WORLD - The African Mirror

Mar

19

2023

Explainer: What does the ICC arrest warrant mean for Putin?

WORLD

ANTHONY DEUTSCH and STEPHANIE VAN DEN BERG VLADIMIR Putin may not see the inside of a cell in The Hague any time soon, but his war crimes arrest warrant could hurt his ability to travel freely and meet other world leaders, who may feel less inclined to speak to a wanted man. Putin is just the third head of state to be indicted by the International Criminal Court while still in power. Following is a look at what the consequences could be for the Kremlin leader. WHAT IS THE CASE? The ICC accuses Putin of responsibility for the war crime…

Feb

23

2023

By The African Mirror

Shamima Begum, British-born woman who joined IS, loses appeal over citizenship removal

WORLD

SAM TOBIN A British-born woman, who went to Syria as a schoolgirl to join Islamic State, lost her latest appeal against the removal of her British citizenship, but her lawyers vowed to keep fighting and said the case was "nowhere near over". The British government took away Shamima Begum's citizenship on national security grounds in 2019, shortly after she was found in a detention camp in Syria. Her latest appeal against that decision was dismissed on Wednesday by the Special Immigration Appeals Commission – a specialist tribunal which hears appeals against decisions to remove citizenship on national security grounds –…

Mar

18

2023

By The African Mirror

Putin tells Russia’s billionaires to put patriotism before profit

WORLD

PRESIDENT Vladimir Putin urged Russia's billionaires to put patriotism before profit, telling them to invest at home to shore up the economy in the face of Western sanctions. Addressing Russia's business elite in person for the first time since the day he sent his troops into Ukraine on Feb. 24 last year, Putin told them their role was not just to make money but to support society. "A responsible entrepreneur is a real citizen of Russia, of his country, a citizen who understands and acts in its interests," Putin said. "He does not hide assets offshore, but registers companies here,…

Mar

18

2023

By The African Mirror

At least 22 people killed in suspected massacre at Myanmar monastery

WORLD

AT least 22 people, including three Buddhist monks, were shot dead at close range in central Myanmar last week, according to a doctor's post-mortem report, in what opponents of military rule say was a massacre of civilians conducted by the army. A spokesman for Myanmar's junta, which staged a coup two years ago to depose the elected government, said its troops had been involved in clashes with rebel fighters in the Pinlaung region of southern Shan state but had not harmed any civilians. Junta spokesman Zaw Min Tun said in a statement the Karenni Nationalities Defense Force (KNDF) and another…

Mar

18

2023

By The African Mirror

New chief judge in Washington to oversee secret Trump proceedings

WORLD

JACQUELINE THOMSEN A new judge takes over leadership of the U.S. trial court in Washington, inheriting oversight of secret proceedings involving special counsel criminal investigations into former President Donald Trump's retention of classified documents and efforts by him and his allies to undo his 2020 election loss. James "Jeb" Boasberg becomes chief judge of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, replacing Judge Beryl Howell as her seven-year term comes to an end. The chief judge has sole discretion over sealed federal grand jury proceedings. That means Boasberg will immediately take over responsibility for handling certain issues that may arise…

Feb

22

2023

By GUY FAULCONBRIDGE

Putin issues new nuclear warnings to West over Ukraine

WORLD

PRESIDENT Vladimir Putin delivered a warning to the West over Ukraine by suspending a landmark nuclear arms control treaty, announcing that new strategic systems had been put on combat duty, and threatening to resume nuclear tests. Nearly a year after ordering an invasion that has triggered the biggest confrontation with the West in six decades, Putin said Russia would achieve its aims and accused the West of trying to destroy it. "The elites of the West do not hide their purpose. But they also cannot fail to realise that it is impossible to defeat Russia on the battlefield," he told…

Feb

22

2023

By The African Mirror

Alec Baldwin’s ‘Rust’ manslaughter charges downgraded, cutting possible prison time

WORLD

PROSECUTORS have downgraded the involuntary manslaughter charges against Alec Baldwin, reducing the possible prison time the Hollywood star may face for the 2021 fatal shooting on the set of the movie "Rust," charging documents showed. New Mexico First Judicial District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies had charged Baldwin and the movie's set armourer, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, with two counts of involuntary manslaughter last month for the death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, with the most serious charge carrying a potential prison sentence of five years. Carmack-Altwies filed altered charges for Baldwin and Gutierrez-Reed on Friday, removing the firearm enhancement and reducing their possible prison…

Feb

22

2023

By The African Mirror

Six killed after latest earthquake shakes Turkey-Syria border

WORLD

ALI KUCUKGOCMEN and HENRIETTE CHACAR SIX people were killed in the latest earthquake to strike the border region of Turkey and Syria, authorities said, two weeks after a massive quake killed more than 47,000 people and damaged or destroyed hundreds of thousands of homes. Monday's quake of magnitude 6.4, which hit just as the rescue work from the initial devastating earthquake was winding down, was centred near the Turkish city of Antakya and was felt in Syria, Egypt and Lebanon. It was followed by 90 aftershocks, Turkey's Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) said, adding fresh trauma to Antakya residents left…

Mar

17

2023

By The African Mirror

TikTok says US threatens ban if Chinese owners don’t sell stakes

WORLD

ECHO WANG and DAVID SHEPARDSON THE Biden administration has demanded that TikTok's Chinese owners divest their stakes in the popular video app or face a possible U.S. ban, the company told Reuters. The move is the most dramatic in a series of recent steps by U.S. officials and legislators who have raised fears that TikTok's U.S. user data could be passed on to China's government. ByteDance-owned TikTok has more than 100 million U.S. users. It is also the first time under the administration of Democratic President Joe Biden that a potential ban on TikTok has been threatened. Biden's predecessor, Republican…

Mar

17

2023

By The African Mirror

Turkish undertaker’s family move to cemetery as he buries earthquake dead

WORLD

SUSANA VERA TASKED with burying hundreds of victims of Turkey's massive earthquakes, undertaker Ali Dogru brought his wife and four sons to live in an old bus by the cemetery where he works in the city of Iskenderun, so he could know they were safe. Last month's devastating earthquakes killed more than 54,000 people in Turkey and Syria and left millions homeless. Survivors are sheltering in tents, container homes, hotel resorts, university dormitories and even train carriages after hundreds of thousands of buildings collapsed and others were left unsafe. Shortly after the first earthquake struck on February 6, Ali, 46, moved his…