WORLD - The African Mirror

Jun

18

2026

Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu have different war aims – can the Iran peace deal survive?

WORLD

THE clock is ticking on the Iran peace deal. A memorandum of understanding between Iran and the US is due to be signed in Geneva on June 19, allowing for a 60-day ceasefire extension and the opening of the strategically vital waterway, the Strait of Hormuz. But key questions remain unresolved that could yet scupper the agreement. For Washington and Tehran, the memorandum also includes Lebanon. Iran has made the signing of the deal contingent on an Israeli undertaking to withdraw from the territories it has occupied in southern Lebanon during the war. And the US president, Donald Trump, has…

Jun

18

2026

By AMANDA BECKER

As men fought in cages at the White House, women urged Americans to take a ‘deep breath’

WORLD

SPRINGFIELD, Ohio — Tina Koumoutsos was inside a downtown events space organizing postcards about voting rights for the women's issues group she leads for the county Democratic Party when she noticed a familiar face on the big screen Sunday night. "Oh, that's Jane Fonda!" Koumoutsos said as the actor and longtime liberal political activist kicked off "Rise Up, Sing Out," an event honoring free speech that was livestreamed during President Donald Trump’s birthday cage matches. “They come for one of us, by God, they come for all of us!” Fonda said — and Koumoutsos joined the chorus of cheers and…

Jun

17

2026

By BAMO NOURI and INDERJEET PARMAR

US‑Iran war: what the ‘peace deal’ really means

WORLD

THE announcement of a new agreement between the United States and Iran has been greeted with relief across global markets. Oil prices have eased, shipping insurers have relaxed and politicians have rushed to hail a diplomatic breakthrough. The memorandum of understanding, which both sides have agreed to and are expected to formally sign in Switzerland on June 19, has even been described by some as a peace deal that will formally end the conflict. Yet that risks overstating what has actually been achieved. What has reportedly been agreed is a diplomatic framework intended to guide future negotiations, not a peace…

Jun

17

2026

By MOHAMED AL-ASTAL

As a father in Gaza, the new home I am building for my children is a nylon tent

WORLD

THEY say time takes care of everything. Not in Gaza. Here, time is another enemy – it worsens everything it touches. How would time make displacement easier? Seasons come and go, and conditions grow harsher. How would time remove a father's helplessness at being unable to offer shelter to his family or a quiet room for his teenage daughter preparing for the exams that will define her future? This story was originally published by The New Humanitarian. By Mohamed al-Astal In October 2024, I successfully defended my PhD thesis. I prepared for it across endless nights in our tent in…

Jun

16

2026

By OWN CORRESPONDENT

Uprooted to Unstoppable: UNHCR’s Gamechanging XI turns World Cup spotlight on refugee resilience

WORLD

WHEN the 2026 FIFA World Cup spilled into stadiums across Canada, Mexico and the United States, it did more than stage the planet’s biggest football party. In a quieter corner of Manhattan, at the UN Visitors Lobby, the UN Refugee Agency turned the tournament’s glare toward another pitch: one where displacement, resilience and possibility meet. Uprooted to Unstoppable, a three-by-two–metre mural by Vancouver artist and former player Carling Jackson, arrived at the United Nations just as the World Cup opened. It does what strong public art must — it stops you, forces you to look and then insists you look…

Jun

16

2026

By OWN CORRESPONDENTS

Historic US-Iran peace deal divides Europe: Britain, France welcome breakthrough while demanding Iran never acquires nuclear weapons

WORLD

THE United States and Iran have signed a historic peace agreement to end nearly four months of war, centered on reopening the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz and launching 60 days of nuclear negotiations. The accord halts hostilities across all fronts—including Lebanon—but leaves Iran's nuclear program unresolved for future talks. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron have both welcomed the deal as a significant diplomatic breakthrough, yet their endorsements carry uncompromising conditions: Iran must never acquire nuclear weapons, and free navigation in the Strait of Hormuz must be restored without tolls or conditions. The Deal at…

Jun

16

2026

By OWN CORRESPONDENT

Gaza to Kyiv to Kinshasa: global attacks on schools surge 40% — 8,500 incidents, 10,600 victims in 2024–25 report

WORLD

ATTACKS on schools, students and teachers rose sharply worldwide in 2024–2025, with at least 8,500 incidents recorded - a surge of more than 40 percent from the previous two-year period - the Global Coalition to Protect Education from Attack (GCPEA) reported Monday. The group’s Education Under Attack 2026 report says the incidents injured or killed more than 10,600 education personnel and students across 83 countries, and notes that 55 of those countries were not in active armed conflict. GCPEA warned the real toll is likely higher because escalating fighting, shrinking humanitarian access and widespread information blackouts prevent many attacks from…

Jun

15

2026

By ANDREAS KRIEG

Trump has backed away from renewed war with Iran – here’s why

WORLD

THE US and Iran stepped back from the brink of returning to all-out war on June 11. Hours after saying the US military would carry out strikes against Iran for a third consecutive night, Donald Trump postponed the attack. The Iranian military had said the US would “receive a more severe response than before” if it followed through on its threats. Trump claimed to have cancelled the strikes because of progress in negotiations between the two countries. In a statement posted on social media, Trump said: “Discussions and final points have been, in both concept and great detail, approved by…

Jun

15

2026

By MARIEL PADILLA and JENNIFER GERSON

What women love about the ‘unapologetically masculine’ UFC

WORLD

IT was 2012, and Keta Meggett was an actor in Los Angeles trying to land an audition. There was one problem: The audition was in two days and the role required grappling — the art of controlling an opponent through physical holds, locks and leverage — but she had no idea what that was, let alone how to do it. A quick Google search told her it was related to Brazilian jiu-jitsu, so she reached out to a friend who could teach her the basics. This story was originally reported by Mariel Padilla and Jennifer Gerson of The 19th. Meet…

Jun

15

2026

By FRANK LEDWIDGE

Ukraine war now longer than the First World War – the similarities are unsettling

WORLD

THE war in Ukraine has now exceeded the First World War in duration. And while the comparison between these two conflicts is imperfect, it is becoming difficult to ignore. Some of the similarities are obvious. At the tactical level, the conflict in Ukraine has witnessed the return of artillery as the dominant arm of battle. During much of the first year of the war, artillery was responsible for the vast majority of casualties. Although drones have since transformed the battlefield, artillery remains indispensable to both sides. Equally striking has been the return of extensive trench systems. Not since the Iran-Iraq…