“Our world is the most violent it has been since World War II. The number of people uprooted and forced to flee their homes is increasing by the hour,” Jorge Moreira da Silva, executive director of the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS), said in a statement on Monday.
The devastating conflict in the Middle East has crossed borders, shaken the world economy amid exponential price hikes in oil, fuel and gas, he said.
He pointed out that developing countries in Asia and Africa are likely to suffer the most severe impacts, and the number of people living in hunger globally is likely to increase by tens of millions this year, he said.
He urged all parties to implement all UN Security Council resolutions and end this chaos and people’s suffering through diplomatic and peaceful solutions.
UNOPS, formerly a part of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), was established as a separate, self-financing entity within the UN system on Jan. 1, 1995. Headquartered in Copenhagen, Denmark, it provides project management, procurement and infrastructure services in more than 100 countries worldwide.
UN says the world is currently experiencing its most violent period since World War II as the escalation in the Middle East continues
Earlier reports from Congolese sources suggested an attempted intrusion at the hotel, with government spokesperson Patrick Muyaya asserting that assailants who allegedly targeted Nyakeru were neutralized by presidential security.
Rumors from DRC side quickly circulated in media and social circles linking the incident to external actors, including Rwanda, though these claims remain unverified.
In a statement released on Wednesday, the embassy clarified that reports of an attempted intrusion were misleading and misrepresented the actual events.
The statement explained that an unarmed member of a Rwandan VIP security detail “inadvertently encountered security agents of a DRC delegation in a hotel hallway accessible to all guests,” as both delegations were staying at the same hotel.
The embassy added that the Rwandan security member was “briefly restrained from accessing the elevator by the DRC security agents, which was inappropriate and wrong behavior in a common area,” but emphasized that the situation “was eventually resolved without further escalation.”
“Following this incident, the Rwandan party made a decision to change hotels, but were harassed and filmed by unknown persons as they checked out and departed. Despite this provocation, the Rwandan team was restrained and professional at all times, and carefully avoided any confrontation,” the statement reads.
“There has been gross misrepresentation of what transpired, including blatant dishonesty by the DRC Minister of Information in a press conference last night. These contemptible lies should be disregarded and condemned,” the embassy added.
Nyakeru has traveled to the United States for an official visit.
Cabinet Secretary for Youth Affairs, Creative Economy and Sports Salim Mvurya said the competition will feature host Kenya’s Harambee Starlets alongside Australia, India and Malawi.
“Being able to host a tournament of this nature reflects the progress Kenya is making in sports development. It shows that we are moving in the right direction,” he told journalists in Nairobi.
Australia and Malawi will open the tournament before the hosts take on India on the first day of competition.
On April 15, the third-place playoff between the losers of the opening matches will be followed by the final between the two winners.
Football Kenya Federation President Hussein Mohammed welcomed the development.
“Hosting this tournament is a big step for Kenya’s football. It not only gives our national team valuable international exposure but also strengthens our capacity to organise and deliver competitions at the highest level.”
Cabinet Secretary for Youth Affairs, Creative Economy and Sports Salim Mvurya said the competition will feature host Kenya’s Harambee Starlets alongside Australia, India and Malawi.
“We’re saying goodbye to the Sora app,” the Sora team said in a statement posted on the social platform X.
The team thanked users who had created and shared content on the platform, saying “what you made with Sora mattered” and acknowledging that the decision would be disappointing to many in its user community.
Sora, launched as a standalone app in September 2025, has been positioned as one of OpenAI’s major products in generative video.
OpenAI’s help-center materials as recently as March showed ongoing updates to Sora’s features, including editing tools and support for the newer Sora experience, suggesting that the shutdown represents a sharp shift in the company’s product direction.
In December 2025, OpenAI and The Walt Disney Company announced a three-year licensing agreement and a 1 billion-U.S.-dollar investment from Disney. Media outlets reported that the arrangement will no longer move forward following Sora’s shutdown.
“As the nascent AI field advances rapidly, we respect OpenAI’s decision to exit the video generation business and to shift its priorities elsewhere,” Disney said in a statement Tuesday, adding that it would “continue to engage with AI platforms to find new ways to meet fans where they are.”
Sora had launched as a standalone app in September 2025
In a public notice issued on March 24, 2026, the Central Bank Governor Soraya Hakuziyaremye said the move follows Presidential Order nº11/01 of February 27, 2026, which authorised the withdrawal of specific banknote series. The order was published in the Official Gazette on March 2, 2026, marking the start of the transition period.
The affected denominations include Rwf 500 notes issued on July 1, 2004 and January 1, 2013; Rwf 1,000 notes issued on July 1, 2004 and May 1, 2015; Rwf 2,000 notes issued on October 31, 2007; as well as Rwf 5,000 notes issued on April 1, 2004 and February 1, 2009.
According to the announcement, these banknotes will officially lose their legal tender status on March 2, 2027.
“After this period, these banknotes will no longer be accepted as a means of payment,” said the central bank boss.
Holders of the affected notes have been advised to exchange them within set timelines. From March 2, 2026, to November 1, 2026, the banknotes can be exchanged at commercial banks and Umwalimu SACCO branches across the country. After this period, they will only be exchangeable at the headquarters of the National Bank of Rwanda in Kiyovu, Kigali, and its branches until March 1, 2027.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, March 24, the company clarified that it has no intention of ceasing its operations in Rwanda and urged stakeholders, customers, and the general public to disregard the circulating reports.
“The media reports about Volkswagen disinvesting or leaving Rwanda are incorrect and unfounded,” the company stated, reaffirming its continued presence in the country.
The automaker further announced that, effective April 1, 2026, Volkswagen Mobility Solutions Rwanda will relocate to new and larger premises in the Special Economic Zone, signalling continued investment in its local operations.
Volkswagen Group Africa emphasised that it will maintain and expand its business activities in Rwanda, which include mobility services, vehicle assembly, vehicle retail, and after-sales services.
The company also outlined its broader strategy to strengthen its presence in the country by building a regional team to drive its mobility services across Africa.
Reaffirming its long-term outlook, Volkswagen Group Africa said it remains committed to delivering world-class automotive products and services in Rwanda.
Volkswagen Group Africa operates a vehicle assembly plant in Kigali, Rwanda, opened in 2018 in partnership with CFAO Mobility to promote local manufacturing and reduce reliance on used car imports. The plant specialises in assembling models like the Polo, Passat, and Teramont, with a capacity of roughly 5,000 cars per year.
President Paul Kagame inaugurated a Volkswagen assembly plant in Rwanda back in 2018.
The Sudanese club was knocked out after losing 1–0 in the second leg played on Sunday, March 24, 2026, at Amahoro Stadium, resulting in a 2–1 aggregate defeat. The club has been playing its “home” matches at the Amahoro Stadium in Kigali due to the ongoing civil war in Sudan.
In a strongly worded complaint, Al Hilal accused both the central referee and the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) official of responsibility for the loss, alleging bias in favour of their opponents.
“Al Hilal Club has sent a protest to CAF against the refereeing team of its match against RS Berkane. The club considers that the main referee and the VAR official were responsible for the defeat due to bias in favour of the opponent,” the statement reads.
The club further questioned the competence of the officiating team, stating that it had previously requested the appointment of experienced, qualified and credible referees to handle high-stakes matches, in order to safeguard the integrity of competition and respect teams’ preparations.
According to the complaint, those concerns were not addressed, with Al Hilal arguing that a referee lacking sufficient experience was instead appointed. The club also accused the VAR official of being complicit, describing the decisions made during the match as “catastrophic” and directly influencing the outcome.
Al Hilal supported its protest with video evidence highlighting what it described as major refereeing errors. These include a controversial incident in which a penalty was awarded against its defender following a VAR review. The club maintains that the footage shows the opposing attacker raising his foot onto the defender, causing injury and forcing the Al Hilal player off the pitch, yet the referee still awarded what it termed a non-existent penalty.
The club also raised concerns over the application of VAR, arguing that its use in the incident violated Article 5 of the protocol, which states that VAR should not be applied once play has restarted. It further criticised the amount of stoppage time added, saying it did not reflect the actual time lost during reviews and interruptions.
Al Hilal additionally expressed frustration over what it described as CAF’s continued disregard of its previous complaints regarding refereeing, warning that such inaction risks enabling unfair decisions.
Based on its submission and the accompanying video evidence, the club has called for an immediate investigation, urging CAF to take action to protect the integrity of the competition and ensure justice is served.
Al Hilal SC was eliminated from the CAF Champions League quarterfinals. In a strongly worded complaint, Al Hilal accused both the central referee and the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) official of responsibility for the loss, alleging bias in favour of their opponents.Al-Hilal SC defender Saeed Ahmed was taken off on a stretcher after his challenge in the penalty area resulted in a penalty.Al Hilal SC does not accept the penalty decision.
Although the organizers of ‘FUEGO Fest’ have confirmed that NLE Choppa will participate in the event in Kigali, the exact date and location have not yet been revealed.
NLE Choppa, 23, was born in Memphis in 2002 and started his music career in 2018. He is a father of two children.
NLE Choppa has gained popularity with hits such as ‘Walk Em Down,’ ‘Shotta Flow,’ ‘Final Warning,’ ‘Beat Box: First Day Out,’ and several other tracks.
He has released two albums up to date including;Top Shotta in 2020 and Cottonwood2 in 2023. In addition to these albums, he has one EP and seven mixtapes.
In 2020, NLE Choppa celebrated the birth of his first child. In March 2022, he shared the heartbreaking news that he and his then-girlfriend Marissa Da’Nae lost their unborn child. However, in August 2023, they welcomed their second child.
At the end of last year, NLE Choppa announced that he was in a relationship with artist Erica Ravén.
Rapper NLE Choppa is expected in Kigali.In addition to his music career, NLE Choppa is also a father of two children.In December 2025, the rapper proposed to his new girlfriend, who is also an artist, Erica Ravén.
ZYT plans to present its advanced AI system at the Beijing auto show in April 2026, calling it a “mobility foundation model.”
Unlike traditional autonomous driving systems that build specific modules for detecting obstacles such as cars, pedestrians, and traffic signals, ZYT’s AI takes a different approach.
The system learns from a diverse range of data sources, including road traffic video, drones, robots, motorcycles, and even cameras carried by people.
This broad learning model allows the AI to make flexible driving decisions across various urban environments. The result is an AI that performs seamlessly in complex driving scenarios, even better than its CEO in Shenzhen’s busy streets.
ZYT sees this technology extending beyond autonomous vehicles and has plans to apply it to other robots and machines in the future.
ZYT is positioning itself as a strong competitor in the self‑driving technology race, competing against Chinese companies like Xpeng and international giants such as Tesla.
The company is also targeting the commercial sector, especially in long‑haul trucking. ZYT has formed partnerships with major Chinese truck manufacturers, including XCMG, SHACMAN, and SINOTRUK, to introduce its AI system to the trucking industry. ZYT believes that its AI can help trucking companies reduce operating costs and save on fuel.
FAW Group, a state‑owned Chinese automaker, acquired a significant stake in ZYT (around 35.8%), alleviating concerns about DJI’s control and helping expand ZYT’s reach.
ZYT is also working to make its system compatible with cheaper chips, allowing regular passenger cars to adopt the technology. The first vehicles featuring the AI are expected to be released by 2027.
ZYT has no immediate plans to enter the U.S. market but is testing its AI technology in Europe through collaborations with automaker Volkswagen. ZYT’s global aspirations are evident as it aims to make a lasting impact on the self‑driving industry across multiple sectors.
ZYT’s AI technology is set to revolutionize both the passenger and commercial driving sectors with its ability to handle complex urban environments, positioning itself as a key player in the global race for autonomous technology.
ZYT readies AI that can outdrive its own CEO on Shenzhen streets.
The research, led by Dr. Loretta Dorstyn and senior author Professor Sharad Kumar, reveals that Caspase‑2 plays an important role in protecting the liver against damage.
The team found that without this enzyme, the liver cells of mice began to exhibit an abnormal buildup of genetic material, leading to enlarged liver cells and increased inflammation. Over time, these changes resulted in liver damage and an increased risk of cancer.
The study, which was published in the journal Science Advances, highlighted that while blocking Caspase‑2 may seem like an effective strategy for treating fatty liver disease in the short term, it could contribute to chronic inflammation, fibrosis, and liver cancer as people age.
This new insight is crucial because it shows that inhibiting Caspase‑2 can inadvertently increase susceptibility to these serious conditions.
Dr. Dorstyn explained that liver cells have extra copies of genetic material that help the liver cope with stress. The study showed that without Caspase‑2, these cells are more likely to become damaged.
The researchers observed that the mice lacking this enzyme developed signs of hepatitis‑like disease, including scarring and oxidative damage, and were significantly more likely to develop liver tumors.
The University of Adelaide team warns that while the inhibition of Caspase‑2 was once seen as a promising therapeutic approach, this new evidence suggests the potential risks may outweigh the benefits, especially for long‑term health.
A promising fatty liver treatment may raise cancer risk.
