Immigration & Identity: A Mauritanian man in the U.S., Salah Dine Habib, is facing deportation after authorities alleged he used a false asylum claim based on being gay—then later married in Indiana and worked as a corrections officer, raising fresh questions about asylum fraud and vetting. Regional Security: Mali’s junta and Russian backers launched airstrikes on Kidal after fighters linked to the FLA and JNIM drove out the Malian Army, underscoring how alliances and blockades are reshaping the Sahel. Clean Cooking & Health: The AfDB and Italy-backed Rome Process/Mattei facility launched a clean cooking program aiming to reach about one million households and cut millions of tonnes of CO2, with a focus on energy access and gender-linked benefits. Culture & Faith Scholarship: Al Rafid highlighted major Qur’an reference works, including completion of a 68-volume Encyclopaedia of Rhetorical Interpretation, plus new Qur’anic vocabulary and reading-method encyclopedias. Education Tech: Nigeria’s government handed ICT equipment to 15 colleges of education to boost teacher training and digital literacy across West Africa, including Mauritania. LGBTQ Rights Backlash (Ghana): Ghana’s parliament passed a bill criminalizing “promotion” of LGBTQ activity with prison terms up to 10 years, a move condemned by human rights groups and likely to affect regional rights debates. Sahara & Diplomacy: Morocco’s push to keep the Sahara issue on UN agendas drew renewed attention, with Mauritania named among the parties expected to engage under UN Resolution 2797.