BRICS Summit watch: Russia’s Vladimir Putin arrives in New Delhi for the 18th BRICS Summit, with talks expected to centre on trade resilience, cross-border payments and energy security as India pushes Global South priorities. Local governance & delivery: SAICE says the draft Local Government White Paper is right to flag constitutional autonomy and overlapping municipal powers as barriers to infrastructure reaching residents, backing a clearer single-tier model. Energy & safety: Fire Ops SA reports structural fires linked to solar installations are rising, with about a quarter tied to batteries/inverters—warning homeowners not to tackle lithium-ion fires themselves. Agriculture risk: South African farmers are urged to prepare for El Niño-driven below-normal rainfall, with government promising stronger early warning and regular updates. Financial crime focus: Nigeria’s NFIU moves to unite banks and fintechs under a new financial intelligence sharing framework to disrupt illicit networks. Industry & welding: SA welding bodies highlight ISO 3834 quality requirements, while Eskom-linked welding work at Tutuka shows how localised components can cut outage lead times. Trade & food: Brazilian chicken exports jump 24.8% in August, with China the biggest destination. Tech & affordability: Apple’s iPhone foldable push lands in SA later, but the bigger local story remains the widening digital divide as smartphone affordability policy effects play out.