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Kenya’s main airport resumes operations after 2-day strike

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Operations at Kenya’s main airport are set to resume and return to normal after workers on Tuesday called off a two-day strike after reaching an agreement with the transport ministry.

Operations at Nairobi’s Jomo Kenyatta International Airport were paralyzed on Monday, with flight delays of up to six hours, as airlines urged passengers to rebook their travel.

The Kenya Civil Aviation Authority in a statement said operations would resume immediately after a return-to-work agreement was reached with the trade union Tuesday.

The union was demanding better working conditions, pay, and benefits, and discussions on how their demands would be met were held on Tuesday.

The airport is a major transport hub for regional and international travel.

Transport Minister Davies Chirchir reiterated the government’s commitment to ensure the aviation sector remains stable.

Kenya Airways, in a statement, said it was in the process of normalizing the schedule and that “normal operations will resume within the next 24 hours.”

Airport workers issued a strike notice last week after authorities failed to implement part of an agreement with the union. The agreement demanded better labor conditions as well as increased pay and benefits.

Beijing bans 4 New Zealand lawmakers from entering China because they visited Taiwan

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — Beijing banned four New Zealand lawmakers from traveling to China for a year and demanded they apologize because they visited Taiwan on a parliamentary trip, according to a message from the Chinese embassy conveyed via parliamentary officials and shown to The Associated Press on Thursday. China has hit lawmakers from other countries with sanctions related to contact with Taiwan before, but it's the first time for New Zealand parliamentarians, the government in Wellington said. Beijing has been increasing pressure in recent years on the democratically governed island that it claims as its own territory. Two lawmakers reached by the AP on Thursday rejected the demand for an apology, while the other two could not be immediately reached. New Zealand's government said it would express concern about the travel bans to Beijing. The elected officials visited Taipei in May, as New Zealand parliamentarians have done “for decades,” a spokesperson for Foreign Minister Winston Peters said in a statement.
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