Powerful Iran-backed militia groups in Iraq ready to disarm to avert deadly US airstrikes

Powerful Iran-backed militia groups in Iraq ready to disarm to avert deadly US airstrikes

Izzat al-Shahbndar, a senior Shi’ite Muslim politician close to Iraq’s governing alliance, says discussions between Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani and several militia leaders were “very advanced”, and the groups were inclined to comply with US calls for disarmament.

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Kidnapped Kenyan officials released as Somali capital comes under heavy shelling by Al Shabaab

Kidnapped Kenyan officials released as Somali capital comes under heavy shelling by Al Shabaab

Gunmen believed to be from the al Qaeda-linked al Shabaab group abducted the village chiefs, who were government-appointed local officials, in Mandera County in February near the border of Somalia, where the insurgents are based.

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Five people die after four-storey building under construction collapses in Kisii

Five people die after four-storey building under construction collapses in Kisii

Rescue efforts were spearheaded by the Kenya Red Cross Society in collaboration with the police and the County’s Disaster Management team.

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While Kakuma Refugee Camp in northwest Kenya is already bigger than many African cities, UN thinking of evolving it into a city

While Kakuma Refugee Camp in northwest Kenya is already bigger than many African cities, UN thinking of evolving it into a city

Now the Kenyan government and humanitarian agencies have come up with an ambitious plan for Kakuma to evolve into a city. Although it remains under the United Nations’ management, Kakuma has been re-designated a municipality, one that local government officials later will run.

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Competency-based training curriculum for TVETs broken down into modules for easy consumption

Competency-based training curriculum for TVETs broken down into modules for easy consumption

Once modularised, the learners in TVET institutions will be able to undertake their preferred course in modules and get a certification for every level undertaken. This will also mean that upon completion of one level, the trainee can opt to proceed with the course or use the acquired skill to enter the job market.

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Black comedian, Amber Ruffin, shut out of White House correspondents annual event after angering Trump’s team

Black comedian, Amber Ruffin, shut out of White House correspondents annual event after angering Trump’s team

An annual event where journalists often invite entertainers as guests, the dinner has featured comics such as Stephen Colbert, Colin Jost and Trevor Noah. Memorably, in 2011, it had as a guest a stone-faced Donald Trump, former star of The Apprentice, listening to jokes told by President Barack Obama at his expense.

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Columnist Eugene Robinson exits Washington Post after 35 years, cites owner Bezos’ new restrictive editorial policy

Columnist Eugene Robinson exits Washington Post after 35 years, cites owner Bezos’ new restrictive editorial policy

In a message on X Thursday, Robinson said that he was “retiring from my longtime journalistic home but not from journalism” and would keep followers informed of his next move. Robinson appears regularly as a commentator on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe.”

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US slams doors on South Sudanese as it revokes all visas while drums of civil war beat at home

US slams doors on South Sudanese as it revokes all visas while drums of civil war beat at home

Five years of civil war killed hundreds of thousands of people. A peace deal reached in 2018 has been fragile and not fully implemented, to the frustration of the US and other international backers. Notably, South Sudan still hasn’t held a long-delayed presidential election, and Kiir remains in power.

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NExT programme steering Kenya’s horticulture exports competitiveness in bruising world market

NExT programme steering Kenya’s horticulture exports competitiveness in bruising world market

Horticulture is a major foreign exchange earner, often referred to as “green gold” alongside tourism, coffee and tea. It contributes significantly to Kenya’s GDP, with the agricultural sector as a whole accounting for a substantial portion.

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‘Primitive’ crops resurface in Migori County as Kenya’s Lake Victoria basin fends off high lifestyle diseases incidence

‘Primitive’ crops resurface in Migori County as Kenya’s Lake Victoria basin fends off high lifestyle diseases incidence

It is unfortunate that most of these foods are not served in many eateries frequented by the young people in the county and in Kenya as a whole. The young generation today would not differentiate between millet and sorghum and would out rightly dismiss ugali made from the crops as sludge.

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