Author: chicagoinquirer

by Sarah Rankin RICHMOND, Va. — Virginia’s state House will soon have its first Black speaker in its more than 400-year history after the chamber’s incoming Democratic majority on Saturday chose Del. Don Scott to serve in the post. Scott was unanimously elected speaker-designee by the House Democratic Caucus, the group said in a news release. The full House of Delegates will vote to officially confirm him on the first day of the 2024 legislative session. “Virginia voters sent a resounding message on Tuesday that they wanted a Commonwealth that moved forward and that is exactly what I intend to…

by Andrew Seligman CHICAGO — The Chicago Bears weren’t too concerned about appearances. All that mattered was that they came out on top. D’Onta Foreman ran for a touchdown and the Bears boosted their shot at the top pick in the draft, beating the Carolina Panthers 16-13 on Thursday night. “At the end of the day, man, all the hard work we put in, even with it not being pretty it still feels amazing,” Foreman said. “You know what I mean?” The prime-time matchup between teams among the bottom five in the NFL delivered about as much drama as expected.…

by Nicholas Riccardi WASHINGTON  — Democrats had plenty of good news to celebrate in Tuesday’s off-year elections and more evidence that they can win races centered on the national debate over abortion. Abortion rights supporters won an Ohio ballot measure and the Democratic governor of beet-red Kentucky held onto his office by campaigning on reproductive rights and painting his opponent as extremist. A Democrat won an open seat on the Pennsylvania Supreme Court after campaigning on his pledge to uphold abortion rights. And Democrats took full control of the Virginia statehouse, blocking Republicans from being able to pass new abortion…

by Jocelyn Noveck NEW YORK  — Tennis legend Serena Williams told a glittery fashion industry audience how fashion became a favored mode of expression as she grew up in the public eye, with the tennis court serving as her runway. “I knew when I was a little girl that I was different, so I explored fashion and style as a way to distinguish myself,” Williams said as she accepted the Fashion Icon award Monday night from the Council of Fashion Designers of America. “In many ways for me, the tennis courts became my runway, and the U.S. Open was my…

by Joseph Omoremi CHICAGO, IL -A joint release of 229 pages out of 510 pages reviewed by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the U.S State Department on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu of Nigeria with no incriminating documents in it has forced the plaintiff to seek the full release of all sealed and redacted documents. In a motion filed in U.S. District Court in Columbia Aaron Greenspan of PlainSite website and one of the founders of Facebook social network cited nine reasons while a full disclosure of the files of Tinubu and his associates should be disclosed adding…

by  Wafaahurafa, Bassem MroueR and Federman DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — Israel knocked out internet and communications in the Gaza Strip in stepped-up bombardment Friday night, largely cutting off its 2.3 million people from contact with each other and the outside world and creating a near-blackout of information, as the military said it was “expanding” ground operations in the territory. The military’s announcement signaled it was moving closer to an all-out invasion of Gaza, where it has vowed to crush the ruling Hamas militant group after its bloody incursion in southern Israel three weeks ago. Explosions from continuous airstrikes lit…

by Chinedu  Asadu ABUJA, Nigeria  — Africa’s fashion industry is rapidly growing to meet local and international demands but a lack of adequate investment still limits its full potential, UNESCO said Thursday in its new report released at this year’s Lagos Fashion Week show. Currently valued at $15.5 billion worth of exports annually, the earnings from the continent’s fashion industry could triple over a decade with the right investment and infrastructure, according to UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay, who launched the organization’s first report on fashion in Africa in Nigeria’s economic hub of Lagos. With a young population of 1.3 billion…

by Chinedu Asadu ABUJA, Nigeria — Nigeria’s Supreme Court refused Thursday to void the recent election of President Bola Tinubu and dismissed the political opposition’s challenges, which argued that the vote was flawed and that Tinubu was not qualified to seek or hold the presidency. The court held in a majority ruling that the grounds of the challenges were “devoid of merits,” ending a dispute that had put Africa’s most populous country on the edge after the February election. An appeals court in Nigeria also rejected the petitions last month. Two other candidates in the election separately challenged Tinubu’s win,…

CHICAGO — Chicago Bears quarterback Justin Fields left Sunday’s game against Minnesota in the second half with a right hand injury. Fields got hurt when he was sacked by Danielle Hunter with about 10 minutes left in the third quarter. Chicago punted on the next play, and Tyson Bagent entered the game when the Bears got the ball back. The Bears said Fields would not return to the game. He was sacked four times before he left. The Bears also lost right guard Nate Davis to an ankle injury in the first half. It was Bagent’s NFL debut. He signed…

by Chinedu Asadu ABUJA, Nigeria  — Nigeria’s leader increased the wages of some government workers in last-minute efforts to appease labor unions whose planned strike this weekcould shut down government offices in all sectors of Africa’s largest economy. Low-grade workers will in the next six months be paid an additional 25,000 naira ($32) a month, President Bola Tinubu said Sunday in a nationwide broadcast to mark Nigeria’s 63rd independence anniversary. The increase expected to take effect this month takes the minimum wage to 55,000 naira ($71), still far below the 200,000 naira ($258) the unions had requested. The labor unions…