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A Ugandan business turns banana fiber into sustainable handicrafts

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:35:57 GMT

MUKONO, Uganda (AP) — A decapitated banana plant is almost useless, an inconvenience to the farmer who must then uproot it and lay its dismembered parts as mulch.But can such stems somehow be returned to life? Yes, according to a Ugandan company that’s buying banana stems in a business that turns fiber into attractive handicrafts. The idea is innovative as well as sustainable in the East African country. Uganda has the highest banana consumption rate in the world and is Africa’s top producer of the crop. Especially in rural areas, bananas can contribute up to 25% of the daily calorie intake, according to figures from the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization. In Uganda, eating bananas is in many ways embedded in local customs and tradition; for many a meal is incomplete without a serving of matooke, the local word for the starchy boiled mush made from banana cultivars harvested and cooked raw.To harvest the crop, the stem must be decapitated, and in the largest plantations th...

Hamas attack on Israel thrusts Biden into Mideast crisis and has him fending off GOP criticism

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:35:57 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The deadly Hamas militant attack on Israel and the massive retaliation it provoked from Jerusalem have thrust President Joe Biden into a Middle East crisis that risks expanding into a broader conflict and has left him fending off criticism from GOP presidential rivals that his administration’s policies led to this moment.The potential for prolonged and expanding violence could test Biden’s leadership on both the world stage and at home as he tries to navigate between demonstrating unflinching support for Israel and fostering a broader peace in the combustible Mideast, where sympathetic militants were quick to loudly praise the action by Hamas.Lebanon’s Hezbollah group welcomed the attack as a response to “Israeli crimes.” The group, which holds similar goals as Hamas for the destruction of the Israeli state, said its command was in contact with Hamas about the operation. A senior adviser to Iran’s supreme leader also lauded the deadly attack. And Hamas ...

After years in opposition, Britain’s Labour Party senses it’s on the verge of regaining power

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:35:57 GMT

LONDON (AP) — Members of Britain’s opposition Labour Party gather in Liverpool on Sunday for their annual conference with an unfamiliar feeling: optimism.The party has been out of power for 13 years, and in the last national election in 2019, voters handed Labour its worst drubbing since 1935. But with an election due next year, polls put Labour as much as 20 points ahead of the governing Conservative Party, and Labour scored a morale-boosting special election victory in Scotland last week.Power is within the party’s grasp — as long as it doesn’t mess things up.“It was a big step in the right direction, an important one,” Labour leader Keir Starmer said Friday after the special election result. “But we accept this humbly. This is a step on the journey.”Labour’s landslide 1997 election victory under Tony Blair — the peak of its popularity — was a quarter-century ago, and the party has suffered four straight election defeats.The Conservatives have been in power nationally since 2010, ...

Wyoming beats No. 24 Fresno State, ends 2nd-longest win streak in the nation at 14 games

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:35:57 GMT

LARAMIE, Wyo. — Andrew Peasley threw three touchdown passes and nose tackle Cole Godbout had an interception in the final minute of the fourth quarter as Wyoming beat No. 24 Fresno State 24-19 on Saturday night, ending the second-longest winning streak in the nation at 14 games.Wyoming (5-1, 2-0 Mountain West), which had notched dramatic home victories over Texas Tech and Appalachian State, ended a four-game losing streak against the defending conference champion Bulldogs (5-1, 1-1). The win was Wyoming’s first over a ranked opponent since Nov. 19, 2016 (San Diego State).Fresno State hadn’t lost since Oct. 8, 2022, at Boise State, and entered the game with a 5-0 record for the first time since 2013.Peasley finished 19 of 27 for 183 yards with the three scoring passes, and John Hoyland added a 34-yard field goal.The first sign of trouble for Fresno State came in the first quarter. After having scored in 25 straight quarters dating to the final period of the Mountain...

2 killed, 3 hospitalized in Inglewood shooting

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:35:57 GMT

Two people were killed and three others remain hospitalized after a shooting in Inglewood on Saturday night.The shooting was reported around 4:40 p.m. at a parking lot near the intersection of Manchester Boulevard and 12th Avenue, according to the Los Angeles County Fire Department.City officials confirmed one surviving victim remains in critical condition while two others sustained non-life-threatening injuries.The events that led up to the shooting remain unclear as authorities continue investigating.Five people were injured after a shooting in Inglewood on Oct. 7, 2023 (@GLOBALDJMRCEE)Five people were injured after a shooting in Inglewood on Oct. 7, 2023. (Citizen)Five people were injured after a shooting in Inglewood on Oct. 7, 2023. (Citizen)Five people were injured after a shooting in Inglewood on Oct. 7, 2023. (Citizen)Five people were injured after a shooting in Inglewood on Oct. 7, 2023. (Citizen)Five people were injured after a shooting in Inglewood on Oct. 7, 2023. (Citiz...

Diamondbacks chase Clayton Kershaw in 1st inning and rout Dodgers 11-2 in NLDS opener

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:35:57 GMT

Gabriel Moreno’s three-run homer highlighted a six-run first inning for Arizona, and the Diamondbacks battered Los Angeles Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw on the way to an 11-2 victory in Game 1 of their NL Division Series on Saturday night.Merrill Kelly finally beat the Dodgers for the first time. Making his first career postseason start at age 34, the right-hander came in with an 0-11 record and a 5.49 ERA in 16 starts against LA.Kelly limited the NL West champions to three hits in 6 1/3 innings, the last one coming leading off the third on Miguel Rojas' single. He retired 11 in a row during one stretch, struck out five and walked two.Game 2 of the best-of-five series is Monday night in LA.Kershaw staggered through the worst start and shortest of his 16-year career. The three-time Cy Young Award winner got tagged for six runs and recorded just one out in the 100th postseason game at Dodger Stadium.Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Clayton Kershaw, left, reacts as he exits during th...

San Jose State’s huge first half goes for naught as Spartans remain winless all-time at Boise State

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:35:57 GMT

San Jose State’s hopes of playing in its third bowl game in four years took a huge hit on Saturday night after the Spartans squandered a 20-point lead to lose 35-27 to Boise State at Bronco Stadium.The Spartans (1-5, 0-2 Mountain West) jumped out to a 27-7 lead late in the second quarter in large part by forcing three first-half turnovers. But Boise State scored just before halftime and scored the final 28 points in the game as SJSU remained winless all-time at BSU. SJSU must win five of its final six games to become bowl eligible.“I don’t have an answer for what happened in the second half, but we didn’t help ourselves at all,” said SJSU head coach Brent Brennan. “We didn’t score any points and we didn’t get a stop. And that’s just really heartbreaking.”BOISE, ID – OCTOBER 7: Chevan Cordeiro #2 of the San Jose State Spartans passes the ball during the second half against the Boise State Broncos at Albertsons Stadium on October 7, 2023 in Boise, Idaho. Boise State won the game...

Today in History: October 8, The Great Chicago Fire breaks out

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:35:57 GMT

Today in HistoryToday is Sunday, Oct. 8, the 281st day of 2023. There are 84 days left in the year. Today’s Highlight in History: On Oct. 8, 1871, the Great Chicago Fire erupted; fires also broke out in Peshtigo, Wisconsin, and in several communities in Michigan. On this date: In 1914, the World War I song “Keep the Home Fires Burning,” by Ivor Novello and Lena Guilbert Ford, was first published in London under the title ”‘Till the Boys Come Home.”In 1945, President Harry S. Truman told a press conference in Tiptonville, Tennessee, that the secret scientific knowledge behind the atomic bomb would be shared only with Britain and Canada.In 1956, Don Larsen pitched the only perfect game in a World Series to date as the New York Yankees beat the Brooklyn Dodgers in Game 5, 2-0. In 1982, all labor organizations in Poland, including Solidarity, were banned.In 1985, the hijackers of the Italian cruise ship Achille Lauro (ah-KEE’-leh LOW’-roh) killed American passenger Leon Klinghoffer, who...

Legas lead Utah State rally over final three quarters to beat Colorado State 44-24

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:35:57 GMT

LOGAN, Utah (AP) — Cooper Legas threw four scores and Utah State pulled away from Colorado State in the second half for a 44-24 win on Saturday.Colorado State built a 17-0 lead before the Aggies rallied to tie it at halftime.Early in the third, the Aggies (3-3, 1-1 Mountain West) scored two touchdowns in just under two minutes to seal it.Legas threw a 76-yard scoring pass to Terrell Vaughn on the drive’s third play following the second-half kickoff for a one-touchdown lead. On Colorado State’s ensuing drive, the Aggies forced the Rams to go three-and-out and allowed minus-4 yards to force a punt. Legas — again on the drive’s third play — completed a 51-yard scoring pass to Jalen Royals.Legas finished 19 for 29 for 387 yards overcoming a pair of interceptions. Davon Booth ran for 141 yards on 14 carries and scored twice.The Rams acquired a 17-0 lead within the first six minutes when after a field goal, Tory Horton returned a punt 79 yards for a 10-0 advantage. The R...

Quiñónes sparks four-goal first half, Dynamo beat Rapids 5-1

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:35:57 GMT

HOUSTON (AP) — Nelson Quiñónes scored two goals of Houston’s four first-half goals and the Dynamo breezed to a 5-1 victory over the Colorado Rapids on Saturday night.The Dynamo snapped the Rapids’ nine-match unbeaten streak in the series with the win. It was the second time this season Houston had a four-goal first half.Quiñónes picked up his third goal of the season three minutes into the match for Houston (13-11-9) with assists from Griffin Dorsey and defender Erik Sviatchenko. Amine Bassi took passes from Corey Baird and Adalberto Carrasquilla and scored his 10th goal of the campaign for a 2-0 lead. Quiñónes stretched the Dynamo lead to 3-0 in the 28th minute on Héctor Herrera’s 15th assist this season. Herrara trails Atlanta United’s Thiago Almada for the league league by two helpers. Carrasquilla picked up a second assist in the 41st minute on Baird’s eighth netter this season for a 4-0 lead at the half.Colorado (5-16-11) avoided a shutout when Col...