NEWS - The African Mirror

Nov

25

2023

Egypt president says future Palestinian state could be demilitarised

NEWS

A future Palestinian state could be demilitarized and have a temporary international security presence to provide guarantees to both it and Israel, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said. "We said that we are ready for this state to be demilitarized, and there can also be guarantees of forces, whether NATO forces, United Nations forces, or Arab or American forces until we achieve security for both states, the nascent Palestinian state and the Israeli state," Sisi said during a joint news conference in Cairo with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo. A political resolution which…

Nov

25

2023

By The African Mirror

Manchester United’s Maguire accepts Ghana MP apology for mockery

NEWS

MANCHESTER United footballer Harry Maguire accepted the apology of a Ghanaian MP who mocked him during a parliamentary debate on the budget last year. Opposition lawmaker Isaac Adongo compared Vice-President Mahamadu Bawumia's economic management of the embattled West African nation to Maguire's performance on the pitch. In an address shared widely on social media last year, Adongo compared Bawumia to Maguire, who he described as "the biggest threat at the centre of the Manchester United defence". The reference was part of a wider speech accusing Bawumia of mismanaging the economy and inflicting hardship on citizens. Ghana is grappling with its worst economic crisis in a generation…

Nov

25

2023

By The African Mirror

Six Congo presidential candidates ask top court to ensure fair vote

NEWS

SIX opposition candidates in the Democratic Republic of Congo's December 20 presidential election asked the country's Constitutional Court to compel the electoral commission to publish the final voter roll, warning of potential irregularities and fraud. The candidates including a leading opposition candidate Martin Fayulu and Nobel Peace Prize-winning gynaecologist Denis Mukwege who is running for the first time, alleged intentional irregularities by the commission that questioned the reliability of the electoral roll. A spokesperson for Congo's national electoral commission known as CENI, declined to comment. The head of the electoral commission had previously rejected the accusations. He told Reuters in an interview in October…

Nov

25

2023

By NQOBILE DLUDLA

South Africans seek out Black Friday essentials as crunch continues

NEWS

JOHANNESBURG'S Mall of Africa was buzzing with bargain hunters pushing trolleys laden with groceries such as cooking oil, boxes of milk and multi-packs of diapers, along with household items such as pillows and detergent. This year's Black Friday sales come as South Africans grapple with soaring interest rates and steep rises in food, transport and health costs, leading them to spend strategically on products they need the most amid a cost-of-living crisis. "There is no money for electronics this year. We're basically just working for food now," Trevor Abrahams, 42, told Reuters while queuing to pay for his groceries at Shoprite's Checkers supermarket at…

Nov

27

2023

By ANGELA UKOMADU

Lagos Rage Room offers Nigerians cathartic release for pent-up anger

NEWS

NIGERIANS seeking a safe outlet for their anger can now get an unusual form of therapy, a "rage room" where they can break glass, smash wardrobes, and destroy electronic devices without any consequences. Located in the crowded megacity of Lagos, Nigeria's commercial capital, the Shadow Rage Room offers 20-minute sessions for 7,500 naira ($8.93). Banjoko Babajide James, a co-founder, said the idea for the rage room came from the rising mental health crisis in Nigeria which is "a taboo topic" to discuss openly. "We want to create a community of like minds, to make people to understand that this thing…

Nov

27

2023

By BONFACE ORUCHO, BIRD STORY AGENCY

Half of global jobs in the critical minerals sector are in Africa, a new report shows

NEWS

MORE than fifty percent of the job opportunities that have been created in the global critical minerals subsector are to be found in Africa, according to a new report by the International Energy Agency. “The unprecedented acceleration that we have seen in clean energy transitions is creating millions of new job opportunities globally, said IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol in a recent webinar about the report launch. The job opportunities have been documented in the IEA’s ‘World Energy Employment 2023’ report, which tracks the global energy workforce's evolution between 2019 and the present, analyzing regions, fuels, technologies, and the value…

Nov

25

2023

By BIRD STORY AGENCY REPORTER

Forest Whitaker and NBA team up to promote community basketball in Africa

NEWS

CAPE TOWN, South Africa, November 21, 2023 (bird) - Hollywood actor and peace and development activist Forest Whitaker on Tuesday joined NBA Africa CEO Victor Williams and Cape Town Deputy Mayor Eddie Andrews in the troubled Athlone suburb of Cape Town for the opening of a community basketball court that Whitaker said would offer a safe space for youths to become future champions. “Its goal is to nurture healthy bodies and healthy minds, providing the children and the youths of the community with a safe space where they can strengthen their stamina and their character. It is a place that…

Nov

25

2023

By ABDOU MOUSTOIFA

Comoros president cleared to seek re-election

NEWS

COMOROS' Supreme Court approved plans by incumbent President Azali Assoumani to run for another term in a poll some opponents are threatening to boycott if certain conditions, such as the release of political prisoners, are not met. The Indian Ocean archipelago country of 800,000 people last held its presidential elections in 2019 and Assoumani was declared the winner for a five-year term, amid protests from the opposition which alleged irregularities, including barring of independent monitors and pre-ticking ballots. In the next poll due on January 14, he will be up against nine opponents, according to a list released by the…

Nov

26

2023

By BHARGAV ACHARYA

South African ‘Blade Runner’ Pistorius granted parole a decade after killing girlfriend

NEWS

JAILED South African Paralympic star Oscar Pistorius was granted parole after serving nine years for killing his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, and will be released on January 5, authorities said. Known as the "Blade Runner" for his carbon-fibre prosthetic legs, Pistorius went from a public hero as a Paralympic champion to a convicted killer in hearings that caught the world's attention. Pistorius shot and killed Steenkamp on Valentine's Day in 2013. He was initially jailed for five years in 2014 for culpable homicide by a high court. But the Supreme Court of Appeal in late 2015 found him guilty of the…

Nov

24

2023

By The African Mirror

South Africa hopes Gaza truce bolsters efforts to end conflict

NEWS

SOUTH African President Cyril Ramaphosa welcomed an agreement for a four-day truce in Gaza and said he hoped the deal between Israel and Palestinian group Hamas would bolster efforts to achieve an outright end to their conflict. Ramaphosa has been one of the most prominent voices on the African continent on the brutal war between Israel and Hamas that has raged for about seven weeks. South Africa's strong support for Palestinians dates back to former President Nelson Mandela's days, with the country likening their plight to its own before the end of apartheid in 1994. Israel rejects the comparison. "It…