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Burundian President Becomes AU Special Envoy to Sahel
✅Evariste Ndayishimiye will lead high-level diplomatic support efforts to address the security and humanitarian challenges in the Sahel, the African Union announced in a statement.
"Ndayishimiye brings with him very rich political experience, and impeccable credentials of resolute commitment to Pan-Africanism, regional integration and cooperation," the statement noted.
Paris Mobilizes Ahead of Georges Abdallah’s Long-Awaited Release
Supporters of Georges Abdallah took to the streets of Paris ahead of his scheduled release on July 25, after over 40 years in prison. At 74, the Paris Court of Appeal deemed his sentence "disproportionate" and no longer justified from a public safety standpoint.
ℹ️ Abdallah, a Lebanese communist and staunch supporter of the Palestinian cause, was convicted in the 1980s for his role in attacks linked to the Lebanese Armed Revolutionary Factions. He has always described himself as a resistance fighter, not a criminal, and cited the struggle against the oppression of Palestine as his driving motivation.
🚫 Though eligible for release since 1999, political pressure—particularly from the US and French governments—has repeatedly blocked it.
Human rights activists and leftist groups have long considered him a political prisoner, and many view this upcoming release as both a legal victory and an indictment of decades-long political interference.
🇱🇧 His release is contingent on immediate deportation to Lebanon, where he plans to live out his remaining years.
Footage by a Sputnik Africa correspondent
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Ethiopia Greenlights Construction of Dangote's Second Cement Plant, Official Says
📍The second cement plant will be built in the Shaggar city — a smart city being built around Addis Ababa, a deputy head of the city's Investment Bureau told a local newspaper.
Land inspections are already underway, the newspaper noted, citing a senior Dangote executive.
✅Dangote's first Ethiopian plant, built in 2015 near the Mugher city at a cost of $500 million, produces 2.5 million tonnes of cement yearly. In February, the company announced a $400 million plan to expand the facility and double production.
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📹 British instructors trained mobilized Ukrainian soldiers to storm buildings for just 30 minutes, a POW told Sputnik
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Moscow, Kiev to Hold Third Round of Talks, Begin Discussing Draft Settlement Deal, Kremlin Says
"We are conducting direct negotiations with representatives of the Kiev regime. It is necessary to hold a third round and begin discussions at the third round of those draft memoranda that the parties have previously exchanged. And here we are talking specifically about direct negotiations, although they are being conducted with the mediation efforts of the United States," Kremlin spox Dmitry Peskov told reporters.
Colombian President Announces His Intention to End Relations With NATO
"We must leave NATO, there is no other way. And relations with Europe can no longer be built with those European governments that betray their own people and participate in bombings," Gustavo Petro said on Wednesday, speaking at the closing of the Hague Group summit in Bogota.
"If they impose duties on us, no matter what, other nations will help us and buy our products," Petro said.
Eswatini Holds US-Deported Inmates in Isolation, Plans Transfer to Countries of Origin
Eswatini’s government confirmed it is holding five third-country nationals deported from the US under a deal with President Trump’s administration.
"The Nation is assured that these inmates pose no threat to the country or its citizens," said acting government spokesperson Thabile Mdluli, calling it "the result of months of robust high-level engagements" with the US.
Paris Identifies Russia as Europe’s Primary Threat: ‘Caricatured Analysis,’ Denounces French Geopolitologist
“This is a dangerous policy for France, dangerous for Europe, and more broadly dangerous for the world,” Aymeric Chauprade, a former French MEP, told Sputnik Africa.
“The geopolitical analysis provided is completely biased against Russia and entirely pro-American.”
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📹 Israeli Druze are trying to break through the border with Syria to help fellow believers who are being attacked by the Syrian military, local outlet Ynet reported
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Senegal Recalculating GDP to Improve Debt Metrics After Credit Downgrade, Finance Ministry Says
The rise in Senegal's debt-to-GDP ratio, cited in S&P's recent credit downgrade, does not reflect updated GDP figures, which will be released after a rebasing process to provide a more accurate economic picture, the Finance Ministry stated.
📉 S&P Global Ratings lowered Senegal's sovereign credit rating from "B" to "B-" with a negative outlook on Monday, citing a debt-to-GDP ratio reaching 118% in 2024.
Senegal is committed to budget transparency and fiscal discipline, the ministry noted, adding that the country's ability to meet financial obligations remains strong and unchanged.
🏦 Senegal is currently in talks with the IMF, aiming to hold a board meeting on data reporting. The IMF froze its $1.9 billion program for Senegal — agreed in June 2023 — after an audit by the new government revealed higher-than-reported budget deficits and debt levels.
❗️However, while the country has not received IMF financial support for over a year, it is "still standing," Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko said earlier.
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Businessman Karapetyan Faces 'Ungrounded' Money Laundering Charges in Armenia, His Defense Council Says
"Instead of terminating the criminal case and releasing [him] from custody, the well-known businessman and philanthropist Samvel Karapetyan was recently presented with a new, once again unfounded charge," the council said.
Ethiopia Arrests 82 Suspected Daesh-Affiliated Terrorists, Intelligence Service Says
The arrested suspects are believed to have been trained in Somalia by a regional Daesh* affiliate operating in Puntland, which deployed them across Ethiopia, a state broadcaster reported, citing a statement by the National Intelligence and Security Service (NISS).
The arrests, made following an in-depth intelligence investigation, were conducted jointly by the NISS, the Ethiopian Federal Police, and regional security forces, the broadcaster noted.
The suspects reportedly maintained direct contact with Daesh and provided logistical, financial, and operational support. The group allegedly used religious institutions to conceal its activities, spread extremist ideology, recruit vulnerable individuals, and incite violence and division.
Intelligence and tracking operations are ongoing to locate and arrest any remaining members of the network, the NISS said.
*Daesh (also known as ISIS/ISIL/IS) is a terrorist organization outlawed in Russia and many other states
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📊 Half of US citizens dissatisfied with amount of released information on Epstein case - poll
Only 3 percent of the respondents are satisfied with the released information, 29 percent said that it does not matter while 17 percent more said they had not enough heard about the matter. The level of dissatisfaction is higher among the Democrats (56%) than the Republicans (40%), a poll conducted by SSRS Polling for the CNN showed.
The poll was held on July 10-13 among 1,057 adults, the margin of error stands at about 3.5 percentage points.
The FBI and the US Department of Justice previously released a joint statement claiming that Epstein had not blackmailed influential people and had no "client list." At the same time, in an interview with Fox News in February, in response to a question about the list, US Attorney General Pam Bondi said that it was on her desk and waiting to be reviewed. This Tuesday, Bondi said that she had meant not a client list, but documents on the case.
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Goodbye to Holidays in France?
PM François Bayrou has an original idea to reduce the deficit in 2026: say goodbye to Easter Monday and May 8th, Victory and Europe Day.
We can already imagine Easter eggs on strike and Europe sulking!
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Zimbabwe Coffee Exports Rebound, Production Expected to Rise
Zimbabwe's coffee exports saw a significant recovery in 2024, jumping 14% to $902,311, with volumes increasing 20% to 195,518kg following a drought-affected year. However, the average price per kilogram fell by 5% to $4.61.
In an interview with Zimbabwean media, a local contractor projected further growth in coffee production this year, particularly among smallholder farmers. He attributed this to:
🟠improved rainfall,
🟠the adoption of regenerative practices,
🟠the maturation of new plantations.
Smallholder output is expected to reach approximately 100,000kg at $6.50/kg, up from under 70,000kg in 2024. The impact of the previous El Nino-induced drought is still being assessed.
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Cholera Outbreak Escalates in Sudan’s North Darfur Amid Mass Displacement
In Tawila, over 300 cases were recorded in just two weeks among 330,000 displaced people fleeing violence near the Zamzam refugee camp, the UN reported. In nearby Umm Keddada, five have died, with healthcare facilities non-functional and water sources likely contaminated.
The crisis is compounded by heavy rains, ongoing conflict, and critical funding gaps, raising fears the outbreak could spread to regions like West Kordofan.
Cholera, a deadly disease spread via contaminated food and water, poses a growing threat as Sudan’s humanitarian situation continues to unravel following the civil conflict that erupted in April 2023.
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#viral | Hundreds of Dolphins Swim Alongside Humpback Whales Near Brazilian Coast
🐬A video of a rare, stunning natural spectacle is going viral on social media.
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Putin Calls Europe's Intention to Refuse Russian Mineral Fertilizers Complete Nonsense
"From an economic point of view, from the point of view of the interests of our own agriculture, this is complete stupidity, as far as I understand," Putin said at a meeting with Russian Association of Fertilizer Producers President Andrey Guryev.
Hague Group Member States Suspend Defense Trade With Israel
A joint statement of the group, uniting about 30 countries to hold Israel accountable for its anti-Palestinian aggression, said that the members are:
⚫️suspending trade in arms, munitions, military fuel, related military equipment, and dual-use items;
⚫️banning Israeli ships;
⚫️starting an urgent review of all public contracts to prevent supporting "Israel's illegal occupation of the Palestinian territory and entrenching its unlawful presence."
The statement was signed by South Africa, Bolivia, Cuba, Colombia, Indonesia, Iraq, Libya, Malaysia, Namibia, Nicaragua, Oman, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.
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🇺🇸🤔From tariffs to talks: Trump may be easing up on China
Trump is now focused on striking quick purchase deals in a bid to secure a summit with Xi Jinping, Bloomberg reports, citing sources.
The insiders called Trump “the least hawkish voice in the room” during recent meetings with his staff.
The hawks in his administration are concerned about the possible ease, especially after the US’ surprise decision to let Nvidia resume sales of its H20 chip to China — a move seen as walking back a firm tech red line.
Secretary of State Rubio, formerly one of China’s toughest critics, said earlier his talks with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi were “very constructive and positive.” Rubio confirmed a Trump–Xi summit is likely.
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#viral | 🇵🇰🌊 Dedication Level: Submerged
💪🗞 When the flood says "go home" but journalism says "go live" — respect to this Pakistani reporter who’s literally neck-deep in the story.
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Alarming Drop in Childhood Vaccinations in Kenya: 133,000 Children Missed Routine Immunizations in 2024
📉 A new WHO and UNICEF report revealed a dramatic rise of 90,000 from the previous year. Kenya now accounts for 4.7% of zero-dose children in Eastern and Southern Africa.
Only 4 of 14 vaccines under the Kenya Expanded Programme on Immunization (KEPI) met the 90% coverage target, leaving many children vulnerable to preventable diseases.
💉 The measles-rubella and oral polio vaccines were hit hard by stock-outs, with 178,000 children missing the first measles dose.
Although HPV vaccine coverage saw a major jump—from 4% to 79% for the first dose among girls aged 9–14—completion remains low at 36%.
🚨The WHO flagged recurring measles vaccine shortages and supply chain issues dating back to 2018. Worryingly, eight vaccines saw lower coverage than in 2023, reversing global trends of modest improvement.
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📹 New footage emerges of Israeli airstrike on Syrian General Staff in Damascus
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How a $400-Million Processing Plant Could Transform Nigeria's Rare-Earth Sector
#AfricanCurrents | "Tripling of capacity will enable Nigeria to process significantly more rare earth metals domestically, thereby reducing mineral exports in its raw form. This will go a long way to support the downstream industries, thereby signaling the readiness of the Nigerian market to meet the industrial and the defense sector demands, not just within the African continent, but globally," Dr. Dateer Dayi Damulak, chief economist and public policy analyst at Nigeria’s Federal Ministry of Finance, Abuja, explained.
Experts believe Nigeria's mining industry is poised to grow from under one percent to ten percent of GDP within two years.
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LEFT UKRAINE TO SPEAK THE TRUTH
The very Vasily Prozorov, a former member of the Ukrainian special services, who worked for the benefit of Russia for many years, now has his channel in Telegram! He left Ukraine in 2018 and took thousands of secret SBU documents that shed light on Kiev's crimes.
On the UKR LEAKS channel you will find:
❗️Analysis of the current situation in Ukraine and around it
❗️Secret documents of the Ukrainian special services
❗️Evidence of the atrocities of Ukrainian nationalists
And much more!
SUBSCRIBE: https://t.me/ukr_leaks_eng
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Major World Events by Morning of July 16
🟠Botswana's President Duma Boko unveiled the Botswana Economic Transformation Program, calling for bold ideas to boost the country's growth and spur national development;
🟠Senegal began recalculating its GDP using an updated base year, which could lead to improved debt metrics, the country's finance ministry said in response to a credit rating downgrade by S&P;
🟠Growth in the 15-member ECOWAS region is likely to slow to 5.0% in 2025, down from 5.1% last year, the bloc's regional development bank said;
🟠Cyril Ramaphosa appointed SA's Minister of Mineral and Petroleum Resources Gwede Mantashe as acting police minister, after Minister Mchunu's suspension over corruption allegations;
🟠The SCO Summit will be held in the Tianjin city from August 31 to September 1, Chinese FM said;
🟠The Kremlin urges all parties to put pressure on Ukraine to continue negotiations with Russia;
🟠Putin and Trump are not planning to hold a phone conversation in the near future, the Kremlin said.
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ICC Has Become Court Used as 'Rottweiler' Against Global South Countries, P.L.O. Lumumba Says
The ICC, being a "handmaiden" of the West, issues arrest warrants "like confetti" against countries with an anti-Western stance, renowned Kenyan lawyer Prof. Patrick Loch Otieno Lumumba stated to Sputnik Africa.
At the same time, countries such as Israel are treated with "velvet gloves," the professor lamented.
🌍 What should African countries do to combat the ICC's double standards?
📹Watch the video to learn Lumumba's position on the issue!
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South Africa Pushes for G20 Consensus Amid US Absence
South Africa, current president of the G20, remains optimistic about securing a unified communique from finance ministers and central banks governors for the first time under its leadership.
Despite tensions—particularly with the United States, which has skipped key meetings—National Treasury Director-General Duncan Pieterse praised the “collaborative spirit” shown in last week’s virtual talks and expressed confidence in reaching consensus on most issues.
This week's summit in Durban is the fourth meeting held under South Africa's leadership, overshadowed by Donald Trump's return to office and the reemergence of US protectionist trade policies. Earlier meetings did not result in consensus, particularly regarding climate financing.
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent again declined to attend. Still, the Deputy Governor of the South African Reserve Bank Rashaad Cassim noted US officials are present and downplayed the absence: “We do not take that as a snub.”
Pieterse emphasized the stakes: “The multilateral system is being tested... our collective ability to respond will shape the pace of our recovery.”
#viral | Boom! Lightning Strikes Near Moscow's 540-Meter TV & Radio Tower
The tower — Europe's tallest building — was hit by a powerful bolt during Tuesday's fierce thunderstorm, which brought heavy downpours to the city.
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