Washington - The African Mirror

Mar

2024

At a glance: US presidential nominating contests and delegates counts for March 12

PRESIDENT Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump could each net enough delegates in the next round of nominating contests on Tuesday to clinch their parties' nominations. In the Republican race, 161 delegates are up for grabs across the four states holding contests: Georgia, Hawaii, Mississippi and Washington. Trump, the sole remaining Republican candidate, already has secured 1,060 delegates and needs at least 1,215 to win the party’s nomination. On the Democratic side, Biden has faced no serious challenges and also appears likely to clinch his party's nomination after Tuesday's primaries. He has 1,553 delegates so far and needs 1,968…

Feb

2024

By The African Mirror

Iran won’t start a war but will respond to bullies, says president

WORLD

IRAN will not start a war but would "respond strongly" to anyone who tried to bully it, President Ebrahim Raisi said, a day after the U.S. said it was planning attacks on Iranian sites in Iraq and Syria. There has been mounting speculation this week about how Washington might retaliate after three U.S. soldiers were killed last Saturday in a strike on their base in Jordan by an Iranian-backed group. CBS News, citing U.S. officials, reported on Thursday that the United States had approved plans for multi-day strikes in Iraq and Syria against multiple targets, including Iranian personnel and facilities in those…

Dec

2023

By BASSAM MASOUD and NIDAL AL-MUGHRABI

Israel intensifies Gaza strikes, U.S. alarmed

WORLD

ISRAEL sharply stepped up strikes on the Gaza Strip, pounding the length of the Palestinian enclave and killing hundreds in a new, expanded phase of the war that Washington said veered from Israeli promises to do more to protect civilians. The Israeli military said on Friday it had struck more than 450 targets in Gaza from land, sea and air over the past 24 hours - the most since a truce collapsed last week and about double the daily figures typically reported since then. With most Gazans now displaced and unable to access any aid, hospitals overrun and food running…

Dec

2023

By The African Mirror

Henry Kissinger, dominant U.S. diplomat of Cold War era, dies aged 100

WORLD

HENRY Kissinger, the dominant U.S. diplomat of the Cold War era who helped Washington open up to China, forge arms control deals with the Soviet Union and end the Vietnam War but who was reviled by critics over human rights, has died at the age of 100. Kissinger, a German-born Jewish refugee whose career took him from academia to diplomacy and who remained an active voice in foreign policy into his later years, died at his home in Connecticut on Wednesday, his geopolitical consulting firm, Kissinger Associates Inc., said. Kissinger was at the height of his powers during the 1970s…

Jun

2023

By The African Mirror

Indian PM Modi meets tech CEOs as Washington visit concludes

WORLD

STEVE HOLLAND and SIMON LEWIS INDIAN Prime Minister Narendra Modi met with U.S. and Indian technology CEOs in Washington, the final day of a state visit marked by pledges of deeper U.S.-India cooperation on areas including space, artificial intelligence and quantum computing. President Joe Biden rolled out the red carpet for Modi on Thursday, declaring after about 2 -1/2 hours of talks that their countries' economic relationship was "booming." Trade has more than doubled over the past decade. Biden and Modi gathered with CEOs including Apple's Tim Cook, Google's Sundar Pichai and Microsoft's Satya Nadella. Also present were Sam Altman of OpenAI, NASA astronaut Sunita…

Mar

2023

By The African Mirror

Freed ‘Hotel Rwanda’ hero Rusesabagina leaves Kigali, reaches Qatar

NEWS

IMAD CREIDI and PHILBERT GIRINEMA PAUL Rusesabagina, who was portrayed as a hero in the film "Hotel Rwanda" about the 1994 genocide, has arrived in Qatar after being released from prison in Rwanda last week, Rwanda's government spokesperson said. Rusesabagina, a U.S. permanent resident, was sentenced in September 2021 to 25 years over his ties to a group opposed to Rwandan President Paul Kagame that has an armed wing. He was released on Friday after his sentence was commuted following months of negotiations between Washington and Kigali. Washington's historically close ties with Rwanda have been strained by Rusesabagina's detention and by U.S.…

Mar

2023

By The African Mirror

New chief judge in Washington to oversee secret Trump proceedings

WORLD

JACQUELINE THOMSEN A new judge takes over leadership of the U.S. trial court in Washington, inheriting oversight of secret proceedings involving special counsel criminal investigations into former President Donald Trump's retention of classified documents and efforts by him and his allies to undo his 2020 election loss. James "Jeb" Boasberg becomes chief judge of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, replacing Judge Beryl Howell as her seven-year term comes to an end. The chief judge has sole discretion over sealed federal grand jury proceedings. That means Boasberg will immediately take over responsibility for handling certain issues that may arise…

Mar

2023

By The African Mirror

Moscow, Washington trade blame after Black Sea drone crash

WORLD

PHIL STEWART, IDREES ALI and OLENA HARMASH MOSCOW told Washington to keep well away from its air space after a U.S. drone intercepted by Russian jets crashed into the Black Sea - the first known direct confrontation between the superpowers since Russia invaded Ukraine. While battles between Ukrainian troops and Russian forces raged on in eastern Ukraine, the Kremlin and Washington traded blame for Tuesday's incident, which took place in international air space near territory Russia claims to have annexed from Ukraine. "The Americans keep saying they're not taking part in military operations. This is the latest confirmation that they…

May

2021

By The African Mirror

Ethiopia accuses US of meddling

NEWS

GUILIA PARAVICINI ETHIOPIA has accused the United States of meddling in its affairs after Washington announced restrictions on economic and security assistance over alleged human rights abuses during the conflict in the northern Tigray region. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Sunday the restrictions were meant to push the parties involved to settle the conflict that erupted in November. Thousands have died in the fighting that has pitted Tigray's former ruling party, the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), against the Ethiopian federal government and allied forces from neighbouring Eritrea. Ethiopia's foreign ministry said that if the U.S. restrictions…

Jan

2021

By The African Mirror

Washington locks down, Delta bans guns to D.C. ahead of inauguration

WORLD

AS Washington locks down for President-elect Joe Biden's inauguration, Delta Air Lines put new restrictions on passengers to the U.S. capital on Thursday, while Democrats warned of possible political violence even after the January 20 swearing-in. Delta will not allow travellers flying to Washington area airports to check firearms on its flights before the inauguration, Chief Executive Ed Bastian said on Thursday. The actions follow the storming of the U.S. Capitol last week by supporters of President Donald Trump and disturbances on flights and at airports. Officials have warned of plans for armed protests in Washington and all 50 states.…