August 4, 2024 8:02 am
DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) — Officials and media reports say a new round of violence in Bangladesh has left more than 20 people dead and hundreds of others injured as student protesters clashed with police and ruling party activists. Protesters are demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. The initial protests in July began with students calling for an end to a quota system for government jobs but escalated into violence that left more than 200 dead. Authorities in response closed schools and universities across the country, blocked internet access and imposed a shoot-on-sight curfew. At least 11,000 people have been arrested in recent weeks. (Photo: AP)
August 4, 2024 7:00 am
UNIONTOWN, Pa. – A man is dead after an early Saturday morning shooting at a Uniontown club. The Uniontown City Police Department says the shooting happened a little before 5 a.m. on Morgantown Street at Club Lux. A man was shot multiple times in “vital areas of his body,” according to Lt. Tom Kolencik. He was pronounced dead at a local hospital.The Fayette County Coroner identifies the man killed as Timothy Brooks, 24, of Uniontown. No arrests have been made, and no suspects have been identified yet. Lt. Kolencik says it’s still early in the investigation, and they are still interviewing witnesses. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Uniontown City Police Department.
August 3, 2024 7:27 am
ZEITA, West Bank (AP) — The Israeli army and Palestinian media say an airstrike on a vehicle in the occupied West Bank killed five Palestinians as violence flares in the Israeli-occupied territory. The army said its forces struck a vehicle carrying five militants in a rural area northwest of the city of Tulkarem in the northwest West Bank early Saturday morning, as the occupants were on their way to carry out an attack. The Palestinian Health Ministry says over 590 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire in the West Bank since the Israel-Hamas war erupted in Gaza in October. The strike comes just days after the consecutive assassinations of Hamas’ leader and a top Hezbollah commander.
August 3, 2024 5:26 am
Governor Josh Shapiro and the Pennsylvania Department of Education Secretary Dr. Khalid N. Mumin were joined by state and local legislators, higher education leader and students at Cheyney University for a ceremonial bill signing of the higher education reforms that the governor signed into law as part of the 2024-25 budget. The budget for 2024-25 makes for the first significant progress on higher education in three decades and helps give Pennsylvanians the freedom to chart their own course and success that Governor Shapiro hold as his key priorities. This budget creates a new State Board of Higher Education that will coordinate every sector of higher education in Pennsylvania and utilize student-level data to make decisions on what works and what does not. The budget will also invest in public higher education institutions including a $15.7 million increase for community colleges and $35.1 million for schools in the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education. Also, it will make higher education more affordable to students with over $120 million in increased funding for scholarships and grants. The budget also looks to double funding for student teacher stipends for a total of $20 million to ensure student teachers are compensated for their work.
August 3, 2024 5:12 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. economy suffered an unexpected setback in July, as hiring fell sharply and the unemployment rate rose for the fourth straight month in a sign that higher interest rates may be taking a bigger toll on businesses and consumers. Friday’s report from the Labor Department showed that employers added just 114,000 jobs in July — far fewer than the 175,000 forecasters had expected — and that unemployment rose to 4.3%, highest since October 2021. The news shook financial markets around the world. The S&P 500 index ended Friday down 2%
August 3, 2024 5:10 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Pentagon has announced that the U.S. will move a fighter jet squadron to the Middle East and maintain an aircraft carrier in the region. President Joe Biden is making good on his promise to beef up the American military presence to help defend Israel from possible attacks by Iran and its proxies and to safeguard U.S. troops. Friday’s announcement also said Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has ordered additional ballistic missile defense-capable cruisers and destroyers to the European and Middle East regions. The shifts come as U.S. leaders worry about escalating violence in the Middle East in response to recent attacks by Israel on Hamas and Hezbollah leaders.
August 3, 2024 5:09 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — Vice President Kamala Harris says she’s ready for the fight against Republican Donald Trump after securing enough votes from Democratic delegates to become her party’s presidential nominee. The Democratic Party chair announced Friday that Harris had the votes. The online voting process doesn’t end until Monday, but Harris’ campaign marked the moment Friday when she crossed the threshold to have the majority of delegates’ votes. Harris says she’s “honored to be the presumptive Democratic nominee.” Harris is poised to be the first woman of color at the top of a major party’s ticket. The Democratic Party’s convention in Chicago begins Aug. 19.
August 3, 2024 5:04 am
In the biggest East-West prisoner swap since the Cold War, Russian President Vladimir Putin is sending a clear, morale-boosting message to his security services: If you get caught, Russia will bring you home. For the Kremlin, Vadim Krasikov, the hitman imprisoned in Germany for killing a former Chechen militant in Berlin, was perhaps the key component in the exchange that saw eight Russians swapped for 16 Westerners and Russian dissidents who had been imprisoned in recent years. In exchange for Krasikov and seven others, those freed by Moscow included American journalists Evan Gershkovich and Alsu Kurmasheva and former Marine Paul Whelan.
August 3, 2024 4:47 am
LAS VEGAS (WPXI) — John Chapman was sentenced to life in prison on Friday for kidnapping Jaime Feden, driving her to Nevada and killing her in the desert. Chapman was found guilty of Feden’s murder in April 2024 after an eight-day trial. Chapman and Feden knew each other for about 10 years and their relationship was very on-again, off-again. Photos on Chapman’s cell phone showed Feden zip-tied to a signpost in the Nevada desert with duct tape covering her mouth and nose, where she was left to die. Officers found her body days later. The defense argued that Feden consented to be tied up and duct taped when she was intimate with Chapman and that’s what the two were doing in the desert when she died.
August 4, 2024 7:00 am
WEST MIFFLIN, Pa. — A local mom is calling on Kennywood to step up its security after her teenage son was attacked outside the park Sunday night while waiting for his Uber home. The 16-year-old, who works at Kennywood, has injuries to his face and head. His mom said he can barely remember the attack. His mother received a text that night saying, “Mom I’ve been beat up, they said they are going to shoot me.” He said a group of boys he’d never seen before began taunting him and then attacked him.“That was the scariest text message I’ve ever got in my life. It still gives me anxiety. I haven’t slept all week,” she said. Her son finished work after 9:30 p.m. and the park was closed.“When I got here his face was busted open he had a black eye his mouth was busted open, I could tell he was scared,” she said. The teen’s mom says security still should have been patrolling the area even though the park had closed. “There wasn’t any adults around, and I just feel like we have kids who come and work for places like this, and you’re not even protecting our kids when they are coming to work and it doesn’t make sense to me,” she said. She said her son won’t be returning to work.“He will absolutely not be back,” she said. “I don’t feel like he is safe here, I don’t feel like it’s a safe environment.” Kennywood provided the following statement: “We take the safety of our team members and guests seriously and are working directly with the West Mifflin Police Department.” West Mifflin police are asking anyone who saw something to reach out to them immediately.
