High Seas Protection: West African states are pushing to include the Eastern Atlantic—covering the Canary-Guinea currents and stretching to São Tomé and Príncipe—in the first wave of marine protected areas under the high-seas treaty, aiming to protect key migration routes and nurseries. UK Ocean Funding: The UK announced new ocean investment via its Blue Planet Fund to back climate resilience and marine health, including work on plastic pollution and coastal protection in vulnerable regions. Russian Influence Watch: Ukraine’s intelligence says Russia is expanding “Russian Houses” across Africa to shape public opinion alongside military support, with coordination linked to Rossotrudnichestvo and a 2024 public-diplomacy group. Patent Fight in Health Tech: PATAM and Third World Network filed a challenge at ARIPO against a broad Gilead HIV patent application, arguing earlier disclosures and prior science undermine novelty and inventive step across ARIPO contracting states. Aviation Safety: The EU updated its air safety blacklist, keeping São Tomé and Príncipe-linked carriers on the banned list due to safety oversight concerns. Sports & Local Learning: Malawi’s football leadership urged stakeholders to use the 2026 World Cup as a learning platform for better commercialization and administration. Tech Rollout: Google is expanding Chrome’s Ask Gemini feature to São Tomé and Príncipe and other African markets, bringing built-in AI search and understanding to more users.