WORLD - The African Mirror

Dec

21

2022

Exclusive: Children among 547 detained Syrians declared dead

WORLD

EVER since Yehya Hijazi and his two sons were detained in 2012 by the Syrian government, their relatives had clung to the hope they were still alive and might be released one day. But after a decade of silence from the authorities, their hopes were shattered when the independent Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR) monitoring group contacted the Hijazi family to tell them it had obtained death certificates for all three. "You're hoping every second that you'll catch another glimpse of this person whom you love very much, that you'll hear any news of him," Yehya's brother Mohammad told…

Dec

20

2022

By The African Mirror

Russian ‘kamikaze’ drones hit Kyiv, Putin arrives in ally Belarus

WORLD

TOM BALMFORTH and VALENTYN OGIRENKO RUSSIA hit key infrastructure in and around Kyiv in a "kamikaze" drone attack, hours before President Vladimir Putin arrived in Belarus, fuelling fears he will pressure his ally to join a new offensive on Ukraine. The Ukrainian Air Force said its air defences shot down 30 drones in what was the third Russian air strike on the Ukrainian capital in six days and the latest in a series of assaults since October targeting the Ukrainian energy grid, causing sweeping blackouts amid sub-zero temperatures. Officials said at least three people were injured and nine buildings were damaged…

Dec

21

2022

By The African Mirror

U.S. lawmakers include ban on TikTok on government devices in spending proposal

WORLD

DAVID SHEPARDSON U.S. lawmakers included a proposal to bar federal government employees from using the Chinese app TikTok on government-owned devices in a key spending bill. The Senate last week voted on a bill sponsored by Republican Senator Josh Hawley to bar federal employees from using the ByteDance-owned short video app on government-owned devices. It was the latest action by U.S. lawmakers to crack down on Chinese companies amid national security fears. The ban is in a massive omnibus measure to fund U.S. government operations that is expected to be voted on this week. The bill gives the White House Office of Management…

Dec

20

2022

By The African Mirror

U.S. Capitol riot probe prepares to ask prosecutors to charge Trump

WORLD

PATRICIA ZENGERLE THE House of Representatives committee probing the January 6, 2021, assault on the U.S. Capitol by Donald Trump supporters will vote to decide whether to ask federal prosecutors to bring multiple criminal charges against the former president. The Democratic-led panel has spent 18 months probing the unprecedented attempt to prevent the peaceful transfer of power by thousands of Trump backers, inspired by the Republican's false claims that his 2020 election loss to Democratic President Joe Biden was the result of widespread fraud. Criminal referrals to the Justice Department could be on charges including obstruction of an official proceeding…

Dec

20

2022

By The African Mirror

What Harry and Meghan said in final Netflix episodes

WORLD

NETFLIX released the final three episodes of a documentary series from Britain's Prince Harry and his wife Meghan on Thursday, setting out their battles with the media and why they stepped down as working members of Britain's royal family. Below are quotes and details from the series: HARRY ON TIES WITH HIS FAMILY On a family meeting to discuss Harry's royal departure: "It was terrifying to have my brother scream and shout at me, and my father say things that just simply weren't true, and my grandmother quietly sit there and sort of take it all in." On the royal household and…

Dec

19

2022

By The African Mirror

Heating restored in freezing Kyiv, Mayor Klitschko says

WORLD

HEATING has been fully restored to Kyiv after the latest Russian bombardment that targeted water and power infrastructure, the capital's Mayor Vitali Klitschko said. "The city is restoring all services after the latest shelling," Klitschko said on the Telegram messaging app. "In particular, the capital's heat supply system was fully restored. All sources of heat supply work normally." Ukrainian officials said Russia fired more than 70 missiles on Friday in one of its heaviest barrages since the Kremlin's Feb. 24 invasion, forcing emergency blackouts nationwide and cutting access to heat and water. Temperatures in Kyiv and many places across Ukraine…

Dec

19

2022

By The African Mirror

Hopes of sailing free of war and poverty dashed for Gazans as bodies return in coffins

WORLD

NIDAL AL-MUGHRABI MONTHS ago, Talal Al-Shaer bid his two sons safe travels as they set off from the Gaza Strip on a tortuous route that they prayed would bring them new lives in Europe, free of poverty and war. But the boat taking them across the Mediterranean Sea from Libya sank soon after leaving. One son drowned, and his body recovered. The other was lost. Rather than regaling friends about their successful migration, Al-Shaer received condolences on Sunday. "A whole generation is lost, suffering, blockade, scarce jobs, bad mental health. That is what pushes them to migrate," he told Reuters…

Dec

19

2022

By The African Mirror

El Paso mayor declares state of emergency over influx of migrants from Mexico border

WORLD

TIM REID and TED HESSON THE mayor of the Texas border city of El Paso declared a state of emergency, citing the hundreds of migrants sleeping on the streets in cold temperatures and the thousands being apprehended every day. Mayor Oscar Leeser, a Democrat, said the emergency declaration would give city authorities the resources and ability to shelter migrants who have crossed the Mexican border. "We wanted to make sure people are treated with dignity. We want to make sure everyone is safe," Leeser told reporters. The move comes as El Paso, a Democratic stronghold with a history of welcoming…

Dec

18

2022

By The African Mirror

Russia fires scores of missiles in one of its biggest attacks on Ukraine

WORLD

TOM BALMFORTH and OLENA HARMASH RUSSIA fired more than 70 missiles at Ukraine in one of its biggest attacks since the start of the war, knocking out power in the second-biggest city and forcing Kyiv to implement emergency blackouts nationwide, Ukrainian officials said. Three people were killed when an apartment block was hit in central Kryvyi Rih and another died in shelling in Kherson in the south, they said. Russian-installed officials in occupied eastern Ukraine said 12 people had died by Ukrainian shelling. In an evening video address, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Russia still had enough missiles for several…

Dec

18

2022

By MARCO AQUINO

Peru ministers resign after protest deaths as new government wobbles

WORLD

PRESSURE rose on Peru's fledgling government on Friday as two Cabinet members resigned following deadly protests that have rocked the country since former President Pedro Castillo's removal from office and arrest last week. Education Minister Patricia Correa and Culture Minister Jair Perez announced their resignations on Twitter, citing the deaths of individuals during the unrest. "This morning I presented my letter of resignation from the position of education minister. The death of compatriots has no justification. State violence cannot be disproportionate and cause death," Correa said on her Twitter account. Castillo's ouster has sparked angry protests, with demonstrators calling for…