Just before sunrise in rural Chikutu, in Malawi’s Nkhata Bay district, children wake up to the sound of roosters and the start of another busy day. There’s water to fetch. Chores to finish.
School is far away, internet access is unreliable, and smartphones are rare. But as families get ready, a small battery-powered radio crackles to life. Songs begin to play. Stories follow. Lessons come through in Chichewa, the language spoken at home. For these children, that morning broadcast is their classroom.
Scenes like this unfold every day across Africa. In places where classrooms are out of reach and digital learning is not an option, television and radio quietly step in. They are not just sources of entertainment. They are how learning happens. And behind them are Africa’s broadcasters, often unseen, often uncelebrated, playing a central role in children’s education.
For millions of families, broadcast remains the easiest and most reliable way to access learning. A radio doesn’t need data. A television doesn’t require a smartphone. One broadcast can reach entire communities at once, without placing any financial burden on families.
UNESCO estimates that radio reaches more than 75 percent of households worldwide, including many of the most remote and low-income communities, making it one of the most far-reaching tools for education.
This reality has shaped Ubongo’s work from the very beginning. More than ten years ago, when Ubongo was still an idea taking shape, African broadcasters saw the value of locally made educational content and made space for it on their airwaves. That early trust changed everything. What began as a small experiment grew into a learning resource that now reaches over 48 million households across the continent.
What makes African broadcasters special isn’t just how many people they reach. It’s how closely they are connected to the communities they serve. They know the languages families speak at home. They understand the challenges parents face. They treat education as a public service, not an afterthought. In many ways, they don’t just broadcast learning, they help teach it.
That partnership is clear in Malawi, where Ubongo has worked closely with Malawi Broadcasting Corporation since 2021. MBC has consistently treated educational programming as essential.
In December 2022, during a period of real economic strain, MBC’s Holiday Special Programme brought learning and joy into homes at a time when families needed both.
The station contributed ideas, production support, promotion, and national coverage, ensuring children could watch and learn together with their families during the school holidays. It felt less like a programme and more like a shared moment.
The importance of broadcast became even clearer during the COVID-19 pandemic, when online learning was out of reach for many underserved families. Around the world, more than 90 percent of countries turned to television and radio to support learning during school closures.
Broadcasters extended airtime, repeated episodes, and worked closely with education ministries to create dedicated learning hours. Through these collective efforts, Ubongo reached 24.6 million families during the pandemic—families who might otherwise have been left without any learning support at all.
But broadcasting isn’t only a solution for emergencies. Long after schools reopen, radios and shared televisions continue to play a role in everyday learning. Children gather around them. Parents listen in.
Lessons happen together. Regular schedules create routine, even when daily life is unpredictable. And when content is delivered in local languages, children connect more deeply. Research shows that this approach improves literacy, numeracy, and problem-solving, especially for learners who are often left behind.
Today, Ubongo works with more than 80 broadcasters across 23 countries, delivering content in 13 languages, including Kiswahili, Chichewa, Hausa, Kinyarwanda, French, and English. Families access our programmes through free-to-air TV, radio, pay TV, and on-demand platforms. This network is the backbone of Ubongo’s ambition to reach 100 million children by 2028.
Our five-year strategy reflects that reality. It focuses on 19 priority markets, blends broadcast with digital and last-mile channels, and centres on both foundational and supplementary learning. None of this is possible without broadcasters who believe that children’s education is worth investing in.
Across the continent, broadcasters continue to show resilience and commitment, even as they navigate financial pressure and changing media landscapes. They keep children’s programming on air because they believe in its value. Because they believe in Africa’s children.
Recognising our broadcast partners is really about acknowledging their role in creating fairer access to learning. To every broadcaster who has supported Ubongo, we are deeply grateful. You have helped turn airwaves into learning spaces, screens into classrooms, and stories into tools that shape young lives.
There is still more to do. Children’s programming needs more space. Local language adaptations need continued investment. There is room to co-create more, to launch national learning campaigns, and to strengthen the role of broadcast in education systems.
Television and radio remain the most powerful tools we have for reaching every child, wherever they live. And together with Africa’s broadcasters, we can keep building the largest classroom on the continent, one that no child is locked out of.
For millions of families, broadcast remains the easiest and most reliable way to access learning. Ubongo uses Television and Radio to deliver education at low cost to hard-to reach population in Sub-Saharan Africa The author of the article, Tamala Maerere serves as Audience Engagement Manager at Ubongo.
Ingabire had argued that Article 106, which allows a court to summon individuals as accomplices or accessories during criminal proceedings, violated the presumption of innocence guaranteed by the Constitution. She contended that the provision contributed to her imprisonment and should be annulled.
In its ruling, the Court addressed three key issues, focusing on whether Article 106 infringes on constitutional rights. The Court emphasized that summoning an individual as an accomplice does not equate to a presumption of guilt.
The provision allows for the prosecution to summon individuals linked to the case for questioning, but it does not make them guilty unless there is sufficient evidence. If no such evidence is found, the court continues the trial without further involvement from the summoned individuals.
The Court also clarified that the prosecution must present irrefutable evidence to justify the summoning. It asserted that the judicial process ensures the defendant’s rights and guarantees that they are treated as innocent until proven guilty.
Regarding concerns of judicial overreach, the Court highlighted that the judiciary and prosecution may cooperate but must not interfere with each other’s roles.
The Supreme Court dismissed Ingabire’s claim, affirming that Article 106 aligns with the Constitution and does not violate any fundamental rights.
The auction, hosted by Freeman’s on Thursday, included pieces from a $23 million purchase made in 2007 by a foundation dedicated to acquiring rare Lincoln relics for the museum.
Among the items was a velvet-lined framed portrait of John Wilkes Booth, Lincoln’s assassin, which contained several strands of hair believed to have been plucked from Booth’s head after he was killed in 1865. The piece sold for $7,000, falling below its estimated value.
Other notable pieces included a bust of Lincoln biographer Carl Sandburg once owned by Marilyn Monroe, which sold for $1,300, and a bust of Ulysses Grant that fetched $2,000. The top-selling item was a rare 34-star eagle parade flag, which went for $220,000, far exceeding the $100,000 mark.
These artifacts, many of which were part of the 2007 Taper acquisition, come after a strained relationship between the Lincoln Presidential Foundation and the Lincoln Presidential Museum.
While the foundation was established to acquire unique Lincoln relics for the museum, disagreements over the authenticity of key items, like a stovepipe hat supposedly belonging to Lincoln led to the sale of several items.
Though the foundation has not confirmed whether the sale of these items is part of an effort to repay debt from the 2007 purchase, it marks a significant chapter in the history of the Lincoln collection, raising questions about the future of the museum’s displays.
This image from the archives of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum is of a purported lock of hair taken from John Wilkes Booth’s head after he was fatally shot during a manhunt. It was one of hundreds of items once acquired from a West Coast Lincoln collector for display at the museum.
This new device launched on March 27, 2026, is poised to redefine productivity for professionals, students, and teams by enabling seamless, real-time conversation capture and AI-powered transcription and summarization.
TicNote Pods integrate cutting-edge 4G connectivity, which allows users to record meetings, calls, lectures, or interviews directly, without needing a smartphone.
Equipped with dual recording modes—one for in-person conversations and another for virtual meetings—the earbuds automatically sync captured content to TicNote Cloud. Here, Shadow AI processes the audio, transcribing it, generating summaries, and even creating actionable tasks, making it easier for users to stay organized.
A standout feature of the TicNote Pods is their multilingual transcription capabilities, supporting over 100 languages in real-time.
This makes the device ideal for global teams and diverse work environments. The AI system can also convert recorded discussions into valuable project assets such as documents, slide decks, and landing pages, allowing users to transition quickly from conversation to execution.
With a focus on convenience and functionality, the TicNote Pods offer features like noise cancellation, premium audio quality, and up to 25 hours of continuous recording time. Available in navy blue and pearl white, the 4G version is priced at $299, with a Wi-Fi version set to launch soon.
TicNote Pods integrate cutting-edge 4G connectivity, which allows users to record meetings, calls, lectures, or interviews directly, without needing a smartphone.
The 2026 Global South Financiers Forum was held in Beijing on March 25 and 26 under the theme “Illuminating Global South,” bringing together heads of financial institutions, experts and industry leaders from home and abroad to exchange views on the achievements and future prospects of green finance cooperation.
Consensus on green growth
Amid mounting climate challenges and a profound shift in the global energy landscape, green and sustainable development is no longer an option but an imperative for the shared future of humanity, participants said at the forum.
“Capital flowing into green sectors in the Global South is becoming evident,” said Wang Zhiheng, president of the Agricultural Bank of China. He added that abundant resources and vast development potential are making the Global South a key destination for green investment.
Shahin Mahmudzada, executive director of the Central Bank of Azerbaijan, said the urgency of climate change calls for proactive measures across sectors to build a more resilient future, adding that many countries have already recognized the importance of this issue.
“Developing countries are a key force in addressing climate change and advancing global sustainability,” said Lu Lei, deputy governor of the People’s Bank of China. He stressed that deeper South-South cooperation in green finance will inject stronger and more enduring momentum into global sustainable development.
Green capital movement
In recent years, Global South countries have stepped up efforts to develop green finance, channeling more financial resources into green industries.
Zhang Yi, president of China Construction Bank, said areas such as energy transition, ecological protection and climate adaptation are opening up vast space for greater financial involvement.
By the end of 2025, the balance of China’s green loans had reached 44.8 trillion yuan (about 6.49 trillion U.S. dollars), while cumulative green bond issuance stood at 5.2 trillion yuan, both among the world’s highest, according to data from China’s central bank.
Sanjar Mukanbetov, chairman of the Green Finance Fund of the Kyrgyz Republic, said China’s experience demonstrates how government policies, financial markets and technological innovation can work in synergy to advance green transformation.
Challenges remain
The global green transition is evolving from a passive response to climate change into a proactive strategy for enhancing energy security and economic efficiency, participants at the forum said. However, Global South countries still face multiple constraints in advancing this transition.
A key challenge is the lack of unified and mutually recognized standards. Zhao Zhongxiu, president of the University of International Business and Economics, said inconsistencies across countries in areas like green project certification and information disclosure have increased cross-border investment costs, thereby hindering the efficient flow of capital.
At the same time, financial institutions are intensifying innovation efforts to address bottlenecks in trade and financing channels and facilitate international cooperation in green finance.
Wang said the Agricultural Bank of China has established a business center in southwest China’s Yunnan Province, working with 22 banks in neighboring countries to develop a cross-border settlement model, providing efficient financial services to 188 green foreign trade enterprises.
Looking ahead, participants called for stronger innovation, mutual recognition of standards, and smoother capital flows to direct more financial resources into sustainable development in the Global South and unify growth efforts.
Born in Halberstadt, Germany, in 1932, Kluge initially trained as a lawyer but soon shifted his focus to literature and cinema. His work as legal counsel at the Institute for Social Research in Frankfurt connected him with Theodor Adorno, the renowned social philosopher who became a mentor. Kluge’s journey into film began in 1958 when he worked as an assistant to legendary director Fritz Lang.
In 1962, Kluge became a signatory of the Oberhausen Manifesto, which called for a new wave of German cinema. He became a central figure in the movement, which laid the foundation for the works of filmmakers like Rainer Werner Fassbinder, Werner Herzog, and Wim Wenders.
Kluge’s first major film, Abschied von Gestern (1966), known as Yesterday Girl in the U.S., is often regarded as the starting point of New German Cinema. The experimental film, which explores the journey of a Jewish East German refugee, won the Silver Lion at the Venice Film Festival.
His 1968 film, The Artists in the Big Top: Perplexed, won the Golden Lion at Venice and critiqued the protest movements of the era.
Throughout his career, Kluge earned numerous accolades, including the George Büchner Prize and the Heinrich Böll Prize. His final work, Primitive Diversity, was a visual essay about artificial intelligence and its impact on cinema, reflecting Kluge’s ongoing innovation in filmmaking.
Born in Halberstadt, Germany, in 1932, Kluge initially trained as a lawyer but soon shifted his focus to literature and cinema.
Each year, these remarkable fish undertake the longest migration of any freshwater species, traveling between 8,000 and 12,000 kilometers from the foothills of the Andes to the Atlantic Ocean.
Scientists have only recently uncovered the full scale of this journey, which can last for 12 to 15 years. However, while the journey itself is an incredible natural phenomenon, it is now at risk due to human-caused disruptions. Dams and hydropower projects along the Amazon River and its tributaries are blocking the fish’s migratory routes, altering water quality, and disrupting essential seasonal flooding that sustains the region’s ecosystems. These obstacles threaten the fish’s life cycle, which relies on specific environmental conditions to thrive.
The dorado catfish plays a critical role in the Amazon’s ecosystem as an apex predator, helping to maintain balance in the food web. Its migration also supports local economies, as the species is a key source of protein for millions in the region and fuels commercial fisheries. A new report from the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS) calls for urgent action to protect migratory freshwater species like the dorado.
Governments and experts are encouraged to discuss a multi-species action plan that focuses on safeguarding migration routes, restoring connectivity, and promoting sustainable fishing practices.
The Santo Antonio Hydroelectric Plant being constructed on one of the rivers travelled by the dorado catfish. Credit: Reginaldo Rodrigues / Wikimedia Commons
This remark highlighted a universal and profound question: should one evaluate an official’s performance based on short-term economic gains, visible projects, formal accolades, or tangible improvements in people’s well-being?
Xi answered with what he described as “a correct understanding of what it means to perform well,” a guiding principle for officials that prioritizes people’s well-being and values long-term, tangible results that may not be immediately visible, yet delivered through sound decision-making and concrete actions.
In late February, the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, with Xi at the core, initiated a Party-wide study campaign, prodding its members, particularly officials at the county and director level and above, to fix their mindset regarding governance performance so as to deliver results that “stand up in practice, in the eyes of the people, and over the course of time.”
The campaign, which will run until July, aims to correct misguided views on governance that often breed vanity projects, hidden risks, heavy burdens on local communities, and public discontent.
It marks the latest effort by Xi, who is now general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, Chinese president, and chairman of the Central Military Commission, to strengthen the Party’s self-governance, following last year’s initiative on improving conduct.
“The ever-improving effectiveness of the Party’s self-governance is the ultimate guarantee for economic and social development,” Xi said.
That emphasis was reiterated during an inspection tour on Monday, when Xi stressed Party leadership and Party building in developing the Xiong’an New Area — a fledgling modern city about 100 km south of Beijing — into an innovation hub and a model of high-quality development. Xi urged Xiong’an officials to step up to their responsibilities, devote themselves to policy implementation and deliver good results.
Party theorists said the latest study campaign focuses on strengthening the Party’s political development and its ranks of officials. As China has entered the opening year of the 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-2030), the fulfillment of its development goals will largely depend on whether officials act with a proper understanding of governance achievement and a down-to-earth approach.
Eduardo Regalado, a researcher at Cuba’s International Policy Research Center, said fostering a correct view on performance among officials has emerged as a key concept in the CPC’s governance framework for the new era, and will help China transform its development model toward greater quality, efficiency, and equity.
An aerial drone photo taken on May 15, 2024 shows an eco-cultural tourism area along the Yangtze River in Wanzhou District of Chongqing, southwest China.
People first
A key target of the campaign is to stamp out the tendency among some officials to sacrifice public well-being in seeking to polish their performance records.
At a high-level meeting, Xi condemned the squandering of funds on facade painting in some rural areas at a time when they had freshly shaken off poverty or were still grappling with poverty.
Xi said spending lavishly to whitewash the walls there — something that neither feeds nor clothes the people — is “futile and a waste of public funds.”
While some officials err on the side of recklessness, some others deliberately choose inaction. Some play it safe and shy away from responsibility, believing that “the more dishes you wash, the more you break.”
Xi has on many occasions lashed out at such non-acting “nice guys” and “fence-sitters,” saying that those who lack dedication will achieve nothing and jeopardize critical endeavors.
Conversely, one paragon of good governance frequently cited by Xi is Jiao Yulu, a humble Party chief of the little-known rural county of Lankao in central China’s Henan Province in the early 1960s.
Confronted with sandstorms, floods and widespread soil salinization that left many residents struggling to feed themselves, Jiao and his colleagues worked tirelessly to plant shelter-belts in combating encroaching sands and flooding, and help Lankao gradually overcome chronic food shortages. However, Jiao did not live to see the full results of these efforts, succumbing to liver cancer at age 42 in 1964.
Xi was deeply moved when he first read Jiao’s story as a middle school student. He said Jiao’s spirit, defined by a people-first approach and tireless, selfless dedication, had served as a guiding light throughout his own journey from a grassroots official to China’s top leader.
In the early 1980s, while working in Zhengding County in north China’s Hebei Province, Xi helped cut the state grain procurement quotas that had earned the area a reputation as a “high-yield county” — after learning that some farmers there were left without enough to eat.
“Zhengding would rather give up the fame as a national model for high grain production than compromise the well-being of our people,” he said.
For Xi, governance should be guided by the needs of the people rather than political showmanship. An official’s true pursuit, he has said, should not be high office, but living up to people’s expectations.
Drawing on his firsthand experiences of rural hardship as a teenager, Xi launched a nationwide campaign to eradicate extreme poverty shortly after assuming the Party’s top post in November 2012, mobilizing the entire Party apparatus toward the goal. Under his leadership, China lifted nearly 100 million rural residents out of absolute poverty in eight years.
Viewing poverty alleviation not as an endpoint but a stepping stone toward the people’s expectations of a better life, Xi then pivoted to a broader vision — pursuing common prosperity for all, and building a great modern socialist country by the middle of the century.
But setting the right goals is only part of the task. Xi has therefore placed strong emphasis on improving the institutional framework governing officials’ conduct. He has stressed that, alongside fostering the right mindset, it is essential to strengthen systems that constrain and supervise the exercise of power.
Meanwhile, to encourage officials to take on responsibilities, Xi set clear selection and appointment benchmarks.
Officials who make errors with good reform intentions or due to lack of experience must be protected and distinguished from those who violate discipline and the law deliberately or to seek illegal gains, according to the “three distinctions” principle he proposed.
“Officials should be selected and promoted based on what they have done, what they have accomplished, and whether their work is recognized by both the Party and the people,” Xi said in remarks published in Qiushi, the Party’s flagship magazine, in March after the study campaign’s launch.
“Preference must be given to those who dare to take responsibility, show initiative, deliver results adeptly and demonstrate outstanding performance,” Xi said.
Proceed from reality
The latest campaign on fostering a good governance culture underlines the need to proceed from reality and respect objective laws.
This call aims to address problems such as some localities slavishly replicating others’ successes, which reflects an over-reliance on a single model and a lack of pragmatic, well-conceived decision-making.
At last year’s Central Economic Work Conference, Xi criticized certain localities for blindly chasing trends irrespective of local conditions, either by jumping on the bandwagon of developing the chip industry or being eager to follow suit with the “new trio” projects — electric vehicles, lithium batteries and photovoltaics.
Xi has on many occasions stressed the importance of grounding solutions in local conditions, which is also a hallmark of his governance approach.
He has often likened policy-making to finding the right key for each lock — an idea that rejects one-size-fits-all solutions and emphasizes tailoring policies to different conditions.
Whether discussing urban development or energy policy, Xi has cautioned against ideas detached from reality. Under his leadership, China has made solid progress in green transition and set ambitious goals to peak carbon dioxide emissions before 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality before 2060.
Yet these commitments do not mean pursuing an unrealistic sweeping shutdown of traditional energy projects such as coal.
In 2024, during a visit to Chongqing Municipality in southwest China, Xi emphasized that while green development must advance, ensuring a stable energy supply is vital.
“Fill the belly first, then eat well,” he said, cautioning against an overly idealistic approach.
Xi has also warned against misguided views on achievements that lead to “inflated statistics,” sham project launches or “invoice-driven” GDP — a phenomenon where local authorities use rebates to attract shell companies and engineer a false boom.
This practice is now listed as a key rectification task for 2026.
Xue Jiping, chairman of an optical fiber manufacturer, noted that curbing such abuses has given law-abiding firms a true sense of security, boosting their confidence in expanding investments.
The fight against fabrication echoes Xi’s longstanding insistence on integrity. In 2017, after Liaoning Province in northeast China reported negative growth following a crackdown on falsified economic data, Xi affirmed the value of such honesty.
He said while the real figures might not appear impressive, they were “truly good-looking” because they were authentic, pledging the central authorities’ unwavering support for those exposing real conditions rather than promoting fake prosperity.
On March 12, China’s national legislature approved a GDP growth target of 4.5-5 percent for 2026, while promising to “strive for better in practice.”
The same pragmatism is reflected in the 15th Five-Year Plan, approved by lawmakers on the same day. It says GDP growth will be kept within a reasonable range, with annual targets set in light of circumstances. Other targets set in the blueprint also demonstrate a down-to-earth approach.
“These arrangements reflect a clear value orientation: development cannot rely on flashy gestures or grandstanding. Officials must roll up their sleeves and focus on real results,” said Yu Shaoxiang, a research fellow at the National Academy of Chinese Modernization under the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.
“As we embark on the 15th Five-Year Plan period, we must clear away the mire and purify the air,” Xi said, urging officials to adopt a truth-seeking and pragmatic approach when drafting national and local plans.
“All plans must be grounded in reality, pursuing solid growth without inflated figures, and promoting high-quality, sustainable development. Those who act rashly, escalate targets layer by layer or launch projects indiscriminately will be held accountable,” he said.
Long-term perspective
Since the outset of his tenure as a public servant, Xi has stressed that serving the country’s long-term interests, instead of seeking personal recognition or immediate acclaim, is what matters.
This approach reflects a particular understanding of governance — one that treats development not as a sprint within a single term of office. Xi has warned against the temptation to chase quick wins or “instant results” through short-term, high-impact projects, likening such practices to exhausting resources for fleeting gains.
Few areas illustrate the need for such long-term thinking more clearly than cultural heritage preservation and environmental protection, where the benefits often take years, even decades, to fully emerge.
When working as the acting governor of Fujian between 1999 and 2000, Xi chose to halt a mining project in the city of Sanming, after the site was found to contain fossils and artifacts that shed light on early human activity in that region. It was later recognized as one of the most significant archaeological discoveries in southern China.
This approach was again spotlighted years later while Xi was working in neighboring Zhejiang Province. During a local inspection tour, officials guided him to an industrial park they were eager to showcase. But when Xi learned that many of the factories there were little more than outdated industries relocated from more developed neighboring regions, his face darkened.
“What is there to see here?” he asked. “Leverage your own strengths and protect the green mountains and clear waters here — that should be your greatest governance achievement.”
The message was unmistakable: chasing quick economic numbers at the cost of long-term ecological health was not the kind of achievement that counted.
About a decade later, the same calculus, namely prioritizing long-term ecological security over short-term expansion, shaped Xi’s policy toward the Yangtze River, China’s longest river and a vital economic artery.
In 2016, at a high-level meeting focused on the Yangtze River Economic Belt, Xi opened with a blunt message to local officials: “You may be disappointed today — this is not a discussion about development, but about protection.”
He made clear that environmental recovery should be placed at the top of the agenda, highlighting a comprehensive assessment of development not only based on speed, but also on sustainability and long-term benefits.
The implications of this emphasis on the health of the environment extended far beyond the river itself. It confirmed that strategic foresight, conscientious planning and thorough execution should be the defining features of China’s development model.
The study campaign on governance mindset, meanwhile, was launched right before the rollout of the 15th Five-Year Plan, the penultimate one in China’s drive to basically achieve modernization by 2035.
Since the 1950s, these plans have served as both metronomes and navigators of China’s development, guiding the country’s transformation from scarcity to the world’s second-largest economy.
“The scientific formulation and sustained implementation of five-year plans is important governance experience of our Party and a key political advantage of socialism with Chinese characteristics,” said Xi, who led the mammoth effort behind the drafting of the country’s three most recent five-year plans.
This planning system places a premium on foresight. Hou Yongzhi, a researcher with the Development Research Center of the State Council, said the 109 major projects outlined in the 15th Five-Year Plan span multiple key areas of Chinese modernization, with a considerable share focused on cultivating new industries and emerging sectors.
Designed to lay foundations for the future, these projects will provide strong support for China’s economic growth and people’s well-being, Hou noted.
Alexander Davey, analyst at Berlin-based Mercator Institute for China Studies, said in an interview with German magazine Der Spiegel that China’s five-year plans act as a compass for Party cadres and government officials. For them, the plans signal how they should work and what they need to achieve.
Emphasis on long-term planning also helps explain why Xi has repeatedly urged officials to value not only visible achievements, but also the less visible work that lays the groundwork for future development.
“The rejuvenation of the Chinese nation is a relay race, in which the baton must be passed on from one generation to another, with each generation striving to run its own leg well,” Xi said.
Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, chairs a symposium on further advancing the high-quality construction and development of the Xiong’an New Area in the Xiong’an New Area, north China’s Hebei Province, March 23, 2026.
The rainfall, which started around 7 AM and continued until 5 PM, had already saturated the soil in the area, which had been experiencing heavy rains since the beginning of March.
The motorcyclists, who were returning from Gasenyi Trading Center, were caught by the landslide. The victims were Imanirafasha Diedonné, 23, from Nyabiguri Village, Gasharu Cell, and Ishimwe Chance, from Gasharu Cell, Gashanga Village.
The passenger, Harerimana Joseph, 42, from Karambo Village, Murengezo Cell, is currently receiving treatment at Kibuye Referral Hospital.
Fabien Ngendo, the Acting Executive Secretary of Mutuntu Sector, expressed condolences to the families of the deceased and urged residents to be more cautious.
He said, “We urge the community to remain vigilant, as the continuous heavy rainfall in Karongi has caused the soil to become unstable.”
Meteo Rwanda, the Rwanda Meteorological Agency, has forecasted above-average rainfall in March 2026, which could lead to more natural disasters.
This tragic event follows another similar incident three days earlier in Gashari Sector, Karongi District, where a landslide destroyed a house, resulting in two fatalities.
The Ministry of Emergency Management (MINEMA) recently reported that from January 1, 2025, to March 18, 2026, weather-related disasters, including heavy rains, landslides, and lightning strikes, have claimed the lives of 207 people nationwide, injured 432, and damaged 2,341 homes, with 35 completely destroyed.
The Houthis control much of northern Yemen. They have stayed largely on the sidelines since the U.S. and Israel struck Iran on Feb. 28. The restraint contrasts with the Houthis’ actions during the Gaza war, when they repeatedly targeted shipping and disrupted global trade.
Why are the Houthis holding back? Will they join the fight? What would their involvement mean for energy markets? Here’s what you need to know.
Strategic restraint
After the Feb. 28 strikes, the Houthis pledged “full support” for Iran. Leader Abdul-Malik al-Houthi said March 5 that the group has its hands “on the trigger,” but has yet to act.
On Thursday, al-Houthi repeated that his group stands ready to take military action if the Middle East conflict escalates, while reaffirming close ties with Iran.
Analysts say the group is exercising “strategic restraint,” arguing that entering such a major war carries serious risks for the Houthis.
Joining the conflict would likely trigger U.S. and Israeli strikes on Houthi-controlled areas in northern Yemen, a region already under severe economic strain after years of war and blockade. Sustained bombardment could cost the Houthis both territory and public legitimacy.
A broader offensive could also give Yemen’s internationally recognized government an opening to launch a counteroffensive. The two sides have been at war for more than a decade. The Yemeni government has warned the Houthis against dragging the country into the wider conflict.
Possible action
On March 20, Houthi political bureau member Mohammed al-Bukhaiti told Russian state media the group was weighing all options, including blocking the Bab el-Mandeb to ships from “aggressor countries.”
He said any closure would target only vessels from states attacking Iran, Lebanon, Palestine, or Iraq.
The Wall Street Journal reported on March 21 that Saudi officials are working to keep the Houthis out of the fight. The U.S. and Israel are also trying to avoid provoking them, a U.S. official said.
Maysaa Shujaa al-Deen, a researcher at the Sana’a Center for Strategic Studies, said the signal to act may not have come because Iran does not yet need it.
Given Iran’s proximity to the conflict, a Houthi intervention may be seen as a card held in reserve — to be played only if fighting escalates into a full-scale ground war or a total blockade of Iranian interests.
Potential impact
Iran is already restricting traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, a vital energy corridor, pushing up oil and gas prices.
The Bab el-Mandeb Strait connects the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden and is a key chokepoint for shipping between the Atlantic, Indian Ocean, and Mediterranean. If the Houthis were to block it, global energy supplies could face a double disruption.
Reuters reported that the U.S. is considering deploying troops to secure the Strait of Hormuz and potentially strike Iran’s Kharg Island, about 15 miles off the Iranian coast, which handles roughly 90 percent of the country’s oil exports.
An Iranian military source issued a stark warning, saying that reckless U.S. action in Hormuz could trigger a second crisis. “They should be careful not to add another strait to their problems,” the source said.
On March 21, U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to “hit and obliterate” Iranian power plants unless Tehran reopened the Strait of Hormuz within 48 hours. He later ordered a five-day delay on strikes following “productive” talks with Iran, and on Thursday, extended the deadline another 10 days to April 6.
Armed men loyal to the Houthi group participate in an armed tribal rally supporting the resumption of attacks against Israeli ships, in Sanaa, Yemen, on March 11, 2025.Vessels of Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps are seen during a ceremony marking the National Persian Gulf Day at the Persian Gulf near Bushehr, Iran, April 29, 2024. Yemen’s Houthi group fighters ride a vehicle with a heavy machine gun during a weaponized rally against Israel, at Arhab district north of Sanaa, Yemen, Nov. 3, 2025.
