Aboriginal leader says Australia’s voice referendum should be called off
An Australian senator of Aboriginal origin has said the country’s planned referendum on an Indigenous “voice” to parliament is just “window dressing” and should be called off. Lidia Thorpe, who is an independent Australian senator and one of the most prominent Aboriginal politicians, voiced her opposition to the proposal at the National Press Club in Sydney on August 16. “The voice is the...
A new hub for ‘anime’ is born in Southern Africa
Zambia, well known for its copper, emeralds, and other pricey gems, may soon have a new feather in its cap as a hub for aspiring Zambian artists and other creators eager to try their hand in the newest Anime scene. For this, capital city Lusaka has been drawing from an immense well of artistic talent to be found in southern...
Coups or revolution? African nations at a crossroads and throwing off Western colonial shackles
Military leaders in the Central African nation of Gabon announced that they had taken power, ousted the government, and placed its longtime President Ali Bongo under house arrest. The officers introduced themselves as members of the Committee of Transition and the Restoration of Institutions (CTRI). They annulled the official results from the Aug. 26 presidential election, closed borders, and...
UN General Assembly tells U.S. to end the Cuban embargo
UNITED NATIONS (FinalCall.com) - For the 12th straight year, the United Nations General Assembly voted on November 4 against Washington's four-decade-old economic embargo against Cuba. This year, the General Assembly gave the resolution its largest plurality, urging the Bush administration to end the trade and travel sanctions against its Caribbean neighbor, with a vote of 179 in favor, three...
Collective commitment needed to end the ‘poison’ of racism: UN cultural chief says
With the Covid-19 pandemic providing fertile ground for the resurgence of racism and discrimination, the head of the UN’s educational and cultural agency, UNESCO, called on March 22 for countries to stand united in what she described as “these testing times.” Addressing the Paris-based agency’s Global Forum on Racism, Director-General Audrey Azoulay said racism “is the calling card of populist and xenophobic groups,” while hate speech is becoming increasingly pervasive on social...
Zimbabwe sanctions resolution fails
UNITED NATIONS (FinalCall.com) - A draft resolution calling for sanctions on Zimbabwe, including a travel ban and freezing the assets of President Robert Mugabe and 12 other individuals, was not adopted by the 15-member UN Security Council on July 11. Permanent Security Council members China and Russia vetoed the text with South Africa, Libya and Vietnam voting against the resolution. The...
U.S. role in Africa driven by lust for resources, not fear of terrorism
The senior military leader of the United States Africa Command (AFRICOM) recently expressed fears of an increasing danger of terrorist groups active throughout the continent. But the reality behind why the U.S. is moving in the Motherland is not linked solely to fear of terrorists. General Stephen J. Townsend expressed concerns to journalists at the completion of U.S. led war...
Pan-African solidarity in the midst of a crisis Final Call Covid-19, Africa forum unites experts across continent with audience in U.S.
WASHINGTON—According to recent figures published by Johns Hopkins University, over 2.7 million cases of Covid-19 have been detected worldwide, with 192,019 deaths and 752,148 people now recovered. In Africa, Nigeria has logged about 981 cases and 31 deaths; South Africa about 3,953 cases and 75 deaths; Ghana about 1,279 cases and 10 deaths and Kenya about 336 cases and 14 deaths. Those numbers may seem...
Controversy ignites as comedian Kevin Hart says Blacks were kings in Egypt
“History is above all our studies the most attractive and best qualified to reward our research. As it develops the springs and motives of human actions and displays the consequence of circumstances, which operates most powerfully on the destinies of the human being.” —The Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad According to Middle East Eye, some Egyptians have taken the term...
Sudan kicks off and extends elections
KHARTOUM, Sudan (FinalCall.com) - The first multiparty elections in over two decades in Africa's largest country will go ahead as planned despite the withdrawal of several opposition parties citing campaign irregularities. Presidential and legislative elections kicked off nationwide here as more than 16 million voters were scheduled to go to 120 voting centers across this vast nation and choose the...