WORLD - The African Mirror

Jan

06

2021

China doubles down on COVID narrative as WHO investigation looms

WORLD

DAVID STANWAY AS a team from the World Health Organization (WHO) prepares to visit China to investigate the origins of COVID-19, Beijing has stepped up efforts not only to prevent new outbreaks, but also shape the narrative about when and where the pandemic began. China has dismissed criticism of its early handling of the coronavirus, first identified in the city of Wuhan at the end of 2019, and foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said on Monday that the country would welcome the WHO team. But amid simmering geopolitical tensions, experts said the investigators were unlikely to be allowed to scrutinise…

Jan

05

2021

By The African Mirror

Iran says it resumes 20% enrichment at Fordow amid growing tensions with U.S.

WORLD

PARISA HAFEZI IRAN has resumed 20% uranium enrichment at an underground nuclear facility, the government has revealed, breaching a 2015 nuclear pact with major powers and possibly complicating efforts by U.S. President-elect Joe Biden to rejoin the deal. Benjamin Netanyahu, prime minister of Iran's arch foe Israel, said the move was aimed at developing nuclear weapons and Israel would never allow Tehran to build them. The enrichment decision, Iran's latest contravention of the accord, coincides with increasing tensions between Iran and the United States in the last days of President Donald Trump's administration. Tehran started violating the accord in 2019…

Jan

05

2021

By The African Mirror

Denied a chair, Dalit women confront discrimination on Indian village councils

WORLD

WHEN Priya Periyasamy was elected to lead her village council in southern India a year ago, her parents warned that she would face hostility as a low-caste Dalit woman, but nothing prepared her for the constant abuse she receives. Periyasamy is among at least 16 women village council leaders in Tamil Nadu state who have filed complaints in the last six months over discrimination for being Dalits - considered India's lowest caste in an ancient social hierarchy. "Since I was elected, other members of the council wouldn't even greet me," Periyasamy, 24, told the Thomson Reuters Foundation by phone from…

Jan

05

2021

By The African Mirror

Lebanon’s famed musician Elias Rahbani dies aged 83

WORLD

ELIAS Rahbani, who wrote songs for Lebanon's most revered singer Fairouz among many others, has died at the age of 83, local media reported. Elias was the youngest brother of celebrated musicians Mansour and Assi Rahbani, known together as the Rahbani brothers. Fairouz's songs, written by the Rahbanis, were listened to across religious and factional divides throughout Lebanon's 1975-1990 civil war and they continue to transcend divisions in Lebanon and beyond. "Another branch from the Rahbani tree falls after a journey full of refined music production," Prime Minister-designate Saad al Hariri wrote on Twitter. The Rahbanis' music and lyrics have…

Jan

04

2021

By The African Mirror

U.S. Senator Cruz leads long-shot Republican bid to overturn Biden’s victory

WORLD

JASON LANGE and TIMOTHY GARDNER U.S. Senator Ted Cruz will spearhead a drive by nearly a dozen Republican senators to challenge President-elect Joe Biden's victory when Electoral College results are tallied in Congress on January 6 – a largely symbolic move that has virtually no chance of preventing Biden from taking office. Cruz's effort is in defiance of Senate Republican leaders, who have argued that the Senate's role in certifying the election is largely ceremonial and had been looking to avoid an extended debate on the floor about the outcome. In a statement, Cruz, the U.S. senator from Texas, and…

Jan

04

2021

By The African Mirror

Tokyo reports 816 new COVID-19 cases as governors push for state of emergency

WORLD

TOKYO reported 816 new daily coronavirus cases on Sunday, a day after governors from the capital and neighboring prefectures called on the Japanese government to announce a state of emergency to combat a recent surge in cases. Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga has resisted calls for a second national state of emergency; the government first introduced that measure in April during an earlier wave of the pandemic. Suga is scheduled to speak publicly on January 4. Japan's economy minister told reporters on Saturday the government needed to consult with health experts before deciding on a new declaration. As an interim measure,…

Jan

04

2021

By The African Mirror

China senior diplomat says U.S. relations at ‘new crossroads’

WORLD

CHINA's relationship with the United States has reached a "new crossroads" and could get back on the right track following a period of "unprecedented difficulty", senior diplomat Wang Yi said in official comments. Relations between the world's two biggest economies have come under increasing strain amid a series of disputes over trade, human rights and the origins of COVID-19. In its latest move, the United States blacklisted dozens of Chinese companies it said had ties to the military. Wang, China's state councillor and foreign minister, said in a joint interview with Xinhua news agency and other state media outlets that…

Jan

03

2021

By The African Mirror

Iran’s foreign minister urges Trump to avoid Israel “trap” to provoke war

WORLD

IRANIAN Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has urged U.S. President Donald Trump not to be "trapped" by an alleged Israeli plan to provoke a war through attacks on U.S. forces in Iraq. He issued the warning on the anniversary of the U.S. killing of top Iranian general Qassem Soleimani by a drone strike in Iraq. There was no immediate comment by Israel. Washington blames Iran-backed militia for regular rocket attacks on U.S. facilities in Iraq, including near the U.S. embassy. No known Iran-backed groups have claimed responsibility. "New intelligence from Iraq indicate(s) that Israeli agent-provocateurs are plotting attacks against Americans…

Jan

03

2021

By The African Mirror

India’s drugs experts approve AstraZeneca, local COVID vaccines

WORLD

KRISHNA N DAS EXPERTS at India's drugs regulator have recommended for emergency use two coronavirus vaccines, one developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University and the other backed by a state-run institute, the government has announced. A government minister said earlier the AstraZeneca/Oxford vaccine had been given the green light on Friday, paving the way for a huge immunisation campaign in the world's second most populous country. The government said the final decision on the two vaccines would be made by the Central Drugs Standards Control Organisation's (CDSCO) chief, who has called a news conference on Sunday. The process for the…

Jan

03

2021

By The African Mirror

Aviation deaths rise worldwide in 2020 even as fatal incidents, flights fall

WORLD

DAVID SHEPARDON THE number of people killed in large commercial airplane crashes rose in 2020 to 299 worldwide, even as the number of crashes fell by more than 50%, a Dutch consulting firm said on Friday. Aviation consulting firm To70 said in 2020 there were 40 accidents involving large commercial passenger planes, five of which were fatal, resulting in 299 fatalities. In 2019 there were 86 accidents, eight of which were fatal, resulting in 257 fatalities. Large commercial airplanes had 0.27 fatal accidents per million flights in 2020, To70 said, or one fatal crash every 3.7 million flights -- up…