World in Brief - The Economist Roundup

 World in Brief

The Economist Roundup

March 30, 2024

Israeli strikes killed dozens of Palestinians in Gaza, with intense fighting around al-Shifa hospital. The hospital, Gaza City’s largest, has been one of the few health-care facilities in the area to remain somewhat open, and has also been used as a shelter for displaced civilians. An official from America’s State Department told Reuters that famine might already be “present” in some areas of northern Gaza. On Thursday the UN’s top court warned that “famine is setting in” and ordered Israel to admit more food aid into the territory.

Israel’s High Court ordered a freeze on funding for religious institutions whose ultra-Orthodox students have not registered for military service despite being eligible for conscription. The ruling intensifies the in-fighting in the coalition government over whether young Haredi men should be obliged to fight. Ultra-Orthodox parties want to codify an exemption in law, which many Israelis and some in the coalition government oppose.

Donald Tusk, Poland’s prime minister, said Europe is entering a “pre-war era” and urged European countries to increase defence spending. Mr Tusk also called for more military aid for Ukraine in its war against Russia as the next two years would “decide everything”. The comments came days after Russia launched an aerial assault on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.

Palestinians commemorate Land Day

On Saturday Israeli-Arabs, as Palestinian citizens of Israel are known, mark Land Day. In 1976 they organised marches and strikes after the government moved to expropriate swathes of land in Israel—some of which was Arab-owned. Six were shot dead by Israel’s army and police.

This year’s commemoration comes amid harrowing scenes from Gaza. And new hardships in the occupied West Bank add to the misery. Settler violence has increased dramatically, threatening lives and livelihoods. Some Israeli settlers have uprooted olive trees during harvest season, depriving Palestinian families of a source of income. The economy has been crippled by restrictions on Palestinians who used to cross the border to work in Israel.

Dozens of Israeli-Arabs, meanwhile, have been arrested over social-media posts critical of Israel’s conduct in Gaza. Though fears of confrontations during Ramadan have not yet materialised, protests on Land Day have in the past led to violent clashes. This year, there is more reason than most for anger.

AI’s health-care potential

Scientists and technology firms have been developing artificial intelligence systems for health care, with some success. AI’s ability to see connections that humans cannot could help with everything from diagnosing diseases to assisting in gene editing and drug development. And it has the potential to make health-care systems more efficient and cost-effective. But progress at integrating these tools remains slow. Recent advances in large language models and generative AI are fostering hope that a new generation of health AIs will soon emerge.

Challenges will abound. LLMs have problems with bias, accuracy, reliability and transparency. AI-powered health tools that use them will need post-sale monitoring to ensure they remain safe and effective once on the market. And proper regulation will require some tricky decisions. But if these tools are widely adopted into systems designed to maximise their potential, the results will improve millions, and maybe billions, of lives.

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