WORLD - The African Mirror

Sep

26

2025

Aid workers around the world are in greater danger than ever. Will a new UN declaration protect them?

WORLD

AID workers face more difficult and dangerous conditions in carrying out their work than ever before. The United Nations declared 2024 the worst year on record, with 385 aid workers killed in 20 countries. That was, in turn, almost 100 more deaths than in 2023. As Deputy UN Emergency Relief Coordinator, Joyce Msuya briefed the UN Security Council: We have become numb to this violence. Being shot at is not – I repeat, NOT – part of our job. In 2025, 300 aid workers have been killed as of September. Most of these deaths were driven by unrestricted warfare in…

Sep

26

2025

By JAMES PATERSON

High-tech drones are changing warfare – terrorists may soon follow the same playbook

WORLD

IN June 2024, Ukraine shocked Russian forces with the surprise Operation Spiderweb, an unprecedented, coordinated drone strike deep inside Russian territory. More recently, as part of Operation Rising Lion, Israel used drones to destroy Iranian air defences in a highly coordinated opening attack. These operations were tactically successful, yet strikingly simple and inexpensive. They demonstrate the significant role drones have come to play on the battlefield. But the same low-cost, easily assembled drone technology could be repurposed by extremists. Policymakers need to act quickly by making it harder to purchase drone equipment, investing in methods to destroy drones in the…

Sep

25

2025

By DAVID CURRAN

‘Your countries are going to hell’: Trump’s UN speech explained by an expert

WORLD

THE assembled United Nations dignitaries gave Donald Trump 13 seconds of applause as he approached the podium for his address to the 80th anniversary general debate on September 23. They clapped for 20 seconds when he finished speaking. In between, having been asked to confine his remarks to 15 minutes (like all other speakers), the US president gave the room a lengthy address that lasted 57 minutes. It veered from the many shortcomings of the previous US administrations, to why UN migration policies were ruining the world, to the climate change “con job”, to a warning to the assembled leaders…

Sep

25

2025

By JACOB GOLDBERG

Christian Aid instructs staff not to refer to “genocide” in Gaza

WORLD

CHRISTIAN Aid, the faith-based anti-poverty charity headquartered in the UK, has instructed its staff not to refer to Israel’s actions in Gaza as genocide, according to internal documents and communications reviewed by The New Humanitarian. The directive overrides months of advocacy by staff to bring Christian Aid’s messaging in line with a growing international consensus that Israel’s mass killings and aid restrictions in Gaza amount to genocide. This story was originally published by The New Humanitarian.By Sumulia It also stands at odds with many of Christian Aid’s Palestinian partners at a time when the organisation is undergoing a major restructuring…

Sep

24

2025

By GEORGE KYRIS

The UK, France, Canada and Australia have recognised Palestine – what does that mean? Expert Q+A

WORLD

THE UK, France, Canada and Australia are among a group of nations that are moving to formally recognise the state of Palestine, like most other states have done over the years. This move is a major diplomatic shift and turning point in one of the world’s most intractable conflicts. Here’s what it means. What does it mean to recognise Palestine? Recognising Palestine means acknowledging the existence of a state that represents the Palestinian people. Following from that, it also means that the recogniser can develop full diplomatic relations with representatives of this state – which would include exchanging embassies or…

Sep

24

2025

By Manfred Zwecker

92% of Ukrainian civilian detainees tortured by Russian authorities, UN report reveals

WORLD

A devastating new United Nations report has documented systematic torture and abuse of Ukrainian civilians by Russian authorities in occupied territories, with 92% of interviewed former detainees reporting they were tortured during detention. The UN Human Rights Office documented 508 cases of civilian detention, conducting 216 interviews with released detainees between June 2023 and September 2025. The findings reveal a pattern of severe beatings, sexual violence, and psychological torture, including mock executions. "One detainee described to us being beaten so severely with a baseball bat that he begged to be shot. His captor instead laughed and beat his teeth with…

Sep

24

2025

By SAGE MEREDITH GOODWIN and OSCAR WINBERG

Even as Jimmy Kimmel returns to the airwaves, TV networks remain more vulnerable to political pressure than ever before

WORLD

“IS there any way we can screw him?” asked President Richard M. Nixon. “We’ve been trying to,” an aide replied, alluding to the White House’s efforts to remove from the airwaves an ABC talk show host whose critiques of the administration had placed that “son of a b—h” on the chief executive’s enemies list. Over 50 years ago, Nixon and his team sought to use the full weight of the federal government – with calls to network executives, Federal Communications Commission complaints, IRS audits and FBI investigations – to silence “The Dick Cavett Show.” Cavett, who seemed to personify the…

Sep

23

2025

By The African Mirror

A continent in turmoil: Anti-immigration protests sweep across Europe and the United States

WORLD

A wave of anti-immigration sentiment is crashing across Western democracies with unprecedented force, manifesting in violent protests that have overwhelmed police forces and sparked a parallel crackdown by immigration authorities. From the burning streets of The Hague to the detention centres filling across America, the politics of migration have reached a boiling point that threatens to reshape the social fabric of multiple nations. The Netherlands: When Police Lines Break The most dramatic scenes have unfolded in the Netherlands, where anti-immigration protesters have pushed law enforcement to its limits. On Saturday, September 20, 2025, what began as a demonstration at The…

Sep

23

2025

By The African Mirror

Women bear brunt of Afghanistan’s deadly earthquake as aid efforts face Taliban restrictions

WORLD

MORE than two weeks after a devastating 6.0 magnitude earthquake struck eastern Afghanistan, women and girls who make up the majority of victims face a deepening crisis as international aid efforts clash with Taliban restrictions on female humanitarian workers. At least 2,200 people died when the shallow quake hit Kunar province at midnight on August 31, collapsing houses built on steep hillsides. Women and girls accounted for more than half of those killed and injured, and represent 60% of the missing, according to UN Women. "While the major aftershocks have passed, women in affected areas are facing a long-term disaster…

Sep

23

2025

By AMIN SAIKAL

Is Benjamin Netanyahu on a mission to realise a Greater Israel?

WORLD

MUCH of the world is focused on a two-state solution in resolving the long-running Israeli-Palestinian conflict, but Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appears devoted to realising his vision of a “Greater Israel” instead. Netanyahu appears to be halfway through achieving this goal, despite all the international condemnation of his war in Gaza and the increasing isolation of Israel. The two-state solution now seems to be no more than a catchword for governments around the world that want to show their solidarity with the Palestinian cause at a time when Israel is hard at work to ensure the concept becomes totally…