WORLD - The African Mirror

Oct

14

2025

From Letitia James to James Comey, Trump is treating the DOJ like an instrument of revenge

WORLD

Weeks after President Donald Trump took to social media to instruct the nation’s chief law enforcement officer to take legal action against his political enemies, New York Attorney General Letitia James was indicted by a grand jury in Virginia on Thursday. The move comes one day after former FBI Director James Comey pleaded not guilty to an indictment brought by the same office. Comey and James, a Black woman, are two of the most high-profile targets, but Trump’s playbook in seeking retribution against political enemies has been used on many others in the past — including other Black women in…

Oct

14

2025

By RASHA ABOU JALAL

Tears of joy, tears of sorrow and an end (hopefully) to Gaza’s long war

WORLD

THE minutes passed unbearably slowly as I sat with my family inside our small tent in the Nuseirat area of the Gaza Strip on the evening of 8 October. That tent had become our only refuge after we were displaced from our city, Gaza, in mid-September. We were following news updates with anxious hearts, waiting for any word about the ongoing negotiations to reach a ceasefire agreement in Gaza. Two voices wrestled inside me: one fearful of yet another disappointment, and the other whispering with faint confidence that this time would be different – that the involvement of Arab and…

Oct

13

2025

By DALE PANKHURST

Hamas at a crossroads as the Gaza ceasefire deal comes into force

WORLD

AFTER two years of war, Israel and Hamas have agreed on the “first phase” of a US-backed peace plan for Gaza. The deal, if it holds, will involve the release of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners, the withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza and the entry of aid into the enclave. The president of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas, has welcomed the news. He has expressed hope that the deal acts as a “prelude to reaching a permanent political solution” between Israel and Palestine. But what lies ahead for Hamas? A clause in the wider peace plan calls for the…

Oct

13

2025

By JAMES HORNCASTLE

A pro-democracy Venezuelan politician wins this year’s Nobel Peace Prize. Is it a rebuke to Trump?

WORLD

IN 2025, United States President Donald Trump made a concerted and high-profile push for the award to cement his dubious legacy. Although many people found his demands for the award laughable, there is precedent for politics overstepping the reality of an individual’s contribution. U.S. President Barack Obama received the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize for “extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and co-operation between peoples.” But in reality, Obama had accomplished little to justify the award at that point of his political career just a year into his historic presidency. Instead, the best justification that the committee chairman could offer was…

Oct

11

2025

By OWN CORRESPONDENT

A fragile dawn: Palestinians stream home as Gaza ceasefire takes hold

WORLD

THE roads of Gaza are alive again, but not with the sounds of war. For the first time in two years, thousands of displaced Palestinians are streaming back towards their homes, their faces etched with a mixture of hope, exhaustion, and trepidation as a newly announced ceasefire between Israel and Hamas takes effect and Israeli troops begin their promised withdrawal from parts of the devastated territory. The scenes unfolding along Al-Rashid Street and throughout the Gaza Strip paint a portrait of a population caught between jubilation and devastation — celebrating the silence of guns while confronting the ruins of everything…

Oct

11

2025

By The African Mirror

Nobel committee snubs Trump despite Gaza ceasefire, awards Venezuelan opposition leader

WORLD

OSLO — In a stunning rebuke that has ignited fierce controversy, the Norwegian Nobel Committee on Friday awarded its Peace Prize to Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado, bypassing U.S. President Donald Trump despite his role in brokering a ceasefire agreement in Gaza just days earlier. The decision came amid widespread speculation that Trump would finally receive the honour that has eluded him throughout his political career, fueled by this week's approval of his plan to halt the devastating conflict in the Gaza Strip. Instead, the committee chose to recognise Machado's struggle against authoritarian rule in Venezuela, a decision the…

Oct

11

2025

By MARIKA SOSNOWSKI

The Gaza ceasefire deal could be a ‘strangle contract’, with Israel holding all the cards

WORLD

THERE are jubilant scenes in both Gaza and Israel after both sides in the war have agreed to another ceasefire. If all goes well, this will be only the third ceasefire to be implemented by Israel and Hamas, despite there being numerous other agreements to try to stop the violence. There is a lot to be happy about here. Most notably, this ceasefire will bring a halt to what has now been established as a genocidal campaign of violence against Palestinians in Gaza, the release of all hostages held by Hamas, and the resumption of aid into Gaza to alleviate…

Oct

10

2025

By MICHAEL TOOLE

Child famine has reached the highest level in Gaza, with tens of thousands of kids affected – new study

WORLD

MORE than 54,000 children aged under five in Gaza are suffering acute malnutrition, including more than 12,800 who are severely malnourished, according to a study published in The Lancet on Wednesday. When more than 15% of the population experiences acute malnutrition, the World Health Organisation classifies this as “very high” – its most severe category. In August, the overall rate of acute malnutrition among study participants in Gaza was 15.8%. Rafah consistently had the highest acute malnutrition rate across the 20-month study period to August 2025, reaching 32% of children in December 2024. Acutely malnourished children are at higher risk…

Oct

09

2025

By ERIC REIDY

“The backlash of the powerful”: Two years of Israel’s war in Gaza and the crisis of international law

WORLD

AFTER two years, an end to Israel’s military campaign and siege of the Gaza Strip is perhaps closer than at any other point. Regardless of what happens next, the damage and destruction already wrought have been immense and will have impacts that will continue to be felt for years, if not decades, to come. Palestinians in the Gaza Strip have borne the brunt of the Israeli campaign, which an ever-growing consensus of international legal experts and rights organisations view as a genocide. But the international system of norms, laws, and institutions that has been developed over time to mitigate the…

Oct

10

2025

By MICHELE TESTONI

Europe isn’t prepared for the unmanned aircraft threat. Will its ‘drone wall’ be enough?

WORLD

AS Moscow’s military offensive grinds on at Europe’s eastern edge, tensions are skyrocketing on the continent due to repeated, brazen violations of European airspace deliberately orchestrated by Russia. Europe has announced counter-measures in the form of a “drone wall” to combat this new threat. Between September 9 and 10, 19 drones were spotted entering Polish airspace. A NATO-led air defence response was immediately activated, with Polish F-16s and Dutch F-35s scrambled on a quick reaction alert mission. Three of the drones were shot down, while at least eight others crashed within Polish territory. Another drone penetrated as far as 260km…