logo
Kenyans protest ahead of govt budget

Kenyans protest ahead of govt budget

Observer2 days ago

NAIROBI: Kenyan security forces fired tear gas on Thursday against protesters angry over a police killing, threatening to overshadow the government's attempts to pass a budget without sparking unrest. The government carefully prepared its new finance bill with the aim of avoiding the massive protests over tax hikes that engulfed Kenya a year ago.
But the killing of 31-year-old teacher Albert Ojwang while in police custody last weekend, after he was arrested for criticising a senior officer online, has reawakened anger over police brutality in the east African country. "You can't kill one of us in prison and then expect us to just lie down," said Tiffany, 22, a protester in Nairobi's business district who gave only her first name. Hundreds of protesters were spread in small groups across Nairobi's business district, with some throwing rocks at police who fired back with tear gas, while at least two cars were set alight. — AFP

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

US protesters hit streets before Trump's military parade
US protesters hit streets before Trump's military parade

Observer

time3 hours ago

  • Observer

US protesters hit streets before Trump's military parade

WASHINGTON: Thousands of people on Saturday rallied nationwide against the policies of US President Donald Trump ahead of a rare military parade on his 79th birthday — but the killing of a Democratic lawmaker in Minnesota cast a pall over the day's events. Trump was quick to condemn the targeted shootings of two lawmakers outside Minneapolis — one died along with her husband, while the other and his wife have been hospitalised with gunshot wounds. The shocking murder was the latest in a string of incidents of political violence, including an attempt on Trump's life in July last year and an April arson attack on the home of Pennsylvania's governor, who is a Democrat and Jewish. The shootings prompted Minnesota state authorities to call on residents not to attend protests by the so-called "No Kings" movement organised across the United State, which began at noon (16:00 GMT) in some East Coast locations. Organisers said the rallies would be the largest since Trump returned to office in January, adding that they were "rejecting authoritarianism, billionaire-first politics and the militarisation of our democracy." "I'm here because the things that are happening in this administration are very disturbing," Sarah Hargrave, 42, said in the Washington suburb of Bethesda, where about 1,000 people rallied. Organisers said they expected millions of people in more than 1,500 cities including New York, Houston, Seattle, Atlanta and Trump's second home in Palm Beach, Florida to protest. A small group even gathered in Paris. Thousands hit the streets in Philadelphia, one of the movement's flagship events. Thousands more demonstrators are expected to turn out in Los Angeles to protest against Trump's deployment of troops in America's second-largest city following clashes sparked by immigration raids. Downtown, Trump planned a giant celebration of the US Army's 250th birthday — and his own — in Washington with tanks, helicopters and nearly 7,000 troops at a reported cost of up to $45 million. "This is a big day for America!!!" Trump said on his Truth Social platform. But the Minnesota shootings, the threat of thunderstorms in the US capital and the barrage of missiles raining down in Tel Aviv and Tehran — a conflict in which the American military is assisting — could cast a long shadow over the president's event. Trump says the Washington parade will be "like no other" — but has promised to use "very big force" if protesters attempt to disrupt the spectacle. The rare military parade is the largest in the United States since the end of the Gulf War in 1991. Soldiers will wear uniforms dating back through US history to its independence from Britain. — AFP

Ukraine, Russia conduct another POW swap
Ukraine, Russia conduct another POW swap

Observer

time15 hours ago

  • Observer

Ukraine, Russia conduct another POW swap

KYIV: Ukraine and Russia conducted another POW swap -- the fourth one in a week -- the warring sides said on Saturday, under agreements reached in Istanbul earlier this month. "We continue to take our people out of Russian captivity. This is the fourth exchange in a week," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky wrote on social media. "In accordance with the Russian-Ukrainian agreements... another group of Russian servicemen was returned from the territory controlled by the Kyiv regime," Russia's defence ministry said on Telegram. Kyiv also said it had received another batch of 1,200 unidentified bodies from Russia, which it said Russia claimed "belong to Ukrainian citizens, including military personnel," as part of the Istanbul agreements as well. Ukraine did not say whether it returned any bodies to Russia. Photos published by Zelensky on Telegram showed men of various ages, mostly with shaved heads, wearing camouflage and draped in Ukrainian flags. Some were injured, others disembarked from buses and hugged those welcoming them, or were seen calling someone by phone, sometimes covering their faces or smiling. Moscow's defence ministry released its own video showing men in uniforms holding Russian flags, clapping and chanting "Russia, Russia", "glory to Russia" and "hooray", some raising their fists in the air. The exchange came as Russia repeatedly rejected ceasefire calls and intensified its offensive along the front line, and especially in the northeastern Sumy region, where it seeks to establish a "buffer zone" to protect its Kursk region, previously partly occupied by Ukraine. Zelensky claimed Russia's advance on Sumy was stopped, adding that Kyiv's forces have managed to retake one village. According to the Ukrainian president, Russia was using 53,000 men in the Sumy operation. — AFP

Iran says Israel attack 'declaration of war'
Iran says Israel attack 'declaration of war'

Observer

time2 days ago

  • Observer

Iran says Israel attack 'declaration of war'

TEHRAN: Iran called Israel's wave of strikes on Friday a declaration of war, while US President Donald Trump warned Tehran of "even more brutal" attacks if it does not make a deal on its nuclear programme. Israel said its air strikes had killed several top generals, including most of the senior leadership of the Revolutionary Guards' air force, while hitting about 100 targets including nuclear facilities. Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned Israel it faced a "bitter and painful" fate over the attacks, while Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi described the attack as a "declaration of war" and President Masoud Pezeshkian said "Iran will make the enemy regret its foolish act". The Israeli military said Iran launched around 100 drones, with air defences intercepting them outside Israeli territory, while neighbouring Jordan said it targeted drones and missiles that violated its airspace. Trump urged Iran on Friday to "make a deal", warning that there will be more "death and destruction" after Israel launched deadly strikes targeting Iranian nuclear facilities. The United States underlined that it was not involved in the Israeli action and warned Iran not to attack its personnel or interests, but Tehran said Washington would be "responsible for consequences". This picture shows a building damaged in an Israeli strike on Tehran on Friday. Israel hit about 100 targets in Iran including nuclear facilities and military command centres and killied senior figures including the armed forces chief and top nuclear scientists. — AFP Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel struck at the "heart of Iran's nuclear enrichment programme", taking aim at nuclear scientists and the main uranium enrichment facility in Natanz. The strikes would "continue as many days as it takes", the Israeli premier said, while the military said intelligence showed Iran was approaching the "point of no return" on its nuclear programme. The strikes killed Iran's highest-ranking military officer, armed forces chief of staff Mohammad Bagheri and the head of the Revolutionary Guards, Hossein Salami, Iranian media reported. Khamenei swiftly appointed new commanders to replace those killed, while state media said a senior adviser to the supreme leader had himself been wounded. "The senior chain of command of the air force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps had assembled in an underground command centre to prepare for an attack on the State of Israel," the Israeli military said, adding that its attacks had killed most of them. Iran confirmed the Guards aerospace commander had been killed, along with "a group of brave and dedicated fighters". Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said the "precise targeting of senior commanders... sends a strong and clear message: those who work towards Israel's destruction will be eliminated". A Muslim worshipper reacts as she prays with other Iranian pilgrims visiting the Imam Ali Shrine in Iraq's central holy shrine city of Najaf on Friday, in the wake of Israel's strikes on Iran earlier in the day. — AFP SCATHING RESPONSE Tehran's streets were deserted except for queues at petrol stations, a familiar sight in times of crisis. "How much longer are we going to live in fear?" asked Ahmad Moadi, a 62-year-old retiree. "As an Iranian, I believe there must be an overwhelming response, a scathing response." Air traffic was halted at Tehran's main gateway, Imam Khomeini International Airport, while Iraq, Jordan and Syria closed their airspace. Israel declared a state of emergency as anxieties grew amidst a wave of uncertainty gripped the region. "I'm worried for my children and also about my livelihood, because this affects the market. You can't work, you can't do anything," Tel Aviv resident Vered Saar said. Oil prices surged while stocks sank on the Israeli strikes, which came after Trump's warning of a "massive conflict" in the region. Trump had also said the United States was drawing down staff in the Middle East, after Iran had threatened to target US military bases in the region if conflict broke out. Prior to the strikes, Trump said he believed a deal on Iran's nuclear programme was "fairly close", cautioning however that an Israeli attack on its arch foe could wreck the chances of an agreement. People attend an anti-Israeli protest following the Israeli strikes on Iran, in Tehran, Iran, on Friday. — Reuters WITHIN REACH With the violence raising questions on whether a sixth round of talks planned between the US and Iran would still take place on Sunday in Oman, Trump said Washington was "hoping to get back to the negotiating table". Confirming Natanz had been among Israel's targets, the UN nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), said it was "closely monitoring" the situation as the Israeli military said it hit the underground uranium enrichment centrifuges at the site. "Most of the damage is on the surface level," said the Iranian Atomic Energy Organisation's spokesman Behrouz Kamalvandi. Israel sees Iran as an existential threat and Netanyahu has vowed less restraint since the unprecedented October 7, 2023 attack by Tehran-backed Hamas, which triggered the war in Gaza. Since the Hamas attack, Iran and Israel have traded direct attacks for the first time. "I think Israel has declared all-out war against Iran," said Fawaz Gerges, a professor of international relations at the London School of Economics. "Is Iran a paper tiger, or will Iran stand up and show the Iranians and the world that it's a pivotal state, it has the capacity, the means and the will to take on Israel?" The United States and other Western governments have repeatedly accused Iran of seeking a nuclear weapon, an ambition it has consistently denied. Israel again called for global action after the IAEA accused Iran on Thursday of non-compliance with its obligations. Iran currently enriches uranium to 60 per cent, far above the 3.67-percent limit set by a largely moribund 2015 agreement with major powers, but still short of the 90 per cent threshold needed for a nuclear warhead. — AFP

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store