On September 16, 2026, the Kosovo Specialist Chambers in The Hague convicted former Kosovo President Hashim Thaci of four counts of war crimes and sentenced him to 25 years in prison. The ruling marks the conclusion of a three-year trial stemming from the 1998–1999 Kosovo conflict. The Kosovo Specialist Chambers, a European Union-backed tribunal based in The Hague, delivered the first-instance verdict on Wednesday, September 16, 2026. Presiding Judge Charles Smith read out the sentence as Thaci, 58, stood in silence wearing a suit and tie. Thaci was convicted of four war crimes: murder, torture, cruel treatment, and arbitrary detention.…
Author: Oki Bin Oki
The government has moved to challenge a High Court ruling that declared null and void the sale of its 15 per cent shareholding in Safaricom PLC. Attorney General Dorcas Oduor has formally filed a Notice of Appeal, signalling the government’s intention to contest the decision delivered by a three-judge bench on September 15, 2026. The notice names the Attorney General as the fifth respondent and states that the office intends to appeal against part of the decision by Justice R. E. Aburili, Justice Francis Gikonyo and Justice Tabitha Wanyama. The legal dispute, pitting civil society groups and opposition actors against…
Olu Jacobs, one of Nigeria’s best known actors, whose career spanned several decades across theatre, television and film, has died at the age of 84. His wife, veteran actress Joke Silva, announced his death and asked for privacy while the family mourns. Silva announced his passing in a statement describing the celebrated actor as “The Lion of Lufodo” and saying his life was “well lived and fought”. Some of his notable films include My Kingdom, Covert Operation and One Fine Day. He was regarded as one of the father figures of Nollywood, as Nigeria’s film industry in known, commanding widespread…
Deputy President Kithure Kindiki has assured development partners and the international community that the country will hold free and fair elections in 2027, reiterating its commitment to constitutional requirements and existing laws. Prof. Kindiki said Kenya is a democratic country with a long history of holding elections as scheduled in the Constitution noting that the tradition will continue with the next polls. “We want to assure our partners that the Government of Kenya under President Ruto believes in democracy, rule of law and all the other things that underpin our constitutional order. We want to assure the world that Kenya…
Living in Nairobi is an extreme sport. Between the matatus on Mombasa Road and an economy that has you counting every shilling, the average Nairobian spends the week on edge. You get to Friday and all you want is the reset button. The usual routine gets repetitive fast: a cold one at the local, the same nyama choma run in Kamakis, or another hour in traffic on the way to a club. What you actually want is silence. Wide open space, and maybe a lion roaring somewhere instead of a Subaru boy revving at 3 AM. We’re sitting on a…
Saudi Arabia intercepted and destroyed a Houthi drone south of the Islamic holy city of Mecca on Tuesday evening, according to the spokesman of the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen. Turki al-Maliki said the targeting of Mecca, which is the home of Islam’s most sacred shrine and the focal point of the Hajj pilgrimage, was a “disgraceful act”. The 57-nation Organisation of Islamic Cooperation said attacks on Mecca and Medina province, where Islam’s second holiest shrine is located, constituted an “unacceptable and intolerable transgression”. But the Houthis, an Iran-backed armed group that controls much of western Yemen, denied targeting Mecca and…
Residents of an Oxfordshire village have voted to become independent from the UK in a symbolic referendum held in protest at plans to house more than 1,000 migrants at a former military base. Villagers in Piddington, near Bicester, voted on Tuesday over Home Office proposals to house up to 1,256 male asylum seekers at nearby MoD Bicester. The 350 residents were invited to cast their ballot in a small box outside the village hall, the community hub of Piddington. The referendum was organised by the local parish council and out of 312 votes cast, 285 voted to leave, there were…
At least 20 people have been killed, including five children, and dozens are missing after a war-damaged building collapsed in the Gaza Strip, according to local rescue teams. Video footage shows the search for bodies and survivors continuing in the rubble of the multi-storey building in the Tal al-Hawa area of Gaza City, its floors sandwiched together. Locals said 10 families had been living in the apartments despite warnings that they were unsafe. Members of the Hamas-run Civil Defence rescue service said they had initially been working with “empty hands” due to tight Israeli restrictions on equipment allowed into Gaza.…
The president of the European Commission has backed proposals for Canada to become the EU’s first “associate member”. Ursula von der Leyen told the European Parliament on Wednesday she wanted to work on “opening the door” for Canada, which would involve closer ties on various key sectors. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney last week spoke of seeking a “unique alliance” with the EU, coming as he faces tense relations with the US and Donald Trump. Without mentioning the US president by name, von der Leyen said offering Canada some sort of EU membership was “not a partnership against anyone else,…
South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa has vowed that “no stone will be left unturned” in finding those behind the killings of several women in and around the town of Kempton Park, north-east of Johannesburg, over the last two months. Another body was discovered on Tuesday morning and police say their investigation now includes the deaths of seven women most of whom have been found either partially or fully naked. “These incidents are causing fear and uncertainty in our communities, and especially among women,” the president said. Police say they are not linking the deaths to a serial killer at this…
France often presents itself through polish — symmetry, refinement, a confidence that rarely asks to be explained. Yet beneath that surface, the country is shaped by contrasts that don’t compete so much as converse. Paris and Bordeaux embody this relationship particularly well. One gathers ideas, people, and ambition into a dense cultural core. The other opens outward, allowing land, labour, and time to shape identity more slowly. Travelling between them reveals not a hierarchy, but a shift in emphasis. Elegance gives way to patience. Display softens into cultivation. And the idea of culture expands from what is seen to what…
President William Ruto has urged the Siaya County Governor to stop being used by former President Uhuru Kenyatta to oppose government programmes and instead serve the people of Siaya. He said the people of Siaya did not elect him as Governor to be former President Kenyatta’s puppet. He explained that if former President Kenyatta could not defeat him in the 2022 General Election, he cannot defeat him now that he is the sitting President. He added that former President Kenyatta had lowered his status to that of an opposition leader, who has enlisted leaders to oppose projects that he failed…
Prime Minister Mark Carney has pitched Canada as a “safe harbour” for some of the world’s largest investors to spend their money in an era of geopolitical and economic uncertainty. The country is “perfectly situated to build in the new global economic order”, he told more than 100 global investors and sovereign wealth fund representatives gathered in Toronto for a major investment summit. The group represent more than C$120tn ($86tn; £64tn) of assets. Carney’s ambition is that they will invest in sectors like defence, energy, mining, AI and infrastructure. Ottawa hopes they can be sold on more than 160 projects,…
The number of people aged 100 or more in Japan has exceeded 100,000 for the first time, according to the health ministry. Figures show Japan is now home to 107,677 centenarians, the highest number in the world, of which 88% are women. The oldest woman is Kishimoto Fuyo, a 114-year-old from Kyoto City and the oldest man is Kato Hikaru, a 112-year-old from Kumamoto. Health Minister Kenichiro Ueno said he was “delighted that so many people are living long, healthy and active lives”, citing progress in medicine and technology. But Kenichiri also warned of the challenge the country faces in…
The Cabinet Secretary for Youth Affairs, Creative Economy and Sports Salim Mvurya lauded the sustained effort, investment and collaboration between the Government of Kenya and Athletics Kenya that culminated in the country securing the hosting rights for the 2029 World Athletics Championships in Nairobi. Mvurya said the successful bid was not an isolated achievement, but the result of years of deliberate investment in athletics, sporting infrastructure, athlete development and Kenya’s capacity to host major international competitions. “This achievement did not happen by chance. It is the culmination of considerable effort, time and investment by the Government, Athletics Kenya and our…