WORLD - The African Mirror

Jun

13

2024

Fire in Kuwaiti building housing workers kills 41, deputy PM says

WORLD

A fire that broke out in a building housing workers in the city of Mangaf in southern Kuwait early has killed at least 41 people, the country's deputy prime minister Sheikh Fahad Yusuf Saud Al-Sabah said during a visit to the site. The deputy PM accused real estate owners of violations and greed, saying those factors contributed towards the incident. "Unfortunately, the greed of real estate owners is what leads to these matters," said Sheikh Fahad, who also runs the interior and defence ministries. The fire was reported to authorities at 6:00 a.m. local time (0300 GMT), Major General Eid…

Jun

12

2024

By DAPHNE PSALEDAKIS and NIDAL AL-MUGHRABI

Hamas says it accepts UN-backed Gaza truce plan, US cites ‘hopeful sign’

WORLD

HAMAS accepts a U.N. resolution backing a plan to end the war with Israel in Gaza and is ready to negotiate details, a senior official of the Palestinian militant group said in what the U.S. Secretary of State called a hopeful sign. But Qatari and Egyptian mediators have not received formal replies from Hamas or Israel to the U.N.-backed truce proposal, an official close to the talks told Reuters, and both sides suggested on Tuesday the plan fit their clashing goals, raising doubt whether any genuine headway towards a deal had been made. Discussions also touching on post-war plans for…

Jun

12

2024

By LAURIE CHEN and RICH MCKAY

Four US instructors stabbed in northeast China, apparently in random attack

WORLD

FOUR American instructors from a small Iowa university were wounded in a stabbing attack in a public park in northeast China's Jilin province, prompting an investigation into the attacker's motive, Chinese officials said. The alleged assaults occurred shortly before noon on Monday at a park in Jilin City, police said. A 55-year-old local man, identified only by his surname Cui, was detained the same day. "Cui collided into a foreigner while walking in Beishan Park, and then stabbed the foreigner and three fellow foreigners with a knife, as well as a Chinese tourist who tried to stop him," Jilin City…

Jun

12

2024

By TOM HALS and JACK QUEEN

Hunter Biden found guilty of lying about drug use to buy gun

WORLD

PRESIDENT Joe Biden’s son Hunter Biden was convicted by a jury of lying about his drug use to illegally buy a gun, a verdict Democrats may seize upon to counter Donald Trump’s claim of a justice system weaponized against him. A 12-member jury in Wilmington, Delaware, federal court found the defendant guilty on all three counts against him, making Hunter Biden the first child of a sitting U.S. president to be convicted of a crime. Hunter Biden, 54, lightly nodded his head after the verdict was read but otherwise showed little reaction. He then patted his lawyer Abbe Lowell on the back…

Jun

11

2024

By The African Mirror

Gaza’s hospitals overwhelmed by injured from Israel’s military campaign

WORLD

HAZEM Farjallah wails as he lies in the Gaza hospital corridor, his head bandaged and his aunt by his side, days after he was injured by Israeli bombardment and with little prospect of adequate medical care. Hazem, 10, has not spoken since he was injured in Thursday's strike on a U.N. school being used as a shelter and the shrapnel wounds are visible on his back, chest and head. "He's been lying on the ground for days. He's supposed to be in the intensive care unit. There are no mattresses," said his aunt, Umm Nasser in a video obtained by…

Jun

11

2024

By ELIZABETH PINEAU and MICHEL ROSE

French parties scramble to prepare for snap ballot, weigh prospect of far-right rule

WORLD

FRENCH political parties were racing to field candidates and discuss possible alliances following President Emmanuel Macron's shock decision to call a snap election after a bruising loss in Sunday's vote for the European Parliament. They have little time to do so, and to convince voters to back them, with the first round scheduled for June 30, less than three weeks away, and the run-off on July 7. There is no certainty Marine Le Pen's far-right National Rally will end up with enough seats to run the government, after trouncing Macron's party in Sunday's EU vote. Other scenarios include a wide-ranging coalition of mainstream…

Jun

11

2024

By The African Mirror

Taiwan arrests Chinese man who took speedboat into Taipei harbour

WORLD

TAIWAN has arrested a Chinese man who sailed a speedboat into a harbour at the mouth of a river leading into Taipei for illegal entry, the Taiwanese coast guard said. Taiwan keeps a close watch on its waters and air space, given tensions with China, which views the democratically governed island as its own territory, a claim Taipei rejects. Taiwan's coast guard said a suspicious vessel was spotted on Sunday morning six nautical miles (11 km) off the coast of Tamsui in northern Taiwan. After entering the Tamsui River, which leads to downtown Taipei, the boat collided with other vessels…

Jun

10

2024

By NIDAL AL-MUGHRABI

Israel keeps pounding central Gaza as Palestinian death toll in hostage rescue raid rises to 274

WORLD

ISRAELI forces pounded central Gaza anew, a day after killing 274 Palestinians during a hostage rescue raid, and tanks advanced further into Rafah in an apparent bid to seal off part of the southern city, residents and Hamas media said. Palestinians remained in shock over Saturday's death toll, the worst over a 24-hour period of the Gaza war for months and including many women and children, Palestinian medics said. In an update on Sunday, Gaza's health ministry said 274 Palestinians were killed - up from 210 it reported on Saturday - and 698 were injured when Israeli special force commandos stormed into the densely…

Jun

10

2024

By RENEE MALTEZOU

British TV presenter Mosley found dead on Greek island of Symi

WORLD

BRITISH TV presenter Michael Mosley has been found dead in a rocky area of Symi, days after he disappeared during a walk on the Greek island, local officials and police told Reuters. The 67-year-old healthy living advocate, who had been a prominent face on British TV for two decades, was found on Sunday morning, ending a four-day search that included aircraft, drones and sniffer dogs. "It's devastating to have lost Michael, my wonderful, funny, kind and brilliant husband. We had an incredibly lucky life together. We loved each other very much," Mosley's wife said in a statement issued on her…

Jun

10

2024

By YP RAJESH and CHRIS THOMAS

India’s Modi sworn in as PM for third term, faces coalition challenges

WORLD

NARENDRA Modi was sworn in as India's prime minister for a third term, after a shock election setback that will test his ability to ensure policy certainty in a coalition government in the world's most populous nation. President Droupadi Murmu administered the oath of office to Modi at a ceremony at the Rashtrapati Bhavan, the president's palace in New Delhi, attended by thousands of dignitaries, including the leaders of seven regional countries, Bollywood stars and industrialists. "Honoured to serve Bharat," Modi posted on X, minutes before he was sworn in, referring to India's name in Indian languages. Supporters cheered, clapped and chanted…