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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
📹 BRICS Bank Chief Calls for Multilateralism in Global Policies
Hegemonism and the unilateral imposition of models, rather than multilateralism, hinder the development of countries, said Dilma Rousseff, the head of the BRICS New Development Bank, in an interview with Sputnik at the #SPIEF2025.
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#viral | To celebrate Yoga Day, Indian Army soldiers took up the ancient practice across the country
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Europe’s Anti-Russia Hysteria Is Speeding Its Decline While Global South Rises: Milorad Dodik
“Europe is sabotaging itself by unjustifiably meddling in the Ukraine conflict and taking an anti-Russian stance,” President of Republika Srpska Milorad Dodik told Sputnik at #SPIEF2025.
❗️❗️❗️'BRICS Plus & AfCFTA: A Powerhouse for Africa's Trade Future'
In an interview with Sputnik Africa, South African Trade Minister Parks Tau explained that BRICS Plus and the AfCFTA can complement each other to reshape trade across the continent.
"BRICS Plus has always said that it is important that developing countries are able to grow, are able develop their competitiveness and their ability to trade as equals in the international trading system," the official noted on the sidelines of #SPIEF2025.
Pashinyan's Words About Church 'Unbecoming', Armenian Diaspora Representative in US Says
"In addition to what the prime minister is doing illegally against the constitution, he's also using very vulgar and rude language to criticize the clergy. This is very unbecoming for a head of the government," Harut Sassounian, who publishes Armenian English-language newspaper The California Courier in the United States, told Sputnik.
"The prime minister, as an official person, as part of the government, he has no right to interfere in this issue," Sassounian said.
📹 Russian assault paratroopers, expanding the buffer zone in the Sumy region, destroyed a Ukrainian armored group with Soviet and NATO military equipment, an officer with the call sign "Vityaz" told Sputnik
A video showing the destroyed armored group has been provided to the news agency.
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Iran Has 'Maximum' Two Weeks as US Weighs Military Action, Trump Says
At the same time the US president admitted that "maybe" the US' military action against Iran "won't be necessary."
"I am not going to talk about [deployment of the US] ground forces. The last thing you want to do is ground forces," he told reporters.
'The BRICS Countries Are Natural Partners of Africa:' Head of Afreximbank
Benedict Okechukwu “Okey” Oramah emphasized the vital role BRICS nations play in Africa’s future:
“All of them are trading with Africa one way or the other… What we need more from them is to come and invest into Africa,” he told Sputnik Africa on the sidelines of #SPIEF2025.
🕯In memory of Sputnik journalist Russell Bentley
🔸 On June 20, Russell Bentley, who was killed near Donetsk on April 8, 2024, would have turned 65.
🔸 He arrived in Donbass in December 2014 to fight alongside the militia against Ukrainian Nazis.
🔸 He joined the Vostok battalion and took the call sign Texas.
🔸 He raised funds and delivered humanitarian aid to the elderly, women, and children.
🔸 Along with volunteers, he fought for Donetsk airport, the village of Spartak, Avdeevka, and Yasinovataya.
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'I Break Stereotype of What is Expected,' Zimbabwean Artist Says
Decades-old stereotypes about Africa, imposed by Western media, "need to be broken," Xander Pratt told Sputnik Africa on the sidelines of #SPIEF2025.
"It's not just the media — it's people who need to believe […] that they are greater than the stereotype," he said. "Spirits like myself, exist to make people believe again."
"These two voices can communicate perfectly," he said, emphasizing the importance of cultural exchange between Russia and the African continent.
❗️Putin on the situation in the Middle East: Russia is in contact with both Israel and Iran, we have some proposals
#SPIEF2025
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❗️Africa is rapidly becoming the center of global growth, South Africa's deputy president says
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📹 There is silence in the plenary session broadcast hall as everyone waits for Vladimir Putin to begin his speech
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🔴🔴 Putin Holds Meeting With Head of Bahrain's Delegation to SPIEF
Later on Friday, Vladimir Putin and Bahrain's National Security Advisor Nasser bin Hamad al Khalifa will take part in the plenary session of #SPIEF2025.
👉 Watch the event live on Telegram!
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#viral | Mass CAR, Motorcycle Rally in Tehran Takes Place in Support of Iran's Foreign Policy
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Cote d'Ivoire Aims to Break Into Africa’s Top Five Oil Producers by 2035, Petroleum Minister Says
During the inauguration of a new oil dock operated by the National Petroleum Operations Company of Cote d'Ivoire, Minister Mamadou Sangafowa-Coulibaly unveiled the country's new oil and gas logistics master plan.
"Compared to current levels, crude oil production will have tripled and natural gas production doubled [by 2030]," the minister pointed out.
Patriotism, Sovereignty, Act of Bravery: Nigeriens React to Recent Nationalizations
The nationalization of Niger’s mining company SOMAIR, along with the electricity production and distribution company NIGELEC, sparked enthusiasm among Nigeriens, a Sputnik Africa correspondent reported.
📹 Hear their pride and belief in a stronger, independent Niger in the video!
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❗️Yemen will attack US military and commercial ships in the Red Sea if Washington enters into conflict with Iran, Houthis say
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'The Difference Lies in Speaking the Truth': Vice Information Minister of Equatorial Guinea Praises Sputnik
Sputnik is doing "excellent work," unlike Western media that continue to portray Africa as a "Third World" continent, Manuel Ndong Bibang Ngui stated to Sputnik Africa.
"At Sputnik, I believe you inform objectively, and then conduct research to find the truth on the subject," the official noted on the sidelines of the General Assembly of the AU of Broadcasting.
'France is No Longer the Sovereign Country It Once Was,' CEO of a French Group Says
Many decisions are made in Brussels, led by "a caste of unelected civil servants, who carry weight and have disproportionate influence," Gilles Remy told Sputnik Africa.
Europe is currently facing "a totally abnormal and absurd situation" from a historical perspective—one that serves neither Europe's nor France's interests, he noted on the sidelines of #SPIEF2025.
📹 Watch the video to discover what, according to the speaker, would truly serve the interests of ordinary Europeans.
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❗️ Ukraine should have a neutral, non-aligned and non-nuclear status, Putin said in an interview with Sky News Arabia
"We believe that it is necessary to return to where Ukrainian statehood began," he said.
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Iran's FM Araghchi May Travel to Moscow Next Monday to Meet With Putin
Abbas Araghchi announced his plans to travel to Moscow for an official visit in an interview with a US broadcaster.
Key statements by Iran's top diplomat on Tehran-Tel Aviv escalation:
▪️Washington needed nuclear talks "to cover up" plans to attack Iran;
▪️Tehran doesn't know how it can trust the US anymore: "What they did was, in fact, a betrayal to diplomacy";
▪️The US's demands of zero uranium enrichment in Iran are impossible;
▪️Iran is not ready to negotiate with Israel "as long as the aggression continues."
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Europe’s Financial 'Apartheid' Won’t Stop Africa — the Continent Found Russia as an Ally
Africa can overcome energy poverty — but it won’t happen through empty multilateral promises. It will take real allies, said NJ Ayuk, Executive Chairman of the African Energy Chamber, speaking at #SPIEF2025.
“We think a country like Russia, with a lot of power, can really be able to untangle that,” he told Sputnik Africa.
Breaking Mold of Indoctrination: African Talent Shines Brighter Than Western Idols
"I grew older and realized I was 10,000 times more talented than any of them [Western TV stars], humbly," Zimbabwean artist, designer and writer Xander Pratt told Sputnik Africa on the sidelines of #SPIEF2025.
🇦🇲 Pashinyan’s West-vetted assault on Karapetyan and Armenian Church part of anti-Russia purge – analyst
The Armenian Apostolic Church, openly critical of PM Nikol Pashinyan’s pro-EU policies, is the only nationwide institution still out of his grip, political scientist Hrant Mikaelian told Sputnik.
Samvel Karapetyan’s arrest is part of an attempt to bring it fully to heel, says the research associate at the Caucasus Institute (Armenia).
Several dynamics are at play:
🔸 Karapetyan poses a serious threat as Armenia’s most prominent businessman, offering a credible alternative to the current leadership.
🔸 Pashinyan’s political weakness, with approval ratings at rock bottom.
🔸 The West is closely watching and supporting the repressive actions against pro-Russian figures in Armenia.
💬 “Western groups focused on Armenia have always kept a close eye on Karapetyan – he’s simply too big a player,” the pundit noted.
📹 "A thousand friends are not enough, one enemy is too many, we want to be friends with everyone"
The president of Indonesia explained why he chose to go to the #SPIEF2025 rather than the G7 summit.
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❗️ Russian authorities will support new Russian brands, the president says
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WATCH | 📹 Russian President Putin greets the son of the King of Bahrain Nasser bin Hamad al Khalifa
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❗️❗️❗️'We Came Here Purposely to Forge That Relationship' — Sierra Leone Deepens Mining Ties with Russia
Sierra Leone’s Minister of Mines and Mineral Resources, Julius Mattai, is calling for a win-win partnership with Russia—built on technical collaboration, mutual respect, and long-term development goals.
💎 Mining & Geology Collaboration
Sierra Leone is working closely with ROSGEO, following a 2024 MoU, to advance geophysical and geochemical surveys, improve mineral mapping, and upgrade lab capabilities—key steps in unlocking the country’s underground wealth.
🛠 Upskilling the Workforce
With support from Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and ALROSA, young Sierra Leoneans are now in training for diamond valuation, cutting, and polishing—a major leap toward local value addition and job creation.
⚡️ Energy Partnerships
Recognizing mining’s energy demands, Sierra Leone is seeking Russian expertise to strengthen electricity infrastructure and connect mining operations to the national grid—a move toward more sustainable, efficient production.
“We are gaining traction… #SPIEF2025 has been an extra bonus,” he told Sputnik Africa.
Nigerien Leadership Says Nationalized Orano’s Subsidiary
The nationalization will affect the mining company SOMAIR, a subsidiary of French uranium mining giant Orano, the government statement read, as per the state media.
The Nigerien government accused Orano of several “irresponsible acts.”
On May 17, the Financial Times newspaper reported that Orano was considering selling its assets in Niger due to difficulties in relations with the country's military leaders.
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