Two members of US President Donald Trump’s cabinet were on a decoy plane that Trump secretly exited before boarding a different flight in Turkey last month, CBS News reports. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent remained aboard what was believed to be Air Force One and didn’t join a flight that was provided to Trump over security concerns involving Iran. After Trump entered Air Force One on 8 July with both officials and members of the press, he hid on a catering truck to be clandestinely transported to a military plane. The label “Air Force One”…
Author: Oki Bin Oki
Lightning struck an Ohio prison during severe weather in the state on Tuesday, injuring 16 inmates – including one who had to be airlifted to hospital. The prisoners were outside during the storm, moving between buildings after an evening meal. Nine of the inmates have since returned to the correctional institution, while seven remain in hospital, including one who was in serious condition, the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction said. Severe weather and flash flooding has ravaged parts of the US Midwest in recent days, generating tornadoes, strong winds and causing widespread power outages. No staff were injured in…
Donald Trump is being sued by two US media groups over a new Truth Social service that charges up to $100,000 (£74,000) a month for early access to his posts. The lawsuit was filed on Wednesday in New York federal court by The Intercept and Freedom of the Press Foundation. The suit argues that selling priority access to the president’s messages raises serious concerns, describing it as “extraordinary, corrupt and unconstitutional”. Trump Media & Technology Group (TMTG) said the lawsuit was brought by “left-wing activists” seeking to censor the president. The BBC has approached the White House for comment. TMTG…
It’s been 16 years since three people were executed on the same day in the US, but on Thursday, three men convicted of murder in different US states will face the death penalty. The planned executions of inmates Anthony Darrell Hines, 66, Jeremy Williams, 41, and Carlos Cuesta-Rodriguez, 71, in Tennessee, Alabama and Oklahoma, respectively, are indicative of a steep rise in executions across the US. Last year, in 2025, there were more than four times as many people put to death as there were in 2021, even as juries, and the American public at large, became increasingly wary of…
Japan said it “strongly protests” against Vladimir Putin’s visit to the Kuril islands on Thursday, the first time the Russian president had visited the disputed island chain. Russian state media reported that Putin visited Iturup – known in Japan as Etorofu – one of four islands in the Kuril chain that are claimed by Russia and Japan. Japan’s foreign minister Toshimitsu Motegi said the islands were “inherently Japanese territory both historically and under international law, and the Government of Japan strongly protests this visit”. The countries have been locked in a dispute over the Kurils for decades, and it is…
Confidence after 30 looks different for every woman, and the growing interest in quality injectables is part of a bigger shift in how women approach aging on their own terms. Something has shifted in how women over 30 talk about aging. Where the conversation used to center on “anti-aging” as a fight against the inevitable, more women are now framing it as one part of a broader wellness routine, alongside sleep, movement, and how they eat. Quality injectables have become part of that shift for many, not as a dramatic transformation but as a small, considered piece of a larger…
The sneaker game in Kenya has changed. What was once a simple matter of walking into a shop along Moi Avenue or scrolling through Instagram pages for the latest Air Jordans has evolved into a full-blown digital economy, one where young Kenyans are earning serious money buying and reselling limited-edition sneakers sourced from international markets. From Nairobi’s Gikomba-adjacent thrift culture to the high-end sneaker boutiques popping up in Westlands and Kilimani, footwear has become both a fashion statement and an investment vehicle. And for a growing number of hustlers, the real money is not in wearing the shoes. It is…
Lionel Messi said he is unsure how much longer he will continue playing football as he posted an emotional tribute after his father’s death. Messi’s father Jorge was 68 when he died last week following a long illness. Jorge had been the Argentina forward’s agent since he was 14 and watched him become one of the sport’s greatest ever players. “I don’t know what I’m going to do without you,” eight-time Ballon d’Or winner Messi wrote on social media. “I don’t know how to carry on. I used to just play football, and now I’m really not sure if I’ll…
More than 60,000 Canadians have signed a petition calling for the US ambassador in Ottawa to be expelled for undermining diplomatic relations between the two neighbours. The online petition accuses Pete Hoekstra of “making repeated interventions in Canadian political discourse” and of having “normalised the Trump administration’s threats to annex Canada as the ’51st state'” of the US. In a statement to the BBC, the US embassy said it was aware of the petition but declined to comment further. Canada and the US are currently engaged in intense period of trade talks, aiming to reach an agreement before new US…
The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) and the Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops (KCCB) have agreed to strengthen their partnership in the fight against corruption and the promotion of ethics, integrity and accountability in Kenya. The commitment was reached on Wednesday during a consultative meeting between the EACC leadership and a KCCB delegation led by Samwel Omondi, National Director of Caritas Kenya, who represented KCCB General Secretary Very Rev. Fr. James Waweru. The delegation also included Dennson Machuki, a communication strategist at the Loyola Centre for Media and Communications. The two institutions explored practical areas of collaboration, including promoting ethical…
Former Chinese Premier Zhu Rongji, who spearheaded China’s entry into global trade and laid the foundation for its explosive growth, has died at the age of 97. He served in the country’s second-highest office from 1998-2003 and played a leading role in securing its entry into the World Trade Organization, opening Chinese factories to the international market and drawing foreign investment. He was one of the most important economic reformers who moved local tax powers to the central government, closed or privatised failing state firms and promoted home ownership. Many in China remember him as a tough and pragmatic leader…
A petitioner challenging the continued tenure of Kenya Railways Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer Philip Mainga moved to withdraw the case. This was hours after the Employment and Labour Relations Court temporarily barred him from exercising the powers of his office. Mainga has served as MD for almost 11 years which is seen wrong and immoral. He was seen untouchable due to the deals he handles. The notice seeking withdrawal of the petition was filed on Tuesday, August 11, 2026, a day after the Employment and Labour Relations Court in Kisumu issued interim orders restricting Mainga from occupying or…
N Chandrasekaran, the chairman of Tata Group, has said that he will not seek reappointment when his term ends in February. The 63-year-old said the decision came after the board of Tata Sons could not reach a resolution on a five-year extension of his term, months after the proposal first came up. The news sent shares of listed Tata companies plunging and has led to questions over what lies ahead for the gigantic salt-to-steel conglomerate that owns Air India, Tata Steel and Jaguar Land Rover. Chandrasekaran’s resignation, which comes days ahead of Tata Sons’ annual general meeting, points to tensions…
Spotify is introducing a new feature that will highlight if an artist has been generated by artificial intelligence (AI). The streaming service says the AI Persona badge, that will start appearing on some profiles from mid-September, will flag to listeners if an “artist’s identity may be AI-generated and does not represent a real person”. The changes are being introduced to give listeners “more transparency” about what they’re hearing, Spotify says. It comes after some music fans made it “clear” to the streamer they don’t like seeing a profile that seems to be a human, to then realise it’s AI-generated. AI-generated…
David Crowley is projected to have won a primary election to become the Democratic candidate for Wisconsin governor, in a surprise result that dents a winning streak for the party’s left wing. Crowley, the more centrist candidate, has secured a narrow victory over Francesca Hong, according to a projection by the BBC’s partner, CBS News. Anti-establishment Democrats across the US had previously notched up victories that have rattled the party leadership in Washington. That trend continued in another closely-watched Democratic contest in Minnesota. But in Wisconsin, the governor’s race in November will be contested by Crowley and Tom Tiffany, who…