The world’s most-followed TikToker, with over 161.5 million followers, Lame rose to fame during the COVID-19 pandemic with his silent comedy skits and was this year named a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador.
He is among more than 30 prominent figures set to name baby gorillas at the event in Volcanoes National Park. A total of 40 infants will be named, including 18 born in 2024.
Other participants include celebrated American film director Michael Bay, Arsenal legend Bacary Sagna, Burundian singer Khadja Nin, Rwandan-American vocalist Somi Kakoma, philanthropist Vivien Ressler, CEO of Education First North America Dr. Edward Hult, and conservationists working in Volcanoes National Park.
An [earlier list also confirmed->https://en.igihe.com/tourism/article/kwita-izina-2025-meet-the-stars-who-will-name-rwanda-s-baby-gorillas] actress Michelle Yeoh Todt, former FIA President Jean Todt, PSG legend Javier Pastore, Nigerian Afropop star Yemi Alade, and leaders from global conservation organisations.
Launched in 2005, Kwita Izina has become a platform for conservation awareness and sustainable tourism, highlighting Rwanda’s success in protecting endangered mountain gorillas.
Defrin said in a briefing that as part of the assault, which he said began “in recent weeks,” tens of thousands of reservists have been mobilized to join regular forces currently maneuvering in the Zeitoun neighborhood in the southeast of the city and in Sheikh Radwan in the north.
“Hamas will meet the full force of the IDF (Israel Defense Forces) in Gaza City,” Defrin said. “We will increase the pressure on Hamas until its defeat.”
Defrin showed aerial video footage of several blocks exploding, which he said was the destruction of underground infrastructure in Zeitoun.
His remarks came a day after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected Hamas’ offer to pursue a “comprehensive deal” to end the war and secure the release of hostages, describing it as “spin.”
Israel’s new assault on Gaza City, already devastated by nearly two years of intensive attacks, drew condemnation over its impact on civilians. Israeli strikes have destroyed much of the city’s infrastructure, large parts of the population have been displaced multiple times, and aid groups say famine is taking hold.
Since Oct. 7, 2023, Israel’s military campaign in Gaza has killed 64,232 people and injured 161,583 others, Gaza-based health authorities said Thursday, adding that starvation and malnutrition in Gaza have caused 370 deaths, including 131 children.
Speaking alongside Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at a press conference following the meeting of the “Coalition of the Willing,” Macron said the countries would contribute to a “reassurance force” that could deploy troops in Ukraine or provide support on land, at sea, or in the air.
He added after the summit, participants held a call with U.S. President Donald Trump and the United States is expected to finalize its contributions to the security guarantees in the coming days.
Zelensky welcomed the announcement as a “concrete” step forward and stressed that a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, whether bilateral or trilateral, is “necessary” for advancing peace efforts.
The announcement followed a virtual meeting of the coalition on Thursday, co-chaired by Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer. The group, which brought together around 30 countries, mostly European, has committed to providing security guarantees to Ukraine.
Apuk Ayuel Mayen, spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, said the country was able to receive seven third-country nationals and a South Sudanese national on July 5, based on bilateral engagement with the Trump administration.
“There are no discussions on deportations, and there is no deal that has been signed in regards to that. There was bilateral engagement around deporting the seven deportees between our government and the government of the United States,” Mayen told journalists in Juba, the capital of South Sudan.
The third-country nationals deported to South Sudan include two people from Myanmar, two from Cuba, and one each from Vietnam, Laos, and Mexico.
In addition, Mayen said that 23 South Sudanese who were earlier deported from the United States have been reunited with their family members.
The Kigali office will offer Fund Administration, Corporate Services, Compliance Solutions, as well as Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) advisory services, pending regulatory approvals.
The company said in a statement on Thursday that, in offering its services, it will work closely with the Kigali International Financial Centre (KIFC), which is positioning Rwanda as a leading hub for financial services in Africa.
Emma Msowoya, Country Head of Apex Group Rwanda, said the office reflects a “long-term commitment to the region” and a focus on building local expertise.
“I am proud to be part of Apex Group’s entry into East Africa as we expand our global footprint and drive meaningful change across the financial services industry,” she said.
“Rwanda’s reputation for innovation, stability, and progressive economic policy makes it an ideal location for Apex Group’s next chapter in Africa,” she added.
KIFC CEO Hortense Mudenge welcomed the expansion, saying it demonstrates growing global confidence in Rwanda’s stable business environment and strengthens the country’s position as a competitive financial hub.
“Apex Group’s presence further strengthens our financial ecosystem, enhances the availability of world-class services and Rwanda’s position as a trusted and competitive financial hub on the continent,” the KIFC CEO stated.
Apex Group, founded in Bermuda in 2003, operates in more than 50 countries worldwide, including several in Africa such as South Africa, Namibia, and Botswana.
The company plans to host an official launch event for the new office on September 8 at the Kigali Marriott Hotel, bringing together clients, partners, and stakeholders from across the region.
The facility, which cost 2.68 billion Rwandan francs, will provide inmates with skills training, family reconnection programs, and opportunities to participate in community activities such as Umuganda (community work).
The center was inaugurated on September 3, 2025, in Muhazi Sector, Rwamagana District, and will accommodate prisoners who have between six months and one year left to serve.
It has a capacity of 2,500 inmates, starting with an initial group of 250 transferred from different prisons across the country.
{{Preparing inmates for life after prison}}
Speaking at the opening ceremony, Minister of Internal Security Dr. Vincent Biruta said the center is part of Rwanda’s broader effort to rehabilitate inmates and prepare them for life after prison.
“You will return to your families, joining other Rwandans, including some with whom you may have had conflicts that led you to prison. This program is designed to prepare you for all that—so that when you leave, you are reformed individuals who can contribute to your families and to the nation,” he said.
RCS Commissioner General Evariste Murenzi explained that while many prisoners change for the better during incarceration, reintegrating into society would remain a challenge after years behind bars.
“This is why we created this facility—to train inmates who are close to completing their sentences in how to readjust to family and community life. It is a model project that will be replicated across all provinces, complementing the usual rehabilitation methods,” he said.
{{Unique features of the center}}
Rwanda currently has more than 76,000 inmates held in 13 prisons nationwide. Unlike traditional prisons, which are secured with eight-to-ten-meter-high fences, the new facility is enclosed by walls only two to three meters high. It also operates with fewer warders, most of whom will not carry weapons.
Prisoners admitted to the center are carefully selected based on good behavior and having served at least two years of their sentence.
One of the first beneficiaries, Mukaniyonshuti Jeanette, said life at the center feels different from regular prison.
“Here it feels like home compared to where we came from. In other prisons, warders escorted us everywhere and even visits required long queues. Here we are more at ease,” she said.
Family visits, skills training, and reconciliation
Inmates at the center will be allowed short-term leave to visit family and friends, including attending weddings, funerals, or visiting sick relatives in hospital.
They will also receive six-month to one-year vocational training courses in areas such as hairdressing, beauty, tailoring, weaving, carpentry, and construction. Those already skilled will be supported in finding markets, joining cooperatives, and connecting with private-sector partners.
In addition, inmates will undergo counseling in mental health, social reintegration, and reconciliation, including facilitated dialogue with victims or families they may have wronged in order to seek forgiveness and promote healing.
They will also participate in community development activities such as Umuganda, house construction for vulnerable families, and national commemoration events.
The center was constructed by the Government of Rwanda with support from the Starling Foundation and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Beyond conservation, the park is also a source of employment. Management reports that more than 6,000 people have benefited from jobs linked to the development and maintenance of its facilities, including constructing walkways, building infrastructure, planting trees, removing invasive species, and ensuring cleanliness.
Visitor numbers have continued to grow. In 2024, the park attracted over 76,000 visitors, up from 69,222 in 2023. Between January and July 2025 alone, more than 56,000 people had already visited. This increase has translated into higher revenues, with Frw 158 million generated during the same seven-month period.
Encouraged by these results, park management is preparing to launch new projects aimed at enhancing the visitor experience and boosting tourism appeal. Planned additions include animals, electric buggies, and new walking and cycling paths.
“We intend to expand trails for tourists who prefer walking, cycling, or using electric scooters,” park officials told IGIHE.
“We will increase the number of bicycles and scooters and introduce electric buggies for those who wish to tour the park while seated. We are also conducting a feasibility study to introduce herbivorous animals, and we plan to host conferences that align with biodiversity conservation.”
The park also plans to introduce art installations, innovative structures, and digital tools to enhance learning about biodiversity. Interactive displays and creative facilities are expected to provide engaging experiences for both children and adults. Additionally, the innovation center will support young people through training programs designed to build skills in creativity and environmental stewardship.
Future projects include establishing eco-camping facilities to allow visitors to spend nights in tents, offering professional photography services, and adding more benches for relaxation and social interaction.
Management has also outlined initiatives to support surrounding communities in Nyarugunga, Ndera, and Kimironko sectors, focusing on income-generating activities through cooperatives.
Currently, the park is open from morning until 6 p.m., but plans are underway to extend closing hours to 9 p.m. in response to visitor demand.
Nyandungu Park was officially opened in July 2022 after six years of wetland restoration. Spanning 121 hectares—70 hectares of wetland and 50 hectares of forest—it is home to more than 60 plant species and over 200 bird species.
The park features a medicinal plant garden, the “Pope’s Garden,” five fish ponds, three swimming ponds, a visitor centre, a modern restaurant, and a 10-kilometre trail for walking and cycling.
AFC/M23 leader Corneille Nangaa recently told reporters he would send a large delegation to the discussions aimed at finding solutions to the DRC’s ongoing crisis.
As promised, a team led by AFC/M23 spokesperson Lawrence Kanyuka has already arrived in South Africa. Before joining the talks, the group also attended an international peace and security conference hosted by the Mbeki Foundation.
Kabila, who was among those invited, dispatched senior allies including his former chief of staff Néhémie Mwilanya, former Kinshasa governor Andre Kimbuta, former senator Francine Muyumba, and former deputy budget minister Félix Momat Kitenge.
Mbeki’s foundation had extended invitations to a broad range of participants, including members of President Félix Tshisekedi’s government and opposition figures.
However, Tshisekedi declined the Mbeki Foundation’s invitation, insisting that Congolese do not need a mediator to resolve their own political challenges. He argued that peace talks organised abroad are merely a distraction. Government spokesperson Patrick Muyaya reinforced that stance, saying no official from Kinshasa would attend, claiming that Mbeki did not fully understand the country’s problems.
Speaking to South African media on September 4, Kanyuka criticised Tshisekedi’s position, saying it undermined other peace efforts supported by the United States and Qatar.
“I know the map very well. Washington is not in the DRC, Doha is not in the DRC—they are foreign powers,” he said. “Why does he say he doesn’t want to be distracted by external talks? By closing the door to all dialogue, he is choosing war. That has been his position from the start.”
Thabo Mbeki, who served as South Africa’s president from 1999 to 2008, has long taken an interest in the DRC and is considered one of the African leaders most familiar with its conflicts.
Houthi military spokesman Yahya Sarea said in a statement on Thursday that the missile “hit its target and was not intercepted,” forcing Israelis into shelters and disrupting flights.
He said the attack was in support of Palestinians and in response to Israel’s offensive in Gaza.
There has been no immediate comment from the Israeli side so far.
It was the group’s third claimed attack against Israel in two days.
On Wednesday, the group claimed responsibility for launching two missile and drone attacks on “sensitive targets” in Jerusalem, Haifa and Tel Aviv.
The escalation came after an Israeli airstrike last Thursday in the Houthi-held capital Sanaa killed 12 senior Houthi figures, as the Houthi forces have no air defense systems.
The Houthis, which control much of northern Yemen, have been frequently launching missile and drone attacks on Israel since November 2023, citing solidarity with Palestinians amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict in Gaza. Nearly all Houthi attacks were reportedly intercepted.
In response, Israel has retaliated, striking Houthi targets in northern Yemen.
Allison Burroughs, judge of the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts, wrote in a ruling that “Defendants (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and U.S. Department of Justice) used antisemitism as a smokescreen for a targeted, ideologically-motivated assault on this country’s premier universities.”
On April 11, Trump administration officials sent a letter to Harvard, demanding that the university eliminate antisemitism on campus and dismantle diversity initiatives that favor certain minority groups.
The Trump administration “did so in a way that runs afoul of” the Administrative Procedure Act, the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, and Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, wrote the ruling.
On April 14, after Harvard rejected the administration’s demands, the Trump administration announced a freeze on 2.2 billion dollars in multi-year grants and 60 million dollars in multi-year contract value to the university.
“We must fight against antisemitism, but we equally need to protect our rights, including our right to free speech, and neither goal should nor needs to be sacrificed on the altar of the other,” wrote Burroughs.
Noting that Harvard “was wrong to tolerate hateful behavior for as long as it did,” the judge wrote that “Harvard is currently, even if belatedly, taking steps it needs to take to combat antisemitism and seems willing to do even more if need be.”
“Now it is the job of the courts to similarly step up, to act to safeguard academic freedom and freedom of speech as required by the Constitution, and to ensure that important research is not improperly subjected to arbitrary and procedurally infirm grant terminations, even if doing so risks the wrath of a government committed to its agenda no matter the cost,” Burroughs wrote.
The judge granted a motion for summary judgment, which means she has ruled in favor of Harvard without a trial.
