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Huge Ransom Demanded, TikTok Ban Bill, Menopause Secrets of Whales
Just reporting the facts.
Centrist Chronicle
March 16, 2024
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In Nigeria, kidnappers have recently seized over 280 students, demanding a ransom exceeding $600,000 for their release. This distressing event is part of a disturbing trend of mass abductions that has surged since 2014 when Boko Haram infamously abducted 276 schoolgirls in Chibok.
The latest incident saw armed assailants raiding a school in the northern town of Kuriga, capturing students aged between 8 and 15. This incident was followed by the abduction of 15 boys in Sokoto, northwest Nigeria, and another incident in Borno, northeast Nigeria, where over 200 individuals were kidnapped.
While Islamist militants like Boko Haram are known to operate in the northeast, various criminal groups across northern Nigeria have also engaged in similar kidnappings for ransom, seeing it as a lucrative endeavor. This wave of abductions has reportedly generated millions of dollars for both militants and criminal gangs, despite efforts by the Nigerian military to establish security. The forthcoming anniversary of the Chibok abductions serves as a sad reminder of the persistent and tragic issue of kidnappings in Nigeria.
Yesterday, the US House of Representatives decisively voted 352-65 to enact a ban on TikTok across the United States unless Bytedance, its Chinese parent company, sells off the app's US operations within a six-month timeframe. While the future of this bill in the Senate remains uncertain, President Joe Biden has indicated his willingness to sign it into law if it reaches his desk.
This legislative move addresses ongoing apprehensions among US authorities regarding the potential for China to access sensitive data from American TikTok users, including their browsing activities, locations, and biometric information. Such concerns are exacerbated by China's 2017 law mandating domestic companies to support national intelligence work. If enacted, this ban could drastically affect TikTok's substantial user base of 170 million monthly active users in the US and its 5 million associated businesses, possibly benefiting rival platforms like Meta, Google, and Snap.
Previously, a Montana judge had halted a state-level TikTok ban, citing potential violations of free speech rights. This federal legislative action emerges amidst TikTok experiencing its slowest quarterly growth in terms of annual user numbers.
New research unveiled yesterday highlights the significant impact of menopause on the longevity of certain whale species, offering insights into the evolutionary purpose behind this biological phenomenon, which has puzzled scientists for an extended period.
While the majority of mammals retain their reproductive capabilities throughout their lives, maximizing their progeny, it's notable that only humans, chimpanzees, and five whale species undergo menopause, ceasing their ability to bear offspring. The study discovered that menopausal whale females tend to outlive their fertile counterparts in other species by up to 40 years, with some reaching their 80s.
The findings propose that menopause enables older females to focus on the welfare and protection of their younger or middle-aged kin, thus avoiding the competition for resources that new offspring would entail. This research suggests that such evolutionary benefits are most pronounced in species with intricate social networks, a trait shared by chimpanzees and humans.