Human Wrongs Watch
(UN News)* — The UN Secretary-General said on Wednesday [] he was horrified at the news of dozens more deaths in the Mediterranean after an overloaded boat reportedly capsized and sank off the coast of Greece.
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15/06/2023
Faith Leaders Critical to Combating ‘Groundswell’ of Hatred Globally
Human Wrongs Watch
(UN News)* — In the face of rising hatred worldwide, both on and offline, faith leaders are vital allies in the quest for global peace, UN Secretary-General António Guterres told the Security Council on Wednesday [14 June 2023].
© Unsplash/Jason Leung | Demonstrators protest in the United States.
The Council met specifically to discuss “the values of human fraternity in promoting and sustaining peace”, building on a 2019 declaration co-authored by Pope Francis, head of the Catholic Church, and the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar Al Sharif, Ahmed Al-Tayeb, Chairman of the Muslim Council of Elders, and also considered the highest authority in Sunni Islamic thought.
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13/06/2023
Snowden Warns Today’s Surveillance Technology Makes 2013 Look Like ‘Child’s Play’
Human Wrongs Watch
By Julia Conley | Common Dreams – TRANSCEND Media Service*
“We trusted the government not to screw us,” said Edward Snowden. “But they did. We trusted the tech companies not to take advantage of us. But they did. That is going to happen again, because that is the nature of power.”.
Edward Snowden said in an interview on June 8, 2023 that advances in surveillance technology have made it far easier for government agencies to spy on citizens than it was in 2013, when he first disclosed the broad use of spying by the NSA and other agencies.(Image: Screenshot/Citizenfour)
13/06/2023
Does Artificial Intelligence Need a Regulatory UN Watchdog?
Human Wrongs Watch
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Citing a report from the Center for AI Safety, the New York Times reported last week that a group of over 350 AI industry leaders warned that artificial intelligence poses a growing new danger to humanity –and should be considered a “societal risk on a par with pandemics and nuclear wars”.
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13/06/2023
‘Countries Must Address the “Grave Global Harm” Caused by the Proliferation of Hate and Lies Online’ – UN Chief
Human Wrongs Watch
© UNICEF/UN051302/Herwig | Adolescent girls use cellphones and tablets in the Za’atari camp for Syrian refugees (file).
Alarm over the potential threat posed by the rapid development of generative artificial intelligence (AI) must not obscure the damage already being done by digital technologies that enable the spread of online hate speech, as well as mis- and disinformation, he said.
The policy brief argues that they should be integral players in upholding the accuracy, consistency and reliability of information shared by users.
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09/06/2023
Bangladesh Must “Immediately Suspend” Plans to Return Rohingya Refugees to Myanmar
Human Wrongs Watch
(UN NEWS)* — Bangladesh must “immediately suspend” a pilot repatriation project for Rohingya refugees to return to Myanmar, where they face “serious risks” to their lives and freedom, a UN-appointed independent rights expert said on Thursday [].
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Tom Andrews, the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar, insisted that current conditions there were “anything but conducive” for the return of Rohingya refugees.
Death trap
He stressed that the very generals who had launched “genocidal” attacks against the Rohingya, causing hundreds of thousands to flee the country, were now in power and “attacking civilian populations while denying the Rohingya citizenship and other basic rights”.
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07/06/2023
Guess Who Is the Worst Enemy of the Oceans (And Everywhere Else)?
Human Wrongs Watch
– The good news: oceans cover three-quarters of the Earth’s surface, contain 97% of the world’s water, represent 99% of the living space on the Planet by volume, and are a major source of food and medicine. Much so that they are the main source of protein for more than a billion people around the world.
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Oceans produce at least 50% of the Planet’s oxygen, while absorbing about 30% of carbon dioxide produced by humans, buffering the impacts of global warming. Credit: Claudio Riquelme/IPS
More: Oceans produce at least 50% of the Planet’s oxygen, while absorbing about 30% of carbon dioxide produced by humans, buffering the impacts of global warming.
And the bad news?
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07/06/2023
The U.S. Assault on Mexico’s Food Sovereignty
Human Wrongs Watch
– On June 2, the U.S. government escalated its conflict with Mexico over that country’s restrictions on genetically modified corn, initiating the formal dispute-resolution process under the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA).
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“Remove corn and beans from NAFTA!” at a 2008 protest in Ciudad Juarez. It has been a longstanding demand the Mexican farmers’ movement. Credit: Enrique Pérez S.
It is only the latest in a decades-long U.S. assault on Mexico’s food sovereignty using the blunt instrument of a trade agreement that has inundated Mexico with cheap corn, wheat, and other staples, undermining Mexico’s ability to produce its own food.
With the government of Andrés Manuel López Obrador showing no signs of backing down, the conflict may well test the extent to which a major exporter can use a trade agreement to force a sovereign nation to abandon measures it deems necessary to protect public health and the environment.
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07/06/2023
‘Nobody Should Die from Eating Food’
Human Wrongs Watch
(UN NEWS)* — Every day, some 1.6 million people worldwide fall ill from eating contaminated food, which kills 420,000 people each year, two UN agencies said on Tuesday [].
The World Health Organization (WHO) and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) are highlighting the issue ahead of World Food Safety Day, observed annually on 7 June.
This year, focus is on the role of established food safety practices and standards which ensure that what we eat, is safe to consume.
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