WORLD - The African Mirror

Sep

04

2024

Israelis protest for ceasefire after hostages killed

WORLD

HUNDREDS of thousands of people took to the streets across Israel on 1 September demanding Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reach a ceasefire deal with Hamas to secure the release of hostages still held by the Palestinian militant group in the Gaza Strip. The protests erupted after the Israeli military announced it had recovered the bodies of six hostages who had been recently killed in tunnels underneath Gaza earlier that day. The Israeli health ministry said they had been shot at close range. The families of the hostages and the protesters who swarmed the streets directed their anger at Netanyahu’s…

Sep

04

2024

By The African Mirror

Seven years of crisis for Rohingya refugees

WORLD

AS the world marks the seventh anniversary of the large-scale forced displacement of Rohingya refugees, UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, is again calling for sustained commitment from international partners to support and protect nearly one million Rohingya hosted by Bangladesh, and to help secure solutions to end their plight. Seven years ago, on 25 August 2017, some 700,000 Rohingya men, women and children were forced to flee Myanmar and seek protection in Bangladesh. The generous support from Bangladesh and the international community has been critical in meeting the refugees’ most basic needs and providing protection. However, new security concerns and…

Sep

02

2024

By SHEFALI LUTHRA

After conservative criticism, Trump said he is a “no” on Florida’s abortion rights ballot measure

WORLD

Originally published by The 19th AFTER criticizing Florida’s six-week abortion ban on Thursday, former President Donald Trump, a resident of the Sunshine State, told Fox News that he will be voting against a ballot measure to protect and expand abortion rights. “I disagreed with that right from the early primaries when I heard about it,” Trump said Friday of the state’s six-week ban. “I disagreed with it.” Trump then made additional comments centring on an untrue point about abortions, arguing that some states allow for abortions after birth. There is no such thing as abortion after birth, and no state…

Sep

02

2024

By JACOB GOLDBERG

Save the Children staff dissatisfied with leadership amid restructuring: survey

WORLD

This story was originally published by The New Humanitarian. By Jacob Goldberg A survey organised by Save the Children staff suggested widespread dissatisfaction with senior leaders during the organisation’s ongoing restructuring, according to results seen by The New Humanitarian. Save the Children announced on 5 August that it would cut hundreds of jobs in response to a projected budget gap. The organisation is one of several aid groups to undergo staff cuts and restructurings this year in response to rising costs and reduced revenue. The International Rescue Committee announced job cuts on the same day. More than 400 people participated…

Aug

31

2024

By The African Mirror

Zakia Khudadadi takes bronze and a historic first medal for Refugee Paralympic Team

WORLD

ZAKIA Khudadadi made history when she claimed bronze in Para taekwondo at the Grand Palais on the first day of the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games, becoming the first-ever member of the Refugee Paralympic Team to win a medal. Khudadadi defeated Türkiye's Nurcihan Ekinci, coming back in the final 60 seconds to score several points and secure her historic medal. Afterwards, she said: “I am so, so happy because today is my life’s dream. It means the world to me. This medal is for all the refugees in the world.” Earlier in the day, Khudadadi won her opening match with an…

Aug

30

2024

By The African Mirror

UN Human Rights calls for new repressive law in Afghanistan to be repealed

WORLD

THE United Nations Human Rights Office has strongly criticised new repressive laws introduced by the Taliban in Afghanistan, saying the new laws, among others, sought to completely erase women’s presence in public. UN Human Rights Spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani has told a media conference that the UN Human Rights Commissioner Volker Türk has called for new policies that were intolerable, and egregious and to be immediately repealed. Shamdasani said: “The newly-adopted law on “Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice” by the de facto authorities in Afghanistan cement policies that completely erase women’s presence in public – silencing their voices and…

Aug

30

2024

By CLARENS SIFFROY

Is the Kenyan-led police mission helping Haiti?

WORLD

This story was originally published by The New Humanitarian. By Clarens Siffroy TWO months have passed since the arrival of 400 Kenyan police officers in Haiti, as part of a Multinational Security Support (MSS) mission approved by the UN to help restore security. But Haitians have seen little improvement in their daily life, and gangs continue to control large swathes of the capital, Port-au-Prince, and of the neighbouring Ouest and Artibonite departments. Hundreds of thousands of people have been forced to flee their homes and live in precarious conditions in displacement camps. A recent Mercy Corps report shows that displacement…

Aug

29

2024

By MEL LEONOR BARCLAY

Harris’ nomination ‘hit a reset button’ for Latinas supporting Democrats

WORLD

AS the presidential race entered the summer months, President Joe Biden’s level of support among Latino voters couldn’t match the winning coalition he had built in 2020. Among Latinas, a critical group of voters who tend to back Democrats at higher levels than Latinos, lagging support had begun to worry Stephanie Valencia, who studies voting patterns among Latinx voters across the country for Equis Research, a data analytics and research firm. Then the big shake-up happened: Biden stepped down and Vice President Kamala Harris took his place at the top of the Democratic ticket fewer than 100 days before the…

Aug

29

2024

By The African Mirror

Dozens killed in Pakistan separatist attacks

WORLD

AT least 73 people, including 14 security forces, were killed in Pakistan’s Balochistan province after armed separatists attacked several targets across the area. The Balochistan Liberation Army, a banned group in Pakistan, claimed responsibility for the attacks, which began overnight on Sunday and lasted until the following day. The BLA said this was the first such action by 800 of the group’s fighters, and warned Islamabad that the second round would be “even more intense and widespread.” Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi visited the southwestern province on Tuesday, a day after separatist fighters struck railway lines, highways, and police stations. The Baloch populations of both Pakistan…

Aug

29

2024

By The African Mirror

Seven years of crisis for Rohingya refugees

WORLD

AS the world marks the seventh anniversary of the large-scale forced displacement of Rohingya refugees, UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, is again calling for a sustained commitment from international partners to support and protect nearly one million Rohingya hosted by Bangladesh, and to help secure solutions to end their plight. Seven years ago, on 25 August 2017, some 700,000 Rohingya men, women and children were forced to flee Myanmar and seek protection in Bangladesh. The generous support from Bangladesh and the international community has been critical in meeting the refugees’ most basic needs and providing protection. However, new security concerns…