Author: chicagoinquirer

by Sam Mednick NIAMEY, Niger  —West African nations have announced travel and economic sanctions against Niger and have threatened to use force if the leaders of a coup don’t reinstate the democratically elected president within one week. The sanctions announced after the regional bloc known as ECOWAS convened to respond to last week’s military takeoveradd to a growing list of penalties against the country, one of the least developed in the world, according to the latest U.N. Human Development Index. Niger relies heavily on foreign aid: analysts fear sanctions could further impoverish its 25 million people. “In the event the…

by Kate Brumback ATLANTA  — A Georgia prosecutor is expected to seek a grand jury indictment in the coming weeks in her investigation into efforts by Donald Trump and his allies to overturn the former president’s 2020 election loss. Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis began investigating more than two years ago, shortly after a recording was released of a January 2021 phone call Trump made to Georgia’s secretary of state. Willis has strongly hinted that any indictment would come between July 31 and August 18. One of two grand juries seatedJuly 11 is expected to hear the case. If…

by Emeka ObasiPolicy decisions are taken outside Aso Villa, this is the practice even if we do not want to say it. Since 2010, those who determine what the country gets hardly sleep within the precincts of the seat of power. Call them power brokers, I see them as the real bandits.Jerry Rawlings did not mince words in 1979 when he  announced that while Nigeria was busy executing petty thieves at the Bar Beach, Ghana had taken down jumbo size robbers at Labadi Beach. He was talking about the death of three former Heads of State and some Service Chiefs.The…

Russian authorities say three Ukrainian drones attacked Moscow in the early hours on Sunday, injuring one person and prompting a temporary closure for traffic of one of four airports around the Russian capital. It was the fourth such attempt at a strike on the capital region this month and the third this week, fueling concerns about Moscow’s vulnerability to attacks as Russia’s war in Ukraine drags into its 18th month. The Russian Defense Ministry referred to the incident as an “attempted terrorist attack by the Kyiv regime” and said three drones targeted the city. One was shot down in the…

by Renata Brito, Elaine Ganley and Samy Magdy When Mbengue Nyimbilo Crepin regained consciousness after collapsing in the desert, the sun had already set. Tunisian authorities had violently forced him, his wife and their 6-year-old daughter across the border to Libya by foot without water, in the blazing heat, he said. Nyimbilo crumpled to the ground, exhausted and dehydrated, but urged his wife to carry on with little Marie and catch up to dozens of other migrants ahead. “God willing, we will meet again in Libya,” he told them. Nyimbilo eventually made it there — only to find out days later that his wife…

by Brian P.D. Hannon and Rod Mcguirk CANBERRA, Australia — Political instability in Niger resulting from a military takeover that deposed the president this week threatens the economic support provided by Washington to the African nation, U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said Saturday. Members of the Niger military announced on Wednesday they had deposed democratically elected President Mohamed Bazoumand on Friday named Gen. Abdourahmane Tchiani as the country’s new leader, adding Niger to a growing list of military regimes in West Africa’s Sahel region. Blinken, who is in Australia as part of a Pacific tour, said the continued security…

by Eric Tucker, Zeke Miller and Alan Durbin Richer WASHINGTON  — Donald Trump faced new charges Thursday in a case accusing him of illegally possessing classified documents, with prosecutors alleging that he asked a staffer to delete camera footage at his Florida estate in an effort to obstruct a federal investigation. The indictment includes new counts of obstruction and willful retention of national defense information, adding fresh detail to an indictment issued last month against Trump and a close aide. The additional charges came as a surprise given the escalating anticipation of a possible additional indictment in Washingtonover his efforts to overturn…

by Sam Mednick NIAMEY, Niger — Niger’s president defiantly declared Thursday that democracy would prevail, a day after mutinous soldiers detained him and announced they had seized power in a coup because of the West African country’s deteriorating security situation. While many people in the capital of Niamey went about their usual business, it remained unclear who was in control of the country and which side the majority might support. A statement tweeted by the army command’s account declared that it would back the coup to avoid a “murderous confrontation” that could lead to a “bloodbath.” It was not possible…

by Greg Beacham LOS ANGELES — Bronny James has been discharged from Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and is resting at home, three days after the 18-year-old son of LeBron James went into cardiac arrest. Dr. Merije Chukumerije, a consulting cardiologist for Bronny James, said in a statement issued by the hospital Thursday that James was “successfully treated for a sudden cardiac arrest.” Chukumerije gave credit to “the swift and effective response by the USC athletics’ medical staff” after the incident Monday at the University of Southern California’s Galen Center, where the incoming freshman guard was participating in basketball practice. “He arrived…

by Sam Mednick NIAMEY, Niger — Mutinous soldiers claimed to have overthrown Niger’s democratically elected president, announcing on state television late Wednesday that they have put an end to the government over the African country’s deteriorating security. The soldiers said all institutions had been suspended and security forces were managing the situation. The mutineers urged external partners not to interfere. .The announcement came after a day of uncertainty as members of Niger’s presidential guard surrounded the presidential palace and detained President Mohamed Bazoum. There was no immediate indication of whether the mutiny was supported by other parts of the military.…