WORLD - The African Mirror

Feb

10

2024

Biden will not face charges over classified papers, says ‘memory is fine’

WORLD

AN "elderly" President Joe Biden will not face charges for knowingly taking classified documents when he left the vice presidency in 2017, a prosecutor said, drawing a swift rebuke from the president as he seeks reelection. Special Counsel Robert Hur said in a report that he opted against bringing criminal charges following a 15-month investigation because Biden cooperated and would be difficult to convict, describing him as a "well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory." Biden, in an angry rebuttal, said his "memory was fine." Brimming with emotion during remarks at the White House, he lashed out at the attorney's suggestion that he…

Feb

10

2024

By The African Mirror

Japan’s Seiji Ozawa, one of world’s best-known conductors, dead at 88

WORLD

JAPAN'S Seiji Ozawa, one of the best-known orchestra conductors of his generation, died of heart failure at the age of 88, public broadcaster NHK announced. Ozawa, who was born in China, spent decades in the rarefied atmosphere of top orchestras around the world but wore baseball-themed ties to interviews and preferred to be called by his first name, not "maestro". His bushy hair and smile charmed audiences, especially in the United States, where his tenure as music director of the Boston Symphony Orchestra spanned nearly three decades. In 2020, Boston proclaimed his birthday, September 1, "Seiji Ozawa Day", prompting a…

Feb

09

2024

By ASIF SHAHZAD and ARIBA SHAHID

Pakistan starts vote count, clear picture expected early Friday

WORLD

PAKISTAN began counting votes after polling ended in a general election marred by militant attacks and suspension of mobile phone services, with authorities saying that at least nine people had been killed nationwide. The vote was held as the South Asian country struggles to recover from an economic crisis while it grapples with rising militant violence in a deeply polarised political environment. TV channels are expected to make projections of first results a few hours after voting closed at 5 p.m. (1200 GMT) and a clear picture is likely to emerge early on Friday as counting continues through the night. The national…

Feb

09

2024

By ANDREW GOUDSWARD

Appeals court rejected Trump’s immunity claim. Could he go on trial?

WORLD

A U.S. appeals court ruled that Donald Trump does not have immunity from criminal charges accusing him of trying to overturn his 2020 election defeat, but the decision does not mean the former U.S. president will head immediately to trial. Here is a look at next steps in the case: WHAT HAPPENS NEXT? Trump plans to appeal the ruling by a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, a campaign spokesperson said. He could either ask the full D.C. Circuit court to reconsider the panel’s ruling or go directly to the U.S. Supreme Court. Progress…

Feb

09

2024

By The African Mirror

UK PM Sunak makes transgender jibe during visit of murdered girl’s mother

WORLD

BRITISH Prime Minister Rishi Sunak joked that the leader of the opposition Labour Party could not define what a woman was, during a parliamentary exchange that the mother of a murdered transgender girl had been invited to watch. Last week, two teenagers were jailed, for the murder of Brianna Ghey, who was stabbed 28 times with a hunting knife, and a Labour lawmaker had invited Ghey's mother to watch Sunak's weekly question-and-answer session in parliament. In an exchange with Labour leader Keir Starmer, who had said Ghey's mother was watching, Sunak said "defining a woman" was on a list of Starmer's broken promises, joking…

Feb

08

2024

By SAMIA NAKHOUL and ANDREW MILLS

Exclusive: Hamas proposes three-stage ceasefire over 135 days, leading to end of war

WORLD

HAMAS has proposed a ceasefire plan that would quiet the guns in Gaza for four-and-a-half months leading to an end to the war, in response to a proposal sent last week by Qatari and Egyptian mediators and backed by the United States and Israel. According to a draft document seen by Reuters, the Hamas counterproposal envisions three phases lasting 45 days each. The proposal would see militants exchange the remaining Israeli hostages they captured on October 7 for Palestinian prisoners. The reconstruction of Gaza would begin, Israeli forces would withdraw completely, and bodies and remains would be exchanged. U.S. Secretary…

Feb

08

2024

By CHARLOTTE GREENFIELD and ASIF SHAHZAD

Blasts near Pakistan candidates’ offices kill 26 on eve of election

WORLD

TWO explosions near electoral candidates' offices in Pakistan's southwestern province of Balochistan killed 26 people and wounded dozens, officials said, raising concerns over security on the eve of a general election. Pakistan goes to the polls on Thursday amid rising militant attacks and the jailing of Imran Khan, the winner of the last national election, who has been dominating the headlines despite an economic crisis and other woes threatening the nuclear-armed country. Authorities have said they are boosting security at polling booths. The first attack, which killed 14 people, took place at the office of an independent election candidate in Pishin district. The second…

Feb

08

2024

By NATALIA A. RAMOS MIRANDA, ANTHONY ESPOSITO and FABIAN CAMBERO

Chile’s former president Sebastian Pinera dies in helicopter crash

WORLD

CHILEAN ex-President Sebastian Pinera died in a helicopter crash, sending the country he led for two terms into mourning and prompting an outpouring of condolences from leaders across Latin America. The helicopter carrying Pinera, 74, and three others plunged into a lake in southern Chile. The former president was pronounced dead shortly after rescue personnel arrived at the scene. The other three passengers survived. Two sources told Reuters Pinera was the pilot, although officials have not confirmed that, nor the helicopter's intended destination. Pinera often spent the Southern Hemisphere summers near the picturesque lakes that dot Chile's south and frequently piloted his…

Feb

07

2024

By DAN WILLIAMS

After captivity, Israeli-Irish girl won’t say ‘Gaza’ or ‘blood’

WORLD

MORE than two months after she was freed from Gaza, Emily Hand no longer speaks in terrified whispers. But the Israeli-Irish girl who was among the youngest Hamas hostages still refuses to name her captors or the Palestinian enclave where she was held. At the temporary home she shares with her father Tom, a whiteboard lays out their lexicon for the ordeal: Foods she does not like stand in for memories the nine-year-old does not want. The Gaza Strip is "the box". Terrorists are "olives". An abducted person is "cheese", a murdered person is "cottage cheese". Blood is "watermelon". "Sometimes…

Feb

07

2024

By MICHAEL HOLDEN and SARAH YOUNG

King Charles’ cancer ‘caught early’, as Harry flies in to see him

WORLD

KING Charles' cancer was caught early and the whole country is hoping he can make a full recovery, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said, as messages of support for the 75-year-old monarch poured in from world leaders. Buckingham Palace revealed on Monday that Charles, on the throne for less than 18 months since the death of his mother Queen Elizabeth, was suffering from a "form of cancer" and would postpone his public engagements to undergo treatment. The king was remaining "wholly positive" and looking forward to returning to public work as soon as possible, the palace said. Charles' younger son…