Japan’s competition watchdog has raided some of the country’s biggest ice cream makers for allegedly forming a cartel to raise the price of their products. Some of the firms, including Meiji and Pocky maker Ezaki Glico, said this week that they have been subject to an “on-site inspection” by the Japan Fair Trade Commission (JFTC) over suspicions that they fixed the prices of frozen desserts. The JFTC said it is not releasing a statement regarding the investigation. The companies are suspected of inflating ice cream prices beyond increases in the cost of raw materials, even as the country faces a…
Author: Oki Bin Oki
Equatorial Guinea’s government has resigned after failing to meet its objectives, Vice-President Teodoro Nguema Obiang Mangue said. Obiang, who is also the son of President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, said the prime minister had presented the resignation of all members of the government because it had barely reached 10% of its targets. He did not specify the targets but a statement by the ruling party said the president had observed that the government fostered corruption and failed to diversify the economy. President Obiang is the world’s longest-serving leader who has ruled the oil-rich West African country since 1979 with a…
The mystery surrounding bodies recovered from a suspected mass grave in Mwingi, Kitui County, has deepened after postmortem examinations revealed that several of the victims were murdered. Government pathologist Johansen Oduor said autopsies conducted in Nairobi established that the remains belonged to eight victims, not seven as initially thought, after investigators determined that a severed head recovered separately belonged to one of the deceased. The examinations uncovered chilling evidence of violence. Two victims were strangled to death, three suffered severe head injuries, while another sustained fatal stab wounds to the abdomen. The cause of death for two others could not…
The Inspector-General of the National Police Service, Douglas Kanja, has ordered an immediate and intensified crackdown on criminal gangs across the country, warning senior police commanders against any form of operational negligence. Speaking during a high-level security summit at the National Police Leadership Academy, Kanja directed commanders to adopt efficient and adaptive policing strategies that maximize available resources to maintain law and order for all Kenyans, residents and visitors. The Inspector-General issued a stern warning over the resurgence of criminal gangs, declaring a zero-tolerance approach to laxity in police operations. He reaffirmed the National Police Service’s commitment to public safety,…
Elon Musk’s SpaceX has overtaken Amazon to become the world’s fifth most valuable company after a surge in its share price. Days after joining New York’s tech-focused Nasdaq stock exchange in the biggest public listing ever, its share price has risen by more than 50%. It leaves Musk’s rocket company worth about $2.78tn (£2.1tn), while Jeff Bezos’s sprawling online retail and media empire is currently worth about $2.66tn. The boom in SpaceX’s value came as it announced it was buying AI coding start-up Cursor for $60bn. SpaceX said it would take over Anysphere, Cursor’s parent company, which makes the artificial…
The coach of Iran’s World Cup team said it was ordered to leave the U.S. and return to its training base in Mexico only a few hours after opening its politically charged tournament by playing to a 2-2 draw with New Zealand on Monday night. Coach Amir Ghalenoei didn’t say who ordered the Iranians to leave earlier than planned. The team had expected to spend the night in California to maximize the normal recovery process after its opening game, only to be told after the match that everyone must immediately get on a plane for the 140-mile trip back to…
SpaceX has agreed to buy AI coding start-up Cursor for $60bn (£45bn) just days after its bumper initial public offering (IPO). Elon Musk’s rocket company will take over Anysphere, which makes the artificial intelligence coding agent. The move comes after SpaceX joined New York’s tech-focused Nasdaq stock exchange on Friday in the biggest ever listing, valuing it at more than $2tn and raising $85.7bn. A surge in SpaceX’s share price on Monday and Tuesday saw the company overtake Amazon to become the world’s fifth most valuable company. SpaceX and Cursor have been partners since April, when Musk’s firm announced it…
The Hungarian parliament has backed a change to the constitution that limits a prime minister’s term in office to eight years, fulfilling a promise by Péter Magyar to prevent Viktor Orbán becoming prime minister again. Orbán led Hungary uninterrupted for16 years, until Magyar’s Tisza party swept him from power in April’s election, winning a two-thirds majority that gives it the power to amend the constitution. Under the change, no prime minister since 1990 can serve more than two terms in office, even if they are years apart. Orbán’s depleted Fidesz party voted against the measure and the former prime minister,…
The FBI thwarted a plot targeting a UFC event that took place on Sunday on the South Lawn of the White House, the agency’s head Kash Patel has said. Multiple suspects were in custody following a “multi-state operation”, Patel said in a social media post on Tuesday morning. “Allegedly planned attacks were stopped cold,” he added. Two sources told the BBC’s US news partner CBS News that the planned attack would have partly involved using explosive-laden drone aircraft to strike nearby buildings. A suspect was taken into custody in Cincinnati last week, CBS also reported, and investigators obtained access to…
The breakaway state of Somaliland has opened an embassy in Jerusalem, six months after Israel became the first country to recognise it as an independent nation. The opening of the diplomatic mission at a technology park in West Jerusalem came while Somaliland’s President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi was on an official visit to Israel. During a meeting with the president, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke of “a deep spiritual bond between our peoples”. But Somalia, which considers Somaliland to be part of its territory, described any engagement with “the secessionist administration of the northern region of Somalia… [as] a violation of…
A Milimani Chief Magistrate’s Court has freed a Nairobi businessman on bail after he denied charges of forgery and uttering false documents linked to the alleged fraudulent acquisition of a Sh35 million parcel of land in the upscale Runda estate. Mohamed Abdi Mohamed appeared before trial Magistrate Daisy Mutai and pleaded not guilty to five counts, including forgery, making false documents, and uttering false documents. The prosecution alleged that Mohamed, jointly with other persons not before the court, forged a certificate of grant for land parcel LR No. 12672/173 IR 89485 measuring approximately 0.2412 hectares with the intention of defrauding…
The Phoenix magazine, seen by some as Ireland’s version of Private Eye, is to cease operations after 43 years. Irish broadcaster RTÉ reports the magazine’s publisher, Penfield, is believed to be entering voluntary liquidation. The last edition of the magazine was published on 5 June. The magazine is no longer taking new subscriptions, with a message on the phoenix.ie website saying it is “unable to offer” online or print subscriptions “at this time”. Edited by Paddy Prendiville, the magazine had been published every two weeks. It was founded in 1983 by the late journalist and publisher John Mulcahy and peaked…
Nigeria’s military says it has rescued the widow of a retired general who himself had died at the weekend while being held by kidnappers. Maj Gen Rabe Abubakar and his wife Amina were abducted in the north-western state of Katsina at the end of last month. The military said the kidnappers shot Mrs Abubakar during the rescue operation before fleeing as troops advanced. She is now being treated in a military hospital, a statement added. One of the couple’s daughters, Bilkisu, confirmed the rescue on WhatsApp, posting: “We are deeply grateful to Allah for His mercy and protection. Our mummy…
Deputy President Kithure Kindiki Monday welcomed the speedy expansion works of the Rironi-Mau Summit highway, saying travellers will soon enjoy their journeys on the stretch. The DP said construction works to make the road a multi-carriageway are being accelerated, stating that the frustrating traffic snarl-ups and deadly road crashes will soon be a thing of the past on the key highway to the Western parts of the country. The Second in Command inspected the ongoing works at several locations on Monday evening expressing satisfaction with the efforts by the contractors. “Soon this expansive carriage way will sort out the frustrating…
India temporarily blocked the Telegram app over concerns it may be used for cheating, days before a crucial medical entrance exam is set to be reheld. Millions of students will retake the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test – Undergraduate (NEET-UG) on 21 June after the exam held in May was cancelled over allegations of a paper leak. The National Testing Agency (NTA), which conducts the exam, welcomed the move, saying that it was taken in response to the “organised use of the platform [Telegram] by cheating rackets to defraud candidates”. But internet users and rights activists have criticised the move,…