World in Brief - The Economist Roundup

 World in Brief

The Economist Roundup

April 1, 2024

The founder of World Central Kitchen accused Israel of targeting the charity’s workers “systematically, car by car” after Israeli missiles killed seven of them travelling in a convoy on Monday. José Andrés said Israeli forces knew of the workers’ movements and that the cars were well signed—it was not just “bad luck”. WCK and other aid groups have since suspended operations in Gaza. Binyamin Netanyahu, Israel’s prime minister, acknowledged the “tragic event” but added “this happens in war”. Meanwhile, Benny Gantz, a member of the country’s war cabinet, called for early elections, piling more pressure on Mr Netanyahu.

Google is reportedly considering charging for new premium artificial-intelligence features on its search engine. According to the Financial Times, the tech giant is exploring adding AI-powered search into its current subscription service, which provides access to its AI assistant, Gemini. It would be the first time the company put part of its core product behind a paywall.

TSMC, the world’s leading chipmaker, is working to restore production after Taiwan’s strongest earthquake in 25 years, which killed 9 people and injured more than 1,000. The firm’s facilities, mostly located far from the tremor’s epicentre 18km off the coast, are designed to shut down automatically in the event of a disaster. Analysts worry the stoppage may disrupt global semiconductor supply chains.

Nelson Peltz, an activist investor, lost his bid for a seat on Disney’s board after shareholders re-elected the board’s existing members. The result was a win for Bob Iger, the entertainment giant’s boss, with whom Mr Peltz has been waging an off-and-on proxy battle since 2022. Big investors, including BlackRock and Vanguard, supported Mr Iger.

Jens Stoltenberg, NATO’s secretary-general, said that the security bloc is planning to take a “greater” role in co-ordinating security assistance for Ukraine. Under the proposal, NATO would take over the Ramstein Group, an American-led alliance of around 50 countries that supports Ukraine militarily. John Kirby, a White House spokesman, pushed back against the idea, saying American leadership is critical in keeping the group together.

Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula, the speaker of South Africa’s parliament, resigned amid a corruption probe. The former defence minister and member of the ruling African National Congress party is accused of taking bribes in exchange for the award of defence contracts. She denies wrongdoing and claims that the allegations are politically motivated as a general election is due next month.

Brazil offered its first apology for the eviction, internment and torture of indigenous people after a coup 60 years ago, as well as their brutal treatment in in the hundreds of years of colonial rule prior. The president of a government amnesty commission knelt before the leader of the Krenak people, saying, “In the name of the Brazilian state, I want to say sorry.”

Senegal’s symbolic independence day

Citizens of Senegal commemorating the 64th anniversary of its independence from France on Thursday may do so with a spring in their step. Until recently many had feared that Senegal would become the latest country in west Africa to succumb to authoritarianism and military rule. The peaceful election of Bassirou Diomaye Faye—the first opposition candidate to win in the first round of voting since 1960—suggests that Senegal’s democracy is in good health.

For Mr Faye, though, this year’s independence day is doubly symbolic. As in other former French colonies in Africa, many people in Senegal are angry with what they see as France’s continued meddling. The new president has considered abandoning the CFA franc, a regional currency backed by the French government. But he must tread a fine line: too much radicalism will rattle foreign investors; too little may disappoint his voters. Having won a historic victory, Mr Faye faces tough choices.

The new geography of Paris

Paris is counting down to the Olympic games, which will be held in the French capital from July 26th to August 11th. On Thursday France’s president, Emmanuel Macron, will open the new centrepiece: an aquatics centre, topped with a concave timber roof. It is situated in the northern Paris suburb of Seine-Saint-Denis, an area of high unemployment. The hope is that the games will leave behind infrastructure, and draw new investment to the capital’s periphery.

The planning is part of a broader effort to reshape greater Paris and revive once-neglected neighbourhoods. In time for the games, the Metro line 14 will be extended; Saint-Denis will get a new station. By the end of the decade Paris will double its Metro network with a giant 200km loop and 68 new stations, a project known as the Grand Paris Express. Crucially, it will link the outskirts to each other and to the city’s airports.

A transatlantic farewell in tech policy

Senior American and EU officials will meet for a Trade and Technology Council on Thursday and Friday in the Belgian city of Leuven. Participants include Margrethe Vestager, the European Commission’s vice president, and Antony Blinken, America’s secretary of state. They will discuss rules for artificial intelligence, standards for the next generation of wireless technologies (“6G”) and resilient supply chains for semiconductors.

Yet this TTC is probably the last of such transatlantic meetings, which have taken place biannually since 2021. It has produced rambling advisory documents which have had minimal practical effect. If Donald Trump becomes America’s president again, he is unlikely to have much time for long discussions on tech policy, and will probably try to impose his will on Europe’s leaders instead. And even if Joe Biden remains in office, the TTC may change its format to become more of a traditional trade treaty. That might help officials improve the quality of their output.

Kuwait picks a new parliament

Voters in Kuwait will choose a new parliament on Thursday—if they are not too worn out from picking the last three. The emir, Sheikh Mishal, dissolved the legislature in February, precipitating the fourth election in as many years. Turnout may be low: this year’s ballot falls during the last ten days of Ramadan, not a time when many people focus on politics.

Uniquely among the Gulf states, Kuwait has a raucous parliament with real power. That often puts it at odds with the emir, who can order new elections (he did so this time after an MP allegedly insulted him). The chaos has helped push an oil-rich country into a fiscal crisis. Kuwait has run deficits for most of the past ten years, but could not borrow on international markets because it has no public-debt law. Salaries and subsidies account for almost 80% of spending. Few voters are hopeful that this election will break the impasse.

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