Hamas hands over 3 Israeli hostages to Red Cross in Gaza Masked Hamas militants handed over three Israeli hostages to the Red Cross in Gaza’s southern city of Khan Yunis on Saturday, as part of the sixth hostage-prisoner swap under a truce with Israel, an AFP journalist reported. Israeli-American Sagui Dekel-Chen, Israeli-Russian Sasha Trupanov and Israeli-Argentinian Yair Horn were paraded on the stage and told to address the crowd before their handover to the Red Cross. The three men clutched gift bags given by their captors and a certificate to mark the end of their captivity. Flanked by fighters brandishing…
Author: Oki Bin Oki
Kenya’s candidate in the African Union Commission (AUC) Chairperson elections, Raila Odinga, lost the race in the exercise that was conducted in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. It was a humbling moment for the Kenyan team at the event that had been billed as a test for president William Ruto on his push for the continent’s power. During the polls, Raila won the first two rounds of voting, but then went on to lose the next three rounds to Djibouti candidate Mahamoud Ali Youssouf. In the first round, Raila garnered 22 votes against Mahamoud’s 18, while Richard Randriamandrato of Madagascar bagged 10…
New York City Mayor Eric Adams has denied claims that he asked the Trump administration to drop a corruption case against him in exchange for enforcing the president’s immigration agenda. Speaking on Fox News alongside Trump’s border tsar Tom Homan, Adams rejected the idea that a quid pro quo had occurred, calling it “silly”. His remarks come a day after the top US prosecutor in Manhattan, Danielle Sassoon, resigned from her post, claiming the justice department was pressuring her to drop criminal charges against Adams. Her decision to quit triggered a flurry of other resignations within the justice department, including…
US Vice-President JD Vance has launched a scalding attack on European democracies, saying the greatest threat facing the continent was not from Russia and China, but “from within”. It had been expected that Vance would use his speech at the Munich Security Conference to address possible talks to end the war in Ukraine. Instead, he spent the majority accusing European governments – including the UK’s – of retreating from their values, and ignoring voter concerns on migration and free speech. The address was met by silence in the hall, and later denounced by several politicians at the conference. German Defence…
An American man is being held in Russia after airport security discovered cannabis-laced sweets in his luggage, according to Russian state media. The 28-year-old man, who is not named in the reports, is facing drugs charges after he was arrested at Moscow’s Vnukovo International Airport last week. According to Russian state news agency Tass, a drug-sniffing dog alerted security to one of his bags which was then found to contain two jars and a plastic bag of cannabis products. The US State Department told the BBC it was aware of the reports and was monitoring the case closely. The Tass…
A Russian drone has hit the protective shelter over Chernobyl’s damaged nuclear reactor, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said. The overnight strike at the site of the world’s worst nuclear accident caused a fire that has since been extinguished, he added. The UN’s nuclear watchdog (the IAEA) said radiation levels inside and outside Chernobyl were normal and stable – but later the plant’s chief engineer, Oleksandr Titarchuk, said the possibility of radioactive substances leaking “now exists”. Russia has denied any claims it attacked Chernobyl, stating its military does not strike Ukrainian nuclear infrastructure and “any claims that this was the…
Former Kiambu Governor Ferdinand Waititu was Thursday rushed to Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH) with high blood pressure complications. He was admitted for review, officials at the hospital said. Waititu had been detained at the Industrial Area Remand and Allocation where officials said he started to complain of pains and sweating. His hospitalisation comes a day after he was sentenced to 12 years in prison or pay a Sh53.7 million fine in a Sh588 million graft case. The Milimani Law Courts also barred him from vying for any political seat for seven years. Waititu had unsuccessfully asked the court to order…
Governor Johnson Sakaja’s led administration has marked Valentine’s Day by visiting public primary schools that are under the school feeding program – Dishi Na County – to serve and share the hot nutritious meal with school children. The move embraces the governor’s longtime ambition of providing subsidized meals to school children, reflecting a dream-turned-into-reality. Sakaja asked county CECs, Chief Officers, and Directors from various sectors, to visit various public schools to spread love through serving and sharing meals. The county’s first lady, Beatrice Sakaja, who visited Nairobi Primary school alongside the County Executive Committee Member (CEC) for Health Ms. Suzanne…
The flower delivery business is one that deals with timing, precision, and a lot of beauty. It is all about curating unique and gorgeous arrangements for clients based on their online orders and getting them in one piece. Flower delivery can make or ruin a person’s day as people get flowers for their loved ones during special occasions and to show appreciation. Dubai is a city that values flowers a lot, so this is a very important job. You get to deal with large quantities of flowers daily and make sure your customers get the best. An example of an…
The US Vice President, JD Vance, Ukraine’s President Zelensky and up to 60 other world leaders and decision-makers are due to convene in Munich over the next three days for the annual Munich Security Conference (MSC). For nearly two decades now I have been attending and covering this event for the BBC and I cannot think of a year when there has been so much at stake in terms of global security. A senior and highly experienced Western official said this week “this is the most dangerous and contested time I have ever known in my career”. Why? Put simply,…
The Senate on Thursday confirmed Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as Health and Human Services (HHS) secretary in President Donald Trump’s cabinet. The Republican-controlled Senate voted 52-48 nearly entirely along party lines to confirm Kennedy. The final showdown over his controversial nomination was set in motion hours earlier, after another party line vote on Wednesday afternoon which started the clock ticking toward the confirmation roll call. Kennedy, the well-known vaccine skeptic and environmental crusader who ran for the White House in 2024 before ending his bid and endorsing Trump, needed a simple majority to be confirmed by the Senate. Sen. Mitch…
Two police officers face charges of torture and abuse of office following the arrest and detention of a British national at Eastleigh-North Police Station, Nairobi. Chief inspector Rebecca Njeri Muraya and sergeant Abdisalam Ahmed are said to have committed the offenses on December 31, 2021 at the station. Muraya is the Officer Commanding Station while Ahmed still serves at the same station. “Being Police officers within the National Police service on 31st December 2021 at Eastleigh-North Police Station, intentionally and unlawfully jointly ordered arrest of Ayni Hussein Mahammud and detained her at Muthaiga Police Station for two days with intent…
Two foreign nationals are among four suspects who were arrested in a sting operation targeting a phoney university that had been temporarily accomodated at the White Sands Hotel in Mombasa County. The four were found issuing Masters and PhD degrees to excited participants who had received training for only three days. Dayis Lawrence Bennett (American citizen), Farah Akab (Pakistani national), Ekra Ndung’u and Josephine Ndune were apprehended by law enforcement officers from Bamburi Police Station, after they caught wind of the group’s dubious activity. The award ceremony for the degrees was effectively halted when the gumshoes barged in and whisked…
A court Thursday issued a warrant of arrest against Kenya Union of Savings and Credit Cooperative(Kuscco) CEO George Ototo in a Sh82.8 million fraud charge. This is after he failed to appear in court to face fraud charges. An advocate and top officials of Kuscco were charged with stealing Sh82.8 million from the lender. Jackline Atieno Omolo was jointly charged with Kuscco chairman David Magutu Mwangi, George Ochola Owino, and Mercy Muthoni Njeru before Milimani Senior Principal Magistrate Dolphina Alego. They denied nine counts, including conspiracy to commit a felony, stealing, uttering false documents, and money laundering. They were remanded…
The Asset Recovery Agency Thursday handed over to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations two vehicles that were illegally acquired. The agency said other assets are due for disposal in accordance with the law. Director of ARA Brig (rtd) Alice Mate said the handover is a testament to the unwavering commitment of our agencies in the fight against money laundering, including other fiancial crimes, fraud, and illicit activities. The Director DCI Mohamed Amin has lauded the collaboration between the Directorate and ARA, pledging continued partnerships in fighting money laundering, terrorist financing and other serious frauds with the aim of making the…