🎙First ever 'Africa Category' added to Grammy Awards

The 2024 Grammys ceremony will now have a category for "Best African Music Performance," the Recording Academy stated on social media

🗣 "Today, we’re proud to announce a new category for the 66th Grammy Awards – Best African Music Performance," the organizer stated. "This track and singles category recognizes recordings that utilize unique local expressions from across the African continent."

The event's organizer, said that the newly introduced category would include 19 different music genres from around Africa that highlight the continent's melodic, harmonic and rhythmic musical traditions

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Which Russian weapons systems have built-in AI?

Russia’s minister of industry confirmed to Sputnik on Tuesday that an S-350 Vityaz missile system operating in “automatic mode” had been successfully used in the ongoing Russia-NATO proxy war in Ukraine.

How has Russia incorporated AI in its military equipment? What is it used for? And which specific systems have it?

Sputnik explores

Black Sea grain deal: No talk of extension if 'Istanbul package' does not work until July 17, Lavrov says

💬 “Unfortunately, the Istanbul package signed on July 22, 2022 is still being implemented only in terms of Ukrainian food exports. The part of the package regarding Russian ammonia is not valid. Now the Togliatti-Odessa ammonia pipeline has also been blown up,” Lavrov said.

He said there is still no progress in the implementation of the Russia-UN Memorandum, designed to ensure the real exemption from illegal unilateral Western sanctions for Russian agricultural products and fertilizers.

💬 "I have to state again: if the 'Istanbul package' does not work, as it was initiated by the UN Secretary General, by July 17, then there can be no talk of any further extension," Lavrov said.

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Nine Ukrainian UAVs eliminated over Crimea

Six of them were shot down by air defense forces and the other three were disabled by electromagnetic pulse, local authorities said.

One of the drones detonated in the Krasnogvardeysky district and there were no casualties reported. The blast shattered windows in a number of houses.

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🇺🇸🇮🇱 Biden administration reportedly weighing ‘Israel model’ for Ukraine instead of NATO membership

The deal that would be a limited commitment and not include a collective defense guarantee. US media reports have indicated the Biden White House would pledge to continue providing more military aid to Ukraine, regardless of the outcome of its ongoing counter-offensive. The deal would likely be for a shorter period than the commitment to Israel, which typically runs in 10-year intervals.

Kiev and some European allies have been advocating for Ukraine's full NATO membership, including a collective defense guarantee. However, opponents of the initiative argue it would escalate the Ukraine conflict and confirm Russia’s justification for the special operation, one of which was NATO's encroachment across Europe since the start of the century.

Volodymyr Zelensky has reportedly threatened to boycott the NATO summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, next month if he is not given a roadmap for Ukraine joining the military alliance as a full member.

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🥴 US mainstream TV channel calls Biden “wannabe dictator” but changes mind

The onscreen caption appeared during a section about the federal indictment of Donald Trump below split-screen footage of the former US president and present incumbent, Joe Biden.

When contacted by another US media outlet, the channel commented that “the [electronically generated caption] was taken down immediately and was addressed.”

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#SPIEF2023 hosts the “Dedollarization: The Future of Money” panel, where experts are focusing on the world’s gradual shift from the US dollar-centric financial and economic system towards multipolarity as the greenback wanes.

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🇷🇺🇨🇳 Vladimir Putin congratulates President Xi on his 70th birthday

💬 "It is difficult to overestimate the efforts that you have been making for many years to strengthen the relations of comprehensive partnership and strategic interaction between our countries ... I look forward to continuing our constructive dialogue and close joint work on topical issues on the bilateral, regional and international agenda for the benefit of the peoples of Russia and China," the congratulatory telegram, published by the Kremlin, read.

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❗️LIVE NOW: Day two of St Petersburg International Economic Forum (#SPIEF2023)

Join the live stream here or follow the live updates on Sputnik’s website

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates opens their booth at #SPIEF2023

The UAE is a guest country this year.

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🌐 Global trade avoided sharp decline, but its structure will change, says Russian presidential economic aide Maxim Oreshkin

💬 "If you look at what globalization is, first of all, its main driving force is global trade. We will hardly see any sharp decline here, but the structure of global trade is changing very actively,” Oreshkin said at a macroeconomic session of the #SPIEF2023

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💸 Sanctions against Russia led countries to think about diversifying their reserves, Russian Central Bank Governor Elvira Nabiullina says

The global financial market is undergoing significant changes, including a redefinition of the role of the dollar, Nabiullina said, adding that Russia’s banking system is healthy, has a reserve of real capital and can play a huge role in financing this transformation.

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🇯🇵🇺🇸 Japan, US discussing supply of 155mm shells for Ukraine's counteroffensive

The Japanese shells will help replenish US stockpiles, depleted by the huge amount of military assistance provided to Ukraine, US media reported, citing sources, adding that Washington has sent to Ukraine over 2 million 155mm shells since the start of Russia’s special military operation on February 24, 2022.

Western countries supplied Ukraine with M777 howitzers, as well as PzH 2000, Krab and CAESAR self-propelled howitzers that fire 155mm shells.

Moscow has repeatedly warned against continuously funneling arms to Kiev. Russia's FM Sergey Lavrov has said any cargo that contains weapons for Ukraine will become a legitimate target for Russia. Moscow has repeatedly emphasized that the heavy levels of military aid being handed to Ukraine is only prolonging the conflict.

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❗️Main points from “Dedollarization: The Future of Money” panel at #SPIEF2023

▪️Dedollarization is a national security priority because of the US decision to “weaponize” the dollar for geopolitical purposes;

▪️The Ukraine conflict has accelerated Russia’s dedollarization process. In early 2022, 80% of Russia’s trade settlements were conducted in dollars, euros, and other “unfriendly” currencies. That share feel to 48% by the end of 2022 and later to 30% by March 2023;

▪️The dollar’s status will continue to erode to the “systemic crisis” of US hegemony and de-globalization. Countries are increasingly shifting towards a regionalization of trade and a localization of production. Both of these trends make the dollar less essential to international settlements;

▪️Russia is exploring the creation of a stablecoin pegged to gold or some other natural resources. Additionally, there is growing interest in using blockchain technologies to develop an alternative to the SWIFT payment system;

▪️BRICS currency could threaten the dollar if the bloc’s member states decide to link their bond markets. We could see a potential breakthrough on the development of a BRICS currency during the bloc’s leaders summit in August.

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Bangladesh to Join BRICS Soon: Foreign Minister

Bangladesh's 🇧🇩 Foreign Minister, AK Abdul Momen, announced that Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will participate in the upcoming BRICS leaders' summit in South Africa in August, following a meeting with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa in Geneva.

🏦 The New Development Bank has already enrolled Bangladesh as a member, and around 20 other nations have expressed interest in joining BRICS. The issue of comprehensive institutional development was discussed at the recent foreign ministers' meeting in Cape Town.

Developing countries are increasingly interested in BRICS 🌐 due to growing frustration with the lack of reforms in multilateral governance and financial institutions, and the impact of western efforts to phase out Russian commodities from supply chains.

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Ex-Pentagon adviser Macgregor calls Ukraine's alleged successes at battlefield meaningless

💬 "You begin to look at these reports of Ukrainian gains, you discover that in many cases the areas where they are claiming that they made gains are nowhere near the battlefield, they are not even in the security zone,” ex-Pentagon official and military historian Douglas Macgregor said.

Ukraine has touted its coming offensive since late 2022. It was first scheduled for the spring, then rescheduled to the summer. The Ukrainian government said the postponement was due to a shortage of weapons, all while pushing its Western donors to supply progressively heavier arms, including tanks, drones and fighter jets.

💬 “There have been no gains at all because everything always finished on the ability of the Ukrainian counteroffensive to reach the main defensive build-up, crack it, move through it in order to reach something of importance like Melitopol; it has not happened," Macgregor added

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❗️IAEA head Rafael Grossi arrives in Zaporozhye region

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