WORLD - The African Mirror

Feb

19

2024

UN likely to vote Tuesday on Gaza ceasefire, US signals veto

WORLD

THE United Nations Security Council is likely to vote on Tuesday on an Algerian push for the 15-member body to demand an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war, said diplomats, a move the United States signalled it would veto. Algeria put forward an initial draft resolution more than two weeks ago. But U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Linda Thomas-Greenfield quickly said the text could jeopardize "sensitive negotiations" aimed at brokering a pause in the war. Algeria requested on Saturday that the council vote on Tuesday, diplomats said. A U.N. Security Council resolution needs at least nine votes in favour and no vetoes by the…

Feb

18

2024

By The African Mirror

Russian emigres gather across Europe to mourn Navalny, denounce Putin

WORLD

HUNDREDS of protesters, many of them Russian emigres, gathered in cities across Europe and beyond to express their outrage over the death of Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny. Often gathering outside Russian embassies, they chanted slogans critical of Russian President Vladimir Putin, whom they blamed for the activist's death, holding up signs calling him a "killer" and demanding accountability. Putin's most formidable domestic opponent, Navalny fell unconscious and died on Friday after a walk at the Arctic penal colony where he was serving a three-decade sentence, prison authorities said. In Berlin, a crowd of 500 to 600 people, according to police estimates,…

Feb

18

2024

By JACK QUEEN and LUC COHEN

Trump hit with $354.9 million penalty, 3-year ban in NY civil fraud case

WORLD

DONALD Trump must pay $354.9 million in penalties for fraudulently overstating his net worth to dupe lenders, a New York judge ruled, handing the former U.S. president another legal setback in a civil case that imperils his real estate empire. Justice Arthur Engoron, in a sharply worded decision issued after a contentious three-month trial in Manhattan, also banned Trump, who is running to regain the presidency this year, from serving as an officer or director of any New York corporation for three years. Trump's lawyer Alina Habba vowed to appeal. Engoron cancelled his prior ruling from September ordering the "dissolution" of companies that control pillars of Trump's real…

Feb

18

2024

By The African Mirror

Man guns down 12 relatives in Iran, state media say

WORLD

A 30-year-old man killed 12 relatives, including his father and brother in Iran, official media reported, in a rare mass shooting in the country. They said the man, who was not identified, used a Kalashnikov assault rifle and was later shot and killed by security forces in the south-central province of Kerman. They said the cause of the shooting, in a remote rural village, was a family dispute. They did not elaborate. Mass killings are rare in Iran, where hunting rifles are the only weapons people are allowed to possess. Two years ago, a dismissed employee of a state institution…

Feb

17

2024

By GUY FAULCONBRIDGE and FELIX LIGHT

Putin foe Alexei Navalny dies in jail, West holds Russia responsible

WORLD

Alexei Navalny, Russian President Vladimir Putin's most formidable domestic opponent, fell unconscious and died after a walk at the "Polar Wolf" Arctic penal colony where he was serving a three-decade sentence, authorities said. The death of Navalny, a 47-year-old former lawyer, robs the disparate Russian opposition of its most courageous leader as Putin prepares for an election which will keep the former KGB spy in power until at least 2030. There are now no opposition leaders of such prominence left in Russia. For some young urban Russians, Navalny offered hope of an alternative future to Putin, who has served as Russia's…

Feb

17

2024

By NIDAL AL-MUGHRABI

Israel bombards Gaza, with biggest functioning hospital under siege

WORLD

GAZA'S largest functioning hospital was under siege in Israel's war with Islamist group Hamas, leaving patients and doctors helpless in the chaos, as warplanes struck Rafah, the last refuge for Palestinians in the enclave, officials said. Israeli forces said on Thursday they had raided the medical complex as footage showed shouting and gunfire in dark corridors in an incursion that raised fresh alarm over the fate of hundreds of patients and medical workers and the many displaced Palestinians who had sought shelter there from the fighting. Israel's military called the raid on Nasser Hospital "precise and limited" and said it was based on information…

Feb

17

2024

By RENEE MALTEZOU and ANGELIKI KOUTANTOU

Greek same-sex couples race to wed after historic vote

WORLD

YOLANDA Kalantzi and Georgia Ampatzidou kissed when Greek lawmakers voted to allow same-sex civil marriages, then joined other couples making plans for their big days. The historic bill that parliament approved overnight also allowed same-sex couples to adopt children - another big step as Ampatzidou can now legally adopt their son. "When we heard that the bill passed we were deeply touched," said Kalantzi, who with Ampatzidou had travelled 500 km (300 miles) to be inside parliament for the vote. The couple have already booked a DJ and a photographer for their May wedding. "There is no return. I must have…

Feb

16

2024

By The African Mirror

Gaza post-war reconstruction estimated at $20 billion: UN trade body

WORLD

GAZA will need a new "Marshall Plan" to recover from the conflict between Israel and Hamas, a U.N. trade body official said, adding that the damage from the conflict so far amounted to around $20 billion. Speaking on the sidelines of a U.N. meeting in Geneva, Richard Kozul-Wright, a director at trade body UNCTAD, said the damage was already four times that endured in Gaza during the seven-week war in 2014. "We are talking about around $20 billion if it stops now," he said. Kozul-Wright said the estimate was based on satellite images and other information and that a more…

Feb

16

2024

By STEVE GORMAN and BRAD BROOKS

Shooting near Kansas City Super Bowl victory rally kills at least one, injures 21

WORLD

A barrage of gunfire erupted in downtown Kansas City, Missouri, near an outdoor celebration of the NFL champion Chiefs' Super Bowl victory, killing at least one person and wounding 21 others as throngs of fans scurried for safety. Police Chief Stacey Graves told a news conference three people were detained "and under investigation" in connection with the bloodshed near the city's landmark Union Station after a confetti-strewn parade. Graves said investigators had no known motive for the gun violence. Eleven of those hurt by gunfire or the ensuing chaos were children as young as 6. At least 22 people were…

Feb

16

2024

By SAM TOBIN

Jamaican dancehall star Vybz Kartel mounts final appeal over murder conviction

WORLD

JAMAICAN dancehall star Vybz Kartel asked a London court to overturn his murder conviction, citing attempts to bribe his trial jury and the use of incriminating messages as reasons his conviction is unsafe. The musician, whose real name is Adidja Palmer, is one of Jamaica's most popular artists and has collaborated with performers such as Jay-Z and Rihanna. Kartel, 48, has been in jail in Jamaica since 2011 when he was arrested over the disappearance of his associate Clive "Lizard" Williams, whose body has never been found. After a 64-day trial in Kingston, one of the longest in Jamaican history,…