Geneva, Switzerland, 10 March 2026- /African Media Agency (AMA)/- Burundi is facing a growing humanitarian emergency as thousands of people fleeing violence in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo continue to cross the border, placing increasing strain on health services and infrastructure in refugee-hosting communities.
Since late 2025, more than 100 000 people have arrived in Burundi, most of them women and children, escaping armed violence in South Kivu. Settled in camps, they require urgent assistance including health, food, shelter, safe water and sanitation as well as protection.
The situation is unfolding alongside other challenges affecting the country. Burundi continues to face food insecurity, climate-related displacement caused by floods and landslides, and outbreaks of diseases such as cholera and mpox. Health facilities in affected districts are reporting rising consultations as they work to provide care for both displaced families and local communities.
“Burundi’s solidarity in hosting people fleeing crisis across the border is remarkable,” said Dr Marie Roseline Darnycka Belizaire, Emergencies Director at the World Health Organization (WHO)Regional Office for Africa. “WHO is supporting national authorities to expand health services and strengthen preparedness efforts.”
During a recent visit to Burundi, WHO Regional Director for Africa Dr Mohamed Janabi met with the national authorities and partners to review the situation and reinforce support for the country’s health response.
At the Busuma refugee site, which hosts more than 75 000 refugees living in extremely difficult conditions, Dr Janabi witnessed firsthand the scale of humanitarian needs and the efforts underway to provide displaced families with essential health services.
“No family should be left without access to health care simply because they have been forced to flee their homes,” said Dr Janabi. “WHO remains committed to supporting Burundi to deliver lifesaving health services to refugees and host communities while strengthening preparedness for future health threats.”
To support the refugees and host communities, WHO has established a health post at the site and deployed mobile clinic services. Since its establishment, the facility has provided more than 16 000curative consultations, supported 78 safe deliveries, and vaccinated over 28 000 children against measles. Health teams have also provided mental health and psychosocial care and identified several cases of malnutrition, ensuring patients are referred for appropriate treatment.
These services are helping ensure that families who have fled violence receive timely care, including treatment for common illnesses, maternal health services, vaccination and mental health support.
WHO is also working closely with the Government of Burundi and partners to strengthen disease surveillance, vaccination and community engagement in areas affected by displacement and overcrowding.
During the visit, Dr Janabi met with His Excellency President Evariste Ndayishimiye, the President and expressed gratitude for the country’s generosity in hosting refugees and pledged solidarity with the government to address the health and humanitarian challenges.
Dr Janabi also met with the First Lady of Burundi, Her Excellency Angeline Ndayishimiye, to discuss collaboration between the Office of the First Lady and WHO on advancing national health priorities, particularly maternal and child health.
In discussion with the Minister of Public Health, Dr Lydwine Baradahana, Dr Janabi and his team committed to supporting the government to strengthen health services and responding to emergencies. WHO handed over 24 tonnes of essential medicines to support the cholera response, as well as three vehicles to reinforce emergency health response and improve service delivery in the affected areas.
As Burundi works to address the growing humanitarian and health needs, WHO and its partners remain committed to supporting the efforts to expand access to essential health services, prevent disease outbreaks and strengthen the resilience of the national health system.
Leonardo DiCaprio was unable to appear at a California awards show on Saturday, January 3, because of the fallout of the U.S. military operation in Venezuela.
DiCaprio, 51, was supposed to accept a Desert Palm Achievement Award for his acclaimed performance in Oscar contender One Battle After Another at the Palm Springs International Film Festival Awards Gala but was unable to travel to the event.
“Leonardo DiCaprio is unable to join us in person tonight due to unexpected travel disruptions and restricted airspace,” a Palm Springs International Film Festival spokesperson confirmed to Us Weekly. “While we will miss celebrating with him in person, we are honored to recognize his exceptional work and lasting contributions to cinema. His talent and dedication to the craft continue to inspire, and we are delighted to celebrate him with the Desert Palm Achievement Award this evening.”
The actor was supposed to depart St. Barts for California in order to attend the Palm Springs gala on Saturday night but his scheduled flight could not take off due to air travel restrictions in the surrounding area related to U.S. military action in Venezuela, according to Variety. People reported on Saturday, January 3, that DiCaprio and his girlfriend Vittoria Ceretti hung out with NFL legend Tom Brady on a yacht off the coast of St. Barts on New Year’s Day.
Others likely faced similar travel issues since the Palm Springs International Airport announced via X on Saturday that “an FAA air traffic control issue” was impacting flights.
“Departing flights are currently under a ground stop,” the airport tweeted. “Aircraft have been able to arrive, though some inbound flights have diverted and delays are expected. This is not specific to PSP and is affecting multiple SoCal airports. Travelers should check directly with their airline for the latest flight information. PSP will share updates as needed.”
Flights were grounded for around four hours before the Palm Springs International Airport confirmed that “ground stop” orders had finally been “lifted” at around 4:20 p.m. PT.
Earlier on Saturday, President Donald Trump announced that U.S. forces conducted a military raid that led to the arrest of Venezuela’s president, Nicolás Maduro, and his wife, Cilia Flores. The politician and his wife were initially held on the USS Iwo Jima before being brought ashore in New York City to face a criminal trial.
Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores in December 2025.Getty Images/Federico PARRA / AFP
Shortly after Maduro’s arrest in a pre-dawn raid, Attorney General Pam Bondiannounced that the Venezuelan leader would be tried for “narco-terrorism conspiracy, cocaine importation conspiracy, possession of machine guns and destructive devices” and “conspiracy to possess machine guns and destructive devices against the United States.” At a press conference on Saturday, President Trump said the U.S. was “going to run” Venezuela until it can guarantee “a safe, proper and judicious transition.” (Maduro has repeatedly denied narco-terrorism charges levied by the U.S.)
“We don’t want to be involved with having somebody else get in, and we have the same situation that we had for the last long period of years,” Trump, 79, told reporters. “So, we are going to run the country until such time as we can do a safe, proper and judicious transition, and it has to be judicious.”
The Associated Press reported on Saturday that no airline flights were seen crossing over Venezuelan airspace following Maduro’s arrest. Hundreds of other commercial flights in the eastern Caribbean region were canceled. (Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has indicated that normal travel will resume in the region on Sunday, January 4.)
Meanwhile, the Palm Springs International Film Awards announced back in November that DiCaprio would be a guest of honor and receive the Desert Palm Achievement Award for One Battle After Another.
“In One Battle After Another, Leonardo DiCaprio delivers a riveting and emotionally charged performance, embodying a man pushed to his breaking point in the face of relentless adversity,” festival chairman Nachhattar Singh Chandi said at the time. “Across his career, DiCaprio has continually redefined what is possible in screen acting — bringing emotional depth, artistic integrity, and fearless commitment to every role. It is our honor to present him with the Desert Palm Achievement Award, Actor, in recognition of his enduring influence and exceptional body of work.”
While DiCaprio missed the gala, Timothée Chalamet, Michael B. Jordan, Adam Sandler and Kate Hudson were all expected to attend Saturday’s ceremony.
Tatiana — who is the granddaughter of late president John F. Kennedy and former first lady Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis — confirmed in an essay published by The New Yorker that she was battling acute myeloid leukemia and was given a year to live by doctors.
She learned that she has a “rare mutation called Inversion 3” that could not be “cured by a standard course” of treatment shortly after welcoming her daughter, Josephine, in May 2024. (Tatiana and her husband, George Moran, also share a son, Edwin Garrett Moran, who was born in 2022.)
“I did not — could not — believe that they were talking about me. I had swum a mile in the pool the day before, nine months pregnant. I wasn’t sick. I didn’t feel sick. I was actually one of the healthiest people I knew,” Tatiana wrote in The New Yorker. “I had a son whom I loved more than anything and a newborn I needed to take care of.”
News broke in December 2025 that Tatiana died. She was 35.
Keep scrolling for more information on Tatiana and her family.
George Moran
Tatiana Schlossberg met her future husband, George Moran, while they were both undergraduates at Yale University. Moran became a doctor at Columbia University’s Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, while Schlossberg worked for The New York Times, Vanity Fair and The Washington Post as an environmental reporter.
The New York Times reported in September 2017 that the couple had tied the knot at the Kennedy family home in Martha’s Vineyard in a ceremony officiated by former Massachusetts governor Deval Patrick.
Tatiana’s younger brother, Jack Schlossberg, announced on NBC’s Today in 2022 that his sister and her husband had welcomed their first baby, a son named Edwin Moran.
“I can’t get away from them,” Jack said of his sister and his newborn nephew. “I love them.”
Tatiana and George welcomed their youngest child, a daughter, in 2024. They have chosen to keep her name private.
Following her terminal cancer diagnosis, Tatiana credited George for his immense support following her cancer diagnosis.
“George did everything for me that he possibly could. He talked to all the doctors and insurance people that I didn’t want to talk to; he slept on the floor of the hospital; he didn’t get mad when I was raging on steroids and yelled at him that I did not like Schweppes ginger ale, only Canada Dry. He would go home to put our kids to bed and come back to bring me dinner,” she recalled in the New Yorker.
Tatiana added, “I know that not everyone can be married to a doctor, but, if you can, it’s a very good idea. He is perfect, and I feel so cheated and so sad that I don’t get to keep living the wonderful life I had with this kind, funny, handsome genius I managed to find.”
Edwin Moran
Tatiana’s younger brother, Jack, announced that he’d become an uncle during a 2022 interview on NBC’s Today.
“[Tatiana’s son’s] name is Edwin but I like to call him Jack,” the Kennedy heir teased.
In her New Yorker essay, Tatiana recalled that Edwin’s visits to the hospital were rare bright spots as she received cancer treatment.
“My son came to visit almost every day. … The nurses brought me warm blankets and let me sit on the floor of the skyway with my son, even though I wasn’t supposed to leave my room,” she recalled.
Tatiana reflected on a bonding experience with her son as her hair began to fall out during treatment.
“My hair started to fall out and I wore scarves to cover my head, remembering, vainly, each time I tied one on, how great my hair used to be; when my son came to visit, he wore them, too,” she said.
Josephine
Tatiana and George welcomed their daughter, Josephine, in May 2024. After giving birth, Tatiana spent five weeks at Columbia-Presbyterian Hospital and was transferred to Memorial Sloan Kettering to undergo a bone-marrow transplant. She later underwent chemotherapy at home.
She wrote in her New Yorker essay that one of her biggest fears after receiving a terminal diagnosis was that her newborn daughter wouldn’t remember her.
“My son might have a few memories, but he’ll probably start confusing them with pictures he sees or stories he hears,” she wrote. “I didn’t ever really get to take care of my daughter — I couldn’t change her diaper or give her a bath or feed her, all because of the risk of infection after my transplants. I was gone for almost half of her first year of life. I don’t know who, really, she thinks I am, and whether she will feel or remember, when I am gone, that I am her mother.”
When the family announced Tatiana’s death in December 2025, it was revealed that her daughter’s name is Josephine.
John F. Kennedy and Jackie Kennedy
Tatiana is the granddaughter of late President John F. Kennedy and former first lady Jackie Kennedy. The Kennedys shared daughter Caroline Kennedy and son John F. Kennedy Jr. (They also lost two children, daughter Arabella and son Patrick.)
President Kennedy was killed at age 46 in a fatal shooting on November 22, 1963, in Dallas, Texas. Jackie later married Greek-Argentine magnate Aristotle Onassis, who died at age 69 in 1975. Jackie succumbed to Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma at age 64 in May 1994.
Caroline Kennedy
John and Jackie Kennedy welcomed daughter Caroline Kennedy in November 1957. She was only 5 years old when her father was assassinated in 1963.
As an adult, Caroline worked at New York City’s Metropolitan Museum of Art, where she met her future husband, Edwin Schlossberg. They tied the knot at Our Lady of Victory Church in Centerville, Massachusetts in 1986 and later welcomed three children: Rose, Tatiana and Jack.
Caroline eventually followed in her family’s footsteps by entering politics as an ambassador to Australia and Japan during Joe Biden and Barack Obama’s presidential administrations.
Caroline Kennedy and Edwin Schlossberg in November 2013.MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images
Tatiana credited her parents and siblings with helping to raise her two children while she underwent grueling cancer treatment.
“My parents and my brother and sister, too, have been raising my children and sitting in my various hospital rooms almost every day for the last year and a half. They have held my hand unflinchingly while I have suffered, trying not to show their pain and sadness in order to protect me from it,” she wrote in her New Yorker essay. “This has been a great gift, even though I feel their pain every day. For my whole life, I have tried to be good, to be a good student and a good sister and a good daughter, and to protect my mother and never make her upset or angry. Now I have added a new tragedy to her life, to our family’s life, and there’s nothing I can do to stop it.”
Edwin Schlossberg
Caroline’s husband Edwin Schlossberg is an artist and designer. He founded the firm ESI Design and has written several books about design philosophy.
Edwin was appointed to the Commission of Fine Arts by President Obama in 2011, after receiving the prestigious National Arts Club Medal of Honor in 2004.
Rose Kennedy Schlossberg
Caroline and Edwin’s eldest daughter, Rose Schlossberg, arrived in June 1988 and was named after her maternal great-grandmother, Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy.
She attended Harvard University, where she once gave Lindsay Lohan and her then-girlfriend Samantha Ronson a campus tour, according to the Boston Herald. She later received her master’s degree in interactive telecommunications from New York University.
Rose has worked as a production assistant on the TV show Brick City and the 2012 documentary Hard Times: Lost on Long Island. She co-wrote and produced the Peabody Award-winning documentary series The Kalief Browder Story in 2017 and helped open a permanent exhibit for her late grandfather, John F. Kennedy, at the Kennedy Center in 2022.
She married restaurateur Rory McAuliffe in California in 2022.
John ‘Jack’ Bouvier Kennedy Schlossberg
Caroline and Edwin’s youngest child, son Jack Schlossberg, was born in January 1993.
As an adult, he became popular on social media for his shirtless selfies and pop culture clapbacks — including criticizing American Horror Story creator Ryan Murphy’s planned series about Jack’s late uncle John F. Kennedy Jr. and his wife Carolyn Bessette Kennedy. (The couple were killed in a 1999 plane crash, along with Carolyn’s sister Lauren Bessette.)
In November 2025, Jack announced plans to run for Congress in New York’s 12th congressional district in the 2026 midterm elections.
Caroline Kennedy, Edwin Schlossberg and Jack Schlossberg in May 2015.Paul Zimmerman/Getty Images
“I’m not running because I have all the answers to our problems. I’m running because the people of New York 12 do. I want to listen to your struggles, hear your stories, amplify your voice, go to Washington and execute on your behalf,” he wrote via Instagram.
Jack continued, “There is nowhere I’d rather be than in the arena fighting for my hometown. Over the next eight months, during the course of this campaign, I hope to meet as many of you as I can. If you see me on the street, please say hello. If I knock on your door, I hope we can have a conversation. Because politics should be personal.”
Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Like most of her family, Tatiana has had a strained relationship with her cousin Robert F. Kennedy Jr. since he endorsed Donald Trump in the 2024 presidential election. RFK Jr. was later appointed by Trump to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, which drew concern over his history of vaccine skepticism.
Tatiana wrote about her rift with her cousin in her New Yorker essay, revealing that his confirmation to the HHS role added stress during her illness. She pointed out that her husband George’s job at Columbia University was potentially in danger because the school was “one of the Trump Administration’s first targets in its crusade against alleged antisemitism on campuses.”
“If George changed jobs, we didn’t know if we’d be able to get insurance, now that I had a preëxisting condition,” she wrote. “Bobby is a known skeptic of vaccines, and I was especially concerned that I wouldn’t be able to get mine again, leaving me to spend the rest of my life immunocompromised, along with millions of cancer survivors, small children, and the elderly.”
Tatiana unequivocally distanced herself from RFK’s statement that “there’s no vaccine that is safe and effective” during a 2023 appearance on the “Lex Fridman Podcast.”
“Bobby probably doesn’t remember the millions of people who were paralyzed or killed by polio before the vaccine was available,” she added. “My dad, who grew up in New York City in the nineteen-forties and fifties, does remember. Recently, I asked him what it was like when he got the vaccine. He said that it felt like freedom.”
The Night Agent follows FBI Agent Peter Sutherland (Gabriel Basso), who first began the show by chasing down a mole embedded within the highest levels of the United States government. By the end of season 2, Peter is recruited as a double agent.
We finally have details about the much-anticipated release of The Night Agent season 3, which is only a few months away from its debut.
Here’s everything fans need to know about the upcoming season of the Netflix original.
When Does ‘The Night Agent’ Season 3 Start Streaming?
Stephen Moyer in The Night Agent season 3Netflix
The Night Agent season 3 will premiere on Netflix on February 19, 2026. This is only a little more than a year since the second season premiered on January 23, 2025.
How Many Episodes of ‘The Night Agent’ Season 3 Are There?
Like previous seasons, The Night Agent season 3 will consist of 10 episodes.
Is There a Trailer for ‘The Night Agent’ Season 3?
Yes, Netflix released a thirty-second teaser to get fans excited and introduce them to the new actors who will be coming on board the show: Genesis Rodriguez, Stephen Moyer, David Lyons and Suraj Sharma, the latter of whom will play a recurring character. Jennifer Morrison (Once Upon a Time) will also be joining the cast, though she isn’t seen in this first teaser.
Who Is in the Cast of ‘The Night Agent’ Season 3?
Amanda Warren, Gabriel Basso, Albert Jones in The Night Agent season 3Netflix
Along with newcomers Rodriguez, Moyer, Lyons, Sharma and Morrison, series lead Basso will also be joined by youngster Callum Vinson, while the familiar Albert Jones, Ward Horton,Louis Herthum and Fola Evans-Akingbola all have been promoted to series regulars. Moyer will be playing an elite hitman named The Father, while Lyons plays a former spy who is coerced from retirement and Morrison portrays the First Lady of the United States.
Season 2 series regular Amanda Warren will be coming back as a recurring character. Meanwhile, Herthum, Jones and Horton will all reprise their roles as the recurring characters they were introduced as in season 2. Evans-Akingbola skipped season 2 after being a series regular in season 1, but will be happily returning for the new season after making a welcome cameo in season 2.
Where Is ‘The Night Agent’ Season 3 Taking Place?
While the third season was filmed primarily in New York, there was a location shoot in Istanbul, Turkey, and the city is featured in the teaser trailer.
What Is the Plot of ‘The Night Agent’ Season 3?
Amanda Warren in The Night Agent season 3Netflix
Following the events of season 2, Peter Sutherland (Basso) is sent down the path of a new and dangerous conspiracy. He is tasked with finding a Treasury Agent (Sharma) who killed his boss and escaped from Turkey with highly classified government info. Peter thus delves into a vast network of dark money while navigating hitmen and contending with a ruthless journalist named Isabel (Rodriguez). However, Peter and Isabel ultimately join forces, uncovering hidden government secrets that threaten both their lives.
While that premise might sound familiar to fans who remember the dynamic between Peter and Rose Larkin (Luciane Buchanan) from the first two seasons, Rose and Buchanan will not be returning for this new season.
Green Bay Packers head coach Matt LaFleur and his wife BreAnne didn’t get off to the best start.
They met when BreAnne was a student trainer at Central Michigan University and Matt was a graduate assistant for the football team. One day, while Matt was locked in on practice, BreAnne wandered her way into the middle of a drill. The young coach yelled at her so she would move out of the way.
“Ironically enough, we met on a football field,” Matt told The Athletic in 2019. “She was a student trainer, and I’ll never forget. I noticed her, and she said I yelled at her the first time I talked to her, because she was in the way of a drill.”
The inauspicious start turned into a marriage that has brought them two kids and taken the pair across the country as Matt has gone from mid-major assistant to head coach of one of the most storied franchises in the NFL.
Keep scrolling for everything to know about BreAnne, the first lady of Packers football..
Matt and BreAnne Met While Matt Coached at Central Michigan
Courtesy of Michael Silver/X
Not long after BreAnne interrupted that Chippewa practice, Matt stopped into the nearby tanning salon where BreAnne worked. The two got to talking again — this time more quietly — and after a few sessions, the young coach asked her out on a date. They tied the knot in 2010.
They Share 2 Sons, Luke and Ty
The couple welcomed their first son, Luke, the year after they were married in 2011. While Luke and his younger brother, Ty, born in 2013, make the occasional appearance at their dad’s press conferences, most of their lives have been spent out of the spotlight.
Matt spoke about the difficulties of raising kids as a head coach, telling The Athletic that when he took the Packers job, Ty would be moving for the sixth time in his life — before his sixth birthday.
After graduation, BreAnne worked as a pharmaceutical sales representative in Ohio while Matt was the offensive coordinator at Division II Ashland. She eventually quit to support Matt’s coaching aspirations as the two soon criss-crossed the country, allowing him to climb the ranks from Division II to the NFL.
Aaron Rodgers Called Her a ‘Great Wife, Great Mom’
Matt LaFleur and Aaron RodgersPhoto by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images
Matt’s former quarterback, Aaron Rodgers, shouted out BreAnne on a 2021 appearance on the Pat McAfee Show, crediting her for being a “great mom.”
“I want to take this time to give a shoutout to his wife, Bre because … there’s many coaches who would have a really hard time getting through life without their wife,” he said. “She’s a great wife, great mom.”
He continued, ‘They’ve got two really cute boys who I got to see before the game, Ty and Luke.Matt’s a great guy and he’s well put-together on game day, but behind every great coach is a wife pulling all the strings, I think, to make them look good, so a big shout-out to Bre.”
BreAnne may be pulling for the Packers on Sundays, but don’t be surprised if she also has an eye on the San Francisco 49ers. Her first cousin, Dustin Perry, has been with the team for eight years, working his way up to the position of Vice President of Player Health and Performance.
Michelle Obama is recalling one of her last conversations with her mother, Marian Robinson.
The former First Lady, 61, discussed Marian, who died in May 2024 at age 86, during a Wednesday, November 5 event in New York City to promote her latest book, The Look.
Obama shared that she finally understood why Marian had started preparing her and brother Craig Robinson for her death when they were kids.
“What she was doing was letting us know that she loved us, but that we could live life with and without her, and I understand that now as a parent,” Obama said, per People.
She said that she wants daughters Malia, 27, and Sasha, 24, whom she shares with her husband, former President Barack Obama, “to know, ‘I love you, you love me, but you don’t need me. You know everything you need to know to be successful.’”
Obama cared for Marian toward the end of her life. According to People, as mother and daughter sat on the couch one day, Marian told Obama, “Wow, that was quick.”
Obama asked her what she meant by that, and Marian responded with one word: “Life.”
“That’s all she said, but what I got from that was even in her practical-minded way, that you’re never ready,” Michelle explained. “And I don’t think that she was done living. It just comes, and then life is over. I was like, ‘Let me hear that. Let me understand that, that even with a wonderful life, I want to be present.’”
Obama celebrated her 60th birthday in January 2024.
“I think that feeling of 60 is about trying to be present in the feeling,” she said Wednesday. “Trying to be present in this moment in my life so that this last chapter is exactly the way I want it to be.”
She said that as she reached the milestone age, “I realized how much breath-holding and decision-making I was doing to ensure my girls would turn out whole.”
Now that her kids are in their 20s, “This is the first time in my life where every single decision I make is mine,” she said. “It’s what I want to do. … What do I want, what do I feel? This is the first time that I’ve been able to do that for me, no excuses. That means that the consequences are mine, too, and there’s a freedom with that.”
She added: “If I’m lucky, I live to 90 and that’s 30 good summers.”
Recently, Obama told People that she inherited a beauty habit from Marian: A full commitment to hair-color maintenance.
“I’m coloring that gray hair,” she said. “I’m not wincing [when I see one], but I’m not leaving it there long.”
She explained: “My mother was the same way. My mother dyed her hair until the day she died. She had a beautiful sandy color blonde that mixed in well with the gray. I was like, ‘Yeah, I’m going to be doing that too.’”
Zimbabwe stole the spotlight in a blaze of colour, flavor and rhythm at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris
May 22, 2025
Zimbabwe stole the spotlight in a blaze of colour, flavour and rhythm on Tuesday at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris during Africa Week, captivating global delegates with a powerful cultural showcase. The First Lady of the Republic of Zimbabwe and Patron of Tourism, Dr. Auxillia Mnangagwa, undertook a tour of awe-inspiring exhibitions and led a distinguished visit to the Zimbabwean stand, accompanied by the Minister of Tourism and Hospitality Industry Hon. Barbara Rwodzi and Zimbabwe’s Ambassador to France Dr. Sekai Nzenza.
The Zimbabwe stand burst to life with vibrant traditional dances, melodic instruments and striking fashion, but it was the irresistible gastronomy that sparked a frenzy. Guests lined up to savour signature Zimbabwean dishes such as sorghum sadza, Kariba bream, Zim gastro sausage, haifiridzi, madora and peanut butter biltong, while traditional beverages like seven days brew and maheu refreshed and delighted. The Zimbabwean stand quickly became the heartbeat of the event, its warmth and authenticity leaving a lasting imprint on every visitor. As part of her cultural diplomacy efforts, the First Lady also toured other African country exhibitions including Tanzania, Sudan, Nigeria, Niger, Uganda, Mozambique, Mauritius, Ethiopia, Guinea, Ghana, Gabon, Mali, Comoros, Congo Brazzaville and Angola. The strong showing by Zimbabwe reaffirmed the nation’s position as a leading cultural and culinary tourism destination in Africa.
Venezuelan officials celebrated the return of two-year-old Maikelys Espinoza on Wednesday, after the toddler was separated from her deported parents and held in U.S. custody—a case that has fueled sharp criticism from Caracas toward Washington.
The child’s return was treated as a significant event by the Venezuelan government, with Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello and First Lady Cilia Flores personally greeting her at Maiquetía International Airport.
The incident sparked outrage when Cabello publicly accused U.S. authorities of forcibly removing the child from her parents during their deportation process. “We stand beside Venezuelan mothers who have had their children stolen and kidnapped from them,” Cabello said. “They deliver them to what they call foster homes, which is no other than the commercialization of human beings. They see the human being as merchandise.”
The girl’s mother had returned to Venezuela days earlier, arriving alone. Her father, meanwhile, was deported to El Salvador in March and is reportedly being held in a maximum-security prison. According to family lawyers, both parents have been accused by U.S. authorities of having ties to the Tren de Aragua gang, designated a terrorist organization under former President Donald Trump.
Despite the pointed rhetoric from Cabello, President Nicolás Maduro struck a more diplomatic tone, expressing gratitude to Trump and former U.S. envoy Richard Grenell for facilitating the child’s return.
The case has reignited debate over immigration enforcement practices and family separations in the U.S., particularly involving migrants from politically sensitive regions like Venezuela.
Today, the vibrant spirit of community filled the air in Bubi District, Matabeleland North province, as locals gathered to celebrate Amai’s Traditional Cookout Competition. The event, marked by joy and festivity, brought together 36 contestants, including individuals with disabilities, showcasing the rich culinary heritage of Zimbabwe. Hon. Tongai Mafidi Mnangagwa, the Deputy Minister of Tourism and Hospitality Industry, graced the occasion as the guest of honor. In his uplifting keynote address, he emphasized the significant role of gastronomy tourism in fostering socio-economic development and empowering women within the community. He commended the visionary initiative spearheaded by the First Lady, Her Excellency Dr. Auxillia Mnangagwa, which has garnered international acclaim for its contributions to preserving Zimbabwean culture and promoting healthy eating habits.
Hon. Mnangagwa reiterated the Ministry’s dedication to equitable distribution of tourism resources, aligning with the national vision of “leaving no one and no place behind.” He highlighted that gastronomy tourism is not just an economic driver but a means to foster inclusivity, engaging communities across the entire tourism value chain. This approach is essential for propelling Zimbabwe towards its goal of becoming an upper-middle-income society by 2030. Participants hailed from seven districts within the province—Binga, Bubi, Hwange, Lupane, Nkayi, Tsholotsho, and Umguza—demonstrating strong provincial representation and the collective pride in their culinary traditions. The event not only celebrated the rich flavors of Zimbabwe but also reinforced the bonds of community, culture, and shared aspirations for a prosperous future.
Today, the Ministry of Tourism and Hospitality, Industry, and the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority teams were in the City of Kings and Queens for the Bulawayo Metropolitan Province’s Cookout competitions. Thirty four (34) Kings and Queens were battling against each other showcasing their culinary expertise, inorder to qualify for the national event which will be held on the 25th of May in Matabeleland South Province. Amazing recipes and dish presentation of their local dishes such as isitshwala samabele le sophoko, inhloko yembuzi,umbhida wendumba, amatshakada,amacimbi, ulude, uxakuxaku, umkhemeswane were exhibited. Among the 34 contestants, 14 were under the community category, 5 PWDs, 5 professional chefs and 10 students drawn from NUST, Hillside,United College of Education and School of Hospitality and Tourism.
The inclusion and high participation of persons with disabilities in this year’s competitions is amazing!, an indication that disability is not inability.
Speaking at the 2025 Bulawayo Province Cookout competitions, Hon. Minister Barbara Rwodzi explicitly explained President Mnangagwa’s vision 2030 in relation to the UN 2063 agenda. She also alluded how the First Lady’s various initiatives such as gastronomy tourism, Nhanga/ Gota/ Ixhiba, Agric for She among others contribute to the attainment of the national vision. Honorable Rwodzi revealed that the First Lady, Dr. Auxillia Mnangagwa continue being recognized by international organisations due to her efforts of promoting our culture and heritage. The First Lady Dr. Auxillia Mnangagwa has been invited to go and speak about the Zimbabwean culture and heritage at UNESCO in France next month. #ExperienceZimbabwe #ZimBho #GrastronomyTourism # BulawayoMetProvince
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