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23 July 2026
Ebola preparedness, Google record $205B capex, AMD Zen 6
Kenya receives Indian medical supplies as Ebola preparedness escalates amid Laikipia quarantine row; Ruto partners Red Cross for national ambulance dispatch centre; Mudavadi orders EAC resolutions review; Co-op Bank and Stanbic scoop Euromoney awards; Google Q2 cloud revenue surges 82% to $24.8B, raises 2026 capex to $195-205B; AMD launches Zen 6 EPYC Venice on TSMC 2nm; IBM mainframe sales plunge 42% as AI spending cannibalises budgets; White House accuses Moonshot AI of distilling Fable, Treasury threatens sanctions; Tesla pushes Cybercab, Semi, Megapack volume production to 2027; Apple iOS 27 beta reveals Restricted Mode for missed lease payments
Kenya/Nairobi
Kenya steps up Ebola preparedness with Indian medical supplies
Kenya receives five tonnes of medical supplies from India as the government escalates Ebola preparedness amid a court battle over the Laikipia quarantine facility.
Health CS Aden Duale received the consignment at JKIA on Wednesday. The supplies arrive as a court dispute over the Laikipia Air Base quarantine facility continues. Seven Americans are currently completing precautionary quarantine on Kenyan soil after potential Ebola exposure in the region. The row has highlighted gaps in Kenya's outbreak containment infrastructure and the political sensitivity of hosting regional quarantine facilities.
Ruto partners Kenya Red Cross for national ambulance dispatch centre
President Ruto hosts Kenya Red Cross at State House to plan the rollout of a national emergency ambulance dispatch system.
President William Ruto hosted Kenya Red Cross Society officials at State House on Wednesday to discuss the organisation's role in rolling out the National Ambulance Dispatch Centre. The centre aims to coordinate emergency medical responses nationwide through a single dispatch number, reducing response times that currently vary wildly between counties. The Red Cross brings existing ambulance fleets and field expertise that most county governments lack.
Mudavadi orders joint review of EAC resolutions
Prime Cabinet Secretary directs Foreign Affairs and EAC Affairs ministries to review summit resolutions and accelerate regional integration.
PCS Musalia Mudavadi has directed the Ministries of Foreign and Diaspora Affairs and East African Community Affairs to conduct a joint review of resolutions adopted by the EAC Heads of State Summit. The move aims to identify implementation gaps and accelerate regional integration. Kenya is pushing to strengthen its influence within the bloc as trade and security challenges persist across the region. The review is expected to produce recommendations within 60 days.
Co-op Bank, Stanbic scoop top Euromoney Awards for Excellence
Co-operative Bank named Kenya's Best Retail Bank and Best Digital Bank; Stanbic wins Best Investment Bank at the 2026 Euromoney Awards.
Two Kenyan lenders took top honours at the 2026 Euromoney Awards for Excellence held in London. Co-operative Bank of Kenya was named Kenya's Best Retail Bank and Best Digital Bank, reflecting its aggressive push into digital lending and mobile banking. Stanbic Bank Kenya won Best Investment Bank, recognised for advising on some of East Africa's largest corporate transactions. The awards signal growing international confidence in Kenya's banking sector despite a challenging macroeconomic environment.
Tech
Google raises 2026 capex to $195-205B as cloud revenue surges 82%
Alphabet reports Q2 cloud revenue of $24.8B, up 82% YoY, and raises full-year capex guidance to $195-205B to fund AI data centre buildout.
Google's parent company Alphabet reported Q2 earnings that smashed expectations, with Google Cloud revenue hitting $24.8 billion (up 82% year-over-year) and total revenue reaching $119.8 billion. The company raised its 2026 capital expenditure forecast to $195-205 billion, up from $180-190 billion, citing continued AI infrastructure demand that outpaces supply. CEO Sundar Pichai said capacity remains constrained and expects additional investment pressure. The market reacted sceptically to the capex hike, sending shares down despite the beat.
AMD launches Zen 6 EPYC Venice on TSMC 2nm at Advancing AI 2026
AMD unveils first Zen 6 server CPU built on TSMC 2nm process, alongside Instinct MI400 series and Helios AI rack with 31TB HBM4.
AMD opened its Advancing AI 2026 event in San Francisco with the launch of EPYC Venice, the first x86 server CPU manufactured on TSMC's 2-nanometer process. The company also introduced the Instinct MI400 series accelerators and the Helios rack platform delivering 31 TB of HBM4 memory. AMD positioned the launch as a direct challenge to Nvidia's AI data centre dominance. The event continues through Thursday with more product announcements expected.