The trial of ousted Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, is scheduled to begin on 1 June 2027, a New York judge ordered on Wednesday. US forces seized Maduro and Flores from their compound in the Venezuelan capital, Caracas, in a dramatic, night-time raid on 3 January, and brought them to New York to face allegations of weapon and drug offences, which they deny. Judge Alvin Hellerstein scheduled a pre-trial hearing for 17 November to hear motions from both parties. Maduro’s attorney Barry Pollack signalled that he will argue at trial that his client was protected by…
Author: Oki Bin Oki
A new video of Prince George has been released by Kensington Palace to mark his 13th birthday. The video, showing a smiling prince waving at the camera in his sunglasses, playing cricket on the beach and climbing rocks, was accompanied by the caption: “Thank you for all the birthday wishes for George today!” The video was shot in Cornwall at Easter, and follows a new photograph of George which was also published on social media on Wednesday. George, the elder son of the Prince and Princess of Wales, is second in line to the throne. The photo, showing George standing…
OpenAI has revealed some of its most advanced AI models went rogue and hacked a start-up after it lost control of them during a security test. The ChatGPT-maker said its agent – an AI system which can operate alone after human instruction – was being tested in a controlled environment but, after finding weaknesses, was able to escape the test limits. They targeted Hugging Face, one of the world’s largest hubs for sharing AI models, gaining access to some internal company systems. OpenAI said the incident was “unprecedented”, and it was conducting an investigation alongside Hugging Face, whose boss Clement…
YouTube star MrBeast has tied the knot with his fiancee Thea Booysen. The pair married on Richard Branson’s private Necker Island in the British Virgin Islands, according to US outlets. The 28-year-old US content creator announced he had “found MrsBeast” in a joint Instagram post, which featured images of them posing in white on their big day. MrBeast, real name Jimmy Donaldson, is the biggest YouTuber in the world with more than 500m subscribers. Donaldson popped the question to Booysen on Christmas Day 2024 while they wore matching MrBeast-branded festive jumpers. He previously told US outlet People magazine that despite…
The US and Saudi Arabia are expected to announce a deal that will allow the Gulf kingdom to develop a civilian nuclear programme. An announcement is expected from US President Donald Trump’s administration on Wednesday, according to CBS News, the BBC’s US partner. The agreement could be worth billions of dollars to the US, whose companies could be involved in building a facility to produce enriched uranium, which can be used as fuel for power plants but also to make nuclear bombs. Nuclear experts and former officials in Israel – the US’s top ally in the Middle East – have…
Two men were on Tuesday arraigned before a Mombasa court over allegations of trafficking cocaine worth Sh3,965,723. Hilton Gocho Chopeta and Mohamed Jabir Ali appeared before Senior Resident Magistrate David Odhiambo and pleaded not guilty to charges of conspiracy to traffic narcotic drugs and trafficking in cocaine. In the first count, the two were charged with conspiracy to traffic narcotic drugs, contrary to Section 4(b)(4) of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (Control) Act No. 4 of 1994, as amended by the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (Control) (Amendment) Act, 2022. They allegedly, jointly and with others not before the…
The murder trial of the late Albert Ojwang continued before the Kibera High Court today, with CCTV footage showing police officers transporting him from Central Police Station to Mbagathi Hospital in the early hours of the June 9, 2025. Prosecution, led by Deputy Director of Public Prosecutions Jalson Makori and Senior Assistant Director of Public Prosecutions Wangui Gichuhi, assisted by Assistant Director of Public Prosecutions Dancun Ondimu, recalled the fourth witness Joseph Mutua, who serves as the Head of Forensics at the Independent Policing and Oversight Authority (IPOA). The footage shown in court captured the movement of police officers as…
A modelling scout linked to the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein has been found dead at his home. Daniel Siad, 69, was discovered on Monday in Colombes, a north-west suburb of Paris, the Nanterre prosecutor’s office confirmed to the BBC. “An investigation to determine the cause of death was opened on Monday evening following the discovery,” the office said, adding that an autopsy will be carried out. Siad’s name appeared thousands of times in the Epstein files released by the US government. He had previously denied any knowledge of the threat that Epstein posed. Epstein victim Anya – not…
A huge quantity of cocaine was seized during a raid on a suspected illegal storage facility near Liberia’s capital, Monrovia, in what authorities say is the biggest drugs bust in the country’s history. Videos and photos released by police showed dozens of sealed suitcases and boxes inside a lorry that investigators believed contained high-grade cocaine. Police chief Gregory Coleman told the BBC that forensic tests had confirmed the substance was cocaine, with an estimated street value of more than $370m (£220m). Several people were arrested during the raid in Duazon, a town about 20km (12 miles) east of Monrovia, including…
As the 2027 General Election approaches, President William Ruto’s re-election strategy is taking shape. National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang’ula has already begun rallying women in Bungoma County to spearhead voter registration and support for the Head of State. But if the President truly wants to lock down the women’s vote—a constituency of over 11.5 million registered voters—he needs a bold, unexpected policy move. That move? Allow the Social Health Authority (SHA) to cover Brazilian Butt Lift (BBL) surgeries. The Numbers Don’t Lie: Women Are the Deciding Vote With over 11.5 million registered female voters in Kenya, women represent nearly half…
The bus fare cap in England will revert to £2 from January, new prime minister Andy Burnham has announced. The government says the policy, which is expected to cost more than £500m, will “help with the cost of living and give people the breathing space they need”. The previous Conservative government capped single bus fares in England at £2 in January 2023. It was initially only due to last three months, but was extended. As Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham brought in a £2 cap in September 2022, at that point funded by money from central government. In January…
France’s parliament has approved a law to ban social media for under-15s from January 2027, making it the first European country to block young people from the platforms. The law will mean everyone in France must verify their age to access social media and comes as the UK and EU are developing their own limits in response to concerns for children’s mental health. French President Emmanuel Macron has welcomed the move, which he had pledged to introduce to mark the end of his decade in office. While sceptics have questioned the law’s viability, the government has insisted the online tools…
Rebel Wilson has been cleared of accusations that she defamed a young Australian actress, a Sydney court has found. Charlotte MacInnes, who starred in Wilson’s film The Deb, sued the Bridesmaids and Pitch Perfect actress for allegedly harming her reputation in Instagram posts in 2024 and 2025. In the posts, Wilson accused MacInnes of retracting her complaint of sexual harassment against a film producer so she could further her career – a claim MacInnes denied. In court on Wednesday, Justice Elizabeth Raper dismissed the case, saying the imputation that MacInnes had changed her story about the incident was not defamatory.…
At least 12 workers were killed after a portion of an under-construction tunnel collapsed following a gas explosion in India’s north-eastern Sikkim state, officials said. Rescue operations are continuing to locate 13 others who are reported to be trapped in the tunnel since Monday’s collapse. The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) said the incident happened about 1.5km (0.9 miles) inside the tunnel. The under-construction tunnel, designed to carry water from the nearby Teesta River to a hydropower plant’s turbines, is part of a larger project in the Himalayan state being developed by the state-owned National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC). The…
An autopsy confirmed that hotel intern Margaret Wambui died from multiple severe fractures sustained after falling from a 34-storey building in Nairobi. The post-mortem examination, conducted at the Nairobi Funeral Home, established that Wambui died instantly from injuries suffered in the fall. According to investigators, Wambui spent more than 40 minutes on the rooftop of the building taking photographs before the incident. Detectives who reviewed CCTV footage from the Altura Canaan Building premises have ruled out any third-party involvement in her death, saying the footage does not show anyone else with her on the rooftop at the time of the…