WORLD - The African Mirror

Feb

05

2026

Melania Trump documentary marks a post-#MeToo comeback for its director

WORLD

WHEN Donald Trump was elected to the presidency in 2024 after being found liable for sexual abuse, his political victory set in motion another comeback — for director and producer Brett Ratner. Ratner, who has directed films including the “Rush Hour” movies, “X-Men: The Last Stand” and “Tower Heist,” was all but cast out of Hollywood after being accused of sexual misconduct by multiple women, whose allegations he denied, in 2017 at the height of the #MeToo movement. This story was originally reported by Grace Panetta of The 19th. Meet Grace and read more of their reporting on gender, politics…

Feb

04

2026

By OWN CORRESPONDENT

WHO reports first Gaza medical evacuation through Rafah in over a year

WORLD

FIVE critically ill patients were evacuated from Gaza through the Rafah crossing on Monday, marking the first medical evacuation through the border point in more than a year, the World Health Organisation has announced. The crossing reopened Monday as part of a U.S. peace plan introduced in September 2025, following a closure that lasted throughout most of 2025. WHO spokesperson Christian Lindmeier told reporters in Geneva that the UN health agency and partners facilitated the evacuation of five patients and seven companions to Egypt. WHO's role focused on ensuring safe patient transfer from Gaza to the border crossing. Christian Lindmeier…

Feb

04

2026

By CHABELI CARRAZANA

When one mother was taken by ICE, another stepped in to donate breastmilk

WORLD

A newborn in Minneapolis hadn’t eaten for a day and a half. Her mother had risked going into work to get just enough money for more diapers when Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents stopped her car and took her away. At home waiting for her were her 16-year-old daughter and the baby — just barely 3 months old. With their mother gone, the teenager tried to feed the baby, who was exclusively breastfed, formula to no avail. So they called Bri. For over a month and a half now, Bri, a mother of two in Minneapolis, has run an…

Feb

04

2026

By AMY MCAULIFFE

Russia’s drone pipeline: How Iran helps Moscow produce an ever-evolving unmanned fleet

WORLD

WITH Russian ground troops bogged down in a grinding war of attrition, Moscow is striving to press home its advantage in the skies – through an ever-evolving army of drones, courtesy of Iran. In early January, wreckage of a drone found in Ukraine hinted at a new high-speed model of drone being deployed by Russia in the conflict. It prompted Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to air fears over failing to keep pace. “We produce (drones) at about 1,000 a day. We really produce them, but it’s not enough. It’s still not enough,” he told an audience of political business leaders…

Feb

03

2026

By AMANDA BECKER

Journalist Georgia Fort arrested over reporting on anti-ICE protest

WORLD

GEORGIA Fort, an independent journalist in Minnesota, was arrested by federal agents on Friday morning in connection with her coverage of an anti-ICE protest at a church this month. Fort, an award-winning journalist with a focus on social justice issues who has worked in commercial and nonprofit television and radio news for more than 15 years, filmed and shared her own arrest. In 2022, she co-founded the Centre for Broadcast Journalism to increase diversity across Minnesota media outlets. She is also vice president of the Minnesota chapter of the National Association of Black Journalists, or NABJ. This story was originally…

Feb

03

2026

By PETER DRAPER, MANDAR OAK, and NATHAN HOWARD GRAY

What the ‘mother of all deals’ between India and the EU means for global trade

WORLD

THE “mother of all deals”: that’s how European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen described the new free trade agreement between the European Union and India, announced on Tuesday after about two decades of negotiations. The deal will affect a combined population of 2 billion people across economies, representing about a quarter of global GDP. Speaking in New Delhi, von der Leyen characterised the agreement as a “tale of two giants” who “choose partnership, in a true win-win fashion”. So, what have both sides agreed to – and why does it matter so much for global trade? What has been…

Feb

03

2026

By RILEY SPARKS

Médecins Sans Frontières decides not to give staff names to Israel after all

WORLD

MÉDECINS Sans Frontières says it will not send a list of names of staff operating in the occupied Palestinian territories to the Israeli authorities. News that MSF was considering the move to satisfy part of a new Israeli law that aims to restrict aid work leaked on 24 January, stirring controversy and criticism. This story was originally published by The New Humanitarian.By Riley Sparks Aid workers say the new law, which mandates the registration of international NGOs working with Palestinians and bans those who don’t comply, aims to silence advocacy and manipulate the aid response – part of a broader…

Feb

02

2026

By KERRY BROWN

Why Xi purged China’s top military general

WORLD

ZHANG Youxia, a top military general and vice-chairman of the body in overall command of China’s military forces, was removed from office on January 23. His departure means all but one of the seven members of the central military commission (CMC), which is chaired by Chinese President Xi Jinping, have lost their positions in the last three years. Xi has an established record of purging senior officials. Back at the dawn of his tenure as head of the Chinese Communist Party in the early 2010s, there was a series of high-level fallings. Bo Xilai, a fellow Politburo member who was…

Jan

31

2026

By FARAH N. JAN

US military action in Iran risks igniting a regional and global nuclear cascade

WORLD

THE United States is seemingly moving toward a potential strike on Iran. On Jan. 28, 2026, President Donald Trump sharply intensified his threats to the Islamic Republic, suggesting that if Tehran did not agree to a set of demands, he could mount an attack “with speed and violence.” To underline the threat, the Pentagon moved aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln – along with destroyers, bombers and fighter jets – to positions within striking distance of the country. Foremost among the various demands the U.S. administration has put before Iran’s leader is a permanent end to the country’s uranium enrichment program.…

Jan

31

2026

By JOANNA DREBY and EUNJU LEE

There are long-lasting, negative effects for children like Liam Ramos who are detained, or watch their parents be deported

WORLD

WHEN Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents detained Liam Conejo Ramos, a 5-year-old boy who is an asylum seeker, in Minneapolis on Jan. 20, 2026, the photos quickly became a flash point in the Trump administration’s aggressive immigration enforcement activity. In one image, a man wearing a black uniform holds onto a grey and red Spider-Man backpack that the worried-looking young boy, wearing a blue bunny hat with floppy ears, has on his back. Meanwhile, ICE and Customs and Border Patrol operations near schools have become increasingly common over the past year, spreading from Texas to Maine. While some parents in…