WORLD - The African Mirror

Mar

14

2024

Putin warns the West: Russia is ready for nuclear war

WORLD

PRESIDENT Vladimir Putin told the West that Russia was technically ready for nuclear war and that if the U.S. sent troops to Ukraine, it would be considered a significant escalation of the conflict. Putin, speaking ahead of a March 15-17 election which is certain to give him another six years in power, added that the nuclear war scenario was not "rushing" up and he saw no need for the use of nuclear weapons in Ukraine. "From a military-technical point of view, we are, of course, ready," Putin, 71, told Rossiya-1 television and news agency RIA when asked whether Russia was really ready…

Mar

13

2024

By MOHAMMED SALEM

Mother’s voicemail at her graveside marks painful Ramadan for Gaza son

WORLD

MARKING the first day of Ramadan alone among the graves of his loved ones at a cemetery in Gaza, Ibrahim Hassouna listened to a voicemail message his mother left him before she was killed in Israel's military offensive on the Palestinian territory. Normally a time of religious devotion and joyful family meals after each day's fasting, this year's Muslim holy month could not lift Hassouna from his deep sorrow at the loss of his mother, father, brothers and their families in the war. Listening to his mother's voice on his phone was bittersweet, bringing back memories of how she used to fret…

Mar

13

2024

By The African Mirror

Houthi missiles fired at ship in Red Sea, U.S. military says

WORLD

YEMEN'S Iran-aligned Houthi group fired missiles at a Liberian-flagged container ship in the Red Sea but did not hit the vessel, the U.S. Central Command said. Two anti-ship ballistic missiles were fired at the Pinocchio from Yemeni territory, CENTCOM said, resulting in no damage or injuries. Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Sarea earlier on Tuesday said the group had targeted and hit the ship, which he described as "American". The Pinocchio is a Liberian-flagged container ship owned by Singapore-registered company OM-MAR 5 INC, according to shipping databases operated by Equasis and the UN's International Maritime Organization (IMO). Sarea said the Houthi…

Mar

13

2024

By SARAH MORLAND

Haiti’s prime minister Ariel Henry resigned. Who will replace him?

WORLD

HAITI'S embattled Prime Minister Ariel Henry announced his resignation, effective once a transition council and temporary replacement have been appointed. HOW DID HENRY RESIGN? A U.S. official said the decision for Henry's resignation was made on Friday, though he did not officially tender it to his cabinet until Monday evening and later issued an official video address. Henry had traveled to Kenya in late February to secure support for an international security mission to fight Haiti's powerful armed gangs, but violence in the capital escalated during his absence and left him stranded in the U.S. territory of Puerto Rico. Widespread protests have…

Mar

12

2024

By SINAN ABU MAYZER. NIDAL AL-MUGHRABI. BASSAM MASOUD

Palestinians prepare for Ramadan in the shadow of Gaza war

WORLD

PALESTINIANS prepared for Ramadan in a sombre mood with heightened security measures by Israeli police and the spectre of war and hunger in Gaza overshadowing the normally festive Muslim holy month as talks to secure a ceasefire stalled. Thousands of police have been deployed around the narrow streets of the Old City in Jerusalem, where tens of thousands of worshippers are expected every day at the Al Aqsa mosque compound, one of the holiest sites in Islam. The area considered the most sacred place by Jews who know it as Temple Mount, has been a longstanding flashpoint for trouble and was one…

Mar

12

2024

By The African Mirror

Ukraine rebuffs Pope Francis calling for talks with Russia

WORLD

UKRAINE rebuffed Pope Francis's call to negotiate an end to the war with Russia, with President Volodymyr Zelenskiy saying the pontiff was engaging in "virtual mediation" and his foreign minister saying Kyiv would never capitulate. Francis said that when things were going badly for a party to a conflict one had to show the "courage of the white flag" and negotiate. The pope's interview was believed to be the first time Francis has used terms like "white flag" or "defeated" in discussing the Ukraine war, though he has referred in the past to the need for talks. Zelenskiy made no direct reference to…

Mar

12

2024

By SHIVANSH TIWARY and TIM HEPHER

At least 50 hurt as LATAM’s Boeing 787 to Auckland ‘just dropped’ mid-flight

WORLD

AT least 50 people were hurt when a Boeing 787 operated by LATAM Airlines dropped abruptly mid-flight from Sydney to Auckland, according to the airline and a New Zealand health service organisation that treated the injured. The aircraft experienced a strong shake and as a result, 10 passengers and three cabin crew members were taken to a hospital, the South American carrier said as it investigates the cause. The flight with 263 passengers and nine cabin crew members landed at Auckland airport as scheduled on Monday afternoon. One person is in serious condition while the rest suffered mild-to-moderate injuries, a spokesperson…

Mar

11

2024

By PHILIP PULLELLA

Pope says Ukraine should have ‘courage of the white flag’ of negotiations

WORLD

POPE Francis has said in an interview that Ukraine should have what he called the courage of the "white flag" and negotiate an end to the war with Russia that followed Moscow's full-scale invasion two years ago and that has killed tens of thousands. Francis made his comments in an interview recorded last month with Swiss broadcaster RSI, well before Friday's latest offer by Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan to host a summit between Ukraine and Russia to end the war. Erdogan made the fresh offer after a meeting in Istanbul with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskiy. Zelenskiy has said while he wants peace he…

Mar

11

2024

By ABBEY MAKOE

China is a place “that makes the impossible possible” – Wang Yi

WORLD

THE People’s Republic of China acknowledges that the global order is currently undergoing a “profound transformation” that poses enormous multiple challenges to the human race the world over. However, typically, through a consistent foreign policy programme based on the principles of public good, international cooperation and shared prosperity, China sees a silver lining. China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi, who is also a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, addressed the international media on the margins of the Second Session of the 14th National People’s Congress in Beijing this week. Quoting President Xi Jinping during his address in…

Mar

11

2024

By SINAN ABU MAYZER. NIDAL AL-MUGHRABI. BASSAM MASOUD

Palestinians prepare for Ramadan in the shadow of Gaza war

WORLD

PALESTINIANS prepared for Ramadan in a sombre mood with heightened security measures by Israeli police and the spectre of war and hunger in Gaza overshadowing the normally festive Muslim holy month as talks to secure a ceasefire stalled. Thousands of police have been deployed around the narrow streets of the Old City in Jerusalem, where tens of thousands of worshippers are expected every day at the Al Aqsa mosque compound, one of the holiest sites in Islam. The area considered the most sacred place by Jews who know it as Temple Mount, has been a longstanding flashpoint for trouble and was one…