WORLD - The African Mirror

Jan

06

2023

Putin orders ceasefire in Ukraine over Orthodox Christmas – Kremlin

WORLD

GUY FAULCONBRIDGE RUSSIAN President Vladimir Putin ordered a 36-hour ceasefire in Ukraine over Orthodox Christmas, the first major truce of the more than 10-month-long war that has killed tens of thousands and devastated swathes of Ukraine. Putin ordered the ceasefire to begin on January 6, the Kremlin said. Many Orthodox Christians, including those living in Russia and Ukraine, celebrate Christmas on January 6-7. Patriarch Kirill of Moscow called earlier on Thursday for both sides of the war in Ukraine to observe a Christmas truce. "Taking into account the appeal of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill, I instruct the Minister of Defence of…

Jan

06

2023

By The African Mirror

Prince Harry’s memoir sheds light on bust-ups among British royals

WORLD

MICHAEL HOLDEN and CHARLIE DEVEREUX BRITAIN'S Prince Harry says his older brother and heir to the throne Prince William knocked him to the floor during a 2019 argument over Harry's American wife Meghan in his much-awaited memoir which went on sale days early in Spain. In his book "Spare", Harry also discloses how the brothers, the sons of King Charles, had begged their father not to marry his second wife Camilla, now Queen Consort, and that he had taken cocaine as a teenager. The book was due to be published on Jan. 10, but the Guardian newspaper printed leaked extracts overnight, and…

Jan

06

2023

By The African Mirror

Mexico arrests Ovidio Guzman, son of ‘El Chapo,’ in night of violence

WORLD

LIZBETH DIAZ and DAVE GRAHAM MEXICAN drug cartel leader Ovidio Guzman, a son of incarcerated kingpin Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, has been arrested by Mexican authorities, five officials familiar with the matter told Reuters. News of the capture came after a night of violence in the city of Culiacan in the northern state of Sinaloa, home to the drug cartel of the same name, and one of the world's most powerful narcotics trafficking organizations. Ovidio, who has become a key figure in the Sinaloa Cartel since the arrest of his father, was briefly detained in 2019 by security forces, but…

Jan

05

2023

By The African Mirror

Soldiers’ widows group calls on Putin to order major mobilisation for Ukraine war

WORLD

GUY FAULCONBRIDGE A little-known patriotic group which supports the widows of Russian soldiers has called on President Vladimir Putin to order a large-scale mobilisation of millions of men and to close the borders to ensure victory in Ukraine. Putin, Russia's 70-year-old paramount leader, is under intense pressure to deliver victory in Ukraine more than 10 months since he sent troops as part of an operation he says was intended to defend Russians in eastern Ukraine. "We ask our President, Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin, to allow the Russian Army to carry out a large-scale mobilisation," the Soldiers' Widows of Russia group said…

Jan

05

2023

By The African Mirror

Germany calls Al Aqsa visit by new Israeli minister a provocation

WORLD

GERMANY rejects unilateral steps that endanger the status quo on the Al Aqsa mosque compound in Jerusalem, said a foreign ministry spokesperson, calling a visit there by Israel's new far-right national security minister a provocation. "We expect the new Israeli government to commit to a continuation of the tried and tested practice around the holy sites in Jerusalem and to put a stop to further deliberate provocations," said the spokesperson at a regular government news conference. The Israeli minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, briefly visited the Al Aqsa mosque compound in Jerusalem on Tuesday, a site also revered by Jews, angering the Palestinians and…

Jan

05

2023

By The African Mirror

Jeremy Renner, Marvel’s Hawkeye, posts first selfie after snow plow accident

WORLD

DANIELLE BROADWAY and KANISHKA SINGH ACTOR Jeremy Renner, who played Hawkeye in the Marvel "Avengers" movies and was hospitalized after a traumatic injury while ploughing snow, was recovering and posted an image on his Instagram account thanking his fans for their wishes. The actor posted a selfie from his hospital bed in Nevada, showing him looking bruised with oxygen tubes in his nose. "Thank you all for your kind words," he wrote on Instagram. "I'm too messed up now to type. But I send love to you all." View this post on Instagram A post shared by Jeremy Renner (@jeremyrenner)…

Jan

04

2023

By The African Mirror

Russia’s war on Ukraine latest: Russian anger grows over deadly strike

WORLD

RUSSIAN nationalists and some lawmakers have demanded punishment for commanders they accused of ignoring dangers as anger grew over the killing of dozens of Russian soldiers in one of the Ukraine war's deadliest strikes. DIPLOMACY * Some protesters in Germany, online and on the streets, are calling on Berlin to reconsider its support for Ukraine, tapping into deep connections between Germany and Russia, with a legacy of Soviet ties to Communist east Germany and decades of German dependency on Russian gas. * French President Emmanuel Macron reaffirmed on Tuesday that Ukraine "needs our support more than ever", as he hosted Sweden's Prime…

Jan

04

2023

By The African Mirror

Benedict’s death clears path for Pope Francis to retire of old age in future

WORLD

PHILIP PULLELLA SIX months ago Pope Francis brushed off speculation he was about to resign due to health problems. Still, even if he had toyed with the idea, he faced one major obstacle: there was already another ex-pope in retirement. The death on Saturday of Benedict, who in 2013 became the first pontiff in 600 years to step down instead of reigning for life, should make any decision to step down easier on Francis and the Church, which has struggled enough with having "two popes", let alone three - two retired and one reigning. It could also prompt the current pontiff to review…

Jan

03

2023

By The African Mirror

Tens of thousands view body of former Pope Benedict

WORLD

PHILIP PULLELLA A steady stream of tens of thousands of people filed into St. Peter's Basilica to pay their respects to former Pope Benedict XVI, whose body was laying in state without any papal paraphernalia ahead of his funeral this week. Benedict, a hero to conservative Catholics who yearned for a return to a more traditional Church, died on Saturday at the age of 95 in the secluded Vatican monastery where he had lived since 2013 when he became the first pope in 600 years to resign. "I feel like he was a grandfather to us," Veronica Siegal, 16, a Catholic high school student…

Jan

02

2023

By The African Mirror

Death of former Pope Benedict overshadows New Year at Vatican

WORLD

PHILIP PULLELLA POPE Francis marked the Roman Catholic Church's traditional World Day of Peace on Sunday but the start of the new year at the Vatican was overshadowed by the death of his predecessor, Benedict. Francis presided at a Mass in St. Peter's Basilica as the body of Benedict, who died on Saturday at the age of 95, was being prepared for three days of public viewing in the same church starting Monday. On Sunday the Vatican released the first images of the late Benedict, showing him dressed in red and gold liturgical vestments and laying in state in the chapel of…