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Kenya cult death toll rises to 95 as government sets curfew

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:37 GMT

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — The latest death toll in Kenya’s cult investigation has risen to 95 as the government announced a dusk-to-dawn curfew on the ranch owned by a pastor who is accused of ordering his followers to fast to death.Journalists and human rights activists on Wednesday were barred from accessing the 800-acre (320-hectare) ranch, which has been declared a “disturbed area and an operation zone.”Pastor Paul Makenzi, who was arrested for allegedly directing his followers to fast to death in order to meet Jesus, remains in police custody until at least May 2. He heads the Good News International Church.Police say they took 22 people into custody during Wednesday’s search and rescue operation. Authorities have rescued 34 people from the property, which is near the town of Malindi, since police raided the ranch earlier this month.The Kenya Red Cross Society said that 314 is the latest missing persons figure. Movement will now be restricted on the ranch for 30 days.“Curfew orders...

Missouri judge to weigh transgender health care rules

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:37 GMT

CLAYTON, Mo. (AP) — Whether a first-of-its-kind rule placing strict regulations on gender-affirming care in Missouri kicks in Thursday is in the hands of a judge.Republican Attorney General Andrew Bailey’s office is set to defend his unusual emergency rule before St. Louis County Circuit Judge Kristine Kerr on Wednesday.Transgender Missourians and health care providers sued Monday, asking Kerr to block the rule. Bailey has touted the emergency restrictions as a way to shield minors from what he describes as experimental medical treatments, although the regulations apply to health care for adults as well. Those suing argue Bailey sidestepped the GOP-led Legislature and acted beyond his authority in attempting to regulate gender-affirming health care under the state’s consumer-protection laws.The rule would “essentially outlaw, on less than two weeks’ notice, virtually all medically-necessary treatment for gender dysphoria in Missouri, treatment that is supported by every major ...

Bank of Canada considered raising interest rates at its last meeting

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:37 GMT

OTTAWA — The Bank of Canada considered raising interest rates earlier this month, as it feared being too slow to react to sticky inflation.In its summary of deliberations released Wednesday, the central bank says its governing council contemplated another rate hike. The main arguments in favour of another rate hike were resilience in economic growth, potential challenges bringing inflation down from three to two per cent and the risk of waiting too long to respond to stubborn inflation.While the central bank appears confident that inflation will fall to three per cent by mid-year, it remains concerned that the return to two per cent inflation may take longer as the cost of services remains elevated.Ultimately, the Bank of Canada maintained its key interest rate at 4.5 per cent on April 12 and decided in favour of waiting for more economic data to determine whether rates need to rise further. “Governing council agreed at this decision to maintain the target for the overnight ra...

Development in the Greenbelt could put dozens of species in peril

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:37 GMT

From under the water to up in the air, Duffins Rouge Agricultural Preserve (DRAP) is filled with hundreds of species, including eagles, herons, deer, salmon and wood frogs. The river running through the preserve feeds other parts of the Greenbelt, and experts say the land is some of the best farmland in the country.This 5,000-acre area, often referred to as the crown jewel of the Greenbelt, has been protected from development until the Ford government repealed its preservation last November. Now this land is expected to be turned into housing — but it won’t be lost without a fight.Jean and Robert Hilscher are avid bird watchers in the area. They were in Duffins Rouge when CityNews visited the preserve in mid-April.“This is a corridor, people don’t know that millions of birds are coming over and they’re tired after flying over lake Ontario,” explained Robert. “One of the key places they look to come down because of the right vegetation and food is ...

Flooding Mississippi River prompts evacuations, sandbagging

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:37 GMT

Communities along the Upper Mississippi River scrambled Wednesday as the always massive river swelled to near record levels, forcing some to be evacuated from their homes while others downstream stacked sandbag walls and closed off flood-prone areas near the waterway.The river has grown so large because of a huge snowpack in northern Minnesota that began to quickly melt last week due to rising temperatures.A small number of people had to leave their homes in Wisconsin as the river kept rising. Others were stacking sandbags in the small community of Buffalo, Iowa, in anticipation of flooding this weekend and early next week.The Mississippi was expected to be especially high along parts of Wisconsin, and crest Wednesday or early Thursday in La Crosse. In Iowa, forecasts predict the river will reach the third-highest level ever recorded when it crests Saturday about 160 miles to the south in Davenport, Iowa.Improved floodwalls and other temporary measures should prevent significant pro...

Mississippi jail escapee surrounded, believed dead

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:37 GMT

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Authorities hunted Wednesday for four inmates, including one suspected of killing a man and stealing his pickup truck, who escaped over the weekend from a Mississippi jail that has been under federal scrutiny.Leake County Sheriff Randy Atkinson told WJTV-TV that the suspect in the killing, 22-year-old Dylan Arrington, is believed to be dead after he barricaded himself inside a burning home near Conway, Mississippi, Wednesday morning. The suspect shot a deputy from within the home, the Leake County Sheriff’s office said in a statement on their Facebook page, adding that the deputy was transported to a hospital where he was stabilized. “The situation continued for roughly two hours before it was resolved,” the office said. No further explanation of what that meant was given in the statement. Multiple law enforcement agencies were searching parts of the state, with the Leake County Sheriff’s Office telling residents to “please keep your doors loc...

HBCUs capitalize on growing interest by adding sport options

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:37 GMT

The outrage, frustration and emotional trauma Jahi Jones felt as he watched video of police murdering George Floyd three years ago compelled him to seek ways to lift up other young Black men. He just wasn’t sure how to do it.Jones had attended the University of Maryland on an academic scholarship and was a walk-on for the wrestling team. He became team captain, competed at the NCAA championships and earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees. He later noticed that, in 2021, Black men made up half the 10 Division I national champions but fewer than 10% of Division I wrestlers. That’s when everything started to click.“I would start thinking about ways that I could get involved to help inside of the wrestling community and just make things more fair and equitable,” he said. “It was just seeing the lack of diversity, but also seeing that … we excel inside the sport, but (we are) just not having those same opportunities to develop.”Now 25, Jones is the executive...

Union says government not budging on bargaining position or public service wage offer

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:37 GMT

OTTAWA — The president of the largest federal public service union says the government isn’t budging on its contract offer to federal workers that would see a nine per cent wage increase over three years.Chris Aylward says the government told the union by email Tuesday evening that it would not move from its latest offer, signalling a stalemate in the negotiations.Today marks day eight since 155,000 public servants walked off the job to call for higher wages, and work-from-home provisions, among other things.Aylward says the union has adjusted its initial ask for a 13.5 per cent wage increase to keep up inflation but he will not say what the new wage request is.Treasury Board President Mona Fortier says in a written statement today that she wants to make an agreement quickly, but the government won’t sign an agreement that Canadians can’t afford.The parties remain at the negotiating table while the strike continues. Aylward called on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau t...

MSI employees demand management stay neutral ahead of vote to unionize

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:37 GMT

CHICAGO — Museum of Science and Industry employees are trying to become the next cultural workers in the city to unionize — but organizers say management at the museum have been fighting the process and have called union organizers bullies.About 20 MSI employees held a rally Wednesday morning demanding management to stay neutral ahead of the vote to unionize.Workers also say since starting discussions to form a union, coffee machines appeared in break rooms and upper management were being overly nice to themUnion organizers say management at MSI is following the union-busting playbook. Organizers signed and delivered a letter to MSI President and CEO Chevy Humphrey, demanding management a fair process.If approved, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFCME) would represent close to 150 museum workers, known as MSIWU.If workers do vote to unionize they would be joining cultural workers across the nation and at the Field Museum and Art Institute, who have...

Gurnee middle school teacher assaulted while breaking up fight, police say

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:37 GMT

GURNEE, Ill.  — An investigation is underway in Gurnee after a teacher suffered a leg injury while breaking up a fight between two middle school students. The incident occurred just after 11 a.m. Tuesday at Woodlawn Middle School. According to police, two 7th graders had a physical altercation and the teacher tried to intervene. "During the scuffle, one of the involved students assaulted the teacher, who sustained a leg injury," police said. Read more: Latest Chicago news headlinesThe teacher was transported to Advocate Condell Medical Center in Libertyville for medical aid. One student in the fight sustained minor injuries and was treated at the school.