WORLD - The African Mirror

Jul

22

2025

How drones are changing the way wars are fought

WORLD

BOTH Israel and Iran used drones in the strikes that began between the two countries in June. Israel introduced drones into Iran to hit targets, while Iran launched roughly 100 aimed at Israel. Ukraine also recently carried out Operation Spider Web, consisting of attacks by 100 drones deployed from air bases deep inside Russian territory. Ukraine destroyed several strategic bombers by transporting drones in civilian trucks. These two examples show how the use of armed drones, although not new, is now growing. Drones have been used for more than a decade for reconnaissance or targeted elimination, but are now playing…

Jul

21

2025

By ROBERT DOVER

Trump’s changing stance on Epstein files is testing the loyalty of his MAGA base

WORLD

DURING his 2024 US presidential election campaign, Donald Trump repeatedly said he would declassify and release the files related to Jeffrey Epstein, the disgraced financier who died in prison in 2019 while awaiting his sex trafficking trial. The so-called Epstein files are thought to contain contacts, communications and – perhaps most crucially – flight logs. Epstein’s private aircraft was the means by which to visit what has been later termed “paedophile island”, where he and his associates allegedly trafficked and abused children. Conspiracy-minded Trump supporters, many of whom believe Epstein was murdered by powerful figures to cover up their roles…

Jul

21

2025

By The African Mirror

The Sleeping Prince: A story of love beyond time

WORLD

IN the quiet corridors of King Abdulaziz Medical City in Riyadh, a father's footsteps echoed for more than twenty years. Every day, Prince Khaled bin Talal Al Saud would walk the same path, his heart heavy yet hopeful, to sit beside his son's bedside. There lay Prince Al Waleed bin Khaled bin Talal Al Saud - once a bright-eyed teenager with dreams as vast as the Arabian sky, now known throughout the kingdom as the "Sleeping Prince." The year was 2003. Fifteen-year-old Prince Al-Waleed was studying as a military cadet in London, his future stretching before him like an unwritten…

Jul

19

2025

By The African Mirror

150,000 Rohingya refugees flee to Bangladesh as Myanmar violence escalates, UN warns of humanitarian collapse

WORLD

GENEVA – The UN refugee agency warned that essential services for nearly one million Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh are on the brink of collapse as 150,000 new arrivals over the past 18 months push the world's largest refugee camp beyond its breaking point. The massive influx to Cox's Bazar represents the largest movement of Rohingya refugees from Myanmar since 2017, when 750,000 fled deadly violence in Rakhine State. Targeted violence and persecution continue to drive thousands from their homes as conflict rages across Myanmar. "This movement of Rohingya refugees into Bangladesh, spread over months, is the largest from Myanmar since…

Jul

19

2025

By The African Mirror

UN condemns Israeli forces for killing nearly 1,000 Palestinians in West Bank

WORLD

ISRAELI security forces and settlers have killed at least 964 Palestinians in the occupied West Bank since October 7, 2023, including a two-year-old girl shot in the head inside her home, the United Nations human rights office reported. The escalating violence has displaced over 30,000 Palestinians through military operations and forced demolitions, while settler attacks have surged 13 percent in the first half of 2025, according to UN data presented at a Geneva briefing. "Israeli settlers and security forces have intensified their killings, attacks and harassment of Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, in the past weeks,"…

Jul

19

2025

By ROBIN R. MURPHY and THOMAS MANZINI

Why drones and AI can’t quickly find missing flood victims, yet

WORLD

FOR search and rescue, AI is not more accurate than humans, but it is far faster. Recent successes in applying computer vision and machine learning to drone imagery for rapidly determining building and road damage after hurricanes or shifting wildfire lines suggest that artificial intelligence could be valuable in searching for missing persons after a flood. Machine learning systems typically take less than one second to scan a high-resolution image from a drone, versus one to three minutes for a person. Plus, drones often produce more imagery to view than is humanly possible in the critical first hours of a…

Jul

18

2025

By ALI MAMOURI

Why is Israel bombing Syria?

WORLD

CONFLICT in Syria has escalated with Israel launching bombing raids against its northern neighbour. It follows months of fluctuating tensions in southern Syria between the Druze minority and forces aligned with the new government in Damascus. Clashes erupted in the last few days, prompting Israeli airstrikes in defence of the Druze by targeting government bases, tanks, and heavy weaponry. Israel Minister Amichai Chikli has called the Syrian president, Ahmed al-Sharaa – a terrorist, a barbaric murderer who should be eliminated without delay. Despite the incendiary language, a ceasefire has been reached, halting the fighting – for now. Syrian forces have…

Jul

18

2025

By PILAR EIRENE DE PRADA

Genocide’s legal limitations: what the Srebrenica massacre can teach us about Gaza

WORLD

THIS July marks the thirtieth anniversary of the Srebrenica massacre, which took place in a mountainous enclave in eastern Bosnia and Herzegovina, near the Serbian border. Between July 6 and 11, 1995, over 8,000 Bosniak Muslim men and children were killed by Bosnian Serbs in what the UN had declared a “safe area” under direct protection from blue-helmet peacekeepers. The scenes broadcast by war journalists sent shockwaves through the world and marked a turning point for the West’s collective consciousness. Today, as images from Gaza re-ignite the debate on what constitutes genocide, it is imperative that we look back at…

Jul

18

2025

By MARISSA MARTINEZ

High prices, blackouts and half the money: Inside Puerto Rico’s stagnant food aid system

WORLD

This story was originally reported by Marissa Martinez of The 19th. Meet Marissa and read more of their reporting on gender, politics and policy. SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — Arriving two hours early to a morning food bank drive, only to be the 320th person in line. Anticipating food spoilage from apagones, the common energy blackouts that can sweep swaths of Puerto Rico at a moment’s notice. Scouring shoppers — deal pamphlets found at supermarket entrances — to maximise every penny of a tight budget in a territory where regular retail coupons often aren’t accepted. Grocery shopping in Puerto Rico while on…

Jul

17

2025

By The African Mirror

Gaza: 875 people now confirmed dead trying to source food in recent weeks

WORLD

NEARLY 900 people have been killed in Gaza in recent weeks trying to fetch food, with most deaths linked to private aid hubs run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), the UN human rights office, OHCHR, said. “As of 13 July, we have recorded 875 people killed in Gaza while trying to get food; 674 of them were killed in the vicinity of GHF sites,” said Thameen Al-Kheetan, OHCHR spokesperson. The remaining 201 victims were killed while seeking food “on the routes of aid convoys or near aid convoys” run by the UN or UN-partners still operating in the war-shattered…