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Joël Guerriau, 68, is on trial in Paris after being charged with secretly administering a controlled substance to Sandrine Josso, a member of the French National Assembly. Prosecutors allege he put MDMA, a psychoactive drug, into a glass of champagne he served to Josso during what she believed was a private election‑night celebration.

According to courtroom testimony and media interviews, Josso, 50, began feeling unwell shortly after drinking the champagne. She experienced severe symptoms that prompted her to leave the gathering and seek medical attention at a hospital, where tests confirmed the presence of MDMA in her system. Josso has described the experience as terrifying and has framed it publicly as a case of drug‑facilitated assault.

Guerriau, who has acknowledged that he served a drink containing MDMA, denies any intention to harm Josso. His defense lawyers have argued that the incident was a 'handling error,' claiming Guerriau originally mixed the drug for himself while going through a period of depression and accidentally served it to her instead.

The charges against Guerriau include possession and use of drugs as well as the administration of a substance to facilitate sexual assault which under French law can carry sentences of up to 10 years for drug‑related offenses and five years for drug‑facilitated assault. He resigned his Senate seat in October 2025 amid mounting political pressure, though his lawyers have insisted his resignation was unrelated to the trial.

This case has reignited public debate in France about drug‑facilitated sexual violence and consent discussions that were previously brought into sharp focus by the Pélicot trial, a widely covered case in which more than 50 men were convicted of repeatedly raping a woman while she was unconscious after being drugged by her then‑husband.

That trial helped galvanize calls for legal reform and contributed to the adoption in October 2025 of expanded rape laws that define non‑consensual sexual acts more broadly.

A former French senator has appeared in a Paris court, accused of drugging a fellow lawmaker in an alleged attempt to sexually assault her, a case that has drawn intense public scrutiny.

Rania Umutoni

In an interview with the New York Post published Saturday, Trump described the device as a key factor in neutralising Venezuelan defences.

'The Discombobulator. I’m not allowed to talk about it,' he said. 'They never got their rockets off. They had Russian and Chinese rockets, and they never got one off. We came in, they pressed buttons, and nothing worked. They were all set for us.'

The operation, carried out on January 3, resulted in the arrest of Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, at their Caracas compound. Trump has previously described how U.S. personnel used cyber tools to knock out power across the capital, leaving Venezuelan forces largely incapacitated.

While the U.S. military possesses a directed-energy weapon known as the Active Denial System, which emits an invisible radio frequency beam causing a burning sensation, it is unclear whether this was the technology Trump referenced.

Beyond Venezuela, Trump reiterated that the U.S. could extend military strikes against drug cartels to North America. 'We know their routes. We know everything about them. We know their homes. We know everything about them. We’re going to hit the cartels,' he said. Asked whether these strikes could occur in Central America or Mexico, Trump responded: 'Could be anywhere.'

On Friday, the U.S. conducted a strike on an alleged drug-trafficking boat in the eastern Pacific Ocean, marking at least 36 known strikes in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific since early September that have killed at least 117 people.

Trump also said that the U.S. has seized oil aboard seven Venezuelan tankers, though he did not disclose the ships’ current locations. 'I’m not allowed to tell you,' he said. 'But let’s put it this way, they don’t have any oil. We take the oil.'

The U.S. operation, carried out on January 3, resulted in the arrest of Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, at their Caracas compound. Trump has previously described how U.S. personnel used cyber tools to knock out power across the capital, leaving Venezuelan forces largely incapacitated.

Wycliffe Nyamasege

According to the weekly agri-exports outlook released by the National Agricultural Export Development Board (NAEB), the country exported a total of 10,204 metric tons of agricultural products over the five-day period. Traditional export commodities, led by coffee and tea, remained the main drivers of export earnings, while diversified and non-traditional products also played a significant role.

Coffee was Rwanda’s top export earner for the week, generating $5.95 million from 897 metric tons exported, while tea followed with earnings of $2.55 million from 882 metric tons.

The report also shows steady growth in diversified agricultural products, which collectively brought in $4.14 million from exports totalling 7,635 metric tons. These products were mainly destined for markets in the United States, Oman, and cross-border African countries, reflecting Rwanda’s efforts to broaden its export base.

Horticultural exports also contributed to the overall performance. Fruits, including products like avocados, generated $526,172 from 313 metric tons, while vegetables earned $319,895 from 241 metric tons, with key destinations including the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, the United Arab Emirates, Germany, France, and regional markets. Flower exports, though smaller in volume, earned $81,563, mainly from sales to the Netherlands and the United Kingdom.

In addition, animal products generated $381,773 from 222 metric tons, largely through cross-border trade within the region.

The strong weekly performance underscores Rwanda’s ongoing efforts to strengthen agricultural productivity, expand market access, and diversify export products. With continued investment in value addition and market expansion, the agriculture sector remains a key pillar in supporting Rwanda’s export-led growth strategy.

According to the weekly agri-exports outlook released by the National Agricultural Export Development Board (NAEB), the country exported a total of 10,204 metric tons of agricultural products over the five-day period.

Wycliffe Nyamasege

At the same time, the Commission extended an ongoing investigation opened in December 2023 into X’s compliance with rules governing recommender systems.

According to the Commission, the new probe will assess whether X properly identified and mitigated risks linked to the integration of Grok’s functionalities on its platform within the European Union.

These include risks related to the spread of illegal content, such as manipulated sexually explicit material, including content that may amount to child sexual abuse material. The Commission said such risks appear to have materialised, potentially exposing EU citizens to serious harm.

Investigators will examine whether X met its obligations to assess and mitigate systemic risks, including those related to gender-based violence and negative effects on users’ physical and mental well-being.

The Commission will also check whether X conducted and submitted a required ad hoc risk assessment report on Grok before deploying its functionalities.

Separately, the Commission has widened its earlier investigation to determine whether X adequately addressed all systemic risks associated with its recommender systems, including its recent shift to a Grok-based recommender model.

The European Commission on January 26, 2026, announced the launch of a new formal investigation into X, focusing on the deployment of its artificial intelligence tool, Grok, under the Digital Services Act (DSA).

IGIHE

Constructed jointly by the China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC) and Rwanda’s NPD Ltd., the 63-km BBK road has become a lifeline for residents, cutting travel times and unlocking the region’s development potential.

“The project helped us. I can say it is a profit for us,” said Seth Havugimana, a 30-year-old businessman and resident of Gitare Village in Burera, during a recent interview with Xinhua.

Before the road, reaching nearby towns was a daily struggle. “Sometimes we could not reach here at all because of the bad road,” he recalled. What once took four hours to Musanze city now takes about an hour.

“These changes mean everything,” he said. “Business can move and people can go from here to another place easily. We are very happy about this new road.”

For Havugimana and many others, the BBK road has transformed livelihoods. Once limited to a single daily trip to Musanze to buy goods, he can now make more than four trips, cutting costs and increasing his income.

“Before, it was difficult to go outside and bring goods or materials here,” he said. “Now, if someone tells me they need something, I can go and purchase it and bring it back directly.”

The road has also improved access to essential services. Families can reach schools, hospitals, and markets with ease. “If someone in my family is sick, it is easy to take them to the hospital,” Havugimana said. “Students can go to school easily. Before, it was not possible.”

Jing Niu, acting project manager of the BBK project at the CRBC, explained that the company handled the 22-km Kidaho-Butaro section. Construction faced challenges, including steep and rocky terrain, environmental protection near Lake Burera, traffic management, and child safety. To address these, the company worked closely with local authorities and communities to conduct regular safety education and maintain road accessibility.

The BBK road’s impact goes beyond individual lives, extending to the broader rural economy.

Thierry Muneza Kamuhanda, BBK project director, emphasized that careful planning focused on social and economic benefits. “We estimate around five million vehicles per year. Where there is traffic, there is economic activity,” he said.

The project has also created jobs, with about 10 percent of the total investment allocated to labor, directly improving household incomes and local social conditions, he said.

“When a road is built, businesses are created along it,” he said. “Petrol stations, coffee shops, and other services follow. Tourism will also increase, especially since the road runs along Lake Burera.”

Bruce Semana, a local CRBC staff member who joined the project in 2022, highlighted the broader transformation. “This area was once among the poorest. Now, Burera District is one of the fastest-developing districts. Roads make the difference,” he said.

Semana noted that the project brought workers, machinery, and new economic activity to the area, creating opportunities that never existed before. “It’s not only the road itself, but also the people who came with the project,” he said.

He also highlighted the valuable skills he gained through collaboration with the CRBC. “I joined as a young graduate with ideas but no practical skills,” he said. “Everything I know is practically management, public relations, and working in challenging environments, which I learned through the CRBC.”

The Kidaho-Butaro section is now largely open to traffic, with final works underway. The entire BBK project is scheduled for completion by the end of the year, promising to continue reshaping the future of northern Rwanda.

This photo taken on Jan. 21 2026 shows a vehicle traveling on a road constructed by China Road and Bridge Corporation in Rwanda’s Northern Province.

Local workers are in operation along a road constructed by China Road and Bridge Corporation in Burera District, Rwanda’s Northern Province, Jan. 21, 2026.

Chinese engineer Zhou Chunyi (R) works with locals along a road constructed by China Road and Bridge Corporation in Burera District, Rwanda’s Northern Province, Jan. 21, 2026.

Xinhua

The incidents, including the death of ICU nurse Alex Pretti, have thrust Trump’s approach to immigration into the spotlight and make it a central issue as the United States heads into a crucial election year.

On January 24, 2026, Pretti, a 37-year-old U.S. citizen and intensive care nurse, was shot and killed by U.S. Border Patrol agents during immigration enforcement operations in Minneapolis.

Video footage circulating on social media challenges claims by federal authorities that he posed a threat, showing him acting peacefully before the fatal confrontation.

This was the second reported fatal shooting in Minneapolis this month involving federal immigration officers. Earlier in January, Renée Good, another U.S. citizen, was killed by an ICE agent during a separate operation.

The deaths have sparked widespread outrage, protests, and calls for accountability from community members and political leaders across the country.

In response, a federal judge in Minnesota has issued a temporary order requiring the Department of Homeland Security to preserve all evidence related to the Pretti shooting, and hearings are scheduled to determine further legal actions.

Democrats, led by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, have seized the moment to push back against the administration’s tactics. They are threatening to block funding for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and calling for major reforms of immigration agencies such as ICE and U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Some Democratic lawmakers have even framed the situation as evidence of overreach by federal authorities.

Meanwhile, Republican lawmakers are facing pressure to defend Trump’s immigration policies while addressing growing concerns about federal tactics and public safety.

Gun rights and civil liberties advocates including some members of Trump’s own party have expressed unease after the shooting of a legally armed American citizen, questioning the conduct and oversight of immigration enforcement operations.

The controversy arrives at a sensitive time, with Congress approaching a January 30 deadline to fund the government and avoid a partial shutdown.

The political narrative around these events is likely to shape debates over immigration policy, public safety, and executive authority throughout the election cycle.

Minneapolis has become a major flashpoint in the national political debate as two fatal shootings by federal immigration agents have intensified scrutiny of President Donald Trump’s aggressive immigration enforcement strategy.

Rania Umutoni

The dam is being constructed on 400 hectares spanning Karama and Rukomo sectors and Gatunda Sector in Nyagatare District.

Once completed, the dam will stand 39 metres high and measure 1.16 kilometres in length. Its size will allow it to store a substantial volume of water.

The total construction cost of the dam is estimated at €121.5 million. The facility will have the capacity to store nearly 55 million cubic metres of water, which will be used to supply clean drinking water to residents, provide irrigation water, supply water for livestock, and generate one megawatt of electricity.

Speaking to IGIHE, the Executive Chairperson of the Rwanda Water Resources Board, Eng Richard Nyirishema, said the first phase of construction of the Muvumba Multipurpose Dam is expected to be completed by March 2027, subject to the availability of funding.

This phase will also include the development of water treatment infrastructure, water distribution networks to households, and irrigation systems for planned agricultural areas.

'Overall, the construction of the Muvumba Multipurpose Dam has already created jobs for 1,000 people. Once the construction is completed, the reservoir will be filled with water, and we expect that electricity will be supplied to the population in 2028,' Eng Nyirishema noted.

He further explained that the first phase of irrigation is scheduled to start by the end of 2026, initially covering 3,000 hectares across the sectors of Karama, Tabagwe, Rwempesha, Nyagatare and Rukomo.

According to Eng Nyirishema, the dam will bring significant benefits to residents of Nyagatare District. It will supply 55,000 cubic metres of clean water per day, reducing the long distances residents currently travel to access safe drinking water.

In addition, it will provide irrigation water to approximately 11,000 hectares of farmland, helping to increase agricultural productivity in an area that experiences prolonged dry seasons.

The project will also supply about 700,000 cubic metres of water annually for livestock, which will be delivered directly to grazing areas.

In addition, the dam will generate one megawatt of electricity to support household use and other development activities, while also helping to reduce flooding caused by the Muvumba River, which has previously resulted in damage to surrounding areas.
Eng Nyirishema said construction works are being fast-tracked to ensure timely completion of the project.

He urged residents to continue playing an active role in the implementation of the project by following guidance provided by local authorities, and to protect and make effective use of the dam once it is completed.

Residents who recently spoke to IGIHE welcomed the project, saying they expect the Muvumba Dam to significantly improve access to irrigation water and clean drinking water in the area.

The dam is being constructed on 400 hectares spanning Karama and Rukomo sectors and Gatunda Sector in Nyagatare District.

The total construction cost of the dam is estimated at €121.5 million.

The Muvumba Multipurpose Dam located in Nyagatare District has reached 44 percent completion, with the total project cost expected to exceed Rwf 207 billion.

IGIHE

The 22-year-old co-founder and chief executive of Strettch Cloud says the company’s rise, from a modest personal investment of about 2 million Rwandan francs to a fast-growing infrastructure business, has been driven less by capital and more by early exposure to practical technology, disciplined execution, and a clear understanding of Africa’s digital constraints.

Strettch Cloud co-founder and CEO Jean-Luc Sauvé during an interview with IGIHE’s Wycliffe Nyamasege.

Early curiosity and the path to technology

Sauvé’s journey into technology began long before Strettch existed. Growing up, he was drawn to science and mathematics, fascinated by how things worked and why systems behaved the way they did. That curiosity eventually narrowed into computer science, which he saw as the most practical application of physics and mathematics in the modern economy.

'Mathematics is the mother language of all sciences,' Sauvé explains. 'But I was seeking the most practical way to use that knowledge in the real world, and computer science became the answer.'

While still in lower secondary school, he was already reading computer science books and following emerging technologies such as virtual reality, laying the intellectual groundwork for what would later become a business career.

A defining moment came in 2019, when Sauvé joined the inaugural cohort of Rwanda Coding Academy, a government-backed institution designed to produce industry-ready technologists through project-based learning.

Unlike traditional academic pathways, the school immersed students in software development, cybersecurity, robotics and artificial intelligence, exposing them to real-world problems early. By senior five, Sauvé had secured his first internship, and by senior six he was already employed, an experience that placed him years ahead of many of his contemporaries.

That early professional exposure shaped his view of entrepreneurship. While still at Rwanda Coding Academy, Sauvé attempted to launch two startups, both of which failed. He does not describe them as failures, but as formative experiences that taught him how difficult it is to build software that works in production, manage teams, and navigate uncertainty.

'I’ve already tried two startups when I was still at school that failed, but I don’t take it as a failure because I had to learn a lot through the process,' Sauvé says.

Strettch began taking shape after Sauvé and four fellow Rwanda Coding Academy graduates enrolled at African Leadership University. All five were already employed in different organizations, but they shared a concern that working separately would dilute their collective potential.

They agreed to pool their skills and effort into a single company, even though they had no clear product in mind at the time. Their first strategy was deliberately conservative: start as a software development agency, build solutions for clients, learn how to work as a team, and use the proceeds to finance future products.

That approach paid off sooner than expected. Less than a year after registering the business, the team won a public procurement tender worth $100,000 to develop a national research and innovation system for Rwanda Polytechnic in 2024. The contract was a major financial and psychological breakthrough, but Sauvé says it also introduced a new level of responsibility.

'I had to think about it twice,' Sauvé says. 'It felt too good to be true, and at the same time it was a huge responsibility.'

At an age when many of his peers are still navigating university lecture halls, Jean-Luc Sauvé is running a cloud computing company valued at $2.5 million (Rwf 3.6 billion) and positioning it as a challenger to global technology giants operating in Africa.

How Strettch Cloud was born

From the agency work, several internal product ideas emerged. One stood out: cloud computing. As businesses across Africa digitise, they increasingly rely on cloud infrastructure to run software and store data. Yet data sovereignty laws in more than 35 African countries restrict sensitive data from being hosted outside national borders, limiting the use of global cloud providers for many organisations. That regulatory reality created a gap that Strettch Cloud set out to fill.

Strettch Cloud offers on-demand computing infrastructure hosted locally, allowing businesses to deploy virtual servers within seconds through a self-service platform. According to Sauvé, it is currently the only cloud provider in Rwanda offering such functionality without requiring manual intervention, contracts or lengthy onboarding processes. The broader ambition is to replicate that model across multiple African countries, enabling companies to scale regionally while remaining compliant with local data regulations.

Building the platform required sacrifices. Sauvé resigned from a well-paid international job to work on Strettch full-time, a decision he describes as the hardest of his life. At the time, he had already achieved a lifestyle he once imagined would take decades to reach. Still, he says the potential impact of building a scalable African technology company outweighed personal comfort.

'Business is one of the most powerful ways to serve society,' he says. 'It creates jobs, pays taxes and solves problems at scale.'

At 22, Strettch Cloud CEO Jean-Luc Sauvé turned a modest 2M RWF investment into a fast-growing cloud business, driven by practical tech skills, disciplined execution, and insight into Africa’s digital landscape.

The humble financial beginnings of Strettch

Financially, Strettch’s beginnings were modest. The founders initially invested about 2 million Rwandan francs of their own money, largely to experiment and learn. Later, they committed roughly $30,000, earned from client work, to build the minimum viable version of Strettch Cloud. Before launching publicly, the company tested demand through a waitlist that attracted more than 300 organisations, including large Rwandan companies, validating the market.

That traction helped Strettch reach a valuation of $2.5 million and raise external funding. Today, the platform serves dozens of paying customers, with usage growing month by month.

'The first paying customer is always the most significant achievement,' Sauvé remarks. 'It is the moment when someone entrusts you with their business, and that trust validates all the effort, risk, and sacrifice.'

Sauvé says the company’s competitive advantage lies in its cost structure and technology ownership. Unlike many regional providers who license expensive third-party platforms, Strettch built its infrastructure software in-house, allowing it to offer lower prices while maintaining control over performance and security.

The company’s ambitions extend beyond Rwanda. Sauvé points to Africa’s cloud computing market, estimated at $45 billion, much of which flows to providers outside the continent. His vision is explicitly Pan-African: keep data, capital and technical expertise within Africa.

For Sauvé, the story of Strettch Cloud is still in its early chapters.

Strettch plans to enter Kenya by 2027 and expand into at least six or seven African markets within five years, building physical infrastructure in each to comply with national regulations.

Looking ahead, Sauvé sees artificial intelligence as both an opportunity and a strategic imperative. Many AI systems used in Africa rely on infrastructure hosted abroad, raising data sovereignty concerns. Strettch Cloud is exploring ways to provide AI-ready infrastructure locally, including access to specialised hardware, so that organisations can deploy advanced technologies without exporting sensitive data.

For Sauvé, the story of Strettch Cloud is still in its early chapters. Yet its trajectory already challenges assumptions about where high-growth technology companies can emerge and how much capital is required to start.

His advice to young Rwandans is pragmatic rather than romantic. The work, he says, is difficult and uncertain, but solvable problems reward those who approach them with discipline and optimism.

'When there is a problem, and you think there is an answer, you become a victor. If you think you can’t find an answer, you become a victim,' Sauvé, who also serves as Vice President of Toastmasters, a nonprofit organisation that develops public speaking, leadership, and networking skills, advises.

Wycliffe Nyamasege