Saturday, August 22, 2026

"And whatever shape the first major AI-related disaster takes, it won’t impact all countries, companies and people equally. It therefore seems unlikely that just one disaster will be enough to bring us humans to our senses, acting together to control the superhuman power we are creating. I really hate to say this, but … an AI Hiroshima? We should be so lucky." Timothy Garton Ash in The Guardian

Illustration: Yuichiro Chino/Getty Images

Would even an AI disaster on the scale of Hiroshima be enough to make humankind protect itself? I fear not

Timothy Garton Ash in The Guardian

It’s clear here in Silicon Valley that AI is advancing faster than humans’ ability to control it. That means even sober prophecies seem optimistic

Here in Silicon Valley, the experts think that within the next couple of years we’ll see an extraordinary takeoff for artificial intelligence. “Welcome to the foothills of the singularity,” as a Stanford University friend greeted me. More prosaically, the imminent breakthrough is described as “recursive self-improvement” – the point at which AI itself trains each successive model of AI, resulting in an exponential development to something which, in many significant respects, is more intelligent than us humans.

As Robert Wright puts it in his book The God Test: “Never before has the near-term future … held such a wide array of not-implausible paths for humankind that would be so wildly transformative.” But will this be heaven or hell?... READ MORE https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/aug/22/ai-disaster-hiroshima-humankind-silicon-valley-technology

[AS ALWAYS PLEASE GO TO THE LINK TO READ GOOD ARTICLES (or quotes or watch videos) IN FULL: HELP SHAPE ALGORITHMS (and conversations) THAT EMPOWER DECENCY, DIGNITY, JUSTICE & PEACE... and hopefully Palestine]

Former British and French diplomats urge action over Israel’s ‘erasure’ of Palestine. In letter to Macron and Burnham, more than 100 senior figures accuse Israel of ethnic cleansing and call for measures including trade ban

The diplomats’ letter states: ‘Nothing justifies Israel’s systematic policy of destruction of Gaza and its population.’

Photograph: Mahmoud Issa/Reuters

Patrick Wintour Diplomatic editor

Sat 22 Aug 2026 05.00 EDT

More than 100 French and British former diplomats have said Palestine is being erased in front of the world’s eyes and called for urgent action including trade and arms sales bans to press Israel to accept a Palestinian state.

An unprecedented joint letter dispenses with diplomatic language by accusing Israel of ethnic cleansing and warning that the world no longer sees Israel as a genuine democracy.

Arguing that Britain and France played a key role in the formation of the modern-day Middle East and noting that both countries took the step of recognising Palestine as a state in 2025, the diplomats contend that their countries now have a responsibility “to make common cause on the region’s fundamental fault line – equal rights for Israeli and Palestinians”.

The letter, addressed to the French president, Emmanuel Macron, and the British prime minister, Andy Burnham, has been signed by 52 French former diplomats and 50 British former ambassadors, many of whom served in the Middle East, in senior posts in Egypt, Iran, Bahrain, Israel, Syria, Turkey, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Qatar.

The list of... READ MORE https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/aug/22/uk-france-diplomats-israel-palestine

“I ask—they hate it when I say this, but I can’t help myself—‘What if I know my rights, and the government knows my rights, but they just don’t care?’ ” Mahmoud Khalil

The Trump Administration says that Khalil’s statements would be lawful except that they compromise “core American interests.”Photograph by Sharif Hamza for The New Yorker

How Far Will the Trump Administration Go to Deport Mahmoud Khalil?

Khalil, a legal permanent resident, protested Israel when he was a student at Columbia. Now the Trump Administration is trying to kick him out of the country.

By Andrew Marantz
August 17, 2026

Published in the print edition of the August 24 & 31, 2026, issue, with the headline “Fighting Words.”

It may or may not be true that all happy families are alike, but it’s certainly true that any married couple with a car, happy or unhappy, must at some point decide who will do the driving. For Mahmoud Khalil and his wife, Noor Abdalla, this was not a difficult decision. Khalil, who is thirty-one, spent his youth in a Palestinian refugee camp in Damascus, where he didn’t have much time for driving lessons; until recently, he was on track to become a high-level diplomat, a career that usually involves not driving but being driven. Abdalla, on the other hand, was born and raised in Flint, Michigan, and she learned to drive before she could see easily over the dashboard. (She is still short enough that this seems to require some effort, though she is now a thirty-year-old dentist who until recently had a daily commute.) In the inveterate American tradition, she treats her car as a second living room. “It’s where I’m most comfortable,” she said this past fall, giving her steering wheel an affectionate pat.

It was a Tuesday in October, just after dawn, and a pink sun was rising over the oil-distillation towers of northern New Jersey. Abdalla was making good time from Brooklyn to the federal courthouse in Philadelphia, where the couple would observe oral arguments in what Khalil dryly called “one of my cases.” He sat in the passenger seat, holding a phone in each hand: his own, from which he texted members of his sprawling pro-bono legal team, and Abdalla’s, which he used to d.j. The music, mostly old Levantine folk songs, was interrupted every now and then by a notification from a navigation app, in English: “Police ahead.”

Khalil moved to Manhattan in 2022, and he adapted quickly to American culture. (In a sense, he even came to inhabit that most American of identities: an influencer.) At Columbia, where he was a master’s student in public and international affairs, he became perhaps the most visible pro-Palestine activist... READ MORE https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2026/08/24/how-far-will-the-trump-administration-go-to-deport-mahmoud-khalil

Friday, August 21, 2026

"59 years of predatory occupation. 1,049 days of genocide. 7 governments. One statement. Zero sanctions. And it even misses the international law obligation: per the ICJ 2024 Advisory Opinion, it's the occupation itself -not just the E1 plans- that must end. So: Cut trade now. " Francesca Albanese, UN Special Rapporteur oPt, Int'l Lawyer | Scholar | Former UN Official | Sen.Adviser"

Int'l Lawyer | Scholar | Former UN Official | Sen.Adviser @ARDD

@ar_renaissance #Ahimsa: non-violence toward all beings.

Francesca Albanese, UN Special Rapporteur oPt

@FranceskAlbs

59 years of predatory occupation.

1,049 days of genocide.

7 governments.

One statement.

Zero sanctions.

And it even misses the international law obligation: per the ICJ 2024 Advisory Opinion, it's the occupation itself -not just the E1 plans- that must end.

So: Cut trade now.

https://x.com/FranceskAlbs/status/2090714085272780852

UK Prime Minister

@10DowningStreet

Joint statement from the leaders of the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Norway and Canada.

Thursday, August 20, 2026

"Today the UN flag is lowered globally in solidarity with over 1,000 aid workers killed in past three years. We lower our flags. We remember our friends and colleagues. We demand accountability for those who killed them." Tom Fletcher

Tom Fletcher

@UNReliefChief

Aug 19

Today the UN flag is lowered globally in solidarity with over 1,000 aid workers killed in past three years. We lower our flags. We remember our friends and colleagues. We demand accountability for those who killed them.

"The sad truth is that the income gap keeps widening between ordinary American families and the billionaires who make the decisions that affect our lives." Francine Prose

Has Trump no shame about all the money he has made since being in office?

By now we know that charity, generosity and compassion are virtues that the US president doesn’t seem to have even in trace amounts

Francine Prose

Thu 20 Aug 2026

"... How can you, in good conscience, continue to amass so much disposable wealth when so many everyday Americans are struggling to fill their gas tanks and avoid losing their homes?

By now we know that charity, generosity and compassion – and conscience – are virtues that our president doesn’t seem to have even in trace amounts.

It’s impossible to imagine him following the examples set by billionaires such as Melinda Gates and Mackenzie Scott, who have pledged and made huge contributions to good causes.

Closely related to the mystery of why one man thinks he deserves and needs so much is the question of how anyone who has ever returned a grocery item back to the shelves after some bad news at the checkout counter can support a man who flaunts his extreme wealth and ignores their worsening hardships.

The only answer I can see is that Trump’s fortune is aspirational. It’s an aspect of the American dream that, despite the evidence, people still hope to attain. If Trump amassed those billions, maybe we can, too.

The sad truth is that the income gap keeps widening between ordinary American families and the billionaires who make the decisions that affect our lives" ... READ MORE https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/aug/20/trump-money-earnings-billionaires

Zohran Mamdani and Donald Trump at the White House. ‘Despite clashing, the leftwing mayor and the rightwing president continue to talk.’ Photograph: Reuters

The Guardian view on global inequality: extreme wealth threatens democracy

Editorial

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/aug/18/the-guardian-view-on-global-inequality-extreme-wealth-threatens-democracy

Tuesday, August 18, 2026

4 principles guide the United Nation's humanitarian work: Humanity + Neutrality + Impartiality + Independence

United Nations

@UN

Humanity

Neutrality

Impartiality

Independence

These 4 principles guide the UN's humanitarian work. Learn more ahead of Wednesday's #WorldHumanitarianDay: un.org/en/observances

https://x.com/UN/status/2089683981998395798

Let’s make protecting each other our greatest achievement

On 19 August, we mark World Humanitarian Day: a time to honour humanitarian workers and to stand with people affected by crises around the world.

When lives are at risk, the people who come to help should never be targets. Yet humanitarian workers continue to be killed, injured, abducted, detained and obstructed while carrying out their work. Most are national staff serving their own communities.

Under international humanitarian law, civilians — including humanitarian and medical personnel — must be respected and protected. Parties to armed conflict must allow and facilitate humanitarian relief for people in need, in accordance with international humanitarian law.

Attacks on humanitarian personnel have consequences far beyond the individuals directly affected. They interrupt food deliveries, health care, protection and other life-saving services, leaving communities with even fewer ways to survive and recover.

Concern is not protection. Condemnation is not accountability.

International law and humanitarian principles must be upheld in practice. Preventing attacks, protecting humanitarian access and ensuring accountability are essential to preserving life and human dignity.

This World Humanitarian Day, we call on States and parties to armed conflict to:

Respect and protect civilians, humanitarian personnel and medical personnel.
Allow and facilitate safe, rapid and unimpeded humanitarian access, in accordance with international humanitarian law.
Prevent arbitrary arrest and detention, and release humanitarian workers who are unlawfully detained.
Conduct prompt, impartial and effective investigations into alleged violations and ensure accountability in accordance with international law.
Support survivors and the families of humanitarian workers who have been killed or injured.
Strengthen practical measures that help keep humanitarian personnel safe, including appropriate equipment and technology, security training, and mental health and psychosocial support.

bright red background showing a map of earth inside a white heart stating 'World Humanitarian Day'

Join the #ActForHumanity campaign

Protecting humanitarian workers protects the people who depend on them for food, health care, shelter, protection and hope. Let’s make protecting each other our greatest achievement.

Use your voice: Share verified campaign information and call for the protection of civilians and humanitarian personnel using #ActForHumanity.
Support humanitarian action: Support organizations delivering life-saving assistance, particularly local and national responders working in their own communities.
Stand for accountability: Call for respect for international humanitarian law and for credible investigations and accountability when violations occur.
Remember the people behind the numbers: Honour humanitarian workers who have been killed and stand with their families, colleagues and communities.

Protecting those who help others

Every life is more than a number

Every humanitarian worker killed leaves behind family members, friends, colleagues and communities whose lives are forever changed. World Humanitarian Day honours their lives, service and legacy, while renewing the call to protect those who continue this work.

Local humanitarian workers face the greatest risks

Most humanitarian personnel affected by violence are national staff working in the places where they live. Protection efforts must reflect the risks they face and ensure that local and national responders have the resources, training and support they need.

Drones and other emerging war technologies

From armed drones to artificial intelligence, the technology of war is changing. Our humanity cannot. Whatever weapons or technologies are used, parties to armed conflict remain bound by international humanitarian law.

All feasible precautions must be taken to avoid, and in any event minimize, civilian harm.
Human judgment and accountability must remain central to decisions involving the use of lethal force.
Humanitarian and medical personnel, their facilities, vehicles and work must be respected and protected.
Technology used to identify or track humanitarian operations must never be misused to target them.

Background

On 19 August 2003, a bomb attack on the Canal Hotel in Baghdad, Iraq, killed 22 humanitarian workers, including the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Iraq, Sergio Vieira de Mello. Five years later, the United Nations General Assembly adopted resolution 63/139, designating 19 August as World Humanitarian Day.

Each year, World Humanitarian Day brings together partners from across the humanitarian system to advocate for the survival, well-being and dignity of people affected by crises, and for the safety and security of humanitarian workers.

World Humanitarian Day is a campaign by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

2026 Campaign Message

The time for concern is over. The time for consequence is now.

Join the campaign! #ACTFORHUMANITY now!

Facts & Figures

By the end of May 2026, more than 252 million people were in urgent need of humanitarian assistance and protection — 13 million more than when the 2026 Global Humanitarian Overview was launched. (source)
At mid-year, humanitarian partners were planning to assist 143.2 million people, with nearly 89 million people facing the most severe needs prioritized for life-saving support. (source)
By the end of April 2026, humanitarian partners had provided an estimated 45.2 million people with at least one form of assistance or protection — about one in six of all people in need. (source)
As of 31 May 2026, humanitarian plans required US$33.66 billion and had received US$8.21 billion — 24.4 per cent of the amount required. (source)
OCHA reported that at least 326 humanitarian workers were killed across 21 countries in 2025, bringing the number killed over the three-year period to more than 1,000. (source)
The United Nations recorded more than 37,000 civilian deaths across 20 armed conflicts in 2025 — approximately one recorded civilian death every 14 minutes. The figure is a documented minimum and does not represent the full toll. (source)

Figures reflect the reporting dates indicated in the cited sources and may be revised as additional information becomes available.

Annie's New Letters (& notes)

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Saturday, August 22, 2026

Would even an AI disaster on the scale of Hiroshima be enough to make humankind protect itself? I fear not

Former British and French diplomats urge action over Israel’s ‘erasure’ of Palestine. In letter to Macron and Burnham, more than 100 senior figures accuse Israel of ethnic cleansing and call for measures including trade ban

“I ask—they hate it when I say this, but I can’t help myself—‘What if I know my rights, and the government knows my rights, but they just don’t care?’ ” Mahmoud Khalil

How Far Will the Trump Administration Go to Deport Mahmoud Khalil?