© Unsplash/X. Khan A driverless car at an intersection in San Francisco. Top news of the day | Wednesday: Middle East, Sudan, driverless cars UN
The main news of the day in the UN and in the world: mass evacuation of sailors begins in the Strait of Hormuz, fighting continues in Sudan’s North Kordofan, Lebanese residents have begun to return to their homes, the first global rules for driverless cars have been agreed upon.
Evacuation from the Strait of Hormuz
The International Maritime Organization (IMO) has published details of its plan to evacuate more than 11,000 sailors trapped in the Strait of Hormuz. These efforts are directly related to ongoing negotiations between Iran and the United States, which are being conducted in accordance with a previously signed memorandum of understanding. If the plan is successfully implemented, the number of ships passing through the strait will return to pre-war levels. The agency is already contacting the courts through officers on the ground to begin the operation. It is planned that between 500 and 600 commercial vessels will take part.
Violence in Sudan
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs warns that ongoing fighting threatens civilians in El Obeid, the capital of Sudan’s North Kordofan state. The World Health Organization (WHO) has pre-positioned emergency supplies in the area, including supplies for first aid, disease prevention and outbreak response, reproductive, maternal and child health and nutrition support. These supplies are enough to provide assistance to more than 25 thousand people.
The situation in Lebanon
According to the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, more and more Lebanese families are returning to their hometowns or are considering returning to the south of the country. As of last Friday, the number of people living in collective accommodation centers had fallen from 103,000 to about 72,000 across the country. However, security risks remain a major concern, in particular from the presence of unexploded ordnance and other explosive remnants of war. (ECE) UN, approved the first global regulatory framework for fully autonomous driving systems. The new document establishes uniform international safety requirements and a common methodology for certification of such vehicles. The rules will come into force in about a month.