Over the past two decades, China has become the world’s largest bilateral lender, reshaping the global financial order. Through massive infrastructure financing programs—especially under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI)—Beijing has extended loans worth hundreds of billions of dollars to developing and emerging economies. For many nations, these loans have fueled rapid infrastructure development: railways,…
Scientists have discovered a beautiful new species of butterfly in Angola, on the western coast of Southern Africa. The new species, Francis’s gorgeous sapphire, lives in the high-altitude forests of Angola’s Namba Mountains, an area that is at risk of fire damage, Mongabay reported. In May 2023, Alan Gardiner discovered the vivid blue butterfly on…
Despite Washington’s framing of a key railway network in Angola as a strategic counter to China, the CEO of the Lobito Atlantic Railway (LAR) says the company is “a purely commercial entity” with “zero geopolitical considerations”. Nicholas Fournier, the newly appointed chief executive, said in an interview with the South China Morning Post that the…
Image for representation. India has been added to the United Kingdom’s “Deport Now, Appeal Later” scheme, which allows foreign criminals to be deported before their appeals are heard. The Home Office on Sunday said the list has expanded from eight to 23 countries in a bid to speed up removals and reduce migration. Those deported…
With the Global Civilizations Dialogue Ministerial Meeting taking place in Beijing on July 10 and 11, CGTN published an article highlighting how China’s Global Civilization Initiative is offering a constructive platform for bridging differences, promoting people-to-people exchanges, and building a more inclusive, cooperative international community amid rising global uncertainties. BEIJING, July 12, 2025 /PRNewswire/ —…
An 800-mile rail corridor stretching from Angola’s northern border to the Atlantic Ocean was former President Joseph R. Biden Jr.’s signature project in Africa, meant to counter Chinese influence and reshape America’s engagement with the continent. When President Trump came into office this year, he quickly moved to dismantle decades of American aid to Africa,…
Jane Austen fans have a good reason to explore the southwest of England this year: It’s the 250th anniversary of her birth, and celebrations abound. Hampshire was both Austen’s birthplace and a source of inspiration; as a novelist, she was most prolific in this bucolic setting. Start out at Jane Austen’s House, her former cottage,…
LUANDA, Angola (AP) — President Joe Biden on Tuesday ducked questions on his decision to break his word and pardon his son Hunter, ignoring calls for him to explain his reversal as he was making his first presidential trip to Angola. Dismissing shouted questions with a laugh during a meeting with Angolan President João Lourenço…
WASHINGTON — When U.S. President Joe Biden visits Angola in early December, he will put into focus his legacy infrastructure project aimed at securing crucial supply chains on the African continent. Called the Lobito Corridor, the project is the centerpiece of his administration’s strategy to counter China’s clout in global development. The Lobito Corridor is…
When Joe Biden arrives in Angola on Monday on his first African visit as US president, he is likely to land at a China-built airport and then be driven along a highway also built or financed by China. That goes to show how deep Chinese influence runs in Angola, where post-civil war reconstruction was largely…