International
Kenyan President Promises End To Abductions
Kenyan President William Ruto has promised an end to abductions, following the latest spate of disappearances that have been condemned by rights groups, lawyers and politicians.
Security forces in the East African nation have been accused of carrying out dozens of illegal detentions since youth-led anti-government demonstrations in June and July.
The latest disappearances have primarily involved young men who have criticised Ruto online, with rights groups dismissing police denials of involvement and calling for action.
Speaking to a crowd Friday in Homa Bay, a town in western Kenya, Ruto promised an end to the abductions but also told parents to “take responsibility” of their children.
“We are going to stop the abductions so that our youth can live peacefully,” he said, according to local media reports.
Ruto had addressed the issue in his annual state of the nation speech in November, condemning “any excessive or extrajudicial” action.
But he also said many of the detentions were legitimate arrests against “criminals and subversive elements”.
Anger has continued to grow in the country, with the latest abductions sparking small-scale protests in at least one town.
Police have denied involvement but activists have questioned why they appear to not be investigating the disappearances.
“If indeed the police are not complicit,” the Law Society of Kenya said, they must immediately “investigate and prosecute those responsible”.
Human Rights Watch said earlier this year that its research pointed towards a unit drawn from multiple security agencies.
Ruto’s remarks follow recent comments by former deputy president Rigathi Gachagua, who alleged a secret unit was behind the disappearances.
“Abducting these children and killing them is not a solution… This is the first administration in the history of this country to target children for repression,” Gachagua claimed.
International
Death toll in Hong Kong fire rises to 44 with 279 still missing, authorities say
Hong Kong authorities say the fires in four of the buildings have been brought under control, but large plumes of smoke are still hanging over the residential estate.
Photo: AFP
At least 44 people have been killed so far in a major fire engulfing public housing apartments in Hong Kong’s Tai Po district, with 279 people not accounted for.
Three construction company executives have been arrested on suspicion of manslaughter connected to flammable materials, including mesh and plastic sheets, that may have allowed the fire to spread quickly.
More than 800 firefighters are tackling the blaze at Wang Fuk Court, which has been burning for over 18 hours.
The fire has been classified a level five blaze, the most serious level in Hong Kong.
A baby and an elderly woman were rescued during a late-night rescue, local media reports.
Hong Kong authorities say the fires in four of the buildings have been brought under control, but large plumes of smoke are still hanging over the residential estate.
I can smell it in the air. I can also see a number of small fires still burning in the apartment blocks.
Even more fire engines and an ambulance have arrived this morning to help with rescue efforts
BBC.
An Indian fighter jet has crashed while performing a display at an airshow in Dubai, officials have said.
Details later.
A Bangladeshi war crimes tribunal has sentenced former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to death.
The verdict, delivered on Monday, November 17, 2025, follows a months-long trial that found Hasina guilty of ordering a lethal crackdown on a student-led uprising last year. She received a death sentence for the killing of several protesters and a life sentence on charges of crimes against humanity.
The ruling marks the most significant legal action against a former Bangladeshi leader in decades and comes ahead of parliamentary elections expected in early February 2026. There was cheering and clapping in the courtroom as the death sentence was pronounced. The verdict can be appealed in the Supreme Court, though Hasina’s son and adviser, Sajeeb Wazed, said they would not appeal unless a democratically elected government, including the Awami League, is in office.
Prosecutors told the court that evidence showed Hasina directly ordered security forces to use lethal force to suppress protests in July and August 2024. A United Nations report estimates that up to 1,400 people were killed during the demonstrations, with thousands more injured, making it the deadliest unrest in Bangladesh since its 1971 war of independence.
Hasina, represented by a state-appointed defense lawyer, denied the charges, calling the tribunal proceedings unfair and claiming a guilty verdict was “a foregone conclusion.”
Tensions in Bangladesh had escalated ahead of the verdict, with at least 30 crude bomb explosions and 26 vehicles torched in recent days, though no casualties were reported.
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