Author: chicagoinquirer

by Emeka Obasi Secondary Schools soccer in the old East Central State was dominated by Holy Ghost College  (Hogosco ) Owerri until 1975 when some Protestants from Onitsha stopped the Catholic School. Dennis Memorial Grammar School ( DMGS) came out with a killer squad. Their hitman, Nwachukwu Onyekwelu, better known as Igaliga, was unstoppable. In the grand finale, he roasted Hogosco, forcing coach Sunny ‘Soccer’ Aguta to introduce keeper Kingsley Ufere. It was an unbelievable scoreline. Arugo, champions in 1971 and again in 1974, had never been so humiliated. Igaliga scored three goals and the Anglican school stood 5 -…

by Mae Anderson Fox Corp.’s $787.5 million settlement with Dominion Voting Systems over defamation charges is eye-popping, but the ultimate cost to the media company is likely to be much lower. On Tuesday, Fox settled with Dominion over charges that Fox News baselessly accused the company of rigging its voting machines against former President Donald Trump in 2020. It was the most-watched media libel case in decades. Fox had about $4 billion of cash on hand as of December 2022, and MoffettNathanson analyst Robert Fishman expects the company to pay the settlement during the current quarter. How much the lawsuit…

by Edgar H. Clemente TAPACHULA, Mexico  — Around 3,000 migrants set out Sunday on what they call a mass protest procession through southern Mexico to demand the end of detention centers like the one that caught fire last month, killing 40 migrants. The migrants started from the city of Tapachula, near the Guatemalan border. They say their aim is to reach Mexico City to demand changes in the way migrants are treated. “It could well have been any of us,” Salvadoran migrant Miriam Argueta said of those killed in the fire. “In fact, a lot of our countrymen died. The…

by Greg Beacham LOS ANGELES  — LeBron James and the Lakers came out in front of this franchise’s first sellout playoff crowd in a decade and immediately produced one of the greatest first quarters in team history. Los Angeles leaped to a 35-9 lead amidst one raucous ovation after another from fans eager for a return to the Lakers’ tradition of playoff success. After all those first-quarter fireworks, not even Ja Morant could carry the Memphis Grizzlies all the way back to prevent the Lakers from seizing Game 3. Anthony Davis had 31 points and 17 rebounds, James finished with…

by Agency reports NAIROBI, Kenya  — Thirty-nine bodies have been found so far on land owned by a pastor in coastal Kenya who was arrested for telling his followers to fast to death. Malindi sub-county police chief John Kemboi said that more shallow graves have yet to be dug up on the land belonging to pastor Paul Makenzi, who was arrested on April 14 over links to cultism. The total death toll is 43, because a further four people died after they and others were discovered starving at the Good News International Church last week. Police have asked a court…

by Joey Cappelletti LANSING, Mich.  — When U.S. Rep. Elissa Slotkin announced plans to run for a critical Senate seat in Michigan, many Democrats were pleased. The three-term Lansing-area congresswoman was among the stars of last year’s midterm election, handily winning one of the nation’s most expensive contests. The magnitude of her victory in what was expected to be a narrow contest has largely dissuaded other prominent Democrats from challenging her for the Senate nomination and so far, no high-profile Republican has stepped forward. Slotkin’s entry into the race has helped reassure Democrats that in a year when they are defending twice as many…

by Agency reports KHARTOUM, Sudan  — Foreign governments evacuated diplomats, staff and others trapped in Sudan on Sunday as rival generals battled for a ninth day with no sign of a truce that had been declared for a major Muslim holiday. While world powers like the U.S. and Britain airlifted their diplomats from the capital of Khartoum, Sudanese desperately sought to flee the chaos. Many risked dangerous roads to seek safer spots or crossed the northern border into Egypt. “My family — my mother, my siblings and my nephews — are on the road from Sudan to Cairo through Aswan,”…

by Brian Mahoney NEW YORK  — All Joel Embiid could give the Philadelphia 76ers on Saturday was encouragement. The NBA’s leading scorer and MVP finalist couldn’t play because of a sprained right knee, but still provided a presence for his team. “It starts with Joel,” guard Tyrese Maxey said. “He’s the leader of this team and for him, he takes the guys before the game and he told us good luck and we appreciate him for that. And we need him to get healthy.” The 76ers bought him plenty of time to do that. Tobias Harris had 25 points and…

by Mathew Lee, Tara Corp and Aamer Madhani WASHINGTON  — U.S. special operations forces carried out a precarious evacuation of the American embassy in warring Sudan on Sunday, sweeping in and out of the capital, Khartoum, with helicopters on the ground for less than an hour. No shots were fired and no major casualties were reported. With the last U.S. employee of the embassy out, Washington shuttered the U.S. mission in Khartoum indefinitely. Left behind were thousands of private American citizens remaining in the east African country. U.S. officials said it would be too dangerous to carry out a broader…

by Mathew Lee, Tara Corp and Aamer Madhani WASHINGTON  — President Joe Biden said late Saturday that U.S. military evacuation of U.S. embassy personnel in Sudan has been completed and called for end to the “unconscionable” violence. Biden thanked U.S. troops who carried out the mission to extract American staffers in Sudan, as Washington shuttered the U.S. mission in Khartoum indefinitely. The staffers were airlifted to undisclosed location in Ethiopia, according to two U.S. officials familiar with the mission. U.S. troops carried out the mission as fighting between two armed Sudanese rivals —which has left more than 400 dead, put…