Bolivia’s conservative president said he had moved Wednesday to “strengthen” the army’s role in quelling anti-government protests that have paralyzed cities, caused widespread shortages and threatened to topple his fledgling government. Facing demands to step down, Rodrigo Paz said he had prepared a bill that would empower the military to tackle demonstrations and restore order. The bill “is intended to strengthen the institutions,” he said at the swearing in of a new defense minister, and “to strengthen our armed forces in their actions.” On Wednesday in La Paz, thousands of Bolivians queued for hours to buy chicken, a stark sign…
Author: Oki Bin Oki
U.S. President Donald Trump said Iran has agreed not to have a nuclear weapon and that he would probably meet with Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei at some point if things “work out”. “They’ve already agreed they’re not going to have a nuclear weapon,” Trump told “Pod Force One” in an interview broadcast on Wednesday, while speaking about Iran. Asked about Khamenei’s involvement in talks with the U.S. on ending hostilities, Trump said, “He’s involved, absolutely. … I think they have a lot of respect for him.” Trump said he was hearing Iran’s leader was not doing too well but was…
A criminal gang abducted seven students in northwestern Nigeria, police said on Wednesday, the latest in a scourge of kidnappings in poorly policed rural areas. Armed gangs, referred to as bandits by security agencies and locals, are blamed for raiding remote villages, looting and razing homes and kidnapping people for ransom, especially in parts of northwestern and central Nigeria. Assailants stormed student housing on Tuesday night on the outskirts of the Kaura Namoda administrative area, where the Federal Polytechnic was located, Zamfara state police spokesperson Yazid Abubakar said. The bandits “kidnapped seven students and took them to an unknown location”,…
Three Royal Navy personnel died in a helicopter crash during a training exercise in Devon. Emergency services were called to Sourton Down, near Okehampton, at about 03:45 BST after a Merlin Mk4 crashed. A Royal Navy spokesperson said the deaths happened during a “helicopter training exercise”, adding “the families of the service personnel have been informed and have requested a period of grace before further details are released”. The Princess of Wales, in her role as Commodore-in-Chief of the Fleet Air Arm, said she and William were “holding their families and friends in our hearts”. Head of the navy, General…
A man who had been holding several people hostage overnight inside a California bank has been shot dead in a standoff with the FBI, police said. The suspect was killed in “an officer-involved shooting involving Federal Bureau of Investigation personnel” on Wednesday, the Bakersfield Police Department said.# The fatal shooting ended a tense period after the suspect barricaded himself with several others inside the multistory Chase Bank building on Tuesday in Bakersfield, 110 miles (177km) north of Los Angeles. Police had originally responded to a bomb threat at the scene. Two hostages were released on Tuesday during negotiations. The remaining…
A candidate hoping to run for governor in the US state of Iowa has lost a closely watched primary contest, despite getting the backing of Donald Trump. Randy Feenstra, who was seen by many as a frontrunner, conceded the race on Tuesday, having received a last-minute presidential endorsement ahead of the vote. The three-term Iowa congressman, who was running for his party’s nomination for November’s governor contest, had also been a reliable Trump supporter. But for his part, the winner, farmer and businessman Zach Lahn, campaigned on a decidedly Trumpian platform – with slogans like “Make Iowa Healthy Again” and…
Incumbent Democratic Mayor Karen Bass has advanced to November’s run-off election to determine who will run California’s largest city, Los Angeles. With votes still being counted late on Tuesday night, Bass was first to go through, according to a projection by the BBC’s US partner CBS News, but it remains unclear who she may face. It could be either her fellow Democrat, city council member Nithya Raman, or the Republican newcomer and reality television star Spencer Pratt. The winner will lead the second-largest city in the US, grappling with issues like homelessness and affordable housing as Los Angeles gears up…
The US has announced new tariffs of 10-12.5% on dozens of countries accounting for almost all its imports over concerns they are not doing enough to tackle forced labour. It is the second time President Donald Trump’s administration has announced new import taxes since the US Supreme Court struck down many of his previous duties in February. The US Trade Department said these countries will face the tariffs because of their failure to address the importing of goods made with forced labour. The UK said it is tackling forced labour, China denied goods are made with forced labour, and the…
At least 21 people were killed and many others injured after a fire tore through a multi-storey building in south Delhi, police in India’s capital say. Many of the victims were foreigners – including people from South Asian and African countries – who had travelled to India for medical treatment or to accompany relatives undergoing care, local media reported. The building in the Malviya Nagar area allegedly operated as a bed-and-breakfast catering to patients and relatives of those receiving treatment at a nearby private hospital. More than 40 people were rescued and taken to hospital. It remains unclear how many…
CBS News fired its longtime 60 Minutes anchor Scott Pelley on Tuesday evening, amid an ongoing, tumultuous shakeup of the organisation under new leadership. Pelley was told in the firing letter that he appeared to have “no interest in contributing to the future success of the show” nor collaborating with its new executive producer, Nick Bilton. Pelley’s termination came after reports of a series of recent clashes between him and Bilton, including a heated exchange on Monday during a staff meeting that Bilton accused Pelley of “hijacking”. In the letter signed by Bilton, he said Pelley was “terminated for cause…
Interior and National Administration Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen arrived in New York City for a learning tour of its Police Department. New York Police Department is one of the world’s most successful urban security institutions. The visit comes ahead of the establishment of the Nairobi Metropolitan Police Unit, a strategic intervention to bolster security, maintain public order, combat emerging criminal threats, and ensure overall safety in the city and its satellite towns. “The New York Police Department will offer us insights into intelligence-led and community-oriented policing, technology integration, specialised urban operations, emergency response coordination, and crime prevention strategies, among other…
There was drama at the Narok Law Courts when anti-riot police fired warning shots and tear gas canisters to disperse a group of about 400 morans who allegedly attempted to forcefully free a businessman and politician facing murder charges. The suspect, David Matuke Ole Mayone, was arraigned over the alleged killing of a man in Majimoto and for reportedly opening fire on police officers during the incident. Early in the morning, dozens of Mayone’s supporters gathered outside the courthouse carrying placards demanding his release. Security was heightened, with heavily armed police officers deployed both inside and outside the court premises…
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Tuesday that Iran’s supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei, who was wounded in US-Israeli attacks and has not been seen in public since assuming office, is alive and increasingly active. “I think there are indications out there that he is increasingly engaging at some level,” Rubio told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Mojtaba Khamenei, 56, succeeded his father Ali Khamenei, who was killed in the first wave of US-Israeli strikes that launched the war on February 28. Rubio was testifying in front of the Senate panel as talks on ending the three-month-old war that has…
President William Ruto and First Lady Rachel Ruto will next week leave for a two-day State Visit to Finland aimed at strengthening diplomatic, trade and investment ties with Kenya. The President of the Republic of Finland, Alexander Stubb, and his spouse, Suzanne Innes-Stubb, will host their Kenyan counterparts. A program says resident Ruto will arrive in Finland on Wednesday, June 10, and will be received by his counterpart, Stubb, in a welcoming ceremony held in front of the Presidential Palace in Helsinki. After the ceremony, official discussions will take place at the Presidential Palace, focusing on the development of the…
Canada has formally requested a renewal of the North American free trade agreement with the US and Mexico, called the USMCA, as the July deadline to renegotiate the pact looms. In Tuesday’s notice of renewal, Canada-US trade minister Dominic LeBlanc requested that the deal be renewed for another 16 years, calling the agreement “highly beneficial” to all three countries. It comes as LeBlanc is in Washington for a meeting with US trade representative Jamieson Greer. Greer has concluded the latest round of formal bilateral talks with Mexico, but negotiations with Canada have lagged behind, with the two sides appearing at…