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Global report highlights increased workplace violence and harassment for migrant workers, urges ratification of ILO Convention 190

A global report by Lloyd’s Register Foundation reveals heightened workplace violence and harassment for foreign-born and financially struggling workers, urging countries to ratify ILO Convention 190 as a priority to address these issues.

UN voices ‘concern’ that US tapping its communications

The UN has formally expressed its “concern” to the United States after press reports revealed surveillance of Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’s communications

US arrests two over Chinese ‘police station’ in New York

Two men have been arrested in New York for setting up a Chinese “police station” to monitor and harass US-based dissidents. The arrests of Harry Lu Jianwang and Chen Jinping are the first anywhere over a suspected campaign by China to establish surreptitious police posts in countries around the world.

Musk says he is out to create ‘truth-seeking’ AI

Elon Musk has announced plans to create “TruthGPT,” an absolute truth-seeking AI to counter Microsoft and Google’s efforts in artificial intelligence. He expressed concerns that OpenAI’s ChatGPT bot was being taught to be politically correct and revealed his worry that AI has “the potential of civilizational destruction.” Musk formed X.AI, an artificial intelligence corporation, and merged Twitter with a newly created “X” shell company. He joined experts in signing an open letter calling for a hiatus in the development of AI technology.

Canada public broadcaster CBC quits Twitter over ‘government-funded’ label

Canadian public broadcaster CBC and its French-language version Radio-Canada are quitting Twitter due to the government-funded label questioning their editorial independence. Following NPR and the BBC, CBC and Radio-Canada stated that Twitter’s “government-funded media” tag is false and deceptive as their editorial independence is protected under Canadian broadcasting law. They will pause their corporate Twitter account and all CBC and Radio-Canada news-related accounts. The broadcaster urged Canadians to follow it on other social media.

PM Anwar could propel human rights at the center of a global conversation

The upcoming attendance of Malaysia’s Prime Minister Anwar at the 75th anniversary commemoration of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR75) could have important symbolic implications for promoting human rights in Southeast Asia and beyond. While human rights are not currently established as a pillar of the strategic framework guiding the work of the Anwar government, they are considered key cross-cutting elements at its foundations. The Prime Minister, who has long been involved in promoting an enlightened version of Islam that embraces human rights and human dignity, now has the opportunity to launch a new global agenda entitled “Human Rights for Responsive Good Governance and Sustainable Development”. This initiative could encourage other middle and developing nations to commit to upholding their human rights commitments and ensure that human rights are central to any new vision for the ASEAN bloc.

Macron signs France pension reform into law despite protests

French President Emmanuel Macron has signed his controversial pension reform into law, raising the retirement age from 62 to 64, despite months of protests and opposition from unions. The alterations became law after being approved by the Constitutional Council. Unions have called for mass protests on 1 May, and some violent demonstrations have already occurred. The battle over the legislation has been Macron’s biggest domestic challenge, leading to low approval ratings and widespread opposition to the changes.

G7 faces pressure on fossil fuel pledges at Japan climate talks

G7 climate ministers face pressure to uphold fossil fuel commitments at their meeting in Japan, amid the UN’s warning of 1.5C of warming in a decade. Foreign investments in gas and domestic decarbonisation are proving contentious, with the energy crisis squeezing the bloc. Climate policy thinks tank E3G warns that backsliding risks undercutting G7’s claim to provide global leadership on confronting the climate emergency. A draft G7 statement calls for global greenhouse gas emissions to peak by 2025 at the latest and a 60% reduction by 2035 from 2019 levels.

Montana lawmakers vote to ban TikTok in US state

Lawmakers in Montana voted in favour of a total ban on TikTok due to accusations that the app is a tool of the Chinese Communist Party. The bill would require Apple and Google to remove TikTok from their app stores and impose daily fines of US$10,000 for violations. The proposed ban would take effect in 2024 and faces almost certain legal challenges, given its unprecedented nature in the United States. This bill is the latest conflict in the ongoing feud between TikTok and several Western governments.

Trump financial disclosure reveals post-presidency earnings

Former US President Donald Trump has filed his first post-presidential financial disclosure, revealing earnings from sources including speaking engagements and a golf and real estate development project in Oman. Trump reported earning between US$100,000 and US$1 million from his NFT digital trading cards, more than US$5 million from speaking engagements and no more than US$200 from his social media platform Truth Social. Trump has previously refused to release his tax returns while in office and took legal action to block congressional requests for them.