WORLD’S FIRST AUTO-TRANSLATOR EARBUDS

A Ghanaian-British engineer has invented the world’s first auto-translator earbuds. It means you can just put them on to understand dozens of different languages. Sounds like something out of Star Trek, but Danny Manu’s invention is literally translating conversations in real time.

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WESTERN DOUBLE-STANDARDS AT UN

The International Court of Justice recently ruled in favour of South Africa in mandating Israel to ensure it takes measures to prevent genocide in Palestine, much to the West’s chagrin. We look back to South Africa’s Foreign Minister Naledi Pandor’s comments regarding the West picking and choosing when to pay attention to African voices. Pandor argued that the war in Ukraine made people realise it’s high time to re-think the veto at the UN Security Council - and give greater weight to the General Assembly.

In the months leading up to the ICJ decision, the West has granted Israel political, military and economic cover as it continues a slaughter campaign against Palestinians in Gaza. The US has vetoed multiple calls for a ceasefire at the UN, conducted hundreds of weapon delivery flights to the occupation, and approved $14.5 billion in additional funding on top of the $3.5 billion given to Israel monthly.

Continued….Germany has also recently pledged 10,000 tank shells to be used against Palestinians fighting for their land.

Compare the active complicity in Israel’s massacre and the willingness to abuse the West’s position at the UN to support it to the wide range of measures imposed against Russia at the onset of Russo-Ukrainian hostilities. As always, your thoughts, please.

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NIGER CELEBRATES ECOWAS WITHDRAWAL

These jubilant scenes are from the streets of Niger after the country pulled out of ECOWAS. Neighbours Mali and Burkina Faso also announced their exit from West Africa’s regional bloc. All three have suffered under ECOWAS sanctions imposed after publicly-supported military coups. Their leaders accuse the 50-year-old bloc of moving away from the ‘ideals of its founding fathers and pan-Africanism.’ But the news shouldn’t have come as a great shock. Recently, the trio formed their own Alliance of Sahel States with the long-term goal of uniting under a confederation.

As for ECOWAS, it claims it wasn’t notified of the withdrawal, as its membership slumps to 12 states. A visible sign its influence in the region is being diminished. Our question to you: Has it got a future?

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RAMAPHOSA REACTS TO ICJ RULING

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has hailed the International Court of Justice (ICJ)’s 26 January provisional decision, which ordered Israel to take all possible measures to prevent genocidal acts in the Gaza Strip and allow the entry of humanitarian assistance. The president referred to it as an important step toward justice for Gazans. He also called on Israel to abide by the measures.

While many have welcome the ruling, some have expressed disappointment at the court’s failure to call for an immediate ceasefire.

South Africa’s and Israel’s legal teams gave remarks during public hearings held 11-12 January at the Hague on South Africa’s charge that Israel is violating the 1948 United Nations Genocide Convention. So far, Israel’s military operation has killed more than 26,000 people in the besieged enclave.

A final ruling may take years to issue.

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THANK THE COLONISER FOR ENGLISH?!!

African Stream recently took part in an event in Nairobi called ‘Hands off Haiti!’. It was organised by the Pan-African Socialist Alliance in opposition to Kenya’s planned deployment of 1,000 police officers to Haiti.

But also in attendance was a group claiming to represent the Africa4Haiti NGO, which supports the deployment. When our CEO Ahmed Kaballo questioned them about why they held their professed position, they had no answer - leading us to suspect they were a ‘hired crowd,’ paid to attend by some backer of the government’s plan.

Continued….Then our encounter became even more interesting. One of the Africa4Haiti ‘activists’ said he wanted to share a message with the Africans following our channel - he wanted to say ‘thank you’ to Africa’s former colonial masters for bringing us the English language! (He explained his gratitude by saying English allows Africans from all over the continent to communicate effortlessly with each other.)

It was very telling. Instead of arguing why Kenyan troops should or shouldn’t go to Haiti or why Haitians need our support, he instead decided to use his air time to ‘thank our colonial masters.’ This is an issue we see throughout Africa, where we see crowds for hire often sent by politicians or NGOs to events supporting an agenda that needs to be understood.

Have a watch, and let us know your thoughts on our encounters that day!

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BURKINA FASO, NIGER & MALI DEPART ECOWAS

Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger—members of the newly formed Alliance of Sahel States—announced during a 28 January televised joint statement that they are withdrawing from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). They accused the regional body of betraying its founding principles by imposing inhumane sanctions on the three countries after popular coups ousted Western-aligned leaders. The three states claim ECOWAS has become a threat to its members by serving foreign interests.

The 26 July coup in Niger is the latest event to have strained relations. ECOWAS had threatened military intervention to reinstate ousted President Mohamed Bazoum.

Continued….The body imposed a no-fly zone, suspended transactions and froze Niger's assets. Neighbouring Nigeria went a step further and cut off power to Niger. In the face of this, Mali and Burkina threatened a wider confrontation should Niger be invaded. Interestingly, recent coups in Chad and Gabon were not subjected to the same treatment, leading many to question what appear to be double standards.

The alliance is endowed with natural resources, such as uranium, oil and gold, as well as a strong livestock market. Insecurity has hampered stability, thus development. But, with each country booting the French military and other French entities, they are reporting more success in the fight to reclaim territorial integrity against so-called rebels. This also meant the end of unequal exchange with former colonisers, like France, that, for example, relied on Niger's uranium reserves to produce French electricity. This while 90 per cent of Nigeriens have gone without electricity.

Once an official notice is sent to ECOWAS, a withdrawal would take a year to finalise. Thus far, reports say the regional body has not received notification.

HUNDREDS MARCH AGAINST FEMICIDEIN KENYA

Thousands gathered in different parts of Kenya to protest a grim rise in killings of women in the country.

At least a dozen cases of femicide have been reported since the start of the year, prompting public outrage and debate.

Demonstrations were held in the biggest cities - including Nairobi, Mombasa and Kisumu. Men and women alike marched, carrying placards that called for an end to femicide and for better enforcement of laws.

Activists also want femicide to be legally recognised as a crime, saying that its conflation with murder does not account for the gender-based motivation for the killings.

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UGANDA FIRST LADY: SLAVERY PUNISHMENT FOR ENSLAVING JEWS

What led to the slave trade? Is it African hospitality and naivete? A power imbalance between Africa and Europe? A need for cheap labour for plantations in the Americas? If you ask Uganda’s First Lady and once-Minister of Education and Sports, Janet Museveni, African enslavement was divine punishment for the Biblical account that Egypt enslaved Hebrews.

That is the degree to which Zionist ideology has permeated African society. Take another example. In recent days, a Ugandan on the International Court of Justice—the first African woman to serve—was one of two judges to rule in the minority against South Africa’s genocide case against Israel.

Continued….While some believe Judge Julia Sebutinde was merely compromised, maybe just financially, an equally plausible explanation is that, like a significant number of Africans, she also subscribes to Museveni’s 2019 view. Even more unfortunate is that, had the plan to create a Jewish state in East Africa gone through, it would have been Africans in East Africa fighting against Israeli settler-colonialism.

What do you think of Museveni’s opinion?

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BURKINABE REACT TO ECOWAS EXIT

Burkina Faso, along with Mali and Niger, have dramatically quit the regional ECOWAS (Economic Community of West African States) bloc - which is widely seen as doing the West’s (especially France’s) bidding.

One recent thorn in the side of good relations was the reaction of ECOWAS to the coup in Niger. It imposed tough sanctions and threatened military action if the revolution wasn’t reversed - to which Bamako and Ouagadougou responded by declaring that any attack on Niamey would be an attack on them.

In Burkina Faso, there have been mixed reactions to the decision to leave ECOWAS. The country is pursuing closer ties with fellow anti-imperialist leaderships in Mali and Niger as part of the newly founded Alliance of Sahel States.

Continued….Some Burkinabe worry that exiting ECOWAS will harm people-to-people relationships by restricting migration and exchange. West Africa is home to the world's largest nomadic population, which travels regularly from the Sahel into coastal states and has done so long before the existence of colonial borders. Millions of Burkinabe live in Ivory Coast and thousands live in Ghana. The status of their freedom of movement and residency could now be threatened.

What are your thoughts?

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GENOCIDE RULING HAILED AND QUESTIONED

Here’s reaction in South Africa to last week’s UN court ruling that Israel must prevent acts of genocide in Gaza.

Palestine’s embassy in Pretoria and the ruling ANC party held a joint showing of the announcement by the International Court of Justice. But while South Africa’s government celebrated the ‘decisive victory’ for international law, questions still remain.

We caught up with Palestinian diplomat Hassona Aldramly, who lost ten members of his family in an Israeli air strike. He asks how the ICJ ruling will be enforced, while others want to know why the court did not insist on a ceasefire. Israel must report back to the court within a month regarding its compliance to the order.

Continued…The case of genocide against Israel was brought by South Africa in December. A final judgement could take years, but last week’s ‘provisional measures’ heap pressure on Tel Aviv.

In just over three months, more than 26,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israel’s bombardment and blockade of Gaza.

RIPPING INTO UK JOURNO RANT S.A. IS ANTISEMITIC

Time to push back against another claim that criticism of Israel is antisemitic. Here, we look at British author and commentator Douglas Murray use that tired label to describe South Africa’s government after it accused Israel of genocide in Gaza.

We remind him that Jews in South Africa were among the most prominent in the fight against apartheid. As Nelson Mandela put it, Jews are the most in tune for justice and equality because of their history with oppression.

And as for the definition of genocide, Murray thinks that an increase in Gaza’s population disqualifies Israeli war crimes from reaching the threshold of genocide.

Here’s the short version of our pushback. You can see the whole thing on our YouTube channel.

Comments welcome.

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DOES THE WEST VALUE AMAZON PACKAGES OVER HUMAN LIVES?

British journalist and filmmaker Myriam François recently blasted the West’s higher regard for open trade routes than for Palestinian lives.

Yemen’s Houthi rebels—officially known as Ansar Allah—have vowed to block Israeli ships from sailing through the Red Sea, part of a key global shipping lane, until Israel ends its bombardment and allows humanitarian aid into the Gaza Ship. So far, Israel has killed more than 26,000 Palestinians since the 7 October escalation in the Palestine-Israel conflict. The state also has ramped up a blockade that it initially imposed on Gaza in 2007.

The US and UK governments have come under fire for launching attacks on Yemen, the poorest country in West Asia. Western shoppers, accustomed to same-day and next-day deliveries, are now experiencing delays.

Help François roar louder by sharing your comments.

Video credit: @skynews and @yaldahakim

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BURKINA FOILS 'UMPTEENTH' COUP

Yet another coup has been foiled in Burkina Faso. Its military leaders say ‘outside’ commandos planned to topple President Traore. They also alleged soldiers and activists in the country were involved and had received foreign funding.

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In the run-up to Nigeria’s 2023 elections, then-candidate and now-president Ahmed Bola Tinubu promised the halt the rapid depreciation of the country’s currency.

However, nearly one year down the line, Tinubu’s promise rings hollow, as the naira has continued to shed value against major convertible currencies.

On 26th January, the naira hit a record low of ₦1,421 per USD on the (thinly traded) official market - before recovering to ₦891.

The Nigerian currency has been in free fall since 2014, despite concerted efforts by the current and previous administrations to stabilise it.

The volatility of the naira has led to the emergence of a parallel black market, where it’s traded for over ₦1,000 per USD since late 2023, while the official exchange rate pegged it at around ₦800.

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PLO LUMUMBA-TO TRAVEL OR NOT TO TRAVEL?

Last year, Kenyan President William Ruto was accused of globetrotting on the people’s backs, with expenditures rising by 113 per cent from the previous fiscal year, according to reports.

And, now, Nigeria’s new president, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has come under fire for exceeding a whole year’s travel budget in just six months. This comes as Nigeria’s coffers run short.

In January’s news wrap, we asked Professor PLO Lumumba about the exorbitant use of resources. The Pan-Africanist scholar had much to say.

What do you make of these expenditures? Hit us up in the comments.