The US has declared a stark policy shift towards three West African countries which are battling Islamist insurgents and whose military governments have broken defence ties with France and turned towards Russia. The state department announced that Nick Checker, head of its Bureau of African Affairs, would visit Mali’s capital Bamako to convey the United States’ “respect for Mali’s sovereignty” and chart a “new course” in relations, moving “past policy missteps”. It adds that the US also looks forward to co-operating with Mali’s allies, neighbouring Burkina Faso and Niger, “on shared security and economic interests”. Absent from the agenda is…
Author: Oki Bin Oki
The government l rolled out a nationwide mobile identity registration programme aimed at ending historical marginalisation and easing access to citizenship documents, Interior and National Administration Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen has said. Speaking on Monday during the launch of the Usajili Mashinani Mobile ID Registration and Sensitisation Drive in Kapenguria, West Pokot County, Murkomen said the initiative is designed to eliminate barriers that have long locked out vulnerable communities from accessing national identification documents and government services. “We are committed to ending historical marginalisation, inequality and exclusion from citizenship rights and government services,” Murkomen said. “That is why we are…
The mother of US news anchor Savannah Guthrie has gone missing, officials in Arizona said on Sunday. Nancy Guthrie, the 84-year-old mother of the NBC News host, was last seen outside Tucson, Arizona, according to missing persons flyers. Her family reported her missing on Sunday afternoon, Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos said, noting that parts of the scene at Nancy Guthrie’s home caused “grave concern”. “We can confirm this is a missing persons case, and the family is working closely with local law enforcement,” the Guthrie family said in a statement to NBC News. “This one stood out because of…
The Justice Department’s latest releaseof the Epstein files offers fresh insights into how former President Bill Clinton’s staff communicated with Jeffrey Epstein and his longtime associate Ghislaine Maxwell, including sometimes-lewd email exchanges. The document dump comes just days before an expected House contempt vote against the Clintons after they rebuffeda subpoena to testify in a bipartisan probe into Epstein. The Republican-led House is expected to vote this week to hold both Bill and Hillary Clinton in contempt of Congress for failing to testify. House Oversight Republicans and even some Democrats voted in committee last month to hold the former president…
Demond Wilson, who found fame in the 1970s playing Lamont on “Sanford and Son” and went on to become a minister, has died. He was 79. Mark Goldman, a publicist for Wilson, confirmed to The Associated Press that he died following complications from cancer on Friday. “A devoted father, actor, author, and minister, Demond lived a life rooted in faith, service, and compassion. Through his work on screen, his writing, and his ministry, he sought to uplift others and leave a meaningful impact on the communities he served,” Goldman said in an emailed statement. Wilson was best known as the…
Dominic Solanke produced a stunning piece of improvisation as Tottenham came from two goals down to earn a point and deliver a serious setback to Manchester City’s Premier League title hopes. City were in total control at half-time as goals from Rayan Cherki and Antoine Semenyo emphasised their domination, with Thomas Frank’s team enduring another hostile reaction from their own fans. Solanke gave Spurs hope by pulling one back before he showed superb presence of mind to divert Conor Gallagher’s cross, which was behind him, over City keeper Gianluigi Donnarumma. It capped a comeback which seemed unthinkable at half-time, with…
Kylian Mbappe stayed calm to roll home a 100th-minute penalty and claim Real Madrid a 2-1 win for Real Madrid over nine-man Rayo Vallecano on Sunday in a spicy La Liga derby clash. Los Blancos cut Barcelona’s lead back to one point at the top of the table after the Spanish champions beat Elche on Saturday. Vinicius Junior scored early on for Madrid after Jude Bellingham limped off with an apparent hamstring injury. Jorge de Frutos pulled Rayo level early in the second half as Madrid fans showed their anger at their team. After Pathe Ciss’s red card tilted the…
Democrat Taylor Rehmet flipped a reliably Republican state Senate district in Texas in Saturday’s special election, continuing a string of surprise victories for Democrats across the U.S. in the year since President Donald Trump returned to the White House. Republican Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick called it “a wake-up call for Republicans across Texas,” where the GOP controls every statewide office. “Our voters cannot take anything for granted,” Patrick wrote on the social platform X, while noting low-turnout special elections are always unpredictable. “I know the energy and strength the Republican grassroots in Texas possess. We will come out fighting with…
Jeffrey Epstein made $75,000 (£55,000) of payments to accounts connected to Lord Mandelson, bank statements released by the US Department of Justice suggest. Between 2003 and 2004, Epstein appears to have sent three separate $25,000 payments referencing Lord Mandelson. The payments appear as part of millions of documents released on Friday relating to late sex offender Epstein, the largest number shared by the US government since a law mandated their release last year. Lord Mandelson said he had no record or recollection of receiving the sums and did not know whether the documents were authentic. He reiterated his regret for…
French technology giant Capgemini has announced it will sell its US subsidiary after its work locating people for immigration enforcement agency ICE sparked outrage. Capgemini has come under pressure from French lawmakers over a contract its subsidiary signed with ICE, amid international scrutiny over the methods used by the agency’s agents in Minnesota. The fatal shooting of US citizens Renee Nicole Good and Alex Pretti by ICE agents in Minneapolis have sparked protests across the US and led to increased scrutiny of the agency. Capgemini Government Solutions has been under contract since 18 December to provide “skip tracing services for…
There has been an outpouring of grief in Nigeria following the death of an aspiring singer who died on Saturday after being bitten by a snake in the capital, Abuja. Ifunanya Nwangene, 26, rose to prominence after appearing on The Voice Nigeria, the local version of the international TV singing competition, in 2021. She was known for her versatility, blending jazz, opera, classical music and soul. Videos shared on social media show a snake handler removing a snake from her apartment, as people nearby can be heard screaming: “It is a cobra!” A close friend, Sam Ezugwu, the co-founder and…
The chairman of the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games has said he “deeply regrets” decades-old flirty emails with Ghislaine Maxwell – the jailed associate of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Casey Wasserman’s messages to Maxwell, sent in 2003, were among millions of files published by the US Department of Justice (DOJ) on Friday. In one exchange, Wasserman wrote to Maxwell: “I think of you all the time… So what do I have to do to see you in a tight leather outfit?” Maxwell is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence for recruiting and trafficking teenage girls to be sexually abused…
The director of the new documentary on US First Lady Melania Trump has appeared embracing a young woman in images released by the US Department of Justice on Friday. Brett Ratner, who also directed the Rush Hour films and X-Men: The Last Stand, can be seen sitting on a sofa beside the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and two women whose identities have been obscured. When the images were taken remains unclear, though they appear to have been taken in the same location as photos of Ratner and Epstein alongside the late French modelling agent Jean-Luc Brunel that were released…
A police recruit collapsed and died while undergoing training at the General Service Unit field in Magadi, Kajiado County. This was a routine training the group was undergoing when the victim died Police said the family of the recruit identified as Cheme Chombo Cheme had informed of the January 31, 2026 tragedy. Police said the victim was undertaking a recruit course at GSU Field Campus – Magadi when he developed sudden unconciousness and was rushed to Magadi hospital for treatment and later referred to Kenyatta National Hospital for further treatment. He was pronounced dead on arrival. The body is lying…
The national security adviser to Slovakia’s prime minister resigned after documents released by the US showed he exchanged messages about girls and diplomacy with the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Robert Fico announced he had accepted Miroslav Lajčák’s departure in a video message on Saturday, describing the adviser as “an incredible source of experience in diplomacy and foreign policy”. The resignation comes a day after three million files relating to the influential financier were released by the US Department of Justice. While the files do not show any wrongdoing on the part of those featured, including Lajčák, they have raised…