This Week In Geopolitics - 23rd August 2026

Africa

• Liberia To Take 1200 Deportees From The United States

Asia

• China Added 200,000 Barrels-Per-Day To Crude Reserves In July Despite Hormuz Crisis

• China Firmly Rejects U.S. Demand To Support Economic Operation Against Iran

• China Sentences Evergrande Founder To Life In Prison

• CXMT Becomes China’s Most Valuable Company

• Explosion Outside Sham-e-Hedayat Private School In Kabul, Afghanistan

• Japanese Bond Yields Continue To Rise, With Unrealised Losses At Life Insurers Hitting $200B

• Modi Moves To Win Back Youth In India

• North Korea Fires More Missiles

• North Korea Possesses 57 Nuclear Weapons, Says Trump

• North Korea Wants Trump’s Nuclear Recognition

• Trump Announces Reduction To Forces Used In Military Exercise With South Korea, Cites “Very Good Relationship” With Kim

• Trump Plans To Meet Kim Jong-Un Later This Year

• SK Hynix Unleashes Buyback To Halt Stock Drop

• South Korea Reaffirms Push For Military Independence After Trump Scales Back Drills

• Wang Yi Visits South Korea

Europe

• Federov, Former Ukrainian Defence Minister, Calls For Elections

• French Bond Yields Spike

• Germany Opens New Drone Security Centre Amid Fears of Russian Hybrid Warfare

• Lagarde: The U.S. Separation From The "Global Order” Is Derailing European Growth

• Moscow Hit By 600+ Ukrainian Drones

• NATO F-16s Blow Up Sea Drone Close To Romanian Gas Platform

• Physical Copper Squeeze In London Deepens

• Russian Drones Hit Mall In Zelenskyy’s Hometown

• Russia Pulls Ambassador Out Of Britain

• Russia Ready For “New Ideas” From United States To End Ukraine War

• Russia Warns Britain of “Consequences” For Supplying Drones To Ukraine

• Second Spike Of Migrants Enter Spanish Enclave Ceuta

• Turkiye-Ukraine Arms Deal

• UBS: German Natural Gas Storages Below Seasonal Norms

• UK Inflation Hits 2.9%

• UK’s Number 10 North To Take Economic Growth Role From The Treasury

• Ukrainian Grain Exports Collapse As Black Sea Attacks Choke Shipments

• U.S.-Led NATO Exercise Involving Polish Troops Nears Kaliningrad

• Withdrawals Surge In Russia As Fears Putin Could Seize Deposits Rises

• Zelenskyy Fires Another Aide Amid Corruption Probe

Middle East

• 40 Tankers Transited Hormuz On Friday Night

• Days Before Israeli Strike On Syria, Mossad Chief and Syrian Minister Discussed Turkish Troops

• Houthis Claim Fourth Attack On Saudi Aramco Refineries This Month

• Iran and Iraq Continue To Clash Politically, With Iraq Publishing Image Of "Persian Gulf” Labelled “Arabian Gulf”

• Iran Army Chief Offers $30K Reward For Kill or Capture of American Troops

• Iran Voids Memorandum of Understanding, Vows Switch To Offensive Posture

• Israel Admits To Killing Hind Rajab, A Five-Year-Old Palestinian, In January 2024

• Israel Unleashes Deadliest Airstrikes On Lebanon Since Ceasefire

• Jewish Men Permitted To Pray On Temple Mount With Prayer Books For First Time, Says Ben-Gvir

• Kushner Meets With Netanyahu On Gaza Peace Plan

• Netanyahu: No Palestinian State As Long As I’m Israeli PM

• Netanyahu’s 8 Likud Slots Reserved For His Choice

• Pakistan’s Army Chief To Visit Tehran On Monday

• Pentagon Weighing Permanent Smaller U.S. Presence In The Gulf

• Qatar Denies Holding Iranian Pilots As Tehran Demands Answers For Missing Men

• Reports That Turkey Will Soon Use Abu al-Duhar Airbase In Syria

• Russia Sending Ammunition To Iran Via The Caspian Sea

• Saudis Offer To Sell Oil To Oman

• Tehran Pushes For Global Revolt To U.S. Sanctions As “Declaration of War” On All Nations

• Trump Announces “Most Crushing Economic Operation Ever” Against Iran

• Trump Celebrates Mecca Defence Pact As “Big, Bold, Important First Step”

• Trump Doubles Down On Plans To Make Hormuz U.S. Territory

• Trump’s “Economic D-Day” Aiming To Isolate Iran Economically

• Turkiye Issues Arrest Warrant For Netanyahu, Seeks Interpol Red Notice

• Turkiye’s New Political Party Rise In Polls

• UAE Cuts Ties With Iran

• U.S. Aims To “Collapse” Iran Regime Through Economic Warfare, But U.S. Unlikely To Restart Major Combat, Says Bessent

• U.S. Issues Condemnation of Israeli Strikes On Syria’s Abu al-Duhar Airbase As “Unnecessary Escalation”

• U.S. Treasury Classes Hezbollah As An Arm of The IRGC

North America

• Bessent’s Bond Market Intervention

• Department of Energy Cancels Three National Transmission Corridors, Citing “Green New Scam”

• Department of War Announces A $22.9B Navy Contract With Raytheon For Accelerated Tomahawk Land Attack Missile Production

• DOJ Seeks Reinstatement of Criminal Charges Against Kilmar Abrego Garcia

• NSA Blocked Reports of Chinese Interference In U.S. Elections From Reaching Trump

• Nvidia To Support 4.25GW SoftBank Data Centre In Ohio For $105B

• Panama Canal To Cut Daily Transits From 36 to 34 Due To El Niño Drought

• Rubio Announces Sanctions Against ICC President and Top Lawyer

• SPR Hits 43-Year Lows

• Supreme Court Chief Justice Pauses Block On White House Ballroom Construction

• Treasury Bans ESG Funds From Trump Accounts

• Trump’s Approval Rating At 33%

• U.S. 30-Year Bonds Hit 19-Year High of 5.3%

• U.S. Debt Hits $40T

• U.S. Drafts Ultimatum For Allies Joining China’s AI Bloc

• U.S. Implements 50% Tariffs On Canadian Goods

• U.S. Navy Destroyer Suffered 4-Day Power Outage In South China Sea

Oceania

• Man Deported From Fiji Charged Over $165M Crypto Ponzi Scheme

South America

• Brazil’s Lula Holds Lead Against Flavio Bolsonaro

• Colombia Begins Mass Mobilisation Against Terror Group

• Jane Street Lost $15B In First Down Month In A Decade In July

• Moscow Warns Of New “Anti-Russia Provocation” In Latin America

• Peter Thiel Makes $76M Bet On Argentina’s Top Shale Exporter Amid Milei Reforms

• Russian Projects In Argentina Fail Due To U.S. Pressure

• The United States To Take Custody of Venezuela’s $4.3B In Gold

• U.S. Sends Hospital Ship To Peru To Help With El Niño Impact

Other

• Broadcom Credit Default Swaps Spike As It Seeks $100B In Off-Balance Sheet Debt Deal

• Diesel Crack Spread Hits Record As Refined Product Squeeze Arrives

• Goldman Forecasts $1.8T Space Economy By 2035

• HSBC Warns Global Zinc Market Showing Tightness

• Moderna Erupts After Melanoma Vaccine Late-Stage Trial Success

• Portable 1MW Kaleidos Microreactor Secures Critical Nuclear Fuel Deal

• Uber Eyes One Million Daily Drone Deliveries With Zipline Partnership

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