WORLD - The African Mirror

Apr

11

2026

After ceasefire, negotiating a lasting deal with Iran would require overcoming regional rivalries and strategic incoherence

WORLD

PRESIDENT Donald Trump’s rapid and dramatic turn from threatening to kill “an entire civilisation” in Iran on the morning of April 7, 2026, to announcing a two-week ceasefire later that day left many observers with a sense of whiplash. While it is difficult to predict whether the ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran will hold or how events will unfold, the dynamics of the conflict so far reveal multiple vulnerabilities in the short term and numerous detrimental effects on the region in the medium to long term. Already, the truce has shown signs of strain. Iran and the U.S. almost…

Apr

11

2026

By JASMINE MITHANI

Federal grants can save the lives of abuse victims. $200 million is sitting unspent

WORLD

MORE than $200 million in federal funds that were supposed to go to help victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking and trafficking last fiscal year still haven’t been paid out to the nonprofits and other entities that form the safety net for those impacted by gender-based violence. The Office on Violence Against Women in the Department of Justice is tasked with administering grants prescribed by the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), first passed in 1994. This story was originally reported by Jasmine Mithani of The 19th. Meet Jasmine and read more of their reporting on gender, politics and policy.…

Apr

10

2026

By THERESA REINOLD

Has multilateralism hit a dead end? Could International organisations be collateral damage of the war in Iran?

WORLD

ONE of the most striking aspects of the war with Iran is the extent to which it has highlighted the irrelevance of international organisations and multilateral approaches to resolving global conflicts. If we take war as an indicator of the viability of the rules-based international order established after World War II, then we may well conclude that the “patient” is showing a very weak pulse. The United Nations and the European Union are two organisations that epitomise the post-1945 global normative order – an order which is founded on principles such as the rule of law, non-aggression, and respect for…

Apr

10

2026

By MIREILLE REBEIZ

Israeli threats to occupy or annex south Lebanon dust off a decades‑old playbook

WORLD

A chorus of hawkish Israeli politicians is urging the country’s military to intensify its weekslong ground and air campaign against Hezbollah and pave the way for a more permanent presence in the country’s south. On April 5, 18 Israeli lawmakers pressed the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to occupy and fully control southern Lebanon up to the Litani River and “evacuate” the Lebanese population there. It followed an earlier call from Israel’s Finance Minister Bezalel Yoel Smotrich, a powerful, extremist voice in the ruling coalition for the outright annexation of southern Lebanon. Alongside such voices, Israel’s campaign shows no…

Apr

10

2026

By STAFF REPORTER

Bombs in God’s name: how two teenagers nearly turned a New York protest into a massacre

WORLD

AT 12:15 on a cool Saturday afternoon in March, a crowd of protesters and counter-protesters traded insults outside Gracie Mansion, the official residence of New York City’s Mayor, on the leafy Upper East Side of Manhattan. Police barriers separated the two groups. NYPD officers stood watch. It looked, on the surface, like any other tense but manageable New York demonstration. Then Emir Balat reached into his bag and pulled out a glass jar packed with nuts, bolts and a highly volatile explosive called TATP — known in bomb-making circles as the “Mother of Satan” — and lit the fuse. The…

Apr

09

2026

By AMIN SAIKAL

The US‑Israel ceasefire with Iran presses pause on a costly war, but can peace last?

WORLD

PRESIDENT Donald Trump’s acceptance of a Pakistani proposal for a two-week ceasefire in the war with Iran brings a sigh of relief to the international community. Just hours before, many had been alarmed by Trump’s threats to bomb Iran back to “the stone age” and destroy its “civilisation”. The ceasefire provides a breathing space for hammering out a “definitive agreement concerning long-term peace with Iran, and peace in the Middle East”, according to Trump. However, the road to a final settlement will be complex and bumpy, though not insurmountable. Underestimating the enemy After six weeks of escalating war and rhetoric,…

Apr

09

2026

By KIRSTEN MATOY CARLSON

When a president is unfit for office, here’s what the Constitution says can happen

WORLD

BIPARTISAN calls for President Donald Trump’s removal from office increased on April 7, 2026, after he issued threats to destroy “a whole civilization” if Iran refuses to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. These calls have come from across the political spectrum, from Democratic Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York and Melanie Stansbury of New Mexico to former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene and right-wing pundit Alex Jones. Unlikely allies seem to agree that the president has gone too far and needs to be reined in. Their concerns have emerged as Iran has walked away from talks to end the war and…

Apr

09

2026

By ROBERT POOLE

How Artemis II’s Earthset photo compares with the iconic Earthrise image from 1968

WORLD

AS Nasa’s Artemis II mission completed its lunar flyby, the astronauts sent back a stunning image of the colourful Earth setting behind the Moon. This breathtaking photo, called Earthset, draws inevitable comparisons with the original Earthrise photo from the Apollo 8 flight in 1968. The Apollo-era photo showed our planet climbing above the lunar horizon. It revealed Earth as a bright blue oasis, standing out against the vast blackness of space and the barren Moon. As I described in my book, Earthrise: a Short History of the Whole Earth, the effect of this image (actually part of a set) was…

Apr

08

2026

By AYA S. CHACAR

Hormuz closure threatens the global food supply – why grocery price hikes are coming

WORLD

THE global energy crisis caused by the closure of the Strait of Hormuz is only the beginning of the economic cost of the war with Iran. I study how institutions affect businesses and supply chains, and I expect food prices to rise next, with high prices lasting even after whatever point hostilities end. Along with about 20% of the world’s crude oil trade and a similar share of the world’s liquefied natural gas shipments, shipping traffic through the strait also carries roughly a third of internationally traded fertiliser, which is key to bountiful crops around the world. Modern agriculture depends…

Apr

08

2026

By DONALD ROTHWELL

How might the Strait of Hormuz be reopened? Here are 3 scenarios

WORLD

THE Strait of Hormuz crisis has reached a critical juncture. President Donald Trump has demanded Iran reopen the Strait or the United States will further intensify its military assault. While the strait has not been totally closed to shipping, it has been substantially disrupted, and transits have effectively slowed to a trickle. The Strait is economically and strategically unique due to the access it provides to the Persian Gulf, from which there is no exit point. All shipping passes through a single waterway. The key navigational choke point borders Iran to the north and Oman to the south. It’s only…