Author: chicagoinquirer

by Elisha Bala-Gbogbo and Camillus Eboh ABUJA -Nigeria’s central bank unexpectedly raised its benchmark lending rate by 50 basis points to 27.25% on Tuesday in a unanimous decision to tame persistent inflationary pressures, bank governor Olayemi Cardoso said. The move wrongfooted analysts who had expected rates to stay on hold and indicates the bank is prioritizing inflation control over economic growth amid the worst cost-of-living crisis in a generation. It is the fifth rate hike this year, after increases of 50 basis points (bps) in July, 150 bps in May, 200 bps in March and 400 bps in February which…

Vince Carter will become the first Toronto Raptors player to have his number retired on Nov. 2, multiple outlets reported Monday. Carter, 47, and his No. 15 jersey will be honored when the Raptors face the Sacramento Kings at Scotiabank Arena, according to reports from TSN and ESPN. Nicknamed “Air Canada” during his time north of the border, Carter was the 1998-99 NBA Rookie of the Year with Toronto and averaged 23.4 points, 5.2 rebounds and 3.9 assists over six-plus seasons with the Raptors. Carter, who will be inducted with the Hall of Fame’s Class of 2024 next month, will…

NAIROBI – A group of South Sudanese lawyers filed a case to the country’s top court on Monday challenging the president’s postponement of elections and extension of the transitional government’s term for two years. Ten days ago, President Salva Kiir’s office announced an extension of the transitional period by two years and postponed elections for a second time following a delay in 2022. Late last week, parliament ratified the decision without changes after the cabinet endorsed it. Elections were due to be held in December. On Monday, the lawyers challenging the action went to the Supreme Court, asking it to…

by Daniel Trotta ASHEVILLE, NORTH CAROLINA – Four top aides to North Carolina’s Republican candidate for governor resigned on Sunday, three days after CNN reported that he once called himself a “black NAZI!” and proposed bringing back slavery in comments posted on a pornography website. Mark Robinson, an African American who denied making the comments, announced that his campaign manager, finance director, deputy campaign manager and senior advisor had stepped down from their roles with the campaign without saying why. Robinson currently serves as North Carolina’s lieutenant governor. North Carolina’s gubernatorial campaign has implications for the presidential contest on the…

by Andrea Shalal WASHINGTON – Enhanced background checks have blocked thousands of gun sales to people under the age of 21 and those convicted of misdemeanor domestic violence crimes in the past year, the White House said on Sunday, a year after President Joe Biden set up a new office to accelerate work on preventing gun violence. Homicides have dropped 17% in the period, building on the largest-ever drop in homicides in 2023, the White House said. It said data from the Gun Violence Archive showed that mass shootings were also down 20% to date in 2024 compared to a…

by Bo Erickson WASHINGTON – The U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson on Sunday proposed a three-month stopgap funding bill that excludes an immigration-related measure demanded by Donald Trump, as lawmakers look to avert a month-end partial government shutdown. Johnson laid out the plan in a letter to colleagues released just eight days before the government’s current $1.2 trillion in discretionary funding runs out on Sept. 30. The chamber will aim to vote on the measure on Wednesday, according to a source with knowledge of the plan. Failure to act by then would furlough thousands of federal workers and…

INDIANAPOLIS – Jonathan Taylor ran for 110 yards and two touchdowns, Trey Sermon added a rushing TD and Jaylon Jones snagged two interceptions to boost the host Indianapolis Colts to a 21-16 victory against the Chicago Bears on Sunday. Indianapolis (1-2) overcame a pair of Anthony Richardson interceptions, succeeding with its ground game while shoring up what had been a suspect run defense. The Colts had 150 rushing yards compared to 63 for the Bears (1-2). Chicago quarterback Caleb Williams, the No. 1 overall pick in the April draft, was 33-of-52 passing for a career-high 363 yards and his first…

by Gabriella Borter ALLENTOWN, Pennsylvania – An intimate crowd gathered around a blue bus and listened intently while Hadley Duvall, an abortion rights advocate and a supporter of Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign, told how she was raped and impregnated by her stepfather at age 12. Duvall ultimately had a miscarriage but said that under new abortion laws in her home state of Kentucky, she would have been forced to carry the pregnancy to term. Aleyda Garcia, 53, held a Harris campaign sign in Spanish and teared up. Her son Brandon Rodriguez, 18, wiped a drop from his mother’s cheek. A…

by Sarah N. Lynch WASHINGTON – Michael Montalvo has served 37 years in U.S. federal prison for leading a criminal enterprise that sold tens of millions of dollars’ worth of cocaine in California and during that time he has earned a law degree and helped other inmates obtain their freedom through a program called compassionate release. But due to a quirk in the law, the 78-year-old Vietnam War veteran is barred from seeking compassionate release himself. He has two options to get out of prison: death or persuading President Joe Biden to grant him clemency. Montalvo is one of more…

by Jonathan J. Cooper PHOENIX — Vice President Kamala Harris is stepping up her efforts to win over voters who belong to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, enlisting prominent members of the faith to make the case in pivotal Arizona that Donald Trump does not align with the church’s values. Her state campaign announced on Thursday an advisory committee to formalize the outreach to current and former members of the church, widely known as the Mormon church. With nearly 450,000 church members in Arizona, about 6% of the state’s population, Latter-day Saints and former church members could…