RUSSIA’S WAR WITH UKRAINE: FIVE REASONS WHY MANY AFRICAN COUNTRIES CHOOSE TO BE ‘NEUTRAL’

Sun 03 April 2022:  In early March the United Nation’s General Assembly voted on a resolution demanding Russia immediately stop its military operations in Ukraine. Out of 193 member states, 141 voted in support of the resolution, five voted against, 35 abstained and 12 didn’t vote at all. Of the 54 African member states, Eritrea voted against the resolution, […]

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IN SYRIA, RUSSIA LEADS EFFORT TO RECRUIT FIGHTERS FOR UKRAINE

Sat 02 April 2022: Analysts say Moscow has been recruiting Syrian fighters through its mercenary network and local groups. Beirut, Lebanon – Even after a decade of civil war, Syrians have been trying to find a way out of the country to fight in another. Moscow through the mercenary company the Wagner Group and supported Syrian fighter […]

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WHAT WILL BE THE FUTURE OF GLOBAL ENERGY POST-UKRAINE WAR?

Fri 01 April 2022: Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy made a surprise video appearance at Qatar’s Doha Forum last Saturday, stressing the need for the energy-rich nation and others to shift their production from Russian based energy into renewable energy to counteract the loss of Russian energy supplies. This emergency call from the president of the […]

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INDIA-RUSSIA EXPLORE A RUPEE-ROUBLE PAYMENT SCHEME TO BYPASS WAR

Thu 31 March 2022: Mumbai, India–Indian authorities are actively considering dedicated payment mechanisms for trade with Russia to enable existing trade obligations in the wake of sanctions imposed on the Kremlin, a move that will also pave the way for cheaper oil imports to meet the country’s energy demands. In the past month, as sanctions have been […]

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WILL UKRAINE BE THE NEXT CHECHNYA?

A woman picks her way through the rubble in Grozny during the Second Chechen War in February 2000. ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Wed 30 March 2022: Al Jazeera speaks to Chechen dissident Tumso Abdurakhmanov on the parallels between the Ukraine and Chechnya conflicts. At the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, photos of the wars in Chechnya […]

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‘STRONGER TOGETHER’: MYANMAR, RUSSIA PARADE MILITARY RELATIONSHIP

Sun 27 March 2022:  Increasingly isolated on the world stage, Myanmar’s deepening Russia ties will be on display at annual Armed Forces Day event. Myanmar’s military usually marks Armed Forces Day with a grand parade in the country’s capital as commander-in-chief Senior General Min Aung Hlaing – in full regalia – inspects his troops from […]

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WHAT ROLE IS CHECHNYA’S RAMZAN KADYROV PLAYING IN UKRAINE WAR?

Fri 25 March 2022: Chechen forces deployed in Ukraine appear to be more of a ‘PR initiative’ than military utility, analysts say. Just two days after the Russian invasion of Ukraine was launched, Ramzan Kadyrov, president of Russia’s Chechen Republic, announced his forces were deployed to the battlefield. Since then, Chechnya’s leader has posted on […]

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THIS ANTI-MUSLIM HATE CAMPAIGN IS TEARING INDIA APART

Wed 23 March 2022: The virulent hate campaign by Hindutva forces promoted by the ruling right-wing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and subsequent rise in public and institutional Islamophobia, have combined to create panic among India’s 204 million Muslims, the country’s largest minority community. The mood was encapsulated by India’s opposition, […]

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FACEBOOK’S ‘DOUBLE STANDARD’ ON HATE SPEECH AGAINST RUSSIANS

Mon 21 March 2022: Facebook’s decision to allow hate speech against Russians due to the war in Ukraine breaks its own rules on incitement, and shows a “double standard” that could hurt users caught in other conflicts, digital rights experts and activists said. Facebook owner, Meta Platforms, will temporarily allow Facebook and Instagram users in […]

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RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR: MUFTI DONS COMBAT FATIGUES TO FIGHT PUTIN AND AVENGE SYRIA

Said Ismagilov, centre, poses with fellow members of Ukraine’s Territorial Defence Forces (Facebook) ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________  Thu 17 March 2022: Said Ismagilov says there is ‘Quranic justification’ for Muslims to battle Vladimir Putin’s forces Said Ismagilov, mufti of the Religious Administration of Muslims of Ukraine and one of the country’s top Islamic leaders, has traded in his traditional robes […]

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