Did a goat herder's lucky $200 nugget spark a gold rush in western Kenya?

We begin in Kenya, where the gold rush in West Pokot County is now in its fourth week. The goat herder who found that two-hundred-dollar nugget last month has sparked what local officials are calling the largest influx of prospectors the region has ever seen.

This is in the highlands, near the Ugandan border.

West Pokot is in the Rift Valley, about two hundred miles northwest of Nairobi.

I was thinking of the tea country.

That is further south. The prospectors are panning in stream beds, and a gram of gold at current prices is worth about eighty dollars. The county government says they are working on regulations for small-scale mining.

So people are arriving with pans and leaving with enough to change their circumstances.

If they find it. Most do not. But the hope is what keeps them there.

In Britain this morning, nearly every CrossCountry rail service in the country has been cancelled after a power cut in the Midlands disabled the company's operations center.

How many services?

Virtually all of them. CrossCountry operates long-distance routes connecting Scotland, the Midlands, and the southwest. Passengers at Birmingham New Street and Manchester Piccadilly this morning are calling it the worst-case scenario.

When do they expect service to resume?

The company has not given a time. Engineers are working to restore power to the control center, but ticket holders are being told to check before they travel and that replacement buses will not be available for most routes.

In Ukraine, the country's former defence minister has told the BBC that President Zelensky has questions to answer about corruption in his government.

This is the minister who was dismissed last month.

Oleksii Reznikov. He was sacked in September amid allegations of mismanagement in defence contracts. In the interview, he also called for elections to be held in Ukraine, saying the public deserves a say in how the war is being prosecuted.

Elections are suspended under martial law.

They are. Reznikov's position is that the suspension should be reconsidered. The presidential office has not commented on the interview.

Back in August of last year, a shopping mall in Pennsylvania went into full lockdown after multiple witnesses reported seeing a man with an assault rifle.

One witness told police they saw the suspect cock the weapon and sling it over his shoulder.

Tactical teams converged on the location. The mall was evacuated. Officers executed a textbook apprehension of the suspect.

The weapon was an umbrella.

Also back in August of last year, a woman in Florida was pulled over during a traffic stop. Deputies searched the vehicle and found a small bag of methamphetamine.

The bag was labeled, quote, Bag of Drugs.

The suspect was charged with possession of methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia. Police say she also had outstanding warrants.

Also in Florida last August, a traffic stop turned violent when the suspect allegedly fled on foot and set a pitbull on pursuing deputies. The suspect was tased and taken into custody. He was covered in blood.

No officers were seriously injured. The dog was secured.

And in Finland last August, a man called The Angus won the Air Guitar World Championships in Oulu, bringing his country its first title in twenty-five years.

His name is Aapo Rautio. He goes by The Angus.

Number three on the KRAK 11 animal countdown — Woman Kicks Seal Off Her Boat, posted by guipascale. Two million new views in the last four days.

The Brewers beat the Cardinals last night, six to three. That is fifty straight wins, extending their own franchise record.

Pete Crow-Armstrong walked it off again for the Cubs. They beat the White Sox five to four. That is thirty-eight consecutive games with a walk-off RBI.

Magnus Carlsen defended his chess title at the Esports World Cup for the ninth straight year. Beat Fabiano Caruana four to two.