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Kenya tea company suspends operations after protesters burn machines

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:02 GMT

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — A multinational tea company based in Kenya has suspended operations after tea plucking and harvesting machines were burned by protesters citing massive job losses due to mechanization.The suspension of operations at the Ekaterra tea company’s South Rift region farms will affect thousands of employees.The Kenya Tea Growers Association announced Tuesday that all large-scale tea producers in Kenya will scale down operations in solidarity with Ekaterra until security is guaranteed.Casual laborers previously employed to pick tea protested on Monday against the loss of jobs due to the use of machines. They told local media that, additionally, the automation of the picking process is causing more work for employees in the sorting department because machines do not pick the finest tea leaves.They burned five machines and looted tea products from one of the company’s shops.The tea growers association has appealed to President William Ruto to intervene as there have been...

Ottawa announces new trusted-traveller program to speed up airport lines

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:02 GMT

TORONTO — The federal government is rolling out a revamp of its trusted-traveller program to help clear clogged airports as the summer travel season kicks off.Transport Minister Omar Alghabra says a new verified-traveller program will open dedicated security screening lines at six of the country’s biggest airports by June 21.Eligible passengers include NEXUS members, military personnel and aviation workers, who will be able to pass through security more quickly — and keep their shoes and belt on throughout.The announcement comes after months of travel chaos last summer, when a surge in post-pandemic travel demand gummed up terminals and overwhelmed airlines.In March, the Liberal budget laid out $1.8 billion over five years for the Canadian Air Transport Security Authority to improve passenger screening and strengthen security measures at airports.With traveller complaints to the regulator now topping 47,000, the government also tabled an overhaul to its passenger rights charte...

Fans will need to pre-register for free tickets to Paris’ gargantuan 2024 Olympic opening ceremony

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:02 GMT

PARIS (AP) — To pull off the most audacious opening ceremony in Olympic history, French organizers are now — literally — on the same page.France’s government, the organizing committee president for the 2024 Paris Games and the French capital’s mayor signed an 11-page security protocol Tuesday that for the first time publicly laid out some of the gritty details of their planning to shield the unprecedented July 26 opening ceremony from the threats of terrorism, drone attacks and other risks for the massive crowds and 10,500 athletes.A notable change is that the hundreds of thousands of spectators who will watch the open-air gala for free, spread along a 6-kilometer (3 1/2-mile) parade route on the River Seine, will need to pre-register for tickets. French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin, in charge of Olympic security, had been pushing for that shift so throngs of non-paying spectators can be allocated designated spots on the river’s upper embankments, separated fr...

South Korean experts visit Fukushima nuclear plant before release of treated water into sea

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:02 GMT

TOKYO (AP) — A team of South Korean government experts began a two-day tour of Japan’s tsunami-wrecked Fukushima nuclear power plant on Tuesday to examine a contentious plan to release treated but still slightly radioactive wastewater into the sea.Officials from the Japanese government and the plant operator, Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings, were to show the 21-member delegation several facilities related to treatment, safety checks, transport and dilution of the water, Japanese officials said Tuesday. The plan has faced fierce protests from local fishing communities concerned about safety and reputational damage. Neighboring countries, including South Korea, China and Pacific Island nations, have also raised safety concerns. The water discharge plan has particularly been a sensitive issue between Tokyo and Seoul, which are now working to repair long-strained bilateral ties to address bigger challenges such as security threats from China and North Korea.Yoo Guk-hee, the ...

Illinois AG to provide 'significant update' on clergy sex abuse investigation

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:02 GMT

CHICAGO — Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul is holding a press conference Tuesday morning to provide a "significant update" on his office's clergy sex abuse investigation.The press conference is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. in downtown Chicago.In late 2018, then-Attorney General Lisa Madigan began the investigation after accusing the Catholic Church of dramatically underreporting the allegations of clergy sex abuse in the state.At the time, her investigators said they found at least 500 accusations against priests and clergy.In a release, Raoul stated his investigation continues what Madigan started and follows the recent Maryland attorney general investigation. ‘The damage this does is chronic:’ Clergy sex abuse survivor shares story According to the Maryland report, more than 150 Catholic priests and others associated with the Archdiocese of Baltimore sexually abused over 600 children and often escaped accountability.This year, Pope Francis updated a 2019 church law aimed at hol...

Suburban man gets stuck waist-deep in Alaska mud flats, drowns as tide comes in

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:02 GMT

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — A man who was walking on tidal mud flats with friends in an Alaska estuary got stuck up to his waist in the quicksand-like silt and drowned as the tide came in before frantic rescuers could extract him, authorities said.Zachary Porter, 20, of Lake Bluff, Illinois, was submerged Sunday evening as the tide came in, and his body was recovered Monday morning, Alaska State Troopers spokesperson Austin McDaniel told The Associated Press. A member of Porter's group called 911 when they couldn't get him out, but it was too late, authorities said.The accident was the latest tragedy at Turnagain Arm, a 48-mile-long (77-kilometer-long) estuary carved out long ago by glaciers that travels southeast from the Anchorage area and parallels a major highway. At low tide, the estuary is known for its dangerous mud flats made of silt created by glacier-pulverized rocks. At least three other people have gotten stuck and drowned there over the years. Many more have been rescued, ...

Illinois poised to require car makers to create 24/7 carjacking hotline

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:02 GMT

COOK COUNTY, Ill. — A bill headed to the governor's desk will assist law enforcement in finding stolen vehicles by requiring automakers to provide location information.HB2245 passed unanimously in both the Illinois House and Senate and, if signed by Gov. JB Pritzker, will force any car manufacturer which sells its vehicles in the state to create a 24/7 hotline. This hotline would be used by law enforcement, to include 9-1-1 center operators, to obtain a stolen car's location to the best of a manufacturer's technical abilities. Chicago Public School teacher removed after allegedly threatening student with gun Cook County Sheriff Thomas Dart helped to craft the bill and he wants to see similar legislation at the federal level.Dart held a news conference Tuesday morning to discuss the state legislation and what he sees as its impacts on his own fight against carjacking in Cook County. View the full press conference in the video above.

Man, 21, charged in shooting that injured 17-year-old girl on DuSable Lake Shore Drive

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:02 GMT

CHICAGO — A 21-year-old man has been charged in a shooting that injured a 17-year-old girl on DuSable Lake Shore Drive.Carlos Ocampo, 21, faces one felony count of reckless discharge of a firearm.According to police, the girl was traveling in a vehicle in the 2700 block of North DuSable Lake Shore Drive around 7 p.m. Sunday, when she was shot in the lower back by Ocampo. Girl, 17, injured in drive-by shooting in Lakeview He was arrested a short time later after been identified as the offender who discharged the gun, striking the teen.Ocampo is due in bond court Tuesday.

From Tom Ricketts to Heidi Klum, a Chicago pro pickleball team gets plenty of support

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:02 GMT

CHICAGO — Building a franchise from scratch takes enthusiasm, attention to detail, and a lot of support. It's safe to say that a new pro team in Chicago had plenty of it as they've begun their inaugural season in 2023. "We not only wanted to have fun people that we enjoyed being with but ones that had strategic values," said Ron Saslow, who began the process of building the Chicago Slice franchise in Major League Pickleball in October 2022. "At the end of the day, we want the Slice to be more successful so Major League Pickleball could be more successful."Did the founder of Thirty-5 Capital ever succeed in doing so over the past few months. In building the Slice, Saslow was able to get a few big names in sports along with others in the entertainment industry to help get the team going for the 2023 MLP season. Included in that group of owners are model, host, and producer Heidi Klum, Cubs chairman Tom Ricketts, former MLB All-Star David Justice, screenwriter and director Doug Ellin, ...

LeBron James hints at possible retirement in postgame remarks

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:02 GMT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — LeBron James began the final game of his 20th NBA season with the highest-scoring postseason half of his matchless NBA career.He ended the night by questioning retirement after his Los Angeles Lakers were swept out of the Western Conference finals.James set a personal record with 31 points in the first half of Game 4 on Monday night, but he missed two potential tying shots in the final minute as the Denver Nuggets ended the Lakers' season with a 113-111 victory.The 38-year-old James finished with 40 points, 10 rebounds, nine assists and immense frustration after Los Angeles' remarkable late-season surge ended with four consecutive defeats. Although the top scorer in NBA history spoke about himself as part of the Lakers next season, James also said he hasn't made up his mind.“We’ll see what happens going forward,” James said in the final answer of his postgame news conference. “I don’t know. I don’t know. I’ve got a lot to think about, to be honest. Just for me per...