45 worshippers die in a road accident in Limpopo, South Africa.

 By Ruzeki, Shadoww News 

March 28, 2024 

An eight-year-old girl is the only survivor and was airlifted to hospital in a serious condition. 

According to SABC News, a bus plunged off a bridge into a ravine in Limpopo, South Africa, killing 45 of the 46 passengers on board. 

Christians around the world are sending condolences to the bereaved families and people of Botswana following this horrific bus crash. 

The worshipers perished after their bus lost control, plunged off a bridge and caught fire on the Mamatlakala mountain pass in South Africa. 

South Africa's authorities said the driver lost control of the bus and crashed through the barriers on a bridge in a mountainous area near Mamatlakala, north of Johannesburg. The bus then plunged 50 metres into a ravine before bursting into flames. 

The worshipers were travelling from Gaborone, Botswana to St Engenas ZCC in Moria, northern Limpopo province; for Easter festival. 

Here's our Easter wishes for you: 

During this Easter holiday, may the death and the resurrection of Jesus Christ inspire you and renew your hope. Bon Voyage and get there safe. 

Marcus Mosiah Garvey 1924 Poem: Hail, United States Of Africa

By Ruzeki, Shadow News 

February 3, 2024

"The journalist and black nationalist leader Marcus Garvey wrote a poem about it. The reggae great Bob Marley sang about it. And the Libyan hero Moammar Gadhafi poured his oil wealth into it. But none lived to see a United States of Africa."  According to The Wall Street Journal.

The United States of Africa is a concept of a federation of some or all of the 54 sovereign states and two disputed states on the continent of Africa. The concept takes its origin from Marcus Garvey's 1924 poem "Hail, United States of Africa". 

Hail, United States of Africa 

Hail! United States of Africa-free!

Hail! Motherland most bright, divinely fair!

State in perfect sisterhood united,

Born of truth; mighty thou shalt ever be.

Hail! Sweet land of our father's noble kin!

Let joy within thy bounds be ever known;

Friend of the wandering poor, and helpless, thou,

Light to all, such as freedom's reigns within.

From Liberia's peaceful western coast

To the foaming Cape at the southern end,

There's but one law and sentiment sublime,

One flag, and its emblem of which we boast.

The Nigeria's are all united now,

Sierra Leone and the Gold Coast, too.

Gambia, Senegal, not divided,

But in one union happily bow.

The treason of the centuries is dead,

All alien whites are forever gone;

The glad home of Sheba is once more free,

As o'er the world the black n-tan raised his head.

Bechuanaland, a State with Kenya,

Members of the Federal Union grand,

Send their greetings to sister Zanzibar,

And so does laughing Tanganyika.

Over in Grand Mother Mozambique,

The pretty Union Flag floats in the air,

She is sister to good Somaliland,

Smiling with the children of Dahomey.

Three lusty cheers for old Basutoland,

Timbuctoo, Tunis and Algeria,

Uganda, Kamerun, all together

Are in the Union with Nyasaland.

We waited long for fiery Morocco,

Now with Guinea and Togo she has come,

All free and equal in the sisterhood,

Like Swazi, Zululand and the Congo.

There is no state left out of the Union-

The East, West, North, South, including Central,

Are in the nation, strong forever,

Over blacks in glorious dominion.

Hail! United States of Africa-free!

Country of the brave black man's liberty;

State of greater nationhood thou hast won,

A new life for the race is just begun. 

Origin 

Garvey's ideas and formation systems deeply influenced former Africa leaders and the rebirth of the African Union. 

An influential advocate of Pan-Africanism, Kwame Nkrumah was a founding member of the Organization of African Unity. 

In February 2009, upon being elected chairman of the 53-nation African Union in Ethiopia, General Muammar Gaddafi told the assembled African leaders: "I shall continue to insist that our sovereign countries work to achieve the United States of Africa." 

THE HAGUE: The International Court of Justice (ICJ) holds public hearings in the case South Africa v. Israel

By Ruzeki, Shadow News

January 11, 2024

On Thursday, a legal hearing into the war in Gaza opens in The Hague as the international court of justice (ICJ) hears arguments alleging that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza, Palestine. 

The International Court of Justice (ICJ) holds public hearings on the request for the indication of provisional measures submitted by South Africa in the case South Africa v. Israel.

The International Court of Justice (ICJ), the principal judicial organ of the United Nations, holds public hearings on the request for the indication of provisional measures submitted by South Africa in the case South Africa v. Israel on 11 and 12 January 2024, at the Peace Palace in The Hague, the seat of the Court. Session held under the presidency of Judge Joan E. Donoghue, President of the Court. 

South Africa, which has brought the case, is asking the UN top court to act urgently “to protect against further, severe and irreparable harm to the rights of the Palestinian people under the genocide convention, which continues to be violated with impunity”. 

South Africa legal team's Adila Hassim @CIJ_ICJ: “Genocides are never declared in advance, but this court has the benefit of the past 13 weeks of evidence that shows incontrovertibly a pattern of conduct & related intention that justifies a plausible claim of genocidal acts.” pic.twitter.com/7wEx3PlyfT

— UN News (@UN_News_Centre) January 11, 2024 

 In its 84-page written application to the ICJ to open proceedings, South Africa said: 

The acts and omissions by Israel complained of by South Africa are genocidal in character because they are intended to bring about the destruction of a substantial part of the Palestinian national, racial and ethnical group.

Genocide cases can take years to resolve, but South Africa is asking the court to speedily implement “provisional measures” and “order Israel to cease killing and causing serious mental and bodily harm to Palestinian people in Gaza”. 

The filing also says Israel should cease deliberately inflicting conditions calculated to bring about the destruction of the Palestinians as a group, be ordered to prevent and punish incitement to genocide, and halt restrictions on aid as well as evacuation directives. 

Belgium’s deputy prime minister, Petra De Sutter, said that she wanted her country “to take action at the International Court of Justice, following the lead of South Africa”. 

Belgium cannot stand by and watch the immense human suffering in Gaza. We must act against the threat of genocide.

I want Belgium to take action at the International Court of Justice, following the lead of South Africa.

I will propose this within the Belgian government. #begov

— Petra De Sutter (@pdsutter) January 9, 2024 

 I hope you appreciated this article. 

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New World Order: BRICS bloc welcomes six new members

By Ruzeki, Shadow News.

Summary

• BRICS adds Argentina, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and UAE. 
• Expansion boost BRICS global strength. 
• Group leaves door open to further expansion, especially for the Global South. 
• BRICS bloc makes 27 percent of the global economy and 46 percent of the world population. 

Johannesburg, Aug 24 - The BRICS bloc of major emerging economies agreed on Thursday to admit Argentina, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates in a move aimed at accelerating its push to reshuffle a world order it sees as outdated. 

In deciding in favour of an expansion, the bloc's first in 13 years, BRICS leaders left the door open to future expansion as dozens more countries voiced desires to join a grouping they hope can level the global playing field. 

The BRICS group makes decisions by consensus. On Thursday, it agreed on the guiding principles, standards, criteria and procedures of the BRICS expansion process. 

The expansion adds economic muscle to BRICS, whose current core members are China, the world's second largest economy, as well as Brazil, Russia, India and South Africa. 

The expansion of the group is part of its plan to build dominance and reshape global governance into a multipolar world order that puts voices of the Global South at the centre of the world agenda. 

According to the Chinese President Xi Jinping, the membership expansion was historic. It shows the determination of BRICS countries for unity and cooperation with the broader developing nations. 

BRICS was originally BRIC, an acronym coined by Goldman Sachs chief economist Jim O'Neill in 2001, the bloc was founded as an informal four-nation club in 2009 and added South Africa a year later in its only previous expansion. 

The six new members will formally become members on January 1, 2024, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said when he named the countries during a three-day XV BRICS summit he is hosting in Johannesburg. 

According to President Ramaphosa, BRICS has embarked on a new chapter in its effort to build a world that is fair, a world that is just, a world that is also inclusive and prosperous. He confirmed that the five core BRICS members had consensus on the first phase of the expansion process and other phases will follow. 

Friends and Allies lead candidates 

The countries invited to join reflect individual BRICS members' desires to bring allies into the bloc. 

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva had vocally lobbied for neighbour Argentina's inclusion while Egypt has close commercial ties with Russia and India. 

The entry of oil superpowers Saudi Arabia and UAE highlights their drift away from the United States' orbit and ambition to become global heavyweights in their own right. 

Russia and Iran have found common cause in their shared struggle against the U.S.-led sanctions and diplomatic isolation, with their economic ties deepening in the wake of Moscow's special military operation in Ukraine. 

On Thursday, the Russian President Vladimir Putin said BRICS is not competing with anyone. President Putin is attending the summit remotely due to an international warrant for alleged war crimes. He's being represented by the world's most vocal diplomat FM Lavrov. 

Mr Putin acknowledged that the process of the emerging of a new world order still has fierce opponent. He believes the de-dollarization is irreversible. 

Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi celebrated his country's BRICS invitation with a swipe at Washington, saying on Iranian television network that the expansion "shows that the unilateral approach is on the way to decay". 

Beijing is close to Ethiopia and the country's inclusion also speaks to South Africa's desire to amplify Africa's voice in global affairs. 

More than 40 countries had expressed desire in joining BRICS, and 23 formally applied to join the bloc. 

Some 50 other heads of state and leaders attended the XV BRICS Summit in South Africa, which concluded on Thursday. 

Ambitions and Results 

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres attended the Thursday's expansion announcement, reflecting the bloc's growing influence. He echoed BRICS' long-standing calls for reforms of the U.N. Security Council, International Monetary Fund, World Bank and other global governance structures. 

BRICS is now home to 46% of the world's population and 27 percent of global gross domestic product. 

Bloc heavyweight China has long called for an expansion of BRICS as it seeks to challenge Western dominance, a strategy shared by Russia. 

Other BRICS members support fostering the creation of a multi-polar global order. But Brazil and India have both also been forging closer ties with the West. 

For 80 years, the United States dollar has dominated all other currencies. But BRICS is tired of the West’s looming presence over global governance and finance. The bloc is determined to take it down.  

President Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday in a virtual address to the BRICS summit, that the process of de-dollarisation is “irreversible” and “gaining pace". 

The US weaponises the dollar in the Russian and Iran sanctions, there is increasing desire by other developing countries to seek alternative currencies for trade, investment, and reserves, as well as developing alternative multilateral clearance systems outside of SWIFT. 

Africa’s renewed hope for Development, Prosperity and global Power, ahead of BRICS Summit

By Ruzeki, Shadow News

What to know about the three-day BRICS meeting (Jul 24-Jul 26): 

Currently, top national security officials and senior diplomats from the BRICS bloc and other invited countries are in Johannesburg, South Africa for a three-day meeting. 

The purpose of this meeting is to have in-depth exchange of views on hotspot issues including Russia-Ukraine conflict and other global security issues of common concern, which would serve as political preparations for the leaders' summit in August. 

The meeting, which is scheduled to last from Monday to Wednesday, is chaired by South Africa's national security advisor Sydney Mufamadi, and is part of a series of BRICS meetings taking place ahead of the BRICS Summit in South Africa from August 22 to 24.  

Aside from the BRICS member states, delegates representing a record 45 countries are also joining the three-day dialogue. 

Senior finance, diplomacy and security officials from BRICS member states traditionally meet in advance to exchange views and hold detailed cooperation in preparation for the leaders' summit. 

The Meeting of BRICS National Security Advisers and High Representatives on National Security is an important platform for BRICS countries to carry out political and security cooperation. 

The three-day meeting will help BRICS countries coordinate stances on major global security issues, practice true multilateralism and promote global peace. 

Topics covering traditional and non-traditional security threats, the Ukraine crisis, anti-terrorism and cyber security will be high on the summit's agenda. 

The wider topics covered by the BRICS meetings as well as the growing interest of more countries in joining the mechanism underscore the bigger role it is playing in global governance. 

What to know about the BRICS Summit (Aug 22- Aug 24): 

This year's summit in South Africa has attracted high attention as it is the first offline gathering of BRICS leaders for the past three years due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It's a milestone in the growth of the multilateral mechanism. 

South Africa has invited the heads of state of all African countries to the summit, which will discuss how BRICS countries can partner with Africa to help the continent achieve economic growth. 

With the wider attendance of African countries, more focus will be put on how to further encourage cooperation between BRICS and Africa. 

Additionally, how BRICS bloc can help implement free trade agreements in Africa and how developing countries can achieve social and economic development in the post-COVID era are expected to be discussed. 

Importantly, more developing countries and new emerging economies, which have played a significant role in regional and global affairs, have expressed interest in joining the BRICS bloc, making the expansion of the mechanism important to the global governance system. 

Discussions on expanding BRICS are expected to be high on the agenda for this week meeting as well as for the upcoming summit in August. 

More countries, especially developing countries are getting increasingly disappointed with the US and the West abuse of the current international governance and financial system for hegemonic ends. 

The BRICS' increasing attractiveness lies in its bigger role in building consensus, and more countries are seeking to join it to coordinate and work to solve problems that concern them, which worries the West led by the US. 

The BRICS bloc is leading developing countries away from the West, especially when it comes to efforts to dump the US dollar. 

Since its inception, the BRICS bloc has focused on cooperation among developing countries and not creating confrontations, which is why it has won the support of developing countries that are victims of geopolitical tricks. 

BRICS has never had the intention of being a counterweight to the West, nor will it pull together small cliques. The deeper reason behind why the West seeks to smear the mechanism is their fear of developing countries' efforts in seeking the right to speak up in international affairs. 

It is worth to note that the summit in South Africa, next month, will let the whole world see the strength of BRICS, with developing countries focusing on promoting economic development, encouraging trade and finance cooperation to make a greater contribution to global recovery and prosperity. 

Why is BRICS bloc very important for Africa: 

China and Africa are strengthening their relations, showing developing nations that it is possible and sustainable to have mutually beneficial cooperation between developing countries, there is an appetite in Africa for partnerships of equality. 

The long-term stable China-Africa relationship continues to bear fruit for Africa, for it is China that first floated the idea of expanding BRICS to include more member countries when it chaired the BRICS group in 2022. 

Ahead of next month BRICS summit, about 40 nations have expressed the desire to become members including countries in the Middle East, Latin America and Africa. South Africa's representative to BRICS has confirmed that the number is set to increase. 

For African countries, BRICS is no longer an alternative model to the G7 Western economic model, but the economic representation of the dreams and aspirations of an ambitious Africa. 

Through BRICS, Africa seeks to move from the periphery to the epicenter of decision-making and chart a viable development path for its people. 

With the expansion, BRICS will become a bigger and better economic space for the Global South community. It is therefore an economic model that prioritizes a win-win cooperation, delivering benefits for all involved, just like the China-Africa relations. 

China has held strong the position of Africa's largest trading partner for 14 consecutive years. During this period the continent has recorded exponential growth and development. 

What makes BRICS an attractive development model for developing countries in Africa are the same reasons that have made China a much-valued development partner: A non-interference policy in the sovereign affairs of its development partners is a particularly important aspect of the profile of the development partner that Africa is keen to align with.