WORLD - The African Mirror

Nov

30

2024

Save the Children staff report “obvious blunders” amid restructuring

WORLD

This story was originally published by The New Humanitarian.By Jacob Goldberg SAVE the Children International has come under criticism by staff following a series of alleged missteps during the organisation’s ongoing restructuring. Interviews with six staff members, as well as multiple collective statements sent by staff to Save the Children’s leaders, seen by The New Humanitarian, point to concerns surrounding salary revisions, redundancy compensation, and accountability for those responsible for the alleged mistakes. “Unfortunately, there has been such an egregious series of obvious blunders and questionable decision-making that’s led to widespread loss of trust and confidence in the leadership,” one…

Nov

30

2024

By JESSELINA RANA

International community: Speak up now about Israel’s atrocities against Palestinians

WORLD

This story was originally published by The New Humanitarian.By Jesselina Rana Every week, the evidence mounts that Israel is committing grave war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Gaza Strip that likely amount to genocide. But you wouldn’t know that from listening to the words of many multilateral organisations, aid agencies, development institutions, and foreign policy think tanks, particularly in the Global North. The main powerbrokers and supposed moral authorities of the international order have sought to repress and retaliate against organisations and individuals for speaking out about Palestine, creating a chilling climate of fear. Aware of the consequences,…

Nov

29

2024

By The African Mirror

On day one, Hezbollah-Israel ceasefire appears to hold

WORLD

LEBANESE civilians are beginning to return to their homes in the south, on the first day of a ceasefire that could put an end to 13 months of fighting between Israel and Hezbollah. The truce, which came into effect at 4 am local time on Wednesday, followed intense bombing of Beirut and south Lebanon by Israel, with airstrikes continuing after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivered a speech in support of the deal. Under the reported terms of the US- and France-brokered ceasefire, Israel will withdraw from south Lebanon over the next 60 days, as Hezbollah leaves the part of south Lebanon between the Blue Line –…

Nov

29

2024

By The African Mirror

ITU – Press Conference: Launch of Facts & Figures 2024

WORLD

BRIEFING reporters on the International Telecommunication Union’s (ITU) Facts and Figures 2024 report in Geneva on Wednesday, Cosmas Luckyson Zavazava, Director of ITU’s Telecommunication Development Bureau, said: “We must intensify our efforts to connect the world in order not to leave anyone behind.” ITU’s annual report on global connectivity found that an estimated 5.5 billion people will be online in 2024, an increase of 227 million people based on revised estimates for 2023. While an estimated 68 per cent of the global population is now online and all indicators tracked in the report show improvement, stubborn digital divides persist and about one-third…

Nov

29

2024

By LISA M. GIVEN

Australia’s social media ban for kids under 16 just became law. How it will work remains a mystery

WORLD

THE federal parliament has passed legislation to ban people under 16 from having an account with some social media platforms. In doing so, it has ignored advice from a chorus of experts – and from the Australian Human Rights Commission, which said the government rushed the legislation through parliament “without taking the time to get the details right. Or even knowing how the ban will work in practice.” The ban is, however, backed by 77% of Australians, according to a new poll. It won’t take effect for at least 12 months. So what will happen before then? What’s in the…

Nov

28

2024

By ASHER KAUFMAN

Why Israel and Hezbollah reached a ceasefire now − and what it means for Israel, Lebanon, Biden and Trump

WORLD

ISRAEL and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah entered a 60-day ceasefire on Nov. 26, 2024, a move aimed at reducing tensions in the region more than a year into a multifront conflict. Under the terms of the deal, Israel would gradually withdraw its forces from Lebanon, and Hezbollah would fully withdraw north of the Litani River. Meanwhile, the Lebanese Army would “deploy and take control over their own territory,” U.S. President Joe Biden said, adding that the United States, France and other allies have pledged to support the deal. But what does the deal mean for the parties involved and…

Nov

28

2024

By JESSICA KUTZ

The women of the West are making political history — and have been for 130 years

WORLD

THE stereotypical story of the American West conjures images of unforgiving terrain, rugged masculinity and a cowboy and ranching culture. But despite these Western tropes it also has a surprising history of offering women a way into political life long before it became the norm. Every western state except for New Mexico gave women — though typically only White women — the right to vote before the 19th Amendment, which enfranchised women in 1920. Still, some women were left out. Native American women, for example, could not vote until 1948. As with Black women in the American South, laws like…

Nov

28

2024

By The African Mirror

FIFA and Qatar launch FIFA World Cup 2022™ Legacy Fund to drive groundbreaking initiatives

WORLD

Initiatives supported by the World Health Organization (WHO), the World Trade Organization (WTO) and UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency $50 million fund to have social impact across multiple regions for the first time Focus on refugees, education, public and occupational health, and football development programmes Following the announcement made in November 2022, FIFA is taking the implementation of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ Legacy Fund to the next level with an investment of $50 million in a series of social programmes in collaboration with Qatar and three global organizations: the World Health Organization (WHO), the World Trade Organization (WTO) and UNHCR, the…

Nov

27

2024

By CHRIS OGDEN

Trump joins Putin, Xi and Modi as the ‘four horsemen’ of global authoritarianism

WORLD

THE election of Donald Trump for his second presidential term has led to widespread fears of an imminent authoritarian descent in the United States. Quite how that might play out remains speculative, for now at least. However, evidence from Trump’s first term, as well as his campaign policies and cabinet nominations since the election, suggest those fears are not without foundation. Another way of looking at this, however, is that Trump’s return simply echoes realities within the international system’s other great powers – China, Russia and India have all displayed similar political pathologies for some time now. Due to their…

Nov

27

2024

By The African Mirror

Lebanon crisis: UN rights chief urges warring parties to agree on ceasefire

WORLD

UN human rights chief Volker Türk lent his weight to growing ceasefire calls in Lebanon on Tuesday, as senior Israeli cabinet members were reportedly due to meet on a deal to end more than a year of conflict with Hezbollah militants, sparked by the war in Gaza. The development follows dire assessments from UN aid teams about the cost of “relentless” Israeli attacks on Beirut’s southern suburbs since the weekend, resulting in extensive damage and significant casualties, and forcing more people to flee their homes. “The High Commissioner reiterates his call for an immediate ceasefire to put an end to the killings…