By Lucia Mutikani WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The number of Americans filing new applications for unemployment benefits dropped to a four-month low last week, pointing to solid job growth in September and offering confirmation that the economy continued to expand in the third quarter. The weekly jobless claims report from the Labor Department on Thursday, the most timely data on the economy’s health, also showed unemployment rolls shrunk to levels last seen in early June. The U.S. central bank on Wednesday cut interest rates by 50 basis points, the first reduction in borrowing costs since 2020, which Federal Reserve Chair Jerome…

by Patricia Zengerle WASHINGTON – Russian activist Vladimir Kara-Murza shook his head in disbelief as he addressed lawmakers and diplomats in a U.S. Senate hearing room on Tuesday, just weeks after he was released from prison in Siberia in a major prisoner swap. “The word surreal doesn’t even come close to describing what I feel now,” the dissident said at an event intended to highlight what participants described as the plight of hundreds of prisoners still detained in Russia for their political beliefs. Coinciding with Kara-Murza’s visit, Democratic Senator Ben Cardin, who chairs the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, will introduce…

by Moira Warburton WASHINGTON – A U.S. Senate bill aimed at enshrining federal protections and expanding insurance coverage for fertility treatments failed on Tuesday, as Republicans voted against it days after Donald Trump surprised supporters by voicing support for such a policy. The bill failed 51-44, falling short of the required 60-vote threshold after most Republicans voted against it for the second time. Democrats control the chamber by a slim 51-49 margin. The bill’s sponsor, Democratic Senator Tammy Duckworth, first attempted to get a vote on the same bill in late February, after the Alabama Supreme Court ruled the embryos…

y Andrea Shalal and Stephanie Kelly PHILADELPHIA – The U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris called on Tuesday for an end to the Israel-Gaza war and said that Israel must not reoccupy the Palestinian enclave once the nearly year-old conflict comes to an end. Speaking in Philadelphia to the National Association of Black Journalists, she called for a ceasefire between Israel and Palestinian Hamas militants, a two-state solution and Middle East stability in a way that does not empower Iran. “We’ve made ourselves very clear this deal needs to get done in the best interest of everyone in the region,”…

y Luc Cohen and Jonathan Stempel NEW YORK -Sean “Diddy” Combs used his fame as one of hip-hop’s biggest names to coerce women into demeaning sexual acts as part of a long-running scheme of sex trafficking and racketeering, prosecutors said on Tuesday in bringing three criminal charges against him. Combs, 54, pleaded not guilty in Manhattan federal court hours after the 14-page indictment was unsealed. U.S. Magistrate Judge Robyn Tarnofsky denied bail for Combs, granting a prosecution request for continued detention before trial following the music mogul’s arrest on Monday. The rapper and producer used his business empire including his…

by Thalia Beaby NEW YORK — The billionaire Microsoft co-founder and philanthropist Bill Gates thinks the richest governments should increase their support for African countries that have been overshadowed by development funding increasingly going toward the humanitarian response to the war in Ukraine as well as support for refugees around the world in recent years. “There’s less money going to Africa at a time when they need it,” whether it’s for debt relief, vaccinations or to reduce malnutrition, Gates told The Associated Press in an interview. As a portion of aid money, the funds going to Ukraine are “substantial,” he…

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…