A judge has declared a mistrial in the rape case against Harvey Weinstein, after the jury in New York said it was deadlocked and unable to reach a verdict. It marks the third time a New York jury has considered the case against the 74-year-old disgraced film mogul, who remains jailed on other charges. The month-long trial was centred around whether Weinstein raped aspiring actress Jessica Mann in a hotel room more than a decade ago. He was initially convicted of raping her, before the verdict was overturned. A judge declared a mistrial after a second trial last year. Dozens…
Author: Oki Bin Oki
A national anti-corruption coalition has sharply criticised the decision by the Milimani Anti-Corruption Court to uphold a plea bargain agreement in the Sh73.4 million corruption case involving former Migori Governor Okoth Obado and his co-accused, warning that the deal could weaken public confidence in Kenya’s fight against graft. In a press statement issued on Friday, the National Integrity Alliance (NIA)—a coalition bringing together Transparency International Kenya, Kenya Human Rights Commission, The Institute of Social Accountability, and Inuka Kenya Ni Sisi!—said the agreement risks normalising corruption as a “negotiable offence.” The group expressed concern that individuals accused of misappropriating public funds…
Russia and Ukraine exchanged 205 prisoners of war on Friday, hours after rescue workers ended their search of a destroyed block of flats in Kyiv in which 24 people were killed, including three girls. Most of the Ukrainian prisoners had been held since 2022, said President Zelensky. The swap was part of a short-lived ceasefire ending this week with the launch of massive Russian strikes across Ukraine, including a missile attack that reduced 18 flats to rubble. Among the victims was 12-year-old Lyubava Yakovleva, whose father was killed during the war. Meanwhile, Russian officials said four people, including a child,…
The government named new Regional Commissioners for Eastern, Nyanza and Western regions in a fresh administrative changes that also saw five County Commissioners recalled to the Office of the President, Harambee House in Nairobi. In changes announced Friday, Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen said the reshuffle was aimed at improving service delivery and strengthening coordination of national government functions across the country. Rhoda Onyancha was moved from Coast to Nairobi in the same capacity. Former Meru County Commissioner Jacob Muganda was promoted and deployed as Eastern Regional Commissioner, replacing Paul Rotich, who was transferred to Coast Region. Samson Macharia was…
The Government suspended the construction of a proposed multi-agency security facility along the Moyale-Marsabit-Isiolo road corridor following a dispute over the site identified for the project between Wajir and Marsabit counties. The corridor has been flagged by security agencies as a major route for arms smuggling, narcotics trafficking, human trafficking and other transnational crimes, prompting calls for enhanced security operations in the region, interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen said. The decision to halt the project was reached during a high-level meeting bringing together political leaders from the two counties after tensions emerged over the ownership of the land earmarked for…
The digital advertising landscape is currently undergoing a massive transformation driven by generative artificial intelligence. For performance marketers and content creators, the ability to produce high-quality User-Generated Content (UGC) ads at scale is no longer a luxury. It is a fundamental requirement for staying competitive in a saturated market. Choosing the right platform for this task involves more than just looking at lip-sync quality. It requires an understanding of how underlying models handle motion, character consistency, and asset integration. This comparison focuses on the industry heavyweight HeyGen and the technologically advanced newcomer, Higgsfield. When brands search for a reliable ai…
US President Donald Trump’s visit to Beijing ended with a tour of Zhongnanhai, the exclusive, heavily guarded 14th Century compound where top Chinese leaders live and work. Xi leading him on the tour was yet another moment for the cameras in a two-day trip heavy on pageantry but scant on details about policy agreed by both sides. The much-anticipated summit between the superpowers follows tensions over trade and the Iran war, but both leaders seemed conciliatory, with Trump calling his visit “incredible”. Xi described it as a “new bilateral relationship” and promised to send Trump seeds of the Chinese roses…
Former England captain Sir David Beckham has become the UK’s first billionaire sportsman in the 2026 Sunday Times Rich List. The collective wealth of Beckham and his wife Victoria has reached £1.185bn, according to the compilers of the list. That places them second among sportspeople, behind the family of ex-Formula 1 boss Bernie Ecclestone, whose wealth is calculated at £2bn. Northern Ireland’s Rory McIlroy is seventh with £325m, after the 37-year-old golfer became a back-to-back Masters champion. Meanwhile, Manchester United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe has dropped from seventh to ninth in the UK overall, with his fortune having decreased by…
The world was waiting for one Drake album. Along came three. The rapper’s dropped his anticipated solo record, Iceman, plus two more – Habibti and Maid of Honour – with 43 songs in total. They include collaborations with artists including Central Cee, 21 Savage and PARTYNEXTDOOR. They are the first albums the Canadian has dropped since his beef with US rapper Kendrick Lamar escalated in 2024. And, yes, he does bring it up on the new record. So, is the “iceman” no longer “nice man”, as he raps? Drake’s three new albums are a mixture of musical styles. Iceman is…
Eldas MP Adan Keynan defended the proposed Basir Multi-Agency Centre, describing it as a critical national security project aimed at combating transnational crime and restoring stability in Northern Kenya. In a strongly worded statement, the Eldas MP said he had initially refrained from commenting on the matter out of respect for the sensitivity of Kenya’s security architecture, but chose to speak out due to what he termed as “misinformation, distortion and inflammatory rhetoric” surrounding the project. Keynan said security remains a constitutional function of the National Government and argued that the Ethiopia-Moyale-Basir-Arbajan-Isiolo corridor has become a major route for organized…
Kenyans will face tougher times as the government increased retail prices for a litre of diesel and super petrol by Sh46.29 and Sh16.65 respectively. For instance, petrol in Nairobi will retail at Sh214 per a liter while diesel will sell at Sh242 per a liter. This is likely to push up production and transportation costs, a move likely to see manufacturers pass the increased bill to consumers. Transport costs will also likely rise. According to the monthly prices released on Thursday evening by the Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA), a litre or super petrol will retail at Sh214.25 while…
Japanese car giant Honda made its first annual loss in 70 years as its investments in the electric vehicle (EV) market failed to pay off. Demand for EVs has not been as strong as the company forecast, with Honda reporting a total operating loss for the year ending March 2026 of ¥423bn ($2.68bn: £1.99bn.). The firm said it was scrapping some of its EV production targets and would source parts from China, where prices are lower, to keep costs down. It cited changes in US policy as adding to its losses, including tax incentives having been taken away for US…
Wes Streeting has quit as health secretary after days of speculation that he is preparing to mount a leadership challenge to Sir Keir Starmer. The now ex-health secretary is brutal in his assessment of Sir Keir’s leadership of the Labour Party and the country in his resignation letter. But he stops short of announcing a leadership challenge, saying instead that the prime minister should take steps to ensure there is a “broad” contest to replace him with “the best possible field of candidates”. Here are four key excerpts from the near-1,000 word letter and what they may mean. ‘Dishonourable’ to…
Saleh Mamman, a former Nigerian power minister, has been sentenced to 75 years in prison for laundering 33.8bn naira ($24.7m; £18.5m), a rare conviction against corrupt officials in the West African nation. Last week, Mamman was found guilty of 12 counts, including using private firms to funnel money linked to government-funded power plants. The 68-year-old was sentenced in absentia on Wednesday – according to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mamman has been “out of circulation” and “without trace” since his conviction. On Monday, the high court in the capital Abuja issued an arrest warrant for Mamman, who was…
The Director of Criminal Investigations, Mohamed Amin met INTERPOL’s Director of Global Outreach and Regional Support (DGORS) Abdulaziz Obaidalla for high-level talks at DCI Headquarters in Nairobi. The meeting addressed three strategic priorities, which included strengthening international policing cooperation, modernising operational systems, and enhancing public service delivery through collaborative law enforcement. Speaking in his capacity as Africa’s Delegate to the INTERPOL Executive Committee, Amin reaffirmed Kenya’s commitment to deepening partnerships that drive regional and global security, including intelligence sharing and coordinated action against transnational crime. Abdulaziz commended the Directorate of Criminal Investigations for its exemplary leadership and proactive engagement within…