The statement did not offer further details, and there was no immediate comment from the Israeli army on the airstrike.
This came as the Israeli military issued a new statement warning residents of several areas in Gaza City and in Jabalia, northern Gaza, to evacuate immediately to the western areas and then to the southern areas towards Al-Mawasi amid escalating military operations.
On March 18, Israel resumed its military operations in Gaza. At least 7,656 Palestinians have been killed and 27,314 others injured since Israel renewed its intensive strikes, bringing the total death toll since October 2023 to 58,479, and injuries to 139,355, Gaza-based health authorities said Tuesday.
Constructed on a site measuring over 7,000 square meters, the factory specializes in manufacturing high-quality wooden products using pinewood.
According to the company’s management, the processed pinewood is a viable and often superior alternative to many imported wood products.
Theophile Ndoreyaho, the Managing Director of MT Woodtec Solutions, emphasized the plant’s potential to reduce reliance on imports.
“We manufacture furniture from pinewood, which offers unique quality and can replace many products previously sourced from abroad. Our main limitation has been the lack of modern equipment, which we have now addressed,” he noted.
The plant employs 20 full-time staff and 10 part-time workers, with the capacity to produce up to 200 beds or 200 doors per month. The company’s primary market is Kigali City, though its reach is expected to grow.
The product range includes beds, living room furniture, and doors, which are in high demand by institutions and individual clients alike.
The plant is the result of a joint investment between Theophile Ndoreyaho, a native of Karongi District, and Prof. Dr. Mathias Schaefer from Germany.
Karongi District Mayor, Gerard Muzungu, noted that the plant also offers opportunities for hands-on training and employment to graduates from Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) schools.
“This facility provides a platform for vocational graduates to gain practical skills, and some have already been employed here. It’s an important step toward boosting local development and contributing to the national economy,” he stated.
The Minister of Public Service and Labour, Christine Nkulikiyinka, urged Rwandan entrepreneurs to be proactive in attracting international investors.
“If Ndoreyaho was able to convince a German investor to commit $1 million, it’s an example others should follow. Rwanda is a promising country for investment.”
Construction of the plant is valued at $500,000, with machinery and equipment making up the remaining $500,000, totaling an investment of $1 million.
The motion was passed with 299 votes in favor, above a required minimum of 226, lawmaker Yaroslav Zheleznyak said in a post on Telegram.
The government-run Ukrinform news agency said one of the reasons for this decision is “the asymmetric conditions,” given that Russia is not a party to the convention, adding that the suspension would last until the complete cessation of the conflict.
Ukraine ratified the convention in 2005. Last month, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky signed a decree to withdraw the country from the treaty.
Buhari, who served as Nigerian president from 2015 to 2023, died Sunday in a clinic in London where he had been receiving medical treatment. He was aged 82.
The late former president’s body, draped in the national colors, arrived in Katsina from London on Tuesday afternoon. His body was lowered into the grave at 5:50 p.m. local time, preceded by a military parade and a 21-gun salute by the armed forces.
The atmosphere in Daura was a mix of sorrow and reverence as thousands paid their last respects to a leader who significantly shaped Nigeria’s contemporary history. Security was exceptionally tight, with a heavy presence of military and police personnel ensuring a smooth and dignified proceeding.
President Bola Tinubu, who had earlier declared a seven-day national mourning period with flags flown at half-mast, attended the final rites of passage of his predecessor. Dignitaries, including serving and past West African leaders, family members, and a mammoth crowd of mourners, witnessed the burial rites.
Earlier, in his eulogy, Tinubu described Buhari as a “patriotic statesman” whose contributions to national unity and development would forever be etched in the annals of Nigerian history. “He served our nation with dedication and an unyielding spirit,” the president said, emphasizing Buhari’s legacy of discipline and service.
Born on Dec. 17, 1942, Buhari had a distinguished career in both the military and civilian governance. He spent years in political activism before successfully contesting the presidency in 2015, becoming the first opposition candidate to defeat an incumbent president in Nigeria’s history. He was re-elected in 2019 and handed over power to Tinubu on May 29, 2023.
During his two terms as president, Buhari’s administration focused on three key areas: security, anti-corruption, and economic diversification. He launched significant campaigns against the Boko Haram insurgency in the northeast and worked to recover looted public funds.
His tenure also saw efforts to boost agriculture and infrastructure development, though it was marked by economic challenges.
In May 2025, the Rwanda Governance Board (RGB) imposed a three-month suspension on the monthly prayer gatherings held at Kwa Yezu Nyirimpuhwe, citing the sanctuary’s failure to meet certain regulatory standards.
RGB instructed the Kabgayi Diocese to implement specific measures before activities could resume. These included ensuring freedom of worship for all attendees, creating adequate parking facilities, establishing separate routes for pedestrians and vehicles, and providing quiet spaces where vulnerable individuals could participate in prayers undisturbed.
To comply with these requirements, the management of the sanctuary has launched comprehensive renovation works aimed at upgrading the facilities and improving safety for the large crowds who visit the site.
Father Dominique Ngendahayo Tumaine, Acting Director of the Kwa Yezu Nyirimpuhwe Sanctuary, has told IGIHE that the renovations officially started on July 7, 2025.
“Visitors deserve freedom of movement, with clear pathways for people and designated areas for vehicles,” Father Tumaine explained. “A new road is being constructed from the main tarmac road, passing beneath the shrine and connecting to a parking area being developed on diocesan land.
This infrastructure is expected to significantly enhance security and order.”
In addition, four large digital screens are set to be installed at various points around the sanctuary, enabling worshippers to follow services even from a distance. These will especially benefit vulnerable groups such as the elderly, pregnant women, and others who may find it difficult to access the main prayer grounds.
“One giant screen will be inside Ruhango Parish Church, another at the main entrance visible to people outside, a third in the parking area, and a fourth will be placed wherever else it might be required,” Father Tumaine noted.
Security measures will also include installing surveillance cameras to monitor all activities within the sanctuary premises.
Addressing concerns about the possible purchase of land from residents living near the Peace Plain, Father Tumaine clarified that for now, land acquisitions have been paused since the current available space is sufficient for implementing RGB’s recommendations. However, he indicated that additional land may be acquired in the future for further expansion of the site.
Prayer gatherings at the sanctuary in 1991. Today, the sanctuary is an important religious tourism destination, attracting pilgrims from across Rwanda and internationally. The site regularly hosts crowds exceeding 100,000 worshippers on the first Sunday of each month.
Resolution 2785 extends the mandate of the UN Integrated Office in Haiti for six and a half months, until January 31, 2026. It expresses the council’s intention to consider the UN secretary-general’s February 2025 recommendations on options for the possible role of the United Nations in Haiti, notably regarding the establishment of a UN support office to provide logistical and operational support to the multinational police force in Haiti.
Resolution 2786 extends for six and a half months the mandate of the UN Mission to support the Hudaydah Agreement (UNMHA) until January 28, 2026.
The resolution expresses the council’s intention to review the full range of options for UNMHA’s mandate, including assessing the future viability and sunsetting of the mission, and make any necessary adjustments to gain efficiencies and reduce costs or otherwise as may be required by developments on the ground, including a durable nationwide ceasefire.
It requests UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to present to the Security Council a further review of UNMHA before November 28, 2025.
Trump announced an agreement with NATO regarding weapons to assist Ukraine while meeting NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in the Oval Office.
The plan will rapidly provide Ukraine with the most sophisticated air defenses and precision missiles, Trump said.
“We are going to be sending them weapons and they’re going to be paying for them,” said Trump, adding that the United States will manufacture those weapons.
Rutte described the arrangement as highly significant, suggesting this demonstrates that Europe is taking on a greater role.
Under the agreement, governments of Germany, Finland, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Canada will finance bulk purchases from U.S. manufacturers and ship the equipment directly to Kiev.
Regarding Russia, Trump said, “We’re going to be doing very severe tariffs if we don’t have a deal in 50 days.” There will be “secondary tariffs” of about 100 percent, he said.
U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick clarified later that Trump meant “economic sanction” when he threatened “secondary tariffs” against Russia if it did not reach a deal to end the war in Ukraine within 50 days.
To that end, Trump backed bipartisan legislation — already supported by most U.S. senators — that will sanction banks and energy traders buying Russian oil above the G7 price cap and freeze Russian sovereign assets until Moscow withdraws its forces.
Speaking to reporters after the Oval Office meeting, Trump said that the deal with the NATO allies was done and fully approved.
“We’ll send them a lot of weapons of all kinds,” Trump said. “And they’re going to deliver those weapons immediately to the site, to the site of the war, different sites of the war, and they’re going to pay for 100 percent of them.”
New York-based defense analysts told the Wall Street Journal that the first wave of supplies could exceed 10 billion U.S. dollars once training, spare parts and munitions are counted. A single Patriot battery alone can reportedly cost over 1 billion dollars when factoring in missiles.
Brookings Institution Senior Fellow Michael O’Hanlon characterized the combined military and economic measures as the most significant U.S. escalation since 2022, saying that the dual approach increases pressure on Russia from multiple directions.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on social media that he spoke with Trump and “it was a very good conversation.”
“Thank you for the willingness to support Ukraine and to continue working together to stop the killings and establish a lasting and just peace,” said the Ukrainian president.
The Russian Foreign Ministry warned that supplying longer-range missiles will make Europe a participant in aggression, according to Tass news agency. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov accused Washington of escalating the conflict but did not announce specific countermeasures.
Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council Dmitry Medvedev on Tuesday called Trump’s statements against Russia a “theatrical ultimatum” and the country “didn’t care.”
“Trump issued a theatrical ultimatum to the Kremlin. The world shuddered, expecting the consequences. Belligerent Europe was disappointed. Russia didn’t care,” Medvedev wrote on X.
German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said Berlin will coordinate with allies on deliveries. However, some German lawmakers expressed concern that sending Taurus cruise missiles could provoke Moscow, reported German newspaper Die Welt.
The plan could force Russia to reconsider the security of its rear areas, since assets previously considered safe may now be at risk, RAND Corporation military analyst Dara Massicot told the Washington Post.
Developed by the U.S.-based company Gilead Sciences, Lenacapavir underwent Phase III trials, with key interim results reported in June and September 2024. The results demonstrated that the drug was 99.9% effective in preventing HIV infection. It received FDA approval for HIV prevention in June 2025.
Dr. Meg Doherty, Director of Global HIV, Hepatitis, and STI Programs at the World Health Organisation (WHO) in Geneva, highlighted the significance of this new prevention method at the ongoing conference in Kigali.
“Lenacapavir PrEP is a really important innovation that can be taken every six months to prevent new HIV infections,” said Dr. Doherty. “We are pleased to bring new WHO guidelines on this long-acting injectable prevention option to the IAS meeting here in Kigali.”
The new WHO guidelines also recommend the use of rapid diagnostic tests to simplify and improve access to PrEP before, during, and after treatment. This helps in efficiently monitoring infections.
The Global Fund and the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF) have committed to supplying lenacapavir to at least nine early adopter countries starting in early 2026, with Rwanda currently engaged in discussions on how to access and roll out the drug.
“The medicine will be provided free of charge initially, but countries will need to invest in healthcare workers and delivery systems to support its distribution,” Dr. Doherty explained. “Over time, prices are expected to be comparable to or slightly above current oral PrEP costs.”
The initial global target is to reach two million users per year, with plans to expand coverage based on demand and forecasting.
The injectable is expected to be especially impactful among populations with high HIV transmission rates, including men who have sex with men, sex workers, transgender people, prisoners, as well as adolescent girls, young women, and pregnant women.
“This intervention could be a game-changer in reducing HIV infections in key populations and vulnerable groups,” Dr. Doherty said.
Rwanda has made remarkable strides in the fight against HIV/AIDS. According to the Ministry of Health (MINISANTE), the latest data shows only 7 out of every 100 daily deaths in Rwanda are HIV-related, down from 20 a decade ago.
Rwanda has surpassed the United Nations 95-95-95 targets by reaching 96% of people living with HIV knowing their status, 98% of those on treatment, and 98% achieving viral suppression, which effectively prevents onward transmission.
Minister of Health Dr. Sabin Nsanzimana told IGIHE that Rwanda is already transitioning from daily multi-pill regimens to simpler treatments, including monthly pills and now long-acting injectables like lenacapavir.
“We are moving from multiple daily pills to once-a-day dosing and soon to monthly or bi-annual injections. This shift aligns with our national HIV strategy and promises to improve adherence and health outcomes,” Dr. Nsanzimana said.
The IAS Conference on HIV Science is the world’s premier forum for sharing cutting-edge HIV research and innovations.
The 2025 edition, themed “Breakthroughs amid Crisis: the Future of HIV Innovation,” gathers about 4,000 global experts focused on accelerating equitable access to new prevention and treatment options despite funding challenges.
Industrial parks have been instrumental in boosting investment, increasing exports, and expanding job creation across the country. Rwanda is currently home to over 1,300 industries, the majority of which are small and medium-sized enterprises.
A recent report by the Office of the Auditor General for the fiscal year ending June 2024 noted that eight industrial parks remain underutilized due to inadequate basic infrastructure.
Appearing before the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), Antoine Marie Kajangwe, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Trade and Industry, said that a feasibility study estimated the total cost of fully developing all industrial parks to be over $130 million, a figure that cannot be mobilized at once.
“We reached an agreement with MINECOFIN and other relevant institutions to proceed with a strategic and phased development. Over the next five years, we will focus on completing infrastructure in four priority industrial parks,” Kajangwe said.
The parks prioritized in the initial phase are located in Musanze, Rwamagana, Muhanga, and Bugesera.
“For the 2025/26 fiscal year, we have secured Frw 10 billion to support infrastructure development in these four sites, including compensation for affected residents where resettlement is necessary,” he added.
Currently, Rwanda hosts eight industrial parks and two Special Economic Zones, one in Bugesera and the other in Kigali.
Since 2017, industrial output has tripled from Frw 591 billion to Frw 1.68 trillion, driven largely by value-added manufacturing.
To date, more than 230 factories are fully operational within the industrial parks, while an additional 98 are still under construction.
Employment in the industrial sector has also grown significantly, with the workforce increasing from 180,000 in 2017 to 259,000 in 2024.
In the 2023/2024 fiscal year alone, the manufacturing sector contributed more than Frw 495 billion in tax revenues.
Organised by the International Astronautical Federation (IAF) in partnership with the Rwanda Space Agency (RSA), the conference will take place in Kigali from June 2 to 4, 2026.
Held under the theme “Uniting Space and Earth for Climate Resilience,” GLOC 2026 aims to foster global dialogue on how space-based solutions can help address the pressing challenges of climate change.
The event will provide a platform for discussions on programmatic, technical, and policy issues related to climate adaptation, sustainability, and resilience.
The conference is expected to attract participants from around the world, including representatives from space agencies, governments, academia, private industry, non-governmental organisations, and institutions involved in climate-related work.
By bridging the space and climate communities, GLOC 2026 will facilitate knowledge sharing, innovation, and collaboration aimed at advancing global climate goals.
Among the key topics to be discussed are climate adaptation and resilience, greenhouse gas monitoring, the use of artificial intelligence for climate solutions, disaster and emergency management, access to space-based data and services, and the role of policy and governance in achieving climate targets.
The conference will also address investment opportunities in climate technologies, as well as education, outreach, and international cooperation.
As part of the lead-up to the event, the IAF has launched a call for abstracts, encouraging researchers, professionals, and institutions to submit proposals for presentation. Selected abstracts will be featured in interactive sessions during the conference.
Submissions are open until November 7, 2025, with further details available on the official GLOC 2026 website at [www.gloc2026.org->www.gloc2026.org].
GLOC 2026 follows the inaugural edition of the conference, which was held in Oslo, Norway, from May 23 to 25, 2023. The event, themed “Fire and Ice – Space for Climate Action,” brought together over 600 participants from 45 countries and laid the foundation for an ongoing series of global conversations on space and climate change.
