WORLD - The African Mirror

Nov

15

2025

Ukraine: battered by bombing and scarred by corruption

WORLD

NIGHTLY, for months now, Ukraine’s cities have been pounded by relentless aerial attacks. In addition to its grinding and attritional ground offensives in the east and south of the country, since early summer, the Russian military has greatly expanded its air offensive against centres of population, looking to collapse morale and undermine the Ukrainian people’s will to fight on. And as winter approaches, those aerial bombardments have targeted Ukraine’s power infrastructure. This newsletter was first published in The Conversation UK’s World Affairs Briefing email. Sign up to receive weekly analysis of the latest developments in international relations, direct to your…

Nov

15

2025

By XOSÉ M. NÚÑEZ SEIXAS

How Russia came to see itself as Europe’s ‘antifascist’ saviour

WORLD

WHEN, exactly, did World War II end? The answer depends on where you are from. The war officially ended in the early hours of May 7 1945, when General Jodl signed Germany’s unconditional surrender at the Allied headquarters in Reims, effective from the following day. Thousands took to the streets in London, New York and other cities to celebrate. However, on May 8, the ceremony was repeated in Berlin in the presence of the Soviet Union’s Marshal Zhukov and representatives of the other Allied countries. Peace reigned from the following day onwards. The Red Army had conquered the German capital,…

Nov

14

2025

By ROBYN ECKERSLEY

From Trump’s wrecking ball to China’s electrifying rise, geopolitics hang heavy over this year’s climate talks

WORLD

NEXT month marks the tenth anniversary of the Paris Agreement, hailed as humanity’s best shot at keeping climate change under control. Between then and now, the world has changed dramatically. Emissions last year hit new highs, as did global temperatures. Wars rage in several countries. Right-wing populism in Western nations has spurred a green backlash. This is the year countries must submit their climate plans for 2035. The Paris Agreement requires each country’s five-yearly plan – known as its “nationally determined contribution” (NDC) – to reflect the “highest possible ambition”. Each plan must go beyond the previous one. The latest…

Nov

14

2025

By OWN CORRESPONDENT

US civil rights icon Jesse Jackson hospitalised with rare neurological condition

WORLD

REVEREND Jesse Jackson, the 84-year-old American civil rights leader known for his decades of advocacy for marginalised communities across Africa and the diaspora, has been hospitalised and is under observation for progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP), his organisation announced Wednesday. The Rainbow PUSH Coalition, which Jackson founded, confirmed that the veteran activist has been managing the neurodegenerative condition for more than a decade. Initially diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, his condition was confirmed as PSP last April. "The family appreciates all prayers at this time," the organisation said in a statement. Jackson's influence extends far beyond American borders. Throughout his six-decade career…

Nov

14

2025

By WILLIAM PLOWRIGHT

How former jihadist Ahmed al-Sharaa ended up being welcomed to the White House

WORLD

A few years ago, you might have baulked if someone told you that the US president would be photographed in the White House shaking hands with a man who was a former member of al-Qaeda, an insurgent against US forces in Iraq, and had led one of the largest Syrian Islamist armed groups. But that’s exactly what happened when Donald Trump welcomed his Syrian counterpart, Ahmed al-Sharaa, to Washington on November 10. Al-Sharaa became the first Syrian leader in history to be invited to the White House. Al-Sharaa’s stunning ascendancy to power has seen him become an almost mythic figure…

Nov

13

2025

By NOUR ELASSY

The war in Gaza didn’t end. It only changed tempo

WORLD

THE thunder of bombs has given way to the hiss of drones, random gunfire at checkpoints, and the silence of hospitals that no longer heal. The words of the ceasefire that was announced with fanfare last month have fallen on Gaza like dust, coating the tongue and choking the air. It may have paused some of the airstrikes, but it did not end the occupation. This story was originally published by The New Humanitarian. By Nour ElAssy In exile in Paris, I wake to the same messages each morning from my family in Gaza: “Don’t be afraid, ya mama, we…

Nov

13

2025

By NADRA NITTLE

The overlooked SNAP recipients: 1.1 million college students

WORLD

MAIA Jackson should have been cranking out a research paper for her communications class. Instead, she found herself queuing up at a food pantry to secure groceries for her household amid the nation’s longest government shutdown. “I walked out with a shopping cart full of food,” the 25-year-old college senior said. “I could barely carry it all. I got cereal. I got some frozen meat, hamburger buns. I got a bag of black beans, and then I got a bag of rice.” This story was originally reported by Nadra Nittle of The 19th. Meet Nadra and read more of their…

Nov

13

2025

By The African Mirror

Trump’s squeeze of Venezuela goes beyond ‘Monroe doctrine’ – in ideology, intent and scale, it’s unprecedented

WORLD

A massive military buildup in the Caribbean has sparked speculation that the U.S. is now engaged in its latest chapter of direct intervention in Latin America. For now, at least, President Donald Trump has walked back suggestions that Washington is eyeing strikes inside Venezuela, seemingly content with attacking numerous naval vessels under the guise of a counter-narcotics operation. But nonetheless, U.S. presence in the region will increase further in the coming weeks with the arrival of the world’s largest aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R. Ford. As a scholar of U.S.-Latin American relations, I know the actions of the current…

Nov

12

2025

By DENIS MULLER

BBC resignations over Trump scandal show the pressures on public broadcasters – and why they must resist them

WORLD

THE resignations of BBC Director-General Tim Davie and the CEO of BBC News, Deborah Turness, over dishonest editing of a speech in 2021 by US President Donald Trump raise several disturbing questions. These concern the effectiveness and integrity of the BBC’s internal editorial procedures for investigating complaints, and the pressure being brought to bear on the BBC by conservative political and media forces in the United Kingdom. The Trump controversy originated from the editing of a BBC Panorama documentary called “Trump: A Second Chance?” It went to air a week before the 2024 US presidential election, and contained replays of…

Nov

12

2025

By EREN AKKAN; BURCIN HATIPOGLU, and KEREM GURSES

Syrian forced migrants in Turkey have built businesses despite challenges. Here’s what has helped them succeed

WORLD

BY the end of 2024, the number of people worldwide who had been “forcibly displaced as a result of persecution, conflict, violence, human rights violations or events seriously disturbing public order” and had fled their countries stood at approximately 42.7 million, according to the UN Refugee Agency. Whether they are asylum seekers requesting temporary sanctuary or refugees who are unwilling to return to their countries of origin, forced migrants are people who haphazardly migrate to and strive to find safety in a new country. While much attention focuses on their immediate needs, such as shelter, food, and security, many forced migrants…