“NORMAL LIFE” IN ST PETERSBURG BELIES RUSSIA’S HEAVY FIGHTING WITH UKRAINE
The captivating sense of calmness, the throngs of people milling about and the huge traffic volumes throughout St Petersburg belies the reality that Russia is in a state of war. St Petersburg is a sprawling cosmopolitan city. It is regarded as the mecca of Russia’s culture and heritage, an epicentre of values as well as […]
ANTON KOBYAKOV IS RUSSIA’S RISING FORCE WITH PENCHANT TO “SAIL UNDER THE RADAR”
Anton Kobyakov, remember the name! He is a soft-spoken, erudite and affable Russian politician who serves as an adviser to the Russian President, Vladimir Putin. He also serves at the highest echelons of Roscongress, a state-owned enterprise responsible for various strategic initiatives, including international events assemble and management as well. The unassuming Kobyakov holds a […]
“THE DOMINANCE OF THE WEST IS OVER,” SAYS RUSSIA’S PRESIDENT PUTIN
Russian President Vladimir Putin sounded like a man on a mission to change the world. But any thoughts of Putin toying with the international world order needs a quick rethink because, in his own words, he is not. Instead, Putin told a packed St Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) this week that he is merely […]
DEP PRESIDENT MASHATILE VOWS TO IMPROVE POOR TRADE BETWEEN SA AND RUSSIA
Trade relations between South Africa and Russia are woefully inadequate, struggling to reach 1 billion dollars per annum. This was revealed in remarks by the Deputy President Paul Mashatile in a press conference during his working visit to Russia this week. Mashatile was attending the annual St Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) along with a […]
“SPIEF 2025” SHOWS RUSSIA IS AT THE CENTRE OF A RAPIDLY CHANGING WORLD ORDER
This week, Russia is hosting some 20,000 participants from over 170 countries to the 28th edition of the St Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF). The theme of SPIEF 2025 is: “Shared Values: The Foundation of Growth in a Multipolar World.” Russia has held SPIEF annually since 1997. It is held under the auspices of the office […]
RUSSIA’S PRESIDENT PUTIN LET’S THE WAY FOR THE BIGGEST ECONOMIC CONFERENCE IN ST PETERSBURG
The 2025 St Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) has attracted throngs of international participants who have put up stalls and exhibition points throughout the sprawling venue in Russia’s cultural capital. SPIEF 2025 kicked off on June 19 and runs until June 21. It is Russia’s flagship event that contributes massively to the country’s economic growth, […]
CHINA STEPS IN TO RESCUE THE GLOBAL SOUTH AS PRESIDENT TRUMP’S TARIFFS WREAK HAVOC
At a time of great economic strife across the global community – triggered largely by the huffing and puffing of President Donald Trump’s approach to foreign policy – too many nations are reeling from the weaponization of tariffs as a diplomatic tool. Presiding over the world’s largest economy and unparalleled military might that borders on […]
SA LAMBASTE THE US OVER SANCTIONS AGAINST ICC JUDGES
South African government has lambasted the Trump administration for imposing sanctions against judges of the International Criminal Court (ICC), a move regarded as a sheer act of intimidation against the court’s decision to issue a warrant of arrest for the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. In a media statement laced with diplomatic speak from the […]
UKRAINE WILL PAY A HEAVY PRICE FOR ILL-ADVISED DRONE ATTACKS ON RUSSIA’S AIRBASES
In a much-anticipated telephone call this week, US President Donald Trump was at pains explaining to his Russian counterpart, President Vladimir Putin, that Washington absolutely had nothing to do with Ukraine’s astoundingly provocative drone attacks on five Russian airbases. The airbases, attacked simultaneously, house Russia’s strategic bomber fleet. The attacks appear to put a spanner in […]
GERMAN CHANCELLOR MERZ FLIRTS WITH DANGER IF HE PRODUCES LONG-RANGE MISSILES AGAINST RUSSIA
German-based anti-war civil society organization, the Schiller Institute, has made an impassioned plea to the country’s new Chancellor Friedrich Merz to refrain from dragging Germany into a direct war with Russia. Renowned peace campaigner and founder of the Schiller Institute, Helga Zepp-LaRouche, made a call for sanity to prevail after Chancellor Merz announced that Germany […]
HOW RAMAPHOSA & CO INADVERTENTLY SHOT THEMSELVES IN THE FOOT IN AMERICA
Inadvertently, President Cyril Ramaphosa and his team to the White House ended up achieving what they never set out as their goal in the first place: Confirming before the international media that South Africa is suffering from ubiquitous crime. South Africa’s detractors have often described our country as the crime capital of the world. And, […]
BURKINABE PRESIDENT IBRAHIM TRAORE RE-WRITES AFRICA’S HISTORY FOR THE MODERN ERA
Ibrahim Traoré, the interim President of Burkina Faso who ascended to power following a popular overthrow from power of former leader Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba in September 2022. Although military coups are regarded as an affront in modern African politics, Traoré’s pro-poor rule – real or perceived – has been positively received by a population for […]