authorities arrest 20-year-old founder of world's largest hacker forum — bhaskarlive.in — 26 March 2023 (LINK)
F1's Nelson Piquet must pay $950,000 after racist and homophobic Lewis Hamilton comments in 2021: 'neguino' = 'little black guy' — ground.news: 101 sources — 26 March 2023 (LINK)
Scientists create printable solar cells — agencies: www.mid-day.com — 26 March 2023 (LINK)
— The new device, printed onto a 20-metre-long flexible substrate, produced a stabilised power conversion efficiency of 10.8 per cent. The devices with carbon electrodes provided similar photovoltaic performance to conventional evaporated gold electrodes.
AI In The Enterprise — Use Cases & Early Learnings — forbes ● — 26 March 2023 (LINK)
— In customer support, generative AI - including GPT3+ and other Large Learning Models, is transforming conversational chatbot capabilities into one that feels natural, is more accurate, and is better able to sense and react to tone and emotions.
Around business insights, generative AI now allows business users to ask questions in natural language. The AI can now convert these into SQL queries, run against the internal databases, and return the answer in a structured narrative — all within minutes. The advantage here isn't just the efficiency — it's the speed of decision-making and the ability for business users to interrogate the data more directly and interactively.
Third, in programming automation, Large language models are highly accurate in multiple languages — including computer language. Software developers are reducing the time to write code and associated documentation by almost 50%. For example, the Microsoft Power Automate program — a tool for robotic process automation — can now be programmed using natural language to automate tasks and workflows in a more intuitive and user-friendly manner. Not only is this more efficient than getting large teams of programmers and testers involved, but it also reduces time and iteration to get automation up and running.
—Enterprises should set up a small focused group tasked with experimenting with Generative AI and reengineering core business processes. This group should report to the highest levels in the organization and be goaled with figuring out how to disrupt current processes and business models. Because it has the potential to disrupt existing ways of doing things, it requires a sharp focus and clear sponsorship.
If done with integrity, carbon offsetting could be vital in the fight against climate change — euronews — 25 March 2023 (LINK)
Chad pardons 380 rebels in apparent peace gesture — ground.news: 5 sources — 25 March 2023 (LINK)
Russia pardons over 5,000 convicts after fighting in Ukraine with Wagner Group — agencies: /france24.com — 25 March 2023 (LINK)
French police clash with water reservoir protesters — BBC — 25 March 2023 (LINK)
The 'too big to fail' regime for banks just doesn't work, Swiss minister says. 'The economic damage would be considerable' — fortune.com ● — 25 March 2023 (LINK)
Bob Metcalfe winner of the 2022 Turing Award: he keyed the development of Ethernet technology growing out of his PhD thesis while at Xerox PARC in the early 1970s — rjlipton.wpcomstaging.com — 25 March 2023 (LINK)
Rwanda says Rusesabagina of 'Hotel Rwanda' fame to be freed after US diplomatic efforts — ground.news: 213 sources — 25 March 2023 (LINK)
N.W. Pakistan court sentences man to death for blasphemy — ground.news: 21 sources — 25 March 2023 (LINK)
India opposition leader Rahul Gandhi defiant after sentence, disqualification — ground.news: 139 sources — 25 March 2023 (LINK)
Entire Towns Evacuated as Climate-Fueled Wildfires Start 'Very Early' in Spain — commondreams.org — 24 March 2023 (LINK)
5 killed in Darfur tribal violence, rights group says — ground.news: 11 sources — 24 March 2023 (LINK)
Biden: US will 'forcefully' protect personnel in Syria — ground.news: sources — 24 March 2023 (LINK)
Deutsche Bank shares slide 8% after sudden spike in the cost of insuring against its default — ground.news: 79 sources — 24 March 2023 (LINK)
The small Pacific island country of Vanuatu is poised to gain UN approval to seek an unprecedented legal opinion from the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague on what obligation countries have to combat climate change — axios — 24 March 2023 (LINK)
— The push started in a law school classroom in Fiji four years ago, according to Cynthia Houniuhi, president of Pacific Islands Students Fighting Climate Change. She and her international environmental law classmates brainstormed ways to seek action through various legal mechanisms, Houniuhi told reporters on a press call on 23 March. Propelled by youth activism, the effort to gain adoption by the UN General Assembly has been led by the Vanuatu government since 2021. The resolution, with a vote expected on March 29, has over 100 co-sponsors.
Seven unexpected ways that climate change is affecting the planet: Birds with longer beaks, rising infertility, and more lightning are a few unforeseen consequences — salon — 24 March 2023 (LINK)
Hacker demonstrates security flaws in GPT-4 just one day after launch — source — 24 March 2023 (LINK)
UN's global disaster alert systems goal faces uphill climb — phys.org — 24 March 2023 (LINK)
— In addition to data gaps, when it comes to analyzing the meteorological data and predicting future weather events, there is also a lack of local expertise. Getting alerts to remote populations poses possibly the biggest hurdle. Mobile networks powerful communication channels for alerts, especially because SMS warnings can be targeted to reach only those located in an at-risk area. Few developing countries have installed such systems, despite the relatively low cost.
New index helps identify 55 unprotected marine protected areas — /phys.org — 24 March 2023 (LINK)
— Most of the 'paper parks' — or MPAs that fall short of safeguarding marine biodiversity — are located in Latin America and the Caribbean. Countries such as Venezuela topped the list with more than one national park allowing unregulated fisheries in restricted zones. Southeast Asia and Oceania, and the Indian Ocean are also regions where marine protected areas fail to fulfill their objectives.
ICRC and CERN cooperate on R&D in technologies for humanitarian action — cern — 24 March 2023 (LINK)
Myanmar lawyer accused of helping army shot dead by guerrillas — ground.news: 31 sources — 24 March 2023 (LINK)
U.S. imposes fresh sanctions on Myanmar, targets jet fuel suppliers — ground.news: 9 sources — 24 March 2023 (LINK)
U.S. Treasury announces new sanctions on Belarusian entities, individuals — ground.news: 18 sources — 24 March 2023 (LINK)
Venezuela arrests 21 in corruption crackdown, 11 more wanted — ground.news: 32 sources — 25 March 2023 (LINK)
IAEA confirms almost all missing uranium in Libya now accounted for — ground.news: 29 sources — 24 March 2023 (LINK)
Nearly half the honey imported into Europe is 'fake' — lemonde ● — 24 March 2023 (LINK)
Switzerland Set To Roll Out Carpet-Like Solar Panels Between Railroad Tracks — zenger.news — 24 March 2023 (LINK)
— The initiative could be a potential remedy for the energy problem and the rising cost of electricity. Swiss company Sun–Ways says the removable solar power plants could produce up to 1TWh of solar electricity, or 30% of all current solar production in Switzerland.
The firm said: "The exploitation of the 7,000,000 m2 of surface available between the railway tracks in Switzerland offers an exceptional opportunity to accelerate the energy transition in our country; it is the equivalent of 350,000 house roofs equipped with solar panels.
"The patented technology of the Vaud-based start-up Sun–Ways contributes in a simple and quick way to the energy transition towards a massive production of clean and local electricity. Sun–Ways say they are currently awaiting the green light from the Swiss public transport regulation agency, but hope to begin a pilot project this Summer.
Asia-Pacific region SDG report: Progress towards all 17 SDGs has been slow, increasing from 4.4% in 2017 to 14.4% in 2022. The region will need at least 4 decades to reach the 2030 target — unescap — 24 March 2023 (LINK)
— In 2022, the Asia-Pacific region recorded its strongest progress in affordable and clean energy (Goal 7) and industry, innovation and infrastructure (Goal 9) but regressed for climate action (Goal 13).
Fury as 49-day PM Liz Truss 'gives peerages to people who plunged UK into chaos' — mirror.co.uk — 24 March 2023 (LINK)
Passenger's death on private jet was not caused by turbulence from weather but by multiple times the pull of gravity when the pilots disabled a setting that is used to stabilize the aircraft, NTSB says — CNN — 24 March 2023 (LINK)
Brazil's Bolsonaro hands undeclared jewels to authorities — ground.news: 22 sources — 24 March 2023 (LINK)
Netanyahu acted illegally by getting involved in judicial overhaul, says Israel's attorney general — ground.news: 35 sources — 24 March 2023 (LINK)
Pakistani court grants protection to Imran Khan from arrest for one week — ground.news: 14 sources — 24 March 2023 (LINK)
10 groundbreaking female artists shamefully overlooked by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame — faroutmagazine.co.uk — 24 March 2023 (LINK)
Equatorial Guinea confirms eight more Marburg cases — WHO — ground.news: 42 sources — 23 March 2023 (LINK)
Rahul Gandhi: Two-year jail for India's Congress leader for defamation — ground.news: 106 sources — 23 March 2023 (LINK)
Finnish President Signs Legislation to join NATO — reuters / usnews — 23 March 2023 (LINK)
Evergrande: Crisis-hit Chinese property giant offers debt restructuring plan — source — 23 March 2023 (LINK)
Paraguay launches corruption probe of former president — ground.news: 8 sources — 23 March 2023 (LINK)
A quarter of the world does not have access to safe drinking water, new UN report says — ap / pbs — 22 March 2023 (LINK)
Uganda to jail people who identify as LGBTQ in one of world's most anti-gay laws> — npr — 22 March 2023 (LINK)
Brazil watchdog tells Bolsonaro to cede jewels from Saudis — ground.news: 18 sources — 22 March 2023 (LINK)
Disney World Defies Ron DeSantis by Hosting Gay Rights Summit in Florida next September — Newsweek — 22 March 2023 (LINK)
UN finds possible crimes against humanity in Belarus, Venezuela, Iran — genevasolutions — 22 March 2023 (LINK)
Rebuilding Ukraine will cost nearly half a trillion dollars, World Bank says — afp / fortune — 22 March 2023 (LINK)
World Bank agrees $7 bln, 5-year partnership with Egypt — ground.news: 12 sources — 22 March 2023 (LINK)
Climate reparations talks are off to a rough start — semafor — 22 March 2023 (LINK)
Ethernet co-inventor Bob Metcalfe wins the Turing Award, the 'Nobel Prize of computing' — engadget — 22 March 2023 (LINK)
China OKs its first mRNA vaccine, from drugmaker CSPC — ground.news: 32 sources — 22 March 2023 (LINK)
There's a huge problem with the ultra-wealthy's 'superyacht' fascination: impact on the marine environment — and this new $21+m boat could help fix it — thecooldown — 22 March 2023 (LINK)
Global warming kills forests by restricting tree transpiration — epfl — 22 March 2023 (LINK)
EU agrees €2 billion euro ammunition plan for Ukraine — ground.news: sources — 22 March 2023 (LINK)
Russia targets Nobel Peace Prize rights group with raids — ground.news: 34 sources — 22 March 2023 (LINK)
Tear gas, clashes as Lebanon protesters try to storm govt HQ — ground.news: 70 sources — 22 March 2023 (LINK)
Kenya says 238 arrested in day of violent protests — ground.news: 16 sources — 22 March 2023 (LINK)
Moderna's CEO defends the decision to more than quadruple the price of the COVID vaccine and charge around $130 in Senate hearing — ap / fortune — 22 March 2023 (LINK)
— Moderna's CEO on Wednesday defended a plan to more than quadruple the company's COVID-19 vaccine price, but he also said the drugmaker will work to ensure patients continue paying nothing at drugstores or clinics. "The volume we had during the pandemic gave us economies of scale we won't have anymore," he said. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., noted that Moderna has made more than $20 billion in profits over the past two years, and the federal government contributed billions of dollars toward the vaccine's development.
