Japan finds a heap of rare earth minerals! - CurrentKids
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June 24, 2020
Japan finds a heap of rare earth
minerals!
When you think about precious or rare metals, Gold, Silver and Platinum probably come to mind. But what about europium
or yttrium? No, these are not magical spells—but in fact rare metals that we use everyday.
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June 24, 2020
There are 17 rare-earth metals such as yttrium, europium, terbium, dysprosium that are used to make our everyday
electronics, such as iPods, microwave ovens, and even our cars.
So where do all these rare-earth metals come from? Rare-earth metals, despite their name aren’t “rare”. Many
countries such as Vietnam, China, Brazil, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and more have natural rare-earth metal
reserves. They are called rare because they are difficult to mine. China has mastered how to do so and currently controls 90
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June 24, 2020
– 95% of the world’s rare-earth metal supply.
How was China able to do this? These rare-earth metals are just that—metals that are found in the earth, as in mud. So
in order to be of use they actually have to be separated from the dirt and mud. China not only has large reserves but also
the equipment and machinery needed to separate the metals from the mud. On the other hand, countries like Vietnam and
Brazil only have reserves, and countries like the United States only have the machinery to process but no reserves. So,
China controls the supply and has hiked the price 10 times over!
Photo Credit: yahoo News Singapore
Sounds a bit unfair right? Japan, who heavily relies on China’s supply of the rare-earth metals for manufacturing
electronics and cars certainly thought so. So, they set off to look for the rare-earth metals in their own oceans. It took them
awhile, but they found a large supply on their ocean floor—stretching across 965-square-miles containing 16 million tons of
rare-earth metals. That’s enough to supply the world for over 400 years!
Realising that it’s not enough to only have natural reserves, Japan is heavily investing in machinery and equipment for the
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June 24, 2020
process of separating the rare-earth metals from soil and dirt, which might potentially end China’s monopoly.
Written by Tanika Thacker. Tanika is a writer by day and a foodie by night. She lives in San
Francisco and nothing makes her happier than ice-cream on a cold, rainy afternoon. You can
follow her meanderings on @tanikathacker and @boozefoodlatitude
North and South Korea: Can they
get along and be friends?
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June 24, 2020
Photo Credit: CNN.com
It’s finally happening! North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un crossed the Military Demarcation Line (MDL) and met South Korean
President Moon Jae-in yesterday. The line is in the DeMilitarized Zone (DMZ), or buffer area between North and South Korea.
The MDL has not been crossed by a leader of the two countries since 1953, when it was put in place at the end of the Korean
War!
The Korean leaders are going to hopefully discuss ways to put an end to their fighting and find a way forward that works for
both countries. They are also to discuss the North Korean nuclear weapons program, and come up with ways in which that
can be managed. Fingers crossed!
Walk for Change
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Asifa was an 8 year old girl in a part of India called Kathua, in the state of Jammu and Kashmir. She was treated very badly
and killed by some men in that area earlier this year. The police believe they have caught the men who treated her so
violently, and their story will be heard in the courts. A judge will then decide what their punishment is.
Why did they do this to her? Sometimes people are not taught the difference between right and wrong very well.
Sometimes they grow up having a different idea of what is acceptable and what is not. That’s part of the reason why your
parents and schools try to develop this meter in you. This is also the reason why your parents will want you near them when
you go to large public places, and why they want you to know their phone numbers.
Why are we talking about this? We are hearing about more and more cases of violence against women and children in
India. After news of this and another incident broke, there have been protests all over the country. There was one such
peaceful protest in Mumbai today.
What is a peaceful protest? In Mumbai, thousands gathered and walked in silence from Nariman Point to Chowpatty. This
was done to raise awareness about this issue, and to stand up for the rights of women and children in India. It was done to
encourage people to start talking about and coming up with ideas to keep us safe. It was also done for another very
important reason:
To bring it to peoples’ attention that if you disagree with the rules, you, as a citizen, can raise your voice, get
others to join you, and peacefully bring about a change. This walk and the others like it have brought this issue into
every household in India. This means that there are enough people who believe that things went terribly wrong, and that
they want to work together to change laws and human behaviour. You do have a voice, and it does count. It doesn’t need to
be raised in a threatening way, but it should be used in a constructive way, to mend things and systems when they are
broken.
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Written by: Sunaina Murthy
Decoding the US-China Trade War
The US and China have recently engaged in a ‘trade war’. What is this and how will it affect us? View the gallery to find out!
Contributed by: Preetika Soni. Preetika is a full – time toddler mommy. In the time that is
left, she enjoys writing, photography and crochet. She has worked with NDTV, Mumbai and
has taught at SCMSophia.
Syria Explained
There has been a violent war in going on in Syria since 2011. It started as an internal civil war, with an uprising of students
that was dealt with very harshly by the President, Bashar al-Assad. The region was so volatile that this sparked the Syrian
war that has lasted longer than World War II, and involves so many players, all fighting in Syria for very different reasons. It
involves countries who back Bashar al-Assad, countries who back the pro-democracy rebel groups, and extremist groups like
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June 24, 2020
ISIS that have taken advantage of all the fighting there to come in and claim areas as their own, to establish their own
kingdom.
According to CNN and Al Jazeera, there are close to 500,000 people dead, about 1 million injured, and about 12 million
people who have had to leave their homes in the region. Half of them are refugees in other countries, and half of them have
moved within Syrian borders, trying to save themselves and their families.
Recently, Assad has been suspected of using chemical weapons to kill Syrians who are against him. In retaliation, and to try
and prevent Assad from using these chemical weapons again, the US, UK and France led airstrikes where they launched
missiles to bomb areas where the chemical weapons were made in Syria.
This story is far from over, but is getting more confusing by the day. Who is on which side?
Written by: Sunaina Murthy
Illustrated by: Shahena Zaveri
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Let’s talk about China!
China is one of the biggest and strongest countries in the world and one of the fastest growing. It has a glorious past, filled
with mystical kingdoms, dynasties and beautiful art and stories and traditions. It has also held firmly onto communism as a
form of government since 1949. Let’s take a look at some of the important facts and historical events that helped to shape
this country.
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Written by: Sunaina Murthy
Infographic: Sanam Panjwani
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What do you know about young
Malala?
Photo Credit: www.eluniverso.com
Malala Yousafzai is truly an inspiration to all of us. She found her voice and fearlessly spoke out against things
going wrong in her town in Pakistan when it was under the control of the dreaded Taliban. She was targeted
and shot by the Taliban but overcame her grave injury. She didn’t let the fear of almost losing her life stop her
from continuing to do what she truly believes in.
She continues to be an inspiration to young students around the world. Let’s take a look at what her life has been like so far.
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Malala Yousafzai was born on July 12, 1997, in the Swat Valley of Northern Pakistan. She attended a school founded by her
father.
Age 10: In 2007, her town was taken over by a violent group called the Taliban. The Taliban banned girls from going to
school. She actively spoke out against their rules and fought for girls’ education.
Age 11: She began writing a blog for a British TV news network about life under the Taliban. To protect herself she used a
pseudo (fake) name – Gul Makai, who was a heroic girl from a local folk tale. Her real identity was soon discovered. This
didn’t deter her but encouraged her to give interviews in print and on television.
Age 14: She was noticed for her activism and was also nominated for the International Children’s Peace Prize.
Age 15: The Taliban weren’t happy with her activism. One day on her way home from school, a Taliban militant boarded her
school bus and shot her in the head. She was seriously injured and flown to a hospital. Luckily, her brain wasn’t damaged. It
took her some time to heal. She moved to Birmingham, England for further treatment.
Age 16: This incident didn’t leave her defeated. She didn’t lose hope but instead her will to survive saw her through these
bad times. Following her recovery, she began school in Birmingham. Along with her father she founded the Malala Fund, a
non-profit organisation. The fund aim’s to provide girls with a higher education in developing countries like Pakistan and
Afghanistan. Malala also added another feather to her cap when she co-authored a book called ‘I am Malala’ that went on to
become an international bestseller.
Age 17: In 2014 she became the youngest person ever to win the Nobel Peace Prize.
Age 18: The Malala Fund opened a school for Syrian Refugee girls in Lebanon.
Age 21: Through her pursuit to empower girls, Malala hasn’t stopped learning. She is currently a student at the Oxford
College in UK. She is studying for a Bachelor’s degree in Philosophy, Politics and Economics.
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Malala with her family in Pakistan; Photo Credit: Twitter
Malala is in the news again. Last week, she visited her hometown in Pakistan for the first time since she was shot. She was
reunited with her school friends. At a press conference, she discussed education in Pakistan and how it is important to
empower girls to stand on their own two feet. The Prime Minister of Pakistan welcomed her warmly and was happy to have
her back home!
Here is a small snippet from an interview she did recently. Enjoy!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OB_Tq_vNb6E
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Elections in Egypt
Egypt, The Land of the Pharaohs, has just elected its new leader, President Abdel-Fattah al Sisi. Who was the
previous President of this glorious country? That’s easy! It was Abdel-Fattah al Sisi!
Actually, there was no real competition here. Although Egypt has over 100 registered political parties, only two candidates
stood for election – al Sisi and his supporter Moussa Mostafa Moussa, who joined the race last minute.
Why would he do that? Well… to ensure the election looked like a real contest. It is believed that all the other candidates
who wanted to stand for elections dropped out at the last minute. It is thought that they might have been scared off by the
ruling al Sisi government.
It is reported that to try to get high turnout, voters were offered various incentives such as bags of free groceries or a token
payment of $3 for casting their votes. Promises were made for better services and some were tempted with an opportunity
for pilgrimage to Mecca. Those who did not turn up to vote were threatened with a fine. Still, fewer people voted in these
elections than in the previous one, 4 years ago.
How long can al Sisi remain in power? Under Egyptian law, President al Sisi can only serve one more term and has to
leave office in 2022. It will be interesting to see if he chooses to amend the constitution to change this.
Written by: Preetika Soni
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All aboard! Who made a surprise
visit to China?
We have discussed North Korea a fair bit actually. Their leader, Kim Jong-un has been in office since 2011. He has an
interesting personality, and one that particularly jars with that of the US President, Donald Trump.
However, he has been at least outwardly making some movements towards bettering relations with longtime enemy, South
Korea. He sent a delegation to the Winter Olympics that were held in South Korea this year. He has agreed to a meeting with
South Korean President, Moon Jae-in, in April 2018. He will also be meeting US President Donald Trump soon. As if that
wasn’t enough, last week, from March 25th to March 28th, he took his wife on his green and yellow bullet proof train to visit
Chinese President, Xi Jinping.
He hasn’t taken a trip abroad since he took office. It is thought that he went to talk to the Chinese President about his
upcoming meeting with Donald Trump, and also perhaps to keep his Chinese ally close ahead of this very important
meeting.
Stay tuned for more news on clandestine meetings and bullet-proof trains!
Written by: Sunaina Murthy
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Why are farmers in Maharashtra
so upset?
Two weeks ago, over 40,000 farmers walked for 6 days continuously from their homes in western Maharashtra to protest in
Mumbai. Many of are them over 50 years in age. Wearing red topis (caps) to identify themselves, they walked barefoot.
They even walked in the dark for the final part of their 180 km journey so that they wouldn’t inconvenience students taking
board exams on Monday morning.
We know that they are in the news a lot, and that they are very upset as they are not earning enough money. The rainy
season has not been very regular or generous over the past few years and there have been droughts which have reduced
the productivity of their land.
But what are their other problems?
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Loans with high interest rates: Many of these farmers are adivasis or tribal people who for centuries have lived
harmoniously with nature in the dense forest that used to cover most parts of Maharashtra. According to a new law passed
in 2006, tribals have the right to own forest land if they have been tilling (growing crops on) it for many years. But in many
parts of the state, they still have not been given ownership of their land, or of comparable land that is not forest land. This
means that although they do get some loans from the government, since the land is not theirs, they can’t take as much as
they actually need. They need to borrow from money lenders who charge them very high rates.
Expensive seeds: Their traditional methods of farming have given way to a dependence on high-yielding seeds promoted
by the government. However these high-yielding seeds are expensive to buy and require much more fertilizer and pesticide
than regular seeds do. Many farmers have taken large loans to pay for the seeds, fertilizers and pesticides.
No real minimum support price for their products: The government who had promised to purchase their crops at a
minimum price have not done so, so many farmers have not made enough money to pay back their loans.
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Back to the protest! Burdened by debts and with no savings or security, the farmers decided to come to Mumbai to
protest and to demand that the government both transfer their land to their names and to cancel some of their loans. They
got here and the Chief Minister of Maharastra, Mr. Devendra Fadnavis, and other leaders met with the leaders of the protest.
They have agreed to some of the farmers’ demands and have agreed to address the others within 6 months.
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