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Fire Breaks Out At Disneyland’s “Fantasmic!” Performance

Fire Breaks Out At Disneyland’s “Fantasmic!” Performance

Videos on social media show a 45-foot-tall animatronic dragon caught fire Saturday night at Disneyland in Anaheim, California. 

ABC7 reported the fire broke out during the Fantasmic show at the Sawyer Island attraction. 

According to a witness who spoke to the local media outlet, guests and Disney employees were evacuated from Frontierland, but the remaining part of the park stayed open. 

“Due to unforeseen circumstances, this performance of “Fantasmic!” cannot continue,” an announcement told park attendees. “We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.”

The Anaheim Fire Department confirmed no injuries from the blaze, and the reason for the fire remains unknown.

Tyler Durden
Sun, 04/23/2023 – 12:00

Nashville Official Says School Shooter’s Manifesto Is ‘Astronomically Dangerous’

Nashville Official Says School Shooter’s Manifesto Is ‘Astronomically Dangerous’

Authored by Jack Phillips via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

Federal officials are delaying the release of a manifesto written by Audrey Hale, who killed six people in a Nashville Christian school, according to local officials, with one calling it “astronomically dangerous.”

Officials have identified the suspect in Monday’s Nashville Christian school shooting incident as 28-year-old Audrey Hale as Nashville Police released surveillance footage, seen above, on March 28, 2023. (Nashville Police Department)

Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.) told the New York Post this week that the FBI is currently behind the delay. He said that the documents should be made public for grieving family members and for members of Congress.

Hale, who was born female, used “he/him” pronouns, and police officials previously told a news conference she identified as transgender. Later, Nashville Police Chief John Drake said Hale suffered from mental health issues and was under the care of a doctor, while her parents did not know she had procured several firearms.

The shooter’s notes “could maybe tell us a little bit about what’s going on inside of her head,” Burchett told the newspaper. “I think that would answer a lot of questions.”

About 20 journals, five laptops, a suicide note, and other materials written by Hale were taken from the house where she lived with her parents, according to a search warrant in the case.

What I was told is, her manifesto was a blueprint on total destruction, and it was so, so detailed at the level of what she had planned,” Metro Nashville Council Member Courtney Johnston told the NY Post, without elaborating. “That document in the wrong person’s hands would be astronomically dangerous,” she added.

Johnson claimed that the “the vast, overwhelming majority of it” would be too dangerous for the public to see. “I personally don’t want to know the depths to which her psychosis reached … When I’m told by an MNPD high-ranking official that it keeps him up at night, I’m going to defer to that person in that agency that I don’t need to read that,” she added.

The official did not elaborate on why the documents would be a danger to the public. Based on the interview, it’s not clear if Johnson was worried about detailed plans to attack other sites or was worried about Hale’s mental health issues.

The Epoch Times has contacted the FBI’s press office for comment.

Audrey Hale in an undated image. (Nashville Police Department via The Epoch Times)

Hale, 28, was a former student at The Covenant School when she shot and killed three children and three adults at a private school last month. The victims who were murdered include Evelyn Dieckhaus, 9, Hallie Scruggs, 9, William Kinney, 9, Cynthia Peak, 61, Katherine Koonce, 60, and Mike Hill, 61.

Read more here…

Tyler Durden
Sun, 04/23/2023 – 11:30

Ukraine Official Demands Endless Streams Of Western Military Aid

Ukraine Official Demands Endless Streams Of Western Military Aid

Several days after Republican lawmakers penned a letter to President Biden demanding that endless military aid to Ukraine be halted, Ukrainian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Melnik tweeted that Western nations need to do more.

“We are thankful to our allies for their military help. But: it is not enough,” Melnik tweeted Saturday. 

He said, “Ukraine needs 10 times more to finish Russian aggression this year.” The official called on Western partners “to cross all artificial red lines & devote 1% of GDP for 🇺🇦weapons deliveries.” 

Melnik’s further demands come as the Biden administration approved a new weapons package Wednesday worth $325 million. So far, the US has supplied at least 36 weapons packages since the conflict began in February 2022, costing US taxpayers $35 billion. 

Last week, Republican Senators and Representatives told the Biden administration in a letter that aid to Ukraine must be halted, warning that sending endless amounts of weapons without a clear strategy “will only prolong the conflict.”

“We write to express concern regarding the US response to Ukraine. Over a year ago, Russia launched an invasion that has upended decades of peace in Europe. We are deeply concerned that the trajectory of US aid to the Ukrainian war effort threatens further escalation and lacks much-needed strategic clarity,” the letter signed by 19 lawmakers reads. 

They further argue that “unlimited arms supplies in support of an endless war” is not a viable solution adding, “Our national interests, and those of the Ukrainian people, are best served by incentivizing the negotiations that are urgently needed to bring this conflict to a resolution.”

Meanwhile, leaked US intelligence documents have exposed Western disinformation about Ukraine winning the war. 

Will the current situation in Ukraine finally prompt Washington to abandon its false beliefs and face reality? Or will the Western propaganda machine continue boasting about ‘successes’ while providing Ukraine with even more funding?

Here’s another question: Before We Send Any More Money To Ukraine – Can We Find Out Where The Rest Of Our Cash Went?

Tyler Durden
Sun, 04/23/2023 – 11:00

Extinction Rebellion Founder Outed As Diesel-Using, Packaged-Fruit-Buying Hypocrite

Extinction Rebellion Founder Outed As Diesel-Using, Packaged-Fruit-Buying Hypocrite

A co-founder of Extinction Rebellion — the environmental group that’s widely loathed for stunts like smashing windows, splashing paint on works of art and glueing themselves to runways and roads — has been accused of hypocrisy after she was photographed driving a diesel car and buying a variety of packaged, non-local foods. 

Gail Bradbrook, who in 2018 helped launch the fanatical climate-panic organization, has herself participated in multiple acts of vandalism in a purported drive to reduce the use of fossil fuels. 

Gail Bradbrook smashing a window at the UK Department of Transportation (AFP via The Sun)

This week, however, Bradbrook was spotted by an eagle-eyed observer at a Waitrose supermarket loading up on a variety of decidedly non-local, organic foods. 

“Out-of-season fruit and vegetables generate the highest emissions as they often need to be refrigerated while being transported,” reported The Sun, which used the environmental website Foodmiles.com to calculate how far Bradbrook’s goodies traveled aboard carbon-spewing conveyances

“The contents of this woman’s shopping trolley speaks volumes about the hypocrisy of people who think nothing of causing chaos,” said Tory MP Chris Loder. “It would be hilarious if it wasn’t so predictable. Extinction Rebellion’s leaders clearly live by the mantra, ‘Do as I say, not as I do’.”

Bradbrook’s neighbors have condemned her untended yard

Bradbrook then left the Stroud, Gloucestershire store in a 2013-model diesel-burning car. Unlike many of the victims of her organization, she wasn’t impeded by a “climate awareness” roadblock. We can only hope that when she got home, she splashed paint across her car to teach herself a lesson.   

Bradbrook left the supermarket in a diesel-powered car (via The Sun)

One onlooker summarized the spectacle this way: “Buying fruit flown halfway round the world in non-recyclable packaging then driving home in a ­diesel motor — what a towering hypocrite.”

Bradbrook has previously come under fire for her car. In a flimsy defense, she bemoaned the lack of public transportation and the high prices of electric vehicles, and said she needed to take her kids to athletic activities.  

Bradbrook’s humiliation comes as Just Stop Oil, an Extinction Rebellion fellow-traveller, says it won’t rule out disrupting the May 8 coronation of King Charles. 

Tyler Durden
Sun, 04/23/2023 – 09:55

Big Banks, Corporations Getting 90 Percent Of Biden’s Green Energy Credits: Congressional Study

Big Banks, Corporations Getting 90 Percent Of Biden’s Green Energy Credits: Congressional Study

Authored by Mark Tapscott via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

Most of the green energy tax benefits provided by President Joe Biden’s $750 billion Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) of 2022 are going into the coffers of big banks and billion-dollar corporations, according to House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Jason Smith (R-Mo.).

“While President Biden’s supercharged IRS is warming up to target working Americans, his administration is getting ready to spend those tax dollars to subsidize special interest green energy projects of billion-dollar companies,” Smith said in a statement based on a new congressional analysis issued by the Joint Committee on Taxation (JCT).

(L-R) Committee chairman Rep. Jason Smith (R-Mo.) speaks with ranking member Rep. Richard Neal (D-Mass.) during a House Ways and Means Committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington on March 10, 2023. The hearing focused on President Joe Biden’s fiscal year 2024 budget plan. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

Smith was referring to the Biden administration’s controversial plan to double the size of the IRS workforce by adding 87,000 new tax investigators and auditors. House Republicans want to defund the IRS expansion plan.

Many of the same companies getting a green corporate welfare check have shed their American identity to do business with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), and, as a result, our tax dollars are being funneled to Chinese entities that manipulate our key supply chains,” Smith continued.

“While House Republicans are fighting for working families struggling to pay their gasoline and utility bills, House Democrats are prioritizing foreign nations and sending as many taxpayer-funded handouts to corporations as possible. With big banks pocketing three times more of these special interest tax breaks than any other industry, it’s clear Democrats are rewarding their friends on Wall Street that push their partisan ESG agenda,” the Missouri Republican said.

The JCT includes members from both the Senate and House of Representatives, and the chairmanship and vice chairmanship positions are rotated between the two chambers from one Congress to the next. Smith is the chairman this year, while Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), the most senior senator on the panel, is the vice chairman.

Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), vice chairman of the congressional Joint Committee on Taxation, speaks during a hearing in Washington on June 30, 2020. (Susan Walsh/Pool/Getty Images)

The JCT analysis was done by the panel’s bipartisan professional staff. Biden signed the IRA into law on Aug. 2, 2022, claiming during a White House signing ceremony that the bill represents the federal government’s “most aggressive action ever—ever, ever, ever —in confronting the climate crisis and strengthening our economic—our energy security.”

But seven and a half months after that ceremony, among the major findings of the JCT analysis are that firms with over $1 billion in sales are set to receive more than 90 percent of the green energy tax subsidies provided by the IRA, and large banks and insurers receive in excess of 50 percent of the green energy tax breaks, far more than any other industry or sector, according to Smith.

Read more here…

Tyler Durden
Sun, 04/23/2023 – 09:20

Needed: A ‘Made In The USA’ Policy Plus Energy Independence To Counter Inflation & The Rising National Debt

Needed: A ‘Made In The USA’ Policy Plus Energy Independence To Counter Inflation & The Rising National Debt

Authored by Lawrence Kadish via The Gatestone Institute,

Sad but true, history is now all but a forgotten subject in our schools.

But economic history?

With luck, you may find the topic in some esoteric book written by a professor and hidden on some dusty library shelf.

Yet it is there, within those pages, that you will find the history of nations who harnessed the power of a balanced budget and assumed global dominance.

Of equal importance will be the parallel lesson of those that failed to appreciate that the most sophisticated military in the world can win a war only to come home to a nation that will eventually fall because of a mismanaged economy.

Without an appreciation of that history a nation’s leaders can easily pursue a disastrous course of pork spending that can destroy the promise of the future.

Which is why Americans should be deeply concerned about this Administration and its reign of spending and resultant increased debt, that will be burdening us, and future citizens, far into the future.

That kind of debt is a silent nation-killer.

Tyler Durden
Sat, 04/22/2023 – 23:30

Banks Or Buddies – Where Do People Borrow Money From?

Banks Or Buddies – Where Do People Borrow Money From?

When making the decision to borrow money, do you turn to friends and family for financial help, or do you go to a financial institution like a bank or credit card company?

On a country-to-country basis, this choice often depends on a mix of various factors, including the availability of financial services, financial literacy, and the cultural approach to the very concept of lending itself.

In these graphics, Visual Capitalist’s Richie Lionell sheds some light on where people borrow money from, using the 2021 Global Findex Database published by the World Bank.

Borrowing From Financial Institutions

To compare borrowing practices across both location and income level, the dataset features survey results from respondents aged 15+ and groups countries by region except for high-income countries, which are grouped together.

In 2021, most individuals in high income economies borrowed money from formal financial institutions.

Country Region Borrowed from a financial institution
Canada High income 81.01%
Israel High income 79.52%
Iceland High income 73.36%
Hong Kong SAR, China High income 70.01%
Korea, Rep. High income 68.64%
Norway High income 66.82%
United States High income 66.21%
Taiwan, China High income 61.95%
Switzerland High income 61.40%
Japan High income 61.19%
New Zealand High income 60.38%
Australia High income 57.29%
Austria High income 56.52%
Italy High income 55.01%
United Kingdom High income 54.98%
Germany High income 54.68%
Ireland High income 54.11%
Denmark High income 53.16%
Finland High income 52.98%
Spain High income 51.92%
Sweden High income 48.69%
Belgium High income 47.98%
France High income 44.37%
Singapore High income 42.82%
Slovenia High income 42.36%
Uruguay High income 42.01%
Brazil Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income) 40.75%
China East Asia & Pacific (excluding high income) 39.19%
Malta High income 38.95%
Türkiye Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income) 37.84%
Netherlands High income 34.45%
Slovak Republic High income 34.41%
Mongolia East Asia & Pacific (excluding high income) 34.39%
Ukraine Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income) 34.13%
Estonia High income 33.64%
Croatia High income 33.03%
Saudi Arabia High income 32.38%
Poland High income 31.92%
Czech Republic High income 31.33%
Cyprus High income 31.25%
Cambodia East Asia & Pacific (excluding high income) 30.89%
Argentina Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income) 30.81%
Portugal High income 30.44%
Kazakhstan Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income) 29.76%
Russian Federation Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income) 29.75%
Thailand East Asia & Pacific (excluding high income) 28.26%
Bulgaria Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income) 26.36%
Armenia Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income) 26.17%
Iran, Islamic Rep. Middle East & North Africa (excluding high income) 25.11%
Chile High income 24.20%
Georgia Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income) 23.89%
Ecuador Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income) 23.23%
Latvia High income 22.74%
United Arab Emirates High income 22.46%
Kenya Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) 22.18%
North Macedonia Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income) 22.10%
Peru Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income) 21.95%
Dominican Republic Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income) 21.65%
Bosnia and Herzegovina Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income) 21.30%
Sri Lanka South Asia 21.29%
Namibia Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) 20.97%
Serbia Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income) 20.65%
Greece High income 20.11%
Mauritius Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) 20.09%
Bolivia Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income) 19.30%
Romania Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income) 19.14%
Hungary High income 18.93%
Uganda Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) 18.62%
South Africa Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) 18.22%
Colombia Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income) 18.10%
Kyrgyz Republic Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income) 17.73%
Kosovo Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income) 17.61%
Costa Rica Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income) 17.46%
Philippines East Asia & Pacific (excluding high income) 17.45%
Liberia Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) 15.42%
Bangladesh South Asia 14.22%
Nepal South Asia 14.11%
Malaysia East Asia & Pacific (excluding high income) 13.48%
Albania Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income) 13.39%
Moldova Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income) 13.18%
Indonesia East Asia & Pacific (excluding high income) 12.86%
Tajikistan Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income) 12.43%
Paraguay Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income) 12.39%
Nicaragua Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income) 12.19%
Jamaica Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income) 12.04%
Lithuania High income 11.95%
India South Asia 11.79%
Mali Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) 10.99%
El Salvador Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income) 10.56%
Panama Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income) 10.39%
Honduras Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income) 10.32%
Mozambique Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) 10.27%
Senegal Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) 9.98%
Tunisia Middle East & North Africa (excluding high income) 9.89%
Jordan Middle East & North Africa (excluding high income) 9.86%
Lao PDR East Asia & Pacific (excluding high income) 9.15%
Venezuela, RB Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income) 8.83%
Benin Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) 8.21%
Malawi Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) 7.99%
Uzbekistan Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income) 7.50%
Togo Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) 7.42%
Ghana Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) 7.40%
Egypt, Arab Rep. Middle East & North Africa (excluding high income) 7.30%
Myanmar East Asia & Pacific (excluding high income) 7.06%
Cameroon Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) 6.99%
Zambia Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) 6.76%
Burkina Faso Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) 6.66%
Nigeria Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) 6.40%
Congo, Rep. Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) 6.19%
Guinea Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) 6.11%
Gabon Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) 5.48%
Morocco Middle East & North Africa (excluding high income) 4.99%
West Bank and Gaza Middle East & North Africa (excluding high income) 4.94%
Tanzania Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) 4.45%
Sierra Leone Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) 4.29%
Cote d’Ivoire Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) 4.10%
Algeria Middle East & North Africa (excluding high income) 3.80%
Iraq Middle East & North Africa (excluding high income) 3.64%
Pakistan South Asia 3.51%
Lebanon Middle East & North Africa (excluding high income) 3.31%
Zimbabwe Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) 2.89%
South Sudan Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) 2.48%
Afghanistan South Asia 2.05%

With 81% of respondents borrowing from financial institutions, Canada tops this list. Meanwhile, Israel (80%), Iceland (73%), Hong Kong (70%), and South Korea (69%) are not far behind.

This is not surprising for richer nations, as financial services in these countries are more available and accessible. This, coupled with higher financial literacy, including a general understanding of interest rates and credit-building opportunities, contribute to the popularity of financial institutions.

Also, it’s worth noting that some countries have cultural practices that factor in. For example, 61% of respondents in Japan used formal financial institutions, which are a more socially acceptable option than asking to borrow money from friends and family (just 6% of people in Japan).

Borrowing from Friends and Family

In contrast, more individuals in lower income economies approached family and friends in order to borrow money.

Afghanistan tops this list with 60% of respondents relying on friends and family, compared to only 2% borrowing money from formal financial institutions.

Country Region Borrowed from family or friends
Afghanistan South Asia 60.18%
Uganda Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) 57.45%
Kenya Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) 54.40%
Namibia Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) 50.25%
Morocco Middle East & North Africa (excluding high income) 48.73%
Nigeria Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) 44.71%
South Africa Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) 44.54%
Iraq Middle East & North Africa (excluding high income) 44.10%
Cameroon Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) 43.49%
Zambia Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) 43.08%
Zimbabwe Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) 42.34%
Guinea Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) 42.04%
Nepal South Asia 41.79%
Jordan Middle East & North Africa (excluding high income) 41.76%
Gabon Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) 41.41%
Liberia Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) 41.37%
Tunisia Middle East & North Africa (excluding high income) 41.05%
Philippines East Asia & Pacific (excluding high income) 40.82%
Türkiye Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income) 40.80%
Iran, Islamic Rep. Middle East & North Africa (excluding high income) 39.80%
Sierra Leone Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) 39.02%
Ghana Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) 38.58%
Egypt, Arab Rep. Middle East & North Africa (excluding high income) 37.75%
Saudi Arabia High income 35.76%
Bangladesh South Asia 35.49%
Mali Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) 35.15%
Burkina Faso Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) 35.14%
Cambodia East Asia & Pacific (excluding high income) 34.85%
Venezuela, RB Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income) 34.81%
Togo Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) 33.99%
West Bank and Gaza Middle East & North Africa (excluding high income) 33.93%
Thailand East Asia & Pacific (excluding high income) 32.83%
Lao PDR East Asia & Pacific (excluding high income) 32.36%
Moldova Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income) 32.18%
Ukraine Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income) 32.17%
Senegal Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) 31.30%
Armenia Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income) 31.29%
India South Asia 31.02%
Bolivia Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income) 30.69%
Algeria Middle East & North Africa (excluding high income) 30.52%
Cote d’Ivoire Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) 30.20%
Albania Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income) 30.00%
Bulgaria Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income) 29.99%
Benin Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) 29.33%
Mozambique Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) 29.33%
Tanzania Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) 29.24%
Colombia Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income) 29.08%
Indonesia East Asia & Pacific (excluding high income) 28.85%
South Sudan Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) 28.84%
Ecuador Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income) 28.79%
Serbia Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income) 28.49%
Russian Federation Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income) 28.40%
Mongolia East Asia & Pacific (excluding high income) 27.01%
Kyrgyz Republic Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income) 27.01%
China East Asia & Pacific (excluding high income) 26.43%
Honduras Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income) 26.07%
Greece High income 25.94%
Kosovo Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income) 25.86%
Argentina Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income) 25.72%
Kazakhstan Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income) 25.64%
Romania Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income) 25.58%
Malawi Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) 25.24%
North Macedonia Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income) 25.14%
Dominican Republic Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income) 24.70%
Brazil Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income) 24.66%
Congo, Rep. Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) 24.40%
Lebanon Middle East & North Africa (excluding high income) 24.26%
Nicaragua Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income) 23.75%
Iceland High income 23.63%
Peru Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income) 23.34%
United Arab Emirates High income 23.04%
Myanmar East Asia & Pacific (excluding high income) 23.03%
Sri Lanka South Asia 22.53%
Paraguay Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income) 22.20%
Pakistan South Asia 21.87%
Uzbekistan Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income) 21.53%
Cyprus High income 20.95%
Bosnia and Herzegovina Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income) 20.94%
Chile High income 20.72%
Georgia Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income) 20.61%
Mauritius Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) 20.48%
Costa Rica Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income) 20.29%
Jamaica Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income) 20.02%
Tajikistan Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income) 19.86%
Poland High income 19.34%
Norway High income 19.29%
United States High income 18.09%
Uruguay High income 17.60%
Panama Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income) 17.54%
Denmark High income 17.51%
Croatia High income 17.09%
El Salvador Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income) 16.78%
Slovenia High income 16.77%
Latvia High income 16.57%
Australia High income 16.44%
Estonia High income 15.74%
Malaysia East Asia & Pacific (excluding high income) 15.44%
Israel High income 15.43%
New Zealand High income 15.19%
Slovak Republic High income 15.02%
Germany High income 15.01%
Austria High income 14.41%
Canada High income 14.00%
Finland High income 13.43%
Czech Republic High income 13.41%
Korea, Rep. High income 13.16%
Malta High income 12.99%
Belgium High income 12.13%
Sweden High income 11.79%
Hungary High income 11.15%
Lithuania High income 10.65%
Spain High income 10.44%
France High income 10.42%
Netherlands High income 10.24%
Ireland High income 9.84%
Taiwan, China High income 9.70%
Portugal High income 8.22%
Hong Kong SAR, China High income 7.59%
Japan High income 6.43%
Switzerland High income 6.10%
United Kingdom High income 5.24%
Italy High income 5.06%
Singapore High income 1.89%

Many individuals in African countries including Uganda (57%), Kenya (54%), Namibia (50%), and Morocco (49%) also are choosing to borrow money from friends and family over financial institutions.

These preferences can be attributed to various factors including a lack of trust in banking and financial institutions, lacking access to such services, or the lack of information about such services if they are available.

And in some societies, borrowing from friends and family can be seen as a cultural norm, especially in places where mutual support and solidarity play a strong role.

What’s Next?

As viewed by the World Bank, financial inclusion is an important foundation of any nation’s development, and it’s also one of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. Increasing levels of financial inclusion helps give people access to services like savings plans, credit avenues, and online payments and transactions.

And thanks to commitments from countries and financial systems, global ownership of banking accounts has increased significantly (and been further spurred by the COVID-19 pandemic). According to the Global Findex Database, bank account ownership has risen to 76% in 2021, up from just 51% a decade prior.

However, access to these services is still rife with gaps when it comes to low income nations, low income individuals, and unequal access based on gender. The future of borrowing now relies on how nations deal with these challenges.

Tyler Durden
Sat, 04/22/2023 – 23:00

Gun-Free Zones, Red Flag Laws Only Make Gun Crime Worse: Economist

Gun-Free Zones, Red Flag Laws Only Make Gun Crime Worse: Economist

Authored by Michael Clements via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

Two of the most popular gun control proposals have little to no effect on gun crime and actually exacerbate the problem for the people they’re supposed to protect, according to economist, researcher, and author John Lott.

“Those are the people who are harmed,” Lott told seminar participants at the National Rifle Association’s Annual Meetings and Exhibits in Indianapolis.

Police tape at Geneva Presbyterian Church after a shooting left one dead and five injured in Laguna Woods, Calif., on May 15, 2022. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times)

Lott is considered an authority on guns and crime, having authored more than 100 peer-reviewed articles and 10 books on the subject. He led two seminars discussing the effectiveness of gun-free zones, red-flag laws, and other gun control measures.

He said the story of Nikki Goeser encapsulates the shortcomings of these laws.

Goeser is the author of “Stalked and Defenseless: How Gun Control Helped My Stalker Murder My Husband in Front of Me.” She’s also the executive director of the Crime Prevention Research Center (CPRC), of which Lott is the president.

People walk past a “Gun Free Zone” sign posted on 40th Street and 7th Avenue in New York on Aug. 31, 2022. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)

Goeser was scheduled to speak at the event but couldn’t attend because of family obligations.

Fourteen years ago, Goeser and her late husband, Ben, operated a karaoke business. A man the couple had met became infatuated with her and began stalking her.

While Goeser had a license to carry a concealed pistol, at the time, it was illegal in her home state of Tennessee to carry a firearm in any business that served alcohol.

One night, while running their karaoke business, Goeser’s stalker showed up and shot her husband seven times in front of her. Goeser’s situation was known to the police, but the stalker had been undeterred.

Lott said Goeser has stated that she isn’t sure she could have stopped the crime if she had had her pistol. But she’s confident that complying with the law ensured that she couldn’t protect her husband or herself.

“As the title of her book says, she was denied the chance,” he said.

Buffalo supermarket shooting suspect Payton Gendron in a jail booking photograph. (Erie County District Attorney’s Office via AP)

Lott told the gathering that Goeser’s story is a perfect example of the problems with gun-free zones.

According to statistics from the CPRC, 94 percent of mass shootings since 1950 have occurred in gun-free zones.

Lott said one well-known mass killer explained his reasoning in a manifesto written the year before he struck.

The 19-year-old man who killed 10 people in a Buffalo, New York, grocery store on May 14, 2022, has been described as a right-wing racist, Lott said. But, while he was an avowed racist, Lott said the shooter described himself as an environmentalist and eco-terrorist.

In his manifesto, the shooter claimed that minorities were damaging the environment by having too many children, and that’s why he decided to attack black people.

“Attacking in a weapon-restricted area may decrease the chance of civilian backlash,” Lott quoted from the shooter’s writings. “… ‘areas where CCW [concealed weapons] are outlawed or prohibited may be good areas of attack,’ and ‘areas with strict gun laws are also great places of attack.’”

Tyler Durden
Sat, 04/22/2023 – 22:30

Japan Readies Missile Interceptors To Shoot Down North Korea Spy Satellite Debris

Japan Readies Missile Interceptors To Shoot Down North Korea Spy Satellite Debris

Japan is preparing its armed forces to shoot down potential North Korean satellite debris as Pyongyang prepares yet another provocative rocket launch, which could again bring Japan under threat.

This time Kim Jong Un is saying the country will soon launch its first military spy satellite into orbit, at an unspecified date. On Tuesday Kim previewed that he will soon deploy an operational military reconnaissance satellite, necessary to effectively the DPRK’s nuclear-capable missiles.

KCNA/AP file: North Korean leader Kim Jong Un visits the Sohae Satellite Launching Ground in Tongchang in March 2022.

Kim said further that it is necessary in thwarting the serious security threats posed by “the most hostile rhetoric and explicit action” of the US and South Korea.

In response Japan, which has already seen North Korean missiles recently fly over the island or into waters close to the country, is putting its missile interceptor units on high alert, in the scenario of spy satellite fragments from a possible failed launch or failed orbit falling down into Japanese territory.

According to details in The Associated Press

Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada on Saturday instructed troops to ready PAC-3 surface-to-air missiles in southwestern Japan, including Okinawa and nearby islands, in an area believed to be under a flight path of a North Korean rocket that will carry the satellite.

He also ordered the deployment of destroyers equipped with SM-3 ship-to-air missiles to coastal waters, according to a ministry statement.

The ministry confirmed that “We are making the necessary preparation because of a possibility of issuing an order to destroy ballistic missiles and other objects.”

North Korea says its latest spate of missile tests, which included the test-firing of a solid-fueled intercontinental ballistic missile for the first time last week, is in response to major joint US-South Korean drills which threaten the peace and stability of the region. 

Given the current tensions, Japan is leaving nothing to chance, and preparing for more unpredictable rocket launches out of North Korea at any moment.

Tyler Durden
Sat, 04/22/2023 – 22:00

US Tries To Blame Russia For Sudan “Deep State” War

US Tries To Blame Russia For Sudan “Deep State” War

Authored by Andrew Korybko via The Automatic Earth blog,

Debunking The Latest Fake News Narrative

CNN published an exclusive piece on Thursday alleging that “Evidence emerges of Russia’s Wagner arming militia leader battling Sudan’s army”. They claim that satellite imagery shows increased Russian military transport activity between Libya and Syria in the run-up to Sudan’s “deep state” war. According to CNN, this confirms rumors that General Haftar is supplying Rapid Support Forces’ (RSF) leader General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo (“Hamedti”) with surface-to-air missiles (SAM) on behalf of Wagner.

The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) published their own exclusive piece the day prior on Wednesday alleging that “Libyan Militia and Egypt’s Military Back Opposite Sides in Sudan Conflict”, so these two stories complement one another. Both Hamedti and Wagner have denied these claims, however. The Sudanese Ambassador to Russia also confirmed that “Russia is a friendly country to us so we have been in direct contact with [the] Russian Foreign Ministry since the very beginning of those events last Saturday.”

That diplomat’s reaffirmation of Sudan’s close ties with Russia is especially important since he represents the government that’s internationally recognized as being led by Chief General Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan, who commands the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and is one of the two figures vying for power. At present, Khartoum therefore doesn’t extend credence to the emerging US-led Western Mainstream Media (MSM) narrative that Russia is arming the RSF via Haftar-Wagner, but that could soon change.

Preconditioning The Public For Another Proxy War

Unless the present three-day Eid ceasefire holds and leads to the start of peace talks that ultimately end this “deep state” war, which is unlikely since both sides made clear their intent to completely destroy the other, then this conflict is expected to resume in the near future. Should the SAF fail to defeat the RSF and possibly even be placed on the backfoot, then Burhan might gamble that it’s in his best interests to parrot the MSM’s anti-Russian accusations in an attempt to receive direct Western military support.

That scenario isn’t all that far-fetched either considering that the Associated Press and Politico both cited unnamed officials on Thursday to report that the US is assembling additional troops in nearby Djibouti to prepare for the possible evacuation of Americans from Sudan. This pretext could easily be exploited to arm the SAF and/or attack the RSF, especially if the Pentagon claims that the latter tried stopping its operation by building upon last week’s claim that its forces shot at an armored US diplomatic vehicle.

In the event that Burhan repeats the MSM’s emerging anti-Russian narrative and promises to rubbish Sudan’s naval base deal with Moscow upon defeating the RSF, then the Biden Administration can “justify” its military intervention on the basis of “defending Sudanese democracy from a Kremlin coup”. The public would then be told that the latest conflict was sparked by Russia’s support for the “insurgent” RSF, which the MSM would attribute to its interests in defending Wagner’s mining operations there.

American Meddling In Russian-Egyptian Relations

This would predictably precede an unprecedented but preplanned information warfare campaign painting Russia as a “destabilizing” force in Africa, which would be aimed at counteracting its hitherto highly successful efforts at presenting itself as a force of stability in support of legitimate governments. The purpose of this aforesaid operation would be to erode Russia’s newfound “Democratic Security” appeal across the continent with a view towards reversing the decline of Western influence there.

Furthermore, Burhan’s potentially opportunistic piggybacking on the earlier described emerging anti-Russian narrative could have serous implications for Moscow’s ties with Cairo due to the perception of them backing opposite sides in Sudan’s “deep state” war. Russian-Egyptian relations have recently been beset by scandal upon the latest Pentagon leaks alleging that Cairo abandoned its supposedly secret plan to supply rockets to Moscow under pressure from Washington and agreed to arm Kiev instead.

Considering this context, the scenario of Egyptian-backed Burhan blaming Russia for sparking the latest conflict could therefore lead to the rapid deterioration of Russian-Egyptian ties, especially if Cairo decides to indirectly retaliate against Moscow by curtailing its investment rights in Port Said. Those two signed an additional agreement on this industrial zone last month, which was first approved in 2018 and is supposed to help Russia expand its economic engagement with the broader region.

Punishing The Emirates For Its Close Relations With Russia

That goal could be jeopardized if Egypt decides to punish Russia through these means in response to Burhan opportunistically piggybacking on the MSM narrative in an attempt to obtain direct Western military support against the RSF. Furthermore, the UAE’s ties with Egypt and the US could also become much more complicated in that event too since Abu Dhabi is accused of backing reportedly RSF-allied Haftar, being favorable disposed to that armed Sudanese group, and secretly allying with Russia.

The last-mentioned accusation was brought to the public’s attentions as a result of the previously mentioned Pentagon leaks, which were denied by the UAE but coincided with the weakening of its ties with Washington that are partially over that Gulf country’s growing ones with Moscow. There are more factors at play than just the Russian-Emirati relationship, but the point is that the UAE’s problems with the US could be amplified by the MSM if Burhan accuses Russia of arming the RSF via Haftar-Wagner.

It also deserves mentioning that America’s other ulterior interest in its incipient propaganda campaign against Russia in Sudan is to complicate its geopolitical opponent’s logistical connections with the Central African Republic (CAR), which owes its continued existence as a state to Moscow’s military support. The Kremlin largely relies on transit across Sudan in order to supply its forces and its ally’s there, but this could be cut off if Burhan jumps on the anti-Russian bandwagon and revokes Moscow’s privileges.

The Chadian Connection

Lastly, another strategic factor behind this latest information warfare offensive against Russia is that it could ruin that country’s surprisingly solid relations with regional military heavyweight Chad. As explained in this recent analysis here, N’Djamena ended up expelling the German Ambassador earlier this month for meddling instead of the Russian one despite the US telling its counterparts in late February that Moscow is using Wagner in the CAR and Libya to arm anti-government rebels against it.

The Associated Press cited an African analyst from a Western risk assessment firm in their article on Thursday about 320 SAF troops fleeing to Chad to claim that this development could prompt N’Djamena into taking those forces’ side in Sudan’s “deep state” war. According to Benjamin Hunter, “N’Djamena is likely to oppose (Dagalo) due to fears that RSF dominance in Darfur could empower Chadian Arabs to unseat the (president’s) regime. Many within (Dagalo’s) Rizeigat tribe live across the border in Chad.”

If Chad becomes embroiled in Sudan’s “deep state” war on Burhan’s side, then it might be susceptible to Western suggestions that jumping on the anti-Russian bandwagon like he would have already done in this scenario could lead to them suspending their regime change campaign against N’Djamena. Should that happen, then this regional military heavyweight might also support any potentially forthcoming rebel/terrorist offensive that its historical French partner could soon plot against Russia in the CAR.

Concluding Thoughts

Putting everything together, the US plans to achieve the following strategic objectives by introducing the narrative that Russia is arming the RSF:

  1. Entice Burhan to extend credence to these claims in exchange for US military support;

  2. Demand that he also rescinds Russia’s naval base rights and cuts off its overflight access to the CAR;

  3. Consider direct support to the SAF on the pretext of commencing an “evacuation operation” in Sudan;

  4. Discredit Russia and the UAE’s African engagement policies by framing both as “destabilizing forces”;

  5. Attempt to provoke a crisis in Russia’s relations with Sudan’s Chadian and Egyptian neighbors;

  6. Exploit the above scenario to assemble a regional coalition for pushing back against Russia in Africa;

  7. Encourage Chad to support a French-backed rebel/terrorist offensive in the Russian-allied CAR;

  8. Plot a copycat proxy war in Russian-allied Mali in order to crush the Kremlin’s influence in the Sahel;

  9. Perfect this new Hybrid War method prior to employing it all across the continent;

  10. And thus turn Africa into the top proxy war battleground of the New Cold War.

The US therefore has many reasons to push this fake news campaign, though it’s unclear whether it’ll ultimately achieve any of its envisaged objectives or not.

*  *  *

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Tyler Durden
Sat, 04/22/2023 – 21:30