WORLD - The African Mirror

May

22

2025

Diddy’s empire on trial: power, intimidation, and the voices that broke the silence

WORLD

IN a Manhattan federal courtroom, the carefully constructed facade of hip-hop mogul Sean Diddy Combs is crumbling piece by piece. The 55-year-old music titan sits at the defence table, his once commanding presence now diminished under the weight of testimony that paints a disturbing portrait of unchecked power, systematic abuse, and a web of silence bought with threats and money. For decades, Diddy reigned as hip-hop royalty, building a billion-dollar empire that extended far beyond music into fashion, spirits, and media. Now prosecutors allege this empire functioned as something far more sinister: a criminal enterprise designed to fulfil Diddy's darkest…

May

22

2025

By The African Mirror

UN life-saving aid allowed to trickle into Gaza as civilian needs mount

WORLD

AMID calls for more humanitarian trucks to enter the food and medicine-deprived Palestinian enclave of Gaza, UN humanitarians have received permission from Israel for “around 100” more aid trucks to cross into the Strip after only five were let in yesterday, But the scale of relief efforts allowed remains entirely insufficient to meet the urgent needs of people there, humanitarian workers say. “Not enough. Five trucks, nowhere near. Not enough,” said Louise Wateridge, a spokesperson for the UN relief and works agency for Palestine refugees (UNRWA), in reference to the number of trucks that could cross on Monday. She was speaking to journalists…

May

22

2025

By The African Mirror

UNHCR: Mass returns push Afghanistan to brink as aid dwindles

WORLD

UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, and partners are responding to the mass return of Afghans, even as funding is drastically reduced. Over 3 million Afghans have returned from neighbouring countries since September 2023. This year alone, 780,000 are estimated to have returned, including 351,600 who were deported. They return to a homeland that is clearly unprepared to receive them – a UNDP report found that three-quarters of the population lives at the subsistence level, and the UN estimates that half the population needs humanitarian assistance. To date, UNHCR, other UN agencies, and the international community have played a key role as…

May

21

2025

By HYERAN JO and ECE GÖZTEPE ÇELEBI

Trump’s lifting of Syria sanctions is a win for Turkey, too – pointing to outsized role middle powers can play in regional affairs

WORLD

PRESIDENT Donald Trump announced while in Saudi Arabia on May 14, 2025, that the United States would lift sanctions on Syria. The turnaround was a huge victory for the government of Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa as he attempts to consolidate power nearly six months on from his movement’s stunning toppling of the longtime regime of Bashar al-Assad. But it wasn’t all down to Syria lobbying on its own behalf. In announcing the policy shift, Trump largely attributed the shift to his Saudi hosts as well as Turkey. Both nations are longtime Assad foes who quickly championed al-Sharaa and have been…

May

21

2025

By The African Mirror

Press vests becoming a target – war reporter Christina Assi

WORLD

“I believe in nothing right now. Our press vests are turning us into targets, and it's becoming a death sentence for us,” said Christina Assi.On 13 October 2023, Ms. Assi, who was working as a photojournalist for Agence France Presse (AFP), lost her right leg after two Israeli air strikes targeted the exposed hillside where she and other colleagues were observing the ongoing conflict between Israeli forces and Hezbollah militants. This year’s commemoration of World Press Freedom Day on 3 May provided a moment to reflect on the fact that more journalists were killed in 2024 than in any other year since…

May

21

2025

By ALI M. LATIFI

What an 18-year-old Shah Rukh Khan sports movie says about India today

WORLD

This story was originally published by The New Humanitarian.By Ali M. Latifi ALMOST immediately after the 22 April attack that killed 26 people in Indian-administered Kashmir, India pointed its finger at regional rival Pakistan, alleging that the deadliest attack in the valley since 2019 had “cross-border linkages”. In the ensuing weeks, New Delhi has repeatedly used that accusation to target Pakistan with military strikes – dubbed Operation Sindoor – despite providing no clear evidence to support it. It hasn’t just been rockets that have been lobbed, though. A war of increasingly hostile words and threats is underway. For weeks now,…

May

20

2025

By DONALD ROTHWELL

1 in 5 Gazans face starvation. Can the law force Israel to act?

WORLD

AS Israel continues to pound Gaza with airstrikes, killing scores of people a day, the two-month ceasefire that brought a halt to the violence earlier this year feels like a distant memory. Israel’s overall military and political objective in Gaza hasn’t changed after 19 months of war: it is still seeking the absolute defeat of Hamas and the return of the remaining Israeli hostages. But it is unclear how Hamas will ever be militarily defeated unless there is a complete and unconditional surrender and the laying down of all arms. This appears unlikely, despite the success of Israel’s so-called “decapitation…

May

20

2025

By ALEX WATERMAN and M. SUDHIR SELVARAJ

India and Pakistan have agreed a precarious peace – but will it last?

WORLD

INDIA and Pakistan stepped back from the brink of catastrophe on May 10 after a US-brokered ceasefire brought rapidly escalating hostilities between the two countries to an end. But tensions are still running high. The Indian prime minister, Narendra Modi, said on May 12 that India has only “paused” its military action against Pakistan and would “retaliate on its own terms” to any attacks. The latest episode in the long-running conflict between these nuclear powers was triggered on April 22. Militants from a group known as the Resistance Front, which India says is a proxy for the Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorist group,…

May

19

2025

By The African Mirror

The Lifeline Denied: Gaza’s Humanitarian Crisis

WORLD

"ALL we see is a desperate need at all times," declared Dr. Margaret Harris, World Health Organisation spokesperson, her voice carrying the weight of countless testimonies from field workers across Gaza. "In the health sector, we've not seen aid diversion to Hamas. These accusations simply don't match reality." As Israeli strikes across Gaza claimed at least 64 more lives, UN officials stood firm against claims that humanitarian assistance was being redirected to Hamas militants—allegations being used to justify a crippling blockade that has lasted more than ten weeks. "If you had been in a coma for the last three years…

May

19

2025

By NIUSHA SHAFIABADY

Saudi Arabia has big AI ambitions. They could come at the cost of human rights

WORLD

THIS week, on his tour of the Middle East, United States President Donald Trump unveiled a suite of new deals with Saudi Arabia. Trump claimed the deals were worth more than US$1 trillion (A$1.5 trillion). This is likely an overestimate. What’s less murky is that many of these deals involve the development of artificial intelligence (AI) technology. This news came shortly after Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince and de facto ruler, Mohammed bin Salman, launched a new company known as Humain to develop and manage AI. The company is part of Saudi Arabia’s state-run investment firm, and is seeking to create…