Author: chicagoinquirer

DAKAR, Senegal — The withdrawal of U.S. troops from Niger is complete, an American official said Monday. A small number of military personnel assigned to guard the U.S. Embassy remain, Pentagon spokesperson Sabrina Singh told reporters. Earlier this year, Niger’s ruling junta ended an agreement that allowed U.S. troops to operate in the West African country. A few months later, officials from both countries said in a joint statement that U.S. troops would complete their withdrawal by the middle of September. The U.S. handed over its last military bases in Niger to local authorities last month, but about two dozen…

WASHINGTON -Vice President Kamala Harris said on Tuesday a Georgia woman’s death could have been prevented if the state did not have an abortion ban, and pinned the blame on Republican presidential rival Donald Trump. At least two women in Georgia have died after they could not access abortion-related medical care in their state, investigative news outlet ProPublica reported Monday. Amber Nicole Thurman, 28, died in August 2022 following complications after she took an abortion pill, and “suffered from a grave infection that her suburban Atlanta hospital was well-equipped to treat,” the news outlet said, citing reports from a state…

by Luc Cohen and Jonathan Stempel NEW YORK -Sean “Diddy” Combs used his fame as one of the biggest names in hip-hop to coerce women into engaging in demeaning sex acts as part of a long-running scheme of sex trafficking and racketeering, according to a three-count federal indictment unsealed on Tuesday. Combs, 54, used the business empire he controlled, including his record label Bad Boy Entertainment, to transport women, as well as male sex workers, across state lines to take part in recorded sexual performances called “Freak Offs” in which the music mogul would watch and masturbate, prosecutors said. The…

Steelers coach Mike Tomlin knows 2-0 is significant, but the Los Angeles Chargers show up for Pittsburgh’s home opener with the same record. “They’ve taken the ball away. They play to a definitive personality, one that I am familiar with,” Tomlin said on Tuesday. “Familiar with (offensive coordinator) Greg (Roman). I would imagine he doesn’t care we’re familiar with his mode of operation. That’s what makes him one of the best in the business.” While Roman is working under Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh to prepare hobbled quarterback Justin Herbert, Tomlin pointed to sticking with Justin Fields at the controls of…

by David Lewis, Nupur Anand and Duncan Miriri NAIROBI/NEW YORK – JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon plans to travel to Africa in mid-October in a push by the biggest U.S. lender to expand on the continent, four sources familiar with the matter told Reuters, his first trip there in seven years. Dimon is expected to visit Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa and Ivory Coast during the trip next month, two of the sources said. JPMorgan already has offices in South Africa and Nigeria where it offers asset and wealth management and well as commercial and investment banking services. Overseas markets have…

WASHINGTON – Black journalists will have their chance to press U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris on her plans during an interview on Tuesday. Harris will participate in a Philadelphia forum organized by the National Association of Black Journalists, scheduled after the U.S. vice president did not attend the group’s convention held in Chicago this summer. Her Republican rival Donald Trump’s appearance at that event in July led to controversy over his comments questioning Harris’ racial identity and his treatment of one of the moderators over a line of questioning he regarded as unfair. Harris had said she was willing…

by Dawn Chmielewski LOS ANGELES – A battle over control of Rupert Murdoch’s global television and publishing empire begins Monday in a Reno, Nevada courtroom, where a judge will consider the contentious matter of succession. Murdoch, 93, is attempting to change the terms of the family’s trust — which holds significant stakes in Fox News parent Fox and Wall Street Journal owner News Corp. The billionaire is looking to ensure that, upon his death, the media companies remain under control of his eldest son, Lachlan Murdoch, according to the New York Times, which obtained a sealed court document detailing the…

NAIROBI -South Sudan and Sudan have made progress towards restarting the pumping of South Sudan’s crude oil through a pipeline running to a port in its neighbour, South Sudan’s finance minister and the president’s office said. WHY IT’S IMPORTANT The exports are a crucial source of revenue for South Sudan and Sudan takes a cut of the oil as a transit fee. The main pipeline carrying oil from South Sudan through Sudan for export was halted in February because of damage stemming from a war between Sudan’s army and the Rapid Support Forces. Analysts say the damage is leading to…

CAIRO – The Egyptian cabinet said in a statement on Monday that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has directed the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF) to pump $5 billion worth of investment money into Egypt in what it called a “first stage”. The statement came after Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly met the Saudi crown prince in Riyadh and discussed boosting bilateral relations. The statement contained no further details on when the funds are going to be invested, the nature of the investments or in how many stages the Saudi government is planning to make its investments. PIF didn’t…

NEW YORK – Music mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs was arrested in Manhattan by federal agents on Monday evening based on a sealed indictment, the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York said. “We are disappointed with the decision to pursue what we believe is an unjust prosecution of Mr Combs by the U.S. Attorney’s Office,” said Marc Agnifilo, an attorney for Combs to Reuters. Agnifilo said that Combs voluntarily relocated to New York in anticipation of the charges. A spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York declined to comment on Agnifilo’s remarks. Combs,…