Latest in Uganda, Rwanda, Kenya, Burundi firepower | THE INDEPENDENT | Countries in the East African region continue to spend more on strengthening their armed forces, according to latest data. Although Kenya and Tanzania are the biggest spenders because of their relatively big budgets, most attention is on Uganda, Rwanda, …
Read More »Pupils assemble AK-47s as Russia marks Kalashnikov at 100
Moscow, Russia | AFP | More than a hundred Russian schoolchildren were taught to assemble AK-47s in a Moscow park on Saturday as the country this weekend celebrates the centenary of the birth of Mikhail Kalashnikov, inventor of the legendary rifle. On Sunday, the 100th anniversary of Kalashinkov’s birth …
Read More »Russia’s big move to Africa
What the Euro-Asian nation promised African countries at a historic summit in Sochi Kampala, Uganda | ISAAC KHISA AND JULIUS BUSINGE | One might have probably heard about Sochi, Russian city located on the Black Sea Coast near the border with Georgia, for co-hosting the 2018 FIFA World Cup. …
Read More »MUSEVENI: Africa should boost trade with Russia, China and India
Sochi, Russia | THE INDEPENDENT | Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni on Thursday joined a panel of experts and leaders at the ongoing Russia-Africa Summit in Sochi to discuss the challenges and opportunities of doing business in Africa. “The population of Uganda is now 42 million. It will be 106 million by …
Read More »Russian soft power on display at Africa summit
Sochi, Russia | AFP | Aboubakary Guiro, a financial expert from Ivory Coast, is full of hope after attending the first ever Russia-Africa summit this week in the Black Sea resort of Sochi. “We forget about Russians when we talk business,” said Guiro, the co-partner of a financial advisory …
Read More »C.African ties highlight Russian strategy in Africa: analysts
Bangui, Central African Republic | AFP | The Central African Republic is an important plank in Russia’s strategy of boosting its presence in Africa by offering security for fragile regimes in resource-rich countries, analysts say. President Vladimir Putin last year surprised the West by a string of high-profile moves that …
Read More »PUTIN: Russia and Africa cooperation has gained new momentum
COMMENT | VLADIMIR PUTIN | It gives me great pleasure to welcome you at the opening of the Russia–Africa Economic Forum. The rich history of relations between Africa and Russia has never seen an event of a similar scale. Members of government agencies and business community, and experts are …
Read More »As Kremlin scrambles for Africa, Moscow university eyes soft power
Moscow, Russia | AFP | As the Kremlin seeks to boost ties with Africa, a Moscow university that was a training ground for the continent’s elite during the Cold War is once again working to bolster Russia’s soft power. The Peoples’ Friendship University of Russia, created in 1960 to improve …
Read More »Putin diffuses Middle East tension with mega Russia, Saudi Arabia oil deal
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia | AFP | Energy superpowers Saudi Arabia and Russia on Monday signed a key deal to bolster cooperation among the world’s oil giants, as visiting President Vladimir Putin sought to defuse political tensions in the Gulf. Putin’s visit follows attacks on Saudi oil installations that Riyadh and …
Read More »Putin begins Saudi Arabia tour
Oil, Iran top agenda as Putin visits Saudi Arabia Moscow, Russia | AFP | Russian President Vladimir Putin will visit Saudi Arabia on Monday, where he is set to seal oil agreements as well as use his influence to defuse rising tensions in the Gulf. The meeting with King Salman …
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