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 …
Read More »Hold the vodka: Russians cut drinking by 40 percent under Putin
Moscow, Russia | AFP | Russians might have a reputation as a nation of hard drinkers, but a report by the World Health Organization published Tuesday showed their alcohol consumption has dropped by more than 40 percent from its peak in the early 2000s. The WHO put the decrease down to …
Read More »Trump told Russian officials he wasn’t concerned by interference in 2016 elections
Washington, United States | AFP | US President Donald Trump told Russia’s foreign minister and ambassador that he was unconcerned about their country’s interference in the 2016 elections, The Washington Post reported Friday. Trump made the previously unreported comments during the same May 2017 Oval Office meeting in which he famously …
Read More »Russia to help Uganda develop nuclear energy
Moscow, Russia | AFP | Russia and Uganda have agreed to work together in the field of nuclear energy, the Russian nuclear agency Rosatom said Wednesday, as Moscow seeks to strengthen its influence in Africa. Russia’s state-owned companies have been at a key part of the strategy to bolster Moscow’s presence …
Read More »Russia launches floating nuclear reactor in Arctic despite warnings
Moscow, Russia | AFP | Russia will launch the world’s first floating nuclear reactor and send it on an epic journey across the Arctic on Friday, despite environmentalists warning of serious risks to the region. Loaded with nuclear fuel, the Akademik Lomonosov will leave the Arctic port of Murmansk to begin …
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