Author: chicagoinquirer

by Sasha Litvinova TALLINN, Estonia  — Mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin, who led a brief armed rebellion against the Russian military earlier this year, was presumed dead Wednesday after a plane crash north of Moscow that killed all 10 people on board. Prigozhin was on the plane, according to Russia’s civil aviation agency, which cited the airline. The crash immediately raised suspicions since the fate of the founder of the Wagner private military company has been the subject of intense speculation ever since he mounted the mutiny. At the time, President Vladimir Putin denounced the rebellion as “treason” and a “stab in the back” and…

by Bill Barrow ATLANTA — Donald Trump’s decision to skip the first Republican debate may hurt television ratings and put more pressure on the eight contenders who will be on stage. But plenty of rank-and-file conservatives said they were eager to see their options without the former president dominating the conversation. “People are just so focused on the circus,” said Melissa Watford, a 53-year-old Republican from suburban Atlanta. “He’s just a distraction. Distraction, distraction, distraction.” Watford’s husband, Jack, said he would still consider supporting Trump if he wins the nomination, but he described the former president as “clickbait” and expressed relief that he is yielding…

by Andrew Dalton LOS ANGELES  — Kerry Washington and Martin Sheen, a pair of fictional former politicos, turned Hollywood’s strikes into a rousing campaign rally Tuesday with speeches celebrating unity across the industry and with labor at large. “We are here because we know that unions matter,” said Washington, who played a political fixer on ABC’s “Scandal.” “Not only do we have solidarity within our union, we have solidarity between our unions, because we are workers.” The rally outside Disney Studios in Burbank, California, coming more than a month into a strike by Hollywood actors and more than three months into a strike…

by Sam Mednick NIAMEY, Niger  — After three months of crossing the desert and then watching other migrants die at sea in his failed attempt to reach Europe, Sahr John Yambasu gave up on getting across the Mediterranean and decided to go back home. The 29-year-old from Sierra Leone reached Niger in June on his return journey, but United Nations officials said he had to wait for packed migrant centers to empty before he could be repatriated. Then mutinous soldiers toppled Niger’s president a few weeks later, bringing regional tensions and the shuttering of the borders. Yambasu was trapped. He…

by David Crary The March on Washington of 1963 is remembered most for the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech — and thus as a crowning moment for the long-term civil rights activism of what is sometimes referred to as the “Black Church.” At the march, King indeed represented numerous other Black clergy who were his colleagues in the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. But the march was the product of sustained activism by a broader coalition. Black and white labor leaders, as well as white clergy, played pivotal roles over many months ahead of the event. Moreover, the Black Church…

By Emeka Obasi LAGOS, NIGERIA -Stephen Keshi became close to Paul Okoku at St. Paul’s Primary School, Ebute Metta, Lagos and their friendship lasted until death took the African legend away. That bond also  witnessed some embarrassing moments. As kids, they were unable to afford bicycles which some of their mates  enjoyed. The inability to own Chopper or  Hercules, meant the friends had to rent from sources outside their neighbourhood. The terms and condition of that deal were clearly spelt out . The lenders were so strict that defaulters were penalised beyond measure since there were no regulatory agencies to…

by Alanna Durkin Richer and Jill Colvin Former President Donald Trump says he will surrender to authorities in Georgia on Thursday to face charges in the case accusing him of illegally scheming to overturn his 2020 election loss. “Can you believe it? I’ll be going to Atlanta, Georgia, on Thursday to be ARRESTED,” Trump wrote on his social media network Monday night, hours after court papers said his bond was set at $200,000. The Fulton County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release Monday afternoon that when Trump surrenders there will be a “hard lockdown” of the area surrounding the main county…

by Gerald Imray JOHANNESBURG  — Vladimir Putin will be the odd one out when leaders from the BRICS economic bloc of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa meet in Johannesburg this week. While all the others are set to attend the meetings in person, Putin will dial in on a video call. The reason? An International Criminal Court arrest warrant issued for the Russian president put summit host South Africa in a sticky situation and ultimately resulted in Putin staying at home. Here’s what is expected when the group of emerging economies holds three days of meetings starting Tuesday…

by Alanna Durbin Richer and Jill Colvin Donald Trump’s bond has been set at $200,000 ahead of his surrender to authorities in the Georgia case accusing the former president of illegally scheming to overturn his 2020 election loss, according to court papers filed Monday. Trump, who is facing a Friday deadline to turn himself in, is also barred from intimidating co-defendants, witnesses or victims in the case — including on social media — according to the bond agreement signed by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, Trump’s defense attorneys and the judge. It explicitly includes “posts on social media or reposts…

by Seung Min Kim LAHAINA, Hawaii — President Joe Biden told survivors of Hawaii’s wildfires that the nation “grieves with you” and promised that the federal government will help Maui “for as long as it takes” to recover after touring damage caused by the deadliest wildfire in the United States in more than a century. Biden arrived in Maui on Monday, 13 days after the wildfires that have taken at least 114 lives ravaged the western part of the island. “The country grieves with you, stands with you and will do everything possible to help you recover,” Biden said. THIS…