A 16-year-old gunman has shot two students dead and injured eight others at a Philippine high school, before killing himself. The two deceased victims were 14-year-old pupils at a school in Banga in the southern province of Mindanao, the local mayor told the BBC. Albert Palencia said four of the injured were in critical condition. The education department said in a statement it was “deeply concerned” by the reported incident which took place on Friday afternoon at Banga National High School. This is the third deadly school shooting in the Philippines since June this year. “Our immediate priority is the…
Author: Oki Bin Oki
Kiminini MP Didmus Wekesa Barasa Thursday hit back at allegations questioning his academic credentials. The legislator declared that he had attained a PhD and challenged his critics to undertake their own research rather than engage in what he termed political gossip. In a strongly worded response directed at an activist Stephen Mutoro and others who have been questioning his academic journey, Barasa announced that he was now “the new doctor in town”. “For the avoidance of doubt on academic etiquette, my name is never styled as ‘Dr. Didmus Barasa, PhD’,” he said, arguing that his title should be rendered either…
Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale has dismissed assertions by a coalition led by former Chief Justice David Maraga questioning the legal basis of Bomas of Kenya as the national tallying centre. Duale argued that the coalition’s interpretation of the Constitution amounted to “pure sophistry” and selectively relied on constitutional provisions while disregarding the Elections Act, which gives effect to the constitutional framework governing elections. In a statement, the CS cited Article 88(5) of the Constitution, which requires the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) to perform its functions in accordance with the Constitution and national legislation. He also referred to…
Former U.S. Sen. Jon Kyl, a longtime Republican lawmaker from Arizona who shaped landmark water policies in the U.S. West and guided the confirmation of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, has died. He was 84. Kyl died Wednesday night from a neurological disorder, said Gordon James, a communications professional who is a longtime friend of the Kyl family. Kyl had withdrawn from public life in December 2025 after announcing he had been diagnosed with dementia. Kyl spent almost three decades in Congress, serving in both chambers, and watched his party undergo a drastic transformation, with his career spanning Ronald Reagan’s…
The National Criminal Investigations Academy (NCIA) has received a newly constructed 16-classroom training block aimed at enhancing the capacity of the National Police Service (NPS) to deliver specialised and professional criminal investigations training. The facility was constructed with support from the United States Africa Command (AFRICOM), through its Counter Drug Element (AFCE), and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). The facility was officially handed over during a ceremony presided over by Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja Kirocho and attended by senior NPS officials, representatives of the United States Government and other strategic partners. Speaking during the ceremony, IG Kanja described…
Police in South Africa have confirmed the discovery of a ninth woman’s body in just two months, amid growing concern over a string of unexplained deaths east of Johannesburg. The latest victim was found half-naked and wrapped in a sheet on the side of a road in Dawn Park on Thursday morning, police said. Her identity has not yet been released. The discovery follows the deaths of eight other women whose bodies have been found since July across Ekurhuleni, a major urban area of Johannesburg. Several of the women were found partially clothed and with injuries, but police have stressed…
Today, the German Consulate General in St. Petersburg ceased operations after more than 50 years, with staff removing the German coat of arms and flags from the building on Furshtatskaya Street. The closure comes ahead of the September 18 deadline set by Moscow and marks another stark low point in German-Russian relations. The Russian government ordered the shutdown as a retaliatory measure. It follows Germany’s decision to close the Russian Consulate General in Bonn and the Russian House cultural centre in Berlin. The Russian Foreign Ministry announced on September 7 that the St. Petersburg consulate must close by September 18,…
As of the 2026 Henley Passport Index, the Kenyan passport ranks 68th globally, granting holders visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to 69 destinations . This is a five-place improvement from 73rd in 2025, though the number of accessible destinations fell by one from the previous year’s 70 . The ranking is based on data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA) and measures the number of destinations accessible without a prior visa . Within Africa, Kenya holds 10th place, behind Seychelles, Mauritius, South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, Lesotho, Eswatini, Morocco and Malawi . Seychelles leads the continent with visa-free access to 154…
Sweden’s Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson has resigned after his ruling right-wing bloc was narrowly defeated by the centre-left opposition in the country’s general election. He made the announcement in a post on X on Thursday afternoon, after preliminary votes from Sunday’s election showed about 50,000 votes separated the two blocs in the country of about 10 million people. Opposition parties led by Magdalena Andersson of the Social Democrats look set to win 176 seats in the 349-seat Riksdag, Sweden’s parliament. Kristersson, a conservative, had been supported in government by the anti-immigration hard-right Sweden Democrats (SD), and had promised them cabinet…
Deputy President Kithure Kindiki has vowed to ignore detractors keen to distract him from delivering development to the people of Kenya. The DP said he is fully focused on assisting President William Ruto to complete development projects and roll out more in every part of the country in a bid to improve the lives of all Kenyans. “Those we are competing with only know how to insult and come up with slogans. I am not going to engage them because it is not what Kenyans want. They want roads, modern markets, water and better hospitals and this is what we…
The United States and Kenya have launched new biosecurity and animal disease surveillance tools to strengthen the country’s ability to prevent, detect and respond to zoonotic disease threats. The initiatives, launched on Thursday through a partnership involving the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Government of Kenya, include the Biosafety and Biosecurity Guidelines for Live Bird Markets and the upgraded Kenya Animal Biosurveillance System (KABS 2.0). The United States provided technical and financial support for both initiatives, which are designed to improve early detection and reduce the risk of disease transmission between animals and people. The…
Fresh from securing his maiden victory of the season in the 2026 Kenya Amateur Golf Championship Series, Josphat Rono will be among the players to watch when the NCBA Diani Beach Masters tees off this Friday, September 18, at Diamond Leisure Beach & Golf Resort. The tournament runs from Friday, September 18 to Sunday, September 20, 2026, and is the latest stop on the Kenya Amateur Golf Championship (KAGC) calendar, coming on the trot after NCBA Malindi Open ‘Vasco Da Gama Cup’ last weekend, where Rono picked his win. Rono carded 7-over-par 217 to claim the Malindi title, finishing ahead…
Tributes are pouring in for a veteran South African sports broadcaster who was found dead on Wednesday hours after being abducted when his vehicle was hijacked in a township near Johannesburg. Owen Ndlovu, a former presenter with the country’s public broadcaster, the SABC, was seized on Tuesday while collecting his wife from a church in Katlehong, police said. His body, which witnesses said had gunshot wounds, was discovered by residents the following morning. Police have launched a manhunt for three suspects and are investigating the circumstances surrounding his killing, which has once again drawn attention to South Africa’s high levels…
Robert Kraft, the US stadium owner who had pro-Palestinian rapper Macklemore removed as Ed Sheeran’s opening act, says Sheeran asked him to match his own $2m (£1.5m) donation for “aid in the region”. It came after Macklemore said he would donate $1m (£750,000) to Palestinian organisations, challenging Kraft to match him. Kraft, who owns the New England Patriots, wrote on Wednesday: “Earlier today, before Macklemore challenged me to match his donation, Ed called me and asked me to commit $2 million to match his donation to aid in the region to fight this humanitarian crisis. “Ed now plans to reach…
The National Police Service (NPS) has commended Kenyans for maintaining peace and observing the law during a political rally held at Jacaranda Grounds in Embakasi, Nairobi, on Sunday, September 13, 2026. In a statement, NPS spokesperson Muchirinyaga said the Service had received positive feedback from members of the public following the rally, which was conducted peacefully. The spokesperson noted that the event was characterised by mutual respect and restraint among organisers, participants and security officers. “What was witnessed on Sunday is precisely what the National Police Service has consistently advocated: that we can exercise our constitutional freedoms peacefully and within…