Financial Governance: Neves Licensing Authority Sao Tome and Principe is spotlighted for a key industry point: licensing, supervision, registration, verification, and regulation are not the same job, and separating them helps firms and investors manage compliance across borders. Geopolitics & Influence: Ukraine’s military intelligence says Russia is expanding its “Russian Houses” network across Africa to shape public opinion and recruit students and workers, with São Tomé and Príncipe listed among planned locations coordinated via Rossotrudnichestvo and a 2024-linked public diplomacy group. Currency Watch: A new ranking flags São Tomé and Príncipe’s dobra among Africa’s weakest currencies versus the US dollar, pointing to import dependence and wider economic pressures. Ocean & Trade Security: West African states are pushing to include the Eastern Atlantic—covering the Canary-Guinea Current zone from Cape Verde/Senegal down to Nigeria and São Tomé and Príncipe—in the first wave of marine protected areas under the high seas treaty. IP & Health Industry: PATAM and Third World Network filed a Third-Party Observation at ARIPO challenging a Gilead patent application on broad HIV compounds, arguing prior disclosures and questioning novelty and inventive step across ARIPO contracting states. Education & Regional Links: The 35th AULP annual meeting opened at the University of Macau, bringing together Portuguese-speaking universities including São Tomé and Príncipe to deepen higher-education cooperation.