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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
#viral | Russian Firefighters Put Down 81 Forest Fires on 128,000 Ha in One Week
The Ministry of Natural Resources of the Zabaikalsky Krai in Siberia reported on the achievement, and the federal agency released the footage.
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It is Honor to Be on Red Square on Victory Day, Cuban President Says
Miguel Diaz-Canel Bermudez is arriving "in dear Russia" on Sunday "to take part in the celebrations on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the victory over fascism," he said on X.
Russia expects leaders from over 20 countries to visit Moscow on May 9 and take part in the parade, according to Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov.
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❗️ Russia was forced to make decision in 2014 to support people of Crimea, any other behavior would have meant handing them over to be torn apart, Putin says
Russia has made strong leap since 2014 thanks to sanctions imposed by west over Crimea, he added.
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❗️China and Russia will continue to oppose unilateral actions and intimidation, and jointly promote an equal multipolar world, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said
The Kremlin said, in turn, that Xi Jinping will pay official visit to Russia on May 7-10 at Putin's invitation.
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Trade Should Not Be Weaponized, Says Warren Buffett on Trump’s Tariffs
"In the US, we should be looking to trade with the rest of the world," legendary Wall Street investor said at the annual investors meeting of Berkshire Hathaway that he owns.
"When you have seven and a half billion people that do not like you very well, and you got 300 million that are crowing in some way about how well they have done - I do not think it is right, and I do not think it is wise," he noted.
Sending NATO Troops to Ukraine May Trigger New World War, Slovak Lawmaker Says
"Europe does not seem to have realized yet that the US policy regarding Russia is changing. There are countries interested in further escalation of tensions," Slovak National Council Deputy Speaker Tibor Gaspar told Sputnik.
#viral | Wrong Turn!
Kenyan Vincent Kibet Langat missed out on winning the 10km race at the ASICS Speed Race in Tokyo by running past the finish line.
In unexpected luck, Ethiopian Jemal Yimer won in 27 minutes 10 seconds.
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👁 Ukraine Watch is on the outlook for all things political and beyond — 7 days a week of breaking news, rapid translations and immersive longreads: all with a Russkie twist.
🌍 The African nations stand as our closest allies in dethroning colonialism and globalism.
👍 Join Ukraine Watch — endorsed by Sputnik Africa and other major Telegram channels.
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Zambia & Zimbabwe Reportedly Seek Investment to Revive $5 Billion Batoka Gorge Dam Project
The Zambezi River Authority (ZRA) is leading investor outreach, targeting 12–18 months for resource mobilization, CEO Munyaradzi Munodawafa told a Western media outlet.
Key information on the hydropower dam project:
⦁ aims to build a 2,400-megawatt facility near Victoria Falls;
⦁ initially scheduled to begin in 2020, the project was delayed by the pandemic and funding issues;
⦁ feasibility studies are ongoing to assess implementation timelines, costs, and sustainable funding options
The ZRA, which manages the Kariba Dam, is also reportedly looking at diverting up to 16 billion cubic meters of water yearly from the Congo River to help offset low water levels in Lake Kariba caused by El Nino droughts.
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Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov arrived in the Dominican Republic for the first time, a Sputnik correspondent reports
The Russian foreign minister is scheduled to hold talks with President Luis Abinader and Foreign Minister Roberto Alvarez.
The visit is dedicated to the 80th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries.
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It Don't Mean A Thing If It Ain't Got That Swing!
🎷 #AfroVerdict | "Hugh Masekela, trumpet player, flugelhorn player, and composer. And I was amazed by his music. A lot of African rhythms are now incorporated in the jazz music," Igor Butman, Director of the Moscow Jazz Orchestra and jazz saxophonist, says.
🕺 🎺 Butman, who is performing at the Cape Town International Jazz Festival, praises South Africa’s rich jazz heritage, citing the influence of legends like Hugh Masekela.
🎵 Apart from entertainment, what other purposes can jazz serve in a world plagued by conflict, strife, disease and tragedy?
Find out from one of the world's best jazz legends himself on the AfroVerdict podcast!
▶️ Click here to listen to the full conversation on Telegram’s built-in player.
👩💻 In addition to our Telegram channel, you can enjoy our episodes on Sputnik Africa website
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🔍 From 'Angel of Death' to Hitler's deputy: Argentina declassifies Nazi war criminals' files
Over 1,850 reports and 1,300 orders detailing the presence of notorious Nazi criminals who fled to Argentina after World War II have been made publicly available on the Argentine government website. The documents reveal details about infamous Nazi figures, including:
▪️Adolf Eichmann, the so-called "architect of the Holocaust."
▪️Walter Kutschmann, a Gestapo officer and active participant in the extermination of Jews in Ukraine.
▪️Martin Bormann, Hitler’s personal secretary.
▪️Rudolf Hess, Hitler’s deputy in the Nazi Party.
▪️Ante Pavelić, the leader of fascist Croatia, an ally of Nazi Germany, and more.
The dossier on Josef Mengele, known as the "Angel of Death," is one of the most detailed, revealing shocking facts about his time in Argentina and his horrific experiments on concentration camp prisoners:
🔸Mengele personally selected prisoners for the Auschwitz death camp, where tens of thousands became victims of his experiments.
🔸In 1949, he arrived in Argentina, settling in Buenos Aires, where he practiced medicine illegally and earned a reputation as an "abortion specialist."
🔸Initially, Mengele didn’t even hide his identity despite being on the international wanted list.
🔸He traveled across the country under the false identity of "Gregor Helmut," a supposed native of a German-speaking region in northern Italy, and used other aliases, including "José Mengele" and "Dr. Fausto Rindón."
🔸Mengele frequently traveled abroad, and despite a request for his extradition by West Germany, Argentine authorities failed to deport him. In 1959, he emigrated to Paraguay and gained Paraguayan citizenship.
🔸It was only after Israeli intelligence, the Mossad, captured Adolf Eichmann, living under a false name in Buenos Aires, that Mengele fled to Brazil. He lived there until his death in 1979, never answering for his crimes and seemingly never repenting for them.
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🇷🇺↗️ Russia ranked world’s FOURTH-LARGEST economy in 2024 – report
Last year saw Russia’s gross domestic product (GDP) reach an all-time high of $6.94 trillion, as compared to $6.48 trillion in 2023, a Sputnik analysis based on IMF data shows.
Apart from Russia, the top-five list of the world’s largest economies includes China, the US, India, and Japan.
The five made the most significant contribution to the world economic growth in 2024. The remaining countries provided less than 2% of global growth in GDP terms.
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#viral | 🤖 Tsinghua University's Humanoid Robots Try Their Hand at Football
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Russia Sees Increase in Its Wheat Exports to Several African Countries
According to Rosselkhoznadzor, the Russian agricultural sanitary agency, wheat exports to several African nations significantly increased in the first quarter of this year:
🟠 Nigeria's wheat imports increased fivefold to 262,000 tonnes;
🟠 Morocco doubled its imports, reaching 174,000 tonnes;
🟠 Mozambique saw its imports surge 11.7 times, totaling 73,800 tonnes;
🟠 Cameroon's wheat imports grew by 2.2 times to 50,000 tonnes;
🟠 Burundi's imports increased 9.6 times, reaching 30,500 tonnes;
🟠 Russia exported wheat to Togo for the first time since 2022, with supplies amounting to 27,000 tonnes.
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❗️Russia is essentially standing alone against the collective West, Putin said
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❗️Russia did not intentionally prepare for the special military operation, Putin said
Russia agreed to the Minsk agreements on Ukraine because they wanted to believe in them, the Russian leader added.
Moscow, signing these agreements, expected them to be observed, but the country was simply deceived.
Russia needs to take into account the experience of the Minsk agreements in the future, Putin said.
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Non-Recognition of Russia's Crimea by US Leaves Loophole for Kiev's Aggression, Report Says
If Crimea and other Russian territories are not formally recognized, Kiev would resume its hostilities against Russia, a British newspaper said.
In the West's perceived "perfect scenario," the peace deal would include deploying "coalition of the willing" troops along Ukraine’s line of control and easing its EU accession, the report noted.
If this is not feasible, the West would rather seek a Korean War-style truce than an agreement that includes formalization of territorial realities, according to the publication.
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❗️ Russia has been subjected to provocations aimed at pushing it into making mistakes during the special operation in Ukraine, but Moscow has managed to remain calm and composed, Putin says
More statements by the Russian president in Russia-1 TV channel's documentary:
⦁ Reconciliation with Ukraine is inevitable, it's a matter of time;
⦁ Russia has enough forces and means to bring the special operation to its logical conclusion;
⦁ Russia had no need to use nuclear weapons during the special operation.
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🎉 Long-Awaited Tribute: Immortal Regiment Marches Through Washington After Six-Year Break
About 200 people walked from the White House to the WWII memorial, holding up photos of their relatives who fought in the war.
Traditionally attended by Russians or those from former Soviet countries, this year, at least a dozen US citizens whose relatives fought in the WWII joined the event.
This was the first authorized rally in six years, as the event had been previously suspended—first due to the pandemic and later by officials citing the "complex political climate."
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Israeli Air Force Targeted 'Dozens of Infrastructure and Weapons Facilities' Throughout Syria
▪️"Anti-aircraft guns and a surface-to-air missile launcher" were notably targeted, the IDF said in a statement. The strike took place on Friday evening, involving 12 warplanes;
▪️ Five wounded Syrian Druze were evacuated to Israeli territory overnight, according to another statement.
➡️ On Friday morning, Israeli warplanes attacked the area around the presidential palace in Damascus. The Jewish state claimed it was acting in retaliation for the fighting affecting Syria's Druze community.
Syrian authorities described the attack as a dangerous escalation.
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New Political Era Begins: Faure Gnassingbe Sworn in as First President of Togo's New Council of Ministers
The inauguration ceremony took place on Saturday in Togo's capital, Lome.
What's known about the new Council of Ministers?
⦁ created by constitutional reform, the Council of Ministers has become Togo's highest executive authority;
⦁ the reform, adopted in April 2024, makes the office of President of the Republic an honorary position;
⦁ the president of the Council of Ministers must be the leader of the majority party in the National Assembly, which the ruling Union for the Republic party;
⦁ the PM and her government resigned on Friday, as the post of head of government no longer exists, according to the new constitution.
"The appointment of the president of the council represents not only an important milestone in the implementation of our constitution but also a significant step forward in our collective political history, better still, the beginning of a new era for our country," said the National Assembly speaker, Kodjo Adedze, after the Union for the Republic submitted the name of the council president to the National Assembly Bureau on Wednesday.
Russian Lancet Drone Destroys Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicle in Sumy Region
The video was filmed by troops from Russia's Northern Group, the Defense Ministry reported.
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Major World Events by Morning of April 30
🟠 Suspected Boko Haram assailants killed fourteen people in a Chibok community in northern Nigeria while they were praying for a deceased district chief, according to the head of the local administration;
🟠 The National Conference of Mali announced its proposals for a new state system after the end of the transition period; Mali's interim president, Army General Assimi Goita, is expected to become president in 2025 with a five-year term and potential re-election;
🟠 European countries will not be able to mobilize 25,000 troops for Kiev due to personnel and financial constraints, with Poland, Spain, and Italy already declining to send troops to Ukraine, media reported;
🟠 Russia is ready to hold direct talks with the Kiev authorities without preconditions, despite problems with the legitimacy of Volodymyr Zelensky, Permanent Representative of Russia to the UN Vasily Nebenzya said; if Ukraine accepts the upcoming ceasefire, it could become a "prelude" to these talks, he added;
🟠 US President Donald believes Putin wants to end the Ukrainian conflict; if it weren't for him, "he'd want to take over the whole country," the American president said in an interview;
🟠 Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov arrived in the Dominican Republic for the first time on Wednesday, where he will meet with President Luis Abinader and Foreign Minister Roberto Alvarez; the visit is dedicated to the 80th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries;
🟠 North Korea tested the weapons of the new Choi Hyun multipurpose destroyer, with Kim Jong Un witnessing the test, according to the country's media.
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🚨🗣ZELENSKY AND HIS 'EXTREMIST GANG' SABOTAGE PEACE EFFORTS - Russian MFA spox
How can we talk about 'ceasefires' with Ukraine when the Kiev regime is "literally planning terrorist attacks live on air!" Maria Zakharova declared.
"And they even boast about it. Just like CLASSIC TERRORISTS," the diplomat added.
Africa Reaches for Moon: 5 Nations Join Russia-China Lunar Station Project
Five African countries are joining the ambitious International Lunar Research Station led by Moscow and Beijing, according to Roscosmos chief Dmitry Bakanov.
Here's a quick look at the pioneers helping shape Africa’s role in space exploration:
🪐 Djibouti: Launched its first satellite Djibouti-1A in 2023 as part of a climate-focused nanosatellite program;
🪐 Senegal: Sent Gaindesat-1A into orbit in 2024 to support water management and aviation safety under its SENSAT initiative;
🪐 Ethiopia: Inaugurated a 12-meter satellite ground station in 2024, developed with Chinese cooperation, to boost space science and geospatial tech;
🪐 South Africa: A regional leader with 13 satellites in orbit and a long-standing observatory in Sutherland established in 1972; its space agency SANSA was established in 2010;
🪐 Egypt: Also boasting 13 satellites by 2024, including EgyptSat-1, EgyptSat-2, and NEXSAT-1 — the latter being its first experimental Earth observation satellite.
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Harnessing Indigenous Knowledge for Africa's Digital Future
Dr. Yeshurun Alemayehu, Ethiopia’s State Minister for ICT and Digital Economy, emphasized the power of education and local innovation:
“Africans have their own indigenous language, indigenous technology, indigenous culture… these indigenous activities can be transformed into technology development,” he told Sputnik Africa.
“What Russia is doing is showing the way how to use local capacity, local cultures, indigenous knowledge for the economic development of the country.”
Preconditions for Further BRICS Expansion to Appear After Certain Time: Russian BRICS Sherpa
While many countries in the newly established BRICS partner category aspire to full membership, further expansion will require time for "mutual adjustment and working out the algorithms for interaction," Russian Deputy Foreign Minister and BRICS sherpa Sergey Ryabkov said.
👉 Ryabkov believes that preconditions for considering future membership will "mature" after a period, allowing for a more informed decision-making process.
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African & Asian Countries Eye Russian Medical Products
Russian medical exporters made waves at the "Made in Russia" expo in Istanbul, with companies reporting strong demand from African and Asian markets. Organized by the Russian Export Center, the event sparked 257 business meetings—deals from these talks could be worth $12 million.
🟠 Pul-Sar (surgical products) – Already exporting to Asia, now finalizing registrations for Kenya & Uganda. Their team noted "openness and trust" from partners and confirmed new negotiations with firms in multiple countries.
⚫️ Menora Laboratories – Made their global debut with an iron supplement, drawing interest from distributors from several countries, including Morocco.
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🔍 Trump’s first 100 days in numbers
A weakening dollar, dwindling stock market, and 50% increase in trade deficit — explore Sputnik’s infographic to learn more about the outcome of Trump’s start of his second term.
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