WORLD - The African Mirror

Dec

01

2025

Three reasons why China wants global green leadership after COP30 – and two reasons it doesn’t

WORLD

AHEAD of the UN’s COP30 summit, China appeared keen to take on the mantle of new global leader on climate change, stepping into the gap left by the US’s withdrawal from the top spot under Donald Trump. In trying to understand what China wants from this role, it’s worth examining three areas motivating Beijing to take over leadership, and two others that it is trying to avoid. First, China is attempting to reshape climate change talks along “tech and trade” lines. At COP30, it presented itself as a “clean-tech” superpower and as ambitious, technologically capable and cooperative. Certainly, the country’s…

Nov

29

2025

By OWN CORRESPONDENT

Trump announces plan to “permanently pause migration from all third-world countries” following DC shooting

WORLD

US President Donald Trump announced sweeping immigration restrictions, declaring he will "permanently pause migration from all Third World Countries" and terminate federal benefits for noncitizens, following the fatal shooting of a National Guard member near the White House. In posts on his Truth Social platform, Trump outlined an expansive immigration crackdown that includes ending what he claimed were "millions of Biden illegal admissions," removing individuals "not a net asset to the United States," and deporting any foreign national he described as a "public charge, security risk, or incompatible with Western Civilisation." The announcement came one day after two National Guard…

Nov

28

2025

By MOHAMED AL-ASTAL

Journalist and aid worker: How Israel’s starvation of Gaza forced me to be both

WORLD

A ceasefire was announced last month, but the war is not completely over. Life as we knew it before will not be restored. Israeli attacks continue, and the supplies we need are not being allowed to enter. The chances of making it to the second phase of the deal – and eventually to see reconstruction and stability – seem impossible. As far as many of us in the Gaza Strip believe, we will remain homeless, without a future. This story was originally published by The New Humanitarian.By Mohamed al-Astal Still, after two years of genocidal war, we are trying to…

Nov

29

2025

By MILAD HAGHANI; ERICA KULIGOWSKI, and RUGGIERO LOVREGLIO

The Hong Kong high-rise fire shows how difficult it is to evacuate in an emergency

WORLD

THE Hong Kong high-rise fire, which spread across multiple buildings in a large residential complex, has killed dozens, with hundreds reported missing. The confirmed death toll is now 44, with close to 300 people still unaccounted for and dozens in hospital with serious injuries. This makes it one of Hong Kong’s deadliest building fires in living memory, and already the worst since the Garley Building fire in 1996. Although more than 900 people have been reportedly evacuated from the Wang Fuk Court, it’s not clear how many residents remain trapped. This catastrophic fire – which is thought to have spread…

Nov

28

2025

By CANDICE NORWOOD

Viola Fletcher, oldest survivor of 1921 Tulsa massacre, dies at 111

WORLD

AS The 19th makes plans for 2026, we want to hear from you. Complete our annual survey to let us know your thoughts. Viola Fletcher, the oldest living survivor of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre, has died at 111. In the final years of her life, she and other survivors shared their stories publicly, bringing a more nuanced awareness about the legacy of that day. This story was originally reported by Candice Norwood of The 19th. Meet Candice and read more of their reporting on gender, politics and policy. ON the night of May 31, 1921, 7-year-old Fletcher was asleep…

Nov

28

2025

By ASHER KAUFMAN

A year on, the Israeli-Lebanese ceasefire looks increasingly fragile − could a return to cyclical violence come next?

WORLD

AN already troubled ceasefire agreement between Israel and Lebanon is looking shakier than ever. Since the truce was announced on Nov. 27, 2024, there have been more than 10,000 Israeli air and ground violations inside Lebanese territory, according to the latest report from UNIFIL, the United Nations peacekeeping mission in Lebanon. And in the run-up to the ceasefire’s first anniversary, a spate of Israeli strikes over its northern border saw the assassination of Hezbollah’s top military commander and a deadly attack on a Palestinian refugee camp. Israel argues that all its military attacks in Lebanon target Hezbollah’s efforts to rearm…

Nov

27

2025

By MATTHEW SUSSEX

How the Trump administration tried to sell Ukraine a diplomatic debacle

WORLD

A flurry of recent diplomatic activity has seen two competing peace plans for Ukraine emerge. The first, widely touted as a US plan, was apparently hashed out between Kremlin insider Kirill Dmitriev and Steve Witkoff, President Donald Trump’s Russia point-man. The second, hurriedly drafted by the United Kingdom, France and Germany, is based on the 28 points in the US plan, but with key modifications and deletions. Following the release of the US plan, Trump accused Ukraine of showing “zero gratitude” for US assistance in the war effort, and demanded Kyiv accept the terms by Thanksgiving in the United States…

Nov

27

2025

By GREGORY A. DADDIS

Pentagon investigation of Sen. Mark Kelly revives Cold War persecution of Americans with supposedly disloyal views

WORLD

IN an unprecedented step, the Department of Defence announced online on Nov. 24, 2025, that it was reviewing statements by U.S. Sen. Mark Kelly, a Democrat, who is a retired Navy captain, decorated combat veteran and former NASA astronaut. Kelly and five other members of Congress with military or intelligence backgrounds told members of the armed forces, “You can refuse illegal orders” in a video released on Nov. 18, reiterating oaths that members of the military and the intelligence community swear to uphold and defend the Constitution. The legislators said they acted in response to concerns expressed by troops currently…

Nov

27

2025

By GRACIA ABAD QUINTANAL

Europe’s Achilles’ heel: how rare earths leave the EU wide open to economic blackmail from China

WORLD

IN recent years, rare earth elements have become the focal point of renewed competition between the world’s major powers. These materials are crucial to the manufacture of all manner of products, ranging from weapons to medical products, AI hardware and cars. In this new panorama, the United States and Europe are at a disadvantage, as China controls as much as 90% of the global trade in rare earths. This is largely because it has been quietly but continuously promoting the extraction and refining of these raw materials for decades. As early as the 1950s, China began mining the Bayan Obo…

Nov

26

2025

By OWN CORRESPONDENT

Gaza’s women bear impossible burden as cease-fire fails to end violence, UN warns

WORLD

WOMEN in Gaza are shouldering the full weight of survival for their families amid continuing attacks, severe food shortages, and a looming winter crisis, despite a cease-fire now in its second month, the United Nations' gender equality agency has warned. Sofia Calltorp, UN Women's Chief of Humanitarian Action, delivered a stark assessment following her visit to the enclave last week, describing conditions where violence persists, and basic necessities remain catastrophically scarce. Women repeatedly told her: "There may be a cease-fire, but the war is not over." The reality on the ground contradicts any notion of peace. "The attacks are fewer,…