The Rio Times

Makkah Joint Defence Agreement Binds Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan

Samuel Ncube — Sat, 08 Aug 2026 07:20:29 +0000

Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan signed the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement on 7 August 2026, committing each to treat an armed attack on any one of them as an attack on all three. Only a summary joint statement has been published — the treaty text, its duration and any command or basing arrangements remain unpublished.

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Nigeria’s NNPC Listing: Tinubu Commits, But Sets No Date

Matias Sebastian Lopez — Sat, 08 Aug 2026 07:16:38 +0000

President Bola Tinubu told the Nigerian Exchange Group board on 6 August 2026 that the totality of NNPC Limited would one day be listed — not a slice of it. He named no date, no valuation and no adviser, and the law that created NNPC Limited does not mention a listing at all.

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Latin America Sports Daily for Saturday, August 8, 2026

Oliver Mason — Sat, 08 Aug 2026 07:12:33 +0000

Boca Juniors vs Vélez and Tigre vs River Plate headline Argentina’s Torneo Clausura Fecha 4 Saturday; Libertadores round-of-16 first legs are set for.

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Museveni renews push for East African Community political federation

Samuel Ncube — Sat, 08 Aug 2026 07:09:38 +0000

Uganda · POLITICS Key Facts —Who is pushing: Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni, in power since 1986, has renewed his long-running campaign for an East African Community political federation. —The bloc: The East African Community now has eight partner states: Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Somalia. —Integration ladder: […]

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Kenya State Think Tank Warns Raising VAT Risks Driving Firms to Informal Sector

Samuel Ncube — Sat, 08 Aug 2026 07:07:41 +0000

Kenya · ECONOMY Key Facts —The warning: KIPPRA advised the National Treasury against raising value-added tax above the current 16 percent, arguing it would reduce consumption and push firms into the informal economy. —The threshold: KIPPRA modelling found that once VAT exceeds 16.3 percent, revenue elasticity turns negative, meaning higher rates start reducing total collections. […]

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New Financial Scams Sweep Kenya as Authorities Watch

Valentina Gómez — Sat, 08 Aug 2026 07:03:01 +0000

Kenya · FINANCE Key Facts —Cybercrime surge: Reported cybercrime incidents in Kenya rose 67 percent in the first half of 2026 compared with the same period in 2025, according to the Communications Authority. —Mobile money dominance: Mobile money fraud accounted for 58 percent of reported cybercrime cases, with attacks concentrated on M-Pesa and mobile banking […]

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Somalia faces early troop exit rethink as US funding cut hits AU mission

Samuel Ncube — Sat, 08 Aug 2026 07:01:05 +0000

Somalia · GEOPOLITICS Key Facts —US funding cut: On 1 July 2026, the United States told the African Union it would stop funding the UN Support Office in Somalia (UNSOS) after 31 December 2026. —UNSOS budget: UNSOS, the logistical backbone for the AU mission, runs on roughly $500 million to $502 million annually. —AUSSOM funding […]

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Rwanda in talks with Italy to resettle irregular migrants, no deal yet

Samuel Ncube — Sat, 08 Aug 2026 06:58:47 +0000

Rwanda · GEOPOLITICS Key Facts —Status of talks: Rwanda and Italy are in exploratory discussions. Government spokesperson Yolande Makolo said on 6 August 2026 that there is “no agreement yet.” —Proposed model: One idea under discussion is an expansion of the Emergency Transit Mechanism at Gashora, south of Kigali, which already handles vulnerable evacuees from […]

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Saudi Arabia Displays Armoured Vehicles for Sudan Army Offensive

Samuel Ncube — Sat, 08 Aug 2026 06:57:33 +0000

Sudan · DEFENSE Key Facts —Armoured vehicles: The Sudanese Armed Forces have publicly displayed Pakistan-made Mohafiz-V armoured vehicles, believed to be part of a Saudi-backed arms arrangement. —October 2024 delivery: A first batch of 50 armoured fighting vehicles arrived at Wadi Sayidna military base north of Omdurman, the Sudan Tribune reported on 13 October 2024. […]

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Argentina Foreign Land Ownership Cap Stays at 15%

Lachlan Williams — Fri, 07 Aug 2026 20:23:38 +0000

Politics: Argentina Key Facts —Withdrawn. Milei’s Senate bloc pulled the rural land chapter from its private property bill on 5 August 2026, a day before the vote. —Rule today. Argentina’s 2011 Land Law still caps foreign ownership of rural land at 15%, measured nationally, provincially and locally. —The catch. The dropped text offered 25%, but […]

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