Humanity

• Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged Russian President Vladimir Putin to end the conflict in Ukraine, stating the war should stop "for humanity's sake." • The meeting highlights India's complex diplomatic position, as it remains one of the largest buyers of Russian oil despite ongoing Western sanctions. • This trade is critical for Moscow, as it helps the Russian government replenish its budget and sustain its economy during the war.

Progressive US senator urges Meta, OpenAI and Anthropic to ‘stop building machines that humans cannot control’Senator Bernie Sanders has called on Meta, OpenAI and Anthropic executives to halt their development of artificial intelligence, warning that the US Senate will implement regulation if the companies continue deploying AI at their current pace.In a new letter addressed to the CEOs of three of the country’s leading AI companies, Sanders said the capabilities of these AI models have reached a critical risk threshold and that the companies are losing control over the technology. Continue reading...

Removal of Soviet-era statues sped up when Russia seized Crimea in 2014, and since Putin’s 2022 invasion has moved at pace as Ukrainians question their identitySince 2013 the plinth at the bottom of Taras Shevchenko Boulevard in Kyiv has been eerily empty. The scruffy monument is daubed in white paint and graffiti. Someone has stuck a Ukrainian trident where Lenin once stood, gazing down during the years of Soviet communism. A crowd toppled the sculpture during Ukraine’s Maidan revolution, which ousted the pro-Russian government, and smashed it with sledgehammers.In June, Volodymyr Zelenskyy proposed putting a new figure on the plinth: Ivan Mazepa, a Cossack military and political leader, who broke with Moscow and fought for Ukraine’s independence. “I am certain that where Lenin fell, Mazepa will stand firm,” Zelenskyy said. He spoke next to a bust of Mazepa in the Pechersk Lavra, an ancient Kyiv monastery hit by Russian missiles. Continue reading...

• The author contrasts the "Nuclear Age," where peace was managed through state-led diplomacy and treaties like the Non-Proliferation Treaty, with the emerging "Age of Artificial Intelligence." • Unlike nuclear weapons, which were controlled by governments, advanced AI systems are primarily developed by private companies, universities, and research laboratories. • This shift in control creates a critical challenge for global security, as traditional state-centric diplomatic architectures may be insufficient for regulating decentralized AI development.

• UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper has warned that artificial intelligence poses a "Hiroshima"-style existential threat to humanity if global regulations are not established. • Cooper highlighted AI as part of a broader set of systemic risks, including the climate crisis, irregular migration, and foreign interference. • The warning emphasizes the urgent need for international cooperation to curb how AI is developed to prevent catastrophic outcomes.

Exclusive: Foreign secretary warns of combined risks of AI, climate crisis, irregular migration and foreign interferenceArtificial intelligence poses a “Hiroshima”-style risk to humanity if governments do not agree to curb how it is developed, the foreign secretary has warned.Yvette Cooper urged countries, including the US and China, to agree international rules for AI, telling the Guardian she believes the issue will dominate foreign policy over the next two years. Continue reading...

Report accuses paramilitary force of crimes including ethnic cleansing in systemic campaign against civiliansThe Sudanese paramilitary Rapid Support Forces committed crimes against humanity and ethnic cleansing during its seizure of El Fasher last year, Amnesty International has alleged.Many of the crimes, including murder, torture, rape, enslavement and sexual slavery, were carried out as part of a widespread and systematic attack against civilians and amounted to crimes against humanity, the human rights organisation said in a report released on Wednesday. Continue reading...