Red Sea Trade & Access: Ethiopia escalated its dispute with Egypt, accusing Cairo of trying to obstruct Addis Ababa’s push for Red Sea access, while linking the fight to wider energy-market stress tied to the Strait of Hormuz; the tension comes days after Egypt signed maritime cooperation with Eritrea, including a shipping line connecting Egyptian and Eritrean ports. Eritrea at 35 (Nation-building): Eritrea marked its 35th Independence Day with messages focused on “Our Resilience: Our Guarantee,” stressing sovereignty, rural development, and continued investment in services and connectivity. Agriculture & Food Security: Eritrea highlighted major progress in agricultural research and laboratory capacity, with NARI and NAPHL supporting improved crop and livestock productivity, disease diagnosis, and food safety. Health & Industry Link: Gilead and WHO renewed a five-year push to eliminate visceral leishmaniasis (kala-azar), including support for East Africa and Eritrea through medicine donations and funding to improve diagnosis and treatment access. Youth & Innovation: A national innovation and creativity display in Asmara backed by youth institutions showcased products and offered interest-free loans to winners, with support noted from agriculture and education ministries. Mining & Exploration (Regional signal): Sun Peak Metals reported strong VMS and orogenic gold potential across newly acquired Saudi Round 9 licenses, pointing to continued investment interest in the Arabian-Nubian Shield.