PETALING JAYA: 'Tis the season for durians again, and Malaysians are going crazy for it – proven by the number of online searches for the thorny fruit. Malaysia’s durian production was also self-sufficient to meet local demand. In second place is “fruit durian”, followed by “buah durian” (durian fruit) and “harga durian” (durian price). This was mainly due to lower fruit production so far this year, which drove up current prices. “Durian season began in late May in Penang, followed by Johor and Pahang in early June.

Following widespread anti-Finance Bill protests, President William Ruto on Wednesday reaffirmed his campaign promise to end State-instigated abductions as a political tool amid a wave of disappearances. Enforced disappearancesInterestingly, President Ruto had said that there have been no enforced disappearances in his time as Head of State, before turning around to claim that all abducted individuals had been released. The Kenya National Commission on Human Rights documented over 300 killings and enforced disappearances instigated by the government. While the total number of enforced disappearances throughout Kenya’s history has never been documented, the number is certainly in the thousands. The Kenya National Human Rights Commission (KNHRC) has documented 82 enforced disappearances in the last five years alone.

Donald Trump said Joe Biden had done a "poor job" on the economy. He's done a poor job," Trump said during CNN's head-to-head debate with Biden in Atlanta, Georgia. Surge in inflationA post-pandemic supply crunch and the war in Ukraine helped fuel a surge in US consumer inflation, which hit a multi-decade high in 2022. Because inflation has remained high for a number of years, consumer prices have now risen by around 20 percent since January 2021, when Biden took office, according to the Labor Department's consumer price index (CPI) inflation calculator. In contrast, consumer prices rose by less than six percent during the same timeframe under Trump.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has handed the Order of Honor to the President of the Republic of the Congo Denis Sassou Nguesso. The Russian president’s decree honouring the African nation’s leader with the award was published this morning. The document says that Sassou Nguesso has been honoured with the award "for his major contribution to boosting and strengthening relations between the Russian Federation and the Republic of the Congo." Putin and Sassou Nguesso have already held a one-on-one meeting and delegation members are now expected to join them for negotiations. This year marks 60 years of diplomatic relations between Russia and the Republic of the Congo.

President William Ruto's Wednesday memo declining to assent to the contentious Finance Bill, 2024 meant that the Bill no longer exists, constitutional lawyer, Dr Ekuru Aukot has said. This is despite National Assembly Moses Wetangula committing the memo to the Departmental Committee on Finance to consider the President’s reservations and recommendations. Reacting to Wetangula’s decision to commit the memo to the committee led by Molo Member Parliament Kuria Kimani Aukot told the Star there is no Bill because the President deleted it entirely. "As we speak we don’t have a Bill because the President has said in his memoranda 'delete the entire Bill' so we don’t have a bill as we speak, there is no Finance Bill. MPs are currently on recess and are expected to resume sittings on 23rd July, 2024.

We can also report authoritatively that following enormous pressure from the youthful protesters, Prezzo Ruto has instigated drastic staff cuts in his communications office so he’s now relying on ChatGPT to his write speeches. This explains the dissonance between Chat-GPT scripts and what Prezzo Ruto intended to convey to the nation this week. I understand Prezzo Ruto had intended to send them to the streets of Nairobi to quell the riots. Some chaps filmed feeding greedily at the Parliament canteen at the height of the protests denied that their behaviour was “unparliamentary’’. Instead, they said they would head to Parliament because Parliament was now an extension of the presidency.

Military PuzzleOn Thursday mid-day, a fleet of military trucks made a beeline, and suffered challenges (more on this later), towards Nairobi's Central Business District. Quick Facts: In the morning, KDF deployed armoured vehicles in specific parts of Nairobi, particularly roads leading to State House. Whenever KDF officers are deployed to assist the police in maintaining peace, they are referred to as military police officers. While on the streets, military police officers are allowed to arrest an individual or confiscate an item. Military officers enjoy heightened powers on the streets since a police officer cannot assume command over them and vice versa.

Haitian gang leader Jimmy ‘Barbecue’ Chérizier is now calling for community dialogue to help end violence in the Caribbean nation. ‘Barbecue’ said he believes that the new interim Prime Minister, Garry Conille, can help end violence in Haiti using local solutions. The deployment of the first batch of 400 Kenyan officers was delayed due to the resignation of transitional Prime Minister Ariel Henry. Mr Conille said on Tuesday that he was joyful over the arrival of Kenyan officers in Haiti. President William Ruto flagged off the 400 Kenyan officers on Monday before they left for Haiti.

By REUTERS More by this AuthorKenyan police put up roadblocks on streets leading to the state house on Thursday as some protesters vowed to "occupy State House" despite the president's climbdown on proposed tax hikes that sparked a week of demonstrations. Read: Ruto declines to sign Finance Bill to law"The enemy was the finance bill," one said in a post on X. "Right now, is not about just the finance bill but about #RutoMustGo," one protester, Davis Tafari, told Reuters in a text message. He added, "We occupy State House for dignity and justice," referring to the president's formal offices and residence. Read: Kenya Finance Bill: Why has it triggered protests?

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MK Party parliamentary leader John Hlophe incorrectly claimed that "the Queen" owns all the land in the UK and that "everybody else has a 99-year lease". On Tuesday, shortly after being sworn in as an MK Party MP, Hlophe explained the party's intention to change the Constitution. "We are also not apologetic in our call for the law to be Africanised," he said.

The members of parliament laughed at the journalist who asked President William Ruto about securing development for the country. What did the journalist ask President Ruto? President Ruto was heard attempting to calm the laughing MPs, assuring them that the journalist's question was valid. President Ruto declines to sign the Finance Bill 2024Earlier, TUKO.co.ke reported that Ruto announced the withdrawal of the unpopular Finance Bill 2024. In a televised address to Kenyans, Ruto stated he had deliberated on the citizenry's concerns and consulted the lawmakers in his faction before making his decision.

The responsibility for security in Haiti is a shared responsibility," says Mr Ruto. On a recent visit to Washington, Mr Ruto also mentioned wanting to boost Kenya's international standing in this arena. But at home, President Ruto is facing significant opposition and Kenya’s High Court has ruled that the deployment is unlawful. Mr Ruto defended the police, saying "legitimate" protests had been "hijacked by a group of organised criminals." It also accused Kenyan police of killing dozens of protesters last year and unlawfully arresting and detaining others.

"Go Green with Taiwan", a campaign launched by the Taiwan External Trade Development Council (Taitra), has invited eco-conscious businesses and entrepreneurs across Africa to apply for a chance to win a prize for developing innovative green products and solutions. The competition aims to identify and celebrate cutting-edge green products and solutions that have the potential to make a positive impact on the environment. Proposals will be evaluated based on public resonance, feasibility, innovation and integration of Taiwanese green products and solutions. The top 3 winners of the Go Green with Taiwan competition will receive a prize package that includes $20,000 (about Sh2.6 million) and a fully sponsored trip to Taiwan for the awards ceremony. The winners will also receive mentorship from industry experts as well as marketing and promotional support.

By REUTERS More by this AuthorZimbabwean police beat dozens of opposition supporters and arrested several outside a court in the capital Harare on Thursday, after Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) party members were denied bail following their arrests two weeks ago. A Harare magistrate denied bail to the party's interim leader Jameson Timba and 78 activists arrested on June 16 for holding a political gathering which authorities said was unauthorised. Timba took over as interim leader of the CCC after former leader Nelson Chamisa quit the party in January, alleging it had been hijacked by the ruling Zanu-PF party. AdvertisementThe activists were denied bail on concerns they would cause public disturbances and interfere with witnesses in the state's case, their lawyer Agency Gumbo told reporters outside court after the online bail hearing. "We don't believe there are any compelling reasons to deny the accused persons bail."