Latest news with #Mapuche
Newsweek
07-07-2025
- Science
- Newsweek
More Explosive Volcanoes Expected As Glaciers Melt
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Melting glaciers may be setting the stage for more frequent and explosive volcanic eruptions in the future. This is the conclusion of a study of six volcanoes in the Chilean Andes, which is being presented at the Goldschmidt Conference in Prague this week. Analysis indicates that hundreds of dormant volcanoes currently buried under glacial ice across the globe—particularly in Antarctica—could become more active as climate change accelerates glacier retreat. The connection between retreating glaciers and increased volcanic activity has been known in Iceland since the 1970s. However, the latest study is the first one to explore the phenomenon in continental volcanic systems and helps scientists better understand and predict volcanic activity in glacier-covered regions. Pablo Moreno-Yaeger from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, who is presenting the research at the conference, said in a statement: "Our study suggests this phenomenon isn't limited to Iceland, where increased volcanicity has been observed, but could also occur in Antarctica. Other continental regions, like parts of North America, New Zealand and Russia, also now warrant closer scientific attention." Pablo Moreno-Yaeger is collecting samples near the caldera of Mocho-Choshuenco, which the researchers dated at 11,500 years ago. "Mocho" means "headless" in Mapuche language, referring to the caldera that is always covered by ice. Pablo Moreno-Yaeger is collecting samples near the caldera of Mocho-Choshuenco, which the researchers dated at 11,500 years ago. "Mocho" means "headless" in Mapuche language, referring to the caldera that is always covered by ice. Pablo Moreno-Yaeger / UW-Madison In their study, researchers used argon dating and crystal analysis across six volcanoes in southern Chile, including the now dormant Mocho-Choshuenco volcano, to observe how the Patagonian Ice Sheet's advance and retreat previously impacted volcanic behavior. The scientists were able to track how the weight and pressure of glacial ice changes the characteristics of magma—an extremely hot liquid rock mixture found under the Earth's surface, known as lava when it flows onto the Earth's surface—by ascertaining the dates of previous eruptions and analyzing crystals in erupted rocks. Their investigations showed that thick ice cover suppressed the volume of eruptions and allowed a large reservoir of silica-rich magma to accumulate around 32,800 to 49,200 feet below the surface during the height of the last ice age, which is nearly 26,000 to 18,000 years ago. The ice sheet melted rapidly at the end of the last ice age and this sudden loss of weight caused the crust to relax and gasses in the magma to expand. The volcano was formed as a result of this pressure buildup, which caused explosive volcanic eruptions from the deep reservoir. "Glaciers tend to suppress the volume of eruptions from the volcanoes beneath them. But as glaciers retreat due to climate change, our findings suggest these volcanoes go on to erupt more frequently and more explosively," Moreno-Yaeger explained. He added: "The key requirement for increased explosivity is initially having a very thick glacial coverage over a magma chamber, and the trigger point is when these glaciers start to retreat, releasing pressure—which is currently happening in places like Antarctica." While the volcanic response to glacial melting is nearly instant in geological terms, the process of changes in the magma system is gradual, taking place over centuries, which allows some time for monitoring and early warning. The scientists warn that heightened volcanic activity could have global climate impacts. In the short run, eruptions release tiny particles in gases, known as aerosol, that can temporarily cool the planet . This occurred after the 1991 eruption of Mount Pinatubo in the Philippines, which dropped global temperatures by about 0.5 degrees Celsius. However, multiple eruptions can see the effects be reversed. Moreno-Yaeger said: "Over time the cumulative effect of multiple eruptions can contribute to long-term global warming because of a buildup of greenhouse gases. "This creates a positive feedback loop, where melting glaciers trigger eruptions, and the eruptions in turn could contribute to further warming and melting," he added. Do you have a tip on a science story that Newsweek should be covering? Do you have a question about glaciers, volcanoes or climate change? Let us know via science@
See - Sada Elbalad
23-06-2025
- Politics
- See - Sada Elbalad
Technical malfunction in the plane: Belgian King and Queen postpone their visit to Chile
Amir haggag The Belgian newspaper Le Soir reported on Monday that the planned five-day visit of King Philippe of Belgium and Queen Mathilde of Belgium to Chile has been postponed by 24 hours due to a technical malfunction in the government plane designated for the visit. The Belgian newspaper reported that a high-level Belgian delegation will accompany King Philippe and Queen Mathilde during the visit. The newspaper added that the nature of the problem has not yet been clarified, noting that this disruption will affect the travel schedule, but that the royal couple will return to Belgium next Friday as planned. The King was scheduled to meet later on Monday with a number of Chilean citizens who have sought refuge at the Belgian embassy in Santiago. The royal couple were also scheduled to visit the Mapuche community in the municipality of La Pintana, south of Santiago. It is noteworthy that the Mapuche are the largest indigenous group in Chile, constituting approximately 84% of the total indigenous population, or approximately 1.3 million people.... read more Gold prices rise, 21 Karat at EGP 3685 NATO's Role in Israeli-Palestinian Conflict US Expresses 'Strong Opposition' to New Turkish Military Operation in Syria Shoukry Meets Director-General of FAO Lavrov: confrontation bet. nuclear powers must be avoided News Iran Summons French Ambassador over Foreign Minister Remarks News Aboul Gheit Condemns Israeli Escalation in West Bank News Greek PM: Athens Plays Key Role in Improving Energy Security in Region News One Person Injured in Explosion at Ukrainian Embassy in Madrid News China Launches Largest Ever Aircraft Carrier Sports Former Al Zamalek Player Ibrahim Shika Passes away after Long Battle with Cancer Lifestyle Get to Know 2025 Eid Al Adha Prayer Times in Egypt Videos & Features Tragedy Overshadows MC Alger Championship Celebration: One Fan Dead, 11 Injured After Stadium Fall Business Fear & Greed Index Plummets to Lowest Level Ever Recorded amid Global Trade War Arts & Culture Zahi Hawass: Claims of Columns Beneath the Pyramid of Khafre Are Lies News Flights suspended at Port Sudan Airport after Drone Attacks Videos & Features Video: Trending Lifestyle TikToker Valeria Márquez Shot Dead during Live Stream News Shell Unveils Cost-Cutting, LNG Growth Plan Technology 50-Year Soviet Spacecraft 'Kosmos 482' Crashes into Indian Ocean
08-05-2025
Chile Pavilion
Expo 2025 Osaka Kansai Guide to Japan Global Exchange Travel May 9, 2025 A look at the Chile pavilion at the 2025 World Expo in Osaka. The symbol of Chile's pavilion is a 242-square-meter geometric-patterned tapestry called makun . It is the creation of 200 weavers from indigenous Mapuche communities, who wove it by hand using traditional techniques. After its completion, it was sent by ship from Chile for a six-week voyage. Inside the pavilion, three screens introduce Chilean culture and the country's efforts at building a sustainable society. Visitors can try various liquors, including the grape-based spirit pisco , as well as seafood cuisine. The Chile pavilion is located in the Saving Lives zone. ( See the official map for details.) Chile marks its national day on Monday, May 12, at the Expo National Day Hall. The Chile Pavilion. (© ) (Originally published in Japanese. Reporting and text by Uchiyama Ken'ichi and . Photographic assistance by Kuroiwa Masakazu of 96-Box. Banner photo © .) Osaka Kansai Expo
The Guardian
09-04-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Mantras, meanders and mud: photos of the day
Shipping containers at the Port Jersey container terminal form a block of colour against the Manhattan skyline Photograph: Charly Triballeau/AFP/Getty Images The actor Julia Fox attends this year's Fashion Trust US awards Photograph: Frazer Harrison/WireImage Supporters of Julia Chuñir Catricura, known as Mapuche, protest against the disappearance of the 72-year-old Indigenous human rights activist in what her family say were suspicious circumstances Photograph: Anadolu/Getty Images Indigenous people march during the annual Free Earth camp, where they discuss rights, territorial protection and their role in the Cop30 climate summit, which will take place for the first time in the Amazon this year Photograph: Eraldo Peres/AP Police block crowds trying to reach the US embassy during a rally marking the Day of Valor, which honours Filipino service men and women who gave their lives, in opposition to the annual Balikatan joint military exercises set to be held this month Photograph: Rolex dela Peña/EPA Members of the guard of honor prepare for a welcome ceremony for Spanish prime minister Pedro Sánchez at the Presidential Palace Photograph: Luong Thai Linh/EPA Devotees from the Jain community take part in a mass recitation of a mantra on Vishwa Navkar Mahamantra Day Photograph: Uma Shankar Mishra/AFP/Getty Images Amid the polluted waters of the Buriganga River at Sadarghat in Old Dhaka, boatmen navigate small wooden boats, ferrying passengers past many of other anchored boats Photograph: Syed Mahabubul Kader/ZUMA Press Wire/REX/Shutterstock Young boys play in dry mud to cool themselves along the banks of the Yamuna River on a hot summer day in New Delhi Photograph: Sajjad Hussain/AFP/Getty Images Ukrainian servicemen fire a mobile MLRS (Multiple Launch Rocket System) on the front line Photograph: Andriy Andriyenko/65th Mechanized Brigade of Ukrainian Armed Forces/AFP/Getty Images Palestinian rescuers check the site of an Israeli bombardment on a building in Gaza City's Shujaiyya neighbourhood while smoke from another strike billows in the background. The Israeli military said it targeted a senior Hamas militant, in a strike that Gaza's civil defence agency said hit a residential building, killing at least 20 people Photograph: Omar Al-Qattaa/AFP/Getty Images An aerial view of the meanders of the Sakarya River located at the Karagol Plateau. The river originates in Central Anatolia and reaches the Black Sea Photograph: Seyit Konyali/Anadolu/Getty Images Liberal Democrat leader, Sir Ed Davey, visits Gloucester Ski and Snowboarding Centre Photograph: Ben Birchall/PA
The Guardian
07-04-2025
- The Guardian
Silence surrounds the disappearance of Chilean grandmother Julia Chuñil. What really happened?
Julia Chuñil Catricura's home is a wooden cabin nestled within the dense foliage of the hilly Valdivian rainforest. It has no running water, electricity or mobile phone coverage. It is a modest setup – for Chuñil, living here was an act of resistance, a vindication of her rights. Chuñil, 72, is Mapuche, Chile's largest Indigenous group. A land defender who fought for Mapuche land rights and practised ancestral farming methods and medicinal techniques, she moved to this spot in 2015. After a few years, she was subjected to threats and harassment from a local business owner, who offered her money on several occasions in an attempt to get her to leave. But she repeatedly refused to go. Last November, Chuñil set off on a habitual hike with her three dogs to herd some animals, journeying up into the forest's steep hills. But only two dogs returned; Chuñil and her three-month-old hound, Cholito, have not been seen since. 'She knew the land like the back of her hand,' says her son Pablo Chuñil, gesturing towards the trees. 'It is impossible she would have gotten lost or fallen.' Five months on, the search for her has made no significant progress, despite the efforts of her family, community and authorities. Footprints thought to be hers were found near an abandoned cabin along with tyre tracks, but no further evidence has surfaced. The case highlights the struggle over land rights and the vulnerability of Indigenous defenders in Chile. Supported by the NGO Escazú Ahora, her family filed a lawsuit demanding that authorities approach Chuñil's disappearance as a criminal investigation. Before Chuñil moved to her property, it had been acquired by the government agency Conadi (National Corporation for Indigenous Development) as part of a Mapuche territorial recovery programme. It was initially assigned to another Mapuche community, which allegedly abandoned it because of its steep terrain, making it impractical for livestock. The activist spotted the vacant land and moved in with her community, the Petreguel, believing that Conadi would transfer the land rights to them. Clear title to land in this area is crucial, as evidenced by the marks of change on the forested hills that shape the skyline – acres of native oak trees are interrupted by the neat squares of pine and eucalyptus plantations. It is this burgeoning industry that Chuñil's family and friends fear could have led her to harm. 'The forestry companies squeeze and pressure the Indigenous,' says Jaime Raipan, a leader of a neighbouring Mapuche community and a close friend of Chuñil. 'The businessmen never leave [our] communities in peace.' The Mapuche struggle for land rights is a deep-seated issue rooted in colonial injustice. In the 19th century, in its infancy as an independent nation, the Chilean state seized Indigenous lands and gave them to European – primarily German – settlers. The Mapuche were subjected to atrocious living and working conditions under European estate owners. 'There is a history of dispossession the state did not take responsibility for,' says Salvador Millaleo, a lawyer and human rights lecturer at Universidad de Chile. 'That has generated a multitude of conflicts to this day.' Over the past decade, several Mapuche land defenders have gone missing under murky circumstances or have died suspiciously. 'Although the number of cases is not comparable to somewhere like Colombia, this has been happening in Chile for quite some time,' says Millaleo. 'But no ruling has found anyone responsible for their deaths – so impunity prevails.' A minority of Mapuche groups in the Araucanía and Biobío regions have taken up arms to defend their land and families, resulting in violent clashes with authorities. However, police have also been accused of using disproportionate force against Mapuche groups across the country, resulting in allegations of killings, attacks and harassment against unarmed civilians. In 2021, then president Sebastián Piñera announced a state of emergency in the two regions to confront armed groups accused of arson and violence against forestry companies. Incumbent president, Gabriel Boric, made an electoral pledge to end military control in the area and promote dialogue in its place. In 2023, the government launched the Commission for Peace and Understanding to resolve tensions over land rights. Initially scheduled to be published in November, the commission's report has been pushed back until the end of April. Meanwhile, Boric's government has presided over one of the longest periods of state of emergency in Chile's democratic history – more than 1,000 days and counting. 'The government has had a terrible policy in terms of Indigenous groups; it has made a lot of symbolic gestures, but little has been done,' says Millaleo. Escazú Ahora is similarly critical of the government, highlighting the prolonged implementation of the Escazú Agreement, a legally binding pact in South America to protect land defenders. Boric signed the Escazú Agreement as one of his first acts after taking office. Yet, three years on, Escazú Ahora calculates that only 20% of the agreement has been implemented, and a law to protect land defenders is still crawling through Congress. Sebastián Benfeld, director of Escazú Ahora, says the government must 'take part in the legislative discussion' and allocate a budget to ensure the law is enacted with sufficient resources. In 2024, Escazú Ahora documented 47 cases of human rights violations against environmental defenders in Chile, almost half of which were physical attacks. If the law had existed before Chuñil went missing, says Benfeld, it could have protected her from the alleged threats against her. In Máfil, Chuñil's family claim they were raided by police five times, with dozens of officers searching their house. They describe the experience as traumatic. Raipan, Chuñil's neighbour, says the residents distrust the authorities: 'The police do not help Chile's Indigenous groups.' After Chuñil's disappearance, the family discovered that Conadi had given the land back to its original landowner, the same businessman who they claim made the threats toward Chuñil. Pablo believes Conadi failed in their responsibility to notify his mother that they had sold the land. 'If he was the real landlord, why would he offer my mum money to leave?' he says. 'He could have just put a judicial order to get her out.' In writing, Conadi argued that the land was initially bought for a Mapuche community called Blanco Lepin. Yet, 'due to breach of contract and other complexities that the families had, this process was reversed,' which resulted in the 'restitution of the land to its [original] owner'. Conadi has not replied to inquiries relating specifically to Julia Chuñil. Justice minister Jaime Gajardo Falcón told the Guardian that the government has launched a 'roundtable' in the region; a dedicated taskforce that will use the human rights framework outlined by the Escazú Agreement – taking into consideration Chuñil's role as an environmental defender. 'We have expressed solidarity with the family and have offered them psychological and material support,' he wrote. 'There is concern and action from various national and regional state agencies in the ongoing search for Mrs Julia Chuñil.' Chuñil's granddaughter, Lyssette Sánchez, walks around her grandmother's house, tidying her garden and pruning medicinal plants – chamomile, oregano, rue and matico. She learned about medicine from her grandmother and knows all the plants and their properties. Sánchez says Chuñil taught her many things; the first was to be proud. 'You get racist people here – they don't say 'Mapuche', they say 'Indian,'' she says. 'It affected me a lot when I was younger, but [my grandmother] told me not to be ashamed of our roots.' The family has rehomed Chuñil's animals and has now left the property for good. 'We have followed vultures – if she was somewhere on the hill, they would have led us to her,' says Pablo, pointing to the sky. 'She is not here. I've climbed these hills every day for months.' They will not fight to keep Chuñil's patch of land. All they want is to know what happened to the fierce, strong-willed woman who made this place her home. 'It's so sad: a person who worked so hard for so many years … and someone comes along, maybe makes them disappear as if it were nothing,' says Sánchez, breaking down in tears. 'They don't see the harm they left behind.'
