Author: chicagoinquirer

by Greg Beacham LOS ANGELES  — LeBron James didn’t take a shot in the first quarter of Game 3 for the first time in his NBA-record 275 playoff appearances, and the Los Angeles Lakers’ home crowd rumbled with mild uncertainty each time he passed the ball instead. Turns out James and his Lakers were just taking a while to warm up before they steamrolled the Golden State Warriors. Anthony Davis had 25 points and 13 rebounds, a slow-starting James finished with 21 points, eight assists and eight rebounds, and the Lakers took a 2-1 lead in their second-round playoff series…

by Brian Melley LONDON  — In the fairy-tale ending to the ancient pageantry in which King Charles Ill was crowned monarch, he stepped into a gilded horse-drawn carriage with his queen and rode off to his palace. Following closely behind was Prince William, his eldest son and heir, along with his family, including 9-year-old Prince George who is second in line to the throne. The king’s youngest son was nowhere to be seen. On his father’s biggest day, Prince Harry arrived at Westminster Abbey alone and he left alone. The disgruntled Duke of Sussex was assigned to sit two rows…

by Danica Kirka and Jill Lawless LONDON  — King Charles III was crowned Saturday at Westminster Abbey, in a coronation ceremony steeped in ancient ritual and brimming with bling at a time when the monarchy is striving to remain relevant in a fractured modern Britain. In displays of royal power straight out of the Middle Ages, Charles was presented with an orb, a sword and scepter and had the solid gold, bejeweled St. Edward’s Crown placed atop his head as he sat upon the 700-year-old oak Coronation Chair. In front of world leaders, foreign royals, British aristocrats and stars, Charles…

by David Rising KYIV, Ukraine  — Ukraine’s air force claimed Saturday to have downed a Russian hypersonic missile over Kyiv using newly acquired American Patriot defense systems, the first known time the country has been able to intercept one of Moscow’s most modern missiles. Air Force commander Mykola Oleshchuk said in a Telegram post that the Kinzhal-type ballistic missile had been intercepted in an overnight attack on the Ukrainian capital earlier in the week. It was also the first time Ukraine is known to have used the Patriot defense systems. “Yes, we shot down the ‘unique’ Kinzhal,” Oleshchuk wrote. “It…

by Sophie Austin OAKLAND, Calif. — California’s reparations task force is set to wrap up its first-in-the-nation work Saturday, voting on recommendations for a formal apology for the state’s role in perpetuating a legacy of slavery and discrimination that has thwarted Black residents from living freely for decades. The nine-member committee, which first convened nearly two years ago, is expected to give final approval at a meeting in Oakland to a hefty list of ambitious proposals that will then be in the hands of state lawmakers. The recommendations range from the creation of a new agency to provide services to…

by Samy Magdy ASWAN, Egypt  — Sudan’s warring sides were beginning talks Saturday that aim to firm up a shaky cease-fire after three weeks of fierce fighting that has killed hundreds and pushed the African country to the brink of collapse, the United States and Saudi Arabia said. The negotiations, the first between the Sudanese military and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, or RSF, since the fighting broke out on April 15, were taking place in Saudi Arabia’s coastal city of Jeddah, on the Red Sea, according to a joint Saudi-American statement. The talks are part of a diplomatic initiative…

by Danica Kirka and Jill Lawless LONDON  — King Charles III was crowned Saturday at Westminster Abbey, in a ceremony built on ancient traditions at a time when the British monarchy faces an uncertain future. Trumpets sounded inside the medieval abbey and the congregation shouted “God save King Charles” as the ceremony began in front of more than 2,000 guests, including world leaders, aristocrats and celebrities. Outside, thousands of troops, tens of thousands of spectators and a smattering of protesters converged along a route that the king traveled from Buckingham Palace in a gilt-trimmed, horse-drawn carriage. It was the final…

by Danica Kirka and Jill Lawless LONDON  — Tens of thousands of spectators, thousands of troops, hundreds of guests and a smattering of protesters converged Saturday around London’s Westminster Abbey, where King Charles III, a man who waited seven decades to become king, will be crowned with all the pomp and pageantry Britain can muster. And it can muster a lot. There will be crowns and diamonds, soaring music, purple robes and magnificent hats — and a rousing cheer of “God Save the King” inside the abbey and in the streets outside. The church buzzed with excitement and was abloom…

by Josh Boak WASHINGTON — For President Joe Biden, the past few days have raised hopes that the U.S. economy can stick a soft landing—possibly avoiding a recession as the 2024 election nears. Most U.S. adults have downbeat feelings about Biden’s economic leadership, as high inflation has overshadowed a strong jobs market. It’s long been economic orthodoxy that efforts to beat back inflation by the Federal Reserve would result in unemployment rising and the country sinking into recession. But to the president and some economists, the April jobs reportissued Friday challenged that theory with its 3.4% unemployment rate and 253,000 jobs gained. The…

by Samy Magdy ASWAN, Egypt  — Sudan’s two warring generals sent their envoys on Friday to Saudi Arabia for talks aimed at firming up a shaky cease-fire after three weeks of fierce fighting that has killed hundreds and pushed the African country to the brink of collapse, three Sudanese officials said. The negotiations would be the first between Sudan’s military, led by Gen. Abdel-Fattah Burhan, and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, commanded by Gen. Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, since clashes broke out on April 15. According to the three — two senior military officials and one from their paramilitary rival —…