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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
Major World Events by Morning of July 27
🟠In the DRC, the M23 rebels have threatened to boycott the peace process over the prisoner issue;
🟠Thailand and Cambodia engaged in artillery fire for a fourth consecutive day on Sunday, but both sides expressed willingness to negotiate a ceasefire under US mediation;
🟠Israel announced a daily "tactical pause" in its military operations and the establishment of humanitarian corridors;
🟠In Cameroon, 13 candidates will be in the running for the upcoming presidential election;
🟠Russian air defense systems destroyed and intercepted 99 Ukrainian drones overnight, the Russian Defense Ministry said.
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📹 RUSSIA CAPTURES UKRAINIAN DRONE WITH US TECHNOLOGY IN ZAPOROZHYE
Russian soldiers have downed a Ukrainian drone packed with equipment from US-based Silvus Technologies. The Russian military is now analyzing it to extract crucial flight data and technical specs.
This wireless tech is typically used in military drones and public safety systems.
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Russian Navy Displays Strength in 'July Storm' Exercise
Each fleet has demonstrated its capabilities:
🟠The Baltic Fleet successfully destroyed a simulated enemy ship using drones and helicopters.
🟠The Pacific Fleet sank a mock submarine in waters near Kamchatka.
🟠Jets from the Northern Fleet conducted precision strikes, hitting over 20 targets.
🟠The Caspian Flotilla intercepted and shot down a cruise missile with the Pantsir-M system.
🟠In the Barents Sea, a submarine hunt was carried out using depth charges.
🟠The Baltic Fleet simulated blockade operations with minelayers.
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#viral | 📹 Nothing Stops Play: Saint Petersburg Child Swings in the Rain After Record Heat
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Cote d'Ivoire Artist Makes History With World Record
Mylène Amon officially entered the Guinness World Records by folding 203 Japanese origami flowers in one hour.
🏆 The announcement was confirmed on July 25 by an official statement. After an unsuccessful attempt in February to create 130 portraits in 120 hours, Mylène persevered.
"I changed my approach, but I remained true to my love for paper art," she said.
Foreign Investor Interest in Zimbabwe Stocks Rises in Q2 2025, Signaling Potential Recovery
This rise in interest, attributed partly to an improving economic outlook and the stability of the new Zimbabwe Gold (ZiG) currency, boosted market turnover despite a slight decrease in overall market value, according to the Zimbabwe Stock Exchange's (ZSE) quarterly newsletter.
🆙 Foreign participation on the ZSE rose to 26.53% in Q2, up from 15.39% in the previous quarter;
🆙 Foreign trades jumped 153.94% to 743.6 million ZiG ($27.7 million);
🆙 Total market turnover on the ZSE saw a 53.14% increase, reaching 1.49 billion ZiG ($55.6 million);
📉 However, the total market value declined by 3.08% to 62.64 billion ZiG ($2.34 billion), and the ZSE All Share Index fell by 3.91%.
🆙 On the Victoria Falls Stock Exchange, which is dollar-denominated, turnover reached $15 million in Q2, while market capitalization slipped to $1.25 billion.
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Fourteen Killed in Central Nigeria Market Attack
The victims, including women and infants, were killed when armed attackers ambushed a passenger vehicle returning from a popular weekly market in Nigeria's Plateau State, according to media reports.
🚌 The attackers intercepted the vehicle and opened fire on the passengers, Farmasum Fuddang, chair of the Bokkos Cultural Development Forum, told media outlets on Friday.
👉 The attack highlights the ongoing intercommunal conflicts in Plateau State, where hundreds of people have been killed in such conflicts in recent years. This has prompted calls for increased security in rural areas.
Plateau police have not yet issued an official statement regarding the attack.
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Nigeria's Defense Industry Takes Off: Focus is on Domestic Weapon Production, Officer Says
🛠"In-house" weapon development allows Nigerians to avoid international restrictions and build self-reliance in defense capabilities, Colonel Nanpon Gambo told Sputnik Africa.
Nigeria has been following this strategy for decades; that is why now it is capable of producing its own drones, the officer pointed out.
🎯Current efforts concentrate on training the manpower in technical skills so that local specialists could supervise the future homegrown weapon production on their own, he added.
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#viral | Power of Sand: Violent Sandstorms Blanket Southeastern Iran
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‘We Should Be Able to Eat What We Produce’: Cameroonian Official
🙌🏽 Africa’s strength lies in its soil, its culture, and its plate, said Stephen Andong Ujambeng, Representative of the North West Regional Assembly in Cameroon. He also believes that reclaiming our food systems is key to Africa’s future.
🌽 Speaking to Sputnik Africa on the sidelines of the African Chefs Gathering and Policy Convening on African Food Systems in Addis Abeba, Ujambeng emphasized the importance of embracing and promoting locally grown, nutritious African foods—not just in homes, but across government events, restaurants, hotels, and even in the diaspora.
🗣 He called on policymakers, educators, and citizens alike to drive a continental shift—from dependence on Western imports to pride in African agriculture and cuisine.
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Morocco Bets Big on Airports With $4.2 Billion Upgrade Deal Ahead of 2030 World Cup
The government and the Moroccan Airports Authority signed a deal laying the foundation for a modern, resilient "Airport 2030" model aiming to boost infrastructure, handle traffic growth, and develop the tourism sector, the Head of Government's office said.
✈️ Key goals and targets:
🟠Build a new hub terminal and a runway at Casablanca's Mohammed V Airport;
🟠Expand seven airports in cities hosting World Cup matches;
🟠Expand airport capacity from 34 million to 80 million passengers by 2030;
🟠Prepare to welcome 26 million tourists by 2030 (up from 17.4 million in 2024).
The 2030 FIFA World Cup will mark Africa's second hosting and Morocco's debut. The North African nation had previously bid unsuccessfully in 1994, 1998, 2006, 2010 and 2026.
AI-generated image
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East African Leaders Call for Stronger Collaboration to Align Capital with Development Goals
Hosted by Stanbic Bank (Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda), the East Africa Institutional Investors Forum in Arusha gathered regulators, pension funds, banks, ministries, and development financiers to discuss mobilizing institutional capital for infrastructure. Focus aligned with Tanzania’s Vision 2050 and EAC Vision 2050.
✅Speakers emphasized the opportunity to unlock long-term savings from pension funds and institutional investors for transformative projects in energy, housing, water, transport, and digital connectivity.
“There is a growing alignment between public sector development goals and private sector capital flows,” Aboubakar Massinda, EVP for Energy and Infrastructure at Stanbic Bank Tanzania, was quoted as saying by media.
Russian self-propelled artillery crews of "Giatsint-K" destroyed a camouflaged enemy UAV control point in the Konstantinovsky area of the DPR
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Russian Defense Ministry publishes footage of Zverevo liberation in DPR
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The Russian Defense Ministry has shown footage from the settlement of Novoekonomicheskoe in the DPR, the liberation of which was announced on Thursday
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Touadéra to Seek Third Term as Central African President
President Touadéra announced his intention to run for president in December during a congress of his party, the United Hearts Movement, in Bangui.
He won the election in 2016 and was reelected in 2020.
👉 At the end of the year, the Central African Republic will hold a triple election: local, legislative, and presidential.
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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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Major Medical (and Robotic!) Breakthrough in Morocco
The Sheikh Khalifa International University Hospital in Casablanca reached a historic milestone by performing the first robot-assisted visceral surgery.
🤖 On July 24, Dr. Choukri El Mehdi performed a rectal resection to treat colorectal cancer using the Da Vinci surgical robot. The Da Vinci robot is renowned worldwide for its precision and minimally invasive capabilities.
🔸This success marks the second phase of robotic surgery deployment in Morocco, following a series of urological operations.
Photo: Maghreb Arabe Press
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🌍 Africa, special selection: add this folder with the best channels of the news from the continent. ⤵️
👉👉 /channel/addlist/lwYcxR-tjCBiODBi 👈👈
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Top African Countries by Ship Market Value – IndexBox Report
👇 The following economies dominated Africa's ship and ferryboat market by value in 2024:
🇰🇪 Kenya – $195 million
🇸🇱 Sierra Leone – $142 million
🇳🇬 Nigeria – $44 million
Together, these nations account for over 80% of Africa’s total vessel market value, highlighting concentrated investment in maritime transport.
Other key insights from the report:
🔹 Africa still relies heavily on imported vessels, with Nigeria being the top importer ($26 million, 25% of total import value). However, local production grew to 133 ships ($503 million) in 2024.
🔹 The continent’s ship market is projected to reach $615 million by 2035, growing at 2.5% annually in value.
🔹 Kenya, Sierra Leone, and Senegal lead in vessel purchases by volume, consuming 46, 42, and 35 ships, respectively.
🔹 Sierra Leone, Kenya, and South Africa dominate local shipbuilding, contributing 65% of Africa’s production.
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🔊 UK will recognize Palestine, BUT NOT NOW — Starmer
The British Prime Minister says that recognizing the State of Palestine must be part of a broader plan that guarantees lasting security for both sides of the conflict.
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From Molecules to Missions: How a 2006 Email Sparked a Russian–Ethiopian Scientific Alliance
A scientific journey that began nearly 20 years ago with a shared fascination for caffeine molecules is now evolving into a full-scale international collaboration.
🤝 What started in 2006 as remote research between Dr. Maxim Evstigneev (Sevastopol State University (SevGU), Russia) and Professor Abebe Belay (Adama University, Ethiopia) has matured into a formal agreement for long-term cooperation in the emerging field of nanobiotechnology.
🌱🔬 This renewed partnership draws on unique strengths: Ethiopia’s rich biodiversity—especially its endemic, plant-derived nanoparticles—and SevGU’s advanced analytical technologies.
The two universities are laying the groundwork for a joint master’s program in biophysics and nanobiotech, set to launch in 2026. It includes dual-teaching formats, student exchanges, and collaborative lab work.
🔜 Initially, a leading Ethiopian professor will join SevGU’s lab full-time under two major state-supported research projects. A pilot group of Ethiopian students is also expected to study in Sevastopol, potentially expanding to include other African universities and fields like marine biology.
🎯 The ultimate vision? A Russian–Ethiopian research center on nanobiotech—bridging continents through science, education, and shared innovation.
📹 What makes Ethiopia’s role in this project unique? Watch Dr. Evstigneev explain in his own words in the video👆🏽
📌 ወደ ስፑትኒክ ኢትዮጵያ እንኳን ደህና መጣችሁ
Get the latest news from the world, Africa and Ethiopia, with exclusive insights, opinion and multimedia content — all in Amharic.
👉 Subscribe and get hip on the untold
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Iconic Lebanese Pro-Palestinian Activist Returns Home After Over 40 Years in Prison
Hundreds greeted George Ibrahim Abdallah at the Beirut International Airport, after he was freed from a French prison earlier on Friday.
✊ Representatives of various parties and supporters welcomed the activist, hailing him as a symbol of struggle for Palestine's resistance.
Abdallah's brother Robert previously told Sputnik that family feared Israeli assassination attempts. And not in vain… Israeli drones were reportedly circling Beirut airspace hours before the legend's arrival.
The state must ensure Abdallah's security, the Lebanese Communist Party leader Hanna Gharib stated to Sputnik.
Abdallah, a Lebanese communist and Palestinian cause supporter, was convicted in the 1980s for attacks linked to the Lebanese Armed Revolutionary Factions. He describes himself as a resistance fighter, not a criminal, motivated by the struggle against Palestinian oppression.
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‘African Food is the Future, and the Future is Now,’ Says Ghana-Based Chef
Food is more than nourishment—it's identity, hope, and opportunity. That’s the message from Chef Fatmata Binta, a Sierra Leonean culinary visionary based in Ghana.
She shared her passion with Sputnik Africa during the African Chefs Gathering and Policy Convening on African Food Systems in Addis Abeba.
“Africa is a diverse ritual of indigenous food systems, and these systems hold invaluable knowledge that can guide us to a more sustainable and equitable future,” she said.
“It’s a grain that I see as a solution when you think about food insecurity, think about climate change.”
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❗️Thailand has declared martial law in eight provinces along the border with Cambodia
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#viral | Nightmarish Giant Hornet Nest Being Destroyed
📍China
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Out of grace: Zelensky loses US backing
Volodymyr Zelensky is facing his first wave of mass protests since 2022 — and it’s a bad omen for him, veteran ex-CIA and State Department official Larry Johnson tells Sputnik.
Zelensky's under rising pressure
The trouble has brewed for the past month, according to the pundit.
💬 "We had a news article by Seymour Hersh... that indicated that his sources from the CIA and Department of Defense were telling him that Zelensky was on his way out, that they're going to get rid of him," Johnson says.
💬
"The fact that there are rumors circulating that Washington wants to get rid of Zelensky is a sign that the relationship is not what it was two years ago under Biden," the CIA veteran says.
Major World Events by the Morning of July 25
🟠Newly appointed AU Special Envoy to Sahel, Burundi's Ndayishimiye, held a meeting with Burkina Faso's President Traore. The envoy's mission is to foster dialogue with Sahel nations to reach peace in the region;
🟠Ghana narrowed its 2025 budget deficit target after a better-than-expected result in the first six months of the year, the finance minister said, vowing to get public finances back on track;
🟠The threat of nuclear weapons use remains globally, the South African FM said, urging better international cooperation on non-proliferation while ensuring equitable access to peaceful nuclear technologies;
🟠The trial of former DRC President Joseph Kabila on charges including treason and supporting M23 rebels is set to begin in Kinshasa on Friday, local media reported;
🟠The Hamas movement welcomed France's intention to recognize Palestine in September;
🟠Thailand rejects any third-party involvement in resolving its conflict with Cambodia, the Foreign Ministry said;
🟠Hungary is decisively against turning the budget of the European Union into the "budget of Ukraine," Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto told RIA Novosti;
🟠The UK tried to use a military provocation in the Baltic to disrupt the Russian-US talks and convince Washington to continue full-scale military assistance to Ukraine, Putin's aide told Sputnik.
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