WORLD - The African Mirror

Dec

29

2025

Following the Money: Why dismantling terror finance networks is as crucial as military operations

WORLD

IN a sophisticated operation that spanned multiple European jurisdictions, Italian authorities struck a significant blow this weekend - not on a battlefield, but in the shadowy world of terror financing. The arrest of nine individuals and seizure of over €8 million in assets linked to Hamas funding through purported charities represents more than a law enforcement success. It illuminates a strategic reality often overshadowed by kinetic military operations: the war against terrorism cannot be won without an equally vigorous war against those who bankroll it. The Genoa prosecutors' investigation, coordinated by anti-mafia and anti-terrorism units working with Dutch authorities through…

Dec

29

2025

By SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT

In Memoriam: Brigitte Bardot

WORLD

AND so the curtain falls on one of cinema's most magnificent contradictions: Brigitte Bardot, the woman who made pouting an art form and then spent half her life scowling at humanity for being beastly to actual beasts. At 91, BB has finally hung up her iconic gingham dress (you know the one), leaving behind a legacy that's equal parts va-va-voom and "vegan-or-bust," with a healthy dollop of "mon Dieu, what was she thinking?" thrown in for good measure. The Glory Years: When Sex Was Invented (Apparently) Let's be honest: before Brigitte sashayed onto screens in And God Created Woman, the…

Dec

29

2025

By GEORGE MICHAEL

Why are some Black conservatives drawn to Nick Fuentes?

WORLD

FAR-RIGHT activist Nick Fuentes continues to gain momentum. The openly racist and antisemitic podcaster has emerged as an influential figure on the American political right. Recent profiles in The Atlantic and The New York Times have elevated the 27-year-old into practically a household name. But as a scholar of the American right, I’ve been fascinated by one aspect of Fuentes’ rise: the way some Black podcast hosts and political influencers have been receptive to some of his views. “Isn’t that amazing?” Black pastor and radio host Jesse Lee Peterson gushed after hosting Fuentes on his show in 2023. “Finally, a…

Dec

27

2025

By The African Mirror

UK joins international coalition condemning Israeli settlement expansion

WORLD

THE United Kingdom has joined an international coalition of nations in condemning Israel's approval of 19 new settlements in Palestine, calling for the decision to be reversed. UK Home Secretary Yvette Cooper announced the condemnation, stating that international law must be respected in the pursuit of lasting peace in the region. The statement comes after Israel's Security Cabinet approved the establishment of the new settlements. The coalition opposing the move includes Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, and other partner nations, representing a significant diplomatic pushback against Israeli settlement expansion. International law generally considers Israeli settlements in occupied Palestinian territories to…

Dec

27

2025

By SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT

Pope Leo XIV’s first Christmas: A new voice for the displaced

WORLD

WHEN Pope Leo XIV stepped onto the balcony of St. Peter's Basilica on Christmas Day to deliver his first "Urbi et Orbi" blessing, he did more than fulfil a ceremonial obligation. The first American-born pontiff used the global stage to spotlight what many world leaders would rather ignore: the human cost of conflict playing out in real time across Gaza, Ukraine, and beyond. The pope's most striking departure from diplomatic convention came in his unflinching focus on Palestinian suffering. His imagery was visceral and immediate. He asked listeners to envision families huddled in tents, exposed to winter's rain, wind, and…

Dec

27

2025

By GENEVIEVE JOHNSON

Freedom for Christmas: the extraordinary journey of an enslaved woman to Britain

WORLD

A newly unveiled statue in North Shields is casting fresh light on the extraordinary life of Mary Ann Macham – a woman whose courage carried her from the brutality of slavery in the US state of Virginia to freedom on the banks of the River Tyne on Christmas Day, 1831. With the help of a friend in Virginia who was enslaved to the harbour master, Macham (who was enslaved on a plantation) hid beneath a tree and in the forest for six weeks while men on horses and bloodhounds searched for her. She was then smuggled to the harbour, where…

Dec

25

2025

By SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT

Trump’s Venezuela blockade raises troubling questions about sovereignty and international law

WORLD

AS a U.S. Coast Guard cutter pursues the Bella 1 tanker through Caribbean waters, waiting for elite forces capable of seizing the vessel by force, the operation raises profound questions about the boundaries of national authority and the architecture of international law itself. The dramatic chase — now in its fourth day, with military helicopters and special operations teams poised to rappel onto the deck of a ship that has refused American boarding orders — represents far more than routine sanctions enforcement. It crystallises a fundamental tension in the post-World War II legal order: When does one nation's assertion of…

Dec

25

2025

By OWN CORRESPONDENT

Belgium joins SA in ICJ genocide case against Israel

WORLD

BELGIUM has formally intervened in the landmark genocide case before the International Court of Justice concerning Israel's conduct in Gaza, the court has announced. The intervention makes Belgium the 15th country to join the proceedings that South Africa initiated against Israel nearly a year ago, alleging violations of the Genocide Convention in relation to Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. Belgium invoked Article 63 of the court's statute, which allows countries that are parties to a treaty under examination to intervene in cases involving that treaty's interpretation. Under this provision, the court's eventual ruling on the Genocide Convention's meaning will be…

Dec

25

2025

By STEPHANIE A. (SAM) MARTIN

Epstein’s victims deserve more attention than his ‘client list’

WORLD

THE Jeffrey Epstein story has slipped in and out of the headlines for years, but in a very particular way. Most news articles ask a specific question – which powerful men might be on “the list”? Headlines focus on unidentified elites and who may be exposed or embarrassed, rather than on the people whose suffering made the case newsworthy in the first place: the girls and young women Epstein abused and trafficked. Right now, the story is entering a new phase. A federal judge has authorised the Justice Department to unseal grand jury transcripts and other evidence from Epstein companion…

Dec

24

2025

By OWN CORRESPONDENT

CBS News controversy raises questions about press independence under political pressure

WORLD

A dispute over a spiked 60 Minutes investigation has exposed tensions within CBS News over editorial independence and the role of government cooperation in investigative journalism, raising broader questions about press freedom in an era of contentious executive-media relations. Veteran CBS correspondent Sharyn Alfonsi circulated an internal memo protesting the decision by Editor-in-Chief Bari Weiss to pull a scheduled segment titled "Inside CECOT," which examined conditions at El Salvador's maximum-security prison and the deportation of individuals there by the Trump administration. The story was set to air but was removed from the broadcast schedule after clearing legal review and standards…