WORLD - The African Mirror

Jan

19

2025

With a ceasefire in Gaza, hope comes with the sting of doubt

WORLD

With a ceasefire in Gaza, hope comes with the sting of doubt 1 January 2025 This story was originally published by The New Humanitarian.By Nour ElAssy ASI write this, the sounds around me are a chaotic symphony of celebratory gunshots and chanting from the streets mingling with the laughter of my nieces and nephews in a strange sense of joy. We hold our breath, unsure of how to feel, because in Gaza, joy is a rare luxury, one that comes with the sting of doubt. This is our reality: we are clinging to the faintest hope – a hope born…

Jan

19

2025

By The African Mirror

UN health agency says 500 to 600 aid trucks a day could reach Gaza once ceasefire begins

WORLD

AMID media reports that Israel’s Security Cabinet recommended the approval of a Gaza ceasefire on Friday, humanitarian aid agencies prepared to expand the flow of humanitarian aid assistance to Palestinians in the territory, devastated by 15 months of war. The UN World Health Organization (WHO) expressed optimism that between 500 to 600 aid trucks per day could access the Strip, over 10 times more than today. “That would be a huge increase of the 40 to 50 we have seen over the last months,” said Dr. Rik Peeperkorn, UN health agency representative in the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT). The WHO…

Jan

19

2025

By The African Mirror

A Saint’s Legacy: Mother Cabrini and the Fight for Migrant Dignity

WORLD

THE old stones of Geneva's Palace of Nations have seen countless stories of human struggle, but few as compelling as the one Cristiana Dell'Anna brought to its halls. Standing there, her own memories of southern Italy burning bright, she carried the weight of not just her role, but of millions of migrants' dreams, past and present. "We were once the ones crossing oceans," she says, her voice carrying the echoes of her own family's journey. "Now we've somehow forgotten what it means to be on the other side of that door." The story she brings to life is that of…

Jan

18

2025

By IAN PARMETER

Beyond the Israel–Hamas ceasefire, the future looks unclear. Here are six key unanswered questions

WORLD

THE ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, to come into effect on Sunday, has understandably been welcomed by the overwhelming majority of Israelis and Palestinians. Israelis are relieved that a process for freeing 33 more hostages in Hamas custody is to begin, with more to come in future phases. Palestinians can now hope the daily bombing that has killed nearly 50,000 Gazans over the past 15 months will finally end, and that desperately needed humanitarian assistance will start to flow into the strip. But once the euphoria subsides, hard issues will emerge. Here are six key questions arising from this…

Jan

18

2025

By SHAHZAD UDDIN

Tulip Siddiq and the fall of Bangladesh’s most powerful family

WORLD

THE UK’s anti-corruption minister, Tulip Siddiq, has resigned from the government after being named in several corruption investigations in Bangladesh. The allegations extend to several close family members, including Siddiq’s aunt – the deposed Bangladeshi prime minister Sheikh Hasina – and mother, Sheikh Rehana. Hasina faces serious criminal charges after her government was ousted amid widespread political unrest. Hasina fled Bangladesh on August 5 last year in the wake of massive protests and political turmoil that brought an end to her 15-year rule. Her government is accused of a range of authoritarian practices, including enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings. Official…

Jan

18

2025

By JASON M. BLAZAKIS

Biden’s move to remove Cuba from terror list continues ‘yo-yo’ policy likely to be reversed by Trump

WORLD

THE Biden administration has signaled to Congress its intention to remove Cuba’s designation as a state sponsor of terrorism. But here’s the twist: The move will only become legal upon the publication of a Federal Register notice – and that will likely happen under President Joe Biden’s successor, Donald Trump, who looks set to push a much more hawkish approach toward the Caribbean Island. This would mirror what Trump did to Biden at the tail end of the Republican’s first presidency by putting Cuba back on the terror list when a Federal Register notice was published on Jan. 22, 2021…

Jan

17

2025

By ASHER KAUFMAN

Gaza ceasefire and hostage deal: Why now and what next?

WORLD

A much-anticipated Gaza ceasefire and hostage deal is expected to take effect on Jan. 19, 2025 – subject to a delayed Israeli government vote on the package originally scheduled for the morning of Jan. 16. The breakthrough comes 15 months into the bloody conflict sparked by an Oct. 7 2023, attack by Hamas gunmen in which about 1,200 Israelis were killed and 251 hostages taken. In the subsequent bombing and siege of the Gaza Strip, some 45,000 Palestinians have been killed. But why has the breakthrough happened now, and what does this mean for the long-term prospects of a more…

Jan

17

2025

By The African Mirror

Renovating homes helps rebuild lives in northern Syria

WORLD

WHEN Abdel Hamid Al-Hashimi returned to his small village of Barneh in northern Syria, close to the city of Aleppo, he found a home in ruins. The 51-year-old farmer and imam had been forced to flee five years earlier, suffering a series of displacements as he sought safety for himself and his extended family. When they came back in 2020, the house they had called home was a wreck. “We returned with nothing,” said Al-Hashimi. “We left all our belongings behind. We had nothing at all.” The house, he added, “had no doors or windows”. Every winter, as temperatures plummeted,…

Jan

17

2025

By DAVID ROGER MARPLES

Can Trump deliver on his promise to end Russia’s invasion of Ukraine?

WORLD

IN the months prior to the November 2024 presidential election in the United States, Donald Trump claimed that if elected to office, he would end the war in Ukraine “in one day.” By Christmas Eve, the president-elect had moderated his claim, suggesting only that he would bring Russia and Ukraine to the negotiating table. On several counts, Trump’s chances seem slim if the object is to find a solution acceptable to both sides. Russia’s war is costly in terms of human losses for territory gained. A recent report stated that the Russian army was losing 1,500 troops per day in…

Jan

16

2025

By The African Mirror

Syria: Tragedy ‘at every step’ as millions of children face landmine threat – UNICEF

WORLD

IN Syria, landmines and other explosives left over from years of conflict present an ever more lethal threat to children, accounting for over 100 child deaths and injuries last month alone, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) warned on Tuesday. Ricardo Pires, UNICEF Communication Manager for Emergencies, told journalists from Damascus that in the last nine years, at least 422,000 incidents involving unexploded ordnance – or UXO - were reported in 14 governorates across Syria, “with half estimated to have ended in tragic child casualties”. “Girls and boys in the country continue to suffer the brutal impact of unexploded ordnance (UXO)…