WORLD - The African Mirror

Apr

02

2022

Pope apologises to indigenous Canadians for wrongs at residential schools

WORLD

PHILIP PULLELLA POPE Francis issued a historic apology to Canadian indigenous peoples for the Roman Catholic Church's role in residential schools that sought to erase their cultures and where many children suffered abuse and were buried in unmarked graves. Francis, in an address to native leaders after meetings with delegates from various indigenous nations, also said he hoped to visit Canada in July. One of the leaders, who want the pope to make the apology directly to their communities in their native lands in Canada, called his words "historic" and another said they reflected the "entirety" of their message to…

Apr

01

2022

By The African Mirror

Britain’s GCHQ spy chief says Russian soldiers refused to carry out orders in Ukraine

WORLD

GUY FAULCONBRIDGE THE head of Britain's GCHQ spy service said on Wednesday that new intelligence showed some Russian soldiers in Ukraine had refused to carry out orders, sabotaged their own equipment and accidentally shot down one of their own aircraft. Russia's February 24 invasion of Ukraine has killed thousands of people, displaced millions and raised fears of a wider confrontation between Russia and the United States. Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) chief Jeremy Fleming said President Vladimir Putin had "massively misjudged" the capabilities of Russia's once mighty armed forces while underestimating both the resistance of the Ukrainian people and the resolve…

Apr

01

2022

By The African Mirror

Turkish prosecutor requests transfer of Khashoggi trial to Saudi Arabia

WORLD

ALI KUCUKGOCMEN A Turkish prosecutor called for the trial in Istanbul of Saudi suspects over the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi to be halted and transferred to Saudi authorities, a move which comes as Turkey seeks to mend ties with Riyadh. Khashoggi's killing at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul four years ago triggered a global outcry and put pressure on Saudi Arabia's de facto ruler Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. A U.S. intelligence report released a year ago said the prince had approved the operation to kill or capture Khashoggi, but the Saudi government denied any involvement by the crown…

Apr

01

2022

By The African Mirror

S.Korean court upholds tattooing ban

WORLD

YENI SEO and MINWOO PARK THE Constitutional Court in Seoul upheld a ban on tattooing, confirming South Korea as the only developed country that permits no one but medical professionals to perform the procedure. Tattoo artists derided the decision, calling it backward and lacking cultural understanding. Despite the decades-old ban, South Korea has nearly 50,000 tattoo artists, who risk police raids and prosecution for practising their trade. Violating the ban is punishable by fines of up to 50 million won ($41,300) and prison terms - usually two years, though the law provides for as much as life. Tattooist associations have…

Apr

06

2022

By The African Mirror

Why Putin faces ‘more NATO’ in the Arctic after Ukraine invasion

WORLD

ROBIN EMMOTT, ESSI LEHTO and SIMON JOHNSON THE sound of gunfire echoed around the Norwegian fjords as a row of Swedish and Finnish soldiers, positioned prone behind banks of snow, trained rifles and missile launchers on nearby hills ready for an enemy attack. The drill, in March, was the first time forces from Finland and Sweden have formed a combined brigade in a scheduled NATO exercise in Arctic Norway known as "Cold Response." Neither country is a member of the NATO alliance. The exercise was long-planned, but Russia's invasion of Ukraine on February 24 added intensity to the war game.…

Apr

06

2022

By The African Mirror

Special Report: French mosque closures based on ‘secretive evidence,’ critics say

WORLD

JULIETTE JABKHIRO FOR three years, Karim Daoud ran the mosque in this small town in northwest France. He also coached kids’ soccer teams and for more than two decades has worked for the local council's youth services. Daoud was among those who visited a nearby Catholic church to express solidarity following a deadly Islamist extremist attack at a church in southern France in 2020. Last October, the interior ministry’s local office gave the 46-year old a medal to recognise his long service as a public employee. Days later, the local interior ministry office closed the mosque for six months, saying…

Apr

06

2022

By The African Mirror

Indonesian court sentences teacher to death for raping 13 students

WORLD

AN Indonesian court handed down a death sentence to a teacher for raping 13 girls at an Islamic school, upholding an appeal by prosecutors for the death penalty after he had initially received a sentence of life in prison. The case of teacher Herry Wirawan has shocked Indonesia and shone a spotlight on the need to protect children from sexual violence in the country's religious boarding schools. After he was sentenced to life in jail by a court in the city of Bandung in February, prosecutors who had called for the death penalty filed an appeal. "(We) hereby punish the…

Apr

09

2022

By The African Mirror

Kremlin says Russia’s operation in Ukraine could end ‘in foreseeable future’

WORLD

THE Kremlin said that what it calls Russia's "special operation" in Ukraine could end in the "foreseeable future" since its aims were being achieved and work was being carried out by both the Russian military and Russian peace negotiators. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov also said Moscow understood that some countries that had tried to adopt a balanced position had been subjected to pressure to vote on Thursday to suspend Russia from the U.N. Human Rights Council. The U.N. General Assembly on Thursday suspended Russia from the Council over reports of "gross and systematic violations and abuses of human rights" in…

Apr

09

2022

By The African Mirror

UK sanctions Russian President Vladimir Putin’s daughters

WORLD

BRITAIN added Vladimir Putin's daughters to its sanctions list, mirroring moves by the United States, in what it said was an effort to target the lifestyles of those in the Russian president's inner circle. Following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Britain and other Western allies have announced several waves of sanctions targetting Moscow's wealthy elites, key industries and its access to the international financial system. An update to Britain's sanctions list announced asset freezes on Putin's adult daughters Katerina Tikhonova and Maria Vorontsova, and Sergeyevna Vinokurova, the daughter of foreign minister Sergei Lavrov. All three were sanctioned by the United…

Apr

09

2022

By The African Mirror

Israeli forces kill Palestinian gunman after Tel Aviv bar attack

WORLD

ISRAELI security forces shot dead a Palestinian suspected of killing three people in a Tel Aviv bar, in the latest attack in a series amid renewed tensions between Palestinians and Israelis. The attacker had entered a pub on a crowded main street of Tel Aviv on Thursday night and began shooting, killing two people and wounding several others before fleeing. A third victim died of his wounds on Friday.L2N2W523G Hundreds of security officers, assisted by a helicopter with a spotlight, combed the streets for hours while residents were told to stay indoors. The officers found the suspected shooter hiding near…