Kenya has signed a $1.2 billion deal with China Road and Bridge Corporation to expand Nairobi’s Jomo Kenyatta International Airport

The country’s transport minister, Davis Chirchir said that Nairobi had appointed Africa’s Trade and Development Bank and the Africa Finance Corporation to arrange financing for the project that will nearly triple the airport’s capacity to 22 million passengers a year.

The plan includes a new passenger terminal and the rehabilitation of existing runways and aprons.

In 2024, Kenya was forced to put the project on hold when it cancelled a deal with India’s Adani group after US bribery and fraud indictments against its founder, Gautam Adani.

The resumption of the project comes as Nairobi’s position as East Africa’s leading aviation hub is under threat from Rwanda and Ethiopia, both of which are increasing investment in their own airports in an effort to bring in more airlines and passengers.

The plan includes a new passenger terminal and the rehabilitation of existing runways and aprons.

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Back-to-back powerful earthquakes struck off the coast of Venezuela on Wednesday evening, causing widespread damage, collapsing buildings and sending panicked residents into the streets.

The 7.2 and 7.5 magnitude earthquakes roiled the region, with buildings evacuated in cities and areas spread as far as Brazil’s Amazon about 1,700 kilometers (1,050 miles) away.

In a brief address to the nation late Wednesday, acting President Delcy Rodríguez said the earthquakes caused damages in several states, but she did not give any figures of homes and buildings damaged, injures or fatalities.

The earthquakes damaged the country’s main airport, Simón Bolívar International Airport, severely enough to lead to its closure, she said, adding that classes are being canceled for several days.

“We urge our population to remain calm,” Rodríguez said. “We urge unity.”

Rodríguez also asked all health care professionals in the country to report to hospitals to assist anyone who was injured.

In the state of Falcon, Gov. Victor Clark said 32 people had been hospitalized and more than four hours after the earthquake there were still 15 people trapped.

A former British Airways pilot has been sentenced to more than eight years in prison after admitting to raping a 12-year-old girl he groomed on social media and drove nearly 200 miles to meet.

Kwame Yeboah, 30, from Reading, pleaded guilty at Liverpool Crown Court to three counts of rape and one count of sexual assault of a child under 13. The court heard that the Ghana-born pilot initially met the victim on the online chat platform Omegle before continuing to groom her via Instagram.

Prosecutors described Yeboah as a dangerous predator who travelled in his Mercedes from Reading to the Wirral in Merseyside, covering over 200 miles, with the intention of sexually abusing the schoolgirl. He raped her twice in his car after arranging the meeting.

Yeboah was sentenced to eight years and four months in custody, with an additional year on extended licence upon release. He has also been placed on the sex offenders register for life, given a 15-year restraining order, and was dismissed by British Airways following his arrest.

The case has highlighted ongoing concerns about online grooming and the exploitation of children on social media platforms. Sentencing judge described the premeditated nature of the offences as particularly serious.

This conviction comes amid broader efforts by UK authorities to tackle child sexual exploitation facilitated through the internet.