The head of AI company Anthropic has called for the pace of development of artificial intelligence models to slow down and to be closely monitored. In an essay on Saturday, Dario Amodei said developing AI was not in question, but the risks associated with it were “serious” and companies and governments must be given time to address them. Amodei proposed a three-point plan that includes independent monitoring of AI models as they are developed, industry-wide regulation and global regulation. There have been growing concerns recently about the technology’s potential risks, the most serious of which suggested there is a greater…
Author: Oki Bin Oki
The Institution of Surveyors of Kenya (ISK) urged property owners, landlords and facility managers to clear drainage systems, inspect buildings and prepare emergency response plans ahead of the expected El Niño rains. ISK President Eric Nyadimo said early maintenance and contingency planning could help reduce property damage, protect occupants and maintain essential building services during periods of heavy rainfall. Property managers have been advised to clear silt, soil, plastic, leaves, waste and other debris from surface drains, stormwater channels and culverts to prevent blockages. They have also been urged to repair or replace damaged and missing manhole covers, inspect and…
The Principal Secretary in the State Department for Sports Elijah Mwangi says Kenya is more than ready to host the 2029 or 2031 World Athletics Championships. Should Kenya get the nod to welcome the rest of the world in Nairobi, it will be an indelible milestone of becoming the first African country to host the fabulous track and field competition. The World Athletics Council is expected to announce the host cities for 2029 and the 2031 World Athletics Championships on September 15, 2026. Rome, Munich and London are the other cities in competition with Nairobi in the submitted bids. “I…
The National Police Service condemned the violence that erupted during a public meeting presided over by Deputy President Kithure Kindiki in Nembure, Embu County, on Saturday. In a statement, police spokesman Muchiri Nyaga said a group of individuals attempted to storm the meeting, prompting officers to intervene and repel the alleged assailants. “Upon the group’s unlawful attempt to breach the meeting, officers acted decisively and repulsed the assailants,” Nyaga said. He confirmed that several suspects were arrested at the scene, while the Deputy President was safely evacuated and order restored. However, the incident left one person fatally injured, six vehicles…
The now-infamous warning to then-President Bill Clinton was tucked at the bottom of a presidential intelligence brief delivered on September 10, 1998: A group associated with al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden “may fly an explosive-packed airplane into a US city.” In the end, there were no explosives. Just four planes, two piloted into the World Trade Center in New York City, one into the Pentagon in Washington, DC, and one intended for the US Capitol that crash-landed in a field in Pennsylvania after passengers heroically fought back against the terrorists. The CIA on Friday declassified and released more than 100…
In Nashville, Tennessee, the Republican-dominated state government and Democrat-controlled city government are engaged in an ugly battle for control of the city’s airport. But there’s one thing the two sides can agree on: Nashville International Airport should be renamed to honor Tennessee’s favorite daughter, Dolly Parton. The change would make Parton the first woman whose name adorns one of America’s 50 busiest airports. Lydia Popovich, a Parton superfan who started a petition for the name change in 2025, said on Friday that Parton had gracefully batted down the idea of naming the airport after her, as she did with many…
Grammy-winning rapper Lil Durk was acquitted on Friday of all charges in a federal murder-for-hire case accusing him of orchestrating the revenge killing of a man shot dead in a daytime ambush in Los Angeles four years ago. The Chicago rapper was arrested in 2024 and accused of involvement in a shooting that killed the cousin of rival rapper Quando Rondo. Defence lawyer Drew Findling said the recording artist, whose real name is Durk Devontay Banks, was “thankful” following the verdict. Lil Durk has had seven albums in the US Billboard chart’s top five since 2019 and has also collaborated…
A surrogate who denied requests from the parents who hired her to have an abortion has asked the US Supreme Court to intervene in the dispute over who should have custody of the baby. McKenna West filed an emergency appeal asking the court to halt a previous ruling granting parental rights to California couple Omar Ahmed and Nausheen Gilkar. Ahmed and Gilkar had asked West to abort the pregnancy after a scan at 20 weeks showed the foetus had a severe heart defect. Instead, West – who has been supported by several Republican officials – travelled to Texas where nearly…
The Political Parties Disputes Tribunal overturned Moitalel Ole Kenta’s appointment as Jubilee Party Secretary General, holding that he was not eligible to occupy the position when he was appointed. In a ruling delivered by a panel led by Innocent Muganda, the tribunal said Kenta was not a registered member of Jubilee Party at the time of his nomination and appointment, contrary to the party’s constitutional requirements. The tribunal declared the entire process leading to his appointment and subsequent recognition by the Registrar of Political Parties invalid. “It is declared that the nomination, appointment and recognition of the sixth respondent, Hon.…
President William Ruto will win with more than 10 million votes against his competitors, Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi has predicted. Mudavadi said the votes garnered by President Ruto and his closest competitor, Raila Odinga, collectively in the 2022 election are an indicator of the scenario that will play out in 2027. He said his prediction is based on the UDA and ODM arrangement under the broad-based coalition. “In 2022, Ruto and Raila commanded a combined 14 million-plus vote basket. Assuming the opponents take even four million votes, Ruto will still command a 10 million-plus lead under the broad-based coalition,”…
In a victory for President Donald Trump, the Justice Department announced Friday that it secured a first-of-its-kind deportation through the Alien Terrorist Removal Court, a secretive tribunal that had never been used before the administration activated it this summer. Nazira Haji Zada — an Afghan woman who was accused by the department of assisting her son and son-in-law in planning a foiled 2024 terror plot — was deported to her home country after conceding that she was an alien terrorist, according to newly unsealed court filings and the announcement by Justice Department. Her lawyers and the Trump administration agreed to…
Princess Astrid of Norway, the sister of the late King Harald V, has died at the age of 94, two days after attending his funeral, the country’s royal palace has announced. The new king, Haakon VIII, said that “throughout her long life, Princess Astrid represented the Royal House in a warm and dutiful manner”. Harald died last month, aged 89, after more than 35 years as king. His funeral was Astrid’s last public engagement. The princess will be buried at state expense and flags will be flown at half-mast across Norway, Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre said. Astrid was the…
EU chief Ursula von der Leyen said Thursday she will reveal next week how the European Union plans to shield children from social media dangers with a “delay” on when they can access the platforms. “We do not have to accept addictive social media design,” von der Leyen said in a video posted on X to tease the plans, to be spelled out in her annual keynote speech to the EU parliament on Wednesday. “We do not have to accept children being drawn into ever more extreme content,” said the European Commission president. “We do not have to accept that…
National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang’ula has defended President William Ruto’s call for foreign nationals living and doing business in Kenya to regularise their status saying the directive is intended to enforce existing laws and protect opportunities for local entrepreneurs. According to Wetang’ula, Kenya remains open to investors and other foreign nationals but insisted that those operating businesses in the country must have the necessary documentation, licences and permits. Speaking during a bodaboda empowerment drive in Endebess Constituency, Trans Nzoia County, Hon. Wetang’ula said the President’s remarks should not be interpreted as a move to shut Kenya’s doors to other Africans.…
Deputy President Kithure Kindiki announced a Sh39 billion road construction programme in Meru County as the Government moves to open up rural areas and cut transport costs, while farmers stand to benefit from newly reduced prices of fertiliser and certified maize seed. Prof Kindiki said several roads that residents had pursued for years were now under construction or at various stages of implementation, including the Kionyo-Kanyakine-Muti O’Kiama-Ketha Kanaro-Mitunguu road. Speaking at Kanyakine in Imenti South, Prof Kindiki said the Government had provided resources for the road and expressed confidence that the contractor would complete the project. “We have sought this…