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Kenya’s new tax package angers some backers of president who once vowed to reduce cost of living

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:23:15 GMT

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Kenyans are preparing for tough times after lawmakers approved tax increases that are even unpopular with supporters of the president who once vowed to reduce the cost of living.The doubling of the tax on petroleum products, from 8% to 16%, is expected to have a ripple effect on East Africa’s economic hub, with the prices of goods and services expected to increase.The administration of President William Ruto, who was elected last year, has only made things harder, one supporter said.“He said he was going to make life easier for us hustlers. We are now unable to afford food. Prices are higher than they were before elections,” hairdresser Evelyne Adhiambo said.People earning above 500,000 shillings ($3,500) now will pay 32.5% in taxes, and those making above 800,000 shillings will pay 35%. Combined with a new housing tax of 1.5% and a medical insurance tax of 2.5%, the new burden will see some Kenyans part with about 40% of their income.Teresia Kathina, a c...

Widow of slain Haitian president files lawsuit against suspects seeking trial and damages

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:23:15 GMT

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Attorneys for the widow of slain Haitian President Jovenel Moïse filed a lawsuit Thursday in Florida against those accused in his assassination, which is still under investigation.The lawsuit, which was first shared with The Associated Press, seeks unspecified damages for Moïse’s family and a trial by jury in a push to hold the defendants responsible for the president’s death.“Whatever assets are out there, we will make sure these people will pay,” attorney Paul Turner told the AP.The lawsuit was filed nearly two years after the July 7, 2021 assassination of Moïse, who was shot a dozen times at his private home in an attack that also seriously injured his wife, Martine Moïse. More than 40 people have been arrested in the case, including a former Haitian senator, an ex-government official who worked at an anti-corruption agency and 18 former soldiers from Colombia.Turner said he believes there are more people involved in the presidential assassination who...

Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva’s long-running doping case finally has dates for a hearing

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:23:15 GMT

LAUSANNE, Switzerland (AP) — The long-running doping case involving Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva could finally be decided after dates were set Thursday for a hearing at the Court of Arbitration for Sport.CAS will hear the case, which overshadowed last year’s Beijing Olympics, from Sept. 26-29. It won’t be open to the public.The hearing could finally provide clarity about who won the team figure skating competition in Beijing. Russia placed first with Valieva on its team, ahead of the United States, but no medals have been awarded.Valieva’s positive test for a banned heart medication in December 2021 was revealed at the Beijing Olympics several weeks later.Valieva was 15 at the time and her case prompted concern about the coaching and treatment of teenage skaters in Russia. She was allowed to skate in the women’s competition but placed fourth after an error-strewn routine. She is now 17.The World Anti-Doping Agency and the International Skating Union appealed to C...

Tornadoes, hail and hurricane-force winds tear through west Texas, kill 4 people in small town

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:23:15 GMT

MATADOR, Texas — A line of severe storms produced what a meteorologist calls a rare combination of multiple tornadoes, hurricane-force winds and softball-sized hail in west Texas, killing at least four people, injuring nine and causing significant damage around the town of Matador, a meteorologist said Thursday.A supercell developed about 8 p.m. Wednesday near Amarillo before striking the small town, said senior forecaster Matt Ziebell with the National Weather Service in Lubbock.The storm later produced 109 mph (175 kph) winds at Jayton in addition to hail more than 4-inches (10.2-centimeters) wide, he said.“That is certainly rare to see all at the same time, killer tornadoes, hurricane-force winds and softball-sized hail,” Zeibell said.Wednesday “was definitely a rare combination of high-end wind shear and storms of extreme instability,” according to Ziebell.Ziebell said the weather service would send crews to survey the damage on Thursday and determine the strength of the tornado...

Live updates | French deep sea robot joins search for missing submersible

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:23:15 GMT

Follow along for live updates on the submersible that vanished while taking five people down to the wreck of the Titanic.FRENCH DEEP SEA ROBOT JOINS INTERNATIONAL SEARCH FOR MISSING SUBMERSIBLEA French deep sea robot that can dive to depths of 6,000 meters (19,685 feet) has joined the search for the missing Titan submersible and its five passengers.France’s state-run ocean research institute said Thursday the Victor 6000 is fitted with cameras, lights and robotic arms that could, if Titan is found, assist in raising it to the surface.“With all of its cameras and things, we’re capable of finding things really well in an area 20 to 30 meters (yards) around,” said Olivier Lefort, the fleet director at the French ocean research institute Ifremer. He added that if the Titan is found, Victor 6000 could help attach cables to the submersible in an effort to raise it.The robot was aboard the French ocean research ship L’Atalante, which was working in the Atlantic, 48 hours away, when the Tit...

Stock market today: Wall Street drifts as central banks keep up rate hike pressure on inflation

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:23:15 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks are drifting on Wall Street as central banks cranked up interest rates in their ongoing fight against inflation.The S&P 500 shook off an early decline and was up 0.1% in morning trading Thursday. The majority of stocks in the benchmark index were slipping, but gains from some big technology stocks countered losses elsewhere.The Dow Jones Industrial Average was little changed and the Nasdaq rose 0.1% as of 10:23 a.m. Eastern.The Bank of England raised its main interest rate by a half a percentage point to a 15-year high of 5%. Banks in Norway, Switzerland and Turkey also raised borrowing rates. The interest rate hikes come a day after Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell told Congress that he believes inflation still isn’t under control.The Fed held interest rates steady at its June meeting after raising rates aggressively throughout 2022 and into 2023 to tame inflation that had reached record levels. Inflation has been slowly cooling, but the Fed has ...

‘Forced to flee my country’: Omer Malikyar’s incredible journey to graduation day

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:23:15 GMT

Omer Malikyar graduated from the University of Toronto (U of T) with a double major in Political Science and Canadian Studies, but the journey hasn’t always been easy.  “I was forced to flee my country in 2018,” the 24-year-old said.Malikyar was born and raised in Afghanistan, but as a teenager, his human rights work gained the attention of Islamic Extremists.“I went to summer camp in India, and when I came back, I tried to implement some of the things that I learned,” he explained.“Like gender equality, democracy, these kinds of topics. I decided to contact some community service projects in my community. The conservative society I lived in had some backlashes, and I couldn’t continue. I was forced to flee my country.”Malikyar says he was forced to leave his family behind to flee to the U.S., which presented a new and different set of challenges.“I was there for a month, and then I couldn’t stay in the U.S. because that wa...

Spirit Aerosystems, major airlines supplier, suspends plant operations after labor contract rejected

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:23:15 GMT

Spirit Aerosystems, a major supplier to the world’s largest aircraft manufacturers, is suspending operations at a critical Kansas plant after union workers there rejected a proposed four-year contract and authorized a strike.Approximately 6,000 members of the IAM District 70, Local 839 voted to reject Spirit Aerosystems’ best and last offer after 13 years without a fully negotiated agreement, the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers said in a prepared statement.Shares of Boeing Co. and Airbus slid about 2%, and shares of Spirit Aerosystems Holdings Inc. tumbled 10% at the opening bell. The tentative deal that was rejected had included up to a compounded 34% average pay bump through general wages increases, cost-of-living adjustments, and a guaranteed annual bonus; a 14.7% increase in retirement benefits; increased paid time off; job security enhancements and made Sunday overtime voluntary. A strike is scheduled to start on Saturday. “Most of our ...

Billy Crystal and Queen Latifah look marvelous as they headline this year's Kennedy Center Honors

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:23:15 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — You know you've made a cultural impact when Henry Kissinger quotes your own joke back to you. That's what happened to Billy Crystal, one of five iconic artists selected for this year's Kennedy Center Honors. The others selected for the lifetime artistic achievement award are rapper and actor Queen Latifah, opera singer Renée Fleming, 1970s music icon Barry Gibb and prolific hitmaker Dionne Warwick. All will be honored with the traditional gala celebration at Washington's Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts on Dec. 3. Kennedy Center president Deborah F. Rutter called this year's crop of inductees “an extraordinary mix of individuals who have redefined their art forms.”Crystal, 75, came to national prominence in the 1970s playing Jodie Dallas, one of the first openly gay characters on American network television, on the sitcom “Soap." He went on to a brief but memorable one-year stint on “Saturday Night Live” before starring in a string of movies, including massiv...

Chicago suburb ranks as one of the best small cities of 2023, study says

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:23:15 GMT

(NEXSTAR) - Living in a big city can have its perks, like a shorter commute or more entertainment and dining options. But for some, the thought of living in a bustling big city can be overwhelming. Rest assured, there are numerous smaller cities that can be equally as attractive. After analyzing nearly 300 small cities — with populations ranging from 65,000 to 100,000 — personal finance site SmartAsset ranked each based on access to entertainment establishments, dining options and healthcare facilities, as well as housing costs, poverty rates, unemployment rates and commute time using data made available by the Census Bureau and the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Arlington Heights in Illinois came in No. 5 on the list.Overall, cities in two states, Washington and Michigan, ranked among the most livable cities. This was largely thanks to lower housing costs as a percentage of income, lower unemployment rates, and lower rates of residents living below poverty. Nearly every...