Ethiopia villagers flee volcanic activity 'in panic'

Sultan Kemil

BBC


Hundreds of people in a rural part of Ethiopia, 165km (100 miles) north-east of the capital, Addis Ababa, have been leaving their homes in panic as a nearby volcano has been showing signs of a possible eruption, a local chief told the BBC's Afaan Oromoo service.

The smoke coming from Mount Dofan that began around 17:00 local time (14:00 GMT) on Thursday "has a fiery plume and it's very high," Sultan Kemil said.

In a video posted by the Ethiopian Geological Institute on its Facebook page steam and debris can be seen shooting out from the mountain.

In recent weeks, there have been more than a dozen seismic events around Awash Fentale - an earthquake-prone area of Ethiopia's Afar region.

Abdu Ali, the chief administrator of the local area in Afar told Ethiopia's FBC news site that an evacuation process is under way to prevent harm to residents.

He is quoted as saying that there have been earthquakes that are getting "higher and stronger".

Tremors have also been felt away in Addis Ababa.

Shiferaw Teklemariam, from the Ethiopian Disaster Risk Management Commission, told the Reuters news agency that while it was too early to classify the activity as an eruption, authorities were taking precautions.

Risk of Ethiopian volcanic eruption prompts evacuation of residents


03 January 2025 - By Reuters

The Ethiopian Geological Institute posted a video showing what appeared to be dust and smoke emerging from a volcano in Awash Fentale in Afar region. File image.
Image: 123rf/Jerry Rainey

A volcano in northeastern Ethiopia was showing signs of starting to erupt on Friday, prompting authorities to move residents to temporary shelters, a state-affiliated broadcaster and a government geological office said.

The Ethiopian Geological Institute posted a video on its Facebook page showing what appeared to be dust and smoke emerging from a volcano in Awash Fentale in Afar region.

Fana Broadcasting, citing a regional administrator in Afar, reported that authorities had evacuated residents out of the affected area, which is roughly 165km from the capital Addis Ababa.

Shiferaw Teklemariam, commissioner of the Ethiopian Disaster Risk Management Commission, said it was too early to label the activity an eruption but authorities were not taking chances.

"The community; some are already leaving those areas. We are also preparing to do it in a well organised manner. It [moving the community] will be done based on predictions," he told Reuters.

The area experiencing volcanic activity has also been prone to earthquakes and tremors in recent months.

'Unique' Neolithic Child Burial With Puzzling Bone Modifications Revealed

Published Jan 03, 2025 
By Aristos Georgiou
Science and Health Reporter
NEWSWEEK

Archaeologists have revealed a "unique" prehistoric burial featuring the remains of a child whose skeleton displays evidence of unusual marks on its bones.

The child's remains were discovered at an early Neolithic archaeological site known as Jiahu, in northern China, that dates back to around 7,000-5,000 B.C.

While the modifications remains something of a mystery, the bones may be indicative of burial practices that have previously not been documented in Neolithic China.

The Jiahu site was discovered in the 1960s in the town of Beiwudu in Henan province. It holds great significance for Chinese Neolithic archaeology having yielded important remains over several excavation seasons—including one of the world's oldest fermented beverages and possibly the oldest silk. Archaeologists have also uncovered dozens of human burials at the site.

The M511 Neolithic burial at the Jiahu archaeological site in China is shown in this image. The burial was found to contain the remains of a child with mysterious bone modifications. Rong et al., International Journal of Osteoarchaeology 2024

During a thorough lab analysis of human skeletal remains excavated from the site in 2001, the authors of a study published in the International Journal of Osteoarchaeology noticed an intriguing set of bones.

These bones, which appear to belong to a child who died around the age of 8-10, originated from a multiple burial containing three individuals in total. The child's remains appear to have been placed in the grave in a "concealed" way with various funerary goods, including a bone flute.

The burial, known as M511, is located in a central cluster at the site dating to around 6,000 B.C. This cluster contains distinctive finds and features that were possibly associated with rituals or ritual practitioners, according to the study.

For example, M511 lies in close proximity to two "unique" archaeological features, including a large burial containing at least 23 individuals and a pit containing numerous turtle shell rattles, as well as a fork-shaped bone tool.

"Many burials in this cluster yielded objects such as turtle shells with pebbles inside, handle-shaped stone ornaments, fork-shaped bone tools, and bone flutes that are proposed as ritual paraphernalia," the authors wrote in the study.

Examining the child's bones, the study authors observed numerous modifications—including cut marks, scrape marks and possible chop marks—on the individual's lower limbs that most likely resulted from human activities.

Some of the marks suggests activities that involved the removal of flesh from the child's body, according to the study.

The researchers also observed signs on the bones that the child was suffering from a disease around the time of death—possibly scurvy—or malnutrition.

The context of the burial along with the bone marks and the child's pathological condition are indicative of a ritual setting or a ritual practitioner's burial practices. These practices may have been associated with the child's underlying disease or condition.

For example, the modifications could have been intended to release the child from suffering lower limb pain in the afterlife.

Another possibility is that the marks are indicative of preparation for making bone tools. Similar scrape patterns are found on bone objects.

"The craftspeople might have chosen them based on the quality of the bone material itself rather than exclusively using animal bones. A future re-examination of bone objects at Jiahu may resolve this debate and lead to a new avenue of research," the study authors wrote.

While the intentions of the bone modifications remain uncertain, it is clear that the burial treatment the child received was different to that of other children of the same age interred at the Jiahu site.

"In this rare case, the unique treatment of the diseased child was subtle and hidden," the authors wrote in the study.

According to the researchers, the bones represent the first reported case of human modification on a child's remains from a relatively early time period of Neolithic China.

"Although we may never know the real intention behind the modifications, this child reveals a broader set of mortuary practices than previously discovered in Neolithic China," the authors wrote.

Do you have a tip on a science story that Newsweek should be covering? Do you have a question about archaeology? Let us know via science@newsweek.com.
Reference

Rong, F., Xingtao, W., Juzhong, Z., & Minghui, W. (2024). An "Invisible" Child—A Case of a Child With Anthropogenic Modification Marks and Pathological Conditions in Early Neolithic China. International Journal of Osteoarchaeology. https://doi.org/10.1002/oa.3368

'Mystery volcano' that erupted and cooled Earth in 1831 has finally been identified


By CNN

 Jan 4, 2025

An unknown volcano erupted so explosively in 1831 that it cooled Earth's climate.
Now, nearly 200 years later, scientists have identified the "mystery volcano".
The eruption was one of the most powerful of the 19th century, spewing so much sulfur dioxide into the stratosphere that annual average temperatures in the Northern Hemisphere dropped by about one 1 degree Celsius (1.8 degrees Fahrenheit).

An unknown volcano erupted so explosively in 1831 that it cooled Earth's climate. (CNN)

The event took place during the last gasp of the Little Ice Age, one of the coldest periods on Earth in the past 10,000 years.

While the year of this historic eruption was known, the volcano's location was not.
Researchers recently solved that puzzle by sampling ice cores in Greenland, peering back in time through the cores' layers to examine sulfur isotopes, grains of ash and tiny volcanic glass shards deposited between 1831 and 1834

Using geochemistry, radioactive dating and computer modeling to map particles' trajectories, the scientists linked the 1831 eruption to an island volcano in the northwest Pacific Ocean, they reported Monday in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

According to the analysis, the mystery volcano was Zavaritskii (also spelled Zavaritsky) on Simushir Island, part of the Kuril Islands archipelago, an area disputed by Russia and Japan.

Before the scientists' findings, Zavaritskii's last known eruption was in 800 BC.

Now, nearly 200 years later, scientists have identified the "mystery volcano." (CNN)

"For many of Earth's volcanoes, particularly those in remote areas, we have a very poor understanding of their eruptive history," said lead study author Dr. William Hutchison, a principal research fellow in the School of Earth and Environmental Sciences at the University of St. Andrews in the United Kingdom.

"Zavaritskii is located on an extremely remote island between Japan and Russia. No one lives there and historical records are limited to a handful of diaries from ships that passed these islands every few years," Hutchison told CNN in an email.

With little information available about Zavaritskii's activity during the 19th century, no one previously suspected that it could be a candidate for the 1831 eruption.

Instead, researchers considered volcanoes that were closer to the equator, such as the Babuyan Claro volcano in the Philippines, according to the study.

"This eruption had global climatic impacts but was wrongly attributed to a tropical volcano for a long time period," said Dr. Stefan Brönnimann, unit leader in climatology at the University of Bern in Switzerland.

"The research now shows that the eruption took place on the Kurils, not in the tropics," said Brönnimann, who was not involved in the study.

'A genuine eureka moment'

Examination of the Greenland ice cores revealed that in 1831, sulfur fallout — a sign of volcanic activity — was about 6 ½ times greater in Greenland than it was in Antarctica.
This finding suggested that the source was a major eruption from a midlatitude volcano in the Northern Hemisphere, the researchers reported.

The study team also chemically analyzed ash and shards of volcanic glass measuring no more than 0.0008 inch (0.02 millimeter) long.

When the scientists compared their results with geochemical datasets from volcanic regions, the closest matches were in Japan and the Kuril Islands.

Volcanic eruptions in 19th century Japan were well-documented, and there were no records of a large eruption in 1831.



This finding suggested that the source was a major eruption from a midlatitude volcano in the Northern Hemisphere, the researchers reported. (CNN)

But colleagues who had previously visited volcanoes in the Kuril Islands provided samples that led the researchers to a geochemical match with the Zavaritskii caldera.

"The moment in the lab analysing the two ashes together — one from the volcano and one from the ice core — was a genuine eureka moment," Hutchison said in his email.
Radiocarbon dating of tephra, or volcanic ash, deposits on Simushir Island placed them within the past 300 years.

What's more, analysis of the caldera's volume and sulfur isotopes suggested the crater formed after a massive eruption between 1700 and 1900, making Zavaritskii "the prime candidate" for the mystery eruption in 1831, the authors wrote.

"I am still surprised that an eruption of this size went unreported," Hutchison added. "Perhaps there are reports of ash fall or atmospheric phenomena occurring in 1831 that reside in a dusty corner of a library in Russia or Japan.

The follow-up work to delve into these records really excites me."

The end of the Little Ice Age

Along with Zavaritskii, three other volcanoes blew their tops between 1808 and 1835. They marked the waning of the Little Ice Age, a climate anomaly that lasted from the early 1400s to around 1850.

During this time, annual temperatures in the Northern Hemisphere dropped by 1.1 degrees Fahrenheit (0.6 degrees Celsius) on average.

In some places, temperatures were 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit (2 degrees Celsius) cooler than normal, and the cooling persisted for decades.

Two of the four eruptions were previously identified: Mount Tambora in Indonesia exploded in 1815, and Cosegüina erupted in Nicaragua in 1835.

The volcano that produced the 1808/1809 eruption remains unknown. The addition of Zavaritskii highlights the potential of volcanoes in the Kuril Islands for disrupting Earth's climate, the study authors reported.

After the 1831 eruption, cooler and drier conditions emerged in the Northern Hemisphere.

Reports of widespread hunger and hardship swiftly followed, with famines sweeping across India, Japan and Europe, affecting millions of people.

"It seems plausible that volcanic climate cooling led to crop failure and famine," Hutchison said.

"A focus of ongoing research is to understand to what extent these famines were caused by volcano climate cooling, or by other socio-political factors."

By providing a long-missing piece of information about the 19th century volcanoes that cooled Earth's climate, "the study perhaps strengthens our confidence on the role of volcanic eruptions for the last phase of the Little Ice Age," Brönnimann said.

Like Zavaritskii, many volcanoes worldwide are in isolated places and are poorly monitored, making it challenging to predict when and where the next large-magnitude eruption may strike, Hutchison added.

If there's a lesson to be learned from the 1831 eruption, it's that volcanic activity in remote spots can have devastating global consequences — which people may be unprepared to face.

"We don't really have a coordinated international community to kick into gear when the next big one happens," Hutchison said.

"That is something we need to think about as both scientists and as (a) society."

YOON THE FASCIST 

Supporters of South Korea's Yoon adopt 'Stop the Steal', hope Trump will help

A pro-Yoon protester holds a placard reading 'Investigate election fraud' during a rally near impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol's official residence, after investigators were unable to execute an arrest warrant on Friday for Yeol, according to the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials, in Seoul, South Korea, Jan 3, 2025.
PHOTO: Reuters

January 03, 2025 


SEOUL — Supporters of impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol are adopting "Stop the Steal" slogans popularised by US President-elect Donald Trump supporters and said they hoped the incoming president would help their embattled leader.

As Yoon supporters gathered outside his residence in the pre-dawn hours of Friday in an effort to prevent his arrest, some carried signs in English saying "Stop the Steal", a slogan Trump supporters used to question the results of the 2020 US presidential election, which he lost.

Yoon avoided arrest on Friday after presidential guards and troops blocked efforts to carry out a warrant in a criminal insurrection investigation into his short-lived martial law on Dec 3.

Trump, who is set to take office for a second term on Jan 21, has not commented on Yoon's situation and there are no clear ties between his campaign and Yoon's backers.

But searches for the hashtag #StopTheSteal or "election fraud" in Korean on social media platform X show recent posts uploaded from Koreans featuring memes whose design appears to have been inspired by Trump's "Make America Great Again" sign.

Yoon's defence of his actions has also had similarities to Trump's political rhetoric with him citing possible voting irregularities and defending the country from enemies within and without.

While Yoon made no mention of election issues in his initial martial law declaration, he dispatched hundreds of troops to raid the National Election Commission (NEC) and later alleged North Korea had hacked the NEC, but cited no evidence.

He said the attack was detected by the National Intelligence Service but the commission, an independent agency, refused to co-operate fully in an investigation and inspection of its system.

The hack cast doubt on the integrity of the April 2024 parliamentary election -—which his party lost by a landslide — and led him to declare martial law, he said.

At the time the commission said by raising the suspicion of election irregularities, Yoon was committing a "self-defeating act against an election oversight system that elected himself as president".

The NEC said it had consulted the spy agency last year to address "security vulnerabilities" but there were no signs a hack by North Korea compromised the election system, and that votes are conducted with paper ballots.

The issue has become a major talking point for Yoon supporters who say his martial law declaration was justified, and now hope their concerns will resonate with Trump.

"He could really help President Yoon," said university professor Lee Ho-chung, adding that the audience for his English "Stop The Steal" poster was both Americans and Koreans.

Pyeong In-su, 71, holding a flag of the United States and South Korea with the words "Let's go together" in English and Korean, said he was banking on Trump's return to save Yoon.

"I hope that Trump will take office soon and raise his voice against the rigged elections in our country plus around the world so as to help President Yoon to return (to power) swiftly," Pyeong said.

Park Chae-yeon, 53, a supporter of the impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol, holds up a banner that reads 'STOP THE STEAL' at a rally near Yoon's official residence as he faces potential arrest after a court on Tuesday approved a warrant for his arrest, in Seoul, South Korea, Jan 3, 2025.
PHOTO: Reuters

Seo Hye-kyoung who was holding a "Stop the Steal" sign with the Chinese flag claimed that "Chinese people have come to our country and stole our votes".

When asked about the NEC's public denial of election fraud, Seo said she trusts Yoon. "The president is not someone who would say something wrong," she said.

Hundreds of pro-Yoon protesters surrounded the presidential compound, some stayed out overnight in sub-zero temperatures, hoping to head off the arrest attempt.


"Invalid impeachment," the protesters chanted with some sporting the American flag which is often found at protests by conservatives in the country.

Trump has been impeached twice, but acquitted.

South Korean authorities fail to arrest impeached President Yoon due to security stand-off

Police officers and investigators leave impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol's official residence, as investigators were unable to execute an arrest warrant on Friday for Yoon according to the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials, in Seoul, South Korea, Jan 3, 2025.

January 02, 2025 


SEOUL — South Korean authorities failed to arrest impeached President Yoon Suk-yeol on Friday (Jan 3) over his martial law declaration, after evading a crowd of protesters outside his compound but coming to a standoff with presidential security forces inside.

Yoon supporters gathered in the pre-dawn hours near the presidential residence, with the numbers swelling into the hundreds as they vowed to block any attempt to arrest Yoon.

Officials from the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO), which is leading a joint team of investigators into Yoon's brief declaration of martial law on Dec 3, arrived at the gates of the presidential compound shortly after 7am local time (2200 GMT Thursday) and entered on foot.

Buses block the entrance of the impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol's official residence, as Yoon faces potential arrest after a court on Tuesday approved a warrant for his arrest, in Seoul, South Korea.
PHOTO: Yonhap via Reuters

Once inside the compound, the CIO and accompanying police faced cordons of Presidential Security Service (PSS) personnel, as well as military troops seconded to presidential security, media reported. South Korea's Ministry of National Defence said the troops were under the control of the PSS.

The CIO called off the effort to arrest Yoon around 1.30pm due to concerns over the safety of its personnel due to obstruction, and said it "deeply regretted" Yoon's attitude of non-compliance.

"It was judged that it was virtually impossible to execute the arrest warrant due to the ongoing standoff," the CIO said in a statement.

Impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol's lawyer Yoon Kab-keun arrives in front of the impeached Yeol's official residence, as Yoon faces potential arrest after a court on Tuesday approved a warrant for his arrest, in Seoul, South Korea, Jan 3, 2025.
PHOTO: Reuters

Yoon's lawyer said in an earlier statement on Friday that execution of an invalid arrest warrant against Yoon is unlawful, and that they would take legal action, without elaborating.

The arrest warrant, approved by a court on Tuesday after Yoon ignored multiple summons to appear for questioning, is viable until Jan 6, and gives investigators only 48 hours to hold Yoon after he is arrested. Investigators must then decide whether to request a detention warrant or release him.


The CIO said on Friday it would review the situation and decide on possible next steps.

Korean authorities fail to arrest suspended president, Yoon Suk Yeol 

By bno - Taipei Office January 3, 2025

South Korean investigators have given up on efforts to arrest suspended President Yoon Suk Yeol following a six-hour standoff with his security team outside his home in central Seoul.

The Corruption Investigation Office (CIO), which has been probing Yoon's brief martial law declaration, has since cited the practical impossibility of the arrest and concerns for the safety of its team as key factors in the decision.

The agency said it would now review the situation before deciding on further actions as they face supporters of Yoon, who had gathered outside the presidential residence and were left chanting slogans and singing in jubilation at the failure of the CIO to arrest the suspended president.

The arrest team numbered around 140-150 by the time it moved towards the compound at 08:00 local time according to reports, and although some members succeeded in entering the premises, they then faced resistance from Yoon’s security detail and a military unit assigned to protect Seoul.

As a result, a standoff ensued which included negotiations between investigators and Yoon’s security team but to no avail.

A court in the South Korean capital had issued the warrant earlier in the week after Yoon failed to comply with three summonses for questioning and investigators only have until January 6 to act on the current warrant, although they could apply for a new one to attempt another arrest.

Greenland's leader steps up push for independence from Denmark

Greenland's Prime Minister Mute Egede emphasised his desire to pursue independence from Denmark, its former colonial ruler, during his New Year speech, marking a significant change in the rhetoric surrounding the Arctic island's future.

Egede's speech, which comes on the heels of comments by U.S. President-elect Donald Trump expressing his wish for "ownership and control" of Greenland, also expressed a desire to strengthen Greenland's cooperation with other countries.

"It is about time that we ourselves take a step and shape our future, also with regard to who we will cooperate closely with, and who our trading partners will be," he said.

An independence movement has gained traction in Greenland in recent years in part due to revelations of misconduct by Danish authorities during the 20th century, including an involuntary birth control campaign launched in the 1960s.

Greenland was a Danish colony until 1953 but is now a self-governing territory of Denmark and in 2009 achieved the right to claim independence through a vote. In 2023, Greenland's government presented its first draft constitution.

"The history and current conditions have shown that our cooperation with the Kingdom of Denmark has not succeeded in creating full equality," Egede said.

"It is now time for our country to take the next step. Like other countries in the world, we must work to remove the obstacles to cooperation - which we can describe as the shackles of colonialism - and move forward," he said.

He added that it was up to the people of Greenland to decide on independence but did not say when a vote could be held.

While a majority of Greenland's 57,000 inhabitants support independence, there is division over the timing and potential impact on living standards.

Greenland's government has twice rejected offers by Trump to purchase the island, in 2019 and again last year, with Egede asserting that "Greenland is ours. We are not for sale and will never be for sale."

The speech did not mention Trump or the United States. Greenland's capital Nuuk is closer to New York than the Danish capital Copenhagen.

Despite the wealth of mineral, oil, and natural gas resources, Greenland's economy remains fragile, heavily dependent on fishing and annual grants from Denmark.

Greenland is due to hold parliamentary elections before 6 April.

- Reuters

Greenland’s leader wants independence from Denmark as Trump hovers over Arctic island

“It is now time to take the next step for our country,” Greenlandic Prime Minister Múte Egede says in hinting at 2025 referendum.

Múte Egede has led Greenland since 2021 and hails from the pro-independence Community of the People (IA) party. |

 Leiff Josefsen/Ritzau Scanpix/AFP via Getty Images

January 3, 2025 
By Seb Starcevic

POLITICO EU

The prime minister of Greenland called for independence from Denmark and removing the “shackles” of colonialism in a strident New Year’s address this week.

Greenland, the world’s largest island with a population of around 60,000, was a Danish colony until it became self-ruling with its own parliament in 1979. It remains a territory of Denmark, with Copenhagen exercising control over its foreign and defense policy.

The renewed call comes after United States President-elect Donald Trump once again suggested buying Greenland from Denmark — a proposal he made during his first term and reiterated last month, calling the U.S. acquiring the Arctic territory an “absolute necessity.”

“It is now time to take the next step for our country,” Greenland’s Prime Minister Múte Egede said.

“Like other countries in the world, we must work to remove the obstacles to cooperation — which we can describe as the shackles of the colonial era — and move on,” he added.

Egede, who has led Greenland since 2021 and hails from the pro-independence Community of the People (IA) party, said Denmark’s relations with Greenland had not created “full equality,” and that the island deserves to represent itself on the world stage.

“Our cooperation with other countries, and our trade relations, cannot continue to take place solely through Denmark,” he said.

Under a 2009 agreement with Denmark, Greenland can declare independence only after a successful referendum — which Egede appeared to hint at holding in tandem with the island’s upcoming parliamentary election in April.

“Work has already begun on creating the framework for Greenland as an independent state,” he said. “It is necessary to take major steps … The upcoming new election period must, together with the citizens, create these new steps.

As global powers seek to expand their reach and footprint in the Arctic, mineral-rich Greenland — which hosts a U.S. military base — is coveted for its strategic value in security and trade.

Trump’s imperialist musings attracted a sharp rebuke from Egede, who declared that Greenland is “not for sale.” Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen in 2019 called the U.S. bid “absurd.”

Hours after Trump posted his recent remarks, Denmark announced it would boost defense spending in Greenland by at least €1.3 billion — although Danish Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen said the timing was merely an “irony of fate.”

Despite its rich mineral resources, Greenland relies on Copenhagen for significant financial assistance, receiving an annual subsidy of around €500 million.

Greenland Untapped: Breaking China's Mineral Monopoly (Video)

Country:  Greenland

Author: Tom Vaillant

Granteesident-elect Donald Trump's Greenland purchase plan is back in the headlines. The reason? A supply crisis, for the minerals that power our world. Greenland holds 10% of global rare earth deposits—minerals that China currently monopolizes and just banned from export to the U.S.

Greenland Untapped

Country:
GREENLAND

Author:

Tom Vaillant
GRANTEE

PULITZER CENTER

NOVEMBER 13, 2024

This project examines the challenges and opportunities of developing Greenland's rare earth element (REE) deposits, which are critical for modern societies and increasingly in demand due to the green energy transition.

Arctic shipping traffic is rising, making remote deposits more accessible. Data reveals a 120% increase in shipping around Greenland from 2014 to 2023, with a significant portion being cruise ships. This surge raises concerns about increased black carbon deposition and potential impacts on local ecosystems.

Interviews and research explain the practical difficulties of Arctic mining, such as lack of infrastructure, labor shortages and most importantly remoteness. The market remains dominated by the Chinese supply of rare earth elements, which discourages private investment in Greenlandic mining.

Despite these challenges, the analysis suggests that mining in Greenland is becoming increasingly probable. This is due to local changes in accessibility and government strategy, as well as global factors such as growing demand and the geopolitical need for a secure supply outside of China's influence.

By presenting data on mineral deposits, economic projections, and policy developments, this project offers a comprehensive overview of the complex tradeoffs involved in developing Greenland's mineral resources. It provides valuable insights into the ongoing debate about sustainable and strategic resource development in the Arctic.

TikTok knew live video feature ‘groomed’ minors, Utah AG claims

The unredacted complaint comes just over two weeks before TikTok could be banned in the US

Last updated: January 03, 2025 
Bloomberg Wire

Bipartisan attorneys general from more than a dozen states sued TikTok last fall, accusing the app of financially and sexually exploiting minorsAFP

TikTok has long known that its popular video livestreams encourage sexual content, including streams exploiting and “grooming” minors, according to a lawsuit from the state of Utah that was unredacted on Friday.

TikTok also discovered through an internal investigation that the feature, called TikTok Live, facilitated money laundering and allowed users to sell drugs and fund terrorism, the lawsuit alleges.

Bipartisan attorneys general from more than a dozen states sued TikTok last fall, accusing the app of financially and sexually exploiting minors. Utah also sued TikTok on similar grounds in June. Several of those lawsuits — including those from Utah, Vermont, New Hampshire, Kentucky and the District of Columbia — focused on TikTok Live. The suits cited investigative reporting from Forbes that found adult men regularly use the livestreams to coax teen girls to perform racy, sometimes sexual acts in exchange for digital “gifts” that can be redeemed for money.

The newly unredacted lawsuit also details Project Jupiter, a separate internal investigation into the prevalence of money laundering on the platform. That investigation, which has not been previously reported, found that TikTok Live and its gifting feature were being used to illegally launder money used to sell drugs and commit other crimes. That investigation was launched in 2021. TikTok employees have also discussed ways Live has been used to fund terrorist organizations overseas, including the Islamic State, the lawsuit claims.

Utah and other states built their complaints on a trove of internal TikTok documents obtained via subpoena, but many of the specific allegations were redacted in public filings. Despite TikTok’s efforts to keep the records confidential, a Utah district court judge ruled on Dec. 19 to unseal much of the material in the lawsuit.

A TikTok spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment. In a prior statement about the Utah lawsuit, a TikTok spokesperson said the company “has industry-leading policies and measures to help protect the safety and well-being of teens” and that it removes livestreams found in violation of its policies.

The unredacted complaint comes just over two weeks before TikTok could be banned in the US under a new national security law signed in April by President Joe Biden. The measure aims to address longstanding fears that the TikTok app, owned by China-based parent ByteDance Ltd., could be used to gather sensitive intelligence on Americans, or manipulate the content people see related to key political and social issues. TikTok’s popularity with minors, and the well-documented dangers it can pose to them, has only exacerbated those concerns.

Utah’s lawsuit quotes chat logs from TikTok employees, slides from internal presentations and other communications showing the company conducted a sweeping internal investigation into TikTok Live following the Forbes reporting. The investigation, codenamed Project Meramec, confirmed the app facilitated potentially illegal financial transactions and problematic livestreams in which underage users would perform sexualized acts in exchange for virtual gifts from viewers.

In many cases, those users were too young to be allowed on the livestreams. At the time, TikTok’s policies forbade people under 16 from streaming live, and those under 18 from sending or receiving virtual gifts. Still, the investigation found that 112,000 underage users hosted livestreams in a single month in 2022, the lawsuit alleges.

TikTok also found that its algorithm boosted these types of sexualized videos so that they were more widely distributed. TikTok takes a financial cut when virtual gifts are shared on the app.

Margaret Busse, executive director of Utah’s Department of Commerce, who sits on the cabinet of Utah Governor Spencer Cox, said that while the risks social media can pose to minors are well known, the revelations about TikTok Live – and the ways the dangers are multiplied when money is changing hands – add a new layer of complexity to the problem.

“When they understood what was happening, they also understood the amount of money it was making, and they did not want to do anything about it,” she said in an interview with Bloomberg. “That’s just what is so incredibly damning in my mind.”

Accra fire destroys Ghana's largest used clothes market

Ghana's informal economy suffered an enormous blow after a fire engulfed the Kantamanto used clothes market late Wednesday, displacing thousands of traders and destroying goods worth millions of the local cedi currency.


Issued on: 03/01/2025 -
By: NEWS WIRES

A general view of the burned down secondhand clothing market at Kantamanto in Accra, Ghana, on January 2, 2025. © Nipah Dennis, AFP

A raging inferno that swept through the bustling Kantamanto Market in the Ghanaian capital Accra has reduced the sprawling hub of the country's informal economy to ashes, officials said.

The fire, which erupted late on Wednesday, consumed vast sections of the largest used clothes market in the West African country, displacing thousands of traders, disaster officials said.

The Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) deployed 13 fire tenders to put out the flames. But on Thursday morning, ruins smouldered where rows of stalls once bustled with activities.

Goods worth millions of the local cedi currency have been destroyed, the GNFS said.

"This is devastating," said Alex King Nartey, a GNFS spokesperson. "We've not recorded severe casualties, but the economic loss is enormous."

"Preliminary investigations suggest faulty electrical connections might have sparked the blaze, although we are not ruling out arson," Nartey told AFP.

He added that efforts to completely extinguish the fire could stretch into Friday.
'Everything I own'

Hundreds of traders, many specialising in the resale of used clothes, now face an uncertain future.

For traders like 45-year-old Fred Asiedu, the fire is a life-altering disaster.

"Everything I own was here -- my wares, my savings, my future. Now, it's all gone," Asiedu said.

"How do I start over? The government must step in. Without help, life will be unbearable."

Adjoa Amu, a 39-year-old mother of three, described the fire as a crushing blow.

"I have been selling here for 12 years. This market feeds my children, pays their school fees. Now, I am left with nothing but ashes," Amu told AFP, also pleading for government support to rebuild.

Richard Amo Yartey, an official with the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO), said that probes into what prompted the incident had begun in collaboration with other agencies.

"The scale of destruction is heart-wrenching, but we are committed to identifying the root cause and providing immediate relief to affected traders," he said.

The president of the Traders Advocacy Group Ghana (TAGG), David Kwadwo Amoateng, urged the government to act swiftly, adding that the "market is a vital part of our economy".

"The traders here need emergency funding to get back on their feet. Without immediate intervention, thousands of livelihoods are at risk," he told AFP.

Kantamanto Market, which is home to over 30,000 traders, has been a lifeline for many in Accra's Central Business District.

The government is yet to announce a formal response to the tragedy.

(AFP)

Blaze destroys Ghana's largest clothes market(+VIDEO)

TEHRAN, Jan. 03 (MNA) – A raging inferno that swept through the bustling Kantamanto Market in the Ghanaian capital Accra has reduced the sprawling hub of the country's informal economy to ashes, officials said.

The fire, which erupted late on Wednesday, consumed vast sections of the largest used clothes market in the West African country, displacing thousands of traders, disaster officials said.

The Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) deployed 13 fire tenders to put out the flames. But on Thursday morning, ruins smouldered where rows of stalls once bustled with activities.

Goods worth millions of the local cedi currency have been destroyed, the GNFS said.

"This is devastating," said Alex King Nartey, a GNFS spokesperson. "We've not recorded severe casualties, but the economic loss is enormous."

"Preliminary investigations suggest faulty electrical connections might have sparked the blaze, although we are not ruling out arson," Nartey told AFP.

He added that efforts to completely extinguish the fire could stretch into Friday.

Hundreds of traders, many specialising in the resale of used clothes, now face an uncertain future.

For traders like 45-year-old Fred Asiedu, the fire is a life-altering disaster.

"Everything I own was here -– my wares, my savings, my future. Now, it's all gone," Asiedu said.

"How do I start over? The government must step in. Without help, life will be unbearable."

MNA/

The entrepreneur tackling Uganda's second-hand clothing problem

An entrepreneur based in Uganda recovers second-hand denim from abroad and transforms it into sought-after fashion garments. -

Copyright © africanewscleared
By Rédaction Africanews and AP 

Uganda

At Owino Market in Kampala, shoppers jostle for space between stalls filled with second hand clothes – mostly from European countries.

Here, they can find almost anything, used, but for an affordable price.

But not all clothes sell well.

This is particularly true for denim, according to one of the traders.

Globally the market for denim jeans are estimated at $74.0 Million in 2023, according to the the "Denim Jeans - Global Strategic Business Report" published by Global Industry Analysts Inc.

The tonnes of clothes discarded by Europeans or Americans and imported to Uganda are becoming a problem.

It's why one businessman has come up with a solution.

Each day, Troy Elimu, founder of Denim Cartel, sends his employees to Owino Market to sort through second hand clothes to pick out the best denim finds.

These are then taken to his factory where tailors give a new lease of life to the discarded fashion items.

“We are trying to protect our environment using sustainable material so we try and reuse denim, denim that has been thrown or put to waste. So, that’s where the first process starts with. Sourcing the wasted denim or the offcuts of denim sourcing materials and then we now look at bringing it to our factories which is at MOTIV or Port Bell Road where we start cutting out patterns and pieces to specific designs,” explains Elimu.

His idea has found broad support among fashionistas and celebrities alike.

Content creator Patience Ainembabazi is a regular at Elimu’s store.

“I love the authenticity about the products here. I love the creativity. I believe they really think out of the box and repurpose denim. It gives denim more depth and makes us appreciate denim more because denim has really been a beautiful material that has been here since forever,” she explains.

In August 2023, the Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, declared that he was banning imports of used clothing, saying the items were coming “from dead people".

But among Elimu's customers, many are convinced that his business is a viable way of tackling the masses of second-hand clothes in the country.

The entrepreneur also hopes to re-export his creations out of Uganda.

He calls this philosophy "send back to the sender".