Crypto Crime: A Watford fraudster tied to a £4m cryptocurrency scam was arrested during a raid while naked in bed, after a gang posed as police, used fake police websites, and tricked eight victims into transferring funds later laundered for luxury cars, designer brands and Rolexes. Digital Payments: Bank of Ceylon (BOC) in Sri Lanka launched BOC Flex Tap & Pay, a mobile wallet contactless payments service integrated with virtual cards for NFC and online merchants. Local Tech & Business: Seychelles-focused ad-tech firm 365 Digital expanded its Google Ads partnership, adding a regional “Centre of Excellence” to support advertisers across Côte d’Ivoire, Mauritius, Seychelles and Réunion. Science for the Region: Ghana hosted 21 African countries to harmonise microplastics monitoring protocols using nuclear and isotopic techniques, aiming for comparable data and stronger coastal pollution policies. Ocean Governance: A study warns drifting fish aggregating devices can interact with over half of the global marine protected area network by area, stranding in hundreds of protected sites and exposing gaps in mobile-gear enforcement. Travel Tech & Mobility: Ukraine published a 45-country e-Visa list including Mauritius and Seychelles, while excluding Kenya. Seychelles Economy & Finance: World Bank income updates keep Seychelles as Africa’s only high-income economy, while Togo is upgraded to lower-middle-income.