Continued….The surge in action against the Democratic Party’s presumed presidential nominee has come as Israel has killed more than 30,000 Palestinians—more than 70 per cent of whom are women and children—since the 7 October escalation in the 75-year Palestine-Israel conflict. Despite this, Tel Aviv has continued to say the bombardments are meant to eliminate H*m*s militants.

In January, the International Court of Justice slapped provisional measures against Israel, saying its actions were ‘plausibly’ in violation of the 1948 United Nations Genocide Convention.

The vice president was speaking in Selma, Alabama, during the commemoration of ‘Bloody Sunday.’ That is when Alabama state troopers and a common-law posse used batons and tear gas to attack about 600 primarily Black civil-rights marchers 59 years ago on the Edmund Pettus Bridge.

What do you think of Harris’ call for a ceasefire? Let us know in the comments.

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The United States has sanctioned Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa; his wife, Auxillia; nine government officials and three companies for alleged human rights violations and corruption. In a twist, the US lifted 2003 sanctions imposed in response to late President Robert Mugabe's 2000-01 land redistribution campaign.

US Deputy Treasury Secretary Wally Adeyemo announced the fresh sanctions on 4 March, saying they were meant to punish the 'criminal network' around Mnangagwa. However, Zimbabwean spokesperson Nick Mangwana doubted the country's pain would dissipate, saying on X, 'We are all under sanctions.'

Continued….Some online have asked why Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is not being sanctioned for overseeing a five-month military operation in Gaza, despite the International Court of Justice imposing provisional measures in January to stop what it has referred to as 'plausibly' genocidal acts. Further, the United Nations has alleged that US-aligned Rwandan President Paul Kagame backs militant group M23, whose attacks have been blamed for displacing millions in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Let us know if you think the new 'targeted sanctions' will ease Zimbabwe's economic crisis.

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NETANYAHU: A TERRORIST BY HIS OWN DEFINITION?

A much younger Benjamin Netanyahu once defined ‘terrorism’ as “the murder, maiming and menacing of civilians for political goals.”

Speaking in 1986 about his book ‘Terrorism - How the West Can Win,’ the then-36-year-old Permanent Israeli Ambassador to the UN added that those who use terrorism as part of their policy end up becoming “masters of terrorist states.”

Continued….Now 74, Netanyahu has overseen a brutal five-month campaign to purportedly eliminate H*m*s in Gaza, killing over 30,000 Palestinians, 21,000 of them women and children. The International Court of Justice ruled in a case brought by South Africa against Israel that Tel Aviv’s actions in Gaza are plausibly genocidal. The blockade of Gaza - beginning in 2007 and intensified since October 7th, 2023 - has harmed thousands of innocent children through hunger and lack of medicine. And the World Food Programme is warning that Gazans are now on the brink of famine.

Has Prime Minister Netanyahu - and the State of Israel - become an example of his own, almost-40-year-old definition of ‘terrorism’?

Let us know in the comments.

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U.S. SANCTIONS AGONIZE ZIMBABWEANS

On 4 March, the US government announced it had lifted sanctions imposed on Zimbabwe more than two decades ago. According to a US Treasury press release, the discarded measures are being replaced with ‘targeted’ measures that purportedly only affect President Emmerson Mnangagwa, his wife, nine officials and three entities.

Some see a long struggle bearing fruit. For years, African leaders and activists had been calling for 2003 sanctions to be done away with because they had been hurting ordinary Zimbabweans and causing migration into neighbouring countries. However, one Zimbabwean official doubted the country’s pain would dissipate with targeted sanctions. “We are all under sanctions,” government spokesperson Nick Mangwana reiterated on X.

African Stream published an exclusive interview in October with Xavier Zavare, chairperson for the United Kingdom district of the ruling party, Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF).

Continued….He broke down the history of sanctions and how they detrimentally affect ordinary Zimbabweans.

Officially known as the ‘Zimbabwe Democracy and Economic Recovery Act’ (Zidera), they were put in place to ‘support the people of Zimbabwe in their struggle to effect peaceful, democratic change.’ However, many see the sanctions as retribution for the country’s land reform program that was carried out in the late 1990s to redress British settlers seizing more than two-thirds of Zimbabwean land, despite making up less than 4 per cent of the population. Land reform was a key part of the 1979 Lancaster House Agreement that led to the independence of Zimbabwe in 1980. During the talks, the British and US governments committed to help fund a program to ensure equitable land distribution in the southern African nation. However, they later reneged on their promise, forcing the government of Zimbabwe to go it alone.

According to a US-based group called Sanctions Kill, 39 countries—or one-third of humanity—suffer under some form of US sanctions. The group says 19 sanctioned countries are in Africa.

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PT. 1: WILL BLACK VOTERS FALL FOR TRUMP’S GOLDEN SNEAKERS?

Republican frontrunner and former President Donald Trump’s $399 golden sneakers are apparently all it takes to win Black people’s confidence at election polls. These recent comments from a Fox News presenter set off a firestorm of social media posts.

African Stream’s journalists sat down to deconstruct the US mainstream perception of the Black vote, which could swing a presidential election.

Continued….Black people’s votes helped put US President Joe Biden in the White House in 2020. The 81-year-old president has not kept his promises and is now presiding over a struggling economy. Many fear his foreign policy risks starting World War III, between the Russia-Ukraine proxy war and his administration’s continued support for Israel as it bombards the Gaza Strip, the West Bank and neighbouring countries. Plus, other US-enabled conflicts, such as in Sudan and Yemen, among others, have destabilised whole regions.

Today, the stakes couldn’t be higher, with the November election fast approaching.

Have a watch on our official YouTube channel and share your thoughts.

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THE SIDE OF AFRICA WESTERN MEDIA WANTS YOU TO SEE

The Western narrative on Africa, particularly when it comes to the media, is always a recurrent illustration of poverty, disease-stricken and rural areas. These two brothers brilliantly illustrated what many of us have been thinking for a long time. It isn’t by accident, but rather by design. As illustrated in this satirical clip, it is not that the Western media don’t know any better but instead have a vested interest in keeping Africa portrayed this way.

Why do you think so many Western media outlets often only show a negative side of Africa?

Leave your thoughts below.

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Italy has become increasingly anti-refugee and anti-migrant under the leadership of Giorgi Meloni’s far-right government - but rights groups have expressed relief after the country’s top court ruled that it is illegal to return seaborne newcomers to Libya. Activists say it’s implicit recognition that Libya is too dangerous - and that those fleeing the country for Europe should be offered shelter and support.

One serious danger is human traffickers who operate along Libya’s coast. The gangs round up migrants and torture and rape them in makeshift prisons, demanding ransom from families. Libyan coastguards are accused of being in cahoots with the traffickers. Captured migrants who die from the abuse are dumped in the desert.

Incidentely, Italy has funnelled millions into the Libyan maritime authority in a bid to stop migrants from leaving.

Do you think the high-court ruling will change how newcomers are treated in Italy?

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NKRUMAH’S AMAZING DEEDS

As the clock struck midnight on 6th March, 1956, the British Union Jack flag was lowered at Accra’s polo grounds and replaced with a new flag consisting of red, green and yellow horizontal strips and a black star in the centre. This ceremony, which was witnessed by multitudes of excited Africans, marked the end of British colonialism in what was then-known as the Gold Coast - and the birth of a new nation known as Ghana. It was a momentous occasion, not just for the people of the new nation but for the entire continent, as it indicated that the winds of freedom that had first gathered in the northern part of Africa were sweeping southwards.

Continued….Ghana’s story can never be fully told without mention of the man who raised the new flag on that day 68 years ago. That man was Kwame Nkrumah - the country’s first post-independence leader. He lived an incredible life, dedicated to the liberation of African people at home and abroad. His accomplishments aren’t as well known as they should be - so, as part of marking the country’s Independence Day, we’ve collected together some of the main ones.

Share, and let us know your favourite Nkrumah facts in the comments… perhaps we can build a Kwame encyclopaedia there!

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A PICTURE IS WORTH A THOUSAND WORDS!

A video of a security officer training his gun on US airman Aaron Bushnell as he lies burning on the ground during his self-immolation protest in front of the Israeli embassy in Washington, DC has gone viral - and judging by the comments, for many, it represents the twisted priorities that have led to the awful war in Gaza: placing security even before humanity. Many drew parallels to the treatment of Palestinians by Israel and its allies.

Out of respect, we have chosen to blur only to show a still - but it remains a powerful, disturbing image.

The unnamed officer, who could be an American policeman or an Israeli embassy guard, chose protocol over human empathy and kept his firearm aimed at Bushnell. Another security officer in the video can be heard shouting, “I need fire extinguishers, not guns!”

Continued….Bushnell had said he intended to engage in an “extreme form of protest” against his country’s aiding and abetting what he called genocide against Palestinians.

The U.S. has vetoed UN ceasefire proposals three times and has so far failed to use its leverage with Tel Aviv to halt the war.

According to the Wall Street Journal, the US has provided about 21,000 precision-guided munitions to Israel since October 7th, 2023 - including 2,000-pound ‘bunker buster’ bombs.

What are your reactions to this image?

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FATHER OF PAN-AFRICANISM IN AFRICA

Ghana gained its independence from the British on this day in 1957. Its founding father, Kwame Nkrumah, is very influential among Pan-Africanists today. He could have sold out like Mobutu or Compaoré, but was firmly devoted to the freedom of the motherland from all forms of exploitation, especially imperialism. This inevitably made him a target, and the CIA engineered a coup while he was on a trip to China. An avid thinker and writer, one of his most famous books is ‘Neocolonialism - The Last Stage of Imperialism.’

As Africans work towards building a shared future, we highlight Nkrumah’s contribution to Pan-African thought, and explain why many hail him as the father of Pan-Africanism. We honour his memory today by pushing on with the struggle he partook in to free Africa for the benefit of its people.

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MICK WALLACE: ‘E.U. BACKS MOROCCO OCCUPYING WESTERN SAHARA’

In supporting Morocco, the European Union is denying Africans in Western Sahara their right to self-determination, according to Mick Wallace, Irish Member of the European Parliament.

In this clip recently posted on his X account, Wallace ripped into the EU’s support for Morocco’s occupation of Western Sahara. The EU has been providing aid to Morocco, while Western Sahara sued the EU in 2023 for not including the territory’s representatives in negotiations over a multi-million euro fisheries deal off part of its 1,110-kilometre coast, which contains plentiful fish and offshore oil and gas resources.

Continued….Through occupation, Morocco also controls about 70 per cent of the world’s phosphate deposits, required for fertiliser production. Western renewable energy companies, such as Siemens and Enel, and the Moroccan king’s energy company, Nareva, already operate wind farms there.

So far, a UN-mandated referendum to determine the disputed territory’s future has yet to take place.

Please let us know what you make of Wallace’s comments.

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REPORTS: NYT MADE UP H*M*S SEX CRIMES

The New York Times falsely reported H*m*s weaponised sexual violence during a 7 October attack on Israel. That’s according to the reportage of independent news outlets such as @intifada, @thegrayzonenews and @mondoweiss. They revealed that one of the article’s co-authors, Anat Schwartz, is a former Israeli military officer with no journalism experience.

Here, online show @breakingpointsn breaks down what happened.

But, what’s your take? Let us know in the comments.

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RACISM IN THE FRENCH PARLIAMENT

With the EU’s European Parliament elections coming up in June, the issue of immigration has taken centre-stage in a number of countries - including France. Its right-wing National Rally party, once led by Marine Le Pen, has vowed to make the vote “a referendum on being swamped by migrants” - in the words of its current president Jordan Bardella.

With the party predicted to enjoy a surge at the ballot, here’s a reminder of what it really stands for. In this clip from 2022, one of its MPs heckles a Black deputy with the cry of, “Go back to Africa!”

Not only does such shameless racism at the highest level ignore the many African families who’ve been part of the European project for generations, it ignores the root reasons why many chose to come to countries like France in the first place - namely, the neocolonial practices that have kept their homelands in poverty (for example, the pittance Paris pays for Nigerien uranium).

Continued…..The “Go back to Africa!” jibe has extra irony when your remember that France and its military have been trying desperately to cling on and stay in Africa, especially in the Sahel - only bowing to demands to pull out of Niger, for example, last December (after Niamey halted croissant deliveries to their base!). Macron had also sworn his ambassador to the country was going nowhere, and it took an active siege by thousands to get the envoy to return to Paris.

So, instead of racist Europeans telling Blacks to go back to Africa, why doesn’t Europe just stop meddling in Africa’s affairs and give back what it stole?

Do you think Europe’s racist parties will win big in the European elections?

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