Author: THE CONNECTING NEWSPAPER

Embracing imperfection As the saying goes, good things take time, and building a lifelong bond with a new furry friend is no different.  Pet parents are often consumed with the initial excitement of bringing a new pet home, but that excitement can fade as a pet experiences the normal challenges of adjusting to a new environment, sometimes leading adopters to return pets to the shelter.However, the Hill’s Pet Nutrition 2024 State of Shelter Pet Adoption Report showed that 2 out of 3 people who did surrender a pet said intervention, like shelter support or pet food pantries, could have prevented…

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Five years ago, Esther Omagwa was one of only two nurses at the Railways Health Centre in Kisumu County, western Kenya. The immense workload often exhausted her, forcing her to turn away clients. Today, the scene at the community health centre is remarkably different. With the nursing staff now expanded to a team of four, Omagwa and her colleagues are better equipped to deal with the load. The health centre’s overall staff has tripled to 30 and this includes specialists for services such as maternal and child health, cardiology, orthopaedics and mental health. “Since we have been able to incorporate…

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J Molley Dumbs Hip Hop For Gospel Music As He Announces New Stage Name. In a surprising turn of events, South African rapper J Molley has announced a dramatic shift in his musical direction, abandoning his established hip-hop career in favour of gospel music. J Molley Dumbs Hip Hop For Gospel Music As He Announces New Stage Name The renowned rapper, who has faced numerous struggles with mental health, committed his life to Jesus Christ a few months ago. Now, he has taken another courageous step by continuing to walk in faith. In a statement, J Molley announced that he…

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The Met Office has forecast “very warm, locally hot weather” for the capital in the coming days. Tuesday could be the hottest day of the year so far, as temperatures could reach 32C.The forecaster has predicted continuous sunshine until Friday evening, with temperatures remaining in the high 20s throughout the week.The warm surge is due to a wave of high pressure across the country and warm air rising from the south, creating dry, fine and sunny conditions and bringing temperatures up.Simon Partridge, a forecaster at the Met Office, said: “There is certainly potential that it could become an actual official…

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From Regan Smith, Simone Biles, Katie Ledecky and Torri Huske, the women of Team USA were the showstoppers at the 2024 Paris Olympics.Of the 40 gold medals won by Team USA, 26 were clinched by the women — an unprecedented feat in Olympic history. In comparison, Team USA’s women captured 23 of the country’s 39 gold medals three years ago in Tokyo, which marked their fourth-highest total and second-highest share (59 percent).   The 6 percent uptick in gold-medal share isn’t surprising by any means. Since the 2008 Beijing Games, Team USA’s women have out-medaled their male counterparts with 308…

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Kyiv, Ukraine – For Oleksandr Antybysh, peace negotiations with Russia should be based on several conditions. “A return to Ukraine’s internationally recognised borders, a ban for Russia to conduct military drills no closer than 300km [186 miles] from Ukraine’s borders”, the bearded serviceman said as he counted out the conditions on his fingers. Antybysh, who co-heads a volunteer group that makes gadgets for speedy gun loading in the northern Ukrainian city of Chernihiv, also told Al Jazeera he wants to see the “full reparation of all losses, material and moral, that have to be calculated by an international commission”. But…

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We’re almost there. The final phase of the dreaded G train summer shutdown gets underway Monday, the last leg in a months-long journey that’s giving commuters headaches until Labor Day. The closures for repairs is being split into three sections: From June 28 to July 5, there will be no service between Court Square and Nassau Avenue in either direction From July 5 to Aug. 12, there will be no service between Court Square and Bedford-Nostrand avenues From Aug. 12 to Sept. 3, there will be no service between Bedford-Nostrand and Church avenues The MTA is running shuttle buses along…

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54 Collective  establishes a new era of venture capital in Africa, offering up to $500,000 in equity and non-dilutive capital and value-add support for its founders. Today, leading African venture capital firm, Founders Factory Africa (FFA), has announced its rebrand and name change to 54 Collective, evolving its business model to better support transformative technology ventures across the continent through catalytic capital and value-add support through its Venture Success Platform.  54 Collective, builds on its exceptional track record of investing in and scaling early-stage ventures in Africa. The new name, 54 Collective, reflects the firm’s ambitious pan-African vision, aspiring to…

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Kwesta Marks His 36th Birthday. South African rap icon Kwesta recently celebrated his 36th birthday, marking another milestone in his illustrious career. Kwesta Marks His 36th Birthday The rapper, celebrated for hits like “Ngud’” and “Spirit,” has long been admired for his consistency in the rap game and his significant contributions to the genre. Kwesta recently took to Instagram to share a message of self-appreciation, referring to himself as the elder or “grootman,” and wishing himself well. “Happy Birthday Grootman,” wrote Kwesta as he shared elegant pictures of himself. Kwesta’s legacy is built on authenticity with over 16 years in…

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The Anaheim Ducks are stuck in the middle of the pond. Their playoff drought has now extended to six seasons, on the back of continuously disappointing play from the team’s veterans. The Ducks now seem fully focused on building a new identity — one built around hard-hitting defensemen, shoot-first forwards, and new head coach Greg Cronin. Their moves this summer reflected that personality-building — though a quiet summer elsewhere will keep their expectations low for the 2024-25 season.Draft1-3: F Beckett Sennecke, Oshawa (OHL)1-23: D Stian Solberg, Vålerenga (Norway)2-35: F Lucas Pettersson MoDo Hockey (Sweden)3-66: F Maxim Massé, Chicoutimi (QMJHL)3-68: F Ethan Procyszyn,…

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