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♦️ Breaking & exclusive stories, analysis, opinions 👉 About Africa in other languages: Amharic: @sputnik_ethiopia French: @sputnik_afrique 💬 Contact us https://t.me/Africa_Sputnik_bot
From BRICS to Borders: COMESA’s Push for Stronger Intra-African Trade
As Ethiopia hosts COMESA Week, the bloc's Secretary General Chileshe Mpundu Kapwepwe emphasized the growing importance of economic alliances like BRICS in reshaping trade dynamics.
“Ethiopia has recently also joined BRICS, which for us is a very good move because at least we have COMESA member states actively participating,” she told Sputnik Africa.
“When we come together and harmonize our rules and regulations, then it becomes easier for us to trade… from Cairo to Cape.”
#viral | Wheels of Resilience: Gaza Resident Found Unusual Way to Bypass Israel's Restrictions on Car Movement
After the Israeli military banned cars from traveling from north to south Gaza, a striking scene was filmed: a young man transporting his car on a cart pulled by a donkey.
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Major World Events by Evening of May 5
▪️The Kremlin warns that signs of neo-Nazism are growing in Europe, adding that many Europeans are aware of this trend;
▪️Russian intelligence accuses Kiev and European countries of attempting to overshadow the 80th anniversary of the victory over Nazi Germany;
▪️Indian PM Narendra Modi congratulated President Putin on Victory Day and extended an invitation for him to visit India;
▪️Israel has approved a plan to expand military operations in the Gaza Strip;
▪️Russia’s FSB says it thwarted a sabotage attempt targeting a railway in Siberia;
▪️In Slovakia, a petition has been submitted to the president's office calling for a referendum on lifting sanctions against Russia;
▪️Romanian nationalist party leader George Simion has won the first round of the presidential election.
▪️Moscow and Washington are exploring broader normalization of relations, which Russian officials say could benefit the entire world, according to Russia's Deputy UN Envoy Polyanskiy;
▪️Ethiopia is celebrating the 84th Patriots’ Victory Day, honoring the resistance fighters who opposed the Italian occupation from 1935 to 1941;
▪️The Sudanese Foreign Ministry has condemned what it called a "blatant" attack by RSF forces on Port Sudan Air Base.
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Ethiopia’s Innovation Drive: From Import Substitution to Global Ambition
At the heart of Ethiopia’s National Skills Competition, State Minister of Labor and Skills Teshale Berecha laid out a clear vision: innovation and entrepreneurship are not just local goals—they’re national strategies.
“These competitors came from across the nation... The technologies and the innovation you can observe here in the contest are manufactured in Ethiopia, and they are instrumental in substituting import,” Berecha told Sputnik Africa, highlighting the homegrown potential on display.
🇷🇴 George Simion: Romania's MAGA moment?
The politician HAS MADE IT to the Romanian presidential runoff by obtaining 40% of the vote. What are his political leanings?
🔸Not by elections alone
The leader of the right-wing Alliance for the Union of Romanians party seeks “TO RESTORE CONSTITUTIONAL ORDER” in Romania.
“I have a single objective: to give back to the Romanian people what was taken from them,” Simion noted after casting his ballot.
“Believe me, there will be a Simionization as well,” the politician claims.
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Silent Airplane for Secret Missions: Lesser-Known Chapter of Normandie-Niemen Regiment's Glorious History
🎗🎗Sputnik presents a video series about the heroic Normandie-Niemen fighter regiment, which played a key role in World War II.
In the first episode, historian Rene Barchi, son of the French Resistance fighters, recalls in conversation with Sputnik the only pilot in the regiment who flew an engineless aircraft — a glider — used for covert operations.
#Victory80
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'Made in Ethiopia': Manufacturing Boom Drives Import Substitution
Addis Ababa hosts the third edition of the Made in Ethiopia expo, showcasing the latest advancements in industrial technology and serving as a platform to strengthen the country's manufacturing sector.
"The aim is to introduce the products produced by Ethiopian manufacturing industries to the public," Ethiopian State Minister of Industry Tarekegn Bululta told Sputnik Africa on the sidelines of the event held on May 3-7.
Key Statements by Putin in the Documentary "Russia. The Kremlin. Putin. 25 Years"
🔹 On Ukraine and the Special Military Operation (SMO):
▪️ Russia did not intentionally prepare for the SMO, but sought to resolve the Donbass issue peacefully;
▪️ Russia has enough forces and means to bring the SMO to its logical conclusion;
▪️ Russia has faced deliberate provocations to force it into making mistakes during the SMO, but it has remained calm and composed;
▪️ Russia had no need so far to use nuclear weapons during the special operation. "I hope there won't be a need;"
▪️ Peace with Ukraine is inevitable — it's only a matter of time.
🔹 On confrontation with the West:
▪️ The West failed to properly respond to warnings made by Moscow at the Munich Conference, which eventually led to the tragic events in Ukraine;
▪️ Under the pretext of respecting the Minsk agreements, the West paused only to rearm Ukraine;
▪️ Launching the SMO in 2014 would have been unrealistic — Russia was not ready for direct confrontation with the collective West;
▪️ The situation around the Minsk agreements is an experience that must be taken into account in the future.
▪️ Until 2022, Russia perceived the agreements with the western countries with cautious trust.
🔹 On historical events of the 90s and 2000s:
▪️ Separatist tendencies were strong in Russia in the 1990s — not only in the North Caucasus;
▪️ If it had not been possible to hold Russia together in the 90s, it would have faced a very bleak future, with suffering for its people;
▪️ In the early 2000s, Russia's adversaries had every chance to split the country — attempts continue even today;
▪️ The president shared that he first knelt in prayer during the Nord-Ost theater siege;
▪️ The Beslan tragedy will remain forever with those who witnessed it and those who know about it;
▪️ Russia tried to convey to the West that they were supporting terrorists in the Caucasus, but they "nodded their heads and did exactly the opposite."
🔹 On values and traditions:
▪️ Russians differ from Western societies — Russians think more about eternal value;
▪️ Loss of identity is extremely dangerous for Russia: without traditional values, the country simply won't exist;
▪️ National unity is the main guarantee of Russia's victories;
▪️ "I continue to breathe the same air as millions of Russian citizens."
🔹 On a successor:
▪️ Russia should foster individuals capable of earning the public’s trust;
▪️ The president said he observes and assesses each person's potential when thinking about a successor;
▪️ He constantly considers the question of a possible successor, but it is up to the Russian people to make a final decision on who will be the next leader of Russia.
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From Restrictions to Regional Harmony: Tanzania & Malawi Sign Agreements to Forge Path to Free Trade
Dodoma, Tanzania, hosted a joint ministerial meeting aimed at resolving Malawi’s March ban on Tanzanian agricultural imports and strengthening bilateral trade, according to a joint statement.
Key outcomes of the constructive and fruitful consultations:
▫️agreed to develop joint Standard Operating Procedures on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Standards;
▫️Malawi pledged to immediately ease cross-border trade through an administrative instrument;
▫️both sides reaffirmed plans to finalize and implement the Simplified Trade Regime Agreement by May 30;
▫️pledged full implementation of outcomes for mutual benefit.
The meeting followed a trade dispute in which Malawi banned some Tanzanian imports, prompting Tanzania to impose a full import ban on Malawi—later lifted ahead of the talks.
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#SputnikInfographic | 3D Look at BP-43 Armored Train, Victory's Impenetrable Behemoth
🇷🇺 "Everything for the front! Everything for Victory!"
The Red Army forged its legend with steel monsters designed in the urgency of war. They weren't just made of iron. They changed the course of history, the symbols of sacrifice and glory.
Discover the BP-43 armored train, a fortress on rails, so strong that, out of the 21 trains constructed, only one was ever destroyed in combat.
With its 37 mm M1939 anti-aircraft cannons, 76 mm tank guns, and 7.62 mm machine guns, the train would combat enemy tanks and aircraft alike, giving frontline units much-needed fire support where rail infrastructure was available and intact.
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Russian Military Instructors Helped Repel Three Militant Attacks in CAR This Week
Militants, affiliated to the Azande tribe, have recently attacked the Central African Armed Forces' positions in the Zemio town in the south-east of the country, the Officers Union for International Security said in a statement.
Casualties:
⦁ Russia: one instructor wounded.
⦁ CAR: four soldiers killed, two wounded.
⦁ Militants: at least eight killed.
MINUSCA peacekeepers provided little assistance in repelling the attack in the initial phase. However, they later joined the night search operations.
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WATCH | Putin Talks About West's 'Existential' Confrontation With Russia and Why Special Operation Wasn't Launched in 2014
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Russia Will Cease to Exist Without Relying on Its Traditional Values, Putin Says
"I simply proceeded from the premise that if we do not rely on our traditional values, we simply will not exist. Russia would simply lose its identity," Putin said when asked why he said he was defending traditional values as opposed to the "Western mainstream."
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#SputnikInfographic | Five Days to Victory
Sputnik Africa continues to revisit the endgame battles of the Great Patriotic War. On this day 80 years ago, Soviet troops continued their advancing, consolidating efforts.
The 2nd Belorussian Front continued to march towards British forces in Belzig on this day eight decades ago. 51 communities were freed as Soviet soldiers advanced.
The act of capitulation was signed by German command representatives in Denmark, the Netherlands, and northwest Germany.
#Victory80
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Israeli Air Force Strikes Yemeni Port
💥 The Israeli Air Force launched an attack on the port of Hodeida, involving 30 aircraft. The strikes reportedly targeted a concrete plant and the docks used for unloading goods.
This military action was reportedly coordinated with the US government.
🇾🇪 The attack occurred following an escalation of tensions after Houthi forces attacked Israel's Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv just the day before.
Footage circulating online purportedly shows the airstrike
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Will US Tariffs Trigger Africa’s Economic Reinvention?
📻📈🤍 #AfricanCurrents | "African economies could leverage BRICS as a platform to enhance the African trade and inter-African trading between African countries, capitalizing on new opportunities created by the bloc's distribution, and trade networks," Gift Essinalo, a researcher at the Center for Public Integrity in Maputo, Mozambique, said.
🌍 By imposing tariffs on exports from multiple African nations, the Trump administration has set off a chain reaction that could reshape the continent’s economic strategy. The response? A renewed push for regional integration, industrial investment, and reduced reliance on global powers.
▶️ Click here to listen to the premium version on Telegram!
👩💻 Visit Sputnik Africa website for all our episodes! Or Stream on your favorite platform: Apple Podcasts | Afripods | Deezer | Pocket Casts | Podcast Addict | Spotify
Beyond Ukraine: Moscow-Washington Talks Aim at Broader Normalization, Russia's Deputy UN Envoy Says
Such broad-based normalization of bilateral relations is not only possible, but it would also benefit not just Russia and the United States, but the entire world, Dmitry Polyanskiy told Sputnik.
"I think we are at the beginning of this process, and this process is very important," the diplomat noted.
#viral | Chubby Brown Bear Caught on Camera Roaming Northern Iran's Mountains
A video showing a surprisingly agile yet well-fed brown bear sprinting through the rugged terrain is going viral on social media.
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❗️Myanmar's Prime Minister Min Aung Hlaing to visit Russia at Putin's invitation, take part in Victory Parade, Myanmar state TV channel MRTV reports
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◾️ Fearless John - @European_dissident is a free lance journalist covering geopolitical conflicts of the "new cold war" between the main world powers.
◾️His channel focuses on exposing war crimes and the manipulation and propaganda of the Western media and is full of subtitled videos and posts about the wars in Ukraine, Israel and the different issues affecting the relations between countries like migration crisis and Western neo-colonial practices.
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Hundreds of Compatriots and Graduates of Russian and Soviet universities Take Part in "Immortal Regiment" March in Beirut, a Sputnik Correspondent Reports
The demonstrators came from various cities in Lebanon, including Baalbek and Tyre. Employees of the Russian diplomatic mission, headed by Ambassador Alexander Rudakov, also joined in.
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📹 Putin Says He Had Hoped for Exactly This Kind of Russia's Public Reaction to Special Military Operation
It's the kind of reaction when citizens began to realize that both the present and the future depended on them, he explained.
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📹 Fit to Be President: Putin Shows Gym in Kremlin Where He Works Out
The gym is equipped with exercise machines for various types of physical activity.
Vladimir Putin confirmed that he comes here to work out in the morning. The president also told how he accidentally scratched himself during a workout about two weeks ago.
"I was working out here, swung my arm and accidentally hit my forehead, nothing heroic about it," he told the Russian journo.
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#viral| Indonesia's Volcano Merapi Has Erupted Every Month This Year, Displaying Spectacular Smoke Plumes
A video of its last eruption, reaching 3,600 meters high, is going viral on social media.
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True Independence Impossible Without Monetary Sovereignty: Niger Holds Conference to Promote AES Single Currency
"It [CFA franc] is the only colonial currency still in use—which means that this situation is not normal," President of the Urgences Panafricanistes movement Abdourahamane Oumarou told Sputnik Africa.
"The day will certainly come when our leaders will be forced to lance the abscess and finally get rid of these chains of imperialism, these chains of this colonial currency," Oumarou added.
Sudan Reiterates Appeal for International Response as RSF Continue to Commit Anti-Human Crimes, Foreign Ministry Says
The RSF rebels have killed about 300 civilians over the past two days in Southern Sudan's West Kordofan state, Sudan News Agency reported, citing a statement from the Foreign Ministry.
The rebels' recent atrocities, lacking basic human morality, surpassed even the worst known terrorist groups in brutality, according to the statement.
The ministry called on the UN Security Council and global actors to end their tolerance toward the RSF group and its backers.
Footage from social media allegedly shows the RSF rebels in West Kordofan and the aftermath of their attacks
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WATCH | Putin Talks About Background for Conducting a Special Military Operation in Ukraine
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📹 Putin Reveals His Own Chapel in Kremlin and How He First Knelt in Prayer During the Nord-Ost Moscow Theater Siege
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