Lemdro.id

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[A] recent analysis of 267 Chinese‑financed projects in Addis Ababa (Ethiopia), Kinshasa (Democratic Republic of Congo), Lagos (Nigeria), Luanda (Angola), Lusaka (Zambia) and Nairobi (Kenya) shows that while China delivers an impressive volume of infrastructure, it risks reinforcing Africa’s national government dominance in decision-making on urban infrastructure development.

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Cities – their governments and residents – are excluded from the project planning and negotiation process.

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The agreements were mostly negotiated and funded through national ministries or state agencies. This happens partly because many cities are legally restricted from taking on external debt, and partly because lenders prefer working with sovereign governments.

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If African cities are to manage the rapid urbanisation and meet the needs of the roughly 1.5 billion people expected to live in urban areas by mid-century, they need more than new bridges and roads.

They need the fiscal power and planning capacity to plan, finance and govern infrastructure on their own terms.

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These steps would be useful:

• rethink how urban infrastructure is discussed

• strengthen municipal revenue and financial capacity

• improve planning coordination across governments.

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The challenge for African cities is not simply attracting more finance but gaining the authority and capacity to guide urban development. China will likely remain an important financier. But no external partner can substitute for strong city institutions, transparent financial systems, and coordinated planning.

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Taiwan's Cabinet dismissed the Taiwan-related policy proposals unveiled by Beijing on Sunday as a "tool of coercion," while responses from outside government ranged from caution to support.

The package of 10 policies and measures "to boost ties with Taiwan" was announced on Sunday at the conclusion of Kuomintang (KMT) Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun's (鄭麗文) visit to Beijing, which featured a meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping (習近平).

According to China's official Xinhua news agency, the measures by the CCP's Taiwan Work Office include plans to resume individual travel to Taiwan by residents of Shanghai and Fujian Province.

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In a statement, Taiwan Cabinet spokesperson Michelle Lee (李慧芝) noted that "most" of the 10 measures involved policies that Beijing had previously suspended for unfounded reasons, causing severe harm to Taiwan's farmers, fishermen and industries.

"Past experience has repeatedly shown us that this highly uncertain and selective approach...is merely a tool for coercion and political maneuvering, which uses exchanges as a tool and trade as a weapon," Lee said.

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Lee said Taiwan's government is in favor of "healthy, orderly" cross-strait exchanges that are in line with the principles of equality and dignity.

The government will conduct risk assessments of all cross-strait exchanges to ensure they don't impact Taiwan's economy or industries, she added.

The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC), Taiwan's top government agency handling cross-strait affairs, said Beijing was trying to sideline Taiwan's democratically-elected government with the policies, placing cross-strait relations under a KMT-to-CCP and "one China" framework.

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Web Archive link

cross-posted from : https://lemmy.zip/post/62460077

TikTok users in Los Angeles are going viral for a bizarre new trend where they run into Scientology buildings to see how far they can get before being stopped and thrown out.

The clips, often filmed in Hollywood, show creators rushing through the front doors, sprinting down hallways, and sometimes even using skateboards to push deeper into the building. The goal is simple: make it as far inside as possible.

The challenge has quickly been dubbed the “Scientology run,” with users trying to one-up each other after one viral clip claimed to show the “deepest recorded run.”

A bunny is in a small room next to a standing mirror. They are trying on a flowery summer hat, and all around them other hats are strewn about. There is also a fez, a top hat and some hats that don't make sense

Source: Bluesky

Manufacturers design products to fail while claiming progress Your phone works fine until the software update kills performance E-waste dumps burn in the Global South while corporations greenwash their brands Repair should be a right not a privilege gated by proprietary screws and encrypted chips Right to repair laws fight back against this deliberate waste Who decided your devices should become trash on their schedule?

#RightToRepair #Ewaste #ClimateJustice #Tech

Hi all, I found this old ThinkPad and I would like to pass it on to someone that could really use it, but it's a bit disgusting. What is the best and easiest way to clean this? What tool would/ do you use?

Das ist ein gewerbliches Portal ähnlich Kleinanzeigen, in den man auch Dinge zum Verleihen / Mieten anbieten kann.

Jeder Mietvorgang ist besser, als etwas kaufen, das man nur kurz mal braucht.

Nach dem Motto "Eine Bohrmaschine im Haus genügt."

Ein gutes tja: https://www.tagesschau.de/ausland/europa/ungarn-wahl-114.html

Ich konnte heute von Gleis 4 die Bauarbeiten beobachten. Gleisbagger fuhr hin und her. Überall abgerissene Bauteile. Bin gespannt, was mal daraus wird. #generalsanierung

Bildet: https://imgur.com/gallery/qn7T6O4

Edit: Ich habe Probleme, in der Boost-App den Link zur imgur-Galerie anzuklicken. Hab ihn deshalb in die Description ergänzt.

Seht ihr die Bilder bzw Thumbnails in Lemmy?

It really happened. Spurs are currently on course for relegation. I'm neither a fan nor do I really have anything in particular against them, but it would simply be hilarious to see the 9th richest team according to the Deloitte Money League play in the Championship.