by The Associated Press VATICAN CITY — Pope Leo XIV got good news from his doctors: The pontiff will need no further treatment for lung cancer after follow-up tests confirmed the disease was localized, the Vatican said in a statement Wednesday. Leo, 71, had the lower lobe of his right lung removed last week in the first major health event of his 17-month pontificate. The surgery confirmed he had adenocarcinoma, the most common type of lung cancer. Leo was discharged from Rome’s Gemelli Polyclinic on Saturday, four days after surgery, and said he would gradually resume his activities. The pope’s…

by Kyle Hightower FOXBOROUGH, Mass.  — New England Patriots safety Kevin Byard doesn’t have any hard feelings about the two seasons he spent with the Chicago Bears. But this week he is trying to think of any tips to help his new team walk out of Thursday’s night matchup in Chicago with a victory against his former team. “I’m giving the coaches and the players as much as I can, you know what I mean?” Byard said with a smile on Tuesday. “Obviously, I am not there anymore, and I don’t have all my notes and stuff like that. But…

by Patrick Whittle LEWISTON, Maine  — Maine Republican Susan Collins has promoted her reputation as one of the most independent U.S. senators and she is using the waning days of the election season to sell that message to voters by campaigning with a former Democratic colleague who has endorsed her. Collins is trying to fend off a challenge from Democrat Troy Jackson, a onetime state Senate president, and on Wednesday she made appearances with Joe Manchin, a West Virginian who became an independent late in his career before retiring. After stopping for breakfast at Simones’ Hot Dog Stand in Lewiston,…

by Ope Adetayo LAGOS, Nigeria  — African health ministers were invited Wednesday to an “extraordinary virtual meeting” to discuss the spread of Ebola after Nigeria reported its first case of the disease that has claimed thousands of lives and has spread rapidly since an outbreak began in Congo in May. Dr. Jean Kaseya, director general of the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said the Oct. 28 meeting would “strengthen our collective response.” On Tuesday, Nigeria reported its first case, linked to a traveler from Uganda who arrived in the country earlier this month. Uganda, which declared itself Ebola-free…

By Emeka Obasi I lost interest in the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) the moment Danladi Umar displayed the attributes of Street Urchins at an Abuja plaza in in 2021. Now, my attention is back following the style of Dr. Mainasara Ibrahim Umar Kogo, the groundnut eating Chairman. Kogo succeeded Danladi after President Bola Tinubu nominated him in July  2024. It took the National Judicial Council (NJC) nearly a year to do the normal recommendations before the jurist was sworn in by the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Kudirat Kekere – Ekun. Since the nation abandoned Agriculture for oil, our economy…

by Lindsay Whitehurst The Supreme Court on Wednesday refused to allow the Trump administration to immediately enforce new medical restrictions for transgender people in prison. The decision leaves in place a lower-court block on the policy. It was adopted after an executive order from President Trump, who’s taken several steps to roll back transgender rights during his second term. Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas would have allowed the policy to be enforced. The Supreme Court has previously allowed other policies for transgender people to move ahead for now, including restrictions on military serviceand passport sex markers. Trump’s order called…

by Ope Adetayo LAGOS, Nigeria  — Nigeria confirmed an Ebola case in its capital, Abuja, on Tuesday after a woman who arrived from Uganda tested positive for the virus, the Health Ministry said. The woman began showing symptoms on Oct. 7 and was admitted to a private hospital in Abuja on Oct. 11, where she was later diagnosed with Ebola. It is unclear when she arrived in Nigeria. Health Minister Muhammad Pate said authorities had begun tracing 44 people identified as contacts of the patient. “We are doing everything possible to contain this case by tracing all the contacts the…

by Joey Cappelletti WASHINGTON — Senate Democrats’ top campaign spending group is wading into Mississippi’s U.S. Senate race for the first time this year, an aggressive move in a deep-red state that signals a party on the offensive as Republicans look to protect a slim majority. The Senate Majority PAC, aligned with Democratic Senate Leader Chuck Schumer of New York, will spend $1.2 million on a new television advertisement to boost Scott Colom, a district attorney, in his campaign against Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith. The ad, first disclosed to The Associated Press, is set to start Wednesday and run through…

by Elaine Kurtenbach BANGKOK  — African economies have managed to weather the energy crisisbrought on by the Iran war, but a decline in aid has left the continent vulnerable to future shocks, the head of the International Monetary Fund’s Africa department said Thursday. The IMF forecasts growth in Africa at 4.5% this year, slightly higher than its earlier estimate, recovering to 5% in 2027. But development assistance for the continent fell sharply last year and is forecast to fall another 12% this year, Zeine Zeidane said at a meeting of the IMF and World Bank in Bangkok. “That leaves the…

by Joseph Omoremi A U.S. based lobbyist for erstwhile Nigerian Vice President, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, is seeking a $36 million as damages from Nigeria, President Bola Tinubu, Nigerian Ambassador to South Africa Fani Kayode and DCI Group LLC for defamation of character and reputational destruction while conducting advocacy against Nigeria. The DCI Group A.Z, L.L.C. is a public relations company retained by Nigeria to advance its image in the United States.  In a-52-point allegations against the defendants, the plaintiff Dr Karl Von Batten said DCI coordinated vicious attacks and distorted information about him before the U.S. Congress and the White…