British insurance company Lloyd’s of London said it is “deeply sorry” for its strong links to the transatlantic slave trade and will now commit around £52 million ($63.8 million) to a program of initiatives as reparation for its past wrongdoings.
Lloyd’s, which began operating in 1688 as the trade in humans flourished, will invest £40 million ($49.1 million) in slave trade-affected regions and spend around £12 million ($14.7 million) on a diversity program to boost the recruitment of black and ethnic-minority employees in the commercial insurance market, as well as bursaries for black students to study in the UK. “We’re deeply sorry for this period of our history and the enormous suffering caused to individuals and communities both then and today,” Bruce Carnegie-Brown, Chairman of Lloyd’s said in a statement on Wednesday. The move comes after independent research discovered that the 335-year-old insurance market played a “significant role” in facilitating the 300-year transatlantic slave trade, labeled by the UN the largest forced migration in history. More than two million Africans were estimated to have died en route from their countries to the Americas, where slaves were used for forced labor between the years 1500 and 1800. Research published this month by Black Beyond Data, based at Johns Hopkins University, found Lloyd’s insured the largest slave-ship owners in the early 1800s and also facilitated relationships between slave-ship captains, ship owners, and insurance underwriters. According to the findings of the Mellon Foundation-funded investigation, the organization also actively protested the abolition of the slave trade across the British Empire in 1807. The Black Beyond Data team examined material from Lloyd’s archive, including ledgers where insurers recorded policies for ships leaving Liverpool as part of the trade, according to Alexandre White, assistant professor at Johns Hopkins University. The firm apologized in 2020 for its historical ties to the slave trade and authorized the independent report, over which it claimed it had no editorial control. In response to the findings, the British firm said on Wednesday that, while it cannot undo the past, its current interventions will address the vestiges of the trade, including inequalities. “We’re resolved to take action by addressing the inequalities still seen and experienced by Black and ethnically diverse individuals: which is why we’ve launched Inclusive Futures, a comprehensive programme of initiatives to help these individuals and communities progress from the classroom to the boardroom,” Bruce Carnegie-Brown said. The move is “completely inadequate,” according to Kehinde Andrews, Professor of Black Studies at the University of Birmingham, who has criticized Lloyd’s of “reparations washing.” “This is PR: giving an apology, making some commitments, but this is not serious. You’re talking about massive amounts of wealth that they owe back to people,” The Guardian quoted Andrews as saying. The professor has been quoted by the BBC as saying “If they were serious they would be proposing a transfer of wealth to the descendants of the enslaved, not a diversity scheme for so called ‘ethnically diverse’ people.” Llloyd’s of London declared a mid-year 2023 profit of about $4.8 billion (£3.9 billion).
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WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange will be granted honorary citizenship of Rome, city councilor Antonella Melito said on Tuesday. She added that the process will be completed after all the necessary paperwork has been done.
Assange, 52, has been incarcerated at the high-security Belmarsh Prison in London since 2019 as he fights extradition to the US, where he could face a life sentence over the 2010 release of highly sensitive US Army intelligence information related to the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. According to Melito, by granting Assange citizenship, Rome intends to send a message of “solidarity and support to all those who are unjustly detained and convicted in violation of their fundamental rights.” The motion to confer honorary citizenship on the Australian activist was presented by a former mayor of Rome, Virginia Raggi. On Wednesday, Raggi posted on social media that “an important step was taken in the protection of Julian Assange, as a person and as a symbol.” She added that the Wikileaks founder’s case shows that “freedom of the press must always be defended.” In June, Assange’s wife Stella visited the Vatican and met with Pope Francis. Later, in an interview with the Catholic Herald magazine, she said that Francis had sent a letter to her husband in March 2021, which was a “significant event” at a particularly low point for him. At the time, a lower court in Britain had ruled that Assange’s treatment in the US “would not be humane,” but decided not to grant him bail. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said in August that he was frustrated by the lack of a diplomatic solution to end Assange’s detention. He said he would continue to press the US to cease its prosecution of the WikiLeaks founder, despite US Secretary of State Antony Blinken rejecting all previous pleas from Canberra to ensure his wellbeing. “This has gone on for too long. Enough is enough,” Albanese told reporters at the time. “We remain very firm in our view and in our representations to the American government and we will continue to do so.” The former chairman of the state-owned Bank of China, has been arrested on suspicion of bribery and issuing illegal loans, the Xinhua news agency reported on Monday.
Liu Liange's arrest comes as part of a widespread anti-corruption crackdown by the authorities in Beijing. According to Xinhua, he has been accused of a range of crimes related to the illegal granting of loans and bringing banned publications into the country. The 62-year-old, who was Bank of China chairman from 2019 to 2023, is also alleged to have used his position to procure bribes and accept gifts and entertainment at private clubs and ski resorts. Liu announced in March that he was stepping down from his position, several weeks before the authorities revealed that he was facing corruption charges. His arrest, which was reportedly ordered by the Supreme People’s Procuratorate (SPP), comes around a week after Liu was formally expelled from the ruling Communist Party following an investigation by the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI). Liu is the latest high-profile figure to be detained as part of widespread anti-corruption efforts ordered by President Xi Jinping into the country’s $60 trillion financial sector. Xi has made fighting corruption a key policy issue since becoming president a decade ago. The campaign enjoys considerable public support, although critics claim it allows the president to consolidate power by replacing rivals with loyalists in key positions. Wang Bin, the former chairman of China Life Insurance, was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole last month for involvement in bribery. Several other prominent banking or financial sector executives have been fined, imprisoned, or are under investigation for alleged crimes. Israel has used white phosphorus in its continuing military operations in Gaza and Lebanon, putting civilians at serious risk, Human Rights Watch has said, following an analysis of video of the conflict.
Human Rights Watch said it verified footage taken in Lebanon and Gaza on Tuesday and Wednesday, respectively, showing multiple uses of artillery-fired white phosphorus over the Gaza City port and two rural locations along the Israel-Lebanon border. Human Rights Watch also interviewed two people who described an attack in Gaza, the rights group said. HRW said the use of white phosphorus in densely populated areas violates Israel’s obligation under international law to take all feasible precautions to avoid harm to civilians. “Any time that white phosphorus is used in crowded civilian areas, it poses a high risk of excruciating burns and lifelong suffering,” Lama Fakih, HRW’s director for the Middle East and North Africa, said in a statement on Wednesday. “White phosphorus is unlawfully indiscriminate when airburst in populated urban areas, where it can burn down houses and cause egregious harm to civilians.” Israel should ban all use of “airburst” white phosphorus munitions in populated areas without exception, the rights group said, noting the availability of non-lethal alternatives.
Recently, actor and comedian Russell Brand has used his celebrity status and his internet-based show to lift up independent-minded people like US presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. He questioned the US and NATO involvement in the proxy war against Russia in Ukraine, as well as the mainstream media narrative on Covid-19.
The establishment neoliberals were having none of it. They turned their laser-guided coordinated attacks on Brand, and now he is facing cancelation, MeToo style. He’s been accused of rape and abuse by several women, and as a result has lost his YouTube ad revenue, has had his live shows canceled, has been dropped by his publisher, and has had shows featuring him removed from the BBC’s video-on-demand service, among other things. MeToo started out with a valiant goal, as a movement to empower women to speak out about sexual abuse where they had previously felt pressured into silence. All too quickly it got co-opted by political agendas, becoming a Democrat-backed hashtag used to attack and shut down those who disagree with the establishment narrative. It appears to have faded into relative obscurity since its roaring peak, and this zombie-like return of this style of cancelation comes off as both tiresome and disingenuous. I should know for two reasons: I worked for Democrats, and I was raped by one. The Democrat I was raped by at work is now the president of the United States. There was no investigation into Joe Biden for what he did to me that day, but rather a coordinated attack on me across social media and establishment media alike that lasted years. It destroyed my professional and personal life. The MeToo movement was nowhere to be found for me because the founder of Time’s Up, the primary organization that supported the movement, was on Biden’s payroll. Truth never stood a chance. Even when I came close to testifying before Congress, the DNC machine went full throttle at me, and then there was the part where I had to seek asylum in another country to avoid prosecution or violence. Now, I never expected instant justice. But I never got the justice of even an investigation into him.
I know what it’s like to have the narrative be locked and loaded for your complete destruction, and now so does Russell Brand. The facts on his alleged actions are murky and many of the accusers are anonymous. To date, no criminal charges, investigation, or civil cases have been filed. Just a blurry news program of innuendos latched onto by lap-dog Western media. The allegations against him were brought by Channel 4 Dispatches in a program called ‘Russell Brand: In Plain Sight’ and The Times. The allegations include rape and manipulation. As the news of the journalistic investigation spread, two shows dropped their episodes featuring Brand, and in only a few days, the trial by media had instigated his complete cancelation. Cases involving sexual misconduct, especially when they are about someone famous, are always a headline grabber.
That said, sexual assault and rape are difficult to publicly discuss. On a psychological level, rape is not about sex but power. On a legal level, the issue that swirls around any allegations of sexual assault is consent. Was there consent or not? It seems like a simple enough question, but when it comes to arguing legal definitions, it can get much more complicated, especially when you throw things like capacity to consent and withdrawal of consent into the mix. And then there’s the political level. Rape is a highly politicized issue in the US and the West in general, and no one can politicize it better than the Democrats. When a woman comes forward, her reputation often gets attacked, be it by slut-shaming or through allegations of fishing for attention. The MeToo mantra ‘believe all women’, when co-opted by the Democrat political agenda, is applied very selectively, and it becomes very easy to dismiss a politically inconvenient accuser by destroying her reputation. The accusations themselves then become a tool to deplatform or silence chosen targets. I know what it’s like to have the narrative be locked and loaded for your complete destruction, and now so does Russell Brand. The facts on his alleged actions are murky and many of the accusers are anonymous. To date, no criminal charges, investigation, or civil cases have been filed. Just a blurry news program of innuendos latched onto by lap-dog Western media. The allegations against him were brought by Channel 4 Dispatches in a program called ‘Russell Brand: In Plain Sight’ and The Times. The allegations include rape and manipulation. As the news of the journalistic investigation spread, two shows dropped their episodes featuring Brand, and in only a few days, the trial by media had instigated his complete cancelation. Cases involving sexual misconduct, especially when they are about someone famous, are always a headline grabber. That said, sexual assault and rape are difficult to publicly discuss. On a psychological level, rape is not about sex but power. On a legal level, the issue that swirls around any allegations of sexual assault is consent. Was there consent or not? It seems like a simple enough question, but when it comes to arguing legal definitions, it can get much more complicated, especially when you throw things like capacity to consent and withdrawal of consent into the mix. And then there’s the political level. Rape is a highly politicized issue in the US and the West in general, and no one can politicize it better than the Democrats. When a woman comes forward, her reputation often gets attacked, be it by slut-shaming or through allegations of fishing for attention. The MeToo mantra ‘believe all women’, when co-opted by the Democrat political agenda, is applied very selectively, and it becomes very easy to dismiss a politically inconvenient accuser by destroying her reputation. The accusations themselves then become a tool to deplatform or silence chosen targets. Three Indian martial arts athletes from a region claimed by China have been forced to pull out of the Asian Games in Hangzhou after not receiving clearance from the host country, media reports say.
The three women, competing as wushu fighters, are from the northeastern Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh, a region claimed almost in full by Beijing as “South Tibet”. Wushu, or kung fu, is a multidisciplinary martial art that originated in China. According to the Hindustan Times newspaper, the trio were approved to take part by the Hangzhou Asian Games Organising Committee but were unable to download their accreditation cards, which act as visas to enter China. The rest of the 10-member squad along with the coaching staff left for the games in Hangzhou on Wednesday, the newspaper reported. Neither the Indian Olympic Association nor the Ministry of External Affairs immediately responded to requests for comment by the Agence France-Presse news agency. The Indian wushu team did not travel to the Chinese city of Chengdu for the World University Games in July after the same three athletes were issued stapled, rather than pasted, visas – an indication that Beijing does not recognise India’s territorial claim over Arunachal Pradesh. That move triggered angry reactions from India with the foreign ministry saying it was “unacceptable”. Arunachal Pradesh is on the other side of the Himalayas from Tibet and shares a common Buddhist cultural heritage with its northern neighbour. The Dalai Lama fled through the state in 1959 after a failed uprising against Chinese rule in his homeland and has lived in India ever since. Beijing briefly occupied most of the territory in a bloody conflict three years after the Buddhist leader’s flight. This year, India reacted strongly after China renamed 11 places in the disputed region. New Delhi consistently maintains that the state has always been and will always be an “integral and inalienable part of India”. Klaus Schwab’s Daughter: ‘Permanent Climate Lockdowns Coming – Whether You Like It or Not’31/7/2023 According to Nicole Schwab, the COVID pandemic was a “tremendous opportunity” to test how the public would comply with the WEF’s plans to usher in their Great Reset agenda. The WEF’s promotion of the “climate emergency” narrative seeks to “create a change that is not incremental…to position nature at the core of the economy,” according to Schwab’s offspring.
Nicole Schwab made the admission in a newly unearthed video that was recorded during a WEF panel discussion back in 2020. The WEF lists Nicole Schwab as a “Member of the Executive Committee” of the WEF who is also the co-director of Platform to Accelerate Nature-Based Solutions & 1t.org. The group of WEF attendees were discussing how the fake threat of an “immediate emergency” can be used to further advance the WEF’s “Great Reset” plan for humanity. “This [COVID] crisis has shown us that first of all, things can shift very rapidly when we put our minds to it and when we feel the immediate emergency to our livelihoods,” Nicole Schwab declares. “And second, that clearly the system, I mean, you mentioned it earlier, that we had before is not sustainable.” “So I see it as a tremendous opportunity to really have this Great Reset and to use this huge flows of money — to use the increased levers that policymakers have today — in a way that was not possible before to create a change that is not incremental but that we can look back and we can say this is the moment where we really started to position nature at the core of the economy.” “Taking the point of view of business and economy and looking at where are there opportunities to create jobs and regenerate nature?” “And there are plenty of opportunities and this is again a mindset of actually innovation technology and a business growth can happen with a positive impact of nature and kind of laying out some of these examples.” “Regenerative agriculture is, of course, a huge part of that as well,” Schwab continued. “And one of the key reflection points here is also around engaging youth, and for me, it’s again, I come back to this shift in the mindset of the restoration generation can we conceive of ourselves as humans?” “I mean, you talked about a new humanity, I think you mentioned it right?” “Can we conceive of ourselves as a restoration generation?” “I think that’s where we need to go.” “I’m also hopeful that it’s possible, but I think it will take a lot of will, both political will but also in terms of the business actors, to break with business as usual but in a very serious way and to say we need to make very difficult choices.” “There are trade-offs but this is our chance and other, and this is about risk, and it’s about resilience because the shocks are coming are going to be even worse if we don’t do it now.” The WEF has been pushing the idea of “climate lockdowns” since Covid first emerged.In an article published by the WEF, the organization lauds how “billions” of people complied with Covid “restrictions.” The unelected organization continues by arguing that the public would do the same under the guise of reducing “carbon emissions.” Titled “My Carbon: An approach for inclusive and sustainable cities,” the article suggests that the same fear tactics could be used to impose further “restrictions” on the general public. The subject of the piece is how to convince people to adopt “personal carbon allowance programs.” Schwab’s group notes that improvements in tracking and surveillance technology are helping to overcome “political resistance” against such programs. “COVID-19 was the test of social responsibility,” the article notes. It continues by commending how “a huge number of unimaginable restrictions for public health were adopted by billions of citizens across the world.” “There were numerous examples globally of maintaining social distancing, wearing masks, mass vaccinations, and acceptance of contact-tracing applications for public health, which demonstrated the core of individual social responsibility,” the WEF adds. The organization goes on to cite how so many people complied with lockdown mandates, despite overwhelming evidence of the harmful consequences such restrictions had on society. The WEF then implies that the public would behave in a similarly obsequious manner in other areas of life. Human trafficking is a sinister and pervasive crime that plagues societies worldwide, involving the illegal trade and exploitation of vulnerable individuals, particularly children. Despite efforts to combat this heinous act, human trafficking continues to thrive due to its lucrative nature and the vulnerabilities of its victims. This essay delves into the origins of human trafficking and examines the heart-wrenching involvement of children in this global epidemic.
Origin of Human Trafficking: The roots of human trafficking can be traced back through history. Slavery, an archaic practice, was the precursor to contemporary trafficking, with people being forcefully transported across borders and sold as commodities. In recent times, globalization and technological advancements have intensified trafficking, making it easier for criminals to coordinate and exploit their victims. The most common forms of human trafficking include sex trafficking and forced labor. Factors such as poverty, political instability, armed conflicts, lack of education, and gender inequality contribute to the vulnerability of potential victims. Traffickers prey on individuals in dire straits, offering false promises of better lives and opportunities, only to enslave them in unimaginable conditions. Children in the Grasp of Traffickers: Children are among the most vulnerable and defenseless victims of human trafficking. They make up a significant portion of the global trafficking statistics, falling prey to manipulative tactics employed by traffickers.
Consequences for Trafficked Children: The consequences of child trafficking are devastating and often long-lasting. Physically, children suffer from abuse, malnutrition, and exposure to dangerous environments. Emotionally, they endure trauma, loss of self-esteem, and a profound sense of helplessness. Moreover, trafficked children are deprived of education and proper development, perpetuating a cycle of poverty and vulnerability. The Role of Law Enforcement and Society: Combating human trafficking requires a coordinated effort between law enforcement agencies, governments, NGOs, and society at large. Raising awareness about this issue is crucial to prevent trafficking and to support the victims who have already fallen prey to its horrors. Law enforcement agencies must strengthen their efforts to dismantle trafficking networks, prosecute traffickers, and provide protection and rehabilitation for survivors. Governments should enact and enforce stricter laws against human trafficking, ensuring the penalties are severe enough to act as a deterrent. Human trafficking is a grave human rights violation that inflicts unimaginable suffering upon millions, especially children, worldwide. The origin of this heinous practice lies in complex socio-economic factors, and the involvement of children highlights the darkest side of human trafficking. Eradicating this evil requires a global commitment to protect vulnerable children, dismantle trafficking networks, and prosecute offenders. Only through collective action can we hope to bring an end to the heart-wrenching tragedy of child trafficking and create a safer and more compassionate world for all. In recent years, the phrase "Go Woke, Go Broke" has gained significant traction in public discourse. It suggests that businesses and organizations that adopt progressive values and social causes eventually face financial ruin. This narrative implies that societal progress and profitability are inherently incompatible, painting a misleading picture of the complex relationship between corporate activism and the bottom line. However, upon closer examination, it becomes clear that the reality is far more nuanced than this simplistic slogan suggests.
The Changing Landscape of Consumer Expectations: The modern marketplace is witnessing a significant shift in consumer expectations. Today's consumers are not just interested in products or services; they are increasingly concerned about the values and ethical practices of the companies they engage with. Younger generations, in particular, are more likely to support and be loyal to brands that align with their social, environmental, and ethical values. Companies that recognize and adapt to these changing dynamics are often better positioned to thrive in the long run. By embracing corporate social responsibility, businesses can foster strong customer loyalty, attract new demographics, and differentiate themselves from their competitors. In this context, it becomes clear that "going woke" can be a shrewd business strategy, rather than a recipe for failure. The Power of Authenticity and Purpose: Successful companies are not merely jumping on the bandwagon of social causes for the sake of virtue signaling. Authenticity and genuine commitment to the values they espouse are crucial. Brands that wholeheartedly integrate their purpose and values into their DNA are more likely to resonate with consumers and build lasting relationships. Consumers today are adept at spotting shallow attempts to capitalize on social issues. When companies engage in token gestures or superficial gestures without genuine dedication, they risk damaging their reputation and losing consumer trust. Therefore, the key lies in sincere alignment with values and a sustained commitment to making a positive impact. The Positive Outcomes of Corporate Activism: Contrary to the "Go Woke, Go Broke" narrative, numerous examples exist that debunk the notion that embracing progressive causes leads to financial ruin. In fact, many companies have experienced increased brand equity and profitability by engaging in activism. For instance, companies like Patagonia, Ben & Jerry's, and Nike have successfully merged social activism with their core business strategies, resonating with their target demographics and generating substantial profits. Furthermore, research studies have shown a positive correlation between corporate social responsibility and financial performance. Companies that invest in sustainability, diversity and inclusion, and ethical practices have been found to outperform their competitors over the long term. The "Go Woke, Go Broke" narrative oversimplifies the complex relationship between corporate activism and financial success. Rather than being a zero-sum game, it is clear that progressive values and profitability can coexist and even reinforce one another. In an evolving marketplace where consumers increasingly demand ethical behavior and purpose-driven initiatives, companies that genuinely embrace these principles are more likely to thrive. While it is true that any business decision carries inherent risks, the notion that adopting socially responsible stances leads inevitably to financial ruin is misguided. Companies must focus on authenticity, purpose, and a genuine commitment to social causes to navigate this landscape successfully. By doing so, they can create a positive impact on society while simultaneously securing their long-term prosperity.
According to EU code, tech platforms like Twitter are connected with “fact-checkers, civil society, and third-party organizations with specific expertise on disinformation.” In other words, avid gatekeepers of the establishment narrative. And on August 25th, adherence will no longer be voluntary.
The EU should consider getting out of the control freak business if it truly wants to help the European free press. Maybe then, journalists here in Europe trying our best to fully inform our audiences against information barriers created by Brussels won’t have to redirect our internet connections to places like Vietnam, Mexico, Turkey, or Brazil in order to access information and sources that the EU doesn’t like.
It is important to note that the woke movement is a complex and diverse phenomenon, encompassing a range of perspectives and approaches. Its historical base is multifaceted and draws from various social, intellectual, and cultural movements that have challenged inequality and advocated for social justice.
Imagine, for a moment, that the government of Cuba was demanding the extradition of an Australian publisher in the United Kingdom for exposing Cuban military crimes. Imagine that these crimes had included a 2007 massacre by helicopter-borne Cuban soldiers of a dozen Iraqi civilians, among them two journalists for the Reuters news agency.
Now imagine that, if extradited from the UK to Cuba, the Australian publisher would face up to 175 years in a maximum-security prison, simply for having done what media professionals are ostensibly supposed to do: report reality. Finally, imagine the reaction of the United States to such Cuban conduct, which would invariably consist of impassioned squawking about human rights and democracy and a call for the universal vilification of Cuba. Of course, it doesn’t take a stretch of the imagination to deduce that the above scenario is a rearranged version of true events, and that the publisher in question is WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange. The antagonising nation is not Cuba but rather the US itself, which is responsible for not only the obliteration of Assange’s individual human rights but also a stunning array of far more macro-level assaults on people across the world. As per the US narrative, Assange’s WikiLeaks endeavours endangered the lives of people in Iraq, Afghanistan, and elsewhere – although it would seem like one surefire way to not endanger lives in such places would be to not blow them up in the first place. It is furthermore perplexing that a nation for which military slaughter is an institutionalised pastime should make such a selective stink about the exposure of certain gory details. Granted, footage of defenceless civilians being picked off at close range like videogame targets by a laughing helicopter crew does little to uphold Americans’ projected role as the “good guys” – a façade that is key in terms of justifying the country’s self-presumed right to wreak international havoc as it pleases. Had Assange wanted to save his own skin, he could have stuck to the sort of imperial propaganda that functions as mainstream journalism, a field that was itself instrumental in selling the wars on Afghanistan and Iraq to the US public. Instead, he is incarcerated at Belmarsh prison in southeast London, awaiting extradition to the so-called “land of the free” while serving as a veritable case study in prolonged psychological torture, as documented back in 2019 by the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture. In a caustic letter addressed to King Charles ahead of his recent coronation, Assange described himself as a “political prisoner, held at your majesty’s pleasure on behalf of an embarrassed foreign sovereign”. He observed: “One can truly know the measure of a society by how it treats its prisoners, and your kingdom has surely excelled in that regard”. The embarrassed foreign sovereign has certainly exhibited excellence in that realm, as well, boasting the highest incarceration rate on the planet and an impressive track record of executing innocent people. To be sure, domestic efforts to sentence a citizen of another country to 175 years in prison for telling the truth is also a pretty good indication that something is very, very wrong with a society. Then there’s the whole matter of the United States’ offshore penal colony in Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, the former CIA torture den and persistent judicial black hole into which the US has sought to disappear some of the human fallout of its forever wars. Indeed, the fact the US feels entitled to call out the Cuban government for its own “political prisoners” while operating an illegal prison on occupied Cuban territory can be safely filed under the category of mind-blowingly sinister hypocrisy. If only there were more journalists who wanted to talk about such things. But just like you can’t cover up the crimes of Guantánamo by classifying prisoners’ artwork, you can’t hide the horrors of US policy by effectively redacting Julian Assange out of existence. It’s the old kill-the-messenger approach – in which the “killing” takes the form of long-drawn-out psychological erosion conducted in tandem with a campaign to normalise the idea that Assange should be behind bars for eternity-plus. In the end, the assault on Assange is not just your average disproportionate imperial conniption fit. Whatever the ultimate outcome, it has already set a perilous precedent in criminalising not only freedom of speech and the press but also – if you think about it – freedom of thought. Although Australian officials are making increasing noise agitating for Assange’s release, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has refused to say whether he will address the issue with US President Joe Biden at the Quad Leaders’ Summit in Sydney on May 24. And as the forever wars of the US rage on increasingly out of sight, so, too, does the forever war on Julian Assange. The Los Angeles city council has authorized the use of a robotic “dog” device by the local police department, despite protests from residents and some dissenting council members. New York previously unveiled similar tech and faced major public backlash.
City lawmakers voted 8-4 on Tuesday to approve a donation of a “Quadruped Unmanned Ground Vehicle” to the LAPD from the non-profit Los Angeles Police Foundation, which supplied the $277,000-robot to the force free of charge. Designed and manufactured by Boston Dynamics, the robotic dog is capable of navigating terrain and buildings autonomously, and can be equipped with a wide range of surveillance gear, sensors and other “payloads.” For police, it is generally intended for use in dangerous situations that could put officers at risk, acting as an extra set of eyes and ears for the department. However, the new addition to the LAPD faced sharp criticism from residents, with several citizens slamming the council’s decision during public comments on Tuesday. One local said “I don’t want to arm [artificial intelligence],” while another declared that the use of the robot would eventually lead to “robot cops,” asking “Didn’t you guys see that movie iRobot or Terminator?” Yet another citizen said the city council’s public comment period was “clearly performative,” accusing local lawmakers of ignoring the wishes of their constituents.“After listening to overwhelming public comments, you vote the opposite way. New York City and San Francisco have already rejected these robot dogs. The LAPD does not need military weapons,” they said. New York’s decision in 2020 to employ the robotic dog, which the NYPD dubbed ‘Digidog,’ proved equally controversial, with the city cutting short its first contract to lease the device after New Yorkers decried the tech as Orwellian. However, officials later reversed course and returned the dog to the force last month, with police commissioner Keechant Sewell stating it would be used in a way that is “transparent, consistent and always done in close collaboration with the people we serve.” US Vice President Kamala Harris has been appointed to head a new artificial intelligence initiative in partnership with leading companies in the field, the White House announced in a press release on Thursday. Harris and other senior officials in the administration of President Joe Biden will meet with the CEOs of Alphabet, Anthropic, Microsoft, and OpenAI to remind them of their “responsibility to make sure their products are safe before they are deployed or made public.” The meeting is intended to keep the companies on track toward “driving responsible, trustworthy and ethical innovation with safeguards that mitigate risks and potential harms to individuals and our society,” according to the White House, which referenced recent executive orders and official statements reminding tech companies that their products were subject to civil rights law and other protections against unlawful discrimination.
The four companies, along with Hugging Face, NVIDIA, and Stability AI, will also submit to a public evaluation of their capabilities by thousands of industry experts and other curious members of the public at DEFCON 31, the Las Vegas hacking convention that has repeatedly put the insecurity of the US’ voting machines on display by giving children a chance to hack them. The White House also announced the creation of seven new National AI Research Institutes focusing on climate, agriculture, energy, public health, education, and cybersecurity, explaining the new institutes would “support the development of a diverse AI workforce” with $140 million in funding from the National Science Foundation. The administration is also giving the public the chance to weigh in on government AI policy starting this summer, according to the press release. Tasked with stemming the flow of migrants over the US’ southern border upon taking office in 2021, Harris instead presided over a record amount of illegal immigration, earning her the lowest approval rating of any modern US vice president. Last year, she was assigned with developing a blueprint for fighting “disinformation,” harassment and abuse online despite having no experience in the technology sector. While hundreds of experts in the AI field have called for a moratorium on, or at least a dramatic slowdown of, AI development until internationally agreed-upon safety measures can be put in place, the US has thus far shied away from issuing any strong statements about the technology. Last month, Biden met with his Council of Advisors on Science and Technology to discuss the “risks and opportunities” in the field but declined to address the experts’ warnings while admitting AI “could be” dangerous. |
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