Panama Canal’s operator is to cut the number of vessels passing through the key waterway due to low rainfall caused by El Niño. The Panama Canal Authority (ACP) told shipping firms on Thursday that 32 vessels a day will be able to pass through it from 15 September, compared to 36 currently. El Niño, a pattern of periodical sea surface warming, affects weather systems globally. This year is expected to be particularly strong, with its effects made more intense by climate change. The shipping industry is already dealing with severe disruptions due to the Iran war causing a large reduction…
Author: Oki Bin Oki
Two Hong Kong activists who organised annual vigils to commemorate the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown have been found guilty of inciting others to subvert state power under the city’s controversial national security law. Lee Cheuk-yan, 69, and Chow Hang-tung, 41, face a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison after being convicted under the China-introduced law. Sentencing is expected at a later date. A third defendant, Albert Ho, 74, pleaded guilty in January. Lee and Chow “incited other persons to organise, plan, commit or participate in acts by unlawful means with a view to subverting the state power”, according to…
The Duchess of Sussex could make a return to acting after she moves back to the UK, according to reports. Sources close to the Sussexes have not denied reports that Meghan has been offered an acting role in the country. Australian outlet news.com.au first reported that one of the reasons behind Harry and Meghan’s decision to return to Britain was that the duchess had been offered a job in an upcoming project. No details of any role or project have been confirmed. The Sussexes are expected to arrive back in Britain before the end of August, with their children enrolled…
British rapper Yung Filly will face a retrial on three rape charges in Australia, after a jury cleared him of several sexual assault offences but could not reach a decision on others. The YouTuber, whose real name is Andres Felipe Valencia Barrientos, was charged with repeatedly raping and assaulting a fan after performing at a nightclub in Perth in 2024. He denied all 10 charges, and last month a jury found him not guilty on three counts of rape. He was also acquitted of one assault charge and another of strangulation, but was found guilty of two counts of assault,…
A complete lumber yard brings order to a job before the first board is cut. Builders need correct materials, reliable timing, and guidance from people who understand how structures go together. Homeowners need plain explanations and dependable choices. From framing lumber to doors, windows, decking, panels, trim, and hardware, a well-run yard helps each project move with fewer surprises and better control. Local Supply Matters For building activity across northeastern Oklahoma, a lumber yard near Tulsa supports material planning tied to regional codes, weather exposure, delivery distance, and common construction practices. Local supply knowledge helps crews prepare for heat, wind,…
A 2025 paper in Science pooled 5 nationally representative surveys covering close to 590,000 American workers. People in remote-capable jobs were more isolated during the workday and went out less in the evening as well, with the effect sharpest among those living alone. The second half of that finding is the one nobody had measured properly. Losing the commute freed up an evening on paper and removed one in practice. Remote Work at Its Current Scale Stanford’s WFH Research puts about 27% of paid full-time workdays in the United States at home, verified against survey data, building access records, and…
Cameroon’s President Paul Biya returned home on Thursday after his longest recorded stay abroad since taking power more than four decades ago, ending months of speculation about his health and whereabouts. The 93-year-old leader arrived at Yaounde’s Nsimalen International Airport aboard a chartered flight from Geneva, Switzerland, after more than 10 weeks away. The Reuters Daily Briefing newsletter provides all the news you need to start your day. Sign up here. Biya, the world’s oldest head of state, left Cameroon on June 7 for what the civil cabinet described as “a brief private stay in Europe”. The president, accompanied by…
Israel’s plans to open up tenders for the construction of some 1,200 settlement homes in a strategically important part of the occupied West Bank have sparked fresh condemnation by major Western powers. In a joint statement, the UK, France, Germany, Italy and Canada called the decision “unacceptable” and urged Israel to “retract the plans immediately”. All settlements are illegal under international law and, under international pressure, Israel held off for decades on plans to build in E1 to the east of Jerusalem. Many of its allies and Palestinians argued this development would deal a major blow to hopes of a…
The FBI stopped former US Congressman Eric Swalwell in an airport and seized his electronic devices while also raiding his home in Washington DC this weekend, as part of a federal investigation into sexual misconduct allegations against him. After the allegations surfaced earlier this year, Swalwell dropped out of the California governor’s race – where he was in the lead – and gave up his seat in the House of Representatives. He is also under criminal investigation by the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office and Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department for accusations of rape and sexual assault. Swalwell has in the past…
An academic who accused the late Cambridge professor Jason Arday of plagiarism has been suspended from his post at a Belgian university. Nathan Cofnas, a self-defined “race realist”, was among those to question Arday’s work and achievements – prompting a weeks-long plagiarism row prior to his death on 14 August. Cofnas said he was under investigation by Ghent University “for discriminating against Arday”. The university said a staff member had been notified of a “preliminary disciplinary investigation” and suspended as a precaution. In a statement regarding Arday’s death, its rector Petra De Sutter and vice-rector Herwig Reynaert said they took…
A security operation in Kisumu led to the arrest of two suspected criminal gang members, and the recovery of items believed to be linked to criminal activities. The operation, mounted by detectives from the DCI Operations Support Unit (OSU), the Anti-Terrorism Police Unit (ATPU), and the GSU Tactical Team, was carried out following credible intelligence pointing to the suspects’ criminal activities. The team moved swiftly, leading to the arrest of Joseph Mwata Magak alias “Boyi Sampa” and Isaac Omondi Ojwang’. A subsequent search of Magak’s rented house in Mamboleo Pocho Estate, Kisumu, opened a Pandora’s box, as detectives uncovered a…
The two French journalists detained in Togo since last month have been charged with “false declarations” despite having the correct documents to work there, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has said. Gaël Mocaër and Sebastian Perez Pezzani had been filming a documentary in Kara, northern Togo, for France Télévisions when they were arrested on 27 July, the media rights group said, despite having work visas and authorisation to film there. France’s foreign ministry confirmed the detention of two nationals but did not provide further details. Togolese authorities have yet to comment. Togo has faced criticism for clamping down on free speech,…
A fraudster who claimed to be a special forces soldier-turned multimillionaire cancer patient has been sentenced to more than three years in prison. Joseph Gibson, 35, took almost £68,000 from his four victims, two of whom he had met on dating app Tinder, and convinced one they were in a relationship. Gibson, from Penbryn Nant, in Ruthin, Denbighshire, lied that he had been worth hundreds of millions of pounds, had served in the Special Boat Service, and owned yachts. He was sentenced to three years and two months at Bristol Crown Court on Thursday, after pleading guilty to four charges…
Nyamira County has stepped up efforts to turn vocational training into a pathway to self-employment after 178 top-performing youth graduates received business toolkits to help them launch enterprises. The beneficiaries are graduates from various Vocational Training Centres (VTCs) who attained distinctions in the April 2026 National Industrial Training Authority (NITA) examinations. Their graduation is part of a wider programme under which 709 trainees enrolled in the Nyamira County-KCB Foundation full scholarship programme completed their studies in June. Speaking during the handover ceremony at Mwongori VTC, Governor Amos Nyaribo said the initiative was intended to move young people beyond dependence on…
A former Zambian minister was killed in last week’s raid by security forces on a house linked to opposition leader Brian Mundubile a day after the presidential election, the authorities have said. A police spokesman said Mutotwe Kafwaya was fatally wounded by law enforcement officers during what officials have described as an exchange of fire in a security operation in the capital, Lusaka, on Friday. Eleven people were arrested in the raid, with the authorities accusing Mundubile’s party, the NRPUP, of being “involved in insurgency” and “militia activity” and storing “high-grade” weapons. Mundubile, who has since gone into hiding, rejected…