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Overnight News Digest December 15, 2022 [1]

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Date: 2022-12-15

NPR

The U.S. is suing Arizona over shipping containers on the border with Mexico

PHOENIX — The U.S. government sued Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey and the state Wednesday over the placement of shipping containers as a barrier on the border with Mexico, saying it is trespassing on federal lands. The complaint filed in U.S. District Court comes three weeks before the Republican governor steps aside for Democratic Gov.-elect Katie Hobbs, who has said she opposes the construction. Ducey told U.S. officials earlier this week that Arizona is ready to help remove the containers, which he says were placed as a temporary barrier. But he wants the U.S. government to say when it will fill any remaining gaps in the permanent border wall as it announced it would a year ago. The U.S. "owes it to Arizonans and all Americans to release a timeline," he wrote in a Tuesday letter, responding to news of the pending federal complaint.

The Guardian

Former Peru president ordered to remain in custody for 18 months as protest death toll rises to 12

A judge in Peru has ruled that former president Pedro Castillo be held in preventive detention for 18 months pending trial on charges of rebellion for his attempt to shutter congress and rule by decree, as the death toll from a week of violent protests sparked by his ousting rose to 12. Four people were killed and 39 injured on Thursday in Ayacucho, in Peru’s southern Andes, as protesters clashed with soldiers and police, the local health authority confirmed. The country’s Human Rights Ombudsman’s Office issued a statement demanding the armed forces “immediately cease the use of firearms and teargas bombs launched from helicopters”. The country’s new government declared a 30-day nationwide state of emergency on Wednesday, deploying the army on the streets and suspending the right to gather and move freely.

Deutsche Welle

US: Record $858 billion military spending bill passes Senate

The United States Senate passed a bill on Thursday authorizing a record $858 billion (€806 billion) in military spending next year. The National Defense Authorization Act will now go to President Joe Biden to be signed. The record bill provides around $45 billion more for defense programs than Biden had requested. "We need to prioritize defense. It's as simple as that," said Republican Jim Inhofe, who is on the Senate Armed Services Committee. The United States currently spends more on defense than twice as much as the other 29 members of the NATO military alliance combined. Germany passed a defense budget of €50.4 billion as well as a €100 billion special fund to modernize its military. The funds will be put towards weapons, ships and aircraft, as well as a 4.6% pay increase for troops. That includes Lockheed Martin's F-35 fighter jets and ships made by General Dynamics.

Deutsche Welle

US has huge lithium reserves, but concerns mount over mining

There's a reason lithium has been given the nickname "white gold." While the white-colored mineral is geologically abundant, its production is limited. The countries and companies that control the production of lithium, which is a critical component of electric vehicle (EV) batteries, will reap the riches of a decarbonized future. Global and domestic demand for lithium is only expected to increase as electric vehicles gradually displace those with fossil-fuel engines. Fortunately for US mining companies, the country's land is filled with the white metal. Yet the US is home to only one active lithium mine in the state of Nevada, manufacturing just 1% of global lithium production. Through legislation and executive authority, US President Joe Biden is courting domestic production of lithium to shift the country's reliance away from foreign nations, most notably China. While EV and mining companies have welcomed Biden's efforts, not everyone is enthused. Lithium extraction can be an ecologically and culturally destructive process, and opposition by affected local communities to any type of mining appears to be growing in the US.

Reuters

U.S. announces $2.5 billion in food assistance for Africa

WASHINGTON, Dec 15 (Reuters) - U.S. President Joe Biden on Thursday announced billions of dollars in additional humanitarian assistance to address acute food insecurity in Africa, which is facing a bigger and more complex food crisis than ever before. The United States pledged an additional $2.5 billion in emergency assistance and medium- to long-term food security assistance for resilient African food systems and supply markets, the White House said in a statement. “We're facing a global food crisis, and nowhere is it felt more keenly than on the African continent," Biden said on the last day of a three-day summit in Washington with African leaders from 49 countries and the African Union. "Today, famine once more stalks the Horn of Africa. High food prices and high trade barriers are taking a toll on the lives and livelihoods of millions of people across the continent."

Washington Post

‘Space hurricanes’ swirling over the Earth surprise scientists

We have another scientific marvel for Hollywood to someday butcher: space hurricanes. Last year, scientists announced they had discovered cyclone-like auroras near the North Pole. Over 600 miles in diameter with multiple arms that rotate counterclockwise, they contain a calm center, or eye, and “rain” electrons into the upper atmosphere. The team dubbed them “space hurricanes” for their 3D funnel shape. “[They’re] occurring where nobody looked and occurring under conditions where nobody thought anything was happening,” said Larry Lyons, who is co-author of a study on the space hurricanes as well as a space physicist at UCLA. “It’s just a matter of opening your eyes.” When we think of auroras, we often picture narrow and elongated curtains of light dancing across the sky in the east-west direction. Space hurricanes, too, shine brightly in the same green, red, blue and pink hues. Both move at similar speeds and heights (about 100 to 250 kilometers high).

Al Jazeera

Alaska Native community relocates as climate crisis ravages homes

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