Deradicalization in Mauritania: Female state-certified spiritual guides (mourchidates) are being used in prisons, schools, and youth centers to counter extremist recruitment with mainstream theological arguments and trust-building counseling. UNDP & Blockchain for public services: UNDP says blockchain is moving from pilots to production digital public infrastructure, focusing on governance, interoperability, and trust, with a new Blockchain Advisory Group and a Government Blockchain Academy. Mauritania uranium spotlight: Aura Energy reports progress on its Tiris uranium project in Mauritania, including a processing flowsheet built on proven technology. Digital economy cooperation (Oman–Mauritania): Oman’s OCCI and Mauritania partners signed MoUs on digital transformation, including an IoT smart water meter pilot and cooperation on security, surveillance, mapping, and skills transfer. Engineering education boost: Morocco is launching an engineering campus in Nouakchott with EMSI, offering programs from computer/network engineering to intelligent systems. 5G rollout watch (region): Ookla reports Tunisia’s 5G speeds eased after launch as traffic grew; it also notes 5G rollout activity in Mauritania. Climate data gap: A satellite study flags undercounted industrial emissions, pointing to a major iron mine in Mauritania and a gold mine in Egypt as likely “off the books” sources. US visa bond policy: The US makes its visa bond program permanent, potentially requiring up to $20,000 from citizens of many African countries before B1/B2 visas.