Sunday, 14 September 2025

UBS threatens relocation to US over Swiss capital demands that would force the bank to hold an additional $26 billion in reserves (LINK) — ground.news: 15 media reports (LINK) 14 September 2025

At least 50,000 in Ankara protest against legal crackdown on Turkey's main opposition party (LINK) — ground.news: 149 media reports (LINK) 14 September 2025

UN special rapporteur Mary Lawlor: Gaza's human rights defenders in their own words (LINK) 14 September 2025

Assassination of Charlie Kirk prompts flood of false and misleading claims online (LINK) 14 September 2025

Official figures indicate U.K. net migration is falling, yet concern among Britons is close to the highest it has been since polling began in 1974 (LINK) 14 September 2025

Ex-UK PM Boris Johnson appears to have repeatedly broken ethics rules as he tried to trade on relationships made in No 10 (LINK) 14 September 2025

Mars Perseverance rover data suggests presence of past microbial life (LINK) 14 September 2025

8 best European cities for expats: where to live, work, and thrive: 1. Zurich, satisfaction rate 97% (LINK) 15 September 2025

Saturday, 13 September 2025

Russia attacks Ukraine with 164 drones and ballistic missile as European officials meet in Kyiv (LINK) 13 September 2025

U.N. condemns reported massacre in Haiti after gangs killed more than 40 in fishing village on 11 September (LINK) — ground.news: 15 media reports (LINK) 13 September 2025

U.S. Federal Reserve governor Lisa Cook's bank documents appear to contradict Trump administration's mortgage fraud allegations (LINK) 13 September 2025

— Cook declared in financial forms that her Atlanta property would be used as a "vacation home" and not her primary residence, according to documents obtained by NBC News that appear to undercut allegations of mortgage fraud by the Trump administration.

Universities around the world cut ties with Israeli academia over Gaza war: however, few institutions in the UK, France and Germany have announced they are cutting links Israeli academia, with Universities UK (UUK) saying it does not support an academic boycott (LINK) 13 September 2025

UN Report: North Korea executes citizens for sharing foreign films (LINK) — ground.news: 83 media reports (LINK) 13 September 2025

A single, 'naked' black hole rewrites the history of the universe: clashes with the old, provisional account of the galaxy formation process, which did not start with black holes (LINK) 13 September 2025

Heather Cox Richardson: Behind the Lisa Cook, Charlie Kirk stories (LINK) 13 September 2025

— In fact, the alleged shooter was not someone on the left. The alleged killer, Tyler Robinson, is a young white man from a Republican, gun enthusiast family, who appears to have embraced the far right, disliking Kirk for being insufficiently radical.

The most expensive for expats (1. Switzerland) and the cheapest (1. Mexico, 2. Lithuania): (LINK) 10 September 2025

Friday, 12 September 2025

Ukraine strikes key Russian oil terminal in massive drone attack (LINK) 12 September 2025

Russia cuts interest rate by 1% to 17% as strains show in wartime economy (LINK) 12 September 2025

UN general assembly votes 142-10 to back Hamas-free government for Palestine: compromise plan sees Arab states condemning 7 October attacks in return for clear UN support for a Palestinian state (LINK) 12 September 2025

Nature study from ETH Zurich ties 180 fossil-fuel and cement producers to heatwave intensification worldwide (LINK) — ground.news: 126 media reports (LINK) 12 September 2025

— The research has been hailed as a "leap forward" in the legal battle to hold big oil accountable for the damages being caused by the climate crisis.

GEN: Sea-level rise and the role of Geneva: IPCC says "sea-level rise is now unavoidable for centuries" (LINK) 12 September 2025

— "Extreme sea levels that have been historically rare will likely be experienced annually by 2050 in many low-lying cities and small islands, and will become common by 2100 due to projected global mean sea-level rise."

France credit score downgraded to lowest on record amid political crisis (LINK) 12 September 2025

Netherlands joins Slovenia, Iceland, Spain and Ireland in boycott of Eurovision 2026 over Israeli participation (LINK) 12 September 2025

Swatch sells watch lampooning Trump's 39% tariffs on Switzerland, flips the location of the 3 and 9 numerals (LINK) — ground.news: 31 media reports (LINK) 12 September 2025

Trump, 79, can't remember which country's war he solved: The president thinks he brokered peace between Azerbaijan and Albania. He did not (LINK) 12 September 2025

Thursday, 11 September 2025

Al Jazeera: Israeli forces arrest over 100 Palestinians, impose curfew in West Bank (LINK) 11 September 2025

US joins UN Security Council's condemnation of Doha airstrike ahead of Trump's meeting with Qatari PM (LINK) 11 September 2025

Trump Administration wants to remove conservation from approved 'uses' of public land (LINK) 11 September 2025

— The Department of the Interior moved to officially rescind the Public Lands Rule passed in 2024, which elevates the conservation of public lands to the same level of protection as other uses.

Poland says Russia's mass drone incursion was "a test" of Nato (LINK) 11 September 2025

Trump announces nearly $79m in storm recovery funds for North Carolina, Wisconsin, Kansas (LINK) — ground.news: 17 media reports (LINK) 11 September 2025

— An Associated Press analysis published Tuesday found the Trump administration is taking more than a month on average to approve disaster declarations, which provide added federal assistance for states recovering from storms or other natural disasters. The news outlet found it typically took less than two weeks for a disaster declaration to be granted in the 1990s and early 2000s.

Thousands of 'overworked, underpaid' humans train Google's AI to seem smart (LINK) 11 September 2025

Jazz head at Kennedy Center is the latest firing at the beleaguered arts institution (LINK) 11 September 2025

Albania appoints world's first AI-made minister, named Diella, meaning sunshine in Albanian: she will be responsible for all public procurement (LINK) 11 September 2025

Former Brazilian president Bolsonaro sentenced to 27 years in prison for plotting coup (LINK) — ground.news: 825 media reports (LINK) 11 September 2025

Gen Z only watches TV through social clips. Hollywood is scrambling (LINK) 11 September 2025

FoxNews: "Leftist Wikipedia editors twist facts in shameless move to smear Charlie Kirk: Majority of sources cited in Charlie Kirk's Wikipedia page are left-leaning news outlets" (LINK) 11 September 2025

Roman Abramovich in 'exile' as his onetime soccer club Chelsea faces 74 charges by Football Association (LINK) 11 September 2025

Belarus banks ordered to adopt crypto, tokenization as sanctions squeeze economy (LINK) 11 September 2025

Dutch researchers confirm there are 5 different types of Alzheimer's, each attacking the brain differently (LINK) 11 September 2025

— These subtypes affect different brain regions first, meaning the symptoms patients experience vary dramatically based on which type they develop. "This revelation represents the most important advancement in Alzheimer’s research in over two decades. The medical establishment has been treating all Alzheimer's patients with the same approach for thirty years, despite growing evidence that patients respond differently to identical treatments." The new research methodology examined tau protein deposits — twisted protein fibres that accumulate in Alzheimer's brains — using advanced molecular analysis techniques. Instead of looking at overall brain damage, scientists mapped exactly where different types of tau proteins clustered and how they spread through neural networks.

— The pharmaceutical industry has invested over $100 billion in Alzheimer's drug development over the past two decades, with most trials ending in failure or showing minimal effectiveness. This research finally explains the disappointing results.

David Bowie's 90,000-piece archive opens in London. It's as dazzling as he was (LINK) 11 September 2025

Why is the sport called "pickleball"? It's a reference to "pickle boat" rowing competitions in which leftover crew members are thrown together on a team (LINK) 11 September 2025

Wednesday, 10 September 2025

EU suspends Israel payments over Gaza and proposing sanctions on 'extremist' Israeli ministers (LINK) 10 September 2025

EU court upholds 2014 and 2022 sanctions on fugitive ex-President Yanukovych over Ukraine destabilization (LINK) 11 September 2025

— The court noted that Yanukovych never distanced himself from Russian authorities after fleeing Ukraine and was implicated in a "plot to overthrow" President Volodymyr Zelensky in March 2022. A Ukrainian court in 2019 found Yanukovych guilty of treason for trying to crush the protests. It sentenced him to 13 years in absentia. His son, Oleksandr Yanukovych, also sought to challenge restrictions imposed on him but saw his complaint dismissed.

EU's von der Leyen floats new Ukraine reparations loan funded by Russian assets (LINK) 10 September 2025

Both Polish and NATO jets responded to a Russian drone violation of Polish airspace on September 8-9, which occurred during a Russian aerial attack on Ukraine: could trigger Article 5 of the NATO treaty: an "armed attack" against one or more members in Europe or North America is considered an attack against all, obligating allies to take action, including the use of armed force, to restore security if initiated by an affected nation (LINK) 10 September 2025

— Since the treaty was first signed in 1949, Article 5 has been invoked only once, following the September 11, 2001, attacks on the US. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said Poland will invoke Article 4 of the treaty, under which a nation can request a formal consultation within the alliance if it believes its security has been threatened. This would serve as a political precursor to Article 5 deliberations. Article 5 requires a consensus among NATO's 30 member states that the incident meets the threshold of an attack warranting collective action.

Poland shoots down Russian drones after 'huge number' violated airspace, PM says (LINK) 10 September 2025

— It says some of these objects have been downed, marking the first time the Nato country has directly engaged Russian assets in its airspace since Moscow's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

— The overnight Russian attack involved 415 drones, one ballistic and 42 cruise missiles, the Ukrainian air force said in its morning statement. Of them, 386 drones and 27 cruise missiles were intercepted, it says. "At least eight enemy UAVs crossed the Ukrainian state border flying in Poland's direction," the air force adds.

Wife of Ex-Nepali Prime Minister burnt alive, Parliament set on fire (LINK) 10 September 2025

• PM Khadga Prasad Oli resigns
• At least 19 dead, 100 hurt in unrest
• Tens of thousands defy curfew

Deadly shooting at Denver-area high school in Colorao leaves community shaken during third week of school (LINK) 10 September 2025

— At least two students suffered gunshot wounds. Suspect — a male student at the school — was also taken to the hospital with a self-inflicted gunshot wound and later died, officials said.

There have been 13 school shootings in Colorado since Columbine in 1999 — (LINK)

Notorious anti-Muslim US biker gang running security at contentious Gaza aid sites: BBC (LINK) — ground.news: 22 media reports (LINK) 10 September 2025

Scientists take on Trump: these researchers are fighting back through lawsuits, grant tracking, whistle-blowing and more (LINK) 10 September 2025

French group to buy Chaplin Museum in Switzerland (LINK) 10 September 2025

CNN: the most baffling aspects of the Trump-Epstein saga (LINK) 10 September 2025

— "It almost looks at times like [the administration] has been trying to keep it going."

Climate change was responsible for 1,700 heat-related deaths in the Swiss canton of Zurich between 1969 and 2018, according to new research from the University of Oxford's Smith School of Enterprise: nearly one third of all heat-related mortality in the region during that period (LINK) 10 September 2025

— ECtHR's finding was that the implementation of adaptation measures is insufficient to offset the increased number of heat-related deaths driven by rising temperatures. Emission reductions are therefore required for Switzerland to meet its legal obligations under the European Convention on Human Rights.

Tuesday, 9 September 2025

Algorand Foundation releases Aid Trust Portal to track and visualize humanitarian aid payments (LINK) 9 September 2025

— The Aid Trust Portal is already being used by HesabPay to track aid payments made by several of its clients, including multiple UN agencies, who are using the HesabPay wallet to deliver aid in some of the world’s most fragile contexts. "Ensuring the transparent and efficient distribution of aid funds is critical, especially in regions such as Afghanistan and Northeast Syria, where political instability, security concerns, risks of aid diversion, and limited infrastructure can impede aid delivery to the most vulnerable populations. The Aid Trust Portal shows interactive network graph visualizations that analyze the flow of disbursed funds, facilitating transparency for donors, aid organizations, government agencies, compliance teams, and regulators. Such advanced blockchain analytics tools have never before been made available for free to the aid sector with the explicit intent of revolutionizing trust in humanitarian aid payments."

Hamas says Israeli attack killed 5 but failed to assassinate negotiating delegation (LINK) — ground.news: 112 media reports (LINK) 9 September 2025

— Hamas confirmed its leaders survived but five lower-ranking members were killed, including relatives of leader Khalil al-Hayya, while Qatar reported casualties among its security forces.

White House says Trump notified Qatar ahead of Israeli strike on Hamas (LINK) — ground.news: 141 media reports (LINK) 9 September 2025

Qatar counters US, denies being notified of Israeli attack beforehand — (LINK)

Trump calls Israeli Strike on Qatar 'unfortunate', but said that eliminating Hamas is a 'worthy goal' — (LINK)

Israeli military orders 'all residents' of Gaza City to evacuate immediately if Hamas does not release hostages: one million people (LINK) 9 September 2025

Nepal parliament set on fire after PM resigns over anti-corruption protests (LINK) 9 September 2025

Guardian: WHO Foundation accepts increasing amount of dark money from corporate donors (LINK) 9 September 2025

— Through the end of 2023, the last year for which records were available, the foundation had taken about $83m in corporate donations, and concealed the identity of donors for about 60% of the sum, a new report into the issue published in BMJ Global Health states. The level of dark money donations are increasing each year — 80% of the foundation's funding in 2023 came from anonymous sources who made contributions of at least $100,000, up from 15% during the first year, the report's authors found. There is no mechanism for tracking corporate donations.

Who funds the WHO Foundation? A transparency analysis of donation disclosures over the first 3 years of its operation: 23 July 2025 — (LINK)

Iran and nuclear watchdog sign agreement seeking path to restart cooperation (LINK) 9 September 2025

Trump says US, India continuing to negotiate trade deal (LINK) — ground.news: 28 media reports (LINK) 9 September 2025

French President Emmanuel Macron appoints outgoing defence minister Sébastien Lecornu as prime minister (LINK) 9 September 2025

U.S. DHS claims videotaping ICE raids is 'violence': The expanded definition has justified assaults on journalists who have documented detentions of immigrants (LINK) 9 September 2025

Gold prices hit record high above $3,650/oz on rate cut bets, haven appeal (LINK) 9 September 2025

Amnesty says Pakistan spying on millions through phone-tapping, Chinese-built internet firewall that censors social media (LINK) 9 September 2025

Sam Altman-founded identity verification project token WLD soars 47% (LINK) 9 September 2025

— The uptick comes after Eightco Holdings Inc. (OCTO) raised $250 million through a private placement to adopt WLD as its primary reserve asset. Wall Street tech analyst Dan Ives has been appointed as chairman of the board. Year-to-date, the coin has fallen 11%.

Future Investment Conference tackles global shifts in investment, sustainability and technology: concludes with a call to meet the rising demand for sustainable and responsible investment amid technological advances and evolving geopolitical dynamics (LINK) 9 September 2025

Fewer apartments vacant in Switzerland: 1%, a fall in the vacancy rate of 6.8%. The lowest vacancy rate was in Geneva (0.34%), followed by Zug (0.42%) and Zurich (0.48%) (LINK) 9 September 2025

Monday, 8 September 2025

US visa refusal for Palestinian delegation prompts calls to move UN meeting to Geneva (LINK) 8 September 2025

French government collapses after prime minister loses confidence vote (LINK) 8 September 2025

Supreme Court allows Trump ICE raids to resume in California (LINK) 8 September 2025

Nepal: social media ban lifted after 19 killed in protests (LINK) 8 September 2025

Several European nations call for halt to violence after Jerusalem terror attack kills six (LINK) 8 September 2025

Asian shares rise after Japan's prime minister resigns (LINK) 8 September 2025

— At a press conference on Sunday, Ishiba said he was stepping down because of several election losses.

Japan could get its first woman prime minister as Sanae Takaichi leads the polls. But it's far from a done deal — (LINK)

U.S. eyes ban electronics testing labs linked to China (LINK) 8 September 2025

White House says it didn't ask USTA to help censor reactions to Trump US Open appearance on Sunday (LINK) 8 September 2025

Ballistic missile used in Russian attack on Kyiv Govt building on Sunday, Ukraine says (LINK) 8 September 2025

Trump family's wealth surges by $1.3 billion, largely driven by the trading debut of American Bitcoin (ABTC), a mining company co-founded by Eric Trump, and gains from World Liberty Financial (WLFI), a DeFi protocol associated with the family (LINK) 8 September 2025

Judge rejects Anthropic's record-breaking $1.5 billion settlement for AI copyright lawsuit: details 'nowhere close to complete':list of works involved in the case, the list of authors, the process of notifying members of the class and the claim form class members can use to get their part of the settlement (LINK) 8 September 2025

Guardian: U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson traded PM contacts for global business deals (LINK) 8 September 2025

Rupert Murdoch buys out 3 of his children to seal fate of his media empire (LINK) 8 September 2025

— The 94-year-old media titan has ensured that his vast corporate empire — boasting Fox News, the Wall Street Journal and the New York Post among other titles — will retain its quintessential conservative identity after his death. Through a series of complex transactions, Murdoch and his son Lachlan — his intended heir — have struck a deal to buy out the shares of Lachlan's three eldest siblings

— In recent years, James had become an increasingly outspoken critic of the direction of Fox News and other Murdoch news outlets. Elisabeth and Prudence had also felt betrayed by the decision of Rupert and Lachlan to sue them and James without warning in a probate court in Reno, Nevada, to try to sever them from any influence over the company's future.

19th Russian top executive, many linked to Russia's oil and gas giants, dies under suspicious circumstances since start of all-out war, media reports (LINK) 8 September 2025

— Alexey Sinitsyn, CEO of potash producer K-Potash Service, was found decapitated under a bridge. A tow rope was also attached to the body, Russian state-run media outlet RIA Novosti reported, citing its source in law enforcement. Previously, Dmitry Osipov, chairman of the board at Uralkali, one of Russia's largest potash producers, and Mikhail Kenin, founder and majority shareholder of leading real estate developer Samolet, both died last month. The causes of death have not been disclosed.

New Trump executive order concedes that the U.S. can't grow avocados, bananas, mangoes, pineapples, coffee or cocoa in large amounts and gives them zero tariffs (LINK) 8 September 2025

— The directive sets aside 45 categories for zero tariffs, which go into effect Monday for countries that have already struck a framework trade deal with the U.S. It altered the structure of Trump's global tariffs for "aligned partners" and concedes the U.S. cannot be a self-sufficient country in two specific categories: unavailable natural resources and closely related derivative products; certain agricultural products not grown or produced in sufficient quantity in the United States to meet domestic demand.

Trump loses bid to overturn $83.3 million judgment in E. Jean Carroll defamation case (LINK) 8 September 2025

Estate of Jeffrey Epstein gives Congress 'birthday book' allegedly signed by Trump with "tawdry image" that Trump had previously dismissed as "fake" (LINK) 8 September 2025

Donald Trump's mass deportation agenda has a surprising stakeholder: Bill Gates through a key service provider for immigration flights — Signature Aviation "the world’s largest network of private aviation terminals" (LINK) 8 September 2025

The papers for the Future of Journalism Conference 2025 presented by Reuters Institute researchers (LINK) 8 September 2025

— The research focuses on AI's role in misinformation and elections, how it can be used to illustrate climate news, and the effects of exposure to news about climate protests.

— Some findings:

• AI systems increasingly compete with the products developed by news organizations. Proposed: a research agenda focused on examining the implications of this development for democratic discourse, market competition, and public access to information.
• There are substantial barriers for generative AI tools to create meaningful images for climate-related stories.
• The influence of AI on election outcomes is for now overestimated. Focusing on AI may distract from more structural threats to elections and democracy, including voter disenfranchisement and attacks on election integrity.
• A need for clearer disclosures and regulatory oversight to help everyone navigate the increasingly blurred line between genuine and fabricated content

Mapped: Europe's poverty rates by country(excluding Switzerland and U.K.): Turkey 30.4%, Romania 27.9%, Spain 25.8%, Germany 21.1%, Czechia 11.3% (LINK) 8 September 2025

Science easily explains why working from home makes us happier (LINK) 8 September 2025

— An Australian study found people working from home not only slept for almost half an hour longer, they did more work in the extra time they gained from not having to commut. Around 43% of that time was used to do extra work, but it also allowed workers to handle household or caregiving responsibilities. About a third of the extra time was also used for leisure and physical activity. Workers' diets also changed for the better. While snacking and alcohol consumption initially increased, overall, participants moved toward eating healthier meals with an increase in fruit, vegetable, and dairy consumption and more home-cooked meals. When it came to productivity, the study backed up what the majority of other statistics have shown: Workers were just as, if not more, productive when teleworking.

— The type of office we work in has a big effect on our well-being. A study from Karlstad University published in Scandinavian Journal of Work, Environment & Health looked at associations between office type and how easy employees felt it was to interact with coworkers, their subjective well-being, and job satisfaction. The team found that the more workers there were in an office, the less satisfied those workers were with their jobs, resulting in lower overall well-being.