HOUSTON- Ka’imi Fairbairn booted four field goals — including three that went for 50-plus yards — and the host Houston Texans rode a stifling defensive performance to a 19-13 victory over the Chicago Bears on Sunday night. Bears rookie quarterback Caleb Williams threw two interceptions and absorbed seven sacks, with Texans defensive ends Danielle Hunter and Will Anderson Jr. combining for three of those to pace the suffocating attack. Williams passed for 174 yards as the Bears (1-1) totaled just 205 yards of offense. Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud passed for 260 yards and a touchdown to Nico Collins, who finished…

by Camillus Eboh ABUJA – Nigerian state oil firm NNPC Ltd on Monday increased the price of petrol by 11%, the second increase in two weeks and a day after it started purchasing the fuel from the giant Dangote oil refinery on the outskirts of Lagos. Nigeria expects the 650,000 barrels per day refinery to end years of imports of gasoline, which had been subsidised for decades until President Bola Tinubu began removing support when he took office in May last year. The price of gasoline is a sensitive issue in Nigeria because many households and small businesses use it…

BAMAKO – Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger will introduce new biometric passports as part of their withdrawal from a West African bloc in favour of a new Sahel alliance after military leaders seized power in all three countries, Mali’s leader said on Sunday. The three junta-led Sahel neighbours jointly announced in January they would leave the 15-member Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), which has sought to persuade them to reconsider their decision. Burkina Faso announced earlier this month that it was rolling out new passports without the ECOWAS logo. “In the coming days, a new biometric passport of…

by Gram Slattery and David Ljunggren PALM BEACH, FLORIDA -Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump was safe on Sunday after what the FBI said appeared to be a second assassination attempt while he was golfing on his course in West Palm Beach, Florida. Law enforcement officials said U.S. Secret Service agents spotted and fired on a gunman in some bushes near the property line who dropped an AK-47-style assault rifle and was arrested after fleeing the scene. The New York Times and Fox News identified the suspect as Ryan Wesley Routh, 58, of Hawaii, citing unnamed law enforcement officials. The FBI…

KYIV – President Joe Biden is looking forward to discussing Ukraine’s war strategy with President Volodymyr Zelenskiy this month and Washington is working on a “substantial” new aid package, White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said on Saturday. Zelenskiy has said he wants to present a “victory plan” that could push Russia to end its war in Ukraine diplomatically to Biden and his two potential successors. “I do think we need a comprehensive strategy for success in this war and that is what President Zelenskiy says he is bringing, so we are very much looking forward to sitting down…

by Stephanie Kelly NEW YORK – Over one quarter of younger Black men say they would support Republican candidate Donald Trump in this year’s U.S. presidential election, an NAACP poll showed on Friday. Black voters have long been the most loyal Democratic constituency, but during Democratic President Joe Biden’s term, some younger Black voters and Black men of all ages lost faith in the Democratic Party. Black voters played a large role in sending Biden to the White House in 2020, and Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris hopes to secure their support to win the Nov. 5 presidential election. Most…

by Nicole Winfield ABOARD THE PAPAL PLANE — Pope Francis on Friday slammed both U.S. presidential candidates for what he called anti-life policies on abortion and migration, and he advised American Catholics to choose who they think is the “lesser evil” in the upcoming U.S. elections. “Both are against life, be it the one who kicks out migrants, or be it the one who kills babies,″ Francis said. The Argentine Jesuit was asked to provide counsel to American Catholic voters during an airborne news conference while he flew back to Rome from his four-nation tour through Asia. Francis stressed that…

by Stephanie Kelly WASHINGTON – U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris will join celebrity Oprah Winfrey in a livestream event next week to rally support in key battleground states in the Nov. 5 presidential election, Harris’ campaign said. The “Unite for America” event will be in collaboration with Win With Black Women volunteer network, and will gather more than 140 grassroots groups to support Harris, the Democratic nominee, virtually on Thursday. Harris faces former President Donald Trump, the Republican nominee, in the election. “What is essential to me is getting people motivated to vote – and that’s my intention in hosting…

by Isaac Anyaogu LAGOS – A Nigerian presidential committee announced on Friday that state-owned oil company NNPC Limited will distribute gasoline from the 650,000 barrels-per-day Dangote Refinery to the local market, ending the deadlock that had stalled distribution. The $20 billion refinery, built by Nigerian billionaire Aliko Dangote in Lagos, began processing gasoline last week. However, disagreements over offtake rights and pricing had delayed distribution. “I am glad to announce that all agreements have been finalised, and the first batch of Premium Motor Spirit (Gasoline) will begin loading on Sunday,” Zacch Adedeji, head of Nigeria’s tax authority, said. Adedeji said…

by Jarrett Renshaw and Heather Timmons CHICAGO – Global pop star Taylor Swift’s support for Kamala Harris may have boosted the Democratic vice president’s hopes of attracting young voters, but the question remains: Will the celebrity endorsement make a difference on Election Day? Locked in a tight White House race, both Harris and her rival, Republican former President Donald Trump are doing all they can to lure voters on Election Day Nov. 5 and in early voting starting next week. For his part, Trump dismissed Swift’s Tuesday night endorsement of Harris, saying he was “not a Taylor fan.” With voter…