Youth Sports Development: FIBA’s Dakar youth 3x3 camp trained players plus coaches, referees and table officials from Algeria, Egypt, Kenya and host Senegal, aiming to lift Africa’s pathway to the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympics. Research & Publishing Gap: A workshop on scientific and manuscript writing tackles why Africa produces under 4% of global academic papers, citing mentorship and resource shortfalls. Trade & Finance: Ecobank unveiled a $3bn, three-year programme to fund intra-African trade under AfCFTA, alongside agro-finance partnerships with AGRA for SMEs, including women and young entrepreneurs. Middle East Diplomacy: Lebanon’s US embassy says Hezbollah accepted a US proposal for “mutual cessation of attacks,” setting up talks on expanding a ceasefire framework. US Visa Crunch for Africa: The State Department plans to cut visa-processing posts across Africa from nearly 50 to 20 “hubs,” as part of a broader immigration clampdown. Tech & Markets: Nvidia’s new PC chip helped push US stocks to fresh highs, while AI IPO chatter grows after Anthropic’s filing. EU Animal Testing: The European Commission’s roadmap targets replacing animal tests in chemical safety by 2029, using AI and new methods. Africa EV Investment: Spiro raised $215m to expand battery-swapping and EV infrastructure across fast-growing African cities. US-Iran Sanctions: The US announced sanctions on an Iranian-affiliated fraud network that impersonated US firms to steal restricted tech.