WORLD - The African Mirror

Feb

06

2023

U.S. fighter jet shoots down suspected Chinese spy balloon

WORLD

RANDALL HILL, PHIL STEWART and JEFF MASON A U.S. military fighter jet shot down a suspected Chinese spy balloon off the coast of South Carolina, a week after it first entered U.S. airspace and triggered a dramatic -- and public -- spying saga that worsened Sino-U.S. relations. President Joe Biden said he had issued an order on Wednesday to take down the balloon, but the Pentagon had recommended waiting until it could be done over open water to safeguard civilians from debris crashing to Earth from thousands of feet (meters) above commercial air traffic. "They successfully took it down, and…

Feb

06

2023

By The African Mirror

Reactions to Pakistan ex-President Musharraf’s death

WORLD

FOLLOWING are reactions to the death of former Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf: FAWAD CHAUDHRY, A FORMER MUSHARRAF AIDE AND CURRENTLY A SENIOR LEADER OF FORMER PRIME MINISTER IMRAN KHAN'S PARTY "He is called a military dictator, but there has never been a stronger democratic system than that under him... Pervez Musharraf led Pakistan at a very difficult time, and Pakistanis believe the era of his reign was one of the best in Pakistan's history." SHASHI THAROOR, INDIAN POLITICIAN, SAID ON TWITTER "Once an implacable foe of India, he became a real force for peace 2002-2007. I met him annually in those…

Feb

06

2023

By The African Mirror

Tens of thousands of Israelis protest against justice reform plans

WORLD

TENS of thousands of Israelis braved heavy rain for a fifth week of protests against judicial reform plans by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's new government that critics say threaten democratic checks on ministers by the courts. The plans, which the government says are needed to curb overreach by judges, have drawn fierce opposition from groups including lawyers, and raised concerns among business leaders, widening already deep political divisions in Israeli society. "I'm here tonight protesting against the transition of Israel from a democracy to an autocracy," Dov Levenglick, 48, a software engineer told Reuters in Tel Aviv. "It's a disgrace,…

Feb

05

2023

By The African Mirror

China foreign ministry: ‘airship’ over the U.S. a ‘force majeure accident’

WORLD

BRENDA GOH CHINA'S foreign ministry said that the flight of a Chinese "airship" over the United States was a force majeure accident, accusing U.S. politicians and media of taking advantage of the situation to discredit China. The United States, saying the craft was a suspected spy balloon that had committed a "clear violation" of U.S. sovereignty, postponed a visit to China by Secretary of State Antony Blinken that had been expected to start on Friday. "China has always strictly abided by international law and respected the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries," the ministry said in a statement. It said Beijing…

Feb

05

2023

By The African Mirror

Germany has evidence of war crimes in Ukraine ‘in three-digit range,’ prosecutor says

WORLD

GERMANY has collected evidence of war crimes in Ukraine, the country's prosecutor general said in a newspaper interview published, adding that he saw a need for a judicial process at the international level. "Currently, for example, we are focusing on the mass killings in Bucha or attacks against Ukrainian civilian infrastructure," Peter Frank told the Welt am Sonntag newspaper. So far, prosecutors have pieces of evidence in the "three-digit range", he added, without elaborating. Ukraine and its Western allies have accused Russian forces of committing atrocities in Bucha, a satellite town of Kyiv, soon after launching their invasion last February. Moscow has denied…

Feb

05

2023

By The African Mirror

Take a bow-wow! Meet Bobi, the world’s oldest dog on record

WORLD

CATARINA DEMONY and MIGUEL PEREIRA WHEN his dog was born three decades ago in a tiny village in central Portugal, Leonel Costa was only eight years old. Little did he know that his beloved Bobi would one day be recorded as the world's oldest dog. When Bobi, a purebred Rafeiro do Alentejo, celebrated its 30th birthday last year, Costa knew he had broken an almost century-old record held by an Australian cattle dog that died at 29 years and five months in 1939. Costa got in touch with the Guinness World of Records, submitted all the paperwork and a year…

Feb

04

2023

By The African Mirror

Palestinian teenager dreamt of being a chef before attack, teachers say

WORLD

HENRIETTE CHACAR IN the middle of last week, 13-year-old Palestinian Mahmoud Aleiwat was pressing his teachers for the school report he needed so he could go to a Jerusalem college to train as a chef. Three days later, he was lying unconscious in a hospital accused of opening fire at a group of Israeli passers-by in Jerusalem's Silwan district. Two people were critically wounded and Aleiwat was shot and wounded by one of the group. Police have not publicly named a suspect but his lawyer said they accuse Aleiwat of opening fire and attempted murder, accusations his family rejects. Police,…

Feb

04

2023

By The African Mirror

Chinese spy balloon flies over the United States: Pentagon

WORLD

IDREES ALI and PHIL STEWART A Chinese spy balloon has been flying over the United States for a couple of days, U.S. officials said, in what would be a brazen act just days ahead of a planned trip to Beijing by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken. Fighter jets were mobilized, but military leaders advised President Joe Biden against shooting the balloon out of the sky for fear debris could pose a safety threat, advice Biden accepted, U.S. officials said. The United States took "custody" of the balloon when it entered U.S. airspace and had observed it with piloted U.S.…

Feb

04

2023

By The African Mirror

Zelenskiy vows to defend ‘fortress’ Bakhmut, hosts EU leaders in Kyiv

WORLD

TOM BALMFORTH and DAN PELESCHUK UKRAINIANS will fight "for as long as we can" to hold the eastern city of Bakhmut, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy vowed on Friday, as he hosted European Union leaders to discuss further sanctions on Russia and Kyiv's EU prospects. Shortly after Zelenskiy spoke, air raid sirens sounded once again in Kyiv and across the country - a regular occurrence during months of Russian missile attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure far from the battlefields in the east and south - but there were no immediate reports of new air strikes. The head of the EU's executive Commission…

Feb

03

2023

By TOM BALMFORTH and TATIANA GOMOZOVA

Zelenskiy wants tougher Europe, Putin evokes victory over Nazis

WORLD

UKRAINIAN President Volodymyr Zelenskiy urged European leaders visiting Kyiv to pile more sanctions on Russia, where President Vladimir Putin evoked a famous World War Two victory over the Nazis to rally his nation. The West has imposed sweeping punitive measures since Russia's nearly year-old invasion of Ukraine that has devastated cities, killed tens of thousands of people, forced millions to flee their homes and shaken the global economy. In the latest violence, a Russian missile destroyed apartments in Kramatorsk, killing at least three people and trapping others under rubble, police said. Moscow said it struck U.S.-made rocket launchers in the area about 55 km (34…