WORLD - The African Mirror

May

02

2025

I’ve been displaced again, but I will not let Gaza disappear quietly

WORLD

This story was originally published by The New Humanitarian.By Nour ElAssy I am starting to write this as I pack my things again. For the second time since the war began, I am being forcibly displaced from my home. This time it feels more humiliating and scarier, because I already know what it feels like to be a stranger, to be left behind, to suffer. I know the feeling of helplessness and not knowing what will happen next. During the ceasefire earlier this year, I finally returned to my family’s home in al-Tuffah, a neighbourhood in the northeastern part of…

May

01

2025

By The 19th

Trump’s first 100 days: What stands out. What’s surprising. What’s next.

WORLD

This story was originally reported by The 19th. Meet the team and read more of The 19th's reporting on gender, politics and policy. ONE hundred days into President Donald Trump’s second term, the speed with which he has worked to fulfil the promises he made on the campaign trail has been remarkable. He has gone after perceived enemies in law and higher education, instituted tariffs, and moved to restrict how race and gender are discussed in every American institution. It’s not that we haven’t felt the impact of a Trump presidency before — his first term included a major tax cut,…

May

01

2025

By The African Mirror

Modi’s post-Kashmir attack crackdown condemned as collective punishment

WORLD

This story was originally published by The New Humanitarian. ON a bright spring morning in Pahalgam, as tourists wandered through the pine-scented air and children played on ropeways, no one saw the gunmen until it was too late. Emerging from the dense forests, they opened fire without warning – a sudden, brutal eruption of violence that left at least 26 people dead, dozens more wounded, and a region immediately plunged back into fear. Kashmir’s deadliest attack in a quarter-century was a harsh reminder that old fault lines lie beneath the fragile veneer of normalcy. Though survivors saw the deaths as…

May

01

2025

By The African Mirror

Children in Gaza are going to bed starving, says aid agency

WORLD

THE biggest UN aid agency in Gaza condemned the two-month Israeli blockade on Gaza that has left families sharing a single tin of food at mealtime and the sick and injured without lifesaving medical help, amid daily bombardment.“The siege on Gaza is the silent killer of children of older people,” said Juliette Touma, spokesperson for the UN agency for Palestine refugees, UNRWA: “Families - whole families, seven or eight people - are resorting to sharing one can of beans or peas.” In an update to journalists in Geneva, Ms. Touma stressed that thousands of trucks carrying relief supplies continue to…

Apr

30

2025

By The African Mirror

Power restored in Spain, Portugal, economic toll mounts

WORLD

SPAIN and Portugal have largely restored electricity following the massive blackout that swept across the Iberian Peninsula on April 28, bringing daily life and economic activity to a near standstill for much of Monday and into Tuesday. By early April 29, Spain’s grid operator Red Eléctrica reported that 99% of power demand was being met and all substations were operational, with similar progress in Portugal, though a few areas-such as Portimão and Almada Oeste-remained without electricity as restoration efforts continued. Authorities in both countries are under mounting pressure to explain the cause of what is now recognised as one of…

Apr

30

2025

By The African Mirror

Journey home: The long-awaited return of Syria’s displaced

WORLD

THE sun had barely crested the horizon when Shahrzad woke her daughters. Today wasn't like the countless other mornings they had experienced in Areesha camp. Today, after seven long years, they were finally going home. "Pack only what you need," she whispered to her daughters, aged 7 and 8, though the instruction was unnecessary. The girls had been ready for days, their few possessions already gathered, their excitement palpable in the predawn darkness of their tent. Outside, the normally quiet camp entrance buzzed with activity. Eighty-four residents loaded their lives, what remained of them after years of displacement, into waiting…

Apr

30

2025

By MEL LEONOR BARCLAY and JASMINE MITHANI

Advocates for immigrant victims of domestic violence condemn White House ‘political theater’

WORLD

This story was originally reported by Mel Leonor Barclay and Jasmine Mithani of The 19th. Meet Mel and Jasmine and read more of their reporting on gender, politics and policy. THE White House has “weaponised” an accusation of domestic violence in the case of a man mistakenly deported to El Salvador, and in the process, forced his wife and her children into hiding, a national network of advocates for immigrant victims of domestic violence argued in a letter Thursday. The Alliance for Immigrant Survivors said that it supports Jennifer Vasquez Sura’s campaign to see her husband returned to the United…

Apr

29

2025

By The African Mirror

The day the lights went out: The 2025 Iberian blackout

WORLD

ON April 28, 2025, the sun rose over Spain and Portugal as usual, but by midday, both nations were plunged into an unprecedented darkness. A massive power outage swept across the Iberian Peninsula, cutting off electricity to tens of millions and sending shockwaves through every facet of daily life. At around 12:30 p.m. local time, electricity demand in Spain plummeted by nearly half in minutes, as the grid collapsed in what experts called a “cero energético” a total system failure. The blackout’s reach was staggering: Madrid, Lisbon, Barcelona, Porto, Seville, and countless towns and villages lost power. Even parts of…

Apr

29

2025

By The African Mirror

Conclave to elect new Pope begins May 7 in Vatican

WORLD

CARDINALS gathered in Rome have set May 7, 2025, as the start date for the papal conclave to elect a new Pope, Vatican officials announced Monday. The decision came during the fifth General Congregation meeting, where approximately 180 cardinals—including more than 100 eligible electors - convened to establish protocols for the election process. The historic Sistine Chapel, which will serve as the conclave's venue, will be closed to visitors throughout the proceedings. The conclave will be preceded by a solemn Eucharistic celebration with the votive Mass Pro Eligendo Papa, attended by the Cardinal electors. In the afternoon, the Cardinal electors…

Apr

29

2025

By MARISSA MARTINEZ

Your Shein and Temu purchases are about to get more expensive

WORLD

This story was originally reported by Marissa Martinez of The 19th. Meet Marissa and read more of their reporting on gender, politics and policy. SHOPPERS of products from Shein, Temu and AliExpress — Chinese e-commerce site giants known for incredibly cheap goods and clothing — could see their cart prices balloon quickly, thanks to a new order going into effect next week that stops a tariff exemption from which they benefited. What is the de minimis exemption? The de minimis exemption was introduced in 1938 and was intended to manage the flow of low-value packages. Orders under a certain limit…