WORLD - The African Mirror

Mar

07

2025

IOM unveils Islamic Philanthropy Fund to support global displacement crisis

WORLD

THE International Organisation for Migration (IOM) has launched its Islamic Philanthropy Fund, a groundbreaking initiative aimed at leveraging Islamic charitable giving to aid some of the world's most vulnerable populations. The launch, timed just before Ramadan, took place at the United Nations House in Riyadh and was attended by representatives from the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), Islamic Development Bank (IDB), diplomats, UN agencies, and Islamic philanthropy organizations. IOM Director General Amy Pope emphasized the importance of harnessing Islamic charity to address the escalating global displacement crisis, which has left over 75 million people displaced due to conflict, disaster, and…

Mar

06

2025

By SCOTT LUCAS

Gaza ceasefire deal looks doomed as Israel blockades Strip and bars entry of humanitarian aid

WORLD

WHEN Israel signed a ceasefire deal with Hamas in Gaza on January 15, the agreement was structured in three phases. Phase one, a six-week period in which Hamas would release hostages in return for Israel releasing Palestinians detained in its jails, ended on March 1. The shaky deal has held for the full six weeks – just. At one point Hamas threatened to halt the exchange of hostages when it said Israel was breaching the terms of the deal. The Netanyahu government responded – with US backing – by threatening to end the ceasefire in mid-February, saying that Hamas was…

Mar

06

2025

By XIAODAN PAN; BENNY MANTIN and MARTIN DRESNER

Canada is now in a trade war with the U.S. — here’s what you need to know to prepare for it

WORLD

UNITED States President Donald Trump has officially imposed 25 per cent tariffs on Canadian and Mexican imports, sending shockwaves through Canadian consumers and businesses. The decision escalates tensions in an increasingly fragile relationship between the countries, marking a significant shift in North American economic ties. The unfolding trade war between is expected to have far-reaching consequences for people and businesses on both sides of the border. How can Canadians navigate the trade war and minimize the financial strain of the tariffs? As experts in supply chain management, we aim to break down the impact of these tariffs and offer practical…

Mar

05

2025

By The African Mirror

Ramadan away from home: The table is set, but hunger remains for displaced Syrian mothers 14 years on

WORLD

AROUND the world, Ramadan is a time to come together as a family. It represents the warmth of home, sharing a good meal and enjoying a variety of food. But for millions of Syrians still displaced 14 years after the conflict began, this Ramadan comes with the heavy burden of poverty and hunger. Mixed feelings of hope and wariness pervade their war-torn nation as it embarks on its path to peace. Over 7 million people remain internally displaced, most of them women and children. For years, humanitarian aid has been their only lifeline. Yet, dwindling resources make access to even…

Mar

05

2025

By The African Mirror

Nicaraguan asylum-seeker keeps the Scout spirit alive in Costa Rica

WORLD

For Iván Olivares, being a Scout is about much more than wearing the uniform – it has been a part of his life since he was 10 years old. “I have been a Scout since the last Saturday of March 1976,” he recalls. “After 48 years, I am still a Scout, and I still feel the same excitement as I did on my first day.” The 58-year-old Nicaraguan journalist was forced to flee his country in 2021 as government repression against the press escalated. He followed the media outlet where he had worked for 22 years when it relocated to…

Mar

05

2025

By TANBIRUL MIRAJ RIPON and ALI M. LATIFI

For Myanmar’s war victims and Rohingya refugees, US aid cuts are disastrous

WORLD

This story was originally published by The New Humanitarian.By Tanbirul Miraj Ripon and Ali M. Latifi WHEN President Donald Trump’s administration announced a 90-day pause on all US foreign aid, there was at least one place that aid workers felt relieved to hear could be exempt: Myanmar. On 6 February, the White House released a document entitled, “Continuation of the National Emergency With Respect to the Situation in and in Relation to Burma.” That document referred back to a February 2021 Executive Order that said the military coup that had just taken place in Myanmar constituted an “unusual and extraordinary…

Mar

04

2025

By The African Mirror

UN Human Rights Chief warns of global turbulence and calls for peace

WORLD

IN a powerful address that cut through diplomatic niceties, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk painted a stark picture of our fractured world, warning that fundamental global norms built over decades are at risk of crumbling before our eyes. "War is the ultimate violation of human rights," Türk declared, highlighting the shocking reality that 120 conflicts currently rage across the globe. His speech connected these distant battlefields to our everyday lives – from the minerals in our smartphones mined in war zones to the disinformation flooding our social media feeds. The High Commissioner didn't mince words about who…

Mar

04

2025

By MATTHEW SUSSEX

In siding with Russia over Ukraine, Trump is not putting America first. He is hastening its decline

WORLD

HAS any nation squandered its diplomatic capital, plundered its own political system, attacked its partners and supplicated itself before its far weaker enemies as rapidly and brazenly as Donald Trump’s America? The fiery Oval Office meeting between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday saw the American leader try to publicly humiliate the democratically elected leader of a nation that had been invaded by a rapacious and imperialistic aggressor. And this was all because Zelensky refused to sign an act of capitulation, criticised Putin (who has tried to have Zelensky killed on numerous occasions), and failed to bend the…

Mar

04

2025

By LESLEY JOSEPH

Israel’s bombing of Gaza caused untold environmental damage − recovery will take effort and time

WORLD

THE war in Gaza has come with an awful cost. Tens of thousands of Palestinian civilians have been killed, and thousands more are missing. And while a temporary ceasefire has allowed for increased aid delivery, easing the plight of those facing disease and hunger, experts predict malnutrition and health issues to persist for months or even years. Much of the territory’s infrastructure – its schools, hospitals and homes – has been damaged or destroyed. And yet, the tremendous human and societal loss has been augmented by a lesser reported but potentially catastrophic, consequence: environmental devastation. In June 2024, the United…

Mar

02

2025

By STEFAN WOLFF and TETYANA MALYARENKO

Raised voices and angry scenes at the White House as Trump clashes with Zelensky over the ‘minerals deal’

WORLD

THE visit of Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky to the White House has not gone to plan – at least not to his plan. There were extraordinary scenes as a press conference between Zelensky and Trump descended into acrimony, with the US president loudly berating his opposite number, who he accused of “gambling with world war three”. “You either make a deal or we’re out,” Trump told Zelensky. His vice-president, J.D. Vance, also got in on the act, accusing the Ukrainian president of “litigating in front of the American media”, and saying his approach was “disrespectful”. At one point he asked…