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♦️ Breaking & exclusive stories, analysis, opinions 👉 About Africa in other languages: Amharic: @sputnik_ethiopia French: @sputnik_afrique 💬 Contact us https://t.me/Africa_Sputnik_bot
#viral | Ominous Cloud Wall Descends on US Coastline
⛈ These shelf clouds—indicators of severe weather—form when cold thunderstorm air lifts warm, moist air into a low wedge along the gust front.
📍Cape May, New Jersey
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Sputnik Africa's Correspondent Wins Second Prize at SADC Media Awards in Radio Journalism: Statement
🧡 Seakga Tladi's winning submission, "SADC Solidarity and Sanctions in Zimbabwe," explored the impact of sanctions on Zimbabwe and the country's resilience, featuring officials from Lesotho, Namibia and Zimbabwe who advocated for sanctions removal and underscored regional solidarity.
🎉 The awards were announced during the 46th SADC Summit in Durban.
🌍 The competition recognises journalism that fosters greater awareness of regional integration and cooperation among SADC member states.
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Ghana Welcomes Russia's 'Africa-Led' Security Approach in Sahel, FM Says
"We do not see Russia's role as a meddlesome busybody who has not been invited. They have been invited, and they are helping us to stabilize the situation," he underlined.
'We See in Russia Reliable Partner': Ghanaian FM on Ghana-Russia Peace & Security Cooperation
"The threats we face, the threats of terrorism, of violent extremism, are not threats that can be resolved by single effort; it requires a multilateral, collective approach," Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa said.
South Africa & Region Need to 'Think Beyond Big Walls': SA Scholar
🔊South Africa is not a xenophobic country, and its focus should be on addressing economic challenges, industrializing the SADC region, and thinking beyond borders, David Monyae, Director of the Center for Africa-China Studies of the University of Johannesburg told Sputnik Africa.
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Zambia’s Hakainde Hichilema Leads Presidential Race After Half of Ballots Counted
🗳 The incumbent president has received 54.82% of votes cast, the Electoral Commission announced.
His main challenger, Brian Mundubile, is in second place with 43% of the vote, with results processed from 105 of the country’s 226 constituencies.
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🇨🇳 How the Iran war turned China into a global oil-price stabilizer
When the Iran war effectively shut the Strait of Hormuz, energy markets braced for the worst. Analysts warned of prices soaring past $150 a barrel and a global recession.
Instead, Brent crude has remained remarkably stable, hovering below $90. The main reason for this unexpected reprieve is China's leverage over the oil markets, the Economist reports.
China, the world's largest oil importer, responded to the crisis by cutting its crude imports by roughly one-third — a reduction of approximately 3 million barrels per day This deliberate reduction has acted as a powerful stabilizer for global energy markets, absorbing a demand shock that would otherwise have sent prices spiraling.
This dramatic cut was possible because China had been stockpiling oil for years.
🔸 By the start of the conflict, its strategic and commercial reserves were estimated at nearly 1.4 billion barrels, larger than the combined reserves of all 32 International Energy Agency member nations
🔸 This massive buffer allowed China to maintain its domestic refining operations without needing to buy at war-inflated prices
China's electrification drive has also played a crucial role.
◻️ In the first half of 2026, electric vehicles displaced approximately 1.4 to 1.5 million barrels of oil demand per day
◻️ With new energy vehicles accounting for over 60% of new car sales, China's transport sector has built a significant and growing immunity to oil-price shocks
◻️ The gap between this structural decline and what comparable internal combustion engines would have consumed is now equivalent to roughly a tenth of all the oil that normally passes through the Strait of Hormuz
Beyond merely holding back on buying crude, China also restricted its exports of refined products to maintain domestic supply. The Iran war only accelerated a decline in domestic gasoline demand, as high prices made both consumers and businesses more cautious about fuel consumption.
For decades, the energy market has been shaped by OPEC's ability to constrain supply in order to drive up prices, a strategy that essentially functions as a tax on the global economy. China's approach has proved to be the opposite.
By stockpiling when prices were low and reducing imports during a crisis, it has helped smooth out price spikes. This is a risky strategy, and the costs of maintaining such vast reserves fall on the Chinese economy. But for the rest of the world, China's actions have bought other oil-importing countries precious time to mitigate the consequences of the crisis.
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Most Importantly, 'We Need to Address Root Causes of Migration,' SA Deputy FM Says
To address "the anti-foreign national sentiments," South Africa needs to enforce its immigration laws, while also limiting the root issue of migration, so that "people can live better and freely in the countries of their origin," Thandi Moraka told Sputnik Africa.
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Mozambique Channel is Strategic & Could Serve as Alternative Maritime Route: Brazilian Researcher
👉 The maritime route could become an option in case of restrictions affecting shipping flows, such as those seen in the Suez Canal, Luísa Barbosa Azevedo, a Sub-Saharan Africa researcher at the Conjuncture Assessment Group at the Brazilian Naval War College told Sputnik.
🔍 The African coast can be used for commercial routes connecting to Europe, she noted.
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Morocco Arrests 111 Migrants in Another Attempt at Mass Crossing Into Ceuta: Media
109 migrants from sub-Saharan Africa and two Moroccan citizens were arrested in or around Fnideq—a town on the coast of northern Morocco—on Saturday, following social media calls for another mass crossing, according to media reports.
Key points from the situation:
🟠Since the attempt on July 30, Spain has installed a maritime barrier and deployed more than 500 additional police, increasing the total force in Ceuta to over 1,600.
🟠Spain will not allow irregular migrants to stay in Ceuta, travel to the mainland, or get legal status, except in rare cases of extreme vulnerability.
🟠About 5,000 migrants still remain in Ceuta, with some sheltering on the urban beach.
🟠Morocco is monitoring social media posts calling for crossings and has warned it will prosecute organizers and participants.
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'In Nature Conservation, Everyone is Responsible': Ethiopian Official
"When you conserve the natural resource, you are guaranteeing the survival of all creatures in harmony on this planet," Kumera Wakjira, director general of the Ethiopian Wildlife Conservation Authority, told Sputnik Africa.
France Has Interest in Mozambique Channel to Reposition Itself in Africa: Brazilian Researcher
🌍👉 France’s overseas territories, including those in South America and Africa, serve as a way for Paris to maintain a presence in the region and participate in resource exploration, Luísa Barbosa Azevedo, a Sub-Saharan Africa researcher at the Conjuncture Assessment Group at the Brazilian Naval War College told Sputnik.
🔍 France is seeking to overcome its diplomatic isolation on the African continent, she stressed.
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#viral | Celebrating 80 Years of Independence: India's PM Unfolds National Flag at Historic Red Fort
🇷🇺🇮🇳 Earlier, Russia's President Putin congratulated India's president and prime minister, praising the cooperation between the countries in the spirit of a "particularly privileged strategic partnership."
📍New Delhi
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Dodoma Unveils Five-Year Drive to Construct 1,000 Rural Footbridges Nationwide
📹 Watch the video by Sputnik Africa to learn more on the new life-saving infrastructure project
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Russia Ships 46.5 Million Tonnes of Wheat, Outpaces EU & Canada in 2025/26: Agroexport
🇷🇺🌾 Why the Surge? Two key factors drove this performance:
🔹Bigger harvest – Russia's 2025 wheat crop reached 91.1 million tonnes, which is 8.5 million tonnes more than the previous year.
🔹Stronger demand – Traditional buyer countries are ordering more grain than ever before.
Two major African markets significantly increased their purchases:
🇸🇩Sudan significantly boosted purchases to 2.2 million tonnes, a twofold increase
🇪🇬Egypt expanded procurement by 6%
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Nigeria Commits $1 Billion to Sugar Self-Sufficiency Drive: Government
🇳🇬 The National Sugar Development Council's strategy relies on stricter import quotas and transforming sugarcane into a broader bio-industrial ecosystem that also yields ethanol, animal feed and electricity.
🚜 By prioritizing practical execution, the initiative aims to produce 2 million tonnes annually to boost local employment and significantly cut foreign spending, the council's executive secretary Kamar Bakrin said.
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'We're Talking About State Terrorism Against Sahel States': Lavrov
"It's not a secret that France [...] directly engages with illegitimate armed formations. [...] We're talking about Ukrainian servicemen," the Russian FM said.
Russia & Ghana Pursue Agreements on Security, Geology, Minerals Exploration & Extradition: Ghanaian FM
The ministers also agreed to ratify the 2016 MoU on defense cooperation, he said.
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🇷🇺Lavrov: Japan crossed the line of decency with statements on Putin’s Iturup visit
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#viral | 7.7 Magnitude Quake Hits Flores & Leaves at Least 53 Dead, 137 Injured
The earthquake, which struck on Saturday, damaged 2,400 homes, dozens of schools, religious buildings and government facilities, local media reported, quoting the authorities.
The Indonesian government has dispatched 52 tonnes of aid, including:
▪️food;
▪️water;
▪️medicine and medical equipment;
▪️tents and other essentials for displaced residents.
Volunteers and medical workers have also been deployed to the affected areas.
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Industrialization 'Comes When Your Agriculture is in Better Position': SA Scholar
"And you can't also industrialize without sufficient cross-border infrastructure," David Monyae, Director of the Centre for Africa-China Studies of the University of Johannesburg told Sputnik Africa.
SADC Leaders Lay Wreaths at Statue of President Oliver Tambo
"In this we honor the fallen heroes and the many contributions that were made by other countries to the freedom and liberation of South Africa, but also for the region of SADC," Khumbudzo Ntshavheni, SA's minister in the presidency, emphasized in her opening remarks.
🇬🇧💣 Ukraine uses British-made drones for strikes inside Russia
For the first time, drones developed by two British companies have been used for long-range attacks on Russia after being supplied to Ukraine, The Times reports, citing Ukrainian military sources.
British drones, including the Nyan UAV developed by a subsidiary of British defense giant BAE Systems, have been involved in deep-strike missions for roughly the past six months, including attacks on Russian oil refineries.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has said Russia’s retaliatory deep strikes on Ukraine are far more powerful and cause significant damage. Moscow also argues that Western arms supplies hinder peace efforts and involve NATO in the conflict.
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Thousands of Moroccan Migrants Again Attempt to Enter Spain’s Ceuta Enclave
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❗️Russian troops have liberated Kudievka in Kharkov Oblast and Pershomaryevka in the DPR: MoD
👉 The Russian army has continued advancing across all areas of the special military operation zone since the start of 2026, liberating settlements one after another in Donbass and beyond, while steadily expanding security buffer zones in border regions.
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'Let's Focus More on Peace & Security Within SADC Region': South African Deputy FM
The region must ensure "democratic processes are being adhered to" and governments are "based on the will of the people," Thandi Moraka told Sputnik Africa on the sidelines of the Ministerial Committee in Durban.
#viral | Meet Republic of Sakha—Russia's Vast Far Eastern Gem
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Ethiopia & Russia Jointly Conduct Research on Mammals & Biodiversity, Official Says
🇪🇹🇷🇺 Ethiopia is expanding its partnership with Russia and other BRICS members in these areas, Kumera Wakjira, director general of the Ethiopian Wildlife Conservation Authority, told Sputnik Africa.
"Even before Ethiopia has joined the BRICS, we have [had] a strong research collaboration with Russia."
#viral | Somali Soldier Demonstrates Unique Military Etiquette in Salute to Superior
📹 Video from social media
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