WORLD - The African Mirror

Dec

07

2024

By ANNE MARSHALL-CHALMERS, THE WAR HORSE

Inside the military’s LGBTQ+ witch hunts

WORLD

ON weekends, Staff Sgt. Todd VanCantfort, an armed forces police officer in San Antonio, Texas, targeted gay bars in search of anyone in the military. One time, at the direction of his supervisor, he ditched his light blue and navy uniform to “dress gay.” He chose tight jeans, cowboy boots, and an open button-down shirt, advertising a burst of chest hair. It was 1985. San Antonio was dotted with several military installations and even more bars, many of them rowdy dance clubs where VanCantfort would break up fights or drive slurring servicemembers back to base. At the gay clubs, though,…

Dec

06

2024

By The African Mirror

Controversial Australian laws spark international protection crisis

WORLD

IN a stark challenge to global refugee rights, Australia has enacted sweeping new legislation that threatens to fundamentally reshape its approach to asylum seekers, drawing sharp criticism from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). The controversial laws, passed by the Australian Parliament last week, represent an unprecedented attempt to externalize the country's international protection obligations, potentially affecting thousands of vulnerable individuals who have sought safety within Australia's borders. Elizabeth Tan, Director of UNHCR's Division of International Protection, delivered a scathing critique of the new measures, highlighting the profound humanitarian implications of the legislation. "These laws go beyond what…

Dec

06

2024

By The African Mirror

UN Human Rights Spokesperson Jeremy Laurence on Georgia

WORLD

“Last night, the protests continued in the capital, Tbilisi, and police forces used tear gas and water cannons to disperse demonstrators in front of the parliament building,” UN Human Rights Office Spokesperson JeremyLaurence said at the UN bi-weekly press briefing in Geneva on Tuesday. The UN Human Rights Office issued a detailed statement on the situation on Monday evening. “We reiterate the call by UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk on Georgian authorities to respect and protect the rights to freedoms of expression and peaceful assembly,” Laurence said. “The use of unnecessary or disproportionate force against demonstrators and media workers is extremely worrying.…

Dec

05

2024

By The African Mirror

Escalation of hostilities in northwest Syria – OHCHR

WORLD

“THIS is tragic, as many have lived in misery since the outbreak of conflict nearly 14 years ago,” said UN Human Rights Office spokesperson Jeremy Laurence. “Our Office has documented a number of extremely concerning incidents resulting in multiple civilian casualties, including a high number of women and children, stemming from attacks by both Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and by pro-government forces,” he told reporters at the UN bi-weekly press briefing in Geneva. UN Human Rights Office Spokesperson Jeremy Laurence on the escalation in hostilities in northwest Syria. The hostilities are resulting in destruction and damage to civilian objects, including…

Dec

06

2024

By IRWIN LOY

Key takeaways from the UN’s “ruthless” aid blueprint for 2025

WORLD

This story was originally published by The New Humanitarian.By Irwin Loy IF the world is ablaze, is the UN’s latest tally of emergency response a blueprint to put out the fire? UN-backed humanitarian response plans will cost at least $47 billion in 2025, the UN’s aid coordination arm, OCHA, announced on 4 December, launching its yearly “global humanitarian overview” of needs and costs. It’s the second year of slimmed-down, pared-back planning under a mandate of so-called “prioritisation” and “boundary setting”: The cost estimates for 2025 are nearly $10 billion less than what they hit by the end of 2023. Facing budget shortfalls,…

Dec

05

2024

By EUAN WALLACE

“There is no food”: Venezuelan migrants neglected in oil-rich Guyana

WORLD

This story was originally published by The New Humanitarian.By Euan Wallace SINCE the discovery of massive offshore oil reserves in 2015, Guyana has become one of the fastest growing economies in the world: Its GDP increased 32.2% last year alone. It has also emerged as an attractive option for Venezuelans escaping their country's humanitarian crisis. In Georgetown, the capital, the pistons of the country’s newly minted commercial engine are roaring into motion, but the rapid influx of investment is yet to be felt in the rural areas where an increasingly high number of the Venezuelan migrants have settled. According to…

Dec

04

2024

By The African Mirror

Truong My Lan: The rise, fatal fall and the $9billion race to stay alive

WORLD

IN the bustling streets of Ho Chi Minh City, where dreams are as vibrant as the tropical sunlight, Truong My Lan's story began in the humble aisles of an old market. The daughter of a Chinese entrepreneur, she learned her first lessons in commerce beside her mother, selling cosmetics and watching the intricate dance of supply and demand. The year was 1992. Vietnam was shedding its communist economic shell, unfurling tentative wings toward a market-driven future. And Lan - sharp-eyed, ambitious, hungry - saw her moment. Together with her family, she founded Van Thinh Phat, a real estate company that…

Dec

04

2024

By MARIKA SOSNOWSKI

Ceasefires are not a panacea. Here are 4 reasons to be concerned about the Israel-Hezbollah deal

WORLD

THE announcement of a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hezbollah is welcome news for a region torn apart by more than a year of warfare. Hopefully, when implemented, the ceasefire will offer some respite for both Lebanese and Israeli civilians. The deal came into effect at 4 am local time on Wednesday. However, the previous 24–48 hours had seen a dramatic increase in violence on both sides. This is part of a well-established pattern in warfare in which fighting increases in intensity just before a ceasefire comes into force. My research has shown that while ceasefires may be the least-worst…

Dec

04

2024

By The African Mirror

Russian jets pound Idlib after Syrian rebels’ Aleppo gains

WORLD

RUSSIAN and Syrian government jets reportedly hit the rebel-held northwest Syrian city of Idlib Monday, as rebel groups appeared to hold large parts of the city of Aleppo following a quick assault on government territory that began last week. The rebels, led by the group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) began their biggest offensive in years on 27 November, progressing quickly to take the key Damascus-Aleppo highway and heading for the city. President Bashar al-Assad has said his government is capable of “defeating and eliminating” who he referred to as “terrorists and their supporters”, with the help of Syria’s allies and friends. Various international powers are taking sides,…

Dec

05

2024

By RILEY SPARKS, HAJAR HARB, OMAR NABIL ABDEL HAMID, and ERIC REIDY

Targeted aid killings: How Israel starved a population and sowed chaos in northern Gaza

WORLD

This story was originally published by The New Humanitarian.By Riley Sparks, Hajar Harb, Omar Nabil Abdel Hamid and Eric Reidy EARLIER this year, as northern Gaza hurtled towards famine under Israeli bombardment and siege, UN agencies undertook an emergency effort to try to deliver food aid safely to hundreds of thousands of people on the brink of starvation. To secure deliveries, the agencies – including the World Food Programme (WFP) and the UN’s aid coordination body, OCHA – turned to the local Palestinian community, which formed emergency committees composed of members of prominent families and tribes, and other volunteers. For…