WORLD - The African Mirror

Aug

06

2025

Gaza’s Humanitarian Catastrophe: When aid becomes a drop in an ocean of need

WORLD

IN Gaza today, arithmetic tells a story of unprecedented human suffering. The numbers are stark and unforgiving: 600 trucks of aid are needed daily to meet basic humanitarian needs for over 2 million people. The reality? A handful of convoys trickling through tactical pauses, carrying supplies that disappear like water into desert sand. "Everybody expects me to clap and say thank you," said Jens Laerke, spokesperson for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, his frustration cutting through diplomatic niceties. The bitter irony in his words captures the essence of Gaza's crisis – where gratitude is expected for…

Aug

06

2025

By PETER DRAPER and NATHAN HOWARD GRAY

It might seem like Trump is winning his trade war. But the US could soon be in a world of pain

WORLD

LAST week, US President Donald Trump issued an executive order updating the “reciprocal” tariff rates that had been paused since April. Nearly all US trading partners are now staring down tariffs of between 10% and 50%. After a range of baseline and sector-specific tariffs came into effect earlier this year, many economists had predicted economic chaos. So far, the inflationary impact has been less than many predicted. However, there are worrying signs that could all soon change, as economic pain flows through to the US consumer. Decoding the deals Trump’s latest adjustments weren’t random acts of economic warfare. They revealed…

Aug

06

2025

By The African Mirror

Can Syria rebuild its economy from the ashes of war?

WORLD

MORE than a decade of devastating conflict has left Syria’s economy in tatters, its infrastructure in ruins, and its population deeply fragmented. The fledgling transitional government in Damascus, which came to power following a lightning rebel offensive in December 2024, often speaks of a “new Syria”. But the pressing question remains: how long will recovery take? The numbers are stark. In 2011, the year war broke out, the World Bank estimated Syria’s GDP at around US$67.5 billion (£50.7 billion). Its most recent estimate, for 2023, puts GDP at US$20 billion – a drop of more than 70%. And these figures…

Aug

05

2025

By NIVEN WINCHESTER

New Trump tariffs: early modelling shows most economies lose – the US more than man

WORLD

THE global rollercoaster ride of United States trade tariffs has now entered its latest phase. President Donald Trump’s April 2 “Liberation Day” announcement placed reciprocal tariffs on all countries. A week later, amid financial market turmoil, these tariffs were paused and replaced by a 10% baseline tariff on most goods. On July 31, however, the Trump Administration reinstated and expanded the reciprocal tariff policy. Most of these updated tariffs are scheduled to take effect on August 7. To evaluate the impact of these latest tariffs, we also need to take into account recently negotiated free trade agreements (such as the…

Aug

05

2025

By JONATHAN ESTE

Will the latest diplomatic moves to end the war in Gaza work?

WORLD

IT feels as if things are moving at completely different speeds in Gaza and in the outside world. From the embattled Gaza Strip, the narrative is depressingly familiar. Dozens more Palestinian civilians have been killed in the past 24 hours as they try to get hold of scarce supplies of food. Aid agencies report that despite air drops of supplies and “humanitarian pauses” in the fighting, the amount of food getting through to the starving people of Gaza remains pitifully insufficient. Two more children are reported to have died of starvation, bringing the total number of hunger-related deaths to 159,…

Aug

04

2025

By The African Mirror

A River of Humanity: The Sydney Harbour Bridge march

WORLD

THROUGH sheets of rain that painted the steel girders silver, they came - tens of thousands strong, transforming Sydney's majestic Harbour Bridge into a canvas of human determination. The iconic arch, normally adorned with the colours of celebration, now bore witness to something far more profound: a river of humanity flowing across its span, carrying voices that would not be silenced by weather or distance. Against the backdrop of storm clouds that mirrored the gravity of their cause, the protesters moved like a living tapestry across the bridge's famous curve. Rain-soaked banners caught the wind, their messages streaming like battle…

Aug

04

2025

By CONOR O'KANE

Trump’s new tariff regime has begun after months of chaos and uncertainty. But is his approach working?

WORLD

THE beginning of August marks the latest deadline for U.S. President Donald Trump’s “liberation day” tariff policy. This era of chaos and uncertainty began on April 2, and the situation remains fluid. With the deadline for partners to secure a deal with Washington now passed, it’s a good time to take a broader view and consider if Trump’s trade gamble is paying off. The objectives of the tariff policy include raising tax revenues, delivering lower prices for American consumers, and boosting American industry while creating manufacturing jobs. The president has also vowed to get better trade deals for the US…

Aug

02

2025

By The African Mirror

The Great Deflection: How Trump weaponizes chaos to bury the Epstein bombshell

WORLD

IN the high-stakes theatre of American politics, few understand the art of misdirection quite like Donald Trump. As damaging revelations from the Jeffrey Epstein files threaten to engulf his presidency in scandal, Trump has unleashed what political observers are calling the most audacious distraction campaign in modern presidential history - a scorched-earth strategy designed to flood the zone with alternative controversies and conspiracy theories. The Eye of the Storm The Epstein scandal looms like a political hurricane over the Trump White House. Flight logs, unsealed documents, and mounting pressure for transparency have created a perfect storm that could shatter presidencies.…

Aug

02

2025

By AMIN SAIKAL

The Muslim world has been strong on rhetoric, short on action over Gaza and Afghanistan

WORLD

WHEN it comes to dealing with two of the biggest current crises in the Muslim world – the devastation of Gaza and the Taliban’s draconian rule in Afghanistan – Arab and Muslim states have been staggeringly ineffective. Their chief body, the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), in particular, has been strong on rhetoric but very short on serious, tangible action. The OIC, headquartered in Saudi Arabia, is composed of 57 predominantly Muslim states. It is supposed to act as a representative and consultative body, and make decisions and recommendations on the major issues that affect Muslims globally. It calls itself…

Aug

02

2025

By JULIANA GIL

Colombia’s surge in armed violence: How did we get here?

WORLD

This story was originally published by The New Humanitarian.By Juliana Gil COLOMBIA is in the midst of a dramatic surge in violence from armed conflict. Already this year, hundreds of people have been killed, tens of thousands trapped in their homes by fighting, and nearly 122,000 forcibly displaced. How did we get here? Less than 10 years ago, a 2016 peace deal between the government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) laid out a roadmap for bringing an end to the country’s decades-long civil war. And in 2022, current President Gustavo Petro rode into office on the popularity…