CHICAGO – Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump and his Democratic rival Vice President Kamala Harris are effectively tied heading into the final weeks of the election, according to a national poll conducted by The New York Times and Siena College. Trump is up one percentage point, 48%-47%, over Harris, according to the survey released on Sunday, a difference that is well within the survey’s three-point margin of error, meaning a win for either candidate in the Nov. 5 election is well within reach. While the Trump campaign endured a relatively rocky stretch in the weeks after Democratic President Joe Biden…

by Lucia Mutikani WASHINGTON – U.S. employment increased less than expected in August, but a drop in the jobless rate to 4.2% suggested the labor market was not falling off the cliff to warrant a half-point interest rate cut from the Federal Reserve this month. The closely watched employment report from the Labor Department on Friday also showed solid wage growth last month, which should help to support consumer spending and keep the economy out of recession for now. Nonetheless, labor market momentum has slowed, with 86,000 fewer jobs added in June and July than previously reported. The report led…

By Tim Reid and James Oliphant VALDOSTA, Georgia -Vivian Childs, a staunch supporter of Donald Trump, schooled a roomful of Republicans on how to win over Black voters in the battleground state of Georgia. Focus on Trump’s economic policies, on illegal immigration and inflation, the Black Baptist minister told the gathered group of volunteers and campaign staff at the former president’s newly opened office in the rural city of Valdosta last month. Tell voters what Trump has done for them and that he will bring the change America needs, she exhorted. “We are the party of hope,” she said. “We…

NAIROBI/ELDORET, Kenya -Moureen Atieno Omolo was unable to sleep for days after hearing about the deadly attack on Ugandan Olympian Rebecca Cheptegei, whose former boyfriend doused her in petrol and set her ablaze on Sunday. Every time the now 36-year-old Kenyan closed her eyes, memories of her own nightmarish marriage came flooding back. Cheptegei, 33, who competed in her first Olympic Games in Paris last month, is the third elite sportswoman to be killed in Kenya since October 2021. Her death has cast a fresh spotlight on domestic violence in the East African nation. “Rebecca’s death brings into focus the…

CAIRO – Prominent Egyptian archaeologist and former antiquities minister Zahi Hawass has launched a petition for the return to Egypt of the pharaonic bust of Queen Nefertiti from the Neues Museum in Berlin. Nefertiti’s famous painted limestone bust was uncovered at Tell el-Amarna, around 300 km (185 miles) south of Cairo, in 1912 by a German archaeological mission, which shipped it to Berlin the following year. Amarna was the short-lived capital of Nefertiti’s husband, the 18th dynasty Pharaoh Akhenaten, who reigned until about 1335 B.C. Akhenaten, called the heretic king, was notorious for promoting the worship of the god Aten…

By Nandita Bose PITTSBURGH – Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris said on Saturday endorsements of her by Republican former Vice President Dick Cheney and his daughter Liz, a former U.S. Representative, were “courageous” for putting country ahead of political party. Harris was in Pittsburgh preparing for the Sept. 10 debate against her Republican rival Donald Trump, with whom she is locked in a tight race for the Nov. 5 vote. “I’m honored to have their endorsement,” said Harris at Penzeys Spices in the Strip District, on a break from debate preparation where she greeted patrons and bought spices. She said…

by Duncan Miriri and Laurie Chen NAIROBI/BEIJING – China stopped short of providing the debt relief sought by many African countries this week, but pledged 360 billion yuan ($50.7 billion) over three years in credit lines and investments. The Forum for China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) launched in 2000 took on an enhanced role after the 2013 inception of President Xi Jinping’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), which aims to recreate the ancient Silk Road for the world’s second largest economy and biggest bilateral lender to Africa. “China is moving back on to the front foot in terms of overseas deployment of…

By David Lawder WASHINGTON DC – U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said on Saturday that she is “probably done” serving at the highest levels of government after President Joe Biden’s term ends in January, but will likely meet again soon with her Chinese counterpart. Asked at the Texas Tribune Festival in Austin, Texas whether she was “done” when a new administration takes over in January, or might continue in her job or take on a new administration role, Yellen said: “Probably done, but … we’ll see.” The comments are the closest that Yellen, 78, has come to announcing her future…

LAGOS – Nigeria’s state-owned oil firm NNPC Ltd said on Saturday it will not be the sole buyer of gasoline from Dangote refinery but would step in if the facility sold above pump prices. The 650,000 barrel-per-day capacity Dangote refinery started producing gasoline earlier this week, raising expectations that this would end decades of the country relying on imports, which cost billions of dollars annually. The refinery had said NNPC would be the sole buyer of its petrol, also known as premium motor spirit (PMS) and that the government would set prices. However, NNPC said in a statement that Dangote…

WASHINGTON -More than 90 company executives, including the chief executives of Yelp and Chobani as well as the former CEOs of PepsiCo, Ford Motor Co and Yahoo!, endorsed U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris for the presidency in a letter released on Friday. Separately, more than 100 current and retired law enforcement officials also backed Harris in her contest against Republican former President Donald Trump ahead of the Nov. 5 presidential election. They cited her experience as a prosecutor and her commitment to curb gun violence. The company executives, which include the heads of top sports and investment companies, said they…