Zambia Election Watch: The Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) suspended vote counting after reports of attacks on polling officials and theft of marked ballot papers, then restarted hours later after saying the security threat was contained, with heightened police and army deployed around key tallying sites in Lusaka; early results show President Hakainde Hichilema leading, but full presidential, parliamentary and local results are still expected. Election Integrity Concerns: Observers from SADC said the process was marred by claims of intimidation, abductions and a pause in counting, while police arrested suspects over the killing of a polling agent in Matero. Aviation Leadership: Zambia Airways appointed Ethiopian Airlines executive Aman Wole Gurmu as CEO, effective August 1, aiming to strengthen operations, expand routes and improve financial sustainability. Copperbelt Politics: Former Mines Minister Paul Kabuswe lost the Chililabombwe parliamentary seat, dealing a blow to the UPND on the Copperbelt. Public Finance & Policy Debate: An IMF critique argues its Africa approach focuses more on state retreat than on building productive capacity for jobs and diversification. Regional Business & Energy: South Africa’s Eskom says it is pushing for better reliability as outages continue to disrupt households and businesses. Humanitarian Tragedy: On Lake Kariba, Zimbabwe’s ferry disaster death toll rose further as divers recovered more bodies, including children.