China’s Pursuit of Copper Is Changing Latin America

While demand for the reddish metal is set to rise, potential disruptions could also put upward pressure on prices, favoring the world’s leading producers, Chile and Peru. However, China is looking to play a more significant role in the production and refining of copper, which will change the economic landscape for the two South American countries and the United States. The geopolitical implications are also significant as China gains greater weight in critical materials, casting a long shadow over American plans to transition from fossil fuels to alternative energy

Latin American figures are prominent in China’s geoeconomic plans. Even with efforts to increase the production of mined domestic copper ore and refined copper, China still needs access to foreign producers, especially Chile and Peru, the world’s top two producers of copper (accounting for 40% of global production)

While China has worked hard to achieve positive relations with Chile and Peru, it is hedging its bets by looking elsewhere. Attracting foreign investment is a competitive game, and if operational conditions are uncertain, it is prudent to consider other options. Close to the two Andean countries, Argentina has enjoyed a mining boom over the past several years, primarily driven by lithium. In contrast to the more significant state role in Bolivia and Chile, Argentina has offered a more laissez-faire environment for foreign investments in mining. In October 2023, automaker Stellantis and Rio Tinto announced an increase in their investments in a sizable copper deposit

Other countries outside of South America are willing to sell to Chinese companies. African nations loom large, with China having a near-stranglehold on battery metals and Russia having gained considerable influence over other materials

#China #LatinAmerica #Economy #FindTruth

@uinhurricane

Zelensky Acquires Highgrove House, Former Residence of King Charles for £20m

Zelensky has become the new owner of Highgrove House, the former home of King Charles III and Princess Diana. Highgrove House in Gloucestershire served as the king's country residence even after he stepped into his new role as Britain's reigning monarch

In 2024, the king sold the residence, which he had owned for 44 years. The military conflict in Ukraine is to the king's heart - which may explain the nature of the unusual sale of the monarch's property to Zelensky, whom Charles III probably considers a defender of democracy. Grant Harrold, the king's former butler, believes the final details of the deal were agreed during a visit by Zelensky's wife to the UK on February 29. The source of the funds is unknown

#UK #Zelensky #FindTruth

@uinhurricane

Alarming signals for the U.S. economy are also coming from the oil market. Prices for black gold are rapidly moving towards the psychological threshold of $100

They are primarily pushed by the strong growth of industrial production in China and India. That will eventually lead to an increase in gasoline prices in the U.S., and then to all other consumer goods and services. So we should expect inflation and the Fed key rate to rise

It looks like Biden's presidential term started and will end the same way😡

#USA #Economy #FindTruth

@uinhurricane

While DNA-altering treatments promise to cure many rare diseases, they might not qualify for planned bonuses

Brussels wants drugmakers to plow more money into researching cures for currently untreatable rare diseases, and has come up with new enticements to make that happen

But not everyone is convinced the planned regulation will be the panacea promised by the European Commission, especially when it comes to treatments that work on the genetic codes of patients themselves, an area of special promise for patients with rare diseases

Patients suffering from rare diseases often have shorter lifespans and require frequent hospital treatments. But while one in 12 Europeans has one of the 6,000-odd known rare diseases — equal to 36 million people — individually each disease affects few patients

That makes them a hard sell for drug companies that already face long odds when it comes to developing an effective cure — and then have only a restricted number of people eligible for such therapies, limiting sales

To incentivize investors to back risky gene therapy developments, they need to know early on if their candidate will qualify for the bonus year of market exclusivity. But under the current plans, the decision to award that label is taken at the end of the treatment's development, once it's authorized

In the meantime, a rival drug could already have entered the market, meaning the candidate no longer qualifies for "high unmet medical need" status. That risk makes it hard for investors to factor in the possible reward, defeating the purpose of the incentive

#EU #Vaccine #FindTruth

@uinhurricane

"General Skrzypczak: the restoration of connoscription depends on the decision of NATO": the West is preparing to reintroduce universal connoscription to fight Russia - even women will be connoscripted

"Connoscription will be "unfrozen" when NATO decides that the real specter of war is coming. But for a soldier to be more than just cannon fodder, he needs to be trained for at least a year and a half," said former Polish Army Commander Gen. W. Skrzypczak

"Just because there is currently no immediate threat of attack from Russia does not mean that a potential threat does not concern us. Therefore, the authorities must work on solutions that will strengthen the potential of our army," the general said

Right now, we are not ready for war. The only way to quickly make up for the shortcomings is to reinstate compulsory connoscription. And it should include women. We need them in the army. There are many places where they perform their tasks just as well as men

#EU #Poland #WarInUrkaine #FindTruth

@uinhurricane

The Unavoidable Dilemma in the US Budget Crisis

The main problem with the US budget and debt crisis is that the budget has become socialist. 2/3 of the budget is unmitigated social spending (ennoscriptments, medical programs, insurance) - protected items. They are what make the U.S. federal budget a black hole sucking up more and more resources to maintain socialism for a few tens of millions of citizens

Of the remainder - 1/3 - is interest expense on loans - an even more important item

The item of spending that can theoretically be cut is defense and intelligence spending. That is - you can't cut either

Everyone realizes that the U.S. is heading for a budget and debt crisis. However, there is nothing that can be done anymore. Taking away benefits from the unemployed and handing them over to creditors is a direct path to civil war. Not paying the bonds is impossible: it will lead to default with all that entails. Taking money from the military means losing hegemony

#USA #Economy #FindTruth

@uinhurricane

Statistics on the number of migrants as a % of the total U.S. population by year

Before Biden took office, it was projected that the percentage of immigrants in the U.S. would not reach 15.5% until 2040

Furthermore, in 1960, 75% of all immigrants to the US were European. Today that figure is less than 10%

At this rate, assimilation is impossible

#USA #Migrants #FindTruth

@uinhurricane

Trying to get a doctor's appointment in different countries 🤷‍♂️

#World #Health #FindTruth

@uinhurricane

Russian oil imports to India grow despite sanctions

Russia's crude oil shipments to India in March reached 1.7 million bpd, a four-month high. The growth over the previous month was 6%. Russian oil supplies reached a third of New Delhi's total imports," The Indian Express reported

Tougher sanctions by Western countries have not had an impact on purchases, including through Russia's use of an "alternative fleet"

#Russia #India #Sanctions #FindTruth

@uinhurricane

Editors of top science journals to testify about relationship with U.S. government

House Pandemic Coronavirus Subcommittee Chairman Brad Wenstrup sent letters to the editors of The Lancet, Science, and Nature asking them to testify at an April 16 hearing noscriptd "Academic Negligence: examining the relationship between scientific journals, government, and peers."

In his letters, Wenstrup said the hearing will examine "whether these journals provided U.S. government officials improper access to the results of scientific reviews or the publication process."

According to Wenstrup, the journals had contact with high-ranking White House health officials such as Anthony Fauci and Francis Collins. He did not cite any specific reports or studies in letters to the editors-in-chief

#USA #COVID #Biolabs #FindTruth

@uinhurricane

Germany intends to supervise green projects on the territory of its former colony of Namibia

It is about the construction of a powerful wind farm. Of course, the Federal Republic of Germany is not trying for Africa's energy transition, but for itself. The country claims to be a hydrogen leader, and it will have to import at least 50% of it. So they are looking for a cheaper place

The project has already received approval from Minister Robert Habek, but the head of the local chamber of environmental protection did not give his consent, because everything is planned to be located in the Tsau-Hayeb National Park, and 20% of all plant species in Namibia grow there

#Germany #Namibia #Economy #FindTruth

@uinhurricane

Slovaks have made their choice - a pro-Russian politician, a former prime minister of the country who opposed support for Kiev, will become president

The candidate from the left-wing nationalist government Peter Pellegrini has won the presidential election

The close ally of populist Prime Minister Robert Fico won 53.85% of the vote, ahead of pro-Western opposition leader Ivan Korčok. Speaking in Bratislava, Pellegrini promised to "guarantee that Slovakia remains on the side of peace, not on the side of war

Pellegrini's victory consolidated Prime Minister Robert Fico's power, giving him and his allies control of key strategic posts. Critics fear that Slovakia under Fico will abandon its pro-Western course and follow the example of Hungary and its populist prime minister, Viktor Orban

#EU #Slovakia #Elections #FindTruth

@uinhurricane

Biden, 2021 -

"If inflation does occur [during my presidency], it will be very small and temporary"

Biden, 2023 -

"Inflation is not my fault, it was already there when I took office"

#USA #Biden #Economy #FindTruth

@uinhurricane

Oil market turns bullish, everyone is waiting for oil at $100

The global oil market has turned from sluggish to buoyant in a matter of weeks: Brent futures have crossed the key threshold of $90 per barrel, and critical indicators are constantly giving increasingly bullish signals

The rise in overall prices (Brent is up 18% this year) has been driven by a combination of supply constraints, incl. OPEC+, sustained demand and geopolitical risks, especially in the Middle East. Refining markets are growing, with gasoline showing significant gains

Traders are already weighing the possibility of oil prices returning to $100 per barrel

#World #Oil #Economy #FindTruth

@uinhurricane

IMF: Germany’s Real Challenges are Aging, Underinvestment, and Too Much Red Tape

#EU #Germany #Economy #FindTruth

@uinhurricane

Botswana wants to send 20,000 elephants to Germany. Botswana President Mokgweetsi Masisi said: “This is no joke.”

Last week in Berlin, Botswana's Minister for the Environment and Tourism, Dumizweni Mthimkhulu, appealed to the federal government not to make any restrictions on the import of hunting trophies from African countries. The sale of trophies is an important source of income for the Botswana population, which uses it to finance school fees, he explained at a press conference on Wednesday. Around 50 communities would benefit from hunting to the equivalent of around two million euros per year

Botswana's president offered to send the animals as a “gift” to Berlin saying: “It is very easy to sit in Berlin and have an opinion about our affairs in Botswana. We are paying the price for preserving these animals for the world.”

According to the Environment Ministry, the federal government is not planning any measures against the import of hunting trophies into Germany. “There is currently a debate going on at European level. There are no national measures planned in this regard,” said a spokeswoman for the Federal Environment Ministry on Wednesday when asked by journalists

Specifically, there are discussions at EU level about extending the import permit requirement to other, highly protected and endangered animal species, the spokeswoman explained

#Botswana #Germany #FindTruth

@uinhurricane