Sunday, 23 November 2025

Geneva hosts Ukraine talks as Europe pushes back on plan to end war (LINK) 23 November 2025

Saturday, 22 November 2025

UN climate talks fail to secure new fossil fuel promises (LINK) 22 November 2025

— The talks over-ran by almost 24 hours with delegates working all night. The final deal, called the Mutirão, calls on countries to "voluntarily" accelerate their action to reduce their use of fossil fuels. The two weeks of talks were at times chaotic. Toilets ran out of water, torrential thunderstorms flooded the venue, and delegates struggled to cope in hot, humid rooms. The COP's around 50,000 registered delegates were evacuated twice. A group of about 150 protestors broke into the venue, breaching security lines, and carrying placards reading "our forests are not for sale". On Thursday 20 November a large fire broke out, scorching a hole into the roof and forcing participants to rush outside.

France 24 on the issues — (LINK)

— France's ecological transition minister, Monique Barbut, told AFP that oil-rich Russia and Saudi Arabia, along with coal producer India and "many" emerging countries, were blocking a deal on fossil fuels. South Asia envoy defended the exclusion of the fossil fuel phaseout roadmap, arguing developing countries needed to ensure energy security for their countries and a transition for workers dependent on the sector.

BBC: Five key takeaways from a deeply divisive climate summit — (LINK)

• The climate 'ship' is still afloat but there was frustration with the way Brazil ran this meeting.
• European Union was cornered on tripling money for climate adaptation.
• Future of COP in question: How barmy is it to fly thousands of people half-way around the world to sit in giant air-conditioned tents to argue about commas, and interpretations of convoluted words?
• For the first time global trade became one of the key issues at these talks.
• Trump gains by staying away, China gains by staying quiet.

COP30 climate talks: roundup (LINK) 22 November 2025

Israeli forces kill 24 Palestinians, wound 87 in Gaza; Hamas urges US to intervene (LINK) 22 November 2025

— Al Jazeera: Israeli attacks target Palestinians in their cars, shelters and homes in latest violation of the US-brokered truce. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said it launched the attacks after a Hamas fighter attacked Israeli soldiers in Israeli-held territory. According to the Gaza Government Media Office, Israel has violated the United States-brokered ceasefire at least 497 times since it came into effect on October 10. Some 342 civilians have been killed in the attacks, with children, women and the elderly accounting for the majority of the victims.

Three international airlines cancel their flights from Venezuela after US warning (LINK) 22 November 2025

'We worry more about food' say Venezuelans living under threat of US military action (LINK) 22 November 2025

Brazilian ex-president Jair Bolsonaro taken into custody after tampering with ankle tag 'out of curiosity' (LINK) 22 November 2025

— Bolsonaro, under house arrest, was held after 6am on Saturday by federal police after a supreme court judge issued a preventive arrest warrant because he was allegedly poised to flee to a foreign embassy. The 70-year-old politician he lost the election in 2022 and tried to launch a military coup.

France to investigate Musk's Grok chatbot after Holocaust denial claims (LINK) 22 November 2025

— France24: Grok wrote in a widely shared post in French that gas chambers at the Auschwitz-Birkenau death camp were designed for "disinfection with Zyklon B against typhus" rather than for mass murder — language long associated with Holocaust denial. In later posts on its X account, the chatbot acknowledged that its earlier reply to an X user was wrong, said it had been deleted and pointed to historical evidence that Auschwitz’s gas chambers using Zyklon B were used to murder more than 1 million people. The follow-ups were not accompanied by any clarification from X. Earlier this year, Musk's company took down posts from the chatbot that appeared to praise Adolf Hitler after complaints about antisemitic content.

Friday, 21 November 2025

36 nations and environmental groups slam proposals at UN climate talks, calling them too weak (LINK) — ground.news: 8 media reports (LINK) 21 November 2025

UN climate summit drops mention of fossil fuels from draft deal (LINK) 21 November 2025

UN climate conference: reforming agriculture (LINK) 21 November 2025

India's delayed action plan raises eyebrows at UN climate summit (LINK) 21 November 2025

— BBC: Indian officials, like many negotiators from the developing world, argue that their updated climate plans with more ambitious carbon reduction targets will mean nothing if they do not receive financial and technological support from developed countries. India says it shouldn't be pressed for a more ambitious climate plan as it has already met a key pledge - to have 50% of its installed eletricity capacity from non-fossil fuel sources - years ahead of the 2030 deadline.

— The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) says that by 2035, annual emissions will have to be reduced by 35% and 55%, compared with 2019, to align with the goals of the Paris agreement. But emissions have continued to rise almost every year since then, and the climate plans submitted to the UNFCCC until 10 November show that there will be emissions reduction of only around 12% by 2035 – that too if countries fully implement their policies.

WHO declares end of Indonesia's polio outbreak following years-long vaccination campaign (LINK) 21 November 2025

— AP: Indonesia has remained largely polio-free as the highly contagious disease was declared eliminated in the country in 2014. But eight years later, an outbreak emerged in the country’s conservative Aceh province, prompted by a dangerous combination of consistently low routine immunization and unhealthy environmental conditions. In 2021, only 50.9% of infants born in Aceh received polio vaccination. Over the next two years, cases appeared in the provinces of Banten, West Java, Central Java, East Java, North Maluku, Central Papua, Highland Papua and South Papua, prompting the mass immunization and information drive.

Lebanon ready to negotiate to reach an agreement that would end Israeli strikes, president says: reiterated his country’s commitment to disarming militant groups in the country (LINK) — ground.news: 13 media reports (LINK) 21 November 2025

— President Joseph Aoun made the speech on the eve of the country's Independence Day from southern Lebanon, where Israel still maintains troops in five areas that it deems strategic.

Food supply improving in Gaza since truce but long way to go, says WFP (LINK) — ground.news: 10 media reports (LINK) 21 November 2025

— WFP officials say they have met only 30% of the parcel target, reaching around 530,000 out of 1.6 million people due to logistical issues. Hundreds of thousands remain in urgent need, and at least half a million people were said to be experiencing famine in parts of the enclave. Though Gaza’s markets are reviving, food prices remain high for Palestinians, many of whom lost their income during the war, with a chicken costing $25, meaning many are reliant on food aid, the WFP said.

Fundraisers warn of 'catastrophic' drop in donations to Gaza since ceasefire (LINK) 21 November 2025

UNICEF: Two children killed every day in Gaza despite ceasefire (LINK) — ground.news: 7 media reports (LINK) 21 November 2025

— Speaking in Geneva, UNICEF spokesperson Ricardo Pires said: "Since 11 October, while the ceasefire has been in effect, at least 67 children have been killed in conflict-related incidents in the Gaza Strip. Dozens more have been injured."

US warns airlines of potential hazards when flying over Venezuela (LINK) 21 November 2025

Venezuela says opposition leader will become fugitive if she collects Nobel Peace Prize (LINK) 21 November 2025

Jamaica reports deadly leptospirosis outbreak after Hurricane Melissa: 6 dead, nine confirmed cases and 28 suspected cases (LINK) — ground.news: 16 media reports (LINK) 21 November 2025

— Leptospirosis spreads through contaminated water or soil tainted by urine from rodents and other infected animals, entering through cuts or mucous membranes after people contact floodwaters. The 28 October storm caused an estimated $10 billion in damages, damaging nearly 200,000 buildings and hobbling Jamaica's tourism and agriculture sectors.

Nigeria sees one of worst mass abductions as 315 taken from Roman Catholic school in central Niger State (LINK) 21 November 2025

— The revised number of people taken surpasses the 276 abducted during the infamous Chibok mass abduction of 2014. Authorities in Niger state said the school had disregarded an order to close all boarding facilities following intelligence warnings of a heightened risk of attacks. The school has not commented on that claim.

Sri Lankan opposition rallies in first major protest against Dissanayake government to demand the government fulfill pledges to ease taxes and restore order (LINK) — ground.news: 11 media reports (LINK) 21 November 2025

UN human rights rapporteur calls on United States to lift sanctions on Cuba (LINK) 21 November 2025

— says they are impacting the island’s entire population, hitting sectors including health care, nutrition and education.

Authorities arrest 7 bodyguards in connection with a Mexican mayor’s assassination (LINK) — ground.news: 9 media reports (LINK) 21 November 2025

— On Nov. 1, Mayor Carlos Manzo was shot during Day of the Dead festivities, prompting an immediate probe as attention turned to Manzo's large security detail after they failed to stop the lone gunman. Manzo's wife was sworn in as Uruapan's mayor. On Wednesday, Mexican authorities announced the arrest of a man said to be involved in planning the killing, and investigators have connected the plot to the Jalisco New Generation Cartel. The alleged perpetrator was a 17-year-old boy who was killed by the politician’s guards.

U.S. economy speeds up after government shutdown as businesses turn more optimistic: companies are banking on lower interest rates, reduced tariffs friction and increased government spending: economy grew in November at the fastest pace in four months (LINK) 21 November 2025

China has lent more to US than any other country since 2000, report finds (LINK) 21 November 2025

— Of the US$2.2 trillion disbursed by China's "official sector" between 2000 and 2023, nearly US$202 billion went to projects in the US, the AidData research lab at Virginia-based university William & Mary found.

Miss Mexico Fátima Bosch crowned Miss Universe after run-in with pageant executive (LINK) — ground.news: 131 media reports (LINK) 21 November 2025

One of Donald Trump's MAGA superstars and once staunchest defender Marjorie Taylor Greene to quit Congress after Trump feud (LINK) 21 November 2025

— The Georgia congresswoman's relentless calls for releasing files related to Jeffrey Epstein, the late exploiter of underage women for prostitution, and recent criticism of some of his policies led to a bitter public feud. After the US president labelled her a "traitor", she said in a video announcing her departure: "I refuse to be a 'battered wife' hoping it all goes away and gets better." She said in her video statement, posted on social media, that she would leave the US Congress on 5 January 2026. Trump, who had threatened to support a Republican challenger to unseat Greene, called her resignation "great news for the country" in an interview with ABC News.

Trump says he is ending temporary deportation protections for Somalis in Minnesota (LINK) — ground.news: 69 media reports (LINK) 21 November 2025

— Posting on Truth Social, President Donald Trump said Minnesota under Governor Tim Walz is a hub for fraudulent money laundering and claimed Somali gangs terrorize the state with billions missing. The Biden administration renewed Temporary Protected Status (TPS) in 2023 for more than 2,600 Somalis, citing conflict in their home country. The extension was effective for 18 months and included work authorization. A report produced for Congress in August put the number of Somalis now covered by the program at 705 nationwide as of March.

The White House has asked for the resignation of a top aide to FDA chief: Marty Makary pushed back on the request to force policy and research staffer Sanjula Jain-Nagpal out of the agency, officials told POLITICO. (LINK) 21 November 2025

— POLITICO: The development is the latest example of tensions between Makary and leadership at HHS and the White House, which have intensified in recent weeks amid other controversies involving staff Makary brought into the agency. It comes days after POLITICO reported that Jain-Nagpal announced on a call with FDA stakeholders that she was Makary's deputy chief of staff, which the White House had not approved.

Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito temporarily reinstates Texas Republicans' redrawn congressional map (LINK) 21 November 2025

— The administrative stay is a temporary ruling that allows Texas to continue to use its new map for now, as the Supreme Court reviews the case. The Supreme Court ordered the civil rights advocacy groups that challenged the map to file a response by 5 p.m. on Monday. The filing deadline for candidates in Texas ahead of the March primary is Dec. 8.

Bitcoin's $83,000 price drop caused by ‘software glitch’ and ‘manipulation,' says Bitmine chairman Tom Lee (LINK) 21 November 2025

— Speaking on CNBC's Power Lunch on Thursday, Lee linked the downturn to a technical failure in an exchange's stablecoin pricing feed during the Oct. 10 crash, which triggered a wave of automatic liquidations.

Trump and Mamdani's surprisingly cordial meeting: "US President Donald Trump met New York City's newly elected mayor Zohran Mamdani at the White House in what was billed as the political showdown of the year — but instead became a praise fest" (LINK) 21 November 2025

— BBC: In his election victory speech, the self-described Democratic socialist mayor called Trump a "despot". And before Friday's meeting, the president's spokeswoman had billed Mamdani's visit as a "communist coming to the White House". But standing side-by-side in the Oval Office, the two men struck a surprisingly conciliatory tone. Over and over, both men emphasised their shared interest in addressing New York City's affordability crisis.

Eurovision in Basel generated CHF248 million in sales (LINK) 21 November 2025

— The event generated added value of CHF53 million in the Basel region and had 500,000 visitors. The canton's budget of CHF33.3 million fell short by CHF1.7 million. According to a survey, 95% of visitors were satisfied. The sustainability measures were also well received and 78% of visitors used public transport to get to the event, 91% within the city.

Russian spy ring funded through crypto laundering network that moved billions globally, UK police reveal (LINK) 21 November 2025

— Operation run by businesswoman Ekaterina Zhdanova attempted to bankroll former Wirecard executive Jan Marsalek's spy ring Wirecard. Zhdanova's "Smart" network was used by individuals working with Russian intelligence services to fund six Bulgarian nationals now serving up to 10 years for espionage. Wirecard operations included spying on journalists and politicians while plotting assassinations.

Swiss travel to US predicted to halve in 2026, already likely to have fallen by 15% (LINK) 21 November 2025

Thursday, 20 November 2025

Cholera cases in Africa surge to 3 times higher than reported in 2022 — Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (LINK) — ground.news: 11 media reports (LINK) 20 November 2025

— Five countries account for almost 90 per cent of the more than 300,000 cases reported so far this year, it said, with more than 7,000 people dying from the disease. Last week, the body said the continent was experiencing the worst cholera outbreak in 25 years.

Trump calls Democrat video to troops urging them not to obey unlawful commands 'seditious behaviour, punishable by death' (LINK) 20 November 2025

— Six lawmakers, all of whom have served in the military or intelligence community, called Trump's remarks dangerous and said they amounted to threats against elected officials. In a post Trump wrote: SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR, punishable by DEATH!" He also reposted a TruthSocial post that read "HANG THEM GEORGE WASHINGTON WOULD !!"

Turkey set to host COP31 after reaching compromise with Australia (LINK) 20 November 2025

Fire prompts evacuations at U.N. climate talks in Brazil; 13 suffer smoke inhalation: fire started near the China Pavilion (LINK) 20 November 2025

ICRC to cut 2,900 full-time positions worldwide as a result of a 17% reduction in its budget for 2026 (LINK) 20 November 2025

India, China banks and refineries moving to comply with Russia sanctions, US official says (LINK) 20 November 2025

US sanctions on big Russian oil firms are having their intended effect, Treasury official says — (LINK)

Israel to expropriate 450 acres of Palestinian land for West Bank archaeological site: expropriation order is the largest ever issued for an archeological project since Israel occupied the West Bank in 1967 (LINK) 20 November 2025

— The Nov 12 order gives Palestinians 14 days to object to the declaration.

Military.com: Massive US marine buildup in Caribbean 7 miles [11km] from Venezuela's coast (LINK) 20 November 2025

Spanish court orders Meta to pay nearly half a billion euros in damages to media outlets (LINK) 20 November 2025

— According to a court statement, the mercantile court No. 15 of Madrid ruled that Mark Zuckerberg's social media giant had exercised an unfair market advantage by extracting personal data of internet users in violation of European law and using it to create more effective advertising.

U.S. Coast Guard reverses course on policy and now calls swastikas and nooses 'potentially divisive' and therefore prohibited (LINK) 20 November 2025

— The term was a shift from a years-long policy, first rolled out in 2019, that said symbols like swastikas and nooses were "widely identified with oppression or hatred" and called their display "a potential hate incident." The earlier version stopped short of banning the symbols, instead saying that commanders could take steps to remove them from public view and that the rule did not apply to private spaces outside of public view, such as family housing.

— The predecessor of Admiral Kevin Lunday, acting commandant of the Coast Guard, Admiral Linda Fagan, was fired on President Donald Trump's first day in office. Trump officials later said she fired in part for putting an "excessive focus" on diversity and inclusion efforts that diverted "resources and attention from operational imperatives".

UBS boss dismisses Swiss exodus rumours as 'absurd' (LINK) 20 November 2025

Frida Kahlo 1940 self-portrait sells for $54.7 million, setting new record for female artists (LINK) — ground.news: 86 media reports (LINK) 20 November 2025

Swiss Félix Vallotton remains a cult favorite among collectors and now an institutional darling (LINK) 20 November 2025

— A work by the French-Swiss artist went under the hammer for $2.8 million on Thursday at Sotheby's in New York. His sly scenes of domestic life and sparsely populated landscapes, immaculate still-lifes, and strikingly modern, monochromatic woodcuts, are being celebrated with a suite of exhibitions across Switzerland to mark the centenary of Vallotton's death in 1925. Vallotton's auction record currently sits at nearly $4.5 million.

U.S.'s Israel Ambassador Mike Huckabee confirms he met with convicted spy Jonathan Pollard, convicted of giving Israel classified documents in the mid-1980s, in July (LINK) 20 November 2025

— Pollard served nearly 30 years before being released on parole in 2015. He moved to Israel in 2020. Huckabee told Axios that nothing was requested and nothing was granted in the meeting, which took place in July.

Thumzup, a company associated with Trump's eldest son, acquired Dogehash, a Dogecoin and Litecoin mining company. (LINK) 20 November 2025

Bitcoin plunges: $82K is crucial to avoid a 2022-style BTC crash (LINK) 20 November 2025

Wednesday, 19 November 2025

Europe is using AI in health care without enough guardrails, WHO warns: just four out of 50 surveyed countries have national strategies for AI in health care (LINK) 19 November 2025

Germany pledges €1 billion to Brazil's rainforest fund (LINK) 19 November 2025

Russia pummels Ukraine with missiles and drones, killing at least 25 as U.S. tries to revive peace talks (LINK) 19 November 2025

— Explosions and fires were reported close to the front lines around the eastern city of Kharkiv, but also far from the front, in the western city of Lviv, which is close to Ukraine's border with NATO-member Poland. Most of the deaths were in the western city of Ternopil, where the Interior Ministry said two high-rise apartment blocks and energy facilities were hit. Many of Ukraine's regions reported some loss of power, as temperatures plunge.

Pakistani forces step up raids on TTP (Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan) hideouts near the Afghan border, killing 23 militants (LINK) — ground.news: 16 media reports (LINK) 19 November 2025

— The TTP is separate but allied to Afghanistan's Taliban.

Trump signs bill to compel release of more Epstein documents (LINK) 19 November 2025

— Trump had the authority as president to release the documents himself, but chose not to. The justice department has 30 days to release all files related to Epstein, including the investigation into his death by suicide in a federal prison cell. The legislation permits redacting identifying information of victims, but specifically bars officials from declining to disclose information over concerns about "embarrassment, reputational harm or political sensitivity".

Justice Department agrees to release Jeffrey Epstein files, but with major limits (LINK) 19 November 2025

— Under the law, the Justice Department can withhold any material it claims could jeopardize an active investigation. Trump has already ordered a new probe focused on Epstein's Democratic associates. Officials may also block documents connected to grand jury proceedings, explicit images or anything deemed a privacy concern.

Larry Summers going on leave at Harvard as university investigates ties to Jeffrey Epstein: The former treasury secretary announced earlier that he would step down from the board of directors at OpenAI. (LINK) 19 November 2025

WEF: This year's G20 Summit is taking place in South Africa, marking the first time an African nation has hosted the summit. The summit is taking place on 22 and 23 November under the theme 'Solidarity, Equality, Sustainability'. (LINK) 19 November 2025

WEF report: The State of Social Enterprise: Unlocking Inclusive Growth, Jobs and Development in Africa (LINK) 21 November 2025

The five winners of the 2025 National Book awards announced (LINK) 19 November 2025

— Nonfiction: Omar El Akkad, One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This Knopf / Penguin Random House. Publishers submitted a total of 1,835 books for this year's National Book Awards: 434 in Fiction, 652 in Nonfiction, 285 in Poetry, 139 in Translated Literature, and 325 in Young People's Literature.

U.S. trade deficit drops 24% in August as Trump's tariffs reduce imports (LINK) 19 November 2025

Record-breaking storm brings flooding, road closures to Death Valley (LINK) 19 November 2025

Historic opera house on the edge of Death Valley now under threat of destruction from recent flooding — (LINK)

Cloudflare explains how "painful" error in a software update took down large chunks of the internet (LINK) 19 November 2025

US: Baltimore bridge collapse in 2024 caused by one faulty wire: electrical failure on a container ship sent it on a collision course with the bridge, causing its partial collapse. (LINK) 18 November 2025

Woman pleads guilty to falsely claiming astronaut ex committed crime in space (LINK) 19 November 2025

TimeOut's Coolest street in America: Orchard Street in the Lower East Side of New York, an area that through much of the 20th century was one of the most impoverished in NYC, rife with pick-pocketing and gang activity (LINK) 19 November 2025

Tuesday, 18 November 2025

"Nestlé adds sugar to baby cereals sold in Africa but not Europe" — Swiss NGO Publlic Eye (LINK) — ground.news: 17 media reports (LINK) 18 November 2025

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum rejects Trump’s offer of military intervention against cartels (LINK) — ground.news: 106 media reports (LINK) 18 November 2025

Trump judges throw out his "meritless" lawsuit against CNN (LINK) 18 November 2025

Israeli drone strike on a Palestinian refugee camp in Lebanon kills 13 people, Lebanese Ministry Says (LINK) — ground.news: 114 media reports (LINK) 18 November 2025

— Israel said it struck members of the Palestinian armed group Hamas who were operating in a training compound in the refugee camp. Hamas denied Israel's claim, calling it a "fabrication" and stressing the group doesn't have training facilities in Lebanon's refugee camps.

UNRWA: As of 14 November, over 79,000 displaced people were estimated to be living in 85 shelters managed by UNRWA staff and the surrounding areas: 381 workers killed (LINK) 18 November 2025

— Around 12,000 Palestinian UNRWA personnel in Gaza continue to provide services and assistance. All UNRWA international staff are prevented from entering the occupied Palestinian territory (the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem). This follows the implementation by Israel of laws passed by the Israeli parliament (the Knesset) on 28 October 2024[4] that purport to prohibit UNRWA’s operations in areas that Israel considers its sovereign territory, including occupied East Jerusalem, and seek to bar any contact by Israeli officials with UNRWA. The Israeli authorities have not granted the Agency’s international staff visas or permits to enter the occupied Palestinian territory, including Gaza, since the end of January 2025.

Pope strongly backs US Bishops in blasting Trump immigration crackdown, urges humane treatment (LINK) — ground.news: 73 media reports (LINK) 18 November 2025

Ministers from global north and south unite in call for a roadmap away from fossil fuels (LINK) 18 November 2025

U.S. Senate unanimously agrees to pass bill to publish Epstein files after near-unanimous House vote: legislation would next go to Trump who indicated he would sign bill after he and his allies backed down from opposition (LINK) 18 November 2025

House.gov: Chairman Comer destroys Democrats' Anti-Trump hoax (LINK) 18 November 2025

Trump administration launches plan to dismantle Education Department (LINK) 18 November 2025

Trump defends Saudi crown prince over Khashoggi killing: A lot of people didn't like that gentleman" (LINK) 18 November 2025

— Trump said Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman "knew nothing" about the 2018 killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, as he welcomed the kingdom's de facto ruler to the White House. Trump said Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman "knew nothing" about the 2018 killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, as he welcomed the kingdom's de facto ruler to the White House. The crown prince, who has denied any wrongdoing, said at the White House that Saudi Arabia "did all the right things" to investigate Khashoggi's death, which he called "painful". Replying to questions at a press conference in the White House Oval Office, Trump said: "A lot of people didn't like that gentleman that you're talking about. Whether you like him or didn't like him, things happen. But he [the Crown Prince] knew nothing about it," Trump added. "You don't have to embarrass our guests."

— Tuesday's meeting between Trump and Mohammed bin Salman was expected to include deals on civilian nuclear power, artificial intelligence and Saudi investment in the US, which the crown prince said was being upped to $1tr (£761bn) from $600bn pledged earlier this year. The two men also discussed the potential sale of advanced F-35 fighter aircraft to the Saudis.

— As President, Biden did not host the crown prince and vowed to make Saudi Arabia a "pariah" over its human rights record. In 2022, however, Biden visited the kingdom to reach agreement on other issues.

Trump threatens ABC's broadcast license again after reporter questions Saudi Crown Prince about Khashoggi murder (LINK) 18 November 2025

— "I think the [broadcast] licence should be taken away from ABC because your news is so fake, and it's so wrong," he said. "And we have a great commissioner... who should look at that."

US court blocks Texas from using newly redrawn voting maps designed to strengthen Republican majority in next year's midterm polls (LINK) 18 November 2025

Geneva Dialogue stresses equitable AI access for Global South (LINK) 18 November 2025

Mongabay: Indonesia labeled 'Fossil of the Day' for echoing industry talking points at COP30 (LINK) 18 November 2025

— Indonesia was publicly called out for the first time in the history of the U.N. climate talks, receiving the "Fossil of the Day" award on Nov. 15 for allegedly allowing fossil fuel lobbyists to shape its official negotiating stance. The award, handed out daily by the Climate Action Network (CAN) International, a coalition of more than 1,900 civil society groups, accused Indonesia of echoing talking points from industry groups during negotiations on Article 6.4 of the Paris Agreement, the U.N.'s new carbon market mechanism.

Canada: John Main selected as Nunavut's premier, marking territory's first non-Inuk leader (LINK) — ground.news: 17 media reports (LINK) 18 November 2025

UK: Reselling concert tickets above face value to be banned by government (LINK) 18 November 2025

1914-16 portrait of Elisabeth Lederer by Klimt, hidden from public view for decades, sold for $236m: most expensive ever to be sold by Sotheby's (LINK) 18 November 2025

— The sale saw Klimt's canvas pass Andy Warhol's portrait of Marilyn Monroe, Shot Sage Blue Marilyn, 1964 (which sold at Christie's in New York in 2022 for $195m), to become the second priciest work of art ever to go under the hammer, behind Leonardo da Vinci's Salvator Mundi (Saviour of the World), c 1500, which sold in 2017 for $450.3m (£343m).

Monday, 17 November 2025

Ethiopia confirms 3 Marburg virus deaths, 3 more under investigation, and 9 cases in new outbreak at Jinka town, Southern Ethiopia (LINK) — ground.news: 105 media reports (LINK) 17 November 2025

— Health Ministry sadi 129 people who were in contact with the confirmed cases had been isolated and are being monitored. The World Health Organization is deploying a team to Ethiopia to support disease surveillance, testing, infection control, clinical care, and community engagement. Marburg virus disease, part of the same family as Ebola, is transmitted to humans through fruit bats and spreads rapidly between people through bodily fluids. Previous outbreaks in Africa have resulted in fatality rates as high as 80% or more, typically within eight to nine days of symptom onset.

Bangladesh court sentences ousted woman PM Sheikh Hasina (now in India) to death for crimes against humanity. Bangladesh has formally requested India to hand over Hasina (LINK) — ground.news: 252 media reports (LINK) 17 November 2025

— The tribunal additionally convicted Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, former interior minister, and Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun, former Inspector General of Police, with Bangladesh insisting all three face legal consequences.

IOM estimates over 2,000 Sudanese pregnant women have fled el-Fasher to escape conflict (LINK) — ground.news: 25 media reports (LINK) 17 November 2025

Methane pollution still rises, but UN reports hope for near future reductions (LINK) 17 November 2025

— If countries do what they say in their climate-fighting plans, global methane emissions in 2030 will be 8% below 2020 levels. That would be an improvement, because with no effort at all, those emissions are expected to actually rise by 13%. But the goal of the 2021 U.N. global methane pledge is a 30% cut.

We are slowly turning into scatterbrained zombies: Researchers analyzed 71 other studies and data from 98,299 participants, and concluded that short-form videos are making people's attention spans worse (LINK) 17 November 2025

Remains of 35-year-old man who vanished 31 years ago found by climbers on glacier at Ober Gabelhorn in Switzerland (LINK) 17 November 2025