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On Friday, January 22, 2021, US Senators overwhelmingly have approved General Lloyd J. Austin as Defense secretary. Confirmed by the Senate as Defense secretary by a vote of 93-2, Gen Lloyd J. Austin becomes the first Black American in charge of the Pentagon.
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As predicted by AfroAmerica Network, the two Democratic challengers in the Georgia US Senate runoff elections held on January 5, 2021 have won in tight races. Democrat Rev. Raphael Warnock beat Republican Senator Kelly Loeffler, as confirmed by Associated Press, early on. Later, it was projected that Republican Senator David Perdue was ousted by Democrat Jon Ossoff. In the end, Georgia general and US Senate runoff elections are historic and the results are fundamental in defining the future of the US politics, at least for the next four years. AfroAmerica Network Black Woman of 2018, Stacey Yvonne Abrams, through Fair Fight Action, has played a major role.
The future of the US, at least the next four years, will be highly depending on Georgia runoff election US Senate election held today, January 5, 2021. At the end of the last week for people to vote in-person early for the Georgia Senate runoff, on December 31, 2020, the early voting counts had reached a record in Georgia history, with more that 3 millions havining already casted their vote. The massive turnout had scored how important and historic the outcome will. AfroAmerica Network correspondents have been visiting some of the voting sites in the Atlanta metro area. Despite the increasing controversies, infights within the GOP, legal challenges against the US Presidential elections, COVID-19 pandemic, today's turnout is massive.
The future of the US, at least the next four years, will be highly depending on the upcoming Georgia January 5, 2021 runoff US Senate election (see AfroAmerica Network: Georgia US Senate Runoff Election Becomes the Focus of the World: Will Jon Ossoff and Reverend Raphael Warnock Make History? ). The last week for people to vote in-person early for the Georgia Senate runoff has started. And the turnout is high. AfroAmerica Network correspondents have visited some of the voting sites in the Atlanta metro area. The voting momentum appears to be on the rise and the voters more and more engaged.
Rwandan Dictator General Paul Kagame has been conspicuously missing from the public eye since April 2020. His absence has sparked and fueled rumors about declining health and even incapacitation. Sources within the Rwandan Department of Military Intelligence confirm to an AfroAmerica Network correspondent in Kigali that, given the deteriorating health conditions of General Paul Kagame and the infighting among his closest aides (see here: Ailing Rwandan Paul Kagame's Attempts to Cling to Power Through His Daughter Ange Kagame) and his family on the succession, the military leaders supporting Ms. Ange Kagame, have asked General Paul Kagame to impose a country lockdown to be able to better watch the movement of unreliable top military leaders. According to the sources, the current Minister of Defense, Maj. Gen. Albert Murasira, is one, among many, being kept under close watch.
On January 14, 2021 Ugandans will cast their votes for their next president. The main candidates are Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, 76, the current president and Africa's third longest-serving dictator, and Ugandan prominent opposition politician and music star, Bobi Wine, 38, whose real name is Robert Kyagulanyi. Early this week, Yoweri Museveni told the Western Media why he remains in power, arguing that Ugandans are fools who lack a sense of direction, the Western media are full of ignorant and arrogants and that the United States has democracy because it was built on slavery.
Yale University has promptly removed a Twitter banner promoting the Rwandan dictator General Paul Kagame. Although the reasons are unknown, it appears the banner was removed under pressure from activists, students, and professors and in light of recent publications by reknown authors and the United Nations Security Council, AfroAmerica Network has received information on the compelling reasons behind Yale University's swift removal of the Twitter banner. Below are some the reasons.
In a speech Bernard Membe then the Tanzanian Foreign Relations Minister told the parliament in Dar-Es-Salaam on May 27, 2014, that Rwandan backed rebels, M23, were Rwandan citizens, and were funded by the Rwandan government. Although know since M23 creation years earliers, It was the first time a government of an influential African countries had publicly accused the Rwandan government for creating and backing the Rwandan rebels. Rwandan backed M23 rebels were then committing systematic massacres of Congolese civilians and Rwandan refugees and responsible for rapes, disappearances, acts of genocide, and looting in Eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). One of the leaders of the criminal militia was Roger Lumbala (for more on M23 backgroung see AfroAmerica Network correspondents' reports, here) and AfroAmerica Network Archives (AfroAmerica Network Reports and AfroAmerica Network Archives)
French president Emmanuel Macron's La Republique En Marche (REM) or Republic on the Move, is projected to win an absolute majority in parliament on Sunday Jun 18, 2017 elections.
In April 2017, Theresa May gambled and called for the so-called "snap" elections, with the hope to boost the Conservatives' majority in the Parliament and get a stronger mandate in negotiating the Brexit with the European Union. The snap elections gamble did not pay off.
The Model ASEAN Meeting 2015 organised by the ASEAN Foundation promises an authentic experience to understand ASEAN.
Hong Kong authorities have charged three leaders of last fall’s massive pro-democracy demonstrations with offenses .

Paul Kagame, Louise Mishikiwabo receiving a delegation from the United Arab Emirates in Kigali in June 2015
The Rwandan Government is considering sending demobilized Rwandan Defenses Forces (RDF) soldiers and surrendered former Rwandan rebels to prop troops fighting in Yemen up, sources in Kigali tell AfroAmerica Network. According to the sources, the agreement is still under discussion between Rwandan officials and negotiators from the coalition in the Middle East fighting
"In that regard, we need to unite. We need to show global solidarity to address the common enemy of ISIL, Daesh, some other extremists and terrorist groups ... [we] highly commended the leadership of the Russian Federation together with the United States to address some of the root causes of terrorism," the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has said, during the Annual East Asia Summit in Kuala Lumpur, calling on Russia and the United States to join their efforts to combat terrorism.
EU interior ministers have approved a controversial plan to relocate 120,000 migrants across the continent over the next two years.

Jan. 8, 1959 Associated Press file photo; Cuba's Fidel Castro speaks at the Batista military base "Columbia," now known as Ciudad Libertad, in Cuba.
Fidel Castro, the former Revolutionary leader of Cuba has died. The news was announced by his brother Raoul Castro, the current leader of Cuba.
"The commander in chief of the Cuban revolution died at 22:29 hours this evening," President Raul Castro said on Friday, November 25, 2016.
President Raoul Castro said, in a message to the Cuban nation the nation broadcasted on state television that Fidel Castro had died and will be cremated on Saturday, November 26,
Is the longest running war in the Americas finally ending? Six weeks after the previous deal was rejected by the popular vote, the two opponents , Colombia’s government and the largest rebel group in the country, known as

FARC leader Timochenko and Colombia President Santos shake hands at the Peace agreement ceremony in Cuba in Sept. 2016
The longest running war in the Americas was supposed to end last week. Unfortunately, Colombians narrowly rejected the deal in a vote on Oct 2, 2016, resetting the clock for further negotiations. Despite the setback, today on Oct 7, 2016, Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts to end the 52-year conflict.