live from our studio in singapore. this is bbc news. it's newsday. it is 8am in singapore and beijing, where new research shows that china hands out twice as much development money as the us and other major powers combined. american researchers combed through global financial transactions and government records to reveal billions in china's secret development spending. the new data shows an increasing number of overseas megaprojects worth half a billion dollars or more. a 150—page report full of hidden data that took us researchers four years to uncover. it's full of hidden information that the chinese government doesn't even have about its own lending. namely that china is bankrolling international infrastructure projects — big things like bridges and ports — at twice the rate of the united states and other major powers, and a majority of that funding is being channelled through chinese state banks. they're often issuing risky high—interest loans. $843 billion worth of funding spread across 165 countries. here's a prime example. a 400—kilometre railway stretching from kunming in south—west china, across the border into neighbouring laos, down to its capital vientiane. it's a complicated project requiring 75 tunnels and 62 bridges, and it's costing a lot - $5.9 billion. laos is one of the poorest countries in the region and it's shouldering most of the risk. last year, laos had to sell off a $600 million chunk of its energy grid to pay its chinese creditors — all before the railway even starts operations. loans like the laos deal are often cloaked in confidentiality clauses, so researchers are concerned that the shaky financing behind such deals are often hidden from public view, even though ultimately it's the public that's going to be on the hook for repaying the mammoth debts to china owed by such mammoth projects. we can now speak to executive director brad parkes. it was a leap researcher on this report and joins us from virginia. great to have you on the programme. what was the most surprising finding for you in the research?— most surprising finding for you in the research? well, we knew that before _ in the research? well, we knew that before the _ in the research? well, we knew that before the belt _ in the research? well, we knew that before the belt and - in the research? well, we knew that before the belt and road i that before the belt and road initiative that the us and china were overseas spending libels. we didn't know that china is now outspending the us and other major powers on a 2—1 basis. —— spending rivals. the us spends $37 billion each year, china $80 billion. we find the colour of the money really matters, beijing now outspending washington with debt rather than aid. since the belt and road initiative, it has provided $3 of debt for every dollar of aid, china. i every dollar of aid, china. i have to ask, isn't this just normal capitalism? you invest money in places where you want to make money, and the us has done similar things in the past. i done similar things in the ast. ~ . done similar things in the ast. ~' . ., done similar things in the ast. ~ ., ., ., , past. i think that for the last 20 years _ past. i think that for the last 20 years or _ past. i think that for the last 20 years or so, _ past. i think that for the last 20 years or so, major - past. i think that for the last l 20 years or so, major western powers, multilateral institutions, have really focused on making sure public finances in poorer countries are strong, which means providing grants and low—interest loans. a typical overseas loan from china has a 4% interest rate, and a typical loan from germany, france, japan has a i% loan from germany, france, japan has a 1% interest rate. so china is on the hunt for profitable revenue generating projects, it wants to be repaid on time and with interest, it is looking to turn a profit. it is looking to turn a profit. it is looking to turn a profit, brad, but like many other organisations and countries that go into the developing world. what do you think the world. what do you think the world should be watching when it comes to the sorts of investments? i it comes to the sorts of investments?— it comes to the sorts of investments? i think the conventional _ investments? i think the conventional wisdom - investments? i think the conventional wisdom is i investments? i think the i conventional wisdom is that investments? i think the - conventional wisdom is that the belt and road is part of a grand strategy to build alliances and project influence and reshape the international balance of power, but that's not really what we find. we find if you want to understand what beijing is doing overseas, specifically how much it is lending and to whom, you need to understand its internal economic problems. china produces too much cement and steel, so it is contractually obligating its overseas borrowers to source cement and steel from china. it has a boatload of surplus dollars in euros and cannot get sufficiently attractive returns at home with its excess foreign currency, so it did nominate overseas loans in dollars and euros, and it prices them at their commercial rates. when you get your head around the domestic economic motivation for the belt and road, it forces you to rethink the question of who is subsidising home. that would be a major question going forward. home. that would be a ma'or question going forward. thank ou for question going forward. thank you forjoining _ question going forward. thank you forjoining us. _ us military authorities in washington have acknowledged the chaotic pull—out from afghanistan has damaged the us�*s credibility. general mark milley told a senate committee he had not anticipated the speed of the taliban takeover and warned that al-qaeda could pose a renewed threat to us interests. he was testifying alongside lloyd austin. we helped build a state but we could not help forge a nation. the fact the afghan army that we and our partners trained simply melted away, in many cases without firing a shot, took us all by surprise and it would be dishonest to claim otherwise. as we built that army and all of its components i think that one error we may have made over time is we make them too dependent on technology, too dependent on our capabilities. we didn't take in the cultural aspects as much as we should have and we mirror imaged, to put it simply. i think that is a big lesson, we will take a hard look at it and when you pull contactors, troops, it is one of many contributing factors as to the rapid collapse. 0ur north america editor explained how damaging this could be for president biden. normally at these committees, the style of question is what did you know and when did you know it? the answer is to be, we didn't know very much at any particular time, we didn't know the afghan army was going to collapse, sometimes without firing a bullet, we didn't know there would be chaos in kabul or that we would leave americans behind or that we would leave kitt behind for the taliban once they took over. most damaging of all was the admission by the general, he had made it clear that he thought 2500 troops should remain behind to maintain stability, to stop the fall of kabul and to stop the takeover by the taliban. earlier, joe biden had absolutely denied that he had ever had a recommendation along those lines. there is a clear gap there which you can be sure republican senators are going to press at, because of what he said. the other thing about these committee hearings that often happens is it becomes partisan. the fire that the military commanders were under was both one friendly and hostile sources. there is huge displeasure atjoe biden�*s handling of all of this. for more on this and other stories, go to the website or download the bbc news app. we have lots more details about general milley and why his testimony matters. the lower house of congress in chile has legalised abortion until the 14th week of pregnancy. it will now be examined by a congressional committee, the predominantly catholic nation currently only allows abortion in cases of rape or when lives are at risk. russian prosecutors have opened a new criminal case against the jailed opposition activist alexei navalny, saying his anti—corruption foundation constituted an extremist community aimed at discrediting the state authorities. his foundation investigated high—level corruption and broadcast a documentary about a palace on the black sea supposedly owned by president putin. police in sweden are investigating whether an explosive device in gothenburg. .. explosive device in gothenburg... i6 explosive device in gothenburg... 16 were taken to hospital after the early—morning blast which started a fire at an apartment block in a residential area. still to come on the programme... remembering the victims of gun violence. more than 17,000 migrants have crossed the english channel on small boats this year. that is double the number for all of 2020. the british home secretary has threatened to withhold millions in funding unless the french authorities intercept more vessels, but the commander in charge of coastal operations in the calais region has accused britain of a lack of gratitude and said he would withdraw his forces if british money was withheld. lucy williamson reports. this, smugglers tell their clients, is the moment you are safe from french police. just a few feet into the channel will do. but this night, the story is different. 0ui, comme—ca? 60 miles away, up the coast, general frantz tavart receives the call. his men are searching for migrants hiding in the beaches and dunes along this coast — 130 men each night, including reservists, funded by the uk. this is the kind of terrain that the patrols here have to police every night. the sand is so fine that your boots sink into it. sometimes, there's not even the moon for light. tonight, the patrols are paying off. this is the third boat they have stopped. in footage shot by officers on the beach, gendarmes wade into the sea, surround the boat and pull it back to shore. baby cries. this time, there are several children and a baby on board. general tavart says his patrols stop almost all crossing attempts from the 50—mile stretch of coast around calais. translation: the proof of our efficiency is that l smugglers are now trying to go from the belgian coast, even the somme. but that dilutes our resources across the territory. it is like a game of chess where the smugglers always make the first move. 0n the night we were there, almost 200 people were prevented from crossing the channel. but on that same night, three times as many did make it to the uk. britain says france needs to do more. the french have stopped many thousands of crossings already this year, well over 12,000 already. but there's more to do. the french know there's more to do and so do we. we need to get to the stage where it is more likely than not that if you attempt to cross the channel, you will be stopped. the home secretary has put it another way. stop more boats, or the uk will withhold £50 million of funding for the mission this year. translation: we know that britain has threatened - to cut their financial support. i am very clear, if they stop paying for their reservists, i will pull my men. britain and france are separated here by just 20 miles of sea. to a migrant, it looks easy to cross. to a government, easy to manage. lucy williamson, bbc news, northern france. if you want to get in touch with me on any of the stories you have seen so far on newsday, the looming government shutdown in the us for instance, i am on twitter at @bbckarishma and i look forward to hearing from you. still to come on the programme... remembering the victims of gun violence. the museum in america commemorating the lives lost every single week. in all russia's turmoil it has never quite come to this. president yeltsin said the day would decide the nation's destiny. the nightmare that so many people have feared for so long is playing out its final act here. russians are killing russians in front of a grandstand audience. it was his humility - which produced affection from catholics throughout the world, but his - departure is a tragedy. for the catholic church. this man, israel's right—winger ariel sharon, visited the religious compound and that started the trouble. he wants israel alone to have sovereignty over the holy sites — an idea that's unthinkable to palestinians. after 45 years of division, germany is one. - in berlin, a million germans celebrate the rebirth - of europe's biggest and richest nation. | this is newsday on the bbc, i'm karishma vaswani in singapore. 0ur headlines. new research suggests that chinese lending for foreign projects is now twice that of the us and other major powers. an american top general told a senate committee that the united states reputation had been damaged by the chaotic withdrawal from afghanistan. the personal impact of gun violence in the united states is going on display with a memorial at the national building museum in washington. the exhibition comprises four glass houses built with 700 bricks, representing the shocking number of people killed in the us by guns every single week. the display is a collaboration of artist hank willis thomas and the mass design group. the bbc sat down with the two of them and this is the story. a normally quiet neighbourhood turned into the site of a tragedy saturday. we are told two people died inside the club, two others have been taken to hospital. how many shots were fired? at least ten or 15, _ and people were screaming. i have been collaborating with mass design for a long time, and over the years we have been really interested in the place where art can intersect with architecture. each house is composed of 700 bricks — 700 is the number of americans that are killed on a weekly basis due to gun violence in this country. and within those bricks, we invite family members of gun violence victims to contribute an object representing the passions, the interests, the personalities of their loved ones. and so in that regard we, the design team, created a framework by which these families could co—create and co—build a memorial. i grew up in new york and spent part of my time in washington, dc, and those cities were classified as the murder capital of the country. gun violence was something that affected a lot of young people throughout my childhood. i got most impacted in february 2000 when my cousin, who was then 27 years old, was robbed and murdered in philadelphia, pennsylvania. that had a huge impact on everything i did because in a way my life plan was to follow in his footsteps. and therefore i had no kind of road ahead of me. so my mother was a boston police officer for over 18 years. i already had a concept of gun safety, i knew that there were guns in our house. we had a safe, i knew to leave it alone, but my mother was actually shot in our house. she survived, she is living, she is abundantly blessed and beautiful but she was shot in our house and i don't think i ever really took the time to process what that meant and how it felt and what that trauma was until i started working on this project. this work is really intended to begin the healing process, and the more of us who actually understand that we are walking wounded, and that if we don't take the time to heal ourselves by addressing our pain but also acknowledge the pain of others, we are going to continue to create more harm unnecessarily, which will eventually come back to us. there is a statistic that i think says somewhere between 45% and 55% of americans know someone who has been shot. and that is absurd. we quickly learned one - of the victims shot along this busy stretch of long beach is only 13 years old... - ..the youngest victim, police say, a six—year—old girl suffering from serious injuries... ..there have been at least 386 atlanta shootings since 2021... ..this epidemic in gun violence shows no signs of stopping. i powerful reporting. labour leader sir keir starmer has told the bbc winning elections is more important than party unity. at the party conference in brighton, he said he was prepared to make tough decisions and that some in the party wouldn't like it. my focus is _ party wouldn't like it. my focus is on _ party wouldn't like it. my focus is on how- party wouldn't like it. ij�*i focus is on how we party wouldn't like it. m1: focus is on how we get party wouldn't like it. m1 focus is on how we get labour into position to win a general election. two years ago we were here in brighton for the labour party conference, and within a few short months, we had the worst general election result since 1935. i'm not prepared to let that happen.— let that happen. former liverpool— let that happen. former liverpool and _ let that happen. former liverpool and england i let that happen. former - liverpool and england striker roger hunt has passed away at the age of 33. he was part of the age of 33. he was part of the squad that won the world cup in 1966. liverpool players wore black arm bands in tuesday's champions league game in porto, in honour of him. after lengthy delays, the latest james bond movie is finally here. no time to die was originally due for release in april last year, but faced repeated delays because of the pandemic. the world premiere was held on tuesday at the royal albert hall in london. a red carpet rolled out for a royal audience. actual royalty... ..and one of the closest things we have to cinema royalty. tonight's premiere, a celebration of the 25th officialjames bond film. there's something i need to tell you. i bet there is. no time to die is daniel craig's farewell to the 007 franchise. he is also hoping it will mark the end to a hugely difficult time for the cinema industry, so badly hit by the pandemic. just to be here is just a huge relief. i hope we can do something. i hope it has, it is a springboard. i hope it drives people back to the cinema and that we can keep this wonderful business going. shall we... ..cut to the chase? i am here as a professional courtesy. well, you aren't very courteous, are you? this will also be the first post #metoo bond film, with the cast and crew keen to emphasise that the secret agent has moved firmly into the 21st century. i feel like all of daniel's films have been doing that and i feel like they've... that has been the engine. that is why i was really, really keen to be a part of it. so it's not really like i was bringing that to it. it was already really alive and ifelt like a good fit for that, i think. the film will need to connect with all audiences if it is to accelerate cinema's recovery after 18 months when they say finances have been hanging by a thread. we can get our first look at the reviews. jason solomon in come straight from the premier and is back at home but still looking very dapper. what was your first reaction from the film? ~ , . ., ., ~ film? well, they are looking for a new — film? well, they are looking for a new james _ film? well, they are looking for a new james bond - film? well, they are looking for a newjames bond afterl for a newjames bond after daniel craig, so this is my time! look, ithink daniel craig, so this is my time! look, i think daniel craig, there were many arguments when he was first given the role, should bond be blonde? i think he has settled those arguments, certainly with this performance. i think it is the best bond performance of all of them ever given in a bond movie. it is an emotional performance. there is a moment here when he does more acting than any have done before. he digs really deep emotionally to finish his five films, his 16 year tenure as james bond. the surprises are not whizbang car chases, although they are there just to reassure you, but really the emotional twists and turns of his relationship past and present that we are examining. there are some really big surprises, which some of you may hear about before the movie. you won't hear them for me, as a professional critic, i won't spoil it but they will stun you. i spoil it but they will stun ou. , ., , spoil it but they will stun ou. , . , , ., you. i understand why you wouldn't _ you. i understand why you wouldn't want _ you. i understand why you wouldn't want to - you. i understand why you wouldn't want to do - you. i understand why you wouldn't want to do that, l you. i understand why you l wouldn't want to do that, so you. i understand why you . wouldn't want to do that, so i appreciate you not giving us any spoilers, but as you say, such an emotional night, not just for daniel craig, but for the entire cast and crew of the film. ~ , ,., y the entire cast and crew of the film. absolutely, it's been a lona film. absolutely, it's been a long wait — film. absolutely, it's been a long wait to _ film. absolutely, it's been a long wait to get _ film. absolutely, it's been a long wait to get this - film. absolutely, it's been a long wait to get this film - film. absolutely, it's been a. long wait to get this film out, perhaps they thought it would never be on the big screen, a lot of pressure to go to streaming releases. a lot of joy streaming releases. a lot of joy in the audience, a lot of film people at the premiere, lots of actors, the film industry coming together in the uk for the first time in 20 months. all hoping this will re—energise the cinema and remind people to go to the cinema. bond is the sort of thing you have been too with your dad, and you would take your dad, and you would take your children to. even the royal family turned up, prince william had to bring his dad along! william had to bring his dad alon! ., william had to bring his dad along! jason, quickly before we io, along! jason, quickly before we 0, who along! jason, quickly before we go. who do _ along! jason, quickly before we go. who do you _ along! jason, quickly before we go, who do you think— along! jason, quickly before we go, who do you think could - along! jason, quickly before we go, who do you think could be l go, who do you think could be the next bond?— go, who do you think could be the next bond? look, whoever it is, the next bond? look, whoever it is. whatever— the next bond? look, whoever it is, whatever colour _ the next bond? look, whoever it is, whatever colour they - the next bond? look, whoever it is, whatever colour they are, - is, whatever colour they are, whatever six, is, whatever colour they are, whateversix, gender, is, whatever colour they are, whatever six, gender, they are, they have a hell of a job following this daniel craig performance.— following this daniel craig erformance. g . ., ., performance. jason solomon, lookinu performance. jason solomon, looking very _ performance. jason solomon, looking very dapper, - performance. jason solomon, looking very dapper, could . performance. jason solomon, looking very dapper, could bej performance. jason solomon, i looking very dapper, could be a candidate for the next bond himself. that's all we have time for, stay with bbc news. hello, there. after the heavy rain and brisk winds that affected most parts of the uk during tuesday, wednesday gives something of a chance to draw breath — certainly a drier, brighter day in prospect with some sunshine. it will still be quite breezy and there will be one or two showers but we are essentially between weather systems — this band of cloud that brought the rain on tuesday, this area of cloud waiting in the wings in the atlantic — but, in between, a zone of clearer skies thanks to this little ridge of high pressure building its way in. notice the white lines on the chart, though — the isobars still fairly tightly squeezed, so it will still be quite breezy and certainly we're getting off to a very cool start, quite a chilly start in places — three orfour degrees in one or two spots in the countryside, but we should see a good deal of sunshine through the day. now we will see some showers, too — these most plentiful across parts of northern ireland, south—west scotland, drifting through northern england, into the midlands, perhaps one or two into east anglia and the south—east, but many spots by the end of the afternoon will be dry with some sunshine. the winds easing a little by the end of the day, but temperatures just 13 to 16 degrees. and temperatures will drop quite quickly under clear skies during wednesday evening. however, the clear skies won't last. in western areas we see cloud and rain spreading in, a strengthening breeze, so by the end of the night it will be turning milder in the west — 11 for belfast, 12 for plymouth — still quite chilly to start the day across eastern areas. but for thursday, this frontal system dominates the weather — that's going to bring some outbreaks of quite heavy rain southwards and eastwards, the rain quite sporadic, quite on and off in nature. very windy to start the day, especially in north—west scotland. the winds will ease a little through the day across northern areas — it should brighten up a little bit here, too. further south, those winds will stay strong and gusty, exposed spots in england and wales seeing gusts in excess of 40 or 45 mph even through into the afternoon. temperatures still struggling — 13 degrees for aberdeen, 17 in plymouth — although, actually, that's about where we should be at this time of year. now, into the weekend, low pressure dominates. weather system spinning around these areas of low pressure — that means we'll see some outbreaks of heavy rain at times, some very strong winds are possible, too, and temperatures will stay in a similar range — between 12 and 17 degrees. so with the cloud, the rain, the brisk winds and the cool conditions, it will feel very autumnal. this week — the plant with a secret in its seeds, a plane that can fly itself, and dinner is served, and it is... ..an acquired taste.