WORLD - The African Mirror

Oct

22

2020

Process to elect ICC war crimes prosecutor stalls amid U.S. sanctions

WORLD

STEPHANIE VAN DER BERG WASHINGTON’S decision to impose financial sanctions on the chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court is overshadowing the search for her successor, with countries deadlocked over a post that has new visibility as the target of American anger. The court's 123 member countries are due to meet in New York on December 7, when they are meant to pick a successor for Fatou Bensouda, the court's Gambian chief prosecutor whose term expires in June. A shortlist of four candidates has been drawn up for the nine-year term, narrowed down from a list of 14 by a…

Oct

22

2020

By The African Mirror

Breonna Taylor ‘attached to me’ for rest of life, police officer says

WORLD

IN his first public comments since Breonna Taylor was killed by Louisville police seven months ago, one of the officers involved said he would have conducted the raid differently and said the incident would be with him for the rest of his life. In an interview with ABC News and the Courier Journal newspaper, Sergeant Jonathan Mattingly expressed sympathy for the relatives of Taylor, whose death has been one focus of nationwide protests against police brutality and racism this year. "I feel for her. I hurt for her mother and for her sisters," Mattingly, a two-decade veteran of the Louisville…

Oct

21

2020

By The African Mirror

Five South Koreans die after getting flu shots, sparking vaccine fears

WORLD

SANGMI CHA FIVE people have died after getting flu shots in South Korea in the past week, authorities said, raising concerns over the vaccine's safety just as the seasonal inoculation programme is expanded to head off potential COVID-19 complications. Authorities said there was no reason to believe the deaths were linked to the vaccine but an investigation, including post mortems, was underway. "It makes it hard for us to put out a categorical statement," Vice Health Minister Kim Gang-lip told a briefing on Wednesday about the deaths, which include a 17-year-old boy and a man in his 70s. Coming just…

Oct

21

2020

By The African Mirror

Harry and Meghan decry ‘crisis of hate’ in social media

WORLD

BRITAIN'S Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan, spoke on Tuesday about their campaign against social media negativity, with Harry warning of a "global crisis of hate" that was affecting people's mental health. The couple, known officially as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, led an almost two-hour online discussion hosted by Time100 Talks with some of the experts with whom they said they had met this year in their bid to promote more compassion in online forums. "This is a global crisis. A global crisis of hate, a global crisis of misinformation and a global health crisis," Harry said in…

Oct

21

2020

By The African Mirror

U.S. says Google breakup may be needed to end violations of antitrust law

WORLD

DIANE BARTZ and DAVID SHEPARDSON The U.S. sued Google on Tuesday, accusing the $1 trillion company of illegally using its market muscle to hobble rivals in the biggest challenge to the power and influence of Big Tech in decades. The Justice Department lawsuit could lead to the break-up of an iconic company that has become all but synonymous with the internet and assumed a central role in the day-to-day lives of billions of people around the globe. Such an outcome is far from assured, however, and the case is likely to take years to resolve. The lawsuit marks the first…

Nov

25

2020

By The African Mirror

Dutch DJs spinning tunes from home to beat lockdown blues

WORLD

ANTHONY DEUTSCH IN normal times, Dutch disc jockey Oliver Heldens performs for thousands of fans at electronic dance shows around the world. But with festivals cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic, the 25-year-old has spent most of 2020 in lockdown producing music and streaming sets online. Heldens, ranked by DJ Mag as the world's No. 8 for 2020, is one of a growing number of Dutch DJs to become household names. The global dance music industry is worth billions of dollars annually, including concerts, royalties and equipment. An estimated half a million people tuned in to Heldens' set before the…

Nov

25

2020

By The African Mirror

Germany has started reducing troops in Taliban stronghold of Kunduz – military

WORLD

GERMANY is reducing its military presence in the northern Afghan province of Kunduz, a stronghold of the Taliban where German troops have been advising Afghan forces on the fight against the insurgents for years, the military has said. The move was planned by NATO's mission in Kabul in late summer and is not a reaction to the United States' announcement last week that it will cut U.S. forces in Afghanistan to 2,500 from 4,500 by mid-January, a spokesman for Germany's Joint Operations Command said. The drawdown of foreign forces, even though peace talks for the country are stalled, could mean…

Nov

25

2020

By The African Mirror

Biden says U.S. ‘ready to lead’ again on global stage

WORLD

TREVOR HUNNICUTT and HUMEYRA PAMUK PRESIDENT-ELECT Joe Biden says the United States will be "ready to lead" again on the global stage after he succeeds President Donald Trump in January, pledging to work together with Washington's allies abroad. Introducing his new foreign policy and national security team, the Democratic former vice president signaled that he intends to steer the United States away from the unilateralist "America First" agenda pursued by Trump. The Republican incumbent has unsettled many U.S. allies, especially in Europe, with an antagonistic approach toward the NATO alliance and trade relations, abandonment of international agreements and warm relationships…

Nov

24

2020

By The African Mirror

Trump indirectly concedes, Biden to receive transition briefings

WORLD

JEFF MASON and TREVOR HUNNICUTT AFTER weeks of waiting, President Donald Trump's administration has cleared the way for President-elect Joe Biden to transition to the White House, giving him access to briefings and funding even as Trump vowed to continue fighting the election results. Trump, a Republican, has alleged widespread voter fraud in the November 3 election without providing evidence. Although he did not concede or acknowledge his Democratic rival's victory on Monday, Trump's announcement that his staff would cooperate with Biden's represented a significant shift and was the closest he has come to admitting defeat. Biden won 306 state-by-state…

Nov

24

2020

By The African Mirror

France’s Sarkozy appears in court, corruption trial suspended

WORLD

TANGI SALAUN FORMER French President Nicolas Sarkozy briefly appeared in court on Monday to face trial on corruption accusations before judges suspended the hearings until November 26 to assess the health of one of his co-defendants. Prosecutors allege Sarkozy offered to secure a plum job in Monaco for judge Gilbert Azibert in return for confidential information about an inquiry into allegations that Sarkozy had accepted illegal payments from the late L'Oreal heiress Liliane Bettencourt for his 2007 presidential campaign. Sarkozy, who led France from 2007-2012 and has remained influential among conservatives, has denied any wrongdoing in all the investigations against…