WORLD - The African Mirror

Jun

30

2026

Venezuela’s deadly earthquakes happened on a fault similar to the San Andreas, and the risks aren’t over yet – a geophysicist explains

WORLD

VENEZUELA and its capital, Caracas, were rocked by two massive earthquake pulses on June 24, 2026, just seconds apart. The shaking from the magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 events caused buildings to collapse in cities across the northern part of the country, killing more than 1,400 people and trapping many more, government officials reported. University of Southern California geophysicist Sylvain Barbot explained what’s known about the earthquake pulses so far, what risks remain, and why Californians should pay attention. How many earthquakes hit Venezuela, and why did it see so much damage? Earthquakes are natural phenomena that typically happen at the…

Jun

30

2026

By TOM HARPER

Germany’s proposal to ease trade tensions with China has not gone down well in Beijing

WORLD

TRADE tensions between the EU and China are deepening. On June 16, the EU’s trade chief, Maroš Šefcovic, said the bloc’s unbalanced trade relationship with China “had reached a point that requires a reset”. The German chancellor, Friedrich Merz, then criticised Beijing days later for what he claimed were its unfair trade practices. In comments made in Brussels after a European Council meeting, Merz accused China of “flooding markets” through the use of “high subsidies”. He also said China’s currency was undervalued by 30%, making its goods artificially cheaper in global markets. Merz pointed to the Plaza Accord as an…

Jun

29

2026

By MONICA DUFFY TOFT

The danger of US‑Iran ceasefire agreement is what it leaves out

WORLD

THE latest U.S. military conflict with Iran appears to be over. Washington declared success. Tehran claimed victory. Israel insisted it remains free to strike Hezbollah. Some sticking points remain. For example, Iranian officials insist de-escalation in Lebanon was part of the deal; Israeli leaders deny it. To most onlookers, the contradictions may seem like confusion, bad faith or evidence that the agreement is already unraveling. But after more than two decades studying how wars end and whether the peace holds, I have learned that contradictions are often a sign the negotiations are working. The real danger lies elsewhere: in what…

Jun

29

2026

By JULIA BUXTON

Venezuela earthquakes add tragic new layer to the country’s humanitarian crisis

WORLD

VENEZUELA has a well-documented vulnerability to earthquakes. The country sits on the boundary between the Caribbean and South American tectonic plates, resulting in routine tremors and causing historical earthquake disasters. But the experience of a “doublet”, a pair of 7.2 and 7.5-magnitude earthquakes 40 seconds apart, on June 24, was a rare misfortune. From an epicentre in the north-western city of San Felipe, the impact sheared down Venezuela’s Caribbean coast with devastating force. The historic port city and resort of La Guaira, home to around 200,000 people, has been declared a disaster zone. In the Venezuelan capital of Caracas, which…

Jun

29

2026

By JAMES HORNCASTLE

Other nations thirst for Ukraine’s drone success — but they need a culture shift first

WORLD

UKRAINIAN drone strikes are devastating Russian communities. The city of Sevastopol, the largest in Russian-occupied Crimea, is the latest community to be hit, losing power as Ukrainian drones strike energy facilities in the region. Given the immense symbolic value attached to Crimea by both Russian president Vladimir Putin and Ukrainians — it was the first area of Ukraine annexed in 2014 — the disruption was of great symbolic value. Furthermore, drones damaging both the Russian economy and Putin’s pride are an increasingly common phenomenon in the conflict. Ukraine has used drones with notable effect throughout the conflict. In the initial…

Jun

27

2026

By BEN SOODAVAR

The flaws at the heart of Donald Trump’s Iran ceasefire deal

WORLD

THE world sighed in relief when Donald Trump agreed to a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to finally end the conflict with Iran on June 17. But there is now a palpable feeling that hostilities are far from over. The agreement between Washington and Tehran, signed at Versailles on June 18, is better understood as a deferred crisis – one whose contradictions are already visible. Iran’s closure of the waterway since February has caused one of the largest supply disruptions in the history of global energy markets, driving inflation across the Western world and aggravating American motorists at the gas station.…

Jun

27

2026

By CANDICE NORWOOD

Mothering as a judge in an era of death threats

WORLD

FOR years, balancing career and motherhood as a judge meant working through inflexible schedules and large caseloads while remaining present as the primary caregiver. These days, the landscape has shifted. Many mothers sitting on the bench are juggling these concerns in addition to the risk of death threats and being targeted with sexually explicit AI-generated videos. Threats to judges have increased dramatically over the last decade. In 2019, the U.S. Marshals Service, which provides security for federal judges, logged 373 threats that rose to the level of requiring an investigation. That figure had more than doubled by 2025, when the…

Jun

27

2026

By ALAA SARHAL

Lebanon’s documentation system collapses under the weight of war

WORLD

AS diplomats try to thrash out a US-Iran peace deal and how Lebanon fits into it, more than a million people who fled Israeli bombardment face a pressing question: If and when they are able to go home, do they actually have the paperwork they need? Over the past four months of Israel’s heavy airstrikes and occupation of South Lebanon, many of the country’s internally displaced had to flee for their lives with no time to think about packing anything at all, let alone various forms of ID. This story was originally published by The New Humanitarian. By Alaa Sarhal…

Jun

26

2026

By OWN CORRESPONDENTS

Twin quakes rip through Caracas, killing dozens as Venezuela declares emergency

WORLD

ON a public holiday meant to celebrate the 1821 Battle of Carabobo, the earth itself turned on Venezuela. Two ferocious earthquakes tore through the country's central Caribbean coast on Wednesday evening, toppling buildings in the capital Caracas and sending residents fleeing into the streets in scenes witnesses likened to a horror film. The United States Geological Survey said the first quake, measuring magnitude 7.2, struck roughly 160 kilometres west of Caracas near the town of Morón, at a depth of about 22 kilometres. Just 39 seconds later, an even more powerful magnitude 7.5 “mainshock” ruptured nearby. Together they rank among…

Jun

26

2026

By DANNY BRADLOW

The international legal order is broken: 2 key shifts needed to fix it

WORLD

THE international legal order that was created after the Second World War is no longer fit for purpose. Its response to urgent global problems like climate, poverty and pandemics is inadequate. Its key institutions like the United Nations, are incapable of restoring peace in Ukraine, Iran, Sudan or the Democratic Republic of Congo or stopping genocides in places like Myanmar or Palestine. The World Trade Organization is paralysed because its most powerful member states have lost confidence in the trading system that they created. The international community is unable to reform the global financial system so that it provides adequate…