WORLD - The African Mirror

Sep

25

2021

R. Kelly’s anxious wait and 12 member jury decides

WORLD

TYLER CLIFFORD and LUC COHEN R. Kelly's fate is in the hands of a Brooklyn jury, which began deliberating whether to convict or acquit the R&B superstar on sex trafficking charges. Deliberations by the seven-man, five-woman jury began around after a federal prosecutor concluded her closing remarks, and U.S. District Judge Ann Donnelly instructed jurors on the law. Known for the 1996 Grammy-winning smash "I Believe I Can Fly," Kelly, 54, had been trailed by sexual abuse accusations for much of his career before being charged in New York with nine criminal counts, including a broad racketeering charge. Prosecutors have…

Sep

25

2021

By The African Mirror

Afghan Taliban defence minister orders crackdown on abuses

WORLD

THE Taliban's new defence minister has issued a rebuke over misconduct by some commanders and fighters following the movement's victory over the Western-backed government in Afghanistan last month, saying abuses would not be tolerated. Mullah Mohammad Yaqoob said in an audio message that some "miscreants and notorious former soldiers" had been allowed to join Taliban units where they had committed a range of sometimes violent abuses. "We direct you keep them out of your ranks, otherwise strict action will be taken against you," he stated. "We don't want such people in our ranks." The message from one of the Taliban's…

Sep

25

2021

By The African Mirror

North Korea says open to talks if South drops double standards

WORLD

SANGMI CHA and HYONHEE SHIN SOUTH Korea's call for a formal end to the Korean War is premature but the door for dialogue is open if it scraps its double standards and hostile policy, a senior North Korean official said in comments published by state media on Friday. The 1950-53 Korean War ended with an armistice not a peace treaty, leaving U.S.-led U.N. forces technically still at war with North Korea. The question of formally ending the war has become caught up in a U.S.-led effort to get North Korea to give up it nuclear weapons. South Korea President Moon…

Sep

25

2021

By The African Mirror

Derek Chauvin to appeal his conviction, sentencing in death of George Floyd

WORLD

AKRITI SHARMA FORMER Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin has filed an intent to appeal with the Minnesota state appellate court in his murder conviction for the death of George Floyd. A jury found Chauvin, who is white, guilty in April of unintentional second-degree murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter in the death of Floyd, a Black man. The verdict was widely seen as a landmark rebuke of the disproportionate use of police force against Black Americans. The video of Chauvin kneeling on the neck of the handcuffed Floyd for more than eight minutes during the arrest caused outrage around the…

Dec

10

2020

By The African Mirror

Leaders in COVID fight praised in Forbes list of world’s powerful women

WORLD

MATTHEW LAVIETES FEMALE leaders who have stood out for their handling of the coronavirus earned honors in the annual Forbes list of the world's 100 most powerful women, which highlighted women's roles in battling the global pandemic. Women from prime ministers to corporate executives earned spots in the list for their achievements helping mitigate and control the deadly contagious virus, which has infected more than 67 million people and caused 1.54 million deaths, Forbes said. New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen, Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin, European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde and Tokyo Governor Yuriko…

Dec

10

2020

By The African Mirror

Senior PLO official Ashrawi to resign, calls for Palestinian political reforms

WORLD

VETERAN Palestinian negotiator and women's rights advocate Hanan Ashrawi has announced that she would quit her senior post in the Palestine Liberation Organization at the end of 2020, and called for political reforms. Ashrawi, 74, did not give a reason for her resignation in a statement announcing the move. But she said that the PLO's Executive Committee, on which she served, had been marginalised "and from decision-making". The 15-member committee, the most senior body of the PLO, is headed by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and is not often convened by the 85-year-old leader. "The Palestinian political system needs renewal and…

Dec

10

2020

By The African Mirror

Merkel pushes for tougher German lockdown

WORLD

CHANCELLOR Angela Merkel threw her weight behind calls for a fuller lockdown in Germany that would include closing shops after Christmas, telling legislators that vaccines alone would not majorly alter the pandemic's course in the first quarter. Europe's largest economy has been in partial lockdown for six weeks, with bars and restaurants closed but shops and schools open. That has stopped the coronavirus's exponential growth but infection levels remain at a high level. Speaking in parliament on Wednesday, Merkel said regional leaders should follow scientific guidance, which has called for people to further reduce their contact with others. "It would…

Sep

24

2021

By The African Mirror

China’s tech crackdown – for consumers’ good or greater control?

WORLD

RINA CHANDRAN CHINA has tightened its grip over a wide range of industries including technology firms, as authorities introduce sweeping reforms to activities they consider harmful to young people, from celebrity fan culture to private tutoring. The crackdown on some of China's biggest tech companies including Alibaba, Didi and Tencent comprise measures ranging from limiting the amount of time spent on online games, to ordering food delivery companies to better protect workers. By imposing these rules, the Chinese government has said it is hoping to create "positive energy" among young people, and educate them on what Beijing considers as "correct…

Sep

24

2021

By The African Mirror

Up above the world so high: Woman flies with geese over the Alps

WORLD

CECILE MANTOVANI NATHALIE Maniglier suffers from a degenerative eye condition and has a special wish: Before she loses her sight, she wants to experience a bird's eye view. She achieved that ambition on Wednesday, when pilot Dominique Cruciani took her up in his microlight over the French Alps, accompanied by a flock of juvenile geese trained to follow the aircraft through the skies. Back on the ground at the airfield on the southern shore of Lake Annecy, Maniglier was so moved by what she had seen that she embraced the family member who came with her and sobbed onto her…

Sep

24

2021

By The African Mirror

Prince Harry, Meghan Markle visit New York’s World Trade Center

WORLD

PRINCE Harry and Meghan Markle got a bird's-eye view of the New York skyline as they kicked off their trip to the city with a visit to the observatory at One World Trade Center. The royal couple is in town to attend Saturday's Global Citizen Live event at Central Park to encourage equal access to COVID-19 vaccines. It was their first joint outing since the birth of their daughter Lilibet 'Lili' Diana Mountbatten-Windsor in June. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex were accompanied by New York Governor Kathy Hochul, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, his wife, Chirlane McCray,…