News headlines in 2023, page 172

CAMBRIDGE, MASS., Jun 06 (IPS) - 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).

SANA’A, Yemen, Jun 06 (IPS) - During the week of May 21, the UN held its annual week dedicated to the Protection of Civilians. The themes of the week’s events, particularly the side events, I had the honor of participating in, mirrored many of the pressing issues in Yemen, as conflict continues.

UNITED NATIONS, Jun 06 (IPS) - The frighteningly rapid advances in artificial intelligence (AI) have triggered the question: is there a UN role for monitoring and regulating it?

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”.

Laws making seat belt use mandatory in cars have saved millions of lives, UN agencies announced on Tuesday, marking half a century of vehicular safety legislation around the world.

The UN expressed deep sadness as another deadly earthquake claimed the lives of at least three people near the Haitian city of Jerémie in the early hours of Tuesday, compounding an already life-threatening situation in recent days caused by flooding and landslides.

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 full realization of human rights for all is a “work in progress”, and the world must now adapt and update its thinking to respond to current “dramatic rollbacks”, the UN human rights chief said on Tuesday, marking the 30th anniversary of both his office and the global agreement that created it.

Five countries have been elected as non-permanent members of the UN Security Council following a vote in the General Assembly on Tuesday.

Thousands of civilians in Ukraine are in danger on the frontline, after the apparent destruction of a huge dam whose reservoir is used to cool the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant (ZNPP), UN humanitarians said on Tuesday.

The world is not on track to meet Sustainable Development Goal 7, designed to ensure access to affordable, reliable energy for all, a new report from the UN and partners revealed on Monday.