WORLD - The African Mirror

Sep

19

2024

Israeli pager attack reignites fears of regional war

WORLD

AT least three additional people have been killed and over 100 wounded in Lebanon following a fresh round of explosions linked to electronic devices on 18 September. Hospitals in Lebanon were overwhelmed by the number of victims from the initial attack, and Hezbollah has vowed to retaliate. Two of those killed were children, and many of the wounded suffered serious injuries to their hands, faces, or stomachs, including Iran’s ambassador to Lebanon, who lost an eye. Israel has not commented on the attack, but Hezbollah and Iran – which backs the Lebanese political party and militant group – placed the blame on…

Sep

19

2024

By The African Mirror

Harris calls lies spread by Trump about Haitian immigrants ‘a crying shame’

WORLD

VICE President Kamala Harris called the spread of disinformation about Haitian immigrants by former President Donald Trump and his running mate, Sen. JD Vance, “a crying shame” but did not say whether she thought the federal government should take action to “help the community heal.” The comments came at a conversation hosted by the National Association of Black Journalists, or NABJ, one of the largest professional organizations for journalists of colour. The group hosted a similar conversation with Trump in July during its national conference, when he repeatedly insulted ABC News’s Rachel Scott and questioned Harris’s race and identity. Trump, the Republican…

Sep

19

2024

By The African Mirror

UNHCR reminds States of legal obligations to end arbitrary detention of asylum-seekers

WORLD

CONCERNED by the arbitrary detention of asylum-seekers by some States, UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, is calling for urgent reforms to halt this detrimental practice. Releasing its latest advocacy brief today, Unlocking Rights: Towards Ending Immigration Detention for Asylum-Seekers and Refugees, UNHCR warns that across the world asylum-seekers and refugees are often arrested and detained, unable to challenge their situation or exercise their right to international protection. This is despite their fundamental human right to seek asylum. The brief highlights the severe consequences of arbitrary detention for those fleeing violence, conflict or persecution. Detention has devastating impacts on their physical and…

Sep

18

2024

By JARED MONDSCHEIN

Another assassination attempt, baseless claims about pets, and Taylor Swift: the US election is wild, but does any of it matter?

WORLD

IT has not yet been a week since the debate between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump – in which the Democrat was widely held to have bested the Republican – and the US presidential election has been dominated by whether Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, eat dogs and cats; pop superstar Taylor Swift endorsing Harris and Walz followed by Trump posting “I HATE TAYLOR SWIFT!” on his social media site; and now a second assassination attempt on Trump. While there is plenty of heat and noise around, will any of it matter on election day on November 5? A second…

Sep

18

2024

By The African Mirror

Venezuela: Rights probe points to unprecedented repression of critics

WORLD

VIOLENCE used against opponents of the Venezuelan authorities has reached unprecedented levels, a top independent human rights probe alleged on Tuesday, citing arrests, sexual abuse and torture as just some of the methods used by the Government of President Nicolas Maduro to stay in power. In a new report, the Human Rights Council-mandated investigators described how security forces had raided dozens of homes of suspected critics of the Government “just using social media videos as the only evidence to arrest people”. Victims’ testimonies gathered on either side of the disputed Presidential election on 28 July which returned Mr. Maduro to office for…

Sep

18

2024

By The African Mirror

Hundreds killed in flooding disasters around the globe

WORLD

A spate of flooding disasters in Asia, Europe, and Africa has led to hundreds of deaths, thousands of injuries, and mass displacement events across three continents, underlining the global scale and humanitarian impact of extreme weather events. In Myanmar, Typhoon Yagi has claimed at least 113 lives and displaced more than 320,000 people, with unconfirmed reports indicating that hundreds more may have been killed in more rural areas, some of which were cut off by floodwaters. The aid response in Myanmar, where the military rulers are under heavy international sanctions as they face down several armed opposition and separatist groups, is likely…

Sep

17

2024

By The African Mirror

US Secret Service under pressure following 2nd threat on Trump’s life

WORLD

THE U.S. Secret Service is facing immense pressure following a second assassination attempt on Donald Trump, intensifying scrutiny of their ability to protect the high-profile presidential candidate. The latest incident occurred on September 15, 2024, when Ryan Wesley Routh, a convicted felon, was spotted with an AK-47-style rifle near Trump’s West Palm Beach golf course. Routh allegedly waited in the bushes for nearly 12 hours before Secret Service agents opened fire, prompting his escape in a stolen vehicle. He was apprehended during a traffic stop later that day. This incident follows a similar attempt in July 2024 when Trump was…

Sep

17

2024

By ABBEY MAKOE

“We will implement FOCAC resolutions without delay” – Amb Wu

WORLD

CHINA’s top envoy to South Africa, Ambassador Wu Peng, is a diplomat on a mission: He wants to bolster bilateral ties between Pretoria and Beijing to the level where benefits of the existing “golden era relations” could be felt and seen across every sphere of society. Wu briefed the media at a special function arranged by the National Press Club in Pretoria. His elaborate media conference followed the recent official state visit to China by SA’s President Cyril Ramaphosa. The state visit coincided with the latest summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), which was attended by at least…

Sep

17

2024

By The African Mirror

‘Voting feels like a battle’: In Mississippi, a group of Black women is reimagining voter turnout

WORLD

THE training in northwest Mississippi that Cassandra Welchlin led was focused on get-out-the-vote efforts, but the longtime community organizer wanted to make space to sing. Ain’t gonna let nobody turn me around, turn me around … “Come on, y’all!” Welchlin told the crowd of nearly 100, who joined in on the next verse. Turn me around … Ain’t gonna let nobody turn me around. I’m gonna keep on walking, keep on talking, marching up to freedom lane … “I am so happy to have y’all in the house,” she said at one point. “If y’all could see what I see.” What…

Sep

15

2024

By The African Mirror

Palestinian economy “in freefall” amid ongoing Gaza conflict – UNCTAD

WORLD

Gaza’s economy has “collapsed months ago” while in the West Bank, violence and trade restrictions are fueling a massive surge in poverty and unemployment, UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD) warned on Thursday. The war-torn enclave’s economy has shrunk to less than a sixth of its 2022 level, while up to 96 per cent of its agricultural assets and 82 per cent of all its businesses have been destroyed, according to UNCTAD’s latest report. “The Palestinian economy is in freefall,” UNCTAD deputy chief Pedro Manuel Moreno told journalists in Geneva. “The report calls for the international community to halt this economic…