The Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) party has invited aspirants interested in contesting the 2027 General Election on its ticket to submit their applications.
In a notice on Tuesday, May 12, ODM National Elections Coordinating Committee (NECC) Chairperson Emily Awata said the exercise is being conducted in line with the party constitution.
“Pursuant to Article 61(1) of the ODM Constitution, as read together with Rule 7(1) and Part VIII of the Party Elections and Nomination Rules, the National Elections Coordinating Committee (NECC) hereby invites applications from interested Party members seeking to contest in the 2027 General Elections on the ODM Party ticket for the following elective positions,” read the statement in part.
Awiti said applications are open for several elective positions, including President, Governor, Senate, Woman Representative, Member of the National Assembly, and Member of the County Assembly (MCA).
The ODM NECC Chairperson pointed out that the aspirants are required to be registered voters to qualify for consideration.
File image of ODM Party leader Oburu Oginga.
Further, Awiti said the interested aspirants should apply through the party’s online portal before June 30, 2026.
“Interested aspirants are required to apply through the Party’s online portal: https://aspirants.odm-ke.com/, on or before 30th June 2026,” she added.
Japanese snack giant Calbee says it will temporarily switch to black and white packaging for some its best-known products as supplies of an ingredient used in ink have been disrupted by the Iran war.
The firm says new-style packets for 14 of its products, including crisps and prawn crackers, will start to appear in shops in Japan from 25 May.
It marks the latest example of how everyday goods are being impacted after Iran effectively closed the key Strait of Hormuz waterway in retaliation for US and Israeli strikes on the country.
In recent weeks, companies around the world have warned that supply disruptions to things like fuel, plastics and helium are pushing up costs for their businesses.
Calbee said in a statement that the design change is a response to “supply instability affecting raw materials amid ongoing tensions in the Middle East.”
“This measure is intended to help maintain a stable supply of products,” said Calbee.
Oil and gas prices have surged since the conflict started on 28 February as shipments through the Strait of Hormuz halted.
Supplies of naphtha, a byproduct of oil refining used in ink and plastics, have also been hit hard.
Naphtha prices in Asia have almost doubled since the conflict started, pushing up costs for businesses in the region.
Before the war, around 40% of Japan’s naphtha was imported from the Middle East, Japan’s deputy chief cabinet secretary Kei Sato told reporters on Tuesday.
The government was working to “stabilise and resolve any supply imbalances and bottlenecks”, he added.
In April, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said the country was broadening its supply of naphtha to include more sources outside the Middle East, such as the US.
Asian countries have been hit particularly hard by disruptions to shipping through the Gulf as they are heavily reliant on the Middle East for energy and other oil-related products.
On 1 May, Japanese foodmaker Mizkan, which makes a popular fermented soybean snack, suspended sales of some of its products and raised prices for others due to a shortage of polystyrene containers.
Meanwhile, car makers like Toyota and Hyundai have said their profits have been hit due to higher costs of materials and lower sales.
Around the world, many airlines have paused flights and grounded some planes after jet fuel prices surged due to the war.
Last week, UK-based fashion chain Next raised its prices by up to 8% in some countries outside Europe due to higher fuel prices and disruption to global supply chains.
China should stop hoarding food and fertiliser to ease a global supply crisis caused by the Iran war, a former World Bank president has told the BBC.
David Malpass, who also served as Treasury Under Secretary for International Affairs under US President Donald Trump from 2017 to 2019, was speaking to the World Service’s World Business Report on the eve of the Trump-Xi summit in Beijing.
“They have the biggest world stockpile of foodstuffs and of fertiliser,” he said. “They can stop building their stockpiles.”
His comments come as nations around the world scramble to secure fertiliser supplies ahead of spring planting, with the closure of the Strait of Hormuz severely disrupting shipments.
Earlier this month, the boss of one of the world’s biggest fertiliser producers warned that the interruption to supplies could cost up to 10 billion meals a week globally and would hit poorest countries hardest.
Svein Tore Holsether, chief executive of Yara, told the BBC that reduced crop yields as a result of lower fertiliser use could lead to a bidding war for food.
China has halted exports of several types of fertiliser since March, citing the need to protect domestic supplies.
This came on top of restrictions that have been steadily put in place since 2021.
Last year, China accounted for about 25% of global output of fertiliser, with exports totalling more than $13bn (£9.6bn).
Malpass, who ran the World Bank from 2019 to 2023, also said that Beijing’s claim to be a developing nation was no longer credible.
“They present themselves as a developing country when they’re the second biggest economy in the world and in many ways rich,” he said.
“And yet they still have the pretence of being a developing country in the WTO and in the World Bank, and they could suspend that,” Malpass added.
Liu Pengyu, spokesperson for the Chinese embassy in Washington DC, told the BBC in an emailed statement: “China is committed to maintaining the stability of global food and fertilizer markets.
“The root causes behind the current disruptions in global food and fertilizer supply chains are crystal clear; this blame cannot be shifted onto China,” he added.
In response to Malpass’s comment on China’s status as a developing country, Liu said: “China is universally recognized as the largest developing country – a designation grounded in ample factual evidence.
“Upholding its status as a developing country is a legitimate right of China.”
On the Iran ceasefire, which Trump on Monday described as being on “massive life support”, Malpass said the world should unite behind the US and demand a resolution.
“You can’t have a rogue state with plutonium, and you can’t block the Strait of Hormuz,” he said.
He added he was hopeful that China would help find a resolution to the deadlock in the Strait, saying that the free movement of ships was in its economic interest.
“China benefits from open waterways worldwide. They run the shipping lines, own the containers, and make huge profit from trade with the rest of the world. So, they would be a big loser if Iran in some way had control of the Strait of Hormuz.”
On the economic outlook for ordinary Americans ahead of Tuesday’s US inflation data for April, Malpass said prices were heading higher. “I expect some up, yes, prices will go up on many products,” he said.
Hull City winger Mohamed Belloumi’s introduction to his side’s second leg of their Championship semi-final at Millwall was not exactly ideal.
Sent on by boss Sergej Jakirovic just before half-time because of an injury to Kyle Joseph the Algerian left his irate gaffer and his team-mates waiting while he tied his boot laces.
Jakirovic did not hide his displeasure.
Fifty minutes, one goal and one assist later and all was well and truly forgiven.
“Mo’s brilliant. He can be whatever he wants to be,” striker Oli McBurnie told Sky Sports.
“He was probably unlucky not to start but the gaffer obviously knew what he was doing because they both [along with Joe Gelhardt] came on and scored.”
The 23-year-old was undoubtedly the Tigers’ star man as they set up a play-off final with either Southampton or Middlesbrough on Saturday, 23 May for a place in the Premier League.
His superb curling strike ended a two-and-a-half-hour wait for a goal in the semi-final and he then won the ball back in his own half and drove forward before teeing up Gelhardt, who had come on moments before, to score the second.
Reigning French Open champion Coco Gauff earned another confidence-boosting win on the clay by fighting back from match point down to beat ailing American teenager Iva Jovic in the Italian Open fourth round.
Gauff’s preparations for her Roland Garros title defence looked to be taking a significant blow as she trailed 7-5 5-3 against 18-year-old Jovic in Rome.
But the world number four, who also recovered from a set down to Argentina’s Solana Sierra in the previous round, survived the match point before ending up winning 5-7 7-5 6-2.
Despite victory, Gauff knows she will have to play much better to match her run to the Italian Open final last year – and go anywhere near retaining the French Open, which begins on 24 May.
That point was emphasised when Iga Swiatek, a four-time champion at Roland Garros and three-time winner in Rome, brushed aside former world number one Naomi Osaka 6-2 6-1 in an impressive win.
Gauff, who won her second Grand Slam title by beating Aryna Sabalenka in last year’s Roland Garros final, was far from her best in a dramatic contest against Jovic – played in a testing wind.
The noise of fighter jets in the skies over the Foro Italico venue also disrupted the players.
“I’m just proud – Iva played really good tennis and the conditions weren’t the easiest. Everything was going on,” said Gauff, who will surely need to raise her level when she faces Russian eight seed Mirra Andreeva in the quarter-finals.
“Thanks to my team – their pep talk helped me mentally.”
Gauff’s main emotion might well have been pride, but her relief at avoiding another early clay-court exit – after losing in the Stuttgart quarter-finals and Madrid last 16 – was also evident.
Struggling with her footwork and misfiring with her forehand, Gauff was way short of her best in the opening two sets.
But, after Jovic missed match point with a tight forehand into the net, the 17th ranked teenager became further distracted by a cut on her finger caused by an earlier fall on the red dirt.
Gauff took full advantage by showing the indomitable spirit which has categorised her ascent to the top of the women’s game.
A flustered Jovic was clearly feeling uncomfortable with her grip and it contributed to a host of errors as Gauff – who has said she is dealing with “tough” off-court issues at the moment – quickly turned the second set in her favour.
Gauff still did not play cleanly in the decider, but knew the importance of simply getting the ball back into play with regularity and preying on Jovic’s problems.
Jovic, who reached the Australian Open quarter-finals earlier this year, continued to hit loosely and her first serve plummeted – as the pair exchanged five breaks of serve – before Gauff steadied herself to win the final three games.
“In my previous round I was not good mentally on the court and this was a complete 180. It shows I can continue to be positive in the most part,” Gauff told Sky Sports.
Later, Poland’s Swiatek, who has teamed up with Rafael Nadal’s former coach Francisco Roig in an attempt to ignite her season, looked far closer to her best as she outplayed Japan’s Osaka.
Swiatek has not won a title since September last year but applied relentless pressure to Osaka, who has rarely looked at home on the clay during her career.
She broke the Osaka serve six times but had another seven break point opportunities, with Osaka winning less than half of the points in her own service games.
Swiatek will play fifth seed Jessica Pegula next after the American beat Anastasia Potapova 7-6 (8-6) 6-2. They are in the opposite side of the draw to Gauff.
In the same section is second seed Elena Rybakina. She was similarly impressive in beating former world number one Karolina Pliskova 6-0 6-2 in 58 minutes to set up a meeting with Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina.
In Gauff’s half, Sorana Cirstea, who knocked out world number one Sabalenka in the last 32, continued her good run by beating Linda Noskova to set up a meeting with former French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko.
England’s attempt to rebuild from the rubble of the Ashes is about to begin.
In the months since the horror show in Australia was completed in Sydney, there have been revelations about Harry Brook’s nightclub punch-up, an Ashes review, a broken cheek for captain Ben Stokes, Brendon McCullum and Rob Key keeping their jobs and the impending arrival of Marcus North as the new national selector.
Now a squad for the first Test against New Zealand on 4 June is due to be named, possibly as soon as Tuesday. The players will gather for a camp in Loughborough on 25 May.
In choosing their group to take on the stiff challenge of the Black Caps at Lord’s, England will have to make decisions over their opening pair, spinner and pace bowlers.
Zak Crawley might wonder why he is set to become an Ashes fall guy when so many around him have survived.
Crawley can have no complaints. No opener in Test history has been given as many opportunities at the top of the order as Crawley’s 104 innings and averaged less than his 30.52.
His early season form for Kent has been wretched, with a top score of 44 in five matches. Crawley’s hack to be bowled in the second innings against Gloucestershire suggested a break from red-ball cricket might be no bad thing.
Ben Duckett also had a disappointing Ashes, albeit with more credit in the bank than Crawley. England would be loathe to change both openers.
England rarely go back, and previous Test openers Dom Sibley and Haseeb Hameed have not made a compelling case to be recalled. New faces like Somerset’s James Rew, Glamorgan’s Asa Tribe and the Durham pair of Ben McKinney and Emilio Gay have emerged.
Growing up, Eve Higgins’ Six Nations tradition was a trip to Ashbourne to watch the women’s game on a Friday before heading to Aviva Stadium for the men on a Saturday with her father.
While the crowds flocked to Dublin 4 for the men, attendances at the County Meath venue the previous evening weren’t hitting the same heights.
But just as women’s rugby in Ireland grew in stature, so too did the ‘Green Wave’ of support and this Sunday represents a significant milestone as for the first time, the Lansdowne Road venue will host a stand-alone women’s game.
Back in 2014, a women’s Six Nations game against Italy served as a curtain-raiser for the male equivalent, but with 28,000 tickets sold for this weekend’s final round against Scotland [14:30 BST] so far, it has already tripled the record 9,206 fans who took in Ireland’s opening home Six Nations game against Italy in April at Galway’s Dexcom Stadium.
It’s very much part of a trend with interest in the women’s game growing rapidly and Ireland’s opening game against England in this year’s championship drew a record 77,120 to Twickenham’s Aviva Stadium.
Higgins describes the prospect of playing in front of a record home crowd as “extremely special” but hopes it is “the first of many”.
“When we heard, firstly, that there was 20,000 tickets sold, that was huge because we knew we were obviously beating our record crowd,” the 26-year-old centre told BBC Sport NI.
“Even the fact that we’ve beaten a record crowd in this Six Nations, but to do it again by three will be extremely special.
“We spoke about this three or four years ago that we wanted to have games in the Aviva, but we wanted to do it at a time that we could fill the stadium as we didn’t want to play in empty stadiums.
“The fact that our first occasion in this stadium will be in front of a record crowd of 28,000-plus people is brilliant and it shows you what performances can do. We just want to put on a show for the crowd this weekend.”
India cricket legend Rahul Dravid has been announced as the co-owner of the final European T20 Premier League (ETPL) franchise based out of Dublin.
Dravid is part of an Indian consortium which has acquired the team, who will be called the Dublin Guardians.
The 53-year-old, who played 164 Tests and 344 one-day internationals for India and coached the national team from 2021 to 2024, is seen as a major coup for the league’s organisers.
“It’s absolutely brilliant to be involved. When I first heard about this it was really exciting,” Dravid said.
“I’ve always loved the passion and energy of cricket in Europe. The passion with which the players play the game.
“I’ve seen the passion of grassroots and also the T20 World Cup has shown the talent, too.
“That’s something we can grow and build. It would be a dream to see the talent on the world stage.”
Former India spin-bowling all-rounder Ravichandran Ashwin will captain the Guardians.
He retired from Test cricket in December 2024 and stepped away from the Indian Premier League last summer, making him available to play in leagues in the rest of the world.
The ETPL is being run in collaboration with the cricket boards of Ireland, Scotland and the Netherlands – with six teams based out of Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Belfast, Dublin, Glasgow and Edinburgh.
Bollywood actor and film producer Abhishek Bachchan is a part-owner of the league in conjunction with Rules Sport Tech, a private Indian company.
As reported by BBC Sport earlier this year, the franchises have been sold for £11.1m ($15m) over a 10-year period.
The tournament is set to be played from 26 August to 20 September with games staged in The Hague and Dublin during the first edition.
Cricket Ireland chair Brian MacNeice said it was a “landmark day for European cricket” having brought in “the best from world cricket” with those who are backing the franchises.
“It’s going to make a huge impact across Europe. I am excited by the calibre of people who are backing the teams,” he added.
“It’s all about the visibility and development of the game in a region where it can grow.”
Two months ago questions were raised as to whether Tottenham goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky would ever play for the club again.
The Czech Republic international endured a nightmare 17 minutes in their Champions League last-16 match against Atletico Madrid in March which saw him concede three goals before being substituted off by then-manager Igor Tudor.
But after making one of the saves of the season to deny Leeds a late winner on Monday – ensuring Tottenham earned a point towards potential Premier League survival – the 23-year-old may just have gone some way to redeeming himself.
Mathys Tel’s 50th-minute strike had put Spurs ahead but the forward conceded a penalty for a high boot on Ethan Ampadu 24 minutes later and Dominic Calvert-Lewin converted from the spot to level at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Both sides probed for a winner in 13 minutes of added time and Leeds thought they had found it in the 99th minute when James Justin played Sean Longstaff through and the midfielder unleashed a powerful strike at the near post from close range.
Enter Kinsky, who stretched to get fingertips to the ball and ensure it clattered off the crossbar and not into the roof of his net.
It is impossible to say how important that save could be come the end of the season but for now it leaves Spurs two points clear of West Ham in the relegation zone with two games remaining.
“That save is one of the saves of the season,” said former Liverpool defender Jamie Carrager on Sky Sports.
“Football is an absolute rollercoaster and who would have thought he would ever play for Tottenham again – and then he does that.
“You would have to have a heart of stone if you weren’t delighted for him. Everyone thought his career was over but that save can be the moment that keeps Tottenham in the Premier League.”
The sight of Roberto de Zerbi pulling a black hood over his face as he stalked the touchline was a symbol of another night of self-destruction by Tottenham Hotspur.
New head coach De Zerbi was a picture of anguish after Richarlison squandered a simple chance to put Spurs in a comfort zone by blazing over the bar as they led Leeds United by Mathys Tel’s spectacular strike.
It would not have settled the game – 2-0 is no guarantee with Spurs – but it might just have settled the nerves jangling around Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
The Italian is learning quickly that no such territory as a comfort zone exists at Spurs, and certainly not when presented with the opportunity to put daylight between themselves and West Ham United and make their lives easier in the Premier League relegation battle.
And so it proved as goalscorer Tel went from hero to zero in a moment of total recklessness after 74 minutes to concede the penalty that allowed Leeds to equalise from the penalty spot and deprive Spurs of two precious points.
Tel had already shown his erratic side in the first half when he found himself in a tight spot in his own penalty box, then attempted to resolve the problem by delivering a perfect cross on to the head of an onrushing Leeds forward, only for Kevin Danso’s desperate clearance to spare his embarrassment.
This was nothing compared to a bicycle kick in his own area that connected with Ethan Ampadu’s head, leaving the Leeds captain in a heap.
The Video Assistant Referee merely confirmed what everyone else in stadium knew, De Zerbi raising his eyes to the heavens as Dominic Calvert-Lewin slammed home the penalty.
After being a relatively low-key presence in his early Spurs games, which have included vital wins away at Wolverhampton Wanderers and Aston Villa, this was the night when the Italian’s combustible temperament bubbled throughout.
De Zerbi jumped up and down on the spot in disgust at slow play from his team in the first half, then incurred the wrath of referee Jarred Gillett, who delivered a touchline dressing down as the Italian repeatedly left his technical area.
He received a yellow card as things threatened to boil over late on, with 13 minutes of added time increasing the unbearable tension around the stadium.
No wonder De Zerbi looked so frustrated at the final whistle, because the door to survival that opened wider when West Ham lost so contentiously to Arsenal on Sunday, suddenly closed again as they missed the chance to open up a significant four-point advantage going into the final two games of the season.
De Zerbi told Match of the Day the pressure of their situation may have had an impact on his players.
“We didn’t play a great game – we played a good game,” De Zerbi said.
“I think we deserved to win anyway but maybe the pressure, the crucial game, the crucial part of the season, we suffered too much.
“Anyway I am happy because I watched my players with the right spirit, with the right mentality.
“We made too many mistakes. If we want to win we have to reduce the mistakes, but we knew before this game it will be tough until the end of the season, until the last game. It is tough for us and tough for everyone.”
On Tel, he said: “He is young and is a talent. I will kiss him and hug him. He doesn’t need too many words. He was sorry for the mistake. It can happen to a young player.”
De Zerbi added: “I think we have to consider the result, but we also have to consider the performance. We played a good game, we are making points – in the last four games we made eight points.
“Congratulations to Leeds. They played a great game. They have to play the last game at West Ham and we’ve no doubt that they will play the same way.”
One player who deserved a hug and a kiss from De Zerbi was goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky, whose redemption arc from the trauma of being taken off after 17 minutes of the Champions League last-16 first leg at Atletico Madrid continued.
Kinsky made two superb saves, one from Joe Rodon’s header in the first half, and another that preserved a point when he showed stunning reflexes to turn Sean Longstaff’s stoppage-time shot on to the bar.
They could just turn out to be the saves that keep Spurs in the Premier League.
And that fight now looks likely to go to the final game of the season.
If West Ham can win at Newcastle United on Sunday evening, Spurs will be back in the bottom three when they travel to Chelsea for their next game on 19 May. The Blues would take ghoulish delight in prolonging their agony to a final game at home to Everton.
If it does go to the last game, Spurs will have to reverse a worrying trend as their last home win in the league was against Brentford in December, drawing their last two under De Zerbi against Brighton then here against Leeds.
In desperation to snatch a winner, De Zerbi sent on James Maddison for his first action since sustaining a serious knee injury in pre-season. He looked lively, feeling he had won a penalty when he went down under challenge from Lukas Nmecha, but the Leeds player got a touch on the ball first.
De Zerbi’s body language – not exactly difficult to read – screamed frustration.
It was echoed by everyone of a Spurs persuasion – and life is unlikely to get any easier as their battle to avoid an embarrassing drop into the Championship now looks like it could go to the final day of this turbulent, chaotic season.
