WORLD - The African Mirror

Jul

04

2024

By DANIELA MOHOR, STANLEY JERÔME and NYABOGA KIAGE

Haiti in-depth: Ten key questions as Kenyan police deploy to restore order

WORLD

6 June 2024 This story was originally published by The New Humanitarian. By Daniela Mohor, Stanley Jerôme and Nyaboga Kiage After months of delay, an international policing mission is finally under way to help Haiti wrest back control of the capital’s streets from gangs and pave the way towards the Caribbean nation’s first elections since 2016. Approved by the UN back in October last year, the Kenyan-led Multinational Security Support (MSS) mission has met significant opposition: in Kenya, a judge ruled that it was unconstitutional; in the United States, which is largely bankrolling the deployment, Republicans demanded more transparency and…

Jul

03

2024

By MOHAMMED MHAWISH

Escaping Gaza’s war, Palestinians find little solace in Egypt

WORLD

7 July 2024 This story was originally published by The New Humanitarian. By MOHAMMED MHAWISH After nine months of war and destruction inside the Gaza Strip, the small fraction of Palestinians who managed to flee into Egypt before Israel closed the last remaining escape point say their suffering hasn’t ended; it has just taken on a different shape, as they’re left to fend for themselves with no official recognition and little aid.Until Israel’s offensive on Gaza’s southern city of Rafah, which began on 6 May, some people were able to get out because they qualified for a limited number of…

Jul

03

2024

By The African Mirror

Kenyan police deployed to rein in Haiti gangs

WORLD

A first contingent of 400 Kenyan police officers has left for Haiti to kick off a UN-approved mission aimed at reining in rampant gang violence in the Caribbean nation. Led by three senior police officials, including the deputy inspector general, the full Kenyan deployment is expected to reach 1,000 personnel but is also expected to be part of a larger multinational effort, which is mostly being bankrolled by the United States. “I commend – and am deeply grateful to – all the countries that have pledged personnel and financial support to this mission that will grow to 2,500 multinational personnel, led by…

Jul

03

2024

By HELEN ERIKSSON

How divorce is boosting gender equality in Sweden – new study

WORLD

SINGLE mothers are one of the most vulnerable groups in societies around the world. In Sweden, the number of women with these care responsibilities has nearly halved over the past two decades. What has caused this change? Are we seeing a dramatic reversal in the global trend of increasing separations and divorce? No, union dissolutions in Sweden are still among the highest in the world. What we are witnessing is a change in the logistics of break-ups. Sweden not only holds a leading role in the rate of divorces, it is also world-leading when it comes to splitting child custody…

Jul

03

2024

By The African Mirror

Norwegian citizen arrested for alleged spying for China, NTB agency reports

WORLD

A Norwegian citizen was arrested on suspicion of espionage "that could benefit China", local news agency NTB reported, citing the Norwegian Police Security Service (PST). The individual, who was not named, will appear in front of an Oslo court at 1300 local time (1100 GMT), a PST spokesperson was quoted as saying. The individual is not a Chinese agent and is innocent, the individual's lawyer, Marius Dietrichson, told daily VG. Dietrichson, PST and the Chinese embassy in Oslo did not immediately reply to requests for comment.

Jul

02

2024

By CURTIS WILLIAMS and ROBERTSON S. HENRY

Hurricane Beryl ‘extremely dangerous’ as it gains strength in Caribbean

WORLD

HURRICANE Beryl strengthened as it churned toward the Caribbean's Windward Islands, according to officials, threatening devastating flooding and storm surges as life-threatening high winds picked up speed. People in a broad swathe of the Eastern Caribbean boarded up shops, stocked up on food and filled their cars with fuel as the storm approached. "This is an extremely dangerous and life-threatening situation. Take action now to protect your life!" the U.S. National Hurricane Center said in its latest advisory, urging residents in Grenada, the Grenadine Islands as well as Carriacou Island, where Beryl made landfall, according to NHC, to shelter in…

Jul

02

2024

By The African Mirror

Car drives into crowd near Seoul city hall, nine dead

WORLD

A car hit pedestrians near Seoul city hall, killing nine people and injuring at least four, South Korean media reports said, citing police and fire officials. A police official told Reuters officers were investigating at the scene, and declined to give further information. YTN TV reported that the vehicle rammed into pedestrians standing on the crosswalk after hitting two other cars. A police officer was administering CPR to a person on the ground at the site of the accident, according to a video provided by a witness to Reuters.

Jul

02

2024

By The African Mirror

Nepal court sentences ‘Buddha Boy’ to 10 years in jail for sexual abuse

WORLD

A Nepali court sentenced a man who thousands believed was a reincarnation of the Buddha to 10 years in jail on Monday for child sexual abuse, a court official said. As a teenager, Ram Bahadur Bamjon had drawn international attention when in 2005 tens of thousands of people turned up to see the "Buddha Boy" sitting cross-legged under a tree in a dense forest in southeastern Nepal for nearly 10 months. Court official Sikinder Kaapar of the Sarlahi district court in southern Nepal said a judge had also ordered Bamjon, 33, to pay $3,750 in compensation to the victim. Bamjon…

Jul

01

2024

By NIDAL AL-MUGHRABI and KAMEL HAMDAN

Israeli tanks advance into areas in north and south Gaza

WORLD

ISRAELI forces advanced further into the Shejaia neighbourhood of northern Gaza and also pushed deeper into western and central Rafah in the south, killing at least six Palestinians and destroying several homes, residents said. Israeli tanks, which moved back into Shejaia four days ago, fired shells towards several houses, leaving families trapped inside and unable to leave, the residents said. Speaking at a weekly cabinet meeting on Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu repeated his stance that there is no substitute for victory in the war against the Islamist militant group Hamas. "We are committed to fighting until we achieve all of…

Jul

01

2024

By BENOIT VAN OVERSTRAETEN and LAYLI FOROUDI

Far right wins first round in France election, final result uncertain, exit polls show

WORLD

MARINE Le Pen's far-right National Rally (RN) party won the first round of France's parliamentary elections, exit polls showed, but the final result will depend on days of horsetrading before next week's run-off. The RN was seen winning around 34% of the vote, exit polls from Ipsos, Ifop, OpinionWay and Elabe showed. That was ahead of leftist and centrist rivals, including President Emmanuel Macron's Together alliance, whose bloc was seen winning 20.5%-23%. The New Popular Front, a hastily assembled left-wing coalition, was projected to win around 29% of the vote, the exit polls showed. The exit polls were in line…