Investigative journalist Roger Cook, the reporter credited with having invented the doorstep interview technique, has died peacefully after a short illness, his family has confirmed. “Alongside a distinguished and award winning career in journalism, Roger was first and foremost a beloved husband and father,” their statement read. “He will be deeply missed by all of us, and we ask for privacy as we navigate this difficult loss.” ITV, which broadcast The Cook Report in the 1980s and 1990s, led the tributes, praising Cook’s “groundbreaking approach to investigative journalism” which, it said, “made him one of broadcasting’s most trusted and respected…
Author: Oki Bin Oki
Abdullah Ibrahim, who helped define a genre of South African jazz music, has died at the age of 91, his family has said. He “passed away peacefully, surrounded by his family in Germany, after a short illness”, according to a statement released on behalf of the family. His “creations honoured the South Africa that shaped his political commitment and musical brilliance”, President Cyril Ramaphosa said in his tribute. Ibrahim, born Adolph Johannes Brand in 1934, grew up in Cape Town and began composing at the piano at the age of seven by picking out tunes on the keyboard. He would…
Bosses at the artificial intelligence (AI) firm Anthropic are set to meet senior White House officials amid fresh national security concerns over the company’s latest release. The meeting is set to take place on Monday in Washington DC between executives at Anthropic and the US Department of Commerce, a government department led by Secretary Howard Lutnick, according to two people familiar with the matter. It comes after Anthropic blocked all public access to the recent release of its latest AI tool on Friday, which it has previously said is “too powerful”. The firm made the decision after the US government…
Media giant Fox is buying streaming firm Roku in a deal the companies say will create the third largest player in US TV by share of viewing. Fox’s move is being seen as a bet that combining streaming with its news and sport offering will leave it in a strong position as TV audiences move online. The offer of $160 per share, made up of cash and stock, values Roku at $22bn (£16bn). “This is a defining moment for Fox, and a natural extension of the deliberate and focused strategy we have been executing for nearly a decade,” said Fox…
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has called on authorities in Pakistan to investigate the fatal shooting of an Australian girl while on holiday with her family. Nine-year-old Hania Ahmed and her family were taken hostage at gunpoint by armed robbers inside their rental car in the northern city of Chakwal in Punjab province on 10 June. The suspects fired at a police officer, leading to a shootout, Punjab police said. A police officer, thinking that the suspects were fleeing on the family’s vehicle, “mistakenly” fired his gun, resulting in the nine-year-old’s death and wounding her father and older brother, police…
South African TV presenter and rapper Molemo Maarohanye, also known as Jub Jub, has been arrested for allegedly kidnapping a taxi driver and shooting a gun in his direction. Maarohanye is said to have confronted the driver in Edenvale, a town roughly 25 km (16m) from Johannesburg, accusing him of forming a relationship with his girlfriend. According to the police, Maarohanye allegedly forced the unnamed man into his vehicle on Sunday and fired his gun towards him. The man escaped unharmed and immediately drove to a nearby police station, the police statement says. Maarohanye has not yet commented. The alleged…
The government’s proscription of Palestine Action as a terror organisation is lawful, the Court of Appeal has ruled. In one of the most significant rulings on national security in recent years, five of the most senior judges in the country overturned an earlier decision from the High Court that the ban had breached the right to protest and had been incorrectly taken by ministers. Palestine Action has remained banned since that ruling in February to allow for further legal arguments and give the government time to consider an appeal. But at a hearing on Monday, five Court of Appeal judges…
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Monday announced a forthcoming total ban on social media for children under 16, saying that such platforms are “making children unhappy”. Starmer said that the government “will ban access to social media for all children under the age of 16”, warning that these platforms are “exposing them to content that is dangerous” and “designed to be addictive”. The government said the ban will “include platforms like Snapchat, TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook and X” but not messaging services such as WhatsApp. He added he hoped to pass the regulation by late December and for the…
South Africa has repatriated 2,745 foreigners in the week after President Cyril Ramaphosa vowed tougher action against illegal immigration, the country’s home affairs minister said on Sunday. One of Africa’s largest economies, South Africa has long attracted migrant workers from across the continent, both legally and illegally. But saddled with an unemployment rate above 30 percent, it has experienced recurring spurts of anti-immigrant unrest, including fresh violence in recent weeks. Mobs of South Africans carrying sticks, whips and shields have marched through parts of the country ordering foreigners with no residency papers to leave by June 30. Growing security fears…
Somaliland’s President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi met his Israeli counterpart on Sunday in Jerusalem in his first-ever state visit, which comes months after Israel officially recognised the breakaway African state. In December, Israel became the first country to recognise the independence of Somaliland since it declared its autonomy from Somalia in 1991 following a civil war. “The visit carries special significance,” said Abdullahi, according to a statement issued by the office of Israeli President Isaac Herzog. “It is the first state visit by a president of the Republic of Somaliland to another country, and we are deeply appreciative that the State…
Protesters in Geneva threw stones and firecrackers at the police, who responded with tear gas and water cannons during a demonstration Sunday against the G7 summit in nearby Evian. Thousands had turned out in the Swiss city, to protest against the gathering of top world leaders, which starts across Lake Geneva in France on Monday. As the clashes raged Sunday evening between some groups of protesters and police in several parts of Geneva, French President Emmanuel Macron, this year’s summit host, arrived in Evian. He will welcome the leaders of the other Group of Seven countries — Britain, Canada, Germany,…
The UK and Japan have agreed a multi-billion pound investment deal which UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said will build a “new era of co-operation” between the two nations. Japanese firms will spend more than £9bn on UK infrastructure and financial services and up to £9bn on UK offshore wind, creating tens of thousands of jobs, Downing Street said as the PM met his Japanese counterpart Sanae Takaichi in London. The deal comes as the UK’s economy struggles to grow, with experts predicting the US-Israel war with Iran will hit the UK particularly hard. It is not clear how…
Prime Cabinet Secretary and Cabinet Secretary for Foreign and Diaspora Affairs Musalia Mudavadi, has expressed confidence that the President William Ruto will secure a petition-free victory in the 2027 general election. Speaking during a church service and dedication ceremony at C.C.I Church in Olokarere, Narok East, and later at a fundraiser to aid 184 churches in Angata Barrikoi in Kilgoris, Narok County, Mudavadi urged the communities living in the larger Rift Valley region to overwhelmingly support President Ruto’s re-election bid 2027 to ensure a decisive and petition-free outcome. “We are sure of TUTAM for President Ruto and now we are…
Instagram Stories are built around short lived attention, but every view still leaves a visible signal inside Instagram. When someone watches through a normal Instagram account, the story owner can open the viewer list and see which accounts viewed it. That record can feel too direct when the goal is to check public content without starting a conversation. Anonymous Instagram Story viewing in 2026 is about reducing that visible signal while staying inside the limits of public content. How Anonymous Instagram Story Viewing Works in 2026 The normal Instagram flow is easy to understand: a person watches a story, then…
A teenager was shot and buses destroyed during chaotic scenes in New York City that marred jubilant celebrations for the Knicks’ historic NBA championship win. The New York Knicks beat the San Antonio Spurs 94–90 in game five on Saturday to clinch the title for the first time in more than half a century. The game was in Texas, but New Yorkers took to their hometown streets in droves to toast the milestone for fans and the city. As crowds swelled into the early hours, gunfire rang out near Times Square, a 17-year-old was wounded and school buses that had…