Every Monday, the Research Trainees of the CERESE assess the news of the previous week. You can read their opinions below:

I liked the news that the EU passed a law on artificial intelligence. The European Parliament has approved a comprehensive regulation on AI, that will help in the existence of a regulatory framework. During the Spanish presidency of the EU, the aim is to ban intrusive and discriminatory uses of artificial intelligence, especially biometric identification systems and categorization, according to racial characteristics. It also provides for the vetoing of preventive police surveillance to assess the risk of an individual or group of individuals committing a crime or offense (based on the profile, location, or criminal history of those individuals), as well as sentiment recognition systems.

I like the news that the Met Museum trains soldiers to save Ukrainian cultural heritage. Curators are teaching military officers to save imperiled treasures. The training is a part of the Army’s revived program to deploy officers with arts training in a military capacity to keep works in conflict zones — a new generation of the Monuments Men who recovered millions of European treasures looted by the Nazis during World War II.

I dislike the fact that Islamist extremist insurgents in north-eastern Nigeria have killed at least seven farmers, heightening concerns about food security in the region. The attack targeted farmers working in fields near the Mollai area of Borno state. This incident underscores the ongoing violence and instability that plagues the region, resulting in significant loss of life and mass displacement. The United Nations warns that limited funding for humanitarian assistance could exacerbate the risk of famine.

Idislike the news that no president was elected in Lebanon for the 12th time. Lebanon’s parliament failed to elect a president for the 12th time, who, under the country’s constitution, must be a Maronite Christian. Lebanon is sinking deeper into crisis as Hezbollah and its allies blocked an attempt by their rivals to elect a president, exacerbating inter-religious tensions and reducing hopes for a recovery of a shattered state.