Public Transport & Protest: In northern Israel, haredi protesters blocked Shabbat buses near Meron for a sixth straight week, with police and secular counterprotesters moving in as more anti-government demonstrations are planned for Saturday night. Startup & Industry Support: India’s DPIIT signed MoUs with Cashfree, Darwin Dynamics, Vultr, Cars24 and the Council for Startup India to expand digital payments, fintech, deep-tech, cloud and market access for startups. Digital Government for Water: Uttar Pradesh is pushing citizen-centric monitoring of rural water projects via the Jal Sarathi app, aiming for millions of downloads and real-time village scheme updates. Public Finance & Services: India’s government says UPI will stay free for users and small merchants, with any Merchant Discount Rate limited to select transactions at a nominal level. Governance & Transparency: Sierra Leone wrapped a National Digital Public Infrastructure dialogue to build digital trust and transaction systems, while Ireland’s ombudsman warned agencies to get Official Information Act responses right ahead of elections. Land & Accountability: Nigeria’s Kano OGP election is set to deepen civil society co-creation in reforms, while Edo State in Nigeria warned against illegal land sales and encroachment on government property. Security & Infrastructure: The Dominican Republic broke ground on northern border works under “Strong Border,” including a national market and upgrades to border controls. Energy & Jobs: Zambia began construction of the 100MW Kasama solar project, and the US Senate passed a continuing resolution to avert a shutdown through December.