WORLD - The African Mirror

Jul

24

2021

Protests break out at Haiti president’s funeral, guests run for cover

WORLD

DAVE GRAHAM and ANDRE PAULTRE THE funeral of assassinated Haitian president Jovenel Moise yesterday was disrupted by shots fired nearby and riot gas used on protesters, prompting a high-level U.S. delegation to abruptly leave and other dignitaries to duck into vehicles for safety. The state funeral in the northern city of Cap-Haitien was intended to foster national unity, but the disturbances reflected deep division over the June 7 atrocity, in which foreign gunmen walked apparently unchallenged into the presidential residence and shot Moise multiple times, also injuring his wife. Few answers have emerged about who planned the killing, or why.…

Feb

25

2021

By The African Mirror

Unsettling future for golf after Tiger Woods crash

WORLD

STEVE KEATING ALREADY in the final chapter of one of golf's greatest careers, Tiger Woods may have penned a shocking end to that story on Tuesday when the winner of 15 majors was involved in a single-car crash and taken to the hospital with multiple injuries. Battered by years of back and knee surgeries, Woods has recently spent as much time away from the PGA Tour recovering from injury as he has on the course, providing the golf world an unsettling glimpse of what the future might look like without its biggest drawing card. "I think golf has accommodated the…

Jul

24

2021

By The African Mirror

“I was reborn aged 102,” – Russian WW2 veteran beats COVID-19 after week in ICU

WORLD

OLESYA ASTAKHOVA RUSSIAN World War Two veteran Nikolai Bagayev feels like he has cheated death twice. This time though, the enemy was not the German troops invading the Soviet Union but COVID-19. Bagayev, 102, had 80% lung damage when he was admitted to hospital in the town of Korolyov near Moscow with the coronavirus. After spending more than a month in hospital, including a week in intensive care, Bagayev was discharged on Thursday evening. "The last time I faced death was in 1941. Back then, my right lung was injured during the battle for Moscow. But I was rather young…

Feb

25

2021

By The African Mirror

German court issues guilty verdict in first Syria torture trial

WORLD

ANDREAS BUERGER A German court sentenced a former member of President Bashar al-Assad's security services to 4-1/2 years in prison yesterday for abetting the torture of civilians, the first such verdict for crimes against humanity in the 10-year-old Syrian civil war. The higher regional court in the western city of Koblenz said Eyad A. had arrested at least 30 anti-government protesters at the start of the conflict in 2011 and sent them to an intelligence facility where he knew detainees were tortured. The verdict gives hope to the 800,000 Syrians in Germany who say they were tortured in government facilities…

Jul

23

2021

By The African Mirror

France’s Macron changes phone in light of Pegasus case, Israel eyes spyware export curbs

WORLD

MICHEL ROSE and DAN WILLIAMS FRENCH President Emmanuel Macron has changed his mobile phone and phone number in light of the Pegasus spyware case, a presidency official said on Thursday, in one of the first concrete actions announced in relation to the scandal. "He's got several phone numbers. This does not mean he has been spied on. It's just additional security," the official told Reuters. Government spokesman Gabriel Attal said the president's security protocols were being adapted in light of the incident. A global outcry was triggered when several international media organisations reported that the Pegasus spyware was used in…

Jul

23

2021

By The African Mirror

FBI ignored tips on Brett Kavanaugh, Senate Democrats

WORLD

JAN WOLFE and MARK HOSENBALL NEWLY released materials show the FBI failed to fully investigate sexual misconduct allegations against U.S. Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh when he was nominated to the court in 2018, according to seven Democratic senators. The senators, including Sheldon Whitehouse and Chris Coons, said a letter they received from the FBI last month shows the agency gathered over 4,500 tips relating to Kavanaugh without any apparent further action by investigators. "If the FBI was not authorized to or did not follow up on any of the tips that it received from the tip line, it is…

Jul

23

2021

By The African Mirror

Scandal-hit Tokyo looks to final torchbearer to mend battered image

WORLD

TIM KELLY BATTERED by scandal on the eve of the opening ceremony, Tokyo 2020 organisers have the chance to patch up the Games' image when they reveal who will carry the Olympic flame for the final few steps to light the stadium's cauldron. The identity of the final torchbearer is one of the Games' most closely held secrets yet speculation has swirled for months around well-known athletes such as former Seattle Mariners baseball player Ichiro Suzuki and Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Angels, the latest Japanese player to woo the United States. One sports figure who might be able…

Feb

26

2021

By The African Mirror

U.S. Capitol Police quickly overwhelmed by ‘insurrectionists’

WORLD

KANISHKA SINGH U.S. Capitol Police were aware of the possibility of violence from armed extremists when the Capitol was attacked by supporters of former President Donald Trump, but quickly became overwhelmed by "insurrectionists," the acting police chief said. Intelligence collected ahead of the January 6 assault on the Capitol suggested that the gathering would have the participation of armed "militia members, white supremacists, and other extremist groups," Yogananda Pittman said in prepared testimony to be delivered Thursday before the House Appropriations Committee. Pittman was the assistant chief of police of the department's Protective and Intelligence Operations on January 6 and…

Feb

25

2021

By The African Mirror

Neighbours’ efforts to help end Myanmar crisis raise suspicion among protesters

WORLD

MYANMAR’S military-appointed foreign minister flew into Thailand yesterday for talks with two of his neighbours as they intensified efforts to resolve a crisis over Myanmar's coup, despite the scepticism of its pro-democracy camp. The minister, Wunna Maung Lwin, made the first foreign trip by a member of the new military government as opponents of the February 1 coup again took to the streets in Myanmar. The army seized power after alleging fraud in a November 8 election swept by Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD), detaining her and much of the party leadership. The electoral commission dismissed…

Feb

25

2021

By The African Mirror

India plans new social media controls after Twitter face-off

WORLD

ADITYA KAIRA and SANKALP PHARTIYAL CHAFFING from a dispute with Twitter, India plans to oblige social media companies to erase contentious content fast and assist investigations, according to a draft regulation. New Delhi's planned "Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code" - a copy of which was seen by Reuters - come as various nations around the world try to assert tighter control over powerful Big Tech firms. Facebook faced a global backlash from publishers and politicians last week after blocking news feeds in Australia in a dispute with the government over revenue-sharing. In India, Twitter ignored orders to remove…