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RUSSIA - Russian President Vladimir Putin has demanded the bulk of grain and fertiliser to be exported under the Black Sea Initiative must be channelled to Africa.
The initiative, a facility that allows wartime Ukraine and Russia to export much-needed grain to parts of the world dependent on both countries, ended at the weekend after a 120-day cycle. It was due for renewal and Russia allowed a 60-day extension instead of the UN’s 120-day wish.
Speaking to African government ministers on Monday during the International Parliamentary Conference, dubbed ‘Africa in a Multipolar World’, in Moscow, Putin said his key demands were that Africans should be the biggest beneficiaries.
“We insist on the package nature of this deal - above all, in the interests of African and other developing countries, considering that they need large amounts of food - we insist on full compliance with Russia’s key requirements, first of all, as I said, making sure that grain and fertilisers go to the African countries in need, and not to satiated European markets and countries,” he added.
Putin was unhappy with the last deal which saw about 45 per cent of the total volume of grain exported from Ukraine going to European countries, and only three per cent to Africa.
RUSSIA - A video is going viral on Russian social media claiming Vladimir Putin is conning his people by using multiple body doubles for trips he doesn’t want to make.
It seizes on speculation that the Kremlin president’s only trip so far to newly-invaded territory in Mariupol was performed by a doppelgänger, and asks: ‘Who is ruling Russia?’
It is unclear who made the footage but it appears to be aimed at reaching Russians who rely on uber-loyalist State media for their news.
The footage poses the question: ‘Who visited Mariupol?’
It states: ‘‘Specialists long ago noticed the differences between the Russian president’s body doubles.’’
‘‘A ledge on Putin’s earlobe constantly changes. As does a small mole on his face. One of the Putins has straight wrinkles on his face, the other has small and interrupted (wrinkles).
‘‘This is impossible even if he had botox injections.’’
Putin is widely believed to have had regular plastic surgery as he has aged since first becoming acting president on the last day of 1999.
Rumours are rife that Putin ‘understudies’who have undergone plastic surgery to resemble him - are deployed increasingly as his health worsens amid rumours of cancer and early stage Parkinson’s.
‘‘Evidently the weakest double was sent to Mariupol,’’ states the video in Russian.
‘‘They forgot to put in his jaw.’’