Three Railway Officials Arrested In India Over The Train Crash That Killed 275 People

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July 8, 2023

Indian authorities have arrested three railway officials as part of an investigation into one of the deadliest train crashes in the country’s history.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) said in a statement that they had arrested three Department of Railways officials on Friday.

The move follows the deaths of at least 275 people in a three-way crash involving two passenger trains and a freight train in eastern Odisha state on June 2.

The crash renewed questions over the safety of the massive and aging rail network in what is now the world’s most populous country and prompted a high-level inquiry to determine what caused it.

Initial investigations had suggested a traffic signaling failure may have occurred, though these can be due to either technical malfunctions or human error.

Various government figures have vowed to hold anyone found negligible to account.

“We can’t bring back those we have lost but the government is with them (families) in their grief,” said Indian Prime Minister Narenda Modi when he visited the scene of the disaster soon after it took place.

“This incident is very serious for the government … Whoever is found guilty will be punished severely,” he said.

The railways minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has previously said the accident had occurred “due to a change in electronic interlocking” and that an investigation would show “who was responsible” for that.

He has also previously claimed the cause and people responsible have been identified, though he stopped short of elaborating.

According to senior railway officials, the crash took place when the Coromandel Express, a high-speed train traveling from Kolkata to Chennai, was diverted onto a loop line and slammed into a heavy goods train idled at Bahanaga Bazar railway station.

Its carriages derailed onto the opposite track, where they were hit by an oncoming high-speed train, the Howrah Express, which was traveling from Bangalore.

The situation was made worse by a combination of the high speeds – more than 120 kmph – at which both passenger trains were traveling and the heavy weight of the freight train, which was carrying iron ore, according to Jaya Varma Sinha, an Indian railways ministry official.

Odisha’s chief minister, Naveen Patnaik, has announced financial compensation for the families of those killed and injured.

The next of kin of the deceased will get 500,000 rupees ($6,067) while people suffering from serious injuries will be offered 100,000 rupees ($1,213).

REF: CNN

Charleston Springs 100m Surprise, Richardson Triumphs In Women’s 100m

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Cyrus Kimanga

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July 8, 2023

Cravont Charleston surged past 2019 world champion Cravont Charleston n to win the men’s 100m at the US athletics championships on Friday as Sha’Carri Richardson won the women’s 100m to book her long anticipated World Championships berth.

The 25-year-old Charleston, who had never made it to the 100m final at a US championships before, clocked 9.95sec to edge Coleman by one one-hundredth of a second with reigning 200m world champion Noah Lyles third in 10.00sec.

“Just keep running,” Charleston said of his mindset as he trailed early in the race. “That’s what I tried to do.”

The trio will join reigning world champion Fred Kerley in the event at the World Championships in Budapest in August, trying to repeat the US sweep at last year’s worlds in Eugene.

The two other members of the 2022 podium won’t be there. Marvin Bracy-Williams’s hopes of improving on his world silver evaporated when he was injured in the heats and failed to advance while bronze medalist Trayvon Bromell, racing through a painful bone spur on his right heel, finished sixth in the final and said he would soon be seeking surgery.

Richardson, meanwhile, will spearhead the US women’s 100m challenge after booking her first world championships berth with an emotional victory in 10.82.

She’d set a personal best of 10.71 in Thursday’s heats — which stood as the top time in the world this year for a day until Shericka Jackson’s 10.65 to win at the Jamaican championships on Friday.

Richardson, who had posted a 10.75 in the semi-finals, was the picture of determination on the start line, tossing away her bright red wig to reveal long braids before settling into the starting blocks.

A slow start left her some work to do, but she pulled away late to leave Brittany Brown second on 10.90sec with Tamari Davis third in 10.99.

“I’m ready mentally, physically and emotionally, and I’m here to stay,” Richardson told broadcaster NBC after she had climbed into the stands to embrace a number of people.

The win was a vindication of sorts for Richardson, who was infamously barred from the pandemic-delayed Tokyo Olympics in 2021 after testing positive for marijuana.

She then saw her hopes of competing for a medal at last year’s World Championships vanish when she bombed out of the US trials.

REF: AFP SPORTS

Djokovic Beats Wawrinka And Curfew As Murray Hints Wimbledon Days Over

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Cyrus Kimanga

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July 8, 2023

Novak Djokovic made the Wimbledon fourth round for the 15th time on Friday, beating old rival Stan Wawrinka and a night-time curfew as Andy Murray hinted his All England Club days may be over.

Djokovic, chasing a record-equalling eighth Wimbledon title and 24th career Grand Slam crown, came through 6-3, 6-1, 7-6 (7/5) against the 38-year-old Wawrinka.

World number two Djokovic will face Poland’s Hubert Hurkacz, who he has defeated five times in as many meetings, for a place in the quarter-finals.

Friday’s win was Djokovic’s 21st in 27 meetings with Wawrinka, a three-time major champion who famously defeated the Serb in the 2015 French Open and 2016 US Open finals.

Djokovic never faced a break point under the Centre Court roof and completed victory just 15 minutes before the 11pm All England Club curfew kicked in otherwise they would have had to return on Saturday.

“Stan’s doing an amazing job for his age — we are two old guys,” said 36-year-old Djokovic who went level with Pete Sampras’s mark of 31 successive wins at the tournament.

“We’ve had great battles over the years. I respect him as a player and love him as a person. He’s a really nice guy.”

Djokovic’s win kept him on course for a championship match showdown with world number one and US Open champion Carlos Alcaraz who defeated 84th-ranked Alexandre Muller of France 6-4, 7-6 (7/2), 6-3.

The 20-year-old Alcaraz will face Chile’s Nicolas Jarry for a spot in the last 16.

Murray admitted he doesn’t know if he will be back at Wimbledon after going down 7-6 (7/3), 6-7 (2/7), 4-6, 7-6 (7/3), 6-4 to fifth-ranked Stefanos Tsitsipas in a four-hour 40-minute second round epic.

The 36-year-old has not made the second week of a Grand Slam since reaching the quarter-finals at Wimbledon in 2017.

“I don’t know,” said former world number one Murray when asked if he would be back in 2024.

“Motivation is obviously a big thing. Continuing having early losses in tournaments like this don’t necessarily help with that.”

Tsitispas fired 90 winners past Murray and goes on to face Laslo Djere of Serbia for a place in the last 16.

“It’s never easy against Andy. Everyone loves him here,” said the 24-year-old Greek.

Murray had been ahead two sets to one when the match was halted on Thursday due to the tournament curfew.

However, he was unable to maintain the momentum on Friday despite not dropping serve in the match until the third game of the decider.

REF: AFP

Kenya Bus Vandalised Along Valley Road After Driver Hits Boda-boda Rider

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Cyrus Kimanga

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July 8, 2023

On Saturday morning, a Kenya Bus vehicle was vandalized on James Gichuru Road after the driver fatally hit a boda boda rider.

The driver fled the scene after the accident, and the rider’s colleagues threw stones at the bus as passengers alighted and fled for safety.

The vehicle’s windows were broken and the lights were destroyed.

Police arrived at the scene and the body was taken to the mortuary as a hunt was launched for the bus driver.

President Ruto’s Proposed Education Reforms Scrapes TSC Off Its Powers

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Cyrus Kimanga

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July 8, 2023

The Teachers Service Commission is expected to suffer the most as a result of the proposed sector reforms, with the Ministry of Education attempting to erode its sole authority.

The Presidential Working Party on Education Reforms (PWPER) has proposed that the Ministry of Education take over key functions that TSC currently performs exclusively.

The ministry will have a say in the transfer and promotion of teachers under the far-reaching policy proposals, a role that is central to the TSC mandate.

According to reports, the proposal was influenced by the fact that, while the ministry allocates billions of shillings to schools, it has no influence over the fund managers who report directly to TSC.

This is because, as managers, school heads are designated TSC agents in learning institutions while also supervising the use of ministry funds.

As a result, if PWPER’s draft proposals are adopted in the final report, TSC will lose a significant human resource mandate.

The proposal makes headteachers accountable to the ministry, as opposed to the current practice of holding them accountable to TSC.

Pursuant to the proposals, school principals will be accountable and authorized officers of the Ministry of Education.

The task force has concluded that TSC lacks the capacity to supervise school financial management and has requested that the ministry take over the function.

”Where there has been a case of mismanagement of funds or resources by a headteacher or principal, the Ministry of Education cannot hold the headteacher to account nor is he/she involved in their discipline,” the draft report reads in part.

Over the above, the ministry is also set to take over the role to retrain teachers.

As part of its mandate, TSC enjoys an exclusive mandate to retrain tutors, asserting influence on over 300,000 teachers across the country.

However, under the proposals, the ministry will take over the career progression and professional development programs.

Osoro: We Bribed Azimio MPs To Betray Kenyans In The Finance Bill

By

Cyrus Kimanga

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July 8, 2023

Silvanus Osoro, Chief Whip of the National Assembly, has revealed how the Kenya Kwanza administration used unsavoury tactics to arm-twist opposition MPs during the Finance Bill, 2023 voting in parliament.

According to Osoro, the government mustered enough votes to defeat Azimio La Umoja MPs during the crucial bill’s passage, which outlines revenue-raising measures for the government.

Osoro has claimed that the Kenya Kwanza MPs engineered the absence of opposition lawmakers in the house at a critical time, raising the prospect of betrayal in Azimio.

Speaking during a United Democratic Alliance (UDA) activation drive in Kisii, Osoro claimed that the government went to any length to ensure that the bill was passed, including bribing some opposition lawmakers to skip crucial sessions.

The ruling coalition gained a numerical advantage, according to the outspoken South Mugirango MP, after some Azimio MPs were given soup to travel abroad or pretend to be sick.

“I had to find a way, in Bunge I had to look for soup,” he said of the government’s uncouth and unethical tactics in pushing for parliamentary agenda.

The revelations add a new wrinkle to the opposition’s parliamentary defeat.

“I had to look for ways, by hook or by crook, to get it through, I had to manipulate systems, I looked for ways to get the opposition MPs to play our tune, I conspired with the opposition MPs and got some of them to absent themselves om the House so that I could get the numbers. Some were sponsored to go abroad while others were bribed to feign illness,” Osoro claimed.

Outlining the elaborate scheme by the ruling coalition to defeat the opposition, Osoro said that his job as the majority whip would have been on the line had the bill flopped.

“I heard some people saying MPs should have voted ‘No’, while others said vote ‘Yes’ to the Finance Bill. Some told me to vote ‘No’. Let me ask you, I am the Chief Whip of the Government… the bill that is being debated is that before it is presented in Parliament and before anyone else sets eyes on it, it first comes to my desk. We are the ones who draft these bills,” said Osoro.

“If it gets to the floor and is voted down, the position for Osoro is gone. I cannot allow that to happen. If it is voted down, my position as chief whip could be taken away.”

The claim puts several Azimio members on the spot for failing to turn up in parliament during voting despite publicly vowing to be on the forefront to shoot the bill down.

Five Arrested In Connection With MPESA Agent’s Murder

By

Cyrus Kimanga

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July 7, 2023

Sleuths from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) have arrested five gang members suspected of murdering a 37-year-old M-Pesa store worker on June 26, 2023 in a cold blood.

According to DCI, the suspects were apprehended in Starehe following a tip-off from members of the public, and a pistol presumed to be the murder weapon was recovered in the operation.

“The five suspects in the cold-blooded murder of a 37-year-old woman on June 26 were apprehended yesterday, following an intelligence-led operation that also included a specialized team of detectives from the DCI Nairobi regional command,” reads DCI statement.

Beatrice Okumu, the victim, was approached by three robbers shortly after shutting her business at approximately 10 p.m. The three men on a motorcycle robbed her of an undisclosed sum of money before shooting her dead.

Activists Demand Release Of Saba Saba Day Protesters

By

Dan Ojumah

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July 7, 2023

Amnesty International has asked the Government to immediately release all protesters arrested for participating in the Azimio la Umoja protests held today.

In a statement, Amnesty International urged police to refrain from using disproportionate and unlawful force, which might result in injuries and fatalities.

“We have received reports of arbitrary arrests of protestors in Nairobi, Western Kenya, and selective use of excessive force against those exercising their right,” stated Executive Director Irungu Houghton.

According to the human rights organization, measures taken to ensure the Kamukunji rally proceeds peacefully ought to have been deployed across all other parts of the country.

Irungu affirms that protesters should be allowed to express themselves and register their dissent with recent taxation measures and the cost of living.

He notes that today’s protest commemorates the historical “Saba Saba” movement which “significantly expanded human rights and democracy” during the second liberation in the 1990s.

Grandmother, 3 Others Found Guilty Of Removing Baby Sagini Eyes

By

Dan Ojumah

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July 7, 2023

Three suspects have been found guilty of causing grievous harm to Baby Junior Sagini, the three-year-old child whose eyes were gouged out in December last year in Kisii County’s Ikuruma Village.

Kisii Law Courts Senior Resident Magistrate Christine Ogweno, who delivered the verdict on Friday, stated that the three suspects, who included the baby’s grandmother, aunt, and cousin, were found guilty of the heinous crime.

The three suspects, Rael Nyakerario (Grandmother), Alex Ochogo (Cousin), and Pacificah Nyakerario (Aunt), were charged with attempted murder on January 18 but the charges were later changed to causing grievous bodily harm under Section 4 of the Penal Code after Prosecutor Hillary Kaino applied to the court to amend the charges.

During a virtual cross-examination in March, Sagini claimed that his grandmother used her hands to gouge out his eyes and dumped him on a maize plantation.

Sagini’s sister testified in court that on December 13, 2022, they went to the river to fetch water as usual, but Sagini did not show up because he had misplaced his water jerrican.

She described how they went about their daily lives until the next day when their grandmother was informed that Baby Sagini had been found dumped in a maize plantation.

They went in search of him, and later, police officers arrived and took the baby to the hospital for treatment.

Daniel Nyameino, a clinician at Kisii Teaching and Referral Hospital, told the court that he received a medical report from Rioma Station of Baby Sagini on December 29, 2022, and after examining him, he determined that unknown people assaulted the baby between December 13 and 14, 2022.

He stated that Baby Sagini had scratch marks that could have been caused by more than one person, as well as severe injuries.

The prosecution has requested a sentencing date, which will be decided on July 21, 2023.

Verstappen Tops British Grand Prix First Practice

By

John Mutiso

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July 7, 2023

Max Verstappen led team-mate Sergio Perez in a Red Bull one-two in first practice at the British Grand Prix.

Williams driver Alex Albon was an unexpected third fastest, 0.253 seconds off the pace, an indication that other teams have not reached their ultimate potential this weekend.

Fernando Alonso’s Aston Martin was the first established front-runner behind the Red Bulls in fourth.

He headed Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc in fifth place by just 0.012 seconds.

Alonso was 0.668secs slower than Verstappen, who is looking for a sixth consecutive victory this weekend, with Perez 0.448secs off the benchmark set by his team-mate.

Verstappen’s pace, despite complaints from the Dutchman about a lack of grip that he said felt “like driving on ice”, confirmed the expectation pre-race that Silverstone’s high-speed swerves would emphasise the Red Bull’s advantages over the rest of the field.

Esteban Ocon put in a promising showing and set the sixth fastest time in the upgraded Alpine, which has a new front wing, ahead of Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz and the McLaren of Lando Norris.

Norris, too, has a new front wing in addition to the major upgrade that improved the performance of the McLaren at the Austrian Grand Prix last weekend.

Mercedes had a difficult session. Lewis Hamilton and George Russell were only 12th and 14th fastest, despite both cars being fitted with yet another new front wing as Mercedes continue to deliver upgrades aimed at returning them to a competitive position.

Russell complained that the car was “all over the place in Turns Six and Seven” as both drivers seemed to be battling with a lack of rear grip, a perennial problem for Mercedes since the start of 2022.

Mercedes did not run the soft tyre, which will have affected their positions.

The teams were having their first experience of the new Pirelli tyre, introduced for the rest of the season with a stronger construction to reduce chances of failure.

The session took place under blue skies in temperatures of close to 25C and in front of packed grandstands, with a total of 480,000 expected at Silverstone over the three days of the race meeting.

Unsettled weather with the chance of rain is expected over the weekend.

Those there will have the chance to see Hollywood superstar Brad Pitt driving in a modified Formula 2 car as filming starts for the new Apple F1 movie.

The Oscar winner, who has been practising at Silverstone in the lead up to the race, is playing a veteran racer who returns to the sport to mentor a rising young star.

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