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Lithium’s green potential fails to defuse opposition to mining in EU

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Lithium’s green potential fails to defuse opposition to mining in EU

“Lithium and uncommon earths will quickly be extra necessary than oil and gasoline”, European Fee President Ursula von der Leyen stated final September.

The Fee chief pronounced these phrases as Europe was reeling from an power disaster accelerated by Russia’ conflict in Ukraine and which led to the bloc pledging to wean itself off fossil fuels — most of which it has historically equipped from Russia — and speed up its transition in direction of “homegrown” renewables and different inexperienced tech.

These, nonetheless, depend on so-called uncommon earths that are wanted to supply all the things from the most recent technology batteries to the supplies wanted to fabricate photovoltaic panels.

“The urgency now could be securing [lithium] provides, it’s actually actually pressing,” Dr Evi Petavratzi, a senior mineral commodity geologist on the British Geological Survey advised Euronews.

America Geological Survey estimates that Europe is dwelling to 7% of world lithium deposits, sufficient to cowl 80% of European battery wants. 

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However the bother is there’s solely one lively business lithium within the EU.

Why are new mines so exhausting to open?

New mines at the moment take a long time to get permitted, as a consequence of fierce opposition by native individuals and politicians who’re involved about environmental and social penalties.

An instance of that is the Norra Kärr uncommon earth factor venture in southern Sweden. Regardless of this sediment being present in 2009 and a 25-year mining licence being granted in 2013, no metals have been extracted.

The licence granting led to giant protests over environmental considerations and the extraction licence was overturned in 2016 and a mine leasing software was rejected in 2021.

Talking in regards to the environmental affect of hard-rock mining, Dr Simon Jowitt, an financial geologist and affiliate professor at UNLV Division of Geoscience stated: “There’s all the time a sure potential affect on the atmosphere, on floor and repair water.”

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“Each mine is a bit of totally different by way of that potential, however there’s all the time some. There’s additionally the chance posed by mud from mines.”

Most lithium is extracted by considered one of two strategies: photo voltaic evaporation and hard-rock mining.

The photo voltaic evaporation methodology, which is famously utilized in Argentina, Bolivia, and Chile, includes pumping brine answer to the floor and leaving it to evaporate.

The largest considerations with this type of extracting lithium are its excessive water utilization, potential depletion of groundwater ranges, and the waste salt which is left behind. Roughly 2.2 million litres of water is required to supply one tonne of lithium utilizing this methodology.

The opposite most typical approach of extracting this valuable steel is thru extra conventional hard-rock mining, sometimes utilizing opencast pits.

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Not solely are such pits an eyesore, however mud from such mines can even unfold to surrounding areas sparking well being and environmental considerations. Moreover, the processing of the mined materials can even use important quantities of water.

Nevertheless, it is very important put the dangers concerned in valuable steel mining within the context of the profit they bring about from decreasing fossil gasoline extraction.

Greater costs enabling extra sophisticated extractions

Elevated demand for batteries — it’s set to blow up 14-fold between 2020 to 2030 — has pushed up the demand and value of lithium from about $20,000 per tonne 5 years in the past to $80,000 per tonne final November and pushed innovation into new, dearer, mining strategies that mitigate potential impacts on the atmosphere.

An instance of that is the proposed San José de Valdeflórez lithium mine in Spain’s Western province of Extremadura.

Initially proposed as an open-pit mine lower than a kilometre away from the UNESCO mediaeval metropolis of Cáceres and a pure reserve, the venture confronted fierce opposition from all quarters.

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Nevertheless, Extremadura New Energies (ENE), the Spanish subsidiary of Infinity Lithium, is now planning on constructing the mine fully underground with the doorway of the mine being positioned 2 km away from the town.

The fabric can even be crushed contained in the enclosed mine, chopping the chance of mud air pollution.

It has additionally unveiled plans to make use of patented expertise which implies the mine won’t have to make use of sulfuric acid for lithium extraction, leading to a zero-flow discharge mine. This dramatically reduces the chance of contaminating surrounding land water sources.

Moreover, the automobiles and mining operations will likely be powered by renewable power, together with from a brand new inexperienced hydrogen plant.

Nevertheless, these mitigation strategies had been solely launched following objections by native individuals and authorities – highlighting the significance of native engagement in bettering lithium mining.

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Moreover, though the deliberations and debates over the San José de Valdeflórez venture resulted in a much-improved finish venture, it has been a protracted journey because it was first proposed in 2015.

Regardless of this, the venture’s environmental affect has by no means been permitted or evaluated. The corporate is at the moment looking for approval for an exploration allow and hopes to submit the venture for environmental analysis by April this yr.

An area protest group, Salvemos la Montaña (Let’s Save the Mountain), has additionally gained important assist in its marketing campaign in opposition to the venture.

EU mining ambitions

The Fee needs Europe to construct a extra resilient provide chain to cut back its reliance on strategic opponents for imports and processing of uncommon metals.

In a doc revealed final yr, The Fee said it might introduce targets into laws, for instance, that a minimum of 30% of the EU’s demand for refined lithium ought to originate from the EU by 2030. One other purpose is to make sure that the time from the beginning of exploration work to a mine or a refining facility opening is decreased to a matter of years, not a long time.

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To do this, it plans “to facilitate the roll-out of focused uncooked supplies initiatives within the EU” and for the Fee to be empowered to “checklist Strategic Tasks – which might be labelled as of European curiosity – primarily based on proposals from member states.”

Ramón Jiménez, CEO of ENE advised Euronews he actually believes that “it’s potential to make this course of quicker with out decreasing environmental or social affect reductions”.

He stated that his San José de Valdeflórez venture had loved sturdy assist from the central Spanish authorities. Nevertheless, convincing central governments could be the straightforward half, convincing native residents will likely be key if the EU actually needs to spice up its mining output.

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Iran's supreme leader calls on Muslims to assist Lebanon in confronting Israel

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Iran's supreme leader calls on Muslims to assist Lebanon in confronting Israel

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei called on Muslims on Saturday “to stand by the people of Lebanon and the proud Hezbollah with whatever means they have and assist them in confronting the … wicked regime (of Israel).”

In a statement after the Israeli army said it had killed Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, Khamenei said: “The fate of this region will be determined by the forces of resistance, with Hezbollah at the forefront,” state media reported.

He has been transferred to a secure location inside the country with heightened security measures in place, two regional officials briefed by Tehran told Reuters.

The sources said Iran was in constant contact with Lebanon’s Hezbollah and other regional proxy groups to determine the next step after Israel announced that it had killed Hezbollah terror chief Hassan Nasrallah in a strike on south Beirut on Friday.

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Nasrallah was killed alongside Hezbollah’s commander of the southern front, Ali Karaki, and a host of other senior Hezbollah members in a strike on Hezbollah’s military headquarters in the Lebanese capital.

Khameini in hiding: Decision comes after emergency meeting

On Friday, Khameini held an emergency meeting with top advisors in Tehran, as per the New York Times citing Iranian sources.

Airplane flies over Beirut’s southern suburbs as seen from Sin El Fil, Lebanon, September 28, 2024. (credit: REUTERS/MOHAMED AZAKIR)

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi accused Israel of using several US “bunker buster” bombs to strike Beirut on Friday.

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“Just this morning, the Israeli regime used several 5,000-pound bunker busters that had been gifted to them by the United States to hit residential areas in Beirut,” he told a UN Security Council meeting on the Middle East.

Further, US President Joe Biden directed the Pentagon to “assess and adjust as necessary US force posture” in the Middle East, according to the White House.

“He has also directed his team to ensure that US embassies in the region take all protective measures as appropriate,” a statement read. The White House said Biden was briefed “several times” on Friday about the Middle East. An official added that Vice President Kamala Harris was also briefed.



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North Korea expands list of crimes punishable by death: report

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North Korea expands list of crimes punishable by death: report

North Korea is expanding its list of crimes punishable by death, according to reports.

Supreme leader Kim Jong Un’s regime expanded the list of offenses warranting the death penalty from 11 to 16 via revisions of criminal law, according to Yonhap News Agency.

New offenses warranting execution as a punishment include: anti-state propaganda and agitation acts, illegal manufacturing, and the illicit use of weapons are included in the new codes. 

KIM JONG UN PROMISES TO ‘STEADILY STRENGTHEN’ NORTH KOREA’S ‘NUCLEAR FORCE’

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un delivers a speech during a meeting of Central Committee of the Workers’ Party of Korea in Pyongyang, North Korea. (Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP)

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The legal modifications were codified via multiple amendments between May 2022 and December 2023, according to a report from the Korea Institute for National Unification (KINU). 

The tightening of the criminal code is intended to strengthen the Kim regime’s grip on the population through its continued monopolization of the marketplace and military. 

Earlier this month, North Korea promised to refine its weapons development and strengthen its nuclear capabilities. 

NORTH KOREA’S KIM JONG UN REPORTEDLY ORDERED DOZENS OF OFFICIALS EXECUTED AFTER DEADLY FLOODS

Kim Jong Un made the comments Monday at a state event celebrating the country’s 76th anniversary.

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“The obvious conclusion is that the nuclear force of the DPRK and the posture capable of properly using it for ensuring the state’s right to security in any time should be more thoroughly perfected,” the dictator said.

North Korea missile launch

A 24-hour Yonhapnews TV broadcast at Yongsan Railway Station in Seoul, South Korea shows North Korean leader Kim Jong Un overseeing the test-fire of a new tactical ballistic missile, the Hwasongpho-11-Da-4.5. (Kim Jae-Hwan/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

“DPRK” is an abbreviation for North Korea’s official name, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.

Kim Jong Un warned that the United States’ increased involvement in the region has forced the regime to pursue more powerful weapons as a deterrence mechanism.

“The DPRK will steadily strengthen its nuclear force capable of fully coping with any threatening acts imposed by its nuclear-armed rival states and redouble its measures and efforts to make all the armed forces of the state, including the nuclear force, fully ready for combat,” the supreme leader said.

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The 14th Supreme People’s Assembly, the unicameral legislative body of the country, amended the national constitution last year to enshrine nuclear weaponization as a core principle.

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Eight killed in Russian drone attacks on medical centre in Sumy, Ukraine

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Eight killed in Russian drone attacks on medical centre in Sumy, Ukraine

The second attack hit the hospital in northeastern Ukraine as patients evacuated, authorities and witnesses say.

At least eight people have died in two consecutive Russian drone attacks on a medical centre in the northeast Ukrainian city of Sumy, Ukrainian officials have said.

The first attack on Saturday morning killed one person, and it was followed by another attack while patients and staff were evacuating, Ukraine’s Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said.

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on his Telegram channel that Russia had hit the hospital using Shahed drones, stating that eleven people were injured.

Sumy lies just across the border from Russia’s Kursk region where Kyiv launched a shock offensive on August 6, which it says is aimed partly at creating a “buffer zone” inside Russia.

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Regional prosecutors said the first attack in Sumy on Saturday took place at about 7:35am (04:35 GMT), hitting the hospital where there were 86 patients and 38 staff.

The second attack took place at about 8:25am (05:25 GMT) as rescuers and police were providing assistance and evacuating patients at the scene, prosecutors said.

Dobrobat, a volunteer group that helps repair damaged homes, wrote on Facebook that its volunteers were working at the scene when the second attack came.

It posted a video showing thick smoke, explosions and people rushing to shelter as sirens wailed.

“People are just lying on the street dead,” a volunteer said, filming himself at the scene on his phone.

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‘Victory plan’

Ukraine’s air force said it shot down 69 of 73 Russian drones launched overnight as well as two of the four missiles. City authorities in Kyiv said about 15 drones had been shot down over the Ukrainian capital and its outskirts.

In Russia, the Defence Ministry said Saturday that air defences overnight had shot down four Ukrainian drones over the Belgorod region and one over the Kursk region, both areas bordering Ukraine.

On Thursday, Zelenskyy visited the United States to lobby support for Ukraine, meeting with US President Joe Biden and Democratic Party presidential candidate Kamala Harris to detail what he has described in recent weeks as his “victory plan”.

He had previously described the five-point plan as a “bridge” towards a strong enough negotiating position for Ukraine to force Russia to end the war on Kyiv’s terms.

Before the meeting, Biden announced an additional $8bn in military aid for Ukraine, a package including the provision of Joint Standoff Weapon (JSOW) munitions to “enhance Ukraine’s long-range strike capabilities”.

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