Russia-Africa contacts 'more intensive than ever' – Putin

The Russian president spoke after meeting with his Algerian counterpart in Moscow
This is a special year for Russia’s relations with Africa, President Vladimir Putin told reporters at the Kremlin on Thursday, during a joint press conference with President Abdelmadjid Tebboune of Algeria.
“Our contacts with African countries are more intensive than ever and the president’s visit clearly shows it,” the Russian leader said.
Putin added that he will continue talks with Tebboune at the 26th annual St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF), which began on Wednesday, and that he will meet with the leadership of several African c

Ukraine’s top telecom providers join Pride Month

The move, however, has apparently angered some of the operators’ customers
Ukraine’s leading telecom providers have commemorated Pride Month by temporarily painting their logos in rainbow colors and posting messages of support for LGBTQ on social media. The move, however, elicited a backlash online, with numerous users vowing to ditch the providers over their stance.
Pride Month, which is celebrated internationally in June, was supported by the country’s top mobile operators, namely Kyivstar, boasting over 26 million customers, and Vodafone Ukraine, with more than 18 million. The companies posted messages in support of LGBTQ on social media

US demanding big results from Ukraine’s counteroffensive, soon – Politico

Without major gains, Ukrainian officials fear the flow of Western weapons may dry up
US officials are telling their Ukrainian counterparts that Washington’s support for their war effort hinges on the success of the ongoing counteroffensive against Russian forces, Politico reported on Thursday. The offensive has failed so far, with Ukrainian losses counted in the thousands.
US President Joe Biden has repeatedly promised to back Ukraine “for as long as it takes.” However, when Ukrainian officials recently asked the US State Department and National Security Council whether they could count on this support to continue th

India outlines new areas for cooperation with Russia

Small and medium sized companies could become "huge" contributors to both economies, a business council member has told RT
Russia and India should focus more on support of small and medium sized enterprises (SME) that could become the new driving force for further economic growth between the countries, a representative of the Business Council for Cooperation with India, Ramnik Kohli, told RT on Thursday.
Speaking on the sidelines of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) he said that India and Russia have "huge potential" for boosting trade ties in such areas as pharmaceuticals, manufacturing and component production, t

Russia announces elections in new regions

The Central Election Commission has said that voting in Donbass, Kherson, and Zaporozhye will be held in September
Russia’s Central Election Commission (CEC) on Thursday gave the green light to hold elections in the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics (DPR, LPR), as well as Kherson and Zaporozhye Regions. Ballots will be cast on Russia’s Single Voting Day, which is scheduled for September 10.
CEC chairperson Ella Pamfilova said that she received appeals from the acting heads of the four territories asking to hold elections and that her office has since consulted with the Russian Defense Ministry and Federal Security Service (FSB), about what

Japan may change stance on arms exports – WSJ

Tokyo is reportedly considering providing artillery shells to replenish US stocks depleted by efforts to weaponize Ukraine
Japan is in talks with the US about shipping artillery rounds from its own arsenals to backfill Washington’s stocks, the Wall Street Journal has reported. The outlet cited the depletion of American ammunition depots due to its military aid to Ukraine.
Japan has for decades refrained from exporting lethal weapons.
In its article on Thursday, the WSJ, citing “people familiar with the talks,” claimed that Tokyo could supply 155mm artillery shells to the US.
The scheme, if approved, would reportedly not entail Japanese ammuni