INTERNACIONAL
Resource rich nation praises US ties amid Washington-Beijing critical minerals race
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UNITED NATIONS — The Democratic Republic of Congo does not view growing American involvement in its critical-minerals industry as a contest with China, the country’s foreign minister told Fox News Digital, arguing that Kinshasa needs multiple partners to transform its vast natural wealth into prosperity for its people.
«I don’t like talking about competition. I like talking about complementarity,» Foreign Minister Thérèse Kayikwamba Wagner said in an exclusive interview at the United Nations.
CHINA’S GRIP ON RARE-EARTH MAGNETS COULD CRUSH US DRONE INDUSTRY BEFORE IT GROWS
U.S. President Donald Trump, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Vice President JD Vance meet Democratic Republic of the Congo’s Foreign Minister Therese Kayikwamba Wagner and Rwanda’s Foreign Minister Olivier Nduhungirehe (not pictured) in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington D.C., June 27, 2025. (Ken Cedeno/Reuters)
«A country as big as the USA, but also a country as big as the DRC and as big as China, they do not develop just with one single partner,» she added. «They develop with different partnerships that respond to different needs and that bring different expertise to the table.»
The comments come as the Trump administration seeks to increase American access to Congo’s copper, cobalt, lithium, gold and other strategic resources, while reducing U.S. reliance on mineral supply chains dominated by China.
A strategic partnership signed by Washington and Kinshasa on Dec. 4, 2025, calls for increased economic cooperation, investment and the development of secure and transparent critical-mineral supply chains. The agreement accompanied a broader regional framework linking economic integration to efforts to end decades of conflict between Congo and Rwanda.
TRUMP ADMIN BACKS BOLIVIA STATE OF EMERGENCY AS LEFTIST EX-LEADER’S LOYALISTS FRACTURE NATION
Excavators and drillers at work in an open pit at Tenke Fungurume, a copper and cobalt mine 110 km (68 miles) northwest of Lubumbashi in Congo’s copper-producing south, January 29, 2013. (REUTERS/Jonny Hogg/File Photo)
A separate arrangement involving DR Congo’s state mining company Gécamines and commodities trader Mercuria could give U.S. buyers priority access to some copper and cobalt supplies, Reuters reported on Dec. 5, 2025. The U.S. International Development Finance Corporation also expressed interest in taking a strategic stake in the partnership.
Kayikwamba Wagner said relations between the U.S. and DR Congo were taking «a more concrete shape» based on mutual economic interests.
She said Kinshasa welcomed «more U.S. interests in the DRC» that could help the country turn its mineral wealth into «tangible transformations for the lives of Congolese,» while also delivering benefits to American partners.
Speaking separately at a high-level U.N. meeting on critical minerals Tuesday, Kayikwamba Wagner warned that the global shift toward clean energy must not reproduce an economic model in which raw materials leave Africa while processing, technology and most of the profits remain elsewhere.
«The global energy transition must not become another extractive transition,» she said. «If it merely replaces one form of dependency with another, it will have fallen short of its promise.»
She called for foreign partnerships to support local processing, infrastructure, technology transfers, research, industrialization and access to financing — not simply secure supplies of raw materials.
CHILL COMING FROM TRUMP’S SUMMIT WITH XI IS PROOF OF A NEW COLD WAR WITH CHINA
M23 rebels stand with their weapons in Kibumba, in the eastern of Democratic Republic of Congo, Dec. 23, 2022. M23, a rebel group with alleged links to Rwanda, has seized Rubaya, a mining town in eastern Congo known for producing a key mineral used in smartphones, the group said Thursday, May 2, 2024, in a statement. (AP Photo/Moses Sawasawa)
The minerals push is closely connected to the U.S.-mediated peace process between the DRC and Rwanda. The countries initially signed a peace agreement in Washington on June 27, 2025, before Presidents Félix Tshisekedi and Paul Kagame reaffirmed the deal and signed related economic agreements on Dec. 4. The framework was intended both to reduce fighting and attract Western investment to a region rich in cobalt, copper, tantalum and other minerals.
Kayikwamba Wagner acknowledged that the agreement had not ended the violence, but said Washington’s willingness to impose consequences for violations showed that the process remained meaningful.
«This is a 30-year conflict we’re dealing with,» she said. «It’s not going to happen overnight.»
She praised the administration for sanctioning the Rwanda Defense Force and senior Rwandan officials over what the Treasury Department described as their support for the M23 rebel group. Treasury said in March that the RDF had supported, trained and fought alongside M23 as it seized territory and strategic mining locations in eastern Congo. Rwanda has repeatedly denied supporting M23.
«I find it encouraging to see that we have with us a partner that is not willing to give up at the first obstacle,» Kayikwamba Wagner said.
She was in New York as the DRC, which holds the Security Council presidency for July, elevated the connection between natural resources, armed conflict and sexual violence.
Kayikwamba Wagner said rape and other forms of conflict-related sexual violence had risen sharply in areas held by M23 and Rwandan forces, affecting women and girls as well as men and boys.
Victims in occupied areas, she said, often lack access to courts, healthcare or other avenues for redress.
«This is also one of the reasons why we continue to be mobilized against this illegal occupation of eastern DRC,» she said, arguing that restoring state authority was essential to providing survivors with justice and medical care.
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President Donald Trump arrives for a signing ceremony with Rwanda’s President Paul Kagame and Democratic Republic of Congo President Felix-Antoine Tshisekedi at the Donald J. Trump Institute of Peace, Thursday, Dec. 4, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
In her U.N. remarks, she cited the Rubaya mining area, which is under M23 control and supplies a significant share of global tantalum demand. She said U.N. experts estimated that at least 1,400 tons of coltan were smuggled into Rwanda during the first year after the mines were seized, generating approximately $800,000 per month for the armed group.
The Treasury department imposed additional sanctions on June 25 against a network it accused of working with M23 to smuggle minerals from eastern Congo into Rwanda, saying the action was intended to support the Washington peace framework and improve transparency in regional mineral supply chains.
world, united nations, foreign affairs, geopolitics, emerging economies
INTERNACIONAL
Burrito debate rips open GOP civil war on affordability: ‘We will lose, and deserve it’
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A debate over whether a burrito should cost $20 has ignited a Republican civil war over affordability and the party’s appeal to younger voters ahead of the midterm elections.
The clash began Wednesday when Turning Point USA spokesman Andrew Kolvet shared a college student’s complaint that basic purchases have become prohibitively expensive.
«One of our TPUSA college students gave me his take on affordability: ‘A burrito shouldn’t cost $20,’» he posted to X on Wednesday. «Yeah, a lot of this is a hangover from Covid and Biden-era inflation, but the lived experience is the same: It just feels like basic things cost too much.»
Fiscal conservatives took the position that food is generally affordable if one cooks for themselves and that purchasing a $20 burrito should be considered an occasional luxury. Those aligned with the populist wing of the GOP, meanwhile, argued that traditional conservatives are out of touch with the youth and that the Republican Party faces electoral peril unless it can meaningfully address affordability concerns.
NEW POLL COMPLICATES VANCE’S STATUS AS TRUMP’S LIKELY 2028 HEIR APPARENT
Andrew Kolvet, producer of ‘The Charlie Kirk Show,’ speaks during the public memorial service for Charlie Kirk at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, on Sep.t 21. (Patrick t. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images)
«Just hearing about this dumb $20 burrito debate so just thought I’d make the losers on social media angry before going to bed,» Rep. Dan Crenshaw wrote on Wednesday night. «Stop whining, get a job, eat Ramen like the rest of us did in college, on a budget with 4 roommates. The market doesn’t care what you think something ‘should’ cost.»
RealClearInvestigations senior writer Mark Hemingway, however, said that such an approach to affordability concerns could prove toxic to the GOP.
‘IT’S A MESS’: GOP TURNS ON HOUSE CONSERVATIVES AS VOTER ID BLOCKADE STALLS TRUMP’S AGENDA
A Chipotle logo is displayed outside their restaurant on Feb. 24, 2025, in San Diego, California. (Kevin Carter/Getty Images)
«Andrew [Kolvet] is absolutely right about this, and pundits deflecting because you can cook at home cheaper are not helping,» he said. «Eating a burrito once in a while should not be an aspirational lifestyle, for crying out loud.»
«The comments saying stick to the dining hall or buy microwaveable burritos are missing the ENTIRE point,» Defense of Freedom Institute spokeswoman Angela Morabito said. «If the Right’s ‘solution’ to the affordability crisis is telling people to eat worse food, we will lose, and we will deserve it.»
Chipotle burritos generally run between about $9 and $12 depending on location, with cheaper restaurants, such as Taco Bell, offering more affordable options. Some fiscal conservatives also pointed out that young people can save money by preparing meals at home.
«A burrito only costs $20 when you buy it on Door Dash because you’re too lazy to walk over to Chipotle or Taco Bell (where you can get one for $3.99),» Fox News contributor Marc Thiessen wrote in response to a populist arguing that the GOP could surrender ground to socialists by not addressing affordability. «When I graduated I lived on ramen noodles, had two roommates, and worked two jobs. I didn’t whine about affordability, I worked hard so I could one day afford a better life.»
DOORDASH GETS FAA APPROVAL FOR ITS OWN DELIVERY DRONES
Vice President JD Vance attends a Cabinet meeting at Camp David in Maryland on July 31, 2026. (Aaron Schwartz/AFP via Getty Images)
Vice President JD Vance then added to the debate, responding to Thiessen.
«I’m surprised to hear Mark say this. If you’ve ever met him in person, it’s quite obvious the man has never missed a burrito,» the vice president wrote.
Bradley Devlin, politics editor at the Daily Signal, claimed that some involved in the burrito discourse were ignorant of financial sacrifices he says are quite common among young people.
«The Burrito Discourse has exposed that so people with thoughts on the youths have not spoken to one in years,» he wrote. «They do not expect to live off delivered food from bespoke restaurants and live on their own. I don’t know a single 20 something who lives on their own right now. Having a college degree and two jobs is around the highest it’s ever been. ‘The college premium’ has dried up.»
Others responded to the debate in jest.
«I don’t care for burritos,» Daily Wire host Michael Knowles posted.
fast food, republicans, politics, costs, jd vance
INTERNACIONAL
Más presión sobre la isla: Estados Unidos sancionó al ministro de las Fuerzas Armadas y a la cúpula de la industria militar de Cuba
Estados Unidos anunció este jueves sanciones contra el ministro de las Fuerzas Armadas cubano, general Álvaro López Miera, así como responsables y cinco empresas del sector industrial militar de la isla.
Los sancionados están implicados en «la adquisición y el mantenimiento de armas y equipo militar en el extranjero destinados a las fuerzas militares y de seguridad», explicó el comunicado del Departamento de Estado. Estados Unidos considera que Cuba es un Estado que «apoya el terrorismo».
Las sanciones alcanzan al ministro López Miera y a su viceministro Roberto Legrá, al que se acusa de estar involucrado en la compra de armamento ruso. También abarcan a altos funcionarios del ministerio.
Asimismo, fue sancionada la coronel Mónica Milián Gómez, agregada militar en la embajada en Moscú, que medios de comunicación en el exilio acusan de estar involucrada en el supuesto reclutamiento de cubanos para participar en la guerra contra Ucrania. Waldo Pérez Cortés, agregado militar en la embajada cubana en Beijing, también es sancionado.
La lista incluye a entidades como Tecnoimport, Duna, Unión de Industria Militar (UIM) y la empresa Yuri Gagarin, todas ellas especializadas en la compra y reparación de equipamiento militar.
Hace diez días, Estados Unidos había anunciado sanciones contra el ministro de Salud cubano, José Ángel Portal Miranda, y la red de brigadas médicas en el extranjero, la principal fuente de divisas del gobierno comunista.
Las sanciones también afectan a tres entidades cubanas del sector energético y a otras cuatro asociadas al conglomerado militar y empresarial Gaesa, algunas de las cuales habían cambiado de estatuto o habían sido transferidas para intentar evitar sanciones estadounidenses previas, explicó el Departamento de Estado en su comunicado.
El envío de brigadas médicas al extranjero constituye la principal fuente de ingreso de divisas del gobierno comunista de Cuba, con 7.000 millones de dólares en 2025, según cifras oficiales.
Para el año pasado, unos 24.000 médicos y otros profesionales cubanos de la salud trabajaban en 56 países.
Washington también castigó hace 20 días a las milicias populares cubanas, las brigadas de respuesta rápida y entidades oficiales o empresariales de la isla comunista, como parte de su campaña de presión económica.
El gobierno del presidente Donald Trump aplica desde enero un bloqueo petrolero contra la isla comunista que ha exacerbado los problemas energéticos y su crisis económica, la peor en décadas.
Las sanciones tienen como objetivo «los pilares interconectados» del aparato estatal y empresarial, explicó en su momento comunicado del Departamento de Estado.
En su calidad de «instrumentos de la represión», son sancionadas las milicias populares, dependientes del ministerio de las Fuerzas Armadas, las Brigadas de Respuesta Rápida y la Asociación de Combatientes de la Revolución, así como la corporación Antex.
Además también fueron sancionados el ministerio de Turismo, los grupos empresariales Gecomex, Caudal o Gemar, así como Enetec y Coreydan, ambas empresas del sector de importación y exportación de combustible.
Todas estas entidades ven confiscados sus bienes en Estados Unidos y se les prohíbe entablar relaciones comerciales con empresas o individuos en su territorio, así como el acceso a servicios financieros de cualquier tipo.
Varias de estas entidades están relacionadas con el conglomerado del ejército Gaesa, que es el principal gestor de la actividad económica en la isla.
Gaesa fue sometida a sanciones el 1 de mayo, y ya ha empezado a desprenderse de activos para intentar escapar a la presión económica.
En una nota explicativa por separado, el Departamento del Tesoro puntualizó que «no tiene la intención de perjudicar a personas no estadounidenses (…) por participar en transacciones que sean ordinariamente incidentales y necesarias para la liquidación de transacciones que involucren a GECOMEX, GEMAR o cualquier entidad en la que GECOMEX o GEMAR posean».
INTERNACIONAL
Thousands of migrants remain in Spanish territory after border rush, death toll hits about 100: Ceuta official
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Between 3,000 and 5,000 migrants remain in Ceuta after hordes of mostly military-aged men rushed into the Spanish enclave from Morocco late last month, Ceuta’s president said Thursday.
While speaking from a video call during an extraordinary session of the European Parliament’s Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs, Ceuta President Juan Jesus Vivas also revealed around 100 people died during the surge.
Authorities estimate roughly 80,000 migrants rushed into the territory within a 48-hour period in late July.
Vivas called the border crisis an «invasion» and «one of the most difficult moments in the recent history of our city.»
«According to the Dictionary of the Royal Spanish Academy, an ‘invasion’ should be understood in its second definition as the abnormal or irregular occupation of a specific place,» Vivas said, according to a Fox News Digital translation of his remarks, which he gave in Spanish.
AT LEAST 72 DEAD AMID MASS MIGRANT RUSH TO STORM SPANISH ENCLAVE OF CEUTA SPARKING BORDER CRISIS
Migrants run and cheer as they cross on foot into the North African enclave of Ceuta from Morocco, after swimming over from the Moroccan side and overwhelming police at the city’s breakwater, according to Spain’s Guardia Civil, in Ceuta, Spain, July 30, 2026. (FARO TV via Reuters)
«That is precisely what occurred on July 30 and 31, when approximately 80,000 people — equivalent to the entire population of Ceuta — stormed into our city. This characterization, moreover, aligns with the statement made by the President of the Government of Spain, who on Friday the 31st, during his visit to Ceuta, stated that we were facing an attack, a violation of Spain’s territorial integrity,» Vivas continued.
Echoing previous claims from Spain’s leftist President Pedro Sánchez and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Vivas acknowledged roughly 75,000 of the migrants had returned to Morocco but added «under no circumstances does it allow us to claim that our city has returned to normal.»
«Ceuta has not returned to normal because between 3,000 and 5,000 people who entered during those fateful days of July 30 and 31 still remain,» Vivas said. «The reception centers for adult and minor migrants are in a state of collapse, turning the influx into a major humanitarian emergency.»
«Added to this are disruptions to public order and a high risk to public safety,» he continued. «Furthermore, the morale of Ceuta’s residents is severely affected. Our population feels sad, helpless, uneasy, fearful, and worried — and with good reason. It is inevitable to wonder whether this will happen again, and if that next time will be the definitive plunge into the abyss, causing us to cease being what we are: Spain and Europe. It has been exposed to the world that we are extraordinarily vulnerable, and that our security and integrity are in the hands of a third country, Morocco, which does not recognize our sovereignty.»
Migrants wait outside Ceuta’s temporary migrant center (CETI), which is currently at full capacity, following mass crossings of migrants on foot and by sea from Morocco into Spanish territory, in Ceuta, Spain, Aug. 3, 2026. (Pedro Nunes/Reuters)
He then proposed a set of actions authorities should take to return the city to normal. The proposals included expelling the remaining Moroccan migrants, provisioning more resources for the city’s migrant facilities, and the implementation of a new economic model which he called on to be «More Spain and More Europe.»
CEUTA MIGRANT SURGE EXPOSES SPAIN-MOROCCO TENSIONS AS ISLAMIST GROUPS REPORTEDLY SEEK TO EXPLOIT BORDER CRISIS
«We serve a society that has forged its character through courage to endure and the ability to overcome adversity. We are confident it will do so again, though I emphasize that the requested support from European authorities remains indispensable. Thank you very much,» Vivas concluded.
Ceuta President Juan Jesus Vivas seen during a meeting at the Consolat de Mar on Aug. 6, 2026, in Palma, Balearic Islands, Spain. The meeting takes place just one week after the unprecedented migration crisis at the border between Ceuta and Morocco. (Javier Fernandez/Europa Press via Getty Images)
Following the border rush between July 30-31, Sánchez called the incident «an attack, a violation of the territorial integrity of Spain.»
Fox News Digital contacted the governments of Spain and Ceuta for additional comment.
illegal immigrants, europe, border security, spain, world
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