WORLD - The African Mirror

Dec

14

2022

Russia’s war on Ukraine latest news: Fighting rages in east, Zelenskiy seeks energy aid

WORLD

RUSSIA and Ukraine pounded each other's forces in heavy fighting in the eastern region of Donetsk as Kyiv's allies met in Paris to provide urgent aid to help Ukrainians survive freezing winter temperatures. DIPLOMACY/ECONOMY * Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy told Ukraine's allies gathered in Paris on Tuesday he needed at least 800 million euros ($840 million) in urgent winter energy aid as Russian forces target civilian infrastructure across the country.\ * Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese leader Xi Jinping will hold talks to discuss the events of 2022 in late December, the Russian business daily Vedomosti reported on Tuesday. * The Group of Seven (G7)…

Dec

14

2022

By The African Mirror

Rare gunfight kills six, including two police officers, in rural Australia

WORLD

SIX people, including two police officers, were killed in a gunfight at a remote property in Australia's Queensland state, authorities said, after police visited a home there to investigate a missing person report. When four officers arrived about 4:30 p.m. on Monday at the property in Wieambilla, about 300 km (186 miles) northwest of Queensland's capital, Brisbane, two armed people opened fire and killed two of them, police said, without identifying the suspects. Police said there was then a "siege" at the house, without elaborating. Police said 16 specialist officers responded and, in a gun battle about 10:30 p.m., killed…

Dec

14

2022

By The African Mirror

Former FTX CEO Bankman-Fried arrested in Bahamas after U.S. files charges

WORLD

JASPER WARD, LUC COHEN and ANGUS BERWICK FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried was arrested in the Bahamas at the behest of U.S. prosecutors, the day before he was due to testify before Congress about the abrupt failure last month of one of the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchanges. The arrest marks a stunning fall from grace for the 30-year-old entrepreneur widely known by his initials SBF, who rode a boom in bitcoin and other digital assets to become a billionaire many times over until FTX's rapid demise. The exchange, launched in 2019 and based in the Bahamas, filed for bankruptcy on November 11 after…

Dec

13

2022

By The African Mirror

Iran carries out second execution linked to wave of popular protests

WORLD

PARISA HAFEZI THE Islamic Republic hanged a man in public who state media said had been convicted of killing two members of the security forces, the second execution in less than a week of people involved in protests against Iran's ruling theocracy. Nationwide unrest erupted three months ago after the death while in detention of 22-year-old Kurdish-Iranian woman Mahsa Amini, who was arrested by morality police enforcing the Islamic Republic's mandatory dress code laws. The demonstrations have turned into a popular revolt by furious Iranians from all layers of society, posing one of the worst legitimacy challenges to the Shi'ite clerical elite…

Dec

13

2022

By The African Mirror

Fighting rages in east Ukraine, Europe agrees extra military aid to Ukraine

WORLD

NICK STARKOV and PAVEL POLITYUK RUSSIAN forces pounded targets in eastern and southern Ukraine with missiles, drones and artillery, Ukraine's General Staff said, while millions remained without power in subzero temperatures after further strikes on key infrastructure. European Union foreign ministers agreed to put another 2 billion euros ($2.1 billion) into a fund that has been used to pay for military support for Ukraine after it was largely depleted during almost 10 months of the war. The EU ministers were also due to discuss a ninth package of sanctions on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine, while Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy was set to…

Dec

13

2022

By The African Mirror

Prince Harry implies royals lied to protect his brother in latest Netflix trailer

WORLD

PRINCE Harry appeared to say Britain's royal household was prepared to lie to protect his elder brother, Prince William, in a new trailer released for the remaining episodes of a Netflix documentary series about him and his wife Meghan. The main focus of the first three episodes of the much-anticipated documentary, which aired last week, was on the couple's treatment by the British tabloid press and how it had impacted their relationship. The royal family had been braced for renewed criticism since the couple delivered scathing attacks on some members, including his father King Charles and heir William, most notably in an…

Dec

12

2022

By The African Mirror

Russian arms dealer says he wished Griner good luck at prisoner exchange

WORLD

VIKTOR Bout, the arms dealer freed in a prisoner swap for U.S. basketball star Brittney Griner, said he wished her good luck on the tarmac in Abu Dhabi where they were exchanged. Bout, who spent 14 years in U.S. jail for arms trafficking, money laundering and conspiring to kill Americans, was swapped on Thursday for the basketball star, jailed this year for bringing cannabis vape oil when arriving to play for a Russian team. Russia's FSB security service released images of the two being led past each other on the tarmac at the airport in Abu Dhabi during the swap,…

Dec

12

2022

By The African Mirror

Some Russian soldiers in Ukraine unhappy with top brass, Girkin says

WORLD

GUY FAULCONBRIDGE SOME Russian officers fighting in Ukraine are unhappy with the military top brass and President Vladimir Putin because of the poor execution of the war, an influential nationalist Russian blogger said after visiting the conflict zone. Nearly 10 months since Putin ordered troops into Ukraine, there is no end in sight to the deadliest conflict in Europe since World War Two. In modern Russia, direct public criticism of Putin is rare though nationalist bloggers have been outspoken about the conduct of the war, especially the costly Russian defeats in Ukraine's Kharkiv region in September. Igor Girkin, a nationalist…

Dec

12

2022

By The African Mirror

Gunman kills three women at Rome residents’ meeting

WORLD

THREE women were killed when a man pulled out a gun and opened fire at a meeting of residents of an apartment block in Rome, Italian media reported. The reports said a 57-year-old man had been detained after the shooting, which happened at a bar in the Fidene district where the meeting was being held. "He came into the room, closed the door and shouted 'I'll kill you all' and then started to shoot," Italian news agency Ansa quoted a witness as saying. Four other people were wounded in the shooting, with at least one of them suffering serious injuries.…

Dec

11

2022

By The African Mirror

Harry and Meghan defend documentary after privacy criticism

WORLD

BRITAIN'S Prince Harry and his wife Meghan have rejected criticism of a documentary about their lives, with a statement from their spokesman saying that the couple had never cited privacy as a reason for stepping back from the royal family. In the first three episodes of the much-anticipated documentary, the couple - the Duke and Duchess of Sussex - made a series of disclosures, with Meghan recalling her first death threat, Harry talking about wearing disguises to their dates, and previously unseen footage of their son Archie. The launch, according to figures cited by the BBC drew 2.4 million TV viewers in…