August 2026
All columns and Brief analyses.
10 results
Jeonbuk physical AI lab lifted output at three plants by 5 per cent to 11 per cent
The physical AI lab at Jeonbuk National University moved from trials to full operation, aiming at an AI factory manager that runs robots and equipment. The lab sits inside a government programme budgeted at 1.43 trillion won over five years, shared with South Gyeongsang. DH Autoread reported a 7.4 per cent production lift, Daesung Precision 11.4 per cent and Donghae Metal 5.1 per cent. The presidential office on 30 August filled AI posts, among them an adviser brief covering semiconductors, physical AI and data centres.
Jordan keeps BB- as Aqaba cargo volumes rise 16 per cent
S&P Global Ratings affirmed Jordan at BB- long-term and B short-term, outlook stable. Cargo at Aqaba port is 16 per cent higher. The firm puts the 2026 deficit at 2.2 per cent of gross domestic product. At the end of 2026 it sees gross reserves near 26 billion dollars. Iraqi export volume fell from about 3.4 million barrels a day before the war to about 2 million barrels a day by early August after the Strait of Hormuz closed on 28 February 2026.
Kim Jong Un replaces his defence minister as Seoul names a former combined-forces deputy
North Korea's state agency KCNA said Kim Jong Un dismissed defence minister No Kwang Chol and named army political chief Kim Song Gi to the post at a Saturday meeting, a reshuffle state media linked to new weapons work. On the same day South Korea's president announced a cabinet change that puts former South Korea-US Combined Forces Command deputy Kang Shin-chul in charge of defence, as Lee Jae-myung's government seeks to revive foreign-policy momentum.
Met-HeFT found no measurable cardiovascular benefit from metformin in heart failure
In the double-blind Met-HeFT study across 23 Danish centres, 940 people were assigned to metformin or placebo. Over a mean 3.7 years there was no significant difference on the primary endpoint of death, worsening heart failure, heart attack and stroke, and none on overall death or unplanned heart failure events. The result limits the hope that metformin protects the heart beyond lowering blood sugar.
Meta AI becomes CarPlay's fourth outside chatbot before Siri's AI arrives
Meta AI's iPhone app has joined CarPlay through the conversational-app support introduced with iOS 26.4, following ChatGPT, Perplexity and Grok. It is now the fourth third-party chatbot in Apple's in-car interface. While Siri's AI features are expected with iOS 27, some Meta AI users see a notice that their accounts are not yet supported; the same notice persisted in a test with a paid account.
Naira firms to 1,337 as reserves reach their highest since 2009
The naira closed at 1,337 to the dollar on 28 August, gaining 0.96 per cent over the week. Currency turnover fell 48.7 per cent in the same week, while reserves reached 53.11 billion dollars on 24 August, the highest since 2009. Moody's turned the outlook positive, citing a stronger external position.
Nayara's Vadinar refinery is sending gasoline to Russia
Russia's seaborne gasoline imports reached about 125,000 barrels a day in August, 470,000 tonnes for the month. Vortexa said attacks on refineries cut domestic output and that Indian refiners supplied as much as 1 million barrels over two months from the Vadinar plant in Gujarat, half owned by Rosneft. Energy imports from March to August ran 330 billion dollars above forecast prices, of which gasoline added 35.7 billion dollars and India paid an extra 22 billion dollars. Russia extended its gasoline export ban through January 2027.
Nigeria's central bank pulled 4.72 trillion naira in two days
Nigeria's central bank sold 4.72 trillion naira on 26-27 August as bids reached 8.62 trillion naira against 2 trillion on offer, with stop rates between 19.32 per cent and 19.90 per cent. In the same week Moody's turned the outlook positive and affirmed the B3 rating. Heavy demand for yield is pulling liquidity even as a stronger external position supports the credit view.
Nigeria's formal remittance inflow was 947 million dollars in July
Nigeria's central bank said international money transfer operators brought in 947 million dollars in July, the highest monthly total through formal channels and short of Governor Olayemi Cardoso's 1 billion dollar target by 53 million dollars. The Debt Management Office said a 5 billion dollar total return swap with First Abu Dhabi Bank is collateralised with naira federal bonds rather than oil revenue. The bank said stronger formal inflows improve foreign-exchange liquidity. The office said proceeds go to the budget, infrastructure and the refinancing of costlier debt.
Ontario workers vote on GM's 1.1 billion dollar contract
Unifor put a 1.1 billion dollar tentative General Motors contract to 4,600 Ontario members; the package covers Sierra assembly at Oshawa and transmission work at St. Catherines. In the same week President Donald Trump used a 1930 tariff clause to put a 50 per cent tax on Canadian imports. The vote tests cross-border auto investment under a live tariff threat.