A Minnesota state senator convicted of burglary for breaking into her estranged stepmother’s house plans to resign by early August, her lawyer said Monday. Democratic state Sen. Nicole Mitchell has faced calls from fellow Minnesota lawmakers for her immediate resignation since her conviction on Friday. The jury deliberated for three hours before finding her guilty of first-degree burglary and possession of burglary tools. The 51-year-old lawmaker needs two weeks to wrap up her legislative duties and secure health insurance for her son by the time of her Aug. 4 resignation, her lawyer wrote in the statement. Mitchell represents a Democratic-leaning…
Author: Oki Bin Oki
Prosecutors in South Korea have apologised to a woman who was convicted for defending herself during a sexually violent attack more than 60 years ago. Choi Mal-ja was sentenced to 10 months in prison, suspended for two years, for biting off part of her attacker’s tongue as he allegedly tried to rape her in 1964, when she was 18 years old. Inspired by the country’s #MeToo movement, Ms Choi, now 78, has campaigned for years to have her conviction overturned. Her retrial began in the city of Busan on Wednesday, where prosecutors issued an apology and asked for the court…
Erik Menendez has been diagnosed with a “serious medical condition”, his lawyer has told multiple US news outlets. The news comes weeks before he and his brother, Lyle, are set to appear at a parole hearing after spending decades in prison for the murders of their parents. The lawyer did not provide further details about the medical condition. The BBC has asked for comment. A number of US outlets are reporting that Menendez has a kidney issue, although this has not been publicly confirmed. Menendez was taken from a San Diego prison, in which he has been held for years,…
A British citizen, has filed a formal complaint with multiple Kenyan authorities, including the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), the Police Inspector General, and the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP), alleging unlawful detention, coercion, and targeted harassment at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA). Stephanie Carol Grantham claims the incident happened on July 15, 2025. “At approximately 2:30 PM, while travelling with my husband and two children (aged 8 and 9) to visit their grandmother in South Africa, I was stopped at passport control by Immigration where I immediately informed them of the valid conservatory order issued…
Ozzy Osbourne, the pioneering heavy metal singer whose star turn on reality TV endeared him to a new generation of fans, has died, according to the Associated Press. He was 76 years old. The singer was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2019, and said in an interview then with “Good Morning America” that it had been “terribly challenging.” Ozzy Osbourne was a music icon, who rose to prominence as founding member and lead singer of Black Sabbath in 1968. The band were pioneers in the heavy metal genre of music, writing classic tracks like Paranoid, War Pigs and Iron Man.…
House Speaker Mike Johnson is rebuffing pressure to act on the investigation into Jeffrey Epstein, instead sending members home early for a month-long break from Washington after the week’s legislative agenda was upended by Republican members who are clamoring for a vote. Johnson, a Republican from Louisiana, said Tuesday morning that he wants to give the White House “space” to release the Epstein information on its own, despite the bipartisan push for legislation that would require more records to be released. “There’s no purpose for the Congress to push an administration to do something they’re already doing,” Johnson said at…
A Brazilian Supreme Court justice has threatened to detain former President Jair Bolsonaro. The judge, Alexandre de Moraes, accused Bolsonaro of breaching a ban which bars him from appearing in audios, videos and interviews shared on social media. Justice Moraes said the ex-president could face “immediate imprisonment” unless his lawyers could provide a satisfactory explanation within 24 hours as to why their client had appeared in a video shared by Bolsonaro’s son, Eduardo, on Monday. Bolsonaro is on trial for allegedly plotting a coup to prevent President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva from taking office in 2023, which he denies.…
US soft drink giant Coca-Cola says it plans to introduce a new Coke sweetened with cane sugar to its existing line-up , confirming a plan that President Donald Trump previewed last week. The company already uses regular sugar to sweeten its signature Coke drink in many parts of the world, but in the US it has typically used corn syrup, a lower cost alternative, for decades. Trump’s Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr has voiced concern about the corn syrup’s health risks, though experts say there are no clear nutritional reasons to favour one sweetener over the other. “This will…
The US justice department has asked Ghislaine Maxwell, the longtime associate of disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein, for a meeting with its prosecutors, officials said. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said prosecutors planned to ask Maxwell, “What do you know?”, and that he intends to meet her “soon”. Maxwell’s legal team told the BBC they were in discussions with the government and she would “always testify truthfully”. Calls for more transparency in the Epstein case have intensified recently, including from supporters of President Donald Trump. Despite the pressure, House Speaker Mike Johnson said his chamber would not vote on the release…
The US has said it will leave the United Nations’ culture and education agency Unesco, accusing it of supporting “woke, divisive cultural and social causes”. Unesco’s Director General Audrey Azoulay described the decision as “regrettable” but “anticipated”. The move is the latest step in the Trump administration’s efforts to cut ties with international bodies, after removing the US from the World Health Organization and Paris Climate Agreement, as well as cutting funding for foreign relief efforts. Unesco has 194 member states around the world, and is best known for listing world heritage sites. The US’ decision will take effect from…
The Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA) Tuesday addressed concerns over Kenya’s fuel prices, which remain significantly higher than those in the neighbouring East African countries. Last week, the cost of petrol, diesel, and kerosene increased by Sh8.99, Sh8.67 and Sh9.65 per litre, respectively. In response to some of the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs), EPRA talked on key contributors to the high fuel prices such as Kenya’s tax regime, import logistics, and exchange rate fluctuations. Some of these taxes imposed on petroleum products include road maintenance levy, petroleum development levy, import declaration fee, petroleum regulatory levy, railway development levy, anti-adulteration…
Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja responded to concerns over unread water meters in the city. This is even as Nairobi City Water and Sewerage Company (NCWSC) celebrates a record revenue performance. Appearing before the Senate County Public Investment and Special Funds Committee on Monday, Sakaja acknowledged challenges in accessing water meters in some residential premises, largely due to homeowners being away or domestic workers being instructed to deny access to meter readers. “Following the inability to access meters in some premises due to residents not being at home, Nairobi Water is sensitizing customers on self-meter reading through SMS reminders. Further, the…
Manyatta Member of Parliament John Gitonga Mukunji, Inooro TV journalist James Ikuwa Mbochi, and boda boda rider Stanley Mbuthia Wanjiru have moved to court seeking to block what they term as politically motivated attempts to charge them with terrorism-related offences linked to the recent Gen Z protests. In a petition filed at the High Court, the three accuse the Inspector General of Police, the Director of Criminal Investigations, and the Director of Public Prosecutions of orchestrating a campaign of intimidation, illegal detention, and malicious prosecution under the guise of enforcing the Prevention of Terrorism Act, 2012. Mukunji, who is also…
The National Cohesion and Integration Commission (NCIC) announced it had fired its Vice Chairperson Wambui Nyutu citing continued involvement in partisan political activities, a move it says violates both her oath of office and the law. This is likely to steer controversy at the commission. NCIC Chairperson Rev. Dr. Samuel Kobia said Tuesday following a Special Commission Meeting held on July 22, 2025, the commission said Nyutu’s conduct had become “untenable” and incompatible with her constitutional and statutory obligations. “The Commission unanimously resolved to relieve Ms. Nyutu of her role as Vice Chairperson of the Commission with immediate effect,” the…
The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) Tuesday launched a WhatsApp number: 0709570000 to enhance the public’s ability to share crime-related information anonymously and securely. In addition to its existing toll-free hotline 0800 722 203, the DCI says the upgraded system will allow both local and international users to transmit intelligence directly and discreetly to investigators. “The new WhatsApp number provides an anonymous and secure channel through which the public, both locally and internationally, can share intelligence on crime,” DCI boss Mohamed Amin said. Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen said the launch of the upgraded Fichua Kwa DCI Centre, a product…