USA & Canada Intelligence Brief — Sunday, August 23, 2026
USA and Canada Intelligence Brief, 23 August: Canada walked out of the talks, a 50% tariff took effect at midnight,...
August 23, 2026Section
Latest News
Europe Intelligence Brief — Sunday, August 23, 2026
Europe Intelligence Brief, 23 August: six capitals draft a windfall tax on oil profits, Merz booed at a fire site,...
August 23, 2026
Asia Intelligence Brief — Sunday, August 23, 2026
Asia Intelligence Brief, 23 August: Japan's first execution under Takaichi, the Cool Japan Fund dropped from the budget, the post...
August 23, 2026
Africa Intelligence Brief — Sunday, August 23, 2026
Africa Intelligence Brief, 23 August: Egypt built Tanzania's biggest dam, Chinese firms hold every airport package in Ethiopia, Nigerians drive...
August 23, 2026
Guyana’s Oil Output Fell for Four Months. The Fix Just Arrived
Guyana oil production fell four months running to 869,000 barrels a day in June. The vessel meant to push output...
August 23, 2026
Brazil Cut Income Tax and Taxed Dividends: What Expats Owe
Brazil taxes for foreigners changed twice in 2026: the tax on low monthly earnings was cancelled, and dividends are taxed...
August 23, 2026
Lula’s Lead Over Flávio Bolsonaro Has Halved in Five Weeks
Brazil election polls have tightened sharply: Datafolha now puts Lula six points ahead of Flavio Bolsonaro, against twelve in mid-July.
August 23, 2026
Brazil’s New Sales Taxes Are Now in Every Invoice
Brazil tax reform went live on 3 August: every goods invoice now carries the new IBS and CBS fields, with...
August 23, 2026
Nigeria Has Drawn on a US$5 Billion Abu Dhabi Loan It Will Not Explain
The Nigeria Abu Dhabi loan is a US$5 billion swap secured on federal bonds, and the finance minister says its...
August 23, 2026
Libya’s Rivals Initialled an Election Deal. The UN Disputes the Text
A Libya election agreement was initialled in Tunis on 20 August. Two days later the UN said the version circulating...
August 23, 2026
South Sudan Restarts Salary Payments After Months of Arrears
South Sudan salaries are to flow again after a ministerial committee ordered payments on 20 August. No date has been...
August 23, 2026
Nigeria Would Make Crypto Exchanges Base Their Chief Executive There
Draft Nigeria crypto rules published on 20 August would require an exchange to keep its chief executive in the country,...
August 23, 2026
Congo Wants 10,000 Megawatts. First It Has to Fix Its Power Company
A Congo Brazzaville electricity plan would lift capacity from about 760 megawatts to 10,000 by 2040, starting with a contract...
August 23, 2026
Namibia Approved an Oil Local-Content Policy That Binds Nobody Yet
The Namibia local content policy for oil was approved on 4 August 2026. It has not been gazetted, so for...
August 23, 2026
Ghana’s Central Bank Lost US$1.7 Billion Buying Gold, the IMF Says
The Ghana gold programme loss reached US$1.7 billion in 2025 on IMF figures. Five opposition MPs have filed a motion...
August 23, 2026
Eastern Congo’s Ceasefire Finally Gets Its First Inspectors
The first eastern Congo ceasefire inspection is due on Monday 24 August at Minembwe, four months after the body meant...
August 23, 2026
World Bank Bars Kenya’s eCitizen Builder Over a Somalia Contract
A World Bank debarment has shut Webmasters Kenya and its founder out of Bank-financed contracts until June 2031 over a...
August 23, 2026
South Africa Sells Zimbabwe Eight Times What It Buys Back
South Africa Zimbabwe trade was worth R81 billion in 2025, about US$4.6 billion, and Pretoria sells roughly eight rand of...
August 23, 2026
Kenyan Banks Hold US$17 Billion of Their Own Government’s Debt
Kenya banks government debt holdings run to about KSh 2.2 trillion, or US$17 billion, which the World Bank puts at...
August 23, 2026
Morocco Now Buys Almost All of France’s Arms Sales in North Africa
Morocco France arms exports hit 532.1 million euros in 2025, forty times the year before and almost the whole of...
August 23, 2026