WORLD - The African Mirror

May

18

2026

The hidden role of export credit in the energy transition

WORLD

FOR most policymakers, export credit agencies (ECAs) are financial tools that boost national companies’ business endeavours abroad. But a recent research project conducted by Philipp Censkowsky, Paul Waidelich, Igor Shishlov, and Bjarne Steffen reveals the profound impact they have on the energy transition. Our study analysed 921 energy-finance deals backed by ECAs from 31 countries between 2013 and 2023. We used commercial transaction data to track how much ECAs invested in fossil fuels versus renewable energy. We also examined key policy shifts to understand how international agreements influence the decisions ECAs make. Are ECAs slowing down or speeding up the…

May

18

2026

By BETH TIMMINS

The puppet shows bringing storytelling and solace to bomb shelters in Ukraine

WORLD

AS war threatens to erase everyday life in Ukraine, artists have turned to puppetry, one of the oldest forms of storytelling. Light enough to travel, intimate enough to gather a crowd, and able to capture the attention of children, puppet shows have become resilient tools of resistance, support, and relief for the people of a country at war. Contemporary Ukrainian puppetry is part of a long tradition, from the 16th-century travelling folk theatre known as vertep, to the establishment of theatres in Kyiv and Odesa in the 1930s. Although later repressed and censored for satirising Soviet leaders, puppetry survived these…

May

16

2026

By WESLEY WIDMAIER

After an opaque summit, China and the US want to work together again. That might not be good news for the world

WORLD

BACK in 2005, US economist Fred Bergsten coined the term “Group of 2” or “G2”, proposing a stronger partnership between what are now the world’s two largest economies – the United States and China. In the aftermath of the global financial crisis, a few years later, economic cooperation between these two countries briefly seemed to attest to the success of efforts at integrating China into a liberal rules-based order. To be sure, the ostensible G2 was not meant to replace the larger, formalised G20 group of major economies, so much as strengthen it. Underpinning the broader G20’s response to the…

May

16

2026

By MATTHEW RICKETSON

Patrick Radden Keefe investigates Russian money in London through a teenager’s suspicious death

WORLD

NEW Yorker staff writer Patrick Radden Keefe has become one of a small number of narrative non-fiction writers whose latest book is keenly anticipated. He has become such a byword for a certain kind of investigative reporting, he even cameoed as himself in the final scene of HBO hit series, Industry, this year. His fifth book, London Falling, has been eagerly awaited, largely thanks to the impact of his last two books, which minted his sterling reputation. His 2018 book on the Troubles in Northern Ireland, Say Nothing, won the Orwell Prize and was adapted for a 2024 streaming series.…

May

15

2026

By AMIRA JADOON and SAIF TAHIR

Baloch insurgency: Suicide bombs and uptick in violence threaten Pakistan, regional security

WORLD

IN the space of 10 days in late April 2026, insurgents in Pakistan purportedly carried out 27 attacks in the country’s southwest province of Balochistan, killing at least 42 military personnel. Then, on May 11, authorities announced that a suicide bombing plot on the capital, Islamabad, had been foiled. Authorities arrested a girl over the incident – a nod to militants’ increasing use of young Baloch women to carry out attacks. These incidents represent the latest flare-up of a long-running insurgency in Pakistan’s largest province and home to around 15 million people. For a rundown of what you need to…

May

15

2026

By MEI LI

Love, quest, adventure: the storytelling behind Xi Jinping’s speeches and China’s grand strategy

WORLD

FOR many in the West, China still feels hard to fully understand. Public debate and media coverage too often focus on the “China threat”. Critics highlight the flaws of China’s political system and limits on freedom, yet China has still managed to rise as a major power that can now compete with the United States. One reason for this gap in understanding is that the media often interprets China through a Western-centric perspective. US President Donald Trump’s summit with Chinese leader Xi Jinping this week, for instance, will be analysed in the West very differently from the way it will…

May

15

2026

By JENNIFER MATHERS

Fearful, diminished and isolated: what this year’s Victory Day parade in Moscow tells us about Russia’s war against Ukraine

WORLD

THE military parade through Moscow’s Red Square on May 9, “Victory Day”, is the pinnacle of Russia’s annual celebrations marking the end of the Second World War. Televised live and watched by millions, including invited foreign dignitaries, the Victory Day parade is all about showcasing Russia’s status and pride. The first Victory Day parade was held in 1945 amid the triumph and relief at the defeat of Nazi Germany. A second was held in 1965 – but only two more were staged by the Soviet Union, in 1985 and 1990. Under the leadership of Vladimir Putin, however, the parade has…

May

14

2026

By KAI HE and HUIYUN FENG

Trump‑Xi summit: 3 ways the US and China can compete without going to war

WORLD

US President Donald Trump’s visit to Beijing this week may ease tensions at the margins of the US–China rivalry. But it will not change a central fact: neither side can escape the rivalry, and neither side can decisively win it. The biggest challenge for Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping is whether they can compete without turning the world’s most consequential bilateral relationship into its most dangerous one. A war is not inevitable. If Washington and Beijing want to keep their competition peaceful, they must try to accomplish a few basic things: preserve military deterrence without turning it into provocation…

May

14

2026

By MINIATURE MALEKPOUR

7 films to help you understand Iranian women’s fight for freedom

WORLD

FOR women in Iran, life changed dramatically after the 1979 Iranian Revolution. The new Islamic Republic of Iran enforced compulsory veiling, legalised polygamy, severely restricted women’s rights to divorce and child custody, lowered the minimum marriage age for girls, and gave husbands legal authority over their wives’ movements and sexual autonomy. These conditions led to the 2022 Zan, Zendegi, Azadi (Woman, Life, Freedom) movement, triggered by the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini. Amini died in September 2022 while in the custody of Iran’s morality police, after being detained for allegedly violating hijab regulations. For more than 40 years, Iranian women…

May

14

2026

By AMANDA BECKER

She did everything she could to prevent the breakup of a majority-Black congressional district

WORLD

AS the Tennessee legislature held a special session this week to redraw its congressional map to break up a majority-Black district in Memphis, state Sen. Charlane Oliver did everything she could to broadcast that what was happening was not normal. This story was originally reported by Amanda Becker of The 19th. Meet Amanda and read more of their reporting on gender, politics and policy. The longtime voting rights advocate disrupted proceedings. She forced votes on routine matters. She told her colleagues about her great-great-uncle Elijah Bryant, who fought for the Union in the U.S. Civil War. She shared a photo…