France Mocked U.S. for Human Rights Vote, Then Quietly Apologized

10:08 AM ETDeveloping

Politics Desk

In Short: France recently apologized for criticizing the U.S. on human rights, as a cross-party group of MPs and peers in the UK called for new laws to address AI's impact on human rights.

France has recently apologized for previously mocking the U.S. over its handling of human rights, according to reports. Meanwhile, a cross-party group of MPs and peers in the UK has called for new laws to address the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on human rights, citing numerous abuses and threats posed by the technology.

The Joint Committee on Human Rights (JCHR) published a report calling for a new bill on AI to 'address the scale and seriousness' of the threats it poses to human rights, according to the BBC. The report highlights the use of AI to create sexualized images of women and girls, and scanning people's faces without consent as examples of such abuses.

In a related development, as the U.S. grapples with legal battles over vote-by-mail restrictions, people are encouraged to vote early and use ballot drop boxes. California's Secretary of State Shirley Weber, who is running for reelection, emphasized the importance of protecting voting rights, especially for those born in the Jim Crow South.

The fight over voting rights is personal to Weber, who wrote in CalMatters, 'As someone who was born in the Jim Crow South, the fight over voting rights is personal to me, and I will do everything in my power to protect your right to vote.

What's still developing

As more than 20 states and the Trump administration continue their legal battle over whether Trump can force the U.S. Postal Service to restrict vote-by-mail ballots in time for the Nov. 3 election, people are taking to social media to encourage others to vote early and use ballot drop boxes rather than rely on the mail, writes CalMatters’ Maya C.
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President Donald Trump’s efforts to limit mail-in voting could encourage something that election officials and voting advocates have struggled to do for years: Get people to vote earlier.
Trump’s plan would have the postal service refuse to deliver ballots in states that withhold data on eligible voters.
Landmark motion declaring local flora has the ‘right to flourish’ passes unanimously Landmark motion declaring local flora has the ‘right to flourish’ passes unanimously Lewes in East Sussex has become the first town in England to officially grant rights to its trees, following a local council vote to adopt a new municipal "Tree Charter".
The measure, approved by Lewes Town Council in a unanimous vote on Thursday, formally acknowledges the “intrinsic value” of all local trees, hedgerows, and forests.
Globally, the decision aligns Lewes with a growing international "rights of nature" movement, where countries including Bolivia, Panama, and New Zealand have passed national legislation granting legal personhood to forests and rivers.

Sources

The Independentlink