WORLD - The African Mirror

May

22

2026

Why Trump and FIFA are perfect bedfellows as the World Cup heads to the US

WORLD

THE 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup in the United States, Canada, and Mexico is almost upon us. This sporting spectacle – the largest ever World Cup, with 48 teams – will generate many memorable moments. Mexico will get the tournament underway in its capital city on June 12, hosting South Africa. Apart from the on-field action, much attention will be paid to the politics of the World Cup and to two major political players – US President Donald Trump and his FIFA counterpart Gianni Infantino. But before a ball is kicked, an earlier media encounter is stubbornly lodged in the…

May

21

2026

By OWN CORRESPONDENTS

While the world burns, Xi and Putin meet: a summit at the axis of a new world order

WORLD

THERE are moments in history when the symbolism of a handshake speaks louder than any treaty. The meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Beijing on Wednesday was precisely such a moment - a summit that arrived not in a diplomatic vacuum, but in the eye of the most violent and consequential storm the international order has faced since 1945. The world that watched these two men exchange courtesies at the Great Hall of the People is not the world it was even eighteen months ago. The United States and Israel are at war with…

May

21

2026

By OWN CORRESPONDENTS

Gaza’s ceasefire illusion: six months on, Palestinians are still starving and still dying

WORLD

WHEN Israeli and American negotiators unveiled the Comprehensive Plan to End the Gaza Conflict last October, they presented the world with a framework dressed in the language of peace and humanitarian relief. Six months later, the architecture of that plan is crumbling — and the Palestinian civilians it was meant to protect remain hungry, medically abandoned, and in the crosshairs of continued Israeli military action. On Wednesday, the Board of Peace — authorised under UN Security Council Resolution 2803 to monitor compliance with the ceasefire — will brief the Security Council on its six-month progress report. But the report's headline…

May

20

2026

By OWN CORRESPONDENTS

Tehran’s peace gambit exposes the chasm between ceasefire and settlement

WORLD

NEARLY three months after the United States and Israel launched a war that has killed thousands of Iranians and displaced hundreds of thousands across Lebanon, the two sides remain separated by a gulf that diplomatic language can barely bridge. Tehran's latest peace proposal, disclosed publicly on Tuesday, lays bare just how far apart Washington and Tehran remain — and how precarious the current ceasefire truly is. Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi confirmed on Tuesday that Tehran's latest proposal to Washington demands an end to hostilities on all fronts, including Lebanon, the withdrawal of US forces from areas close to…

May

20

2026

By The African Mirror

Arakan Army massacre leaves Rohingya survivors with no justice, no homes and no safe return

WORLD

TWO years after Arakan Army fighters killed and wounded hundreds of Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar’s Rakhine State, survivors remain displaced, their village destroyed, and no one held accountable, Human Rights Watch said. The rights group said the May 2, 2024, attack in Hoyyar Siri, also known as Htan Shauk Khan, exposed the scale of abuse facing Rohingya civilians caught in Myanmar’s widening conflict. According to Human Rights Watch, the assault began as villagers fled fighting near two military bases in Buthidaung township, only to come under fire from Arakan Army fighters. The group said the attack targeted unarmed civilians and…

May

20

2026

By BARBARA RODRIGUEZ

The word ‘Black’ has disappeared from a set of bills aimed at addressing Black maternal health

WORLD

THE word “Black” has been almost completely removed from a package of bills that have long been viewed as Congress’s main legislative vehicle to address the Black maternal health crisis, frustrating some advocates who feel Black women are being erased from the policy. This story was originally reported by Barbara Rodriguez of The 19th. Meet Barbara and read more of their reporting on gender, politics and policy. The key change this year is the title. The Momnibus Act — filed in mid-March — was called the Black Maternal Health Momnibus Act in 2023; before that, it was the Black Maternal…

May

19

2026

By MARIA RYAN

Trump’s ‘cordial’ Beijing trip has not changed superpower rivalry

WORLD

DONALD Trump’s appraisal of his recent state visit to China was, typically, positive and self-regarding. At the end of the trip, the US president told reporters that it had achieved “a lot of good” and “fantastic trade deals” had been signed. He concluded that a lot of different problems were settled “that other people wouldn’t have been able to solve”. As usual, the US president appeared to enjoy the pageantry of a state visit. He likes meeting other “great” leaders – strongmen who lead powerful countries. At face value, the trip appeared largely successful. The Trump-Xi relationship appeared cordial. There…

May

19

2026

By PETER RUTLAND

More than just a critical blow to Keir Starmer and Labour, local votes signal a dis‑United Kingdom

WORLD

LOCAL elections in Britain on May 7, 2026 – in which the ruling Labour Party suffered deep losses – revealed tectonic shifts. The two-party system that has been operating there since 1721 has effectively turned into a five-party free-for-all. Reform U.K., the anti-immigrant right-wing party led by Nigel Farage, won 1,453 seats in local councils, followed by Labour with 1,068, Liberal Democrats with 844, the Conservatives with 801, and the Greens with 587. According to analysis by the BBC, at the national level, Reform won 26% of the vote, Greens 18%, Conservatives 17%, Labour 17%, and the Liberal Democrats 16%.…

May

19

2026

By CHUKA ONWUMECHILI

A football World Cup is a global cultural exchange. How will that work in Trump’s America?

WORLD

THE most culturally diverse men’s football World Cup in history is taking place in the United States at a time when foreign nationals feel less and less welcome in the country. The 2026 competition kicks off on 11 June with games in Canada, Mexico, and the US. The US will host by far the largest number of matches, including the championship game. The 2026 cup is also hosting the largest number of competing teams in history – 48. Over its near-century-long history, the competition has remained the premier sporting event, attracting the largest number of travellers. Some spend huge sums…

May

18

2026

By XIANDA HUANG

From beef ribs to a ‘heavenly’ walk: Xi‑Trump summit symbolism underscored American power and Chinese tradition

WORLD

DIPLOMACY often masquerades as theater. And nearly nine years after his first state visit to China, Donald Trump returned to Beijing with an extended cast of characters. Alongside the U.S. president on his May 2026 visit was a senior delegation of politicians, including his secretary of defense, and a phalanx of business leaders and technology executives. It was a traveling display of American political and corporate power. Not that the hosting Chinese were short of symbolic gestures themselves. Trump’s first visit to China in 2017 had already shown how far Beijing was willing to go to turn diplomacy into theater.…