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Cuba tobacco farmers recuperate after ruinous Hurricane Ian

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 12:42:42 GMT

SAN LUIS, Cuba (AP) — A neighbor lent him a house to dry leaves, and he had a little fertilizer saved, so he plucked up the courage to plant. Now, Hirochi Robaina can hardly believe the resulting miracle.Robaina, one of the most recognized tobacco producers in Cuba, marvels as he walks through the intense green of plants that have grown more than a meter (three feet) high in the Pinar del Rio region.Six months after Hurricane Ian devastated 80% of the region’s tobacco infrastructure, farmers are trying to recuperate from the disaster. And though they’ll produce less than in past seasons, they say they’ll still be able to harvest the leaves for premium hand-rolled cigars, one of the Caribbean nation’s key exports.“Not a single tobacco house was left standing. There were no warehouses, there was no tree left,” Robaino told The Associated Press, remembering how the storm left the region at the end of September. “Everything broke and at that moment I did not believe it was possibl...

Michigan House approves repeal of state’s right-to-work law

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 12:42:42 GMT

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Michigan’s Democratic-led House approved legislation Wednesday that would repeal the state’s “right-to-work” law that was passed more than a decade ago when Republicans controlled the Statehouse.Repealing the law, which prohibits public and private unions from requiring that nonunion employees pay union dues even if the union bargains on their behalf, has been a top priority for Democrats since they took full control of the state government this year. “This bill is not about making history. It is about restoring the rights of workers from whose work we’ve all benefited,” Rep. Jim Haadsma, a Battle Creek Democrat, said on the House floor prior to the vote.Supporters of the repeal, who poured into the gallery above the House chambers, cheered loudly as the legislation passed along party lines late Wednesday. Legislation restoring the state’s prevailing wage law, which requires contractors hired for state projects to pay union-level wages, was also app...

Volunteers in mountain towns dig out snow-stuck Californians

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 12:42:42 GMT

LAKE ARROWHEAD, Calif. (AP) — After a blizzard swept through Southern California mountains, 79-year-old Alan Zagorsky found himself shut inside his home with snow blocking the door and stairways leading out.He and his wife had enough food to get through the 10 days until volunteers finally arrived Wednesday to help clear roughly 10 feet (3 meters) of snow piled up outside their house in Lake Arrowhead. They had been running low on blood pressure medication, but teams had come a day earlier to resupply them in the upscale mountain community where Zagorsky has lived for more than two decades.“We’ve been through many a snowstorm but nothing of this amount, that’s for sure,” he said, while a crew shoveled his driveway in the mountains east of Los Angeles. “Right now, they’re trying to find a place they can put this stuff.”In a once-a-generation weather event, staggering amounts of snow fell in the San Bernardino and San Gabriel mountain ranges in late February, where thousan...

With stained pants, Kenyan senator fights menstruation taboo

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 12:42:42 GMT

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — The sight of a red bloodstain on Kenyan Senator Gloria Orwoba’s white pantsuit was so startling that a female security guard rushed over to hide it.It was an accident, Orwoba said. Just before walking into parliament, she looked down to discover that she had been caught unprepared by her monthly period.For a moment, she considered retreat. But then she thought about how the stigma around menstruation affects Kenyan women and girls and strode into the building. To those who noticed the stain, she explained she was making a statement.It didn’t last long. Within minutes, colleagues in the senate became so uncomfortable that another female lawmaker petitioned the speaker to ask Orwoba to leave and change her clothes. Male colleagues agreed, calling the issue “taboo and private,” and Orwoba walked out.Women make up less than a third of Kenya’s senators: 21 of 67.A male colleague accused her of faking her accident in parliament, to which she replied in a local ...

Why are migrants in small boats a heated issue in the UK?

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 12:42:42 GMT

LONDON (AP) — The message to asylum-seekers from British Home Secretary Suella Braverman was stark: “If you enter Britain illegally, you will be detained and swiftly removed.”The government hopes that decisive — and divisive — measure will stop tens of thousands of migrants reaching Britain in boats across the English Channel.Behind the tough talk, however, lie a host of legal, practical and ethical questions. Condemned by rights groups and queried by legal experts, the Illegal Migration Bill is the latest in a long line of British government efforts to control unauthorized migration.IS THIS A NEW PROBLEM?The issue is neither new nor unique to the U.K. War, famine, poverty and political repression have put millions on the move around the globe. Britain receives fewer asylum-seekers than European nations including Italy, Germany and France.But for decades, thousands of migrants have traveled to northern France each year in hopes of reaching the U.K. Many are drawn by family ties, the...

AP News in Brief at 9:04 p.m. EST

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 12:42:42 GMT

Lawsuit against Fox shows the news behind the Trump newsNEW YORK (AP) — Fresh revelations flowing from a major defamation lawsuit are shedding light on what was happening inside Fox News following the 2020 presidential election. Here are some things to know about the case.THE CASEDominion Voting Systems is suing Fox for $1.6 billion, claiming the news outlet repeatedly aired allegations that the company engaged in fraud that doomed President Donald Trump’s re-election campaign while knowing they were untrue. Fox contends that it was reporting newsworthy charges made by supporters of the president and is supported legally by libel standards. The case is scheduled for trial next month.ELECTION DISCONNECTDominion has produced evidence that prominent people at Fox knew the fraud allegations were untrue, even as they and the president’s allies were given airtime to repeat them. Fox’s Sean Hannity said in a deposition that he did not believe the fraud claims “for one sec...

Suns’ Kevin Durant out after injuring ankle in pregame slip

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 12:42:42 GMT

PHOENIX (AP) — Kevin Durant’s home debut with the Phoenix Suns will have to wait a little longer.The 13-time All-Star slipped on the floor during pregame warmups and was ruled out Wednesday night against the Oklahoma City Thunder because of left ankle soreness.The game was supposed to be Durant’s home debut with his new team. He has played in three games since being traded to the Suns, but all were on the road. Video showed Durant driving to the basket during warmups when he rolled his left ankle as he jumped. He immediately hopped up and was walking, though he was moving slowly. Several minutes later, the Suns confirmed that Durant would miss the game.Durant is averaging 26.7 points and 7.3 rebounds in his three games with the Suns. Phoenix traded for Durant and T.J. Warren in a blockbuster deal in February, sending Mikal Bridges, Cam Johnson, Jae Crowder, four first-round picks and other draft compensation to the Brooklyn Nets.___AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA and ...

Canadian Olympians push for opposition to Russians in Paris

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 12:42:42 GMT

A group of 42 retired Canadian Olympians urged the Canadian Olympic Committee to reject the idea of allowing Russians to participate in next year’s Paris Games unless Russia withdraws from Ukraine. “We condemn recent public statements issued by the COC supporting the ‘exploration of a pathway’ for Russians and Belarusians to compete as ‘neutrals’ in the 2024 Paris Olympics,” the Canadians wrote in a statement released Wednesday. Opening that door, the athletes said, “sends a message that the COC is no longer concerned with Russia’s brutal invasion of Ukraine.”Signing the statement was a who’s-who of Canadian Olympic greats and gold medalists, including Hayley Wickenheiser (hockey), Jenn Heil and Alex Bilodeau (freestyle skiing), Tessa Virtue (skating) and Beckie Scott (cross-country skiing). Russian and Belarusian athletes have been largely excluded from international competition since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last February. The International Olympic Comm...

Bindi Irwin opens up about endometriosis surgery after struggling with 'insurmountable' pain

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 12:42:42 GMT

(WJW) — Bindi Irwin, daughter of the late Steve Irwin, says that for years she's lived with severe pain. Tuesday, the Australian reality TV star came clean about her struggle with endometriosis and how she recently had surgery to remove legions from her ovaries. Taking to social media, Bindi said she wasn't sure if she wanted to share her medical issues so publicly but ultimately decided other women needed to know they weren't alone. "For 10yrs I've struggled with insurmountable fatigue, pain & nausea," she said in a Twitter post. "Trying to remain a positive person & hide the pain has been a very long road." Rihanna sends flowers to elderly ladies for ‘amazing’ Super Bowl reenactment Irwin went on to explain that, over the last decade, she has undergone many tests and scans, as well as many doctor visits."A doctor told me it was simply something you deal with as a woman & I gave up entirely, trying to function through the pain," she recounted. Ultimately, Irwin said ...

DPS ID 3 victims in deadly Burnet Co. crash

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 12:42:42 GMT

BURNET COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) — The Texas Department of Public Safety identified three people who died in a Feb. 21 two-vehicle crash in Burnet County Wednesday, according to a news release from DPS.The crash occurred at approximately 3 a.m. at State Highway 71 near East Trail Road, DPS said.According to the preliminary investigation, a Ford F-350, occupied by the driver and three passengers, was traveling west on SH 71. A Hyundai, occupied by the driver and two passengers, was traveling east on SH 71. 3 dead in State Highway 71 crash in Burnet County, DPS investigating DPS said the Ford struck the Hyundai in a head-on collision. As a result of the crash, the driver and two passengers in the Hyundai died.The driver was identified as Matthew Lindsey, 23, of San Antonio; the first passenger was identified as Daniella Harris, 23, of San Antonio; and the last passenger was identified as Spencer Jandreau, 24, of San Antonio.The driver and passengers of the Ford were transported to Baylor...