Latest news with #AaronRoss
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
US weighing future of military command in Africa, top general says
By Aaron Ross NAIROBI (Reuters) -The United States is assessing the future of its military command for Africa, its top general for the continent said on Tuesday, and called on African governments to make their views on its possible elimination known in Washington. President Donald Trump's administration is considering merging AFRICOM, which became a distinct geographical command in 2008, with the U.S. command in Europe to cut bureaucracy, American media outlets reported in March. Speaking to reporters before a conference of African defence chiefs in Kenya, AFRICOM's commander, General Michael Langley, said he had discussed the issue with officials on the continent. "I've talked to a number of ministers of defence and a few presidents and told them we were assessing," Langley said. He said governments should make their views about AFRICOM's future known through their ambassadors in the U.S. "That's what I tell them. I said: 'okay, if we're that important to (you), you need to communicate that and we'll see'." Before 2008, U.S. military activities in Africa were handled by commands from other regions. AFRICOM's creation reflected rising U.S. national security interests on the continent, including Islamist insurgencies and competition with China and Russia. In West Africa, where groups with ties to al Qaeda and Islamic State have grown in recent years, U.S. security influence has waned following a series of military coups. The putsches forced Washington to pull back on security support and brought to power juntas that have turned to Russia for assistance. Last year, the ruling junta in Niger ordered the U.S. to withdraw its nearly 1,000 military personnel from the country and vacate a $100 million drone base. Langley said the U.S. had nevertheless maintained some intelligence sharing with the military regimes in the Sahel region and was looking for "other ways to continue to stay engaged".
Yahoo
02-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Historic pub reopens promising top food and ale
A PUB in Herefordshire's stunning Wye Valley has reopened to customers. The Hostelrie at Goodrich has been in the village for many years and was originally built in the 18th century. Now with owner Aaron Ross and pub manager Corrin Franks at the helm, the Hostelrie has a new vision to be a rural pub with high-quality food and great tasting ales. READ MORE: 'Amazing news' as pub reaches the final of yet another award Grammy-nominated musician to perform at city bar Rare war medal sold to private buyer for £40,000 Corrin says being based very close to Goodrich Castle and right in the heart of the Wye Valley is a huge draw for not just the nearby village but also visitors such as walkers. "We have a dedicated new team ready to welcome the locals back, Corrin said. It is a great pub, we have fantastic recipes and Goodrich has made it extra special by helping us." The Hostelrie's chef is Corrin's daughter Amy, who has high hopes to give customers honest food in a friendly setting. Sourcing produce from Herefordshire and regional producers, everything will be cooked with care. Also managing the nearby Cross Keys Inn just off the A40, Corrin adds that reopening Hostelrie "has been well received by the community." The new team at the pub did a survey to find out what people's preferences and recommendations were for what makes a great community pub. Out of 77 respondents, the top use of a pub was to use it for drinks and socialising. A popular feature was good quality, well-priced food, enjoying locally-brewed ales and also appreciating event such as quiz nights. New positions are posted on the pub's website including front of house, a junior chef, bar staff and waiting staff. "We have a new challenge and we have hopes to push forward and make Hostelrie succeed, Corrin said. The pub is in a beautiful part of the world." A dog-friendly pub, a large beer garden on offer plus eight en-suite rooms, the Hostelrie has for far had good reviews on Tripadvisor. Good Friday was the official relaunch date and one visitor describes attending the opening evening as "a wonderful night. What a difference! Treated to great food, the game pie was first class. Wye Valley beers on tap, fantastic hosts and lovely atmosphere. Can't recommend highly enough."
Yahoo
17-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Kenya land standoff sends warning to foreign-owned tea estates
By Jefferson Kahinju, Aaron Ross and Monicah Mwangi NANDI HILLS, Kenya (Reuters) - A dispute between a British-owned tea plantation and a local community in western Kenya has come to the boil in what could be a sign of turbulent times ahead for tea producers facing a growing backlash over colonial-era injustices. On the rolling green hills of the Sitoi estate in Nandi County, more than 100 residents are occupying 350 acres (140 hectares) of land, picking tea and living in huts made of mud and rusty iron sheets while grazing their cattle. They say the land was gifted to them in 1986 by Eastern Produce Kenya. EPK, which is majority owned by London-listed Camellia Plc, says the gift was for 202 acres (82 hectares), not the 550 acres (222 hectares) that the local Kimasas farmers' cooperative claims. Kimasas chairman Daniel Biwott said his grandfather lived on the land before it was seized by British colonists around 1905 and that reclaiming the disputed 350 acres would right a historical wrong. "Nothing has happened all these years," said Biwott, standing among knee-high bushes where he, his father and his grandfather once worked as EPK employees. "This is the time to solve it." The standoff follows several violent incidents at estates in Kenya, the world's fourth-leading tea producer. In January, a farm belonging to Sri Lankan-owned Browns Plantations was attacked and more than 100 eucalyptus trees uprooted, according to the Kenya Tea Growers Association (KTGA). The industry group said in a statement that "criminal gangs who appear to enjoy political cover" were behind the "Zimbabwe-like illegal land invasion" of Sitoi, referring to seizures of white-owned farms in the early 2000s. It said EPK was losing over $200,000 per month and the incidents threaten an industry that accounts for nearly a quarter of Kenya's export revenues and supports 5 million livelihoods. Several people working on land issues said the attacks reflect broader frustration with a failure to remedy colonial land grabs. "I have tried hard to use the legal system," said Joel Kimutai Bosek, a lawyer who has brought litigation against tea companies and the UK government on behalf of local communities without success. "I think the new or coming generation will be more aggressive." FEW REMEDIES During the colonial era from 1895-1963, British authorities seized vast tracts of land, much of which became tea plantations, according to a 2021 U.N. report. Awareness of historical injustices has grown since 2010, when Kenya established the National Land Commission (NLC) to address the issue, said Samuel Tororei, who was a commissioner until 2019. But Tororei said the commission's effectiveness was undermined by its limited mandate and an "unholy marriage" between tea companies and political elites. Under Kenya's 2010 constitution, tea companies' previous 999-year leases were reduced to 99 years but activists complain the government has not used its ownership of the land to extract meaningful concessions in land or money for local communities. "The underlying cause of tension is that you have overseas owners of large-scale plantations which are based on land that was taken from the community," said Guy Chambers, managing director from 2015-2022 of Britain's James Finlay, which had tea estates in Kenya until 2023. Kenyan government spokespeople did not respond to requests for comment. The companies say they comply with Kenyan law and accuse some politicians of exploiting historical tensions to undermine their land tenures and advance personal business interests. Other community attempts to reclaim land have yielded little. Legal options are constrained by statutes of limitations and official immunities, the U.N. report said. The private equity firm Chambers runs and a community group in the tea-growing county of Kericho jointly bid last year for estates belonging to CVC Capital-owned Lipton in an arrangement that would have fully transferred control to the community within two decades. Lipton eventually sold to Browns. A spokesperson for Lipton said it chose the best bidder who could help raise standards in the industry. Browns did not respond to a request for comment. In a 2019 report, the NLC called on the British government to apologise to communities in Kericho and provide reparations. The British government has not directly responded to that call. Asked for comment, the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office said: "We are concerned by the attacks on tea farms in Nandi and are in contact with the Kenyan authorities." 'DANGEROUS PRECEDENT' EPK first acquired land in Nandi in 1948. It said the current dispute is not over a historical land injustice but rather a gift made on a "willing donor, willing donee basis". The NLC found in 2019 that all 550 acres belonged to Kimasas. EPK contested that in court, saying Kimasas' evidence was forged. As litigation proceeded, more than 200 people, including a national lawmaker from the area, overran the disputed plot on August 3, 2023 and began plucking tea. A court issued an injunction the following day, ordering them to leave. Most did, but many then returned. In January, squatters attacked a company car and employees, EPK said. The company said police have not enforced the injunction, while the public prosecutor's office told it that any prosecutions risked interfering with the civil case. "If we allow this kind of situation where the younger generations now start saying they don't have enough and they want more, then it is a dangerous precedent that should be stopped at all costs," said EPK general manager Peter Goin. The police and prosecutor's office did not respond to requests for comment. Biwott said Kimasas felt justified occupying the land because there was no final ruling against it.
Yahoo
08-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
South Sudan cholera patients died walking to clinic after US cut aid, charity says
By Aaron Ross NAIROBI (Reuters) -Eight people infected by cholera in South Sudan including five children died on a three-hour walk to seek medical treatment after U.S. aid cuts forced local health services to close, the UK-based charity Save the Children said on Wednesday. The deaths last month are among the first to be directly attributed to cuts imposed by U.S. President Donald Trump after entering office on January 20. The U.S. administration said it froze aid to review whether grants were aligned with Trump's "America First" agenda. Experts have warned that the cuts - including the cancellation of more than 90% of USAID's contracts - could cost millions of lives in the coming years due to malnutrition, AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria and other diseases. The U.S. State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Save the Children supported 27 health facilities in eastern South Sudan's Jonglei State until earlier this year when the U.S. cuts forced seven to shut completely and 20 to partially close, the organisation said in a statement. U.S. funded transport services to take people to hospital in the main local town have also ceased for lack of funds, which obliged the eight individuals to walk in nearly 40°C (104°F) heat to seek treatment at the nearest health facility, it said. Three of the children were under the age of 5, said Christopher Nyamandi, Save the Children's country director in South Sudan. "There should be global moral outrage that the decisions made by powerful people in other countries have led to child deaths in just a matter of weeks," Nyamandi said. Besides the U.S. cuts, more gradual reductions by other donors have strained the humanitarian response in South Sudan. Save the Children expects to spend $30 million in the country in 2025, down from $50 million last year, Nyamandi said. Over a third of South Sudan's roughly 12 million people have been displaced by either conflict or natural disaster, and the United Nations says the country could be on the brink of a new civil war after fighting broke out in February in the northeast. A cholera outbreak was declared last October. More than 22,000 cases had been recorded as of last month, causing hundreds of deaths, the World Health Organization has said.
Yahoo
18-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Congo and Rwanda presidents discuss east Congo conflict in Qatar
By Andrew Mills and Aaron Ross DOHA (Reuters) -Democratic Republic of Congo President Felix Tshisekedi and his Rwandan counterpart Paul Kagame held face-to-face talks on Tuesday mediated by the emir of Qatar to address the conflict in eastern Congo, the three governments said. Tshisekedi and Kagame have been locked in a war of words over an offensive by the Rwanda-backed M23 rebels, who have seized eastern Congo's two largest cities since January. "The Heads of State then agreed on the need to continue the discussions initiated in Doha in order to establish solid foundations for lasting peace," they said in a joint statement seen by Reuters. The United Nations and international powers accuse Rwanda of providing arms and sending soldiers to fight with the ethnic Tutsi-led M23. Rwanda says its forces are acting in self defence against Congo's army and militias hostile to Kigali.
