Deadly shipwreck in Italy must trigger action to save lives, UN officials say

World News in Brief: UN supporting East Africa flood victims, dozens more migrant deaths at sea, disinformation in Myanmar

In a statement released late on Wednesday the UN Secretary-General António Guterres said he had been deeply distressed to hear of the hundreds of lives lost and many others affected by the deluge in Kenya as well as Burundi, Somalia, Tanzania and other parts of East Africa. He extended his condolences to the Governments and…

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DR Congo: UN mission still disinformation target, as withdrawal speculation grows

DR Congo: UN mission still disinformation target, as withdrawal speculation grows

Attacks on local populations, roadblocks and denial of humanitarian access, continue to fuel suffering in Ituri, North Kivu and South Kivu provinces, Special Representative Bintou Keita told the Security Council in New York. “As I speak today, over six million people remain displaced in [these places],” she stated, urging continued support for underfunded relief operations….

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Counter-terrorism 'rhetoric' used to justify rise of surveillance technology: human rights expert

Regulation essential to curb AI for surveillance, disinformation: rights experts

In a statement on Friday, the experts said that emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence-based biometric surveillance systems, are increasingly being used “in sensitive contexts”, without individuals’ knowledge or consent ‘Urgent red lines’ must be drawn “Urgent and strict regulatory red lines are needed for technologies that claim to perform emotion or gender recognition,” said the experts,…

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Caribbean carnival performers take stage to fight COVID disinformation

Caribbean carnival performers take stage to fight COVID disinformation

Dressed in black with a flowing cape and extravagantly oversized hat, performer Kurt Layne’s distinctive macabre ensemble blends influences from film depictions of the American wild west with West African culture. He cuts an imposing figure as he struts along a road bringing to life a traditional Carnival character, the Midnight Robber. He recently performed…

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