International
Students in America Lament Loan Burden
Americans are currently lamenting about the student loan burden which some students are kicking against.
If the United States Supreme Court had not overruled President Joe Biden’s programme to cancel billions of dollars in student debt, Satra D. Taylor, who borrowed $40,000 to complete her studies, could have seen that amount reduced by half.
Now the 27-year-old – who used the loan to study at the University of Michigan, supplementing a scholarship and other financial aid – is back on the hook for the whole sum.
“We created this unjust, inequitable, expensive, higher education system and so we need to redress it,” she told AFP, standing before the high court.
Biden’s forgiveness programme was meant to lift more than $400 billion in student debt weighing down the lives of millions of lower and middle-income Americans.
Certain borrowers would have been eligible to receive $20,000 in cancellations, while the vast majority were eligible for $10,000.
But the court overruled the programme Friday, stating that given the large sum, the president had overstepped his powers.
“Any American who wants to pursue higher education should be able to do so,” Taylor said.
“We have students now who have not acquired the generational wealth to pay for their cost of college, it needs to be debt-free,” added Taylor, who works for the youth advocacy group Young Invincibles.
Taylor said she was not surprised given the Supreme Court’s conservative majority, which on Thursday banned the use of affirmative action in university admission policies.
Taylor, who is African American, said the loan forgiveness decision was a setback for Black and Latino students who “would have disproportionately benefitted from this relief.”
“This is absolutely not only a social justice issue, but also a racial equity issue.”
– ‘Future generations’ –
Mina Schultz, 37, who borrowed approximately $65,000 for her studies, emphasized the impact student debt has on the entire economy.
When the pandemic hit and student loan repayments were frozen, it was “a blessing,” she told AFP from outside the Supreme Court.
People were “able to contribute more to the economy” by spending money elsewhere, whether on food as prices surged due to inflation or on things like rent, the George Washington University graduate said.
Schultz would have benefited from $10,000 in debt cancellation, which “would have been really helpful.”
That sort of money “is a huge deal to a lot of people,” said Schultz, who will be forking over some $340 per month when payments resume in several months.
Enjoying a seemingly debt-free life during the repayment pause, she was able to move out of her studio apartment and into a one-bedroom unit.
Nearby, Shanna Hayes, 34, could not contain her emotion as she spoke before several cameras: Her debt, originally $130,000, now exceeds $150,000 due to compounding interest that has accrued over the past 11 years.
“I ask you to remember that the student debt crisis impacts our grandparents, parents… children and future generations,” she told the reporters.
AFP
International
Explosion at China fireworks factory kills 21 people
Authorities deployed nearly 500 personnel to conduct search and rescue operations and treat the injured, while robots were used to help find those trapped within the building.
A blast at a fireworks factory in China’s Hunan province has killed 21 people and left 61 wounded, according to state media.
The explosion at the Huasheng Fireworks plant happened at around 16:40 local time (08:40 GMT) on Monday, in the city of Liuyang, leading rescuers to evacuate everyone within a 3km (1.9mi) radius of the plant.
Authorities deployed nearly 500 personnel to conduct search and rescue operations and treat the injured, while robots were used to help find those trapped within the building.
Police, who are investigating the cause of the blast, have taken “control measures” against the person in charge of the fireworks company, Chinese state media reported.
Authorities said that two gunpowder warehouses within the factory area posed a high risk amid rescue efforts, state media reported.
Rescue teams had to evacuate everyone within a 3km (1.9mi) radius of the fireworks plant.
They also implemented measures like humidifying the area to “prevent secondary accidents during the rescue”.
International
Ugandan govt detains 62 Nigerians for ‘operating church without work permits’
Simon Peter Mundeyi, spokesperson for the country’s ministry of internal affairs, said the Nigerians often pose as gospel preachers and engage in other illegal activities.
Photo of the detained Nigerian preachers ( NCIC/X)
The Ugandan government has detained 62 Nigerians for “illegally operating” a church, as well as living and working in the country without valid permits.
In a statement posted on its X handle on Wednesday, the Ugandan national citizenship and immigration control (NCIC), said that the arrest followed a tip-off after learning that the individuals were operating illegally without the required permits.
“Following a tip-off, our enforcement team has arrested 62 Nigerian nationals operating illegally in Adjumani (without work permits),” the statement reads.
The group, primarily found operating a church among other things, is now being processed for prosecution under Uganda’s immigration.
Simon Peter Mundeyi, spokesperson for the country’s ministry of internal affairs, said the Nigerians often pose as gospel preachers and engage in other illegal activities.
He added that they are currently being held at the ministry’s Namanve facility, where they are undergoing legal processes that could result in deportation, fines, or blacklisting.
International
US war in Iran has cost $25 billion so far, says Pentagon official
Jules Hurst, who is performing the duties of the comptroller, told lawmakers on the House Armed Services Committee that most of that money was for munitions.
The United States’ war in Iran has cost $25 billion so far, a senior Pentagon official said on Wednesday, providing the first official estimate of the military’s price tag for the conflict.
With just six months before midterm elections in which President Donald Trump’s Republicans may face an uphill battle to keep their House majority, Democrats are riding high in public opinion polls as they attempt to link the unpopular Iran war with affordability.
Jules Hurst, who is performing the duties of the comptroller, told lawmakers on the House Armed Services Committee that most of that money was for munitions.
Hurst did not detail what that cost estimate included and whether it took into account the projected costs of rebuilding and repairing base infrastructure in the Middle East damaged in the conflict.
Rep. Adam Smith, the top Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee, responded to Hurst: “I’m glad you answered that question. Because we’ve been asking for a hell of a long time, and no one’s given us the number.”
(Reuters)
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