Olivia University Cultural Week stood out for health-centered initiatives that had a direct impact on the local population: a blood drive and free screening organized with a number of partners including Burundi Red Cross and Kira and Tanganyika hospitals

Burundi will benefit from a new US funding aimed to finance readiness in response to the ongoing Ebola outbreaks; the $20 million budget will be shared with Kenya, Rwanda and South Sudan

Tensions with Rwanda escalated as controversial comments by Burundi's ambassador to Belgium prompted a sharp reaction from Kigali and defense from Burundi officials; the whole issue has generated and is being mainly handled on social media

National instant payment system BurundiPay is officially available, enhancing access to digital financial services and cashless transactions; a public initiative, it integrates payment channels, like banks and mobile money services, into a single system

A blast in a military munitions depot in Bujumbura, likely caused by an electricity failure, left at least 13 killed and 57 injured