NEWS - The African Mirror

Aug

27

2020

Egypt orders arrests after Instagram account exposes gang rape

NEWS

MENNA A FAROUK EGYPTIAN authorities have ordered the arrests of a group of men accused of being involved in a gang rape at a Cairo hotel amid a rare debate about sex crimes that started on social media and has fuelled a growing #MeToo movement. Lack of action over the 2014 incident, that was reported to have involved six men from powerful families, caused an uproar after being disclosed in July by an Instagram account with more than 180,000 followers that aims to expose sex attackers. The case came after the same Instagram account, Assault Police, named a university student…

Aug

27

2020

By The African Mirror

EU freezes Mali training missions after military coup, denies responsibility

NEWS

ROBIN EMMOTT and TIEMOKO DIALLO THE European Union has suspended training in Mali after the military coup this month that removed President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita from power, officials said on Wednesday, while Germany acknowledged that some perpetrators had been trained in Europe. The two missions assisting Mali's army and police are part of international efforts to stabilise Mali and extend the state's authority, but the EU is facing questions about whether it inadvertently helped train the coup plotters. "It is known that some of the leading figures of the coup d'etat have also enjoyed training in Germany and France," German…

Aug

27

2020

By The African Mirror

U.S. marks 100 years since women given right to vote by Reuters

NEWS

THE United States marked the centennial of the constitutional amendment that granted women the right to vote on Wednesday with celebrations of the "historic victory" as well as pleas by female politicians to honor the milestone by voting in November's presidential election. The 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was formally certified on August 26, 1920, after decades of struggle by suffragettes. It states, "the right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex." The date is marked in the United States…

Aug

27

2020

By The African Mirror

Pompeo discusses Libyan conflict, Iran with UAE counterpart

NEWS

06U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo discussed the Libyan conflict and countering Iranian regional influence with his Emirati counterpart during a brief visit to the United Arab Emirates. The visit followed a U.S. brokered-accord this month, which saw the UAE become just the third Arab state to agree to establish full diplomatic ties with Israel. Pompeo, who this week also visited Jerusalem, Sudan and Bahrain, sought to build on the momentum of the agreement for regional peace, he said in a tweet after arriving in the UAE. Pompeo and UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed al-Nahyan spoke about support…

Aug

27

2020

By The African Mirror

Tanzanian president Magufuli to face 14 challengers in Oct elections

NEWS

TANZANIAN president John Magufuli will face 14 challengers in elections scheduled for this October, the elections board announced on Wedne, with analysts saying a divided opposition was likely to ensure he won a second term. His main challengers are likely to be Tundu Lissu, who returned to Tanzania last month after spending nearly three years in Belgium for treatment after he was shot during an assassination attempt, and ex-foreign minister Bernard Membe, who was expelled from the ruling Chama cha Mapinduzi party in February. The presidential and parliamentary elections are scheduled for October 28. Opposition parties are heading to the…

Aug

27

2020

By The African Mirror

#Jerusalema hits 100 million mark!

NEWS

AFRICAN MIRROR REPORTER #JERUSALEMA, the incredible musical and dance phenomenon created by South African music producer, DJ and artist, Master KG, has reached a new major milestone - 100 million views across the world. The amazing achievement means that the popular video - that has started a dance craze around the world - was watched by 50 million people in a month. On July 25, Master KG and musician Nomcebo, who is featured on the famous track, celebrated reaching the 50-million mark. MasterKG celebrated the major news with a message on Twitter: “When Jesus says yes, nobody can’t (say no!)”…

Aug

26

2020

By The African Mirror

Malawi traditional leader orders chiefs to dissolve lockdown child marriages

NEWS

CHARLES PENSULO A senior traditional leader in Malawi has ordered village chiefs to dissolve all the child marriages that took place during the country's coronavirus lockdown so girls can return to classes when schools start reopening next month. Senior Chief Theresa Kachindamoto, a well-known campaigner against early marriage, said an increase in the illegal practice, as well as teen pregnancies during the pandemic, had spurred her renewed push to save child brides. Kachindamoto joined forces with women's rights groups for the campaign, spreading their message among parents and village leaders across the southern African nation, where high rates of early…

Aug

26

2020

By The African Mirror

Ugandan woman found dead next to her crying baby

NEWS

AFRICAN MIRROR REPORTER AN Ugandan woman living in extreme poverty in Glasgow, Scotland, has been found dead next to her crying baby. The Guardian reports that Mercy Baguma, 34, an asylum seeker, was found dead in a flat on the Southside of Glasgow next to her son, who was found to be suffering from malnutrition and required hospital treatment. Baguma is understood to have lost her job after her permit expired and relied on donations to survive. According to The Guardian, Scotland police said they had received reports of Baguma’s sudden death on August 22. The death was being treated…

Aug

26

2020

By The African Mirror

Sudan PM tells Pompeo he’s not authorised to normalise ties with Israel

NEWS

KHALID ABDELAZIZ SUDANESE Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok told U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Tuesday that he was not mandated to normalise ties with Israel, and the issue should not be linked to Sudan's removal from a U.S. state sponsor of terrorism list. Pompeo arrived from Israel on what he said was the first official non-stop flight between the two countries, as the United States looks to strengthen Sudan-Israel ties. He met Hamdok and ruling council head Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, tweeting that Sudan's democratic transition was a "once in a generation opportunity". He discussed the Sudan-Israel relationship with…

Aug

26

2020

By The African Mirror

Zambia court acquits health minister accused of corruption

NEWS

A Zambian court has acquitted Health Minister Chitalu Chilufya after ruling that the prosecution had brought insufficient evidence against him. On July 16, Chilufya had appeared before a Lusaka magistrate and denied four counts of corruption. Prosecutors had alleged that the health minister, on four separate occasions, used money believed to be proceeds from crime to acquire property, shares in a tourism firm and a passenger boat from the United Arab Emirates, in the period between December 2016 and January 2018. When the case returned to court on Tuesday, state prosecutor Clifford Moono said the state had no further evidence…