Declassed records show US Energy Department’s lab-leak pivot was not driven by new intelligence
Most records remain hidden within the latest 186-page tranche released by the DOE, which has long run intelligence operations that leverage its unique scientific and technological expertise to protect national security. Only a relatively small number of pages, mostly of internal email discussions, contain substantive, readable material.
Chinese President Xi’s ‘zero-tariff’ for African countries hailed as a message for joint pursuit of modernisation
Multiple African enterprises targeting the Chinese market noted that the new measures, such as the zero-tariff policy, will bring them fresh opportunities to expand trade with China and enhance product competitiveness.
Environmental hazards: State bans mechanised gold mining in West Pokot in north-western Kenya
Philip Ngorikwang, a resident of the Marich area in Pokot Central Sub-County, said unregulated gold mining left deep open pits and heavily polluted River Muruny that made the water unsafe for household use.
Tanzania backs stronger institutional cooperation on Nile River management at AU Summit
Tanzania has called for reinforced institutional cooperation and sustainable management of the Nile River to safeguard one of Africa’s most vital shared resources, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and East African Cooperation said in a statement Sunday. The call was made by Minister for Foreign Affairs and East African Cooperation...
‘Mimi Ndio Sifuna’: How abortive ouster of ODM secretary general fuelled a situation that’s galvanised Kenyan youth against power wielders
You cannot discuss Sifuna without mentioning Raila Odinga. Love him or critique him, you cannot deny one thing: Baba has shaped a generation of political fighters. And he did not mentor cowards.
Hundreds of university students in US holiday island of Hawaii slip into homelessness as rising nationwide crisis bites
The latest national US report released in July of 2025 comparing all 50 states and the District of Columbia on education, employment and health found Hawaii tied with urban Washington, DC, New York and Alaska for the highest rate of homeless youth in the country. For many of Hawaii’s young people, the climb toward stability feels steeper than ever.
Barack Obama fires back at Trump after US president’s racist video that casts him and wife Michelle as apes
Trump sparked outrage when he shared the now-deleted racist video of Obama and Michelle, 62, on Truth Social on February 5. The footage of the couple as apes was included towards the end of a clip discussing unsubstantiated allegations of voter fraud during the 2020 election.
Romanticising fallacy that Luhyia and Luo of western Kenya are ‘genetically’ predestined to resist power
The argument that Luhyias and Luos are genetically predestined to resist power and is intellectually provocative, but it rests on a few assumptions that deserve serious interrogation. First, the framing that Molima (central Kenya) and Rift Valley or Kikuyus and Kalenjins are “trained to access power” while Luhyas and Luos...
Raila Odinga’s widow, Ida Odinga, reminds late prime minister’s elder brother he’s unwanted in ODM party
By quashing any rumours of leadership instability before the rally begins, Ida Odinga has ensured that the focus remains on the party’s populist agenda rather than internal friction.
UN head of UN peacekeeping mission in Congo discusses ceasefire monitoring with M23 top brass
Vivian van de Perre, acting head of the UN peacekeeping mission in the DR Congo (MONUSCO), met with leaders of the March 23 Movement (M23) rebel group in Goma on Friday to discuss a ceasefire monitoring mechanism. The meeting comes as diplomatic efforts intensify to stabilise the country’s volatile east....
