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  China controls the rare earths the world buys - can Trump's new deals change that? US President Donald Trump has signed a flurry of deals on his Asia visit to secure the supply of rare earths, a critical sector that China has long dominated. The deals with Japan, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia differ in size and substance and it's too early to assess their tangible impact. But they all include efforts to diversify access to the minerals that have become essential for advanced manufacturing, from electric vehicles to smartphones. The agreements, which aim to lock partners into trading with the US, are a clear bid to reduce dependence on China, ahead of a key meeting with its leader Xi Jinping. They could eventually challenge Beijing's stranglehold over rare earths, but experts say it will be a costly process that will take years. "Building new mines, refining facilities, and processing plants in regions such as Australia, the United States, and Europe comes ...
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Police algorithm said Lina was at 'medium' risk. Then she was killed


Her ex-partner had been threatening her at home in the Spanish seaside town of Benalmádena. That day, he'd allegedly raised his hand as if to hit her.

"There had been violent episodes - she was scared," Lina's cousin Daniel recalls.

When she got to the police station, she was interviewed and her case registered with VioGén, a digital tool which assesses the likelihood of a woman being attacked again by the same man.

VioGén - an algorithm-based system - asks 35 questions about the abuse and its intensity, the aggressor's access to weapons, his mental health and whether the woman has left, or is considering leaving, the relationship.

It then records the threat to her as "negligible", "low", "medium", "high" or "extreme".

The category is used to make decisions about the allocation of police resources to protect the woman.

Lina was deemed to be at "medium" risk.

She asked for a restraining order at a specialist gender violence court in Malaga, so that her ex-partner couldn't be in contact with her or share her living space. The request was denied.

"Lina wanted to change the locks at her home, so she could live peacefully with her children," says her cousin.

Three weeks later, she was dead. Her partner had allegedly used his key to enter her flat and soon the house was on fire.

While her children, mother and ex-partner all escaped, Lina didn't. Her 11-year-old son was widely reported as telling police it was his father who killed his mother.

Lina's lifeless body was retrieved from the charred interior of her home. Her ex-partner, the father of her three youngest children, was arrested.

Now, her death is raising questions about VioGén and its ability to keep women safe in Spain.

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