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Africa
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Africa

Africa
Africa
The latest news, analysis and opinion on Africa. In-depth analysis, industry insights and expert opinion.
Zimbabwe, Africa’s largest lithium producer, abruptly suspended exports of raw lithium minerals and concentrates, moving its 2027 deadline forward. Other African nations are also finding ways to assert greater control over their raw resources. Photo: EPA-EFE
China-Africa relations

China’s supply chain meets the wall of African resource nationalism

As resource-rich nations introduce export bans and other limits, analyst says investment may not automatically follow.

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Kenya

Kenya floods death toll rises to 62, police say, including 8 children

China-Africa relations

China’s new security era in Africa: protecting assets, citizens in volatile nations

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US, Israel war on Iran

How Gulf conflict and soaring oil prices will affect Angola’s Chinese debt deals

The African nation has a clause in its deal with Chinese lenders that could help fresh up extra cash for new projects.

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Angola is one of Africa’s major oil producers. Photo: AFP
Kenya

Kenya seizes 2,238 live garden ants from Chinese national at airport

The case has exposed a growing, organised ant-smuggling network threatening the African nation’s biodiversity.

China exports

China’s exports surge 21.8% to start 2026 – biggest gain in 4 years

Despite an 11 per cent drop in US exports, China’s trade soared, buoyed by robust demand from Asean, the EU and other markets.

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Kenya

Military deployed in Kenya after at least 23 die in flash floods in capital

Police said some people drowned and some were electrocuted after heavy rain flooded homes and submerged vehicles.

Volunteers carry the body of a person killed by flooding on Saturday following heavy rainfall in Nairobi, Kenya. Photo: Reuters
DR Congo

DR Congo says least 200 dead in coltan mine collapse

The collapse took place at the Rubaya mines, where rebels claim ‘bombings’ killed only five people.

US-China relations

Africa emerges as new arena in US-China competition over artificial intelligence

With a fast-growing digital economy and young population, the continent is becoming a critical front in the global race to shape AI’s future.

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US, Israel war on Iran

Maritime mayhem: shipping firms halt Gulf routes amid regional military strikes

Rising tensions in the Strait of Hormuz see vessels diverted and bookings suspended, as companies impose emergency fees of up to US$4,000 per unit.

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Cosco Shipping Lines has instructed all of its Persian Gulf-bound vessels to reduce speed, proceed to safe waters, or head to designated anchorages to await further notice amid regional disruptions. Photo: AFP
Mergers & Acquisitions

How AI ‘scare trade’ is sparking an M&A rush by traditional firms, start-ups

AI start-ups and legacy firms clash in capital markets, spurring M&A as the technology reshapes industries.

AI-related disruptions are projected to lead to more mergers and acquisitions, accelerating automation, especially in the software-as-a-service industry. Photo: Shutterstock
Hong Kong economy

Middle East conflict to drive up airfares for Hong Kong travellers: analysts

Suspension of major transit hubs in Dubai and Doha sends travellers scrambling for flights on ‘conflict-free’ paths to Europe.

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Hong Kong transport

Hongkong Post’s airmail services to 24 countries affected by strikes in Middle East

Public postal service suspends airmail to Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates, affecting ‘services transiting through these locations’.

European Union

Belgium special forces seize Russian ‘shadow fleet’ tanker

The European Union has blacklisted hundreds of vessels in a bid to sap Moscow’s war chest.

The tanker ‘Ethera’ docked at the naval base in Zeebrugge, Belgium, on Sunday. Photo: AFP
China-Africa relations

Why US money may not be enough to break China’s rare earths dominance

Washington aims to spend billions in Africa to build up a strategic reserve of key minerals, but analysts warn it may not be so simple.

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US representatives were out in force at the recent African Mining Indaba in Cape Town. Photo: AFP
Science

When did our ancient ancestor Homo erectus first arrive in China out of Africa?

Researchers push back the timeline for their arrival by 600,000 years, raising new questions about how the species spread around the globe.

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China-Africa relations

Opinion | China’s zero-tariff offer to Africa is a game changer

In contrast to Western proposals that come with strings attached, China has turned its own market into the main instrument of partnership.

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China-Africa relations

How China’s ‘gifting’ of space infrastructure is a diplomatic tool in Africa

Analysts say Beijing is gifting space infrastructure as a form of soft power on the continent.

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Beijing has funded a new satellite data ground station near Windhoek, Namibia – the latest in a growing network of space facilities across Africa built with help from China. Photo: Handout via Xinhua
Food and agriculture

Opinion | How China’s national food security push could reshape global markets

Amid increasing pressure from trade wars and climate change, Beijing is reframing agriculture as a matter of national security.

China trade

As high-speed railways saturate China, how far can their global reach extend?

As Chinese giants eye Eurasia for new infrastructure, analysts speculate on what it will take to keep overseas projects from going off the rails in different host nations.

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US-China relations

Opinion | Pax Sinica vs Pax Silica: how China-US mineral war is taking shape

The US approach of deploying capital and diplomatic leverage must make up for China’s years-long head start in building its reserves.

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An employee of Chinese company CMOC holds a form of cobalt hydroxide produced at the Tenke Fungurume mine, one of the largest copper and cobalt mines in the world, in southeastern Democratic Republic of Congo, on June 17, 2023. Photo: AFP
Ukraine war

Over 1,000 Kenyans recruited to fight for Russia in Ukraine war: report

Russian embassy denied Moscow’s involvement in illegally recruiting, though it said ‌foreign citizens could voluntarily join its forces.

A family member holds a photo of Kenyan who joined the Russian army. Photo: AP
China-Africa relations

China helps Zimbabwe grow US$1.2 billion tobacco crop amid debt, health concerns

As Zimbabwe’s largest agricultural export and a primary foreign currency earner, tobacco dominates its trade with Beijing.

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China-Africa relations

China says it won’t seek reciprocity with South Africa on zero-tariff policy

Envoy makes the pledge as Beijing prepares to roll out tax-free access to the Chinese market for goods from 53 African nations.

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China-Africa relations

Why China’s fast turnaround gives its projects an edge in Kenya over the West

A Kenyan investment agency says most projects signed off in 2025, including a steel processing plant were either operational or being built.

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John Mwendwa is the CEO of the Kenya Investment Authority. Photo: Handout
United States

US civil rights icon Jesse Jackson dies at 84: ‘my constituency is the damned’

The Baptist minister’s two presidential runs helped lay the groundwork for the election of America’s first black president, Barack Obama.

Jesse Jackson addresses the “Fairness in Democracy” rally on December 6, 2000. Photo: AFP
China-Africa relations

How a punt on an unknown Chinese truck manufacturer paid off in South Africa

Chinese commercial truck builder FAW now outsells major Western and Japanese brands including Toyota, Daimler and Isuzu.

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Cambodia

Opinion | Cambodia’s scam factory survivors find no escape in freedom

A government crackdown freed thousands, but with no passports or support, survivors have simply traded captivity for destitution.

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