Author: chicagoinquirer

WASHINGTON -Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris is performing better than President Joe Biden in battleground states likely to decide the Nov. 5 election, narrowing the gap with Republican Donald Trump, according to an Emerson College/The Hill poll released on Thursday. The poll showed former President Trump leading in four of the critical states: Arizona 49% to 44%, Georgia 48% to 46%, Michigan 46% to 45%, and Pennsylvania 48% to 46%. Trump and Harris are tied at 47% in Wisconsin, according to the poll. Harris surpassed Biden’s performance in an Emerson poll conducted earlier this month in each of the five…

by Steve Holland and Jeff Mason WASHINGTON – Vice President Kamala Harris pressured Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday to help reach a Gaza ceasefire deal that would ease the suffering of Palestinian civilians, striking a tougher tone than President Joe Biden. “It is time for this war to end,” Harris said in a televised statement after she held face-to-face talks with Netanyahu. Harris, the likely Democratic presidential nominee after Biden dropped out of the election race on Sunday, did not mince words about the humanitarian crisis gripping Gaza after nine months of war between Israel and Hamas militants.…

by Ope Adetayo ABUJA – Nigeria’s military will intervene to prevent any violence at protests by citizens planned for next month against bad governance and economic hardship, defence spokesperson Major General Edward Buba said on Thursday. Buba said Nigerians had a right to protest peacefully but the demonstrations being planned from Aug. 1 could turn violent as they were inspired by events in Kenya, where young people took to the streets and forced their government to scrap $2.7 billion in tax hikes. More than 50 people have been killed in the Kenyan protests. Nigeria’s military was last deployed to quell…

The rocketing growth of the WNBA is reflected in the league’s new media rights agreements announced Wednesday for the 2026 through 2036 seasons. Disney, which owns ABC and ESPN, and Amazon Prime Video remain partners along with a new agreement with NBCUniversal (NBCU) covering broadcast, cable and streaming distribution. Disney will show games on ABC, ESPN, ESPN2 and stream them on ESPN’s upcoming direct-to-consumer service. NBCU will distribute games on NBC, USA Network and/or its Peacock streaming service. Amazon will stream games on Prime Video. The agreements — negotiated by the NBA concurrent with talks for its new TV rights…

HAITI – The Kenyan-led police mission in Haiti will need to rapidly deliver tangible results, according to a security bulletin on Wednesday, warning that people living in gang-controlled areas remain dependent on criminal leaders. “The MSS (Multinational Security Support) as an external player, will need to rapidly deliver tangible security results to the community, so as not to be seen as part of the problem but part of the solution,” said the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime (GI-TOC) in a bulletin. Several hundred Kenyan police officers arrived in the Caribbean nation at the end of June and have been…

by James Oliphant and Steve Holland WASHINGTON -President Joe Biden on Wednesday said dropping out of the race for the presidency and endorsing his vice president, Kamala Harris, as the Democratic candidate was the best way to unite the country, despite his ambition to win a second term. Biden’s announcement to not seek re-election on Sunday followed a disastrous June debate with Trump that exacerbated questions about his ability to win, or to serve another four years if he succeeded. In his address to the nation from the Oval Office, he said he believed he earned reelection because of his…

CHICAGO -Walt Disney’s ESPN, Comcast-owned NBCUniversal and Amazon.com have clinched the rights to carry National Basketball Association games in an 11-year deal valued at $77 billion, the league said on Wednesday. The NBA said it rejected a last-minute offer from Warner Bros Discovery’s TNT Sports division, ending a four-decade relationship with the media company after next season. A spokesman for TNT Sports could not immediately be reached for comment. Analysts have said winning telecast rights requires a huge financial commitment considering the cost as well as the fees associated with production. About 75 regular-season games will be on broadcast TV…

ARIS – A fan invasion in the opening match of the Olympic football tournament between Argentina and Morocco on Wednesday caused chaos, with Argentina eventually beaten 2-1 following a VAR review after play was suspended with the score tied at 2-2. Argentina’s Cristian Medina scored deep in injury time to salvage what looked like a 2-2 draw, but the decision ruling out the goal was delivered about two hours after play was suspended when the teams re-emerged on to the pitch to finish the match in an empty stadium. The teams played for three minutes and 15 seconds after VAR…

by Patricia Zengerle WASHINGTON -Dozens of Democratic lawmakers planned to skip Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech to Congress on Wednesday, expressing dismay over the thousands of civilian deaths and the humanitarian crisis from Israel’s campaign in Gaza. The longtime Israeli leader will make a record fourth speech to a joint meeting of the Senate and House of Representatives at 2 p.m. EDT (1800 GMT), passing British wartime leader Winston Churchill, who made three such speeches. Netanyahu’s speech was expected to focus on coordinating the Israeli and U.S. response to the volatile situation in the Middle East, where there is…

by David Lawder RIO DE JANEIRO – The U.S. has pledged $667 million to the latest funding round for a global fund aimed at preventing pandemics and preparing countries to deal with them, making up one-third of a $2 billion direct funding goal, the U.S. Treasury said on Wednesday. The move, which requires approval from Congress, is aimed at encouraging other donors to double their initial pledges to the Pandemic Fund, set up in September 2022 to fill gaps in pandemic prevention, preparedness and response capacity in low- and middle-income countries. A U.S. Treasury official said the Biden-Harris administration would…