A court in eastern China sentenced a former city official to death for taking more than 2.2bn yuan ($325m; £243m) in bribes over 30 years. Yang Youlin, who served in various positions in Nanjing city from 1993 to 2023, was also convicted of embezzlement, abuse of power and money laundering, with his ill-gotten gains amounting to one of the highest in recent years. The 69-year-old exploited his roles to help others secure engineering contracts, land transfers and financing, in exchange for money and valuables, said state media. Yang was investigated as part of President Xi Jinping’s anti-corruption crackdown which has…
Author: Oki Bin Oki
Zimbabwean footballer Divine Lunga has survived a gun attack in Johannesburg, South African police have said. The football star, 31, was driving in the inner city suburb of Hillbrow on Sunday when his car was shot at by an unknown gunman, according to local reports. Lunga, who plays for both Zimbabwe’s national football team and top South African club Mamelodi Sundowns, escaped unharmed. Crime is a major problem in South Africa and the country has one of the highest murder rates in the world. Police spokesperson Captain Tintswalo Sibeko said they were investigating a case of attempted murder but that…
At least nine police officers have been killed, and several are missing, after an attack by gunmen in Pakistan’s south-western Balochistan province, a local government official has told BBC Urdu. The attackers opened fire on police guarding the construction site of a multi-billion rupee dam in the Ziarat district, Deputy Commissioner Abdul Quddus Achakzai said. Two senior officers are among those killed, and a search operation is under way to find missing personnel, he added. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack. Balochistan officials said security forces had killed 15 members of the Pakistani Taliban (TPP) in response, as…
Eighteen people were injured after explosive devices went off in central Damascus, Syrian media says, reportedly near the hotel where French President Emmanuel Macron had been staying. State news agency Sana said two devices had been detected by security forces, which exploded as specialised units began the process to defuse them. One device was placed inside a parked vehicle, while the other was concealed in a bin, the agency said. Macron has been in the capital for talks with his Syrian counterpart Ahmed al-Sharaa at the presidential palace. His officials said he was safe and did not hear the explosions.…
The woman suspected of carrying out a parcel bombing in Monaco which injured a sanctioned Ukrainian multi-millionaire and his family has been found dead, Ukraine’s security service (SBU) has said. A cross-border manhunt had been launched for Anastasiia Berezovska, a Ukrainian woman who officials believed had fled the wealthy city-state after planting the bomb in the entrance hall of an apartment building on 29 June. The 39-year-old’s body was found with gunshot wounds to the head, according to the SBU. Two people including a current officer within Ukraine’s Ministry of Defence (MoD) have been detained on suspicion of murder. Berezovska…
A 60-year-old woman was killed on Tuesday morning following a road accident along the Southern Bypass near the Kenya Forest office in Karen, Nairobi. Police said the crash occurred at about 6:20 a.m. and involved an Isuzu lorry and a Subaru Forester travelling from Lang’ata towards Kikuyu. The Subaru allegedly failed to maintain a safe following distance and rammed into the rear of the lorry. The deceased, identified as Ann Cherotich Chebochok, the wife of renowned tea sector stakeholder John Chebochok and sister to former Bomet governor Isaac Ruto was seated in the front passenger seat of the Subaru. She…
The National Police Service (NPS) has announced that it will set up enhanced security checkpoints on major roads across Nairobi on Tuesday, July 7, as part of measures to maintain law and order during the annual Saba Saba commemoration. In a statement issued on Monday, Police Spokesperson Michael Muchiri said the heightened security measures were informed by past experiences in which some demonstrations turned violent, leading to breaches of the peace and disruption of normal business activities. “The National Police Service wishes to inform all members of the public that, in light of past experience during the Saba Saba commemoration,…
Former President Uhuru Kenyatta on Monday hosted Susan Burns at his Ichaweri home in Gatundu, Kiambu, in a courtesy visit that comes amid heightened political activity in Kenya. The meeting adds to a series of engagements Burns has held with key political leaders since assuming office as the United States Chargé d’Affaires to Kenya. The purpose for the meeting was not immediately known. “Former President Uhuru Kenyatta today hosted U.S. Chargé d’Affaires Susan Burns, who paid him a courtesy call at his Ichaweri home in Gatundu,” a statement from Uhuru’s official account said. The statement accompanied pictures of the two…
Mombasa based social media influencer Halima Ngachia, popularly known as “Princess Halima,” appeared before the magistrate’s court on Monday morning, where investigators sought more time to examine electronic gadgets seized from her. After considering the submissions, the court ordered that the miscellaneous application be closed. Halima is accused of operating an X account that allegedly published information about President William Ruto’s flight movements. She was arrested on June 30, 2026 in Bamburi, Mombasa County, as police linked her to an X account alleged to have shared information concerning the movements of protected persons. On Monday, the investigating officers told the…
Buckingham Palace says Prince Harry will not be staying at the palace during his visit to London this week, despite his team announcing this morning that he had accepted an invitation to do so. Royal sources said the duke had not responded in time to the offer of accommodation at a royal residence and that Prince Harry was informed on Saturday evening that he would not be able to stay at Buckingham Palace. It’s a chaotic start to a week in which the Duke of Sussex will support his charities in the UK. A spokesperson for Prince Harry said despite…
At least 25 people have been killed – four of them guards – and more than 100 injured in prison riots in western Sri Lanka. The two days of violence at Negombo Prison, in a coastal town north of Colombo, began with clashes between two groups of inmates. Prisoners are alleged to have grabbed prison guns on Sunday. Two people were killed that day, with dozens injured. Later, groups of male prisoners, and women from an adjoining unit, climbed on to prison rooftops demanding to be released. Fresh violence erupted on Monday when inmates tried to rush the prison gates.…
In a move that marks the most significant political shift in Gaza in nearly two decades, Hamas announced today the dissolution of its de facto government, clearing the way for a U.S.-backed technocratic committee to assume civilian administration of the Palestinian territory. The announcement, made at a press conference in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza, comes as the second phase of the October 2025 ceasefire—which was supposed to include Hamas’s disarmament and a gradual Israeli withdrawal—remains stalled. Hamas confirmed it had dissolved the “Government Emergency Committee,” the administrative body that has overseen governance in Gaza since the group seized control from…
UK fighter jets intercepted a Russian maritime patrol aircraft after it “repeatedly approached” a carrier strike group in the Norwegian Sea, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) said. The Russian Bear-F plane passed at low altitude and “unnecessarily close” to the HMS Prince of Wales aircraft carrier and is believed to have dropped 10 sonobuoys into the water on Thursday, the MoD added. The MoD said Moscow’s activity in the Norwegian Sea was “unsafe and unprofessional”. It comes weeks after Royal Marines boarded a Russian shadow fleet oil tanker in the English Channel, while the head of the military has warned…
ITV is selling its media and entertainment divisions to Sky in a £1.6bn deal that the companies say will create a strong rival to global streaming giants. The sale includes ITV’s broadcast channels and its ITVX streaming service, with Sky’s chief executive Dana Strong calling it “a defining moment for British media”. It is one of the biggest takeovers in British media history, with American-owned Comcast – which owns Sky – having started takeover talks in November last year. ITV’s studio arm, which makes popular programmes such as Love Island and I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here, is…
Uefa has strongly criticised Fifa’s shock decision not to uphold Folarin Balogun’s automatic ban at this World Cup, calling it “unprecedented, incomprehensible and unjustifiable”. United States striker Balogun, who was sent off against Bosnia-Herzegovina, should have served a suspension for the last-16 tie against Belgium (Tuesday 01:00 BST). But Fifa opted not to enforce an immediate sanction on the 25-year-old, meaning the co-hosts’ leading goalscorer will be available to play. Uefa said that intervening to effectively cancel a suspension at a tournament “crossed a red line”. Of the 188 other red cards at the World Cup, only one other player…