GLOBAL WATCH

Stories you may have missed from around the world

SWEDEN

More than a million tonnes of rare earth elements (REEs) have been discovered in Sweden, making it the largest known deposit in Europe. REEs are essential for manufacturing many high-tech products, from camera lenses to green energy technologies such as wind turbines. Currently, China is the world’s largest producer of REEs.

JAPAN

The Japanese government is to offer families ¥1 million (£6,200) per child to move out of Tokyo. The incentive is being introduced in an effort to reverse population declines in other parts of the country. Tokyo is the world’s biggest metropolis with a population of about 35 million.

DJIBOUTI

Africa will get its first orbital spaceport after Djibouti signed a partnership deal with Hong Kong Aerospace Technology to build a facility to launch satellites and rockets in the northern Obock region of the country. The US$1 billion facility is expected to include seven satellite launch pads and three rocket testing pads.

BRAZIL

Brazil’s ministry of health has declared a medical emergency in the Yanomami territory, the country’s largest indigenous reservation, following reports of children dying of malnutrition and other diseases caused by illegal gold mining. The reservation, which borders Venezuela, has long been troubled by illegal mining.

INDONESIA AND MALAYSIA

The world’s two largest producers of palm oil have joined forces to ‘fight discrimination’ following an EU agreement on global deforestation. Palm oil production is a leading cause of large-scale deforestation, but millions of small-scale farmers depend on it.