WORLD - The African Mirror

Jan

24

2026

The rise of Reza Pahlavi: Iranian opposition leader or opportunist?

WORLD

DURING the protests that ripped through Iran in January, one person who gained attention was Reza Pahlavi. Pahlavi, who lives in Los Angeles, is the son of the late shah of Iran, who ruthlessly ruled the country before being deposed during the Iranian Revolution in 1979. Pahlavi emerged during the recent upheaval as a prominent political dissident in exile who encouraged and inspired Iranians to demonstrate. It remained unclear, however, what level of popular support he commanded inside Iran, not to mention whether he was, in fact, dedicated to democracy as the descendant of a monarch. While some Iranians perceived…

Jan

24

2026

By GRACE PANETTA and JASMINE MITHANI

‘They sold my pain for clicks’: Paris Hilton urges lawmakers to act on nonconsensual deepfakes

WORLD

WASHINGTON, D.C. — When an explicit video of 19-year-old Paris Hilton having sex was leaked by her ex-boyfriend in 2003, the world turned on her. She was pilloried in the press, called “horny” and “trashy.” “Sex video gives Paris Hilton publicity money can't buy,” The Guardian declared. This story was originally reported by Grace Panetta and Jasmine Mithani of The 19th. Meet Grace and Jasmine and read more of their reporting on gender, politics and policy. Nowadays, the reaction would probably be different. Hilton’s ex-boyfriend, who was 12 years her senior, shared the video online a decade before the first…

Jan

23

2026

By The African Mirror

UN war crimes investigators vow to continue probe despite new Gaza peace initiative

WORLD

INDEPENDENT UN human rights investigators have pledged to maintain their investigation into alleged war crimes in the Hamas-Israel conflict, even as President Trump announced an international peace plan for Gaza. The Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory will continue examining human rights violations by all parties despite the establishment of a new Board of Peace for Gaza's redevelopment, according to commission chair Srinivasan Muralidhar. "As a Commission of Inquiry, we see our task as investigating into violations of human rights. And that task we understand to be the mandate that the UN has given us - and we…

Jan

23

2026

By MARK SHANAHAN

One venue, two speeches – how Mark Carney left Donald Trump in the dust in Davos

WORLD

THE meeting and venue were the same, but the style and tone of the two most anticipated keynote speeches at the World Economic Forum in the Swiss town of Davos could not have been more different. On Tuesday, January 20, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney addressed the assembled political and business leaders as one of them: a national leader with deep expertise in finance. He spoke about a “rupture” in the world order and the duty of nations to come together through appropriate coalitions for the benefit of all. It was a paean to multilateralism, but one that recognised that…

Jan

23

2026

By PARDIS MAHDAVI

Iran’s universities have long been a battleground, where protests happen and students fight for the future

WORLD

IRAN’S current wave of protests continues to spread across the country, as the United States weighs military intervention. Meanwhile, many Iranian people continue to struggle to pay for basic necessities amid a collapsing currency. The anti-government demonstrations began in Tehran’s Grand Bazaar, one of the largest and oldest covered markets in the world, in December 2025. From there, they quickly reached Iran’s university campuses. The government’s response was swift and familiar: Authorities ordered universities to move classes online, citing weather concerns. When students continued organising, the regime closed universities entirely. I am an Iranian-American who has studied Iranian social movements…

Jan

22

2026

By SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT

Carney’s Davos watershed: Canada’s Prime Minister declares the end of American-led order

WORLD

IN a remarkable display of diplomatic candour that sent ripples through the World Economic Forum, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney delivered what may prove to be a defining speech of the post-American era, declaring that the decades-old bargain underpinning Western global dominance has irretrievably collapsed. Speaking to assembled global leaders, Carney stripped away the diplomatic niceties that typically characterise international discourse, offering instead a stark autopsy of the rules-based order that has governed global affairs since 1945. "We knew the story of the international rules-based world order was partially false," Carney stated bluntly, acknowledging what many developing nations have long…

Jan

22

2026

By FIROUZEH NAHAVANDI

Iran’s crackdown: why security forces are shooting demonstrators straight in the eye

WORLD

IN Iran, protestors and especially militants are being subjected to an extremely violent crackdown with shots aimed at their eyes. Blinding the enemy who dares to dispute the powers that be is the latest act of repression to go down in the country’s long history. Over the course of the Iranian dissident action in recent years, and during the nationwide Women, Life, Freedom movement in 2022, the frequency of eye injuries inflicted upon protestors has come under public scrutiny. Women, young people and students, often passers-by, even, have literally lost an eye, or their – eyesight – from buckshot or…

Jan

22

2026

By CARLOS GUTIÉRREZ HITA

Spain high-speed train crash: signalling vulnerabilities could be key to understanding the accident

WORLD

A tragic accident on the high-speed train line between Andalusia and Madrid has exposed the urgent need to upgrade Spain’s railway system. At 19:45 on Sunday, January 18, a modern Iryo high-speed train collided with a Renfe train at the switch (turnout) leading into Adamuz station in Córdoba province, Andalusia. The Iryo 6189 service, travelling from Málaga to Madrid, had registered for the track change, but the current information is that the last three carriages literally jumped over the diverted switch that gives access to the track adjacent to the platform, leaving the main track clear. This caused the last…

Jan

21

2026

By OWN CORRESPONDENT

When elephants collide: Trump’s Greenland gambit pushes Atlantic alliance to the brink

WORLD

THE transatlantic order that has anchored Western power for eight decades now faces its gravest test not from external adversaries, but from within. President Donald Trump's escalating campaign to seize Greenland from Denmark has ignited a confrontation between Washington and Brussels that threatens to shatter the very foundations of the NATO alliance and plunge global markets into chaos. This is no longer diplomatic theatre or negotiating posture. Two geopolitical giants are hurtling toward collision, and the wreckage could reshape the international system. The Ultimatum Trump's threat is stark and unprecedented: impose escalating tariffs on seven European nations—Denmark, Sweden, France, Germany,…

Jan

21

2026

By SHIRIN KHAYAMBASHI

What Iran’s latest protests tell us about power, memory and resistance

WORLD

FOR Iranians, the past year has meant contending with everyday necessities slipping further and further out of reach. The cost of living has surged beyond what many households can manage, and what felt like economic strain became an economic freefall. On Dec. 28, 2025, the Iranian rial plummeted to a historic low of 1.4 million rials per American dollar. The unprecedented inflation ignited nationwide protests demanding economic stability. The movement began with a peaceful sit-in at Tehran’s Grand Bazaar but was immediately met with a violent response by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). The grassroots initiative — made up…