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The so-called Chinese debt trap is more of a "narrative trap "created by those who do not hope to see China-Africa cooperation pick up speed, Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said on Thursday after a study stated that the West, instead of China, is to be blamed for the African debt crisis. The study, released on Monday by British charity Debt Justice, said African governments owe three times more debt to Western banks, asset managers and oil traders than they do to China, and are charged double the interest. "Western leaders through G7 have attributed the failure to make progress...

SE Asian nation on edge of default after building a China-financed high-speed train, giving new momentum to ‘debt trap’ diplomacy criticismLaos faces intensifying economic and financial crises and there is likely no way out without some form of a Chinese bailout or debt forgiveness. Various warning signs are blinking red in the small Southeast Asian country. The national currency, the kip, has lost around a third of its value against the US dollar compared to this time last year. Inflation hit 23% in June, its highest level in decades. Meanwhile, much of the landlocked country faces fuel shortages. The communist-run...

Copper the balloon popper for 2050 net-zero goals according to S&PIn a world ever more hungry for copper, a looming shortage could end green energy transition plans before they even get off the ground. Copper is so central to transitioning from fossil fuels to sustainable energy, says a report from S&P Global, that worldwide demand is likely to double by 2035 from 25 million metric tons to 50; no matter the scenario, S&P said it's unlikely the world will be able to meet it. "The record-high level of demand would be sustained and continue to grow to 53 million...

We all scream for ice cream on July 17.National Ice Cream Day is July 17. And if you're a fan of the frozen dessert then it's your day too, because ice cream shops and manufacturers are offering giveaways, discounts and other goodies to celebrate. President Ronald Reagan inaugurated the celebration in 1984, designating July as National Ice Cream Month and the third Sunday of the month as National Ice Cream Day. Of course, frozen treats have been enjoyed for millennia: The earliest mention dates back more than 2,500 years, to when Mesopotamian elites would mix snow with mashed fruit as...

The world's largest oil producer stepped up imports of Russian oil in the second quarter despite sanctions aimed at choking Moscow's energy flows, Reuters said. Saudi Arabia imported 647,000 tonnes of Russian oil from April to June, according to data reviewed by Reuters. Saudi Arabia took possession of the oil from Russian and Estonian ports, and has thus far imported 320,000 more barrels from Russia compared to 2021 levels. The Kingdom's increased willingness to grow its reliance on Russian oil is at odds with global powers which are trying to condemn the Kremlin and cut off its exports in response...

(CNN) House Republicans are plotting revenge on the select committee investigating the January 6, 2021, insurrection, as the GOP weighs a broader effort to re-litigate some of Donald Trump's biggest election grievances if it recaptures the House majority. The former President has been itching for payback and leaning heavily on his Capitol Hill allies to defend him against a recent slew of damaging revelations about his role in the deadly attack on the US Capitol. Now, as Republicans search for ways to undermine those findings, their party has started to lay the groundwork to investigate the select committee itself. Republicans...

With more than one million reported COVID-19 deaths and enormous collateral damage to public health, education, and the economy, our pandemic response was a disaster. Yet some House Democrats are now defending the Trump administration officials responsible for initiating those misguided policies. Two Trump-appointed officials—former CDC director Robert Redfield and White House Coronavirus Response Coordinator Dr. Deborah Birx—formally directed the federal response from the start of the pandemic through January 2021. They adopted lockdowns, including school and business closures, as the centerpiece of the national coronavirus response. In a recent report, Democrats on the Congressional Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus...

“If a 10-year-old became pregnant as a result of rape and it was threatening her life, then that’s not an abortion,” Foster said. “So it would not fall under any abortion restriction in our nation.”

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s husband Paul bought up to $5 million in stock of a computer chip company ahead of a vote on a bill next week that would hand billions in subsidies to boost chip manufacturing, a financial disclosure shows. Paul Pelosi purchased 20,000 shares of Nvidia, one of the world’s largest semiconductor companies, on June 17, according to the speaker’s disclosure report released Thursday. Now, senators will convene as early as Tuesday to vote on a bipartisan competition bill, which allocates $52 billion to boost domestic semiconductor manufacturing and gives tax credits for production, Reuters reported Thursday. “It...

Fauci appeared on MSNBC on Tuesday to recommend viewers continue to mask up indoors and get their second booster shot to combat the spread of the BA.5 variant, though he admitted it would be a "hard sell" for the American people.

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors took their opposition to Sheriff Alex Villanueva to new heights Monday with a power grab he called an “illegal motion” to make themselves “judge, jury and executioner” for his office. Since taking office in 2018, Villanueva has stood in contrast to the soft-on-crime policies dominating California politics and the draconian measures pushed in response to the COVID pandemic. Now, ahead of a Nov. 8 election, the board demonstrated that they are not willing to leave this decision up to the will of the people and that they must have the authority to remove...

Shock absorption would make them less efficient peckers, study argues Scientists have long hypothesized that a spongy bone in the woodpecker’s skull cushions its repeated head slams like a well-designed safety helmet. (Indeed, engineers have modeled football helmets and shock-absorbing electronics after this idea.) But a new analysis shows the birds may be opting for power over protection. ...But woodpeckers, despite smacking with accelerations three times the human concussion threshold, seem to escape unharmed, says Sam Van Wassenbergh, a biomechanist at the University of Antwerp and lead author on the study. This impressive resilience led previous researchers to search for...

[Catholic Caucus] Francis: Priest Mothers Are “Not Surprised”The mothers of Roman Rite priest (La Voie romaine) who made a foot pilgrimage from France to Rome to soften Francis’ hardened heart, published a press release about Desiderio desideravi, Francis’ most recent attack on the Mass.“We are not surprised by this position, but we can only regret that the various messages addressed to Rome since the Motu Proprio Traditionis Custodes - including that of La Voie romaine - have not been echoed,” the mothers write.The mothers are therefore preparing to embark on Act II of their project. They will publish a collection...

The United States may begin training Ukrainian pilots to fly F-15 and F-16 fighter jets. "Ukrainian pilots are going to be taught to fly F-15 and F-16 fighters in the USA. This amendment to the bill on the U.S. defense budget for fiscal year 2023 was supported by the House of Representatives. It is planned to allocate $100 million for this," head of the Pesident’s Office of Ukraine Andriy Yermak wrote on the Telegram channel on Friday.

Archdiocese publishes synod reportThe Archdiocese of Louisville’s report on the local synod listening process — part of Pope Francis’ Synod on Synodality — is now available at www.archlou.org.The report, “Journeying Together,” reflects themes prevalent in church and society, such as issues related to clericalism, the experience of LGBTQ+ Catholics, the engagement of young people in church and polarization in society.“This synthesis reveals pain and challenges within our Church along with opportunities for healing and growth,” writes Archbishop Shelton J. Fabre in a cover letter that accompanies the document. “It also reflects the great enthusiasm with which participants entered into this...

A bigot headbutted a man and spewed anti-Asian statements at him in Queens this week, cops said. The suspect approached the 22-year-old victim on Steinway Street near 34th Avenue in Long Island City just before 9 p.m. Tuesday and snarled, “You Asians are the reason I cannot get a job. You Chinese are scum,” according to police. Then he slammed his own head into the victim’s before taking off, cops said.

SNIP he ‘announced’ her departure from the game four months ago, during one of two bizarre interviews which have seemed designed to provide a veneer of legitimacy to the Chinese state’s process of vanishing her. More than 18 months have passed, now, since China removed Peng from the internet and, effectively, from public life. She had publicly accused a 75-year-old former Communist Party official of sexual assault. The Chinese state’s response to international demands to know her whereabouts says everything about its bloated sense of invincibility. There was a creepy, stage-managed appearance with the IOC president Thomas Bach who, in...

An activist who shouted "Where is Peng Shuai?" and held up a sign with the same message was removed from Center Court during the Wimbledon men's final on Sunday. Drew Pavlou, an activist who made a similar protest at the Australian Open this year, said he shouted the message during a stoppage in play and was then forcefully removed from the stadium. "I didn't want to disrupt the actual match itself, so I waited to make sure there was a break in the play and then I just basically held up a sign saying, 'Where is Peng Shuai?'" Pavlou told...

Leading laywoman and Co-President of German 'Synodal Way' calls for 'nationwide provision of abortion'Irme Stetter-Karp, president of the Central Committee of German CatholicsA leading laywoman and co-president of the German "Synodal Way" has demanded a "nationwide provision of abortion" across the European Union's most populous country. Irme Stetter-Karp, president of the Central Committee of German Catholics (ZdK), acknowledged that abortion should not be considered a "regular medical service", CNA Deutsch, CNA's German-language news partner, reported. In comments published by German weekly Die Zeit, the 65-year-old wrote that abortion was "not a regular intervention and should not be treated as such,"...

Former President Donald Trump’s pick to unseat Rep. Liz Cheney in the race for Wyoming’s lone House seat holds a commanding 22-point lead with a month until the primary, a new Casper Star-Tribune poll shows. Natural resources attorney Harriet Hageman leads Cheney 52% to 30%, the poll shows. No other challenger received more than 5% support. Only 11% of voters were undecided.