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Headlines: 9-15 October 2023

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Sunday, 15 October 2023

One million Gazans displaced as Israel readies for ground attack: UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called on Hamas to release all hostages and for Israel to allow humanitarian aid into Gaza, warning that the region was "on the verge of the abyss" — ground.news: 27 media reports — 15 October 2023 (LINK)

Water runs out at UN shelters in Gaza. Medics fear for patients as Israeli ground offensive looms — ground.news: 59 media reports — 15 October 2023 (LINK)

Rocket strikes UN peacekeepers' HQ in southern Lebanon as fighting escalates at Israel's northern border — foxnews — 15 October 2023 (LINK)

President Mahmoud Abbas Says Hamas' Actions Don't Represent Palestinians: Report — ground.news: 41 media reports — 15 October 2023 (LINK)

Hamas critique removed from Palestinians' Abbas comments on Israel attack — (LINK)

UN aid chief says six months of war in Sudan has killed 9,000 people — ground.news: 31 media reports — 15 October 2023 (LINK)

6.3 magnitude earthquake hits western Afghanistan, a little over a week after a string of quakes left thousands of people dead — usatoday — 15 October 2023 (LINK)

←UK's Refugee Action charity calls for not-for-profit asylum system, as it reveals companies profiting from refugees' 'misery'← — leftfootforward.org — 20 October 2023 (LINK)

— According to the charity, in 2019, the government paid three contractors — Serco, Mears and Clearsprings Ready Homes — £4 billion over 10 years to provide accommodation to people seeking asylum. Additionally, these companies are paid more than £8 million a day to provide contingency accommodation in hotels. In the 12 months to March 2023 alone they received £2.28 billion, says the charity.

In 2020, Serco won a £45m Covid-19 test and trace contact, despite being subjected to a £1m fine for failures in its asylum accommodation contract in 2019.

Clearsprings increased its profits £4,419,841 to £28,012,487 during the year ending 31 January 2022. The same year, dividends jumped from £7m to £27,987,262, and its three directors shared dividends of almost £28m. In December 2021, the Guardian reported that flats provided by Clearsprings, the Home Office contractor, were rife with 'damp, mould, water leaks and pest infestations, and deemed 'not fit to live in.'

The Mears Group have also been caught up in scandals and criticism over the condition of its property for refugees. In May, an asylum-seeking family raised fears about asylum accommodation after they were placed in a boarded-up block of flats on the edge of a derelict and abandoned estate. The family had been placed by the Mears Group in Port Glasgow, in a dilapidated building beside the notorious Clune Park estate, which was first earmarked for demolition in 2011. Only a handful of people still live there.

First-ever cancer vaccine simultaneously kills and prevents brain cancer — thebrighterside — 15 October 2023 (LINK)

Historic referendum to recognize indigenous people in the constitution fails — thehill — 15 October 2023 (LINK)

New Zealand PM-elect Christopher Luxon pins economic recovery on his business skills — South China Morning Post — 15 October 2023 (LINK)

Saturday, 14 October 2023

WHO condemns Israel's Gaza evacuation order as 'death sentence' for sick, injured — ground.news: 12 media reports — 14 October 2023 (LINK)

UN expert calls for immediate ceasefire in Israel-Hamas conflict, warns of 'ethnic cleansing' — ground.news: 9 media reports — 14 October 2023 (LINK)

Israel strike kills senior Hamas military commander: army — ground.news: 13 media reports — 14 October 2023 (LINK)

?'Top secret' document reveals Hamas plan to target schools and children? — ground.news: 12 media reports — 14 October 2023 (LINK)

Journalism organization reports at least 12 journalists killed in Israel-Hamas war — thehill — 14 October 2023 (LINK)

Russia detains lawyers acting for opposition leader Alexei Navalny — The Guardian UK ● — 14 October 2023 (LINK)

Conservative Christopher Luxon wins New Zealand election — ground.news: 232 media reports — 14 October 2023 (LINK)

Judge punishes Rudy Giuliani for flagrant disregard of court orders: jurors deciding how much Giuliani should pay two Georgia election workers he defamed will be told they can assume the worst about why the former New York City mayor — nbcnews — 14 October 2023 (LINK)

At least 27 dead with dozens more missing after boat capsizes in northwest Congo — ground.news: 31 media reports — 14 October 2023 (LINK)

Friday, 13 October 2023

Israel's military orders civilians to evacuate Gaza City, ahead of a feared ground offensive — ground.news: 123 media reports — 13 October 2023 (LINK)

UN: 400,000 people displaced and 23 aid workers killed in Gaza since weekend: UN OCHA launched an appeal for nearly $294m to help the 1.3 million people in Gaza and the West Bank, of which nearly half was designated for food aid as supplies run out — The Guardian UK ● — 13 October 2023 (LINK)

Palestinian death toll passes 1,500 — The Guardian UK ● — 13 October 2023 (LINK)

UN experts condemn attacks on civilians in Israel, Gaza as 'war crimes' — ground.news: 10 media reports — 13 October 2023 (LINK)

Hamas attack does not justify Gaza's destruction: ICRC — ground.news: 10 media reports — 13 October 2023 (LINK)

Human Rights Watch says Israel used white phosphorus in Gaza, Lebanon — ground.news: 93 media reports — 13 October 2023 (LINK)

Burkina Faso signs agreement with Russia for nuclear power plant — ground.news: 11 media reports — 13 October 2023 (LINK)

France school killing by Chechen was terror attack, says Macron — ground.news main source: AP, 76 media reports — 13 October 2023 (LINK)

UN expert urges end of torture-tools trade amid global spike in torture — ohchr — 13 October 2023 (LINK)

— "Devices such as spiked batons that easily puncture the skin, thumb cuffs that risk damaging the fine bones of the hands, and electric shock belts that electrocute individuals at the touch of a button are widely available and used," said Alice Jill Edwards, the UN Special Rapporteur on torture. "These tools are as horrific as the racks and thumbscrews favoured by medieval torturers," she said.

Trump Media's funding partner says it's returning $1 billion to investors, with many asking for money back — cbsnews — 13 October 2023 (LINK)

— It's unclear how Trump's media group, called Trump Media & Technology Group, would finance its operations after the merger. DWAC CEO Eric Swider noted in the statement that Trump's media group has a "reduced need for capital" and a "commitment to growing a sustainable business model."

Amanda Knox wins new trial in Italy over slander conviction: Knox had been found guilty of defamation for wrongly accusing Patrick Lumumba of murdering Meredith Kercher and sentenced to 3-years' jail — The Guardian UK ● — 13 October 2023 (LINK)

'The hope we had is gone': how 20 months of stasis has paralysed Northern Ireland — The Guardian UK ● — 13 October 2023 (LINK)

Young workers don't want to become managers — and this study uncovers the reason why — entrepreneur — 13 October 2023 (LINK)

— Only 21% of workers strongly agree that they trust the leadership in their company. The "individual contributor" has enjoyed increasing status. The pressures on managers are only growing: 40% said their biggest worry with becoming a manager was increased stress, pressure and hours.

Redefine the meaning of manager: the tech industry, for instance, has popularized "player-coaches": employees who continue to contribute as individuals, while also leading small teams of trusted colleagues. In a competitive market, many companies are dishing out signing bonuses to attract talent into the pipeline. According to a 2021 survey, 43% of hiring managers were offering more paid time off and 40% were offering better job titles. Use a smart compensation tool to evaluate performance metrics and create a clear picture of what a person is paid relative to their peers. There are similar tools for goal-setting and skills-mapping, lessening the burden of regular performance reviews while making them more meaningful.

Thursday, 12 October 2023

US must be ready for simultaneous wars with China, Russia, bi-partisan US Congressional panel says — ground.news: 19 media reports — 12 October 2023 (LINK)

US and Qatar agree to prevent disbursal of recently unfrozen Iranian funds as Israel-Hamas war rages — ground.news main source: AP, 59 media reports — 12 October 2023 (LINK)

UN experts condemn attacks on civilians in Israel, Gaza as 'war crimes' — ground.news: 10 media reports — 13 October 2023 (LINK)

Trump tells allies he wants Netanyahu 'impeached' as well as cutting off all aid to Palestinians and encouraging other nations to do the same, or capturing and extraditing certain Hamas figures — ground.news main source: Rolling Stone, 8 media reports — 12 October 2023 (LINK)

Global water cycle 'spinning out of balance': UN Meteorological Agency — Reuters ● — 12 October 2023 (LINK)

Human rights experts warn against European crackdown on climate protesters — The Guardian UK ● — 12 October 2023 (LINK)

Russia's Olympic Committee suspended by IOC for violations against Ukraine after Russia recognises Olympic councils from four annexed territories — The Guardian UK ● — 12 October 2023 (LINK)

Tunisia refunds €60 million in EU aid — euronews — 12 October 2023 (LINK)

Zimbabwe opposition leader demands the reinstatement of party lawmakers kicked out of Parliament — ground.news: 9 media reports — 12 October 2023 (LINK)

Ex-Formula One boss Bernie Ecclestone, 92, admits fraud for failing to declare £400m ($650m) of overseas assets to the government. — ground.news: 11 media reports — 12 October 2023 (LINK)

GESDA joins forces with the Swiss Ministry of Foreign Affairs, CERN and UBS to get the Open Quantum Institute off the ground — GESDA — 13 October 2023 (LINK PDF)

— SDGs' Implementation Accelerating the implementation of the UN Sustainable Development Goals is crucial. Here two examples of what the Open Quantum Institute will help developing.

• Thanks to quantum computing simulations, experts expect to reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere by improving the catalytic process responsible for fixing carbon to the surface of materials. This will contribute to SDG 13, which calls for action to combat climate change.
• Antibiotic resistance is considered by the World Health Organization (WHO) as one of the ten most serious threats to public health. Experts believe that quantum computing solutions will enable resistance patterns to be predicted more quickly and accurately, and new low-resistance chemical compounds to be identified on more targeted bacteria. This is tantamount to improving people's health and wellbeing, which is what SDG 3 — good health and wellbeing — is all about.

Wednesday, 11 October 2023

Eight UN peacekeepers detained over sex abuse claims in DR Congo — ground.news main source: AFP, 21 media reports — 11 October 2023 (LINK)

QAnon hero who inspired "Sound of Freedom" film accused of sexually assaulting five women — boingboing.net — 11 October 2023 (LINK)

Dominican Republic has partially reopened its border with Haiti. But a diplomatic crisis persists — ground.news main source: AP, 17 media reports — 11 October 2023 (LINK)

Guatemalan protests shut down country's highways to defend democracy — truthout.org ← — 11 October 2023 (LINK)

Politicians seeking short-term electoral advantage, not public, drive U-turns against green agenda, says UN biodiversity chief — The Guardian UK ● — 11 October 2023 (LINK)

Tuesday, 10 October 2023

UN General Assembly elects 15 new members to Human Rights Council: Peru and Russia failed to secure a seat — news.un.org — 10 October 2023 (LINK)

Layoffs at West Virginia University expose right-wing trends sweeping higher ed — truthout.org ← — 10 October 2023 (LINK)

Four British men freed by Taliban after being held in Afghanistan, including UNHCR worker — The Guardian UK ●← — 10 October 2023 (LINK)

Web3 guide for charities: in 2017, 60% of Millennial business owners in the U.S. donated $10,000 or more to charity. They far outpaced Gen Xers (43%) and Boomers (42%). In the UK, the percentage of donors under 40 is also consistently higher than the percentage of donors over 40 — lisk — 10 October 2023 (LINK)

Monday, 9 October 2023

The Nobel prize in economics was awarded to American economist Claudia Goldin for her research helping understand the role of women in the labour market — ground.news — 9 October 2023 (LINK)

Climate-driven extreme heat may make parts of Earth too hot for humans — phys.org — 9 October 2023 (LINK)

— Results of the study indicate that if global temperatures increase by 2C above pre-industrial levels, the 2.2 billion residents of Pakistan and India's Indus River Valley, the one billion people living in eastern China and the 800 million residents of sub-Saharan Africa will annually experience many hours of heat that surpass human tolerance.

If warming of the planet continues to 3C above pre-industrial levels, the researchers concluded, heat and humidity levels that surpass human tolerance would begin to affect the Eastern Seaboard and the middle of the United States—from Florida to New York and from Houston to Chicago. South America and Australia would also experience extreme heat at that level of warming.

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