In a tender notice seen by IGIHE, the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MINICOM) said the planned facility will exclusively serve industries operating within Musanze Industrial Park, providing storage, customs clearance and warehousing services.
The government is offering a lease over 12,635.96 square metres of land within the industrial park to a qualified private investor who will be responsible for financing, developing, constructing, operating and maintaining the facility.
The investor will also be expected to provide plans for expanding and further developing the facility as demand grows.
According to MINICOM, industries operating in Musanze Industrial Park imported approximately 6,680 tonnes of raw materials between January and June 2026.
“The volume of imported raw materials demonstrates the need for a Customs Bonded Warehouse to facilitate efficient storage, customs clearance, and warehousing within the Industrial Park supply chain management system,” the ministry said.
A customs bonded warehouse allows imported goods to be stored under customs control before duties and taxes are paid, subject to applicable regulations. The facility is expected to support industries by improving access to raw materials and streamlining their logistics operations.
MINICOM said the selection of the private investor will be conducted through a competitive bidding process in line with Rwandan law and international best practices.
Interested investors are required to demonstrate the technical and financial capacity to develop and operate the facility.
The ministry is also seeking investors capable of supporting the future expansion of the facility, with bidders required to provide details of their proposed development plans.
A mandatory field visit has been scheduled for September 25, 2026, at 11am. Interested investors will depart from the Musanze District One Stop Centre.
The deadline for submitting bids is October 28, 2026, at 5pm local time.
MINICOM said bidding documents and Terms of Reference will be made available through its website, while inquiries can be directed to the ministry.
The Ministry of Trade and Industry (MINICOM) said the planned facility will exclusively serve industries operating within Musanze Industrial Park, providing storage, customs clearance and warehousing services.
“Applying the rule in the 2026 elections would be arbitrary and capricious in violation of the Administrative Procedure Act because state and local election officials do not have sufficient time to reasonably implement the rule before the elections,” it said.
The decision allows the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) to continue delivering ballots as it normally does.
On March 31, Trump signed an executive order directing federal agencies to compile state-by-state lists of U.S. citizens eligible to vote and instructing the U.S. Postal Service to establish a system under which mail ballots would be delivered only to voters included on state-provided lists.
Days after the executive order was issued, numerous organizations and a group of states led by California sued in the District of Massachusetts. The District Court entered a series of injunctions blocking implementation of the order. With the latest ruling from the nation’s highest court, that injunction is kept in place.
Under the USPS plan, which remains blocked, states would have been required to provide voters’ names and addresses and use specific barcodes on ballot envelopes for USPS delivery.
Mail-in voting has already begun in states including Alabama, North Carolina and Wisconsin, according to a report by National Public Radio. More states will soon begin mail-in voting, including Hawaii, Oregon and Washington, where elections are conducted largely or entirely by mail.
U.S. Supreme Court has rejected Trump’s mail voting restrictions for upcoming midterms
Soldiers and uniformed guards stand around the entrances, a reminder that this is not simply a tourist attraction but one of China’s most carefully protected national and ceremonial sites.
Located in central Beijing, Tiananmen Square forms part of the city’s historic north–south Central Axis. Tiananmen Gate, or the Gate of Heavenly Peace, stands to the north, with the Forbidden City directly behind it. Zhengyangmen, commonly known as Qianmen, marks the southern end, while the National Museum of China and the Great Hall of the People occupy the eastern and western sides respectively.
The square measures about 880 metres from north to south and 500 metres from east to west, covering approximately 440,000 square metres. It can accommodate about one million people during a major gathering.
Its scale is matched by the number of visitors. The official 2024 annual report of the Tiananmen Area Management Committee recorded more than 57 million visits by Chinese and foreign tourists during the year. The figure covers the wider Tiananmen area rather than the paved square alone. Visitors must also make a reservation before entering, according to current Beijing visitor guidance.
The Great Hall of the People hosts major political, state and diplomatic events in Beijing.
From imperial approach to public square
The history of the site goes back centuries before the establishment of the People’s Republic of China.
Tiananmen Gate was first built in 1417 during the Ming dynasty and was originally known as Chengtianmen. It was rebuilt in 1651 during the Qing dynasty and received its present name, Tiananmen, meaning “Gate of Heavenly Peace”.
For centuries, it formed part of the Imperial City and served as an important entrance to the Forbidden City, where Chinese emperors lived and governed. The area was then an imperial approach surrounded by gates, offices and ceremonial buildings rather than the open public square seen today.
Major changes came in the twentieth century. The Gate of China was demolished in 1954, while construction between 1958 and 1959 created the broad modern plaza. The Great Hall of the People and buildings that later became the National Museum of China were also constructed during this period.
Tiananmen Gate took on a new role in modern Chinese history on October 1, 1949, when Mao Zedong announced the establishment of the People’s Republic of China from its balcony before a large crowd.
The gate has five doorways and seven bridges, reflecting its imperial history. In front of it stand marble lions and two Huabiao, or ceremonial stone columns, decorated with dragons and clouds.
The national flagpole at the northern end continues the square’s ceremonial role. Every day, the Chinese flag is raised around sunrise and lowered around sunset, attracting visitors who arrive early to watch the ceremony.
Tiananmen Square forms part of Beijing’s historic north–south Central Axis.
The landmarks around the square
On the western side, the Great Hall of the People hosts meetings of the National People’s Congress, China’s highest legislative body. It is also used for major political, state and diplomatic events and the National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party.
The building includes a Great Auditorium with around 10,000 seats and a large banquet hall.
On the eastern side, the National Museum of China connects the square to China’s ancient civilisation and cultural heritage.
According to the museum’s official information, it has a construction area of about 200,000 square metres, more than 1.4 million objects and 48 exhibition halls. Its collections include archaeological discoveries, works of art, rare books and other objects from China’s long history.
At the centre stands the Monument to the People’s Heroes, a 37.94-metre obelisk built between 1952 and 1958. Its base contains reliefs depicting important episodes in China’s revolutionary history. During national ceremonies, leaders and other important guests lay flowers or wreaths there to honour the country’s heroes and martyrs.
South of the monument is the Chairman Mao Memorial Hall. Built after Mao’s death in 1976 and completed in 1977, it stands on the former site of the Gate of China. Mao’s preserved body is displayed inside, attracting visitors who come to pay their respects.
Mao was a Chinese revolutionary and Communist Party leader who became the founding leader of the People’s Republic of China. His portrait remains above Tiananmen Gate.
Tiananmen has therefore witnessed imperial ceremonies, the founding of the People’s Republic, national celebrations, public mourning, political protests and major state events.
In 2024, Tiananmen Square and several surrounding historic structures became part of the UNESCO World Heritage property Beijing Central Axis: A Building Ensemble Exhibiting the Ideal Order of the Chinese Capital, recognising the area’s importance to Beijing’s urban development and China’s history.
For visitors, the square offers more than an impressive backdrop for photographs. Within one vast space, its gates, monuments and surrounding buildings provide a glimpse into centuries of Chinese history.
The famous portrait of Mao Zedong overlooks Tiananmen Square from the front of Tiananmen Gate.Visitors walk across Tiananmen Square, one of Beijing’s most prominent historic landmarks.
The assessment, released on September 11, highlights continued confidence in the country’s economic fundamentals and policy framework despite a challenging global and regional environment.
Fitch expects Rwanda’s economy to grow by 7.8% in 2026, down from 9.4% in 2025 but still well above the 4.5% median for countries rated ‘B’. Growth is expected to be supported by continued expansion in agriculture, services and construction, including infrastructure projects such as the Bugesera airport.
The agency expects inflation to average 11.7% in 2026, above the National Bank of Rwanda’s 2%-8% target. It noted that the central bank has raised its policy rate by a cumulative 150 basis points to 8.75% since February 2026.
Fitch forecasts Rwanda’s current account deficit to widen to nearly 15% of GDP in 2026, driven by resilient domestic growth, higher imports linked to the Bugesera airport project, and increased fuel and fertilizer costs. The deficit is largely financed through foreign direct investment and official borrowing.
The agency estimates Rwanda’s net external debt will reach 63% of GDP in 2026, compared with a 48% median for ‘B’-rated countries. However, it noted that 87% of Rwanda’s external debt is highly concessional, helping to mitigate the risks associated with the country’s external financing position.
On public finances, Fitch expects the fiscal deficit to remain broadly stable at 4.5% of GDP in the fiscal year ending June 2027, compared with 4.4% in FY2026.
The agency said tax reforms implemented since FY2025 helped tax receipts exceed the government’s target by 0.6 percentage points of GDP in FY2026. Further gains are expected, although revenue growth could moderate in FY2027 due to the impact of the Iran war, lower grants and weaker non-tax revenues.
Fitch projects general government debt to decline in FY2027-FY2028, averaging about 65% of GDP, after peaking at around 74% in FY2025. The decline is expected to be driven mainly by strong nominal GDP growth and, to a lesser extent, spending consolidation.
The agency also expects Rwanda to rely more heavily on external borrowing to finance its fiscal deficit, with external financing remaining largely concessional. Multilateral and bilateral partners are projected to account for about 82% of total external financing in FY2027-FY2028.
Fitch expects regional security risks to remain elevated, with the conflict in eastern DRC continuing to pose risks to Rwanda’s external financing position. However, the agency does not anticipate a sharp escalation in the near term.
The Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning welcomed the reaffirmation, saying it reflects continued confidence in Rwanda’s economic fundamentals and policy framework.
“The reaffirmation reflects continued progress in strengthening Rwanda’s macroeconomic foundations while maintaining a focus on sustainable growth, investment, resilience and fiscal sustainability,” the ministry affirmed.
The latest assessment comes six months after Fitch revised Rwanda’s sovereign outlook to Stable from Negative while retaining the ‘B+’ rating. At the time, the agency cited improved access to external financing and reduced uncertainty over Rwanda’s funding position.
Fitch Ratings is an American-British credit rating agency and one of the “Big Three” global rating agencies alongside Moody’s and S&P Global Ratings.
The incident happened in the wee hours of Monday, September 14, 2026, in Kiryango Village, Nkungu Cell, Munyaga Sector.
Munyaga Sector Executive Secretary Munyentwari Damascene told IGIHE that the four had gone into a forest at night to brew the illicit alcohol for sale.
“They went into the forest at night to brew Kanyanga. The drum then exploded. A piece of metal struck one of them, killing him instantly. The other three are being treated at Rwamagana Hospital. They suffered serious burns,” he said.
Munyentwari warned residents against producing illicit alcohol, which is prohibited in Rwanda.
He said producing illicit alcohol is punishable by law and urged residents to avoid activities that could lead to imprisonment and financial losses for their families.
“We urge residents to sell and consume alcohol that is permitted by Rwandan law. They should stop producing illicit alcohol and other prohibited substances because anyone caught doing so is punished by law. In most cases, they are imprisoned. We urge them to stop and instead consume or sell legally permitted alcohol,” he said.
The person who died was a 20-year-old man. The three others, aged 14, 16 and 22, were seriously injured and are receiving treatment at Rwamagana Hospital.
The damaged alcohol-brewing drum at the scene of the incident in Rwamagana District.The incident occurred in Kiryango Village, Nkungu Cell, Munyaga Sector, Rwamagana District, in the early hours of September 14, 2026.
The strategic partnership combines Yadea’s global manufacturing and R&D capabilities with Spiro’s operational network and battery-swapping ecosystem across seven countries.
Together, the companies aim to build a scalable, commercially sustainable EV framework serving millions of commercial fleet operators, delivery services, logistics providers, and daily commuters in Africa’s fastest-growing mobility markets.
Under the agreement, Yadea will supply electric two-wheelers and related EV products tailored to Spiro’s expanding regional markets, while Spiro will integrate the vehicles into its proprietary battery-swapping and energy infrastructure.
The companies will also co-develop customized two-wheeler platforms engineered specifically for local road conditions and commercial utility across Africa.
This partnership deepens the China-Africa connection, pairing Yadea’s manufacturing scale with Spiro’s battery-swapping network and unique knowledge of African market dynamics to accelerate the continent’s transition to affordable electric transport.
“When we launched Spiro, our mission was to lay the energy and mobility foundation for Africa’s green transition. Our strategic partnership with Yadea is a major endorsement of our execution to date and opens fantastic opportunities to jointly pioneer the next era of electric mobility in emerging markets”, stated Gagan Gupta, Founder of Spiro and Chairman of Equitane.
Commenting on the development, Anant Badjatya, CEO of Spiro, said: “Africa’s shift to electric mobility is accelerating and this partnership helps us meet that demand at scale. By bringing together Yadea’s manufacturing strength with Spiro’s electric mobility ecosystem and operating experience across Africa, we are compressing the timeline to clean transport, helping thousands more riders switch to affordable EVs faster and multiplying our climate impact across the continent.”
Wang Jiazhong, Senior Vice President of Yadea Technology Group, said Africa represents a major opportunity for zero-emission transport and that the company’s mission to reduce carbon emissions had reached a significant milestone through its partnership with Spiro.
“Together, we are combining global innovation with local infrastructure to deliver scalable and sustainable mobility solutions that serve millions of riders and transform Africa’s urban transit,” he noted.
Founded in China, Yadea is the world’s leading manufacturer of electric two-wheelers, with more than 100 million vehicles sold worldwide in over 100 countries and 10 exclusive production facilities globally.
A strong innovator with more than 2,000 patents registered in electric vehicle technology, Yadea covers a comprehensive range of urban micro-mobility solutions.
Meanwhile, Spiro is Africa’s largest electric mobility company present in seven countries, operating the continent’s most extensive and fastest-growing network of battery-swapping for electric two-wheel vehicles.
The partnership comes as Spiro accelerates its next phase of growth and expansion across Africa following its latest $270 million funding round, which included investment from NewTrails Capital, a Chinese fund.
The company is building an integrated electric mobility ecosystem combining electric motorcycles with an extensive battery-swapping network, enabling riders to exchange depleted batteries for fully charged ones in minutes.
With more than 130,000 electric motorcycles, over 2,500 battery swapping stations and more than 50 million battery swaps to date, Spiro has achieved over two billion kilometres of low-carbon travel, transforming mobility and economies by replacing expensive imported fossil fuel-based transportation with affordable, accessible and sustainable solutions.
The company also has an expanding regional production network, with operational assembly facilities in Uganda, Kenya, Nigeria and Rwanda.
Yadea and Spiro representatives exchange documents after signing an agreement focused on accelerating the adoption of electric two-wheelers across Africa.Yadea and Spiro have partnered to expand electric mobility solutions across Africa, combining Yadea’s manufacturing capabilities with Spiro’s battery-swapping network.The Yadea and Spiro partnership will combine Yadea’s electric two-wheeler manufacturing capabilities with Spiro’s battery-swapping network and operational experience in Africa.Representatives of Yadea and Spiro pose after signing a partnership agreement aimed at expanding affordable and sustainable electric mobility across Africa.
In a statement on Monday, the Kigali Genocide Memorial said Thiaw honoured the victims and learned more about the history of the Genocide against the Tutsi during a tour of its exhibits.
Located in Gisozi, Kigali, the memorial is the final resting place of more than 250,000 victims of the Genocide against the Tutsi. It also serves as a centre for remembrance and education, documenting the events of 1994, when more than one million people were killed in just 100 days.
Thiaw was in Rwanda for the SportsBiz Africa Forum, held at the Kigali Convention Centre on September 10 and 11, 2026, where he joined sports leaders, investors and other stakeholders in discussions on the future of African sport.
His visit to Kigali came as part of a career that has made him one of the prominent figures in Senegalese football. As a player, Thiaw was part of Senegal’s celebrated 2002 generation that reached the quarter-finals of the FIFA World Cup in South Korea and Japan and finished runners-up at the Africa Cup of Nations the same year.
Thiaw also guided Senegal to a 1–0 victory over Morocco in the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations final in January 2026, although CAF later overturned the result and awarded Morocco a 3–0 victory. Senegal has appealed the decision at the Court of Arbitration for Sport, with a hearing scheduled for October 8, 2026.
Thiaw also became the first Senegalese footballer to feature in Spain’s La Liga. His playing career included spells in France, Switzerland, Russia and Spain, while he earned 16 international caps for Senegal.
After retiring from playing, he turned to coaching and earned both UEFA A and CAF A coaching licences.
While in Rwanda, Thiaw met State Minister for Youth and Arts Development Sandrine Umutoni, with their discussions focusing on the role of sports, arts and culture in empowering African youth and expanding economic opportunities.
They also discussed talent development, entrepreneurship and preparing athletes and young professionals for life beyond their active sporting careers, as well as opportunities for young people to use digital platforms and artificial intelligence to market and showcase their talent internationally.
Thiaw also met members of the Executive Committee of the Rwanda Football Federation (FERWAFA), led by First Vice-President Me Claudine Gasarabwe, who is serving as acting president. Their discussions focused on Rwanda’s efforts to develop and strengthen domestic football structures.
During his stay, he visited Rwanda’s national U-20 team and its technical staff during their training camp, where he shared lessons from his coaching journey and offered mentorship on leadership, resilience and player development.
At the SportsBiz Africa Forum, Thiaw was among speakers addressing sports leaders, investors and other stakeholders. His discussions focused on leadership and resilience in African sport, the pressures facing coaches, accountability and the need to build sustainable pathways for football development across the continent.
Located in Gisozi, Kigali, the memorial is the final resting place of more than 250,000 victims of the Genocide against the Tutsi. The Kigali Genocide Memorial said Thiaw honoured the victims and learned more about the history of the Genocide against the Tutsi during a tour of its exhibits.
Researchers examined the rings on the shell of a Biggenden Banded Snail collected from Coalstoun Lakes National Park in Australia’s southeast Queensland, linking its bands to weather records, according to a statement released Monday by Australia’s University of Queensland (UQ).
Tiny samples taken from the shell at millimeter intervals were analyzed using high-resolution radiocarbon dating, revealing the age of the snail, when it lived and the weather during its lifetime, said Nicholas Patton, lead author of the study published in The Holocene.
“It contained elevated levels of radiocarbon from the nuclear tests in Australia in the 1960s, meaning we could date the growth bands and reveal the snail had lived for about 4.5 years,” Patton said, adding that analyzing the oxygen and carbon stable isotopes of the different bands revealed insights into the rainfall the snail experienced.
Researchers found that the shell did not grow continuously during the snail’s life, with periods of rapid growth separated by periods of little or no growth. They initially expected rapid growth to correspond to years of heavier rainfall, making more food available for the snail, but found the snail was responding to extreme rainfall events rather than annual wetness.
The study showed the growth spurts were linked to periods immediately following cyclones in 2015 and 2017.
“It shows that snail shells could be used to map extreme weather events for periods before modern meteorological records,” said Honorary Professor Jamie Shulmeister in UQ’s School of the Environment.
“It was surprising and quite exciting that the humble snail could be a tool to reconstruct the paths of past cyclones even in prehistoric times,” he said.
The researchers’ next step is to test the method using shells preserved in different sediment layers and combine the individual shell records to extend this information further back in time.
Scientists have mapped the composition of a snail shell to weather records.
Researchers from Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute, Mayo Clinic and collaborating institutions found that malfunctioning mitochondria in ageing cells can help activate inflammatory genes and keep the immune system in a prolonged state of alert. The findings were published in the journal Nature.
As people age, some cells enter a state called senescence. These cells stop dividing but remain alive and metabolically active.
They can release inflammatory molecules through a process known as the senescence-associated secretory phenotype, or SASP.
This activity has been linked to age-related inflammation and several chronic diseases.
The researchers found that mitochondria, which produce much of the energy cells need, play an important role in this process.
In senescent cells, mitochondria produce increased amounts of acetyl-CoA, a molecule involved in metabolism.
Acetyl-CoA can interact with histones, proteins that help package DNA. This interaction makes some parts of DNA more accessible, including genes involved in the inflammatory SASP response.
However, researchers found that this metabolic change alone was not enough to fully activate the inflammatory genes.
A second mitochondrial process was also involved. Damaged mitochondria can release DNA and RNA into parts of the cell where they normally should not be.
The immune system can interpret this misplaced genetic material as a danger signal, triggering an inflammatory response.
The researchers found that the two processes work together.
One makes inflammatory genes easier to access, while the other provides the immune signal needed to activate them.
To determine whether this process could be interrupted, the team tested a drug called CTPI-2 in mice.
The drug blocks a transport protein involved in producing acetyl-CoA.
The treatment reduced inflammation in several tissues and improved tissue function and healthspan in ageing mice.
Although the immune signals caused by mitochondrial DNA and RNA leakage remained, reducing the metabolic signal made the inflammatory genes less accessible and weakened their effects.
Peter Adams, a co-corresponding author from Sanford Burnham Prebys, said the findings suggest that targeting metabolic signals that influence DNA accessibility could represent a new approach to addressing age-related inflammation and functional decline.
However, the findings are still at the research stage. Further studies will be needed to determine whether targeting this pathway can be safely and effectively used to treat age-related inflammation in humans.
Researchers identified a mitochondrial process that may help explain how ageing cells contribute to chronic inflammation
The Virgo Transport 8 was carrying 243 people when it lost contact early Sunday while travelling from Surabaya in East Java to Banjarmasin in South Kalimantan.
Authorities have rescued 108 people from the vessel, according to Indonesia’s National Search and Rescue Agency.
Rescue teams, including the coast guard and navy, have been working in difficult conditions as strong winds and high waves make it harder to reach the vessel and search for those still missing.
The rescue agency said it had deployed at least 622 personnel, 17 ships, five helicopters and aircraft as part of the operation.
However, turbulent seas have prevented specialist underwater rescue teams from beginning a full search around the partially submerged ship.
Mohammad Syafii, head of Indonesia’s national rescue agency, said the conditions remained challenging and that authorities were identifying additional personnel with specialist skills while waiting for the weather to improve.
The ship was reportedly struck by waves reaching about three metres during the incident.
Another rescue official said the vessel leaned heavily to one side after strong waves hit its starboard side.
The capsized ship is located about 80 nautical miles, or nearly 150 kilometres, from the rescue command centre at Trisakti Port in Banjarmasin.
Rough weather has also made it difficult for rescue vessels to dock near the stricken ship.
As of Monday afternoon, none of the 129 missing people had been found, according to officials quoted by Reuters.
The search was continuing despite the difficult conditions.
Transport Minister Dudy Purwagandhi said the vessel had a capacity of about 500 passengers, indicating that it was not overloaded.
The exact cause of the accident remains under investigation.
The incident has raised renewed concerns about maritime safety in Indonesia, an archipelago of more than 17,000 islands where ferries and passenger ships are an important and affordable means of transportation.
The Java Sea has previously been the scene of major maritime disasters. In 1981, the Tampomas II sank in the region, killing nearly 600 people according to some estimates.
For families waiting for news of their relatives, the search remains an anxious race against time as rescuers continue efforts to reach those who may still be alive.
Indonesian rescuers search for survivors after the Virgo Transport 8 passenger ship capsized in the Java Sea
