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❗️Russian Troops Liberate Polnaya & Novoaleksandrovka in Kharkov Region: MoD

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Russian Drone Systems Have Strong Export Prospects in Africa, Says Expert

🇷🇺✈️ Russian-made drones, proven effective in real combat, have good export potential in Africa, leading drone expert Denis Fedutinov told Russian media following the recent Africa Aerospace and Defence expo held in Pretoria.

Key insights from the expert:

🟠Russian drones have a strong chance of being in demand in South Africa, despite local firms offering extensive UAV lineups, thanks to their substantial combat experience in Syria, Ukraine, and African countries—something local competitors often lack.

🟠The expo serves as a potential entry point for Russian systems into South Africa and neighboring regional markets, suggesting joint maintenance centers or even production facilities could be organized if mutually beneficial terms are found.

🟠Drones have become a key weapon in modern warfare, enabling a qualitative leap in effectiveness while reducing personnel losses, and their intensive use accelerates the evolution of unmanned systems.

🟠Modern Russian UAVs and loitering munitions allow round-the-clock reconnaissance and surveillance in a wide range of weather conditions, making them suitable for operators in various parts of the world, including Africa.

At the exhibition, Russia presented leading drone systems and loitering munitions, including Lancet-E, Skat-350M, KUB-2E, and others.

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Russian Gas Processing Company Sibur Expands Polymer Exports to Africa

🇷🇺 🌍 The company plans to export a portion of the output from its new polypropylene plant DGP-2, Sibur CEO Mikhail Karisalov told media.

"Polypropylene is one of the most mass-produced and fastest-growing plastics globally, with broad demand ranging from construction to food packaging,"

🔊The DGP-2 facility has a production capacity of 570,000 tonnes per year and is scheduled to launch in 2027, he said.

"We can be highly efficient," Karisalov was quoted as saying.

👉The Russian company supplies products to consumers in the fuel and energy, automotive, construction, consumer goods, chemical, and other industries.

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Russian Security Forces Foil Polling Station Bombing Planned by Donetsk Resident on Ukrainian Orders

🔊A Donetsk resident, described as a Ukrainian agent, planned to bomb a polling station during the Russian parliamentary elections, the Russian Federal Security Service reported.

💣 The man retrieved 20 kg of explosives from a stash. He also received a 2 kg bomb, electronic detonators, and a remote-control circuit board via a drone drop.

He was unable to carry out the plan and was detained by Russian security forces.

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Zimbabwe Targets Top 50 Global Competitiveness Ranking Under New Strategy

🇿🇼 The National Competitiveness Strategy 2026-2030, launched at the National Competitiveness Commission (NCC) Summit in Bulawayo, sets a five-year goal for Zimbabwe's position in global competitiveness indicators.

The Global Competitiveness Ranking is an annual assessment by international organizations that evaluates countries' business environments, institutions, infrastructure, and economic performance.

Key details:

🟠The strategy focuses on business environment reforms, industrial competitiveness, and ease of doing business.

🟠Achieving the target requires a whole-of-government approach and measurable reforms to reduce the cost and complexity of doing business, an industrial expert said.

🟠The strategy ties competitiveness to economic growth and investment. It emphasizes that robust competition draws in capital, entrepreneurs, and skilled workers.

🟠Implementation will involve collaboration among the government, the private sector, labor, academia, and development partners.

The NCC will spearhead the agenda alongside the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe and the Zimbabwe Investment and Development Agency, aligning with Vision 2030's upper middle-income goal.

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#viral | Every Life Matters: Kitten Rescued From Deep Well in Paraguay

When a kitten tumbled into a 30-meter-deep well in central Paraguay, local firefighters immediately sprang into action.

Demonstrating incredible courage, a female firefighter descended into the shaft and, with her team's support, safely retrieved the trapped feline.

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United Russia Leads in Russian Parliamentary Elections

The United Russia party has secured 57.83% of the vote in the State Duma elections, with 93% of ballots counted.

Trailing behind are:

🟠The Communist Party with 13.81%,
🟠The Liberal Democratic Party of Russia with 8.93%,
🟠The New People party with 7.97%.

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🇷🇺Russian UAV strikes hit Ukraine's military supply chain overnight

The Russian army carried out strikes with unmanned aerial vehicles against logistics centres, warehouses and ports of Ukraine, as well as vessels involved in supporting the Ukrainian army.

As a result of the strikes, the following were hit:

In Kiev region:

🟠 The "BDU Logistic" logistics centre in the settlement of Schastlivoye, whose warehouse premises were used for the storage and distribution of military-purpose products

🟠 A gas distribution station in the settlement of Boyarka, which supplies gas to enterprises of Ukraine's defense-industrial complex

In Odessa region:

🟠 In the port of Odessa — a dry cargo vessel that had delivered cargo intended for the provision of the Ukrainian army

🟠 In the port of Izmail — port infrastructure facilities used for the unloading and storage of military-purpose cargo

🟠 In addition, a dry cargo vessel was hit while transiting at sea, having been delivering cargo intended for the provision of the Ukrainian army to the port of Odessa

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Zimbabwe Must Champion Industrialization & Value Addition to Increase COMESA Trade: Expert

🇿🇼 As Zimbabwe prepares to assume the chairmanship of the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), the country must leverage this role to drive regional industrialization, market analyst Kudzanai Sharara told Sputnik Africa.

Intra-regional trade remains minimal, with Zimbabwe having exported under $30M to the bloc in July, while its member states continue to import most manufactured goods from outside Africa, he noted.

👉To address this, Zimbabwe should champion the local processing of agricultural and mineral resources, thereby creating more value-added products for trade within the 21-member bloc, the expert emphasized.

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#viral | New Star Player: Rabbit Surprises Fans at Football Match in US

The soccer match between Dallas and Austin in Texas had an unexpected participant.

A rabbit entered the field, interrupted the match, and was applauded as it crossed the pitch.

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Ethiopia Launches Initiative to Save Indigenous Plants From Extinction: Biodiversity Institute

The effort targets vulnerable plant species in the east and north-east of the country, which are currently threatened by invasive species, competition from larger trees, and severe overgrazing.

🌱 At-risk species are being actively preserved in a national gene bank, the Ethiopian Biodiversity Institute said.

To ensure long-term sustainability, degraded lands are now being restored using exclusively native seedlings, according to local media.

ℹ️ Ethiopia is home to over 6,500 indigenous plant species.

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South Africa's Eskom Continues to Record Progress as Load Shedding Stays Away for 490 Days

🇿🇦🔌 The power utility has achieved an energy availability factor (EAF) of nearly 68% since the financial year began, its highest level in six years, the state-owned company announced.

Key details:

🟠Weekly EAF remained strong at 72.74% in mid-September, helping reduce diesel expenditure by over $295 million year-on-year and improving emissions.

🟠At least seven provinces are now free from load reduction, with approximately 1.4 million customers restored to normal supply, Eskom reported.

🟠The number of affected customers has dropped from 1.69 million to just over 247,000.

🟠The utility is on track to eliminate load reduction entirely by March next year.

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Cutting-Edge Healthcare: Nigeria Debuts Tele-Robotic Surgery to Curb Medical Tourism—Media

🤩Nigerian medical specialists from Redeemer’s Health Village, RoboMed Global, and Nisa Premier Hospital successfully performed a real-time, remote removal of a cancerous kidney, local media reported.

“Distance should never decide who receives safe surgery; this is what safe and trusted surgery looks like,” Ekwenna-Davis, co-founder of RoboMed Global, was quoted as saying.

To sustain this progress and reduce medical tourism, a new robotic academy will be established to train 150 medical professionals within the next two years, he reportedly noted.

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#viral | China's Long March-8A Rocket Goes Vertical in Stunning Transfer at Wenchang Launch Site

🚀🇨🇳 The upgraded variant of the rocket, introduced in 2025, has a 7-tonne payload capacity to sun-synchronous orbit and is designed for high-density satellite launches supporting China's satellite internet constellations. The event is part of China's 2026 schedule of around 15 Long March-8 series launches.

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AAD 2026 Expo in South Africa Closes With Epic Air & Tactical Performances

The final day of the Africa Aerospace and Defense 2026 Expo brought Waterkloof Air Base alive with roaring jets, helicopters, aerobatic displays and high-speed demonstrations.

✈️ Aerobatic teams took to the skies, while a helicopter raced vintage and modern supercars on the runway.

On the ground, crowds were electrified by intense tactical demonstrations, including a military exercise and SAPS Flying Squad hijack recoveries.

🔊Closing the event, Minister of Defense Angie Motshekga praised the AAD 2026 for unlocking new opportunities in the aerospace and defense industries.

🗓 The next Africa Aerospace and Defense Expo is scheduled for September-October 2028.

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Egyptian President Rejects Any Infringement on Somalia's Sovereignty in Meeting With CIA Chief

🇪🇬🇺🇸 During talks with CIA Director John Ratcliffe, Abdel Fattah El-Sisi affirmed Egypt's full support for Somalia's security and stability, firmly rejecting any violation of its sovereignty, unity, or territorial integrity, the presidency announced.

The meeting, attended by Egypt's intelligence chief Hassan Rashad, covered bilateral strategic relations and regional developments, including:

🟠efforts toward a comprehensive agreement on the Iranian crisis;
🟠consolidating the Gaza ceasefire;
🟠creating conditions for resuming the political process toward a Palestinian settlement;
🟠ending the Sudanese crisis.

Ratcliffe expressed US appreciation for Egypt's role in promoting security across Africa and the Middle East, praising its pivotal role in supporting peaceful solutions.

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CAR President Launches Cholera Vaccination Campaign, Administering Dose for First Patient

The campaign aims to cover 611,000 people, Faustin Archange Touadéra said during a ceremony in Bimbo, as reported by a Sputnik Africa correspondent.

"It [health security] must become a permanent component of our health system and our public governance," he noted, adding that the cholera epidemic declared in June is over.

To control the epidemic, several measures have been implemented:

▪️ 3,000 households received water purification products in the affected areas;

▪️ More than 600 handwashing stations were distributed to households in Southern CAR;

▪️ Nearly 500 households were trained in home water purification, good hygiene practices, and proper waste disposal;

▪️ Disinfection operations and the distribution of response kits were carried out among affected households;

▪️ Five mobile laboratories are currently operational, and five more are ready to be deployed;

▪️ Cross-border cooperation has been strengthened, particularly with the DR Congo, Congo-Brazzaville, Uganda, and South Sudan.

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🇷🇺 Russia’s Rassvet satellite network puts Ukraine on alert

🗣The full deployment of Russia’s Rassvet low-Earth-orbit satellite constellation could become a “small catastrophe” for Ukrainian forces, Ukrainian presidential adviser and radio-technology specialist Serhii Beskrestnov said.

Beskrestnov says Rassvet could allow Russian forces to control drones through satellite links, reducing their dependence on vulnerable ground-based communications infrastructure.

Russia’s Bureau 1440 launched 16 Rassvet satellites in March, equipped with 5G NTN communications, laser inter-satellite links, and plasma propulsion. Russian President Vladimir Putin later said the system could support combat drones and was “not inferior” to Starlink. At scale, Rassvet would give Russia its own low-orbit battlefield communications network, reducing reliance on vulnerable ground infrastructure.

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#viral | Tailed Defender on Duty: Dog 'Chases Away' Drone Ahead of Military Parade

A loyal dog became an unexpected "hero" at the 36th Republic Day parade in South Ossetia's Tskhinval.

Spotting a filming drone as a threat, the four-legged guardian aggressively barked until the device was forced to "retreat."

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