TUNIS  –     Tunisian President Kais Saied said on Saturday that Tunisia would not accept becoming a border guard for other countries ahead of a planned visit by European leaders concerned at the number of migrants crossing the Mediterranean. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte and European Union Commission Chief Ursula von der Leyen will offer aid when they visit on Sunday, Meloni said on Friday, with Tunisia facing a crisis in its public finances. “The solution will not be at the expense of Tunisia… we cannot be a guard for their…

ABUJA  – Nigeria’s downstream oil regulator has alleged ExxonMobil Corp was involved in the illegal lifting of petroleum products from an offshore terminal, according to a letter of complaint to the petroleum ministry seen by Reuters. Exxon denied the accusation, saying in an emailed response that its “operations are carried out in full compliance with the law”. The Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) said in the letter that Barumk Gas, a shipping vessel, was lifting butane from the ExxonMobil-controlled Bonny River Terminal without its “authorization or participation”. According to the law, the regulator is the only one…

by Bill Barrow, Jeff Amy, Jill Colvin and Meg Kinnard GREENSBORO, N.C.  — Former President Donald Trumpblasted his historic federal indictment as “ridiculous” and “baseless” Saturday during his first public appearances since the charges were unsealed, painting the 37 felony counts as an attack on his supporters as he tried to turn dire legal peril to political advantage. Speaking at Republican state conventions in Georgia and North Carolina, Trump cast his indictment by the Department of Justice as an attempt to damage his chances of returning to the White House as he campaigns for a second term. “They’ve launched one witch hunt after another to try and…

DALLAS  — Brittney Griner and her Phoenix Mercury teammates were confronted by a “provocateur” at a Dallas airport on Saturday, the WNBA said. The league said in a statement it was looking into the team’s run-in with a “social media figure” whose “actions were inappropriate and unfortunate.” “The safety of Brittney Griner and all WNBA players is our top priority,” the league said, without specifying what exactly happened. Griner and her supporters had lobbied for charter flights after she returned from detainment in Russia, saying the highly publicized case compromised her and others’ safety. The league granted Griner permission to…

by James Robson ISTANBUL  — Manchester City won the Champions League title for the first time by beating Inter Milan 1-0 in Istanbul’s Ataturk Olimpiyat Stadium on Saturday. Rodri struck in the 68th minute to see the Premier League champions and FA Cup winners complete a treble of trophies this season. “Today we made history,” City captain Ilkay Gundogan said. “We knew everyone was talking about the treble. The pressure was there but this team is built to handle the pressure in the best possible way.” While it is the first time City has won European soccer’s biggest club competition,…

by Michael Balsamo and Lindsey Whitehurst WASHINGTON  — Theodore “Ted” Kaczynski, the Harvard-educated mathematician who retreated to a dingy shack in the Montana wilderness and ran a 17-year bombing campaign that killed three people and injured 23 others, died Saturday. He was 81. Branded the “Unabomber” by the FBI, Kaczynski died at the federal prison medical center in Butner, North Carolina, Kristie Breshears, a spokesperson for the federal Bureau of Prisons, told The Associated Press. He was found unresponsive in his cell early Saturday morning and was pronounced dead around 8 a.m., she said. A cause of death was not immediately…

by Thalia Beaty NEW YORK  — The campaign to win reparations for Black Americans plans to bring broader support for smaller nonprofits advancing the cause, with a new philanthropic funding initiative announced Friday at the “Alight Align Arise” national conference in Atlanta. The Decolonizing Wealth Project, an organization dedicated to creating racial equity through education and “radical reparative giving,” is committing $20 million over five years to boost campaigns for reparations across the country, along with a research collaboration with Boston University to map reparation projects. The project’s founder and CEO Edgar Villanueva announced the plans at the Atlanta gathering…

LAGOS  –     Nigeria’s suspended central bank Governor Godwin Emefiele has been detained and is in custody for investigative reasons, the police’s Department of State Services (DSS) said on Saturday. New President Bola Tinubu announced Emefiele’s suspension on Friday with immediate effect following an ongoing investigation of his office and planned reforms in the financial sector. “The Department of State Services (DSS) hereby confirms that Mr Godwin Emefiele, the suspended governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) is now in its custody for some investigative reasons,” the DSS statement said. Tinubu criticised Emefiele’s handling of…

by Agency reports LOS ANGELES  — Nneka Ogwumike finished with 19 points and 14 rebounds to propel Los Angeles to a 77-62 victory over Chicago on Friday night. Ogwumike sank half of her 16 shots for the Sparks (4-3), who improved to 3-1 at home. She added five assists. Dearica Hamby pitched in with 16 points, eight rebounds and five steals. Jordin Canada scored 16 with five boards and five assists. Jasmine Thomas played her first game since tearing an ACL last season. She scored five points in 12 minutes off the bench. Alanna Smith had 19 points, nine rebounds…

by Tim Reynolds MIAMI  — The mission for the Denver Nuggets was clear: Come to Miami, get two wins and head back home with a chance to finally become NBA champions. It’s officially there for the taking. The 47-year wait for Denver might be over as soon as Monday, with Nikola Jokic and his Nuggets now just one win away from getting the title that he’s wanted for so long. Aaron Gordon scored 27 points, Jokic added 23 and the Nuggets beat the Miami Heat 108-95 on Friday night to take a 3-1 lead in the NBA Finals. “We haven’t…