WORLD - The African Mirror

Jun

02

2026

Hungary reverses ICC exit, avoiding historic break with international court

WORLD

HUNGARY has withdrawn its notice to leave the International Criminal Court, in a dramatic reversal that preserves its membership of the Rome Statute and averts what would have been a damaging rupture with the global justice system. In a statement on 1 June 2026, the ICC said it welcomed Hungary’s decision to withdraw its notification of withdrawal “with immediate effect,” after the Hungarian government formally notified the United Nations Secretary-General on 29 May 2026. The move follows a 25 May statement from the Presidency of the Assembly of States Parties, which had already welcomed Budapest’s announcement that it would remain…

Jun

02

2026

By BETH SPACEY

Israeli forces capture Lebanon’s Beaufort Castle, a Crusade‑era site once held by the Knights Templar

WORLD

A 12th-century castle built during the Crusades in Lebanon has been seized by Israeli forces in what’s been described as the deepest incursion into Lebanon for more than 25 years. The historic site, known as Beaufort Castle or Qalʿat al-Shaqīf, sits atop a striking rocky outcrop in a commanding position on the edge of the Litani gorge, boasting spectacular views across southern Lebanon. It has historically been a very strategic site, especially during the Crusades. What were the Crusades? The Crusades is the name given to a series of military expeditions, beginning in the late 11th century, of Latin Christians…

Jun

01

2026

By ADAM SIMPSON

The far right is surging in France, Germany and parts of Europe. What will this mean for Ukraine?

WORLD

IN recent local elections in the United Kingdom and Australia, right-wing populism has appeared to be on the march. Support has surged for the Reform UK and One Nation parties. Media speculation about a future Prime Minister Nigel Farage, or even a Prime Minister Pauline Hanson, is no longer off limits. Right-wing populists are already in power in other countries in Europe, such as Italy. The next big electoral tests for the far right in Europe will be in Germany and France. Is this surge in Europe real, and how successful can far-right parties be in actually getting elected? A…

Jun

01

2026

By JASMINE MITHANI and MARIEL PADILLA

No one to answer the phone: What a missing $150 million means for domestic violence services

WORLD

OUR Sister’s House used to staff a 24-hour hotline. No matter what time of day a domestic violence survivor called for help, an advocate would be able to help them stay safe. But then a lack of funding meant that hours and staff had to be reduced. Now, if someone calls for help overnight or on the weekend, no one picks up the phone. The organization has been focused on helping Black survivors of gender-based violence for 30 years. But now many critical services it has provided in Pierce County, Washington — which has one of the highest rates of domestic…

Jun

01

2026

By JEFF SPARROW

How to Sell a Genocide exposes the double standards of reporting on Gaza

WORLD

WHEN the University of Queensland Press cancelled the publication of Wiradjuri poet Jazz Money’s book Bila: A River Cycle because of a blog post by its illustrator, 60 UQP contributors signed a letter of protest. Some declared they would no longer publish with UQP. Fourteen staff members issued a statement decrying “the precedent the University of Queensland has set”. Had HarperCollins, a publisher owned and controlled by the Murdoch family, nixed an Indigenous children’s book, the decision would perhaps not have been experienced as such a betrayal. UQP, however, boasts on its website of “publishing literary works, poetry and Aboriginal…

May

30

2026

By JARED MONDSCHEIN

Is the ‘Quad’ dying a slow death? Even with Trump, it still has a vital role to play

WORLD

ANALYSTS have tried to make sense of US President Donald Trump’s second term with countless, sometimes contradictory, labels. He’s isolationist and transactional. He’s a populist. Or, more recently, a neoconservative. One way to make sense of both him and the broader state of geopolitics at the moment is to understand the difference between structure and agency. Trump has undoubtedly exercised his agency in expansive ways since beginning his second term. Yet, at the same time, he has been constrained by structural limitations. The Supreme Court’s ruling against his Liberation Day tariffs is one example. Another is Congress’s release of the…

May

30

2026

By BENJAMIN ISAKHAN and ELEANOR CHILDS

When wars destroy heritage, women lose more than monuments – new research

WORLD

AS conflict continues in Ukraine, Gaza, Iran and elsewhere, the cost is being recorded not only in deaths and displacement, but also in ruined libraries, mosques, churches, museums, archives and historic neighbourhoods. UNESCO has verified damage to 527 cultural sites in Ukraine since Russia’s full-scale invasion; 164 sites in Gaza since October 7 2023; and damage to the World Heritage-listed Golestan Palace in Tehran following a nearby airstrike. These losses are usually described as attacks on “history”, “civilisation” or “the past” and sometimes as a “loss for all humanity”. But as our new research details, such destruction can also negatively…

May

30

2026

By CHABELI CARRAZANA

How generations of nannies and cleaners fought for — and won — their rights

WORLD

IN subway stations and under the shade of trees across New York City, Allison Julien met with domestic workers. She wanted to talk to them about their basic rights — the ones they’d been denied for decades. It was the early 2000s, and nannies, home cleaners and home health aides across the state were in the midst of a years-long campaign to pass the nation’s first Domestic Workers Bill of Rights, a document that would guarantee protections such as a minimum wage and paid time off after labor laws shut these workers out. Julien, then a nanny without permanent legal…

May

29

2026

By SIMON MABON

Trump’s call to expand Abraham Accords is destined to fail

WORLD

AS negotiations to end the Iran war continued on May 25, Donald Trump made a series of phone calls in which he pressed key leaders from the Middle East to join the Abraham Accords. Announced in 2020, these accords established diplomatic relations between Israel and several Arab states, beginning with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Bahrain. The US president reiterated his proposal in a social media post later that day: “After all the work done by the United States to try and pull this very complex puzzle together, it should be mandatory that all of these countries, at a…

May

29

2026

By HAMIDEH KHALEGHI MOHAMMADI and ALI ABBASI

How Iran uses billboards as wartime propaganda – we selected 5 to explain what they mean

WORLD

SINCE the US–Israel war against Iran began in late February, images of giant billboards in Tehran have been ubiquitous across traditional and social media. These billboards have been placed in some of the busiest and most visible parts of the city, and are constantly being updated to reflect current events. Iran has long used public spaces as a tool of political communication. Since the 1979 Islamic Revolution – and especially during the Iran–Iraq War – the regime has erected murals and billboards to display revolutionary imagery, war memorials and ideological messages. Today, these billboards are designed not only for local…