Kenya Airways to offer Delta passengers with connections in Africa

A Kenya Airways Boeing 777-300ER at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport. 

Kenya Airways has won additional business to provide connections for passengers flying to the United States from Liberia through Accra, Ghana.

The new deal came as result of its partnership with American carrier Delta Air Lines.

According to a statement released Friday, Kenya Airways will provide connections between Accra, Ghana and Monrovia, Liberia for Delta passengers.

Delta flies directly from New York City to Accra and has been providing an onward connection for passengers going to Liberia. This will now be taken over by KQ.

“This strategic partnership with Delta Air Lines enhances our presence in West Africa,” said Kenya Airways’ regional manager for West Africa, America, Europe and Asia Pacific, Mr Julius Thairu.

The flights will begin on September 1, 2014 and will operate three times a week on a Boeing 737 aircraft.

“This service replaces Delta’s three-times weekly operations from Monrovia’s Roberts International Airport to Accra, Ghana,” Delta senior vice president for Europe the Middle East and Africa Perry Cantarutti, said.

SkyTeam ALLIANCE

Both Kenya Airways and Delta are members of the SkyTeam alliance, a global partnership bringing together over 20 airlines. The new deal is in line with KQ’s Africa focused strategy. The continent accounts for more than 50 per cent of KQ’s revenue and the airline wants to grow its connections within the continent.

In the 2012/2013 financial year, West Africa was the highest source of revenue for KQ outside Kenya. In West Africa, the airline’s destinations include Cameroon, Ghana, Nigeria and Senegal.

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Dead children sway minds in US

A Palestinian woman weeps during the funeral of nine people in Khan Yunis, in the southern Gaza Strip on July 18, 2014.

My friends throughout the Middle East assume that a large majority of  Americans are favouring Israel in the brutal war that’s being fought in Gaza. But the reality is that our country is quite divided.

According to a recent CNN poll, more Republicans favour the war than Democrats. Yet, the country is split almost evenly on whether we believe Israel is using too much force. A slight majority, 57 per cent, side with Israel.

Graphic images are bombarding Americans. Nearly 600 Palestinians, most of them citizens, have been killed. The UN says that one child is being killed every hour, and those pictures are the most heart-wrenching.

PLENTY OF FICTION

There is also the great debate on social media. Are photos of the dead Palestinian children too graphic? Are they causing harm to the families who’ve already suffered enough?  Are these pictures a true reflection of reality or are they simply propaganda?

There is plenty of fiction. Scrolling through Facebook, I’ve seen many videos that seem real about Israel but are not.

Many have been made by those opposed to the Israeli invasion and place false and incendiary words into the mouths of politicians.

But there is also truth. I will not forget seeing the lifeless legs of a Palestinian child hanging over the edge of a gurney. The child’s face is covered, but the legs are pock marked with shrapnel wounds and pieces of flesh are missing on the feet.

I have seen war, and there is no real way to bring its enormity home.  To see long lines of wounded standing and waiting for the help of a doctor. To see bellies ripped open by bullets. To witness one traumatic, fearful event after another and to be convinced that the violence will not end. To be scared beyond belief, day after day.

The giant truth is the world seems to have blown up in the last ten days. The shoot-down of the Malaysian jet by pro-Russian separatists in Ukraine has produced gruesome and sad images, especially the black hearses driving through crowded Amsterdam streets.

CURLY-HAIRED CHILDREN

Daily photos bleed from the battlefields in Syria, Libya and Iraq. Nigeria is a daily image of suicide bombings and large-scale kidnappings.

Surrounded by two great oceans and two peaceful neighbours, Americans were largely immune to these things until 2001.  The attacks on the Pentagon and World Trade Centre brought the horror of war into American living rooms — the first time since the Vietnam War.

The growth of social media — and the willingness to publish more graphic photos and videos — is an amplifier. That may be one reason why Barack Obama, who promised to remove America from two wars, was twice elected.

I remain devastated by the recent killing of children in a Gaza fishing village. In one photo, there are beautiful, curly-haired children playing on the beach. In the second, there are lifeless bodies. In the third, they are being carried away.

There is an impact on the US. Israel may see itself fighting Hamas, the Iranian-backed fighters who have been reigning rockets down on Tel Aviv. But they are also fighting for world opinion. The killing of children is changing hearts and minds in America.

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Sh33m ivory seized by customs at the Jomo Kenyatta airport

About a quarter tonne of ivory was Friday seized at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport Nairobi.

The 260-kilogramme ivory was packed in 12 cartons which also contained carvings destined for Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Kenya Airports Police Unit Deputy Commander Douglas Kirocho said the cargo was delivered to the Swissport Cargo Terminal by G4S employees on Thursday and booked for transportation with Turkish Airlines.

“When security personnel scanned the packages, they detected a suspicious commodity and that is when we decided to open them today in the morning and check,” Mr Kirocho said,
The cartons contained 1,356 pieces that had been painted black and brown. The ivory was estimated to be worth Sh33.8 million.

According to the Kenya Wildlife Service, the cargo had been declared as exhibition commodity.

“It was stated to have been from the Nairobi Exhibition Company Limited and disguised as wood carvings and painted black and red,” the wildlife service statement said.

Originated

Police are yet to confirm whether the ivory originated from Kenya or was in transit through the airport.

Customs manager Justus Nyamache told the Nation that the cargo unit had become more alert following the increase in illegal consignments.

“We have learnt the tricks used by criminals to transport drugs, ivory and other things and we will not allow them to prosper,” Mr Nyamache said.

The number of people arrested for having ivory continues to rise despite the tough penalties against poachers.

Asian countries have been marked globally as the main importers of banned wildlife products.

Game trophies and other products from ivory and rhino horns are used for making jewellery and medicine.

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Sex offender stops sexually abusing kids after he begins molesting puppy

Terry Davis 

A man was arrested after he chose to molest a puppy rather than a child.
The 44-year-old man pleaded not guilty to three counts of sexual conduct with a female Rottweiler puppy.
Terry Davis of Illinois, a convicted child sex offender, underwent a psychiatric evaluation to see if he was mentally fit to stand trial.
A court psychiatrist has ruled that Davis is fit to stand trial for performing three sex acts with his roommate’s 5-month-old Rottweiler named Lucy.
Davis, who was caught in the act by his roommate, moved into the dog owner's apartment a couple of weeks prior to the incident.
He is now waiting for psychiatrists to decide whether he is a sexually dangerous person. If he is determined to be sexually dangerous to the public, than he could be held in jail until he is no longer considered dangerous.
Davis has a history of sex offenses dating back to 2003. According to the Illinois Sex Offender Registry, Davis was 33 years old at the time of the incident and his victim was 16 years old.
Authorities said that the dog became aggressive after the alleged sexual abuse and had to be euthanized.

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Man sentenced to 18 years in prison for beating daughter to turn her into a lesbian

Donovan Lamar Haynes 

A father was sent to prison after beating his daughter into becoming lesbian.
While some families have a hard time accepting their children who are gay, one father tried to turn his daughter into a lesbian.
Donovan Lamar Haynes smiled as he was handed the sentence of 18 years and nine months in prison for the deadly attack on Ti'Airra Woodward.
The 23-year-old of Flint, Michigan, pleaded no contest to second-degree murder of his two-year-old daughter.
He claimed that he was trying to make her a lesbian so she will not date men like him. Haynes had a history of treating women poorly.
Ti'Airra was found unconscious in the basement of her mother’s home. She was taken to a hospital where she was pronounced dead.
Haynes’ attorney Elbert Hatchett, said that his client was “deranged.” “This case is a case that defies reason, logic and common sense,” Hatchett said.
Ti'Airra’s mother, Nakeesha Woodward, sobbed as her former boyfriend was convicted of first degree child abuse.
She asked the judge to issue the strictest sentence possible.
Haynes will be undergoing psychological counseling while in prison.

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Teen robs Facebook friend at gunpoint after arranging to buy sneakers from him

Sneakers illustration 

Police in Massachusetts, arrested a teen who stole shoes, in a Facebook sale gone wrong.
Approximately 9:00 p.m., two Worcester police officers received a report of an armed robbery.
Police arrived on Dana Avenue, where they met with a 23-year-old male victim, who told them that he had just been robbed at gunpoint after arranging to sell sneakers to a person he communicated with on Facebook.
The victim agreed to meet the person at a location on Dana Avenue, to make the sale. When the victim arrived, the individual pointed a gun at him and demanded the shoes. The suspect fled with several pairs of shoes. The victim was not injured during the incident.
Officers identified the suspect as a 15-year-old male of Worcester. Police located the juvenile and charged him with Armed Robbery and Resisting Arrest. Officers were able to recover the stolen shoes and returned them to the victim.

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Police chief, 75, arrested for molesting 2 elementary school students

Clarence William Gregory 

A police chief is on the wrong side of the law after he was accused of molesting two young girls.

75-year-old Clarence William Gregory, Sr. of Oklahoma, is very well known in his community. He has a long history of high powered positions in the community.

His latest position was as Police Chief of Spavinaw. However, he lost his job over allegations that he has molested two young girls.

An Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigations agent arrested the police chief. Detectives believe that Gregory molested the children for many years.

However, they would not disclose how he knew the girls. Before becoming police chief, Gregory was the school board president.

He also spent many years volunteering as an assistant basketball coach for both boys and girls teams at the local school.

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