March 7, 2022 4:17 am
BANGKOK (AP) – The death toll from COVID-19 has surpassed 6 million. The tragic number confirmed Monday is believed to be a vast undercount and shows that the pandemic in its third year is far from done. It’s also a reminder of the unrelenting nature of the pandemic even as people are shedding masks, travel is resuming and businesses are reopening around the globe. The last million deaths of the tally compiled by Johns Hopkins University were recorded over the last four months. That’s slightly slower than the previous million, but highlights that many countries are still struggling with the coronavirus. Overall, some 450 million cases of COVID-19 have been recorded.
March 7, 2022 4:16 am
TOKYO (AP) – The price of oil has jumped more than $12 a barrel and shares are sharply lower as the conflict in Ukraine deepens amid mounting calls for harsher sanctions against Russia. Brent crude oil surged above $130 a barrel. Benchmark U.S. crude was up $10 at more than $125 a barrel. The surge followed a warning from Russian President Vladimir Putin that Ukrainian statehood was imperiled as Russian forces battered strategic locations. A temporary cease-fire in two Ukrainian cities failed – and both sides blamed each other. Libya’s national oil company said an armed group shut down two crucial oil fields.
March 7, 2022 4:14 am
LVIV, Ukraine (AP) – The humanitarian crisis in Ukraine is deepening as Russian forces intensify their shelling and food, water, heat and medicine grow increasingly scarce. Ukraine says it is facing a medieval-style siege by Moscow to batter it into submission. A third round of talks between the two sides Monday ended with a top Ukrainian official saying there had been minor, unspecified progress toward establishing safe corridors that would allow civilians to escape the fighting. Russia’s top negotiator says he expects those corridors to finally start functioning Tuesday.
March 7, 2022 4:07 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) – The board of another big public pension system in Pennsylvania will sell off its Russia-related investments, amid bipartisan calls from lawmakers and top state officials to respond to Russia’s attack on Ukraine. Friday’s vote by the board of the State Employees’ Retirement System affects roughly $7 million of the $40 billion in assets the system reported having at the start of 2022. That exposure amounts to 0.02%. The board’s resolution also bars new investments in assets related to Russia. On Thursday, the board of the $72.5 billion Public School Employees’ Retirement System took a similar vote to divest of nearly $300 million directly invested in Russia and Belarus.
March 6, 2022 8:12 am
VIENNA (AP) — Iran has agreed to supply answers long sought by the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog, Tehran and the U.N. agency said Saturday, as talks in Vienna over its tattered atomic deal with world powers appear to be coming to an end. A joint statement by Mohammad Eslami, the head of the civilian Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, and Rafael Mariano Grossi of the International Atomic Energy, came hours after the two met in Tehran. It envisions the IAEA reaching conclusions on the discovery of uranium particles at former undeclared sites in Iran by June. The move is separate from the talks over the nuclear deal but could help push them to a conclusion. But meanwhile, Russia’s foreign minister for the first time linked American sanctions on Moscow over its war on Ukraine to the ongoing Iran nuclear deal talks — adding a new wrinkle to the delicate diplomacy.
March 6, 2022 8:10 am
BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — The Russian tanks and missiles besieging Ukraine also are threatening the food supply and livelihoods of people in Europe, Africa and Asia who rely on the vast, fertile farmlands of the Black Sea region — known as the “breadbasket of the world.” Ukrainian farmers have been forced to neglect their fields as millions flee, fight or try to stay alive. Ports are shut down that send wheat and other food staples worldwide to be made into bread, noodles and animal feed. And there are worries Russia, another agricultural powerhouse, could have its grain exports upended by Western sanctions. While there have not yet been global disruptions to wheat supplies, prices have surged 55% since a week before the invasion amid concerns about what could happen next. If the war is prolonged, countries that rely on affordable wheat exports from Ukraine could face shortages starting in July, International Grains Council director Arnaud Petit told The Associated Press.
March 6, 2022 8:08 am
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Six people were killed Saturday when a tornado swept through central Iowa, damaging buildings and knocking down trees and power lines, authorities said. Emergency management officials in Madison County said four were injured in addition to those killed when the tornado touched down in the area southwest of Des Moines at about 4:30 p.m. Among those killed were children and adults. Madison County Emergency Management Director Diogenes Ayala said 25 to 30 homes were badly damaged by the tornado. “This is the worst anyone has seen in a very long time,” he said. Officials didn’t identify those killed but said they were not all in the same location.
March 6, 2022 8:07 am
LVIV, Ukraine (AP) — A Ukrainian official says a second attempt to evacuate civilians from a southern city under siege for a week has failed due to continued Russian shelling. Evacuations from the port city of Mariupol were scheduled to begin at noon local time (10 a.m. GMT) during a 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. local ceasefire, Ukrainian military authorities said earlier Sunday. Interior Ministry adviser Anton Gerashchenko said the planned evacuations along designated humanitarian corridors were halted because of an ongoing assault. “There can be no ‘green corridors’ because only the sick brain of the Russians decides when to start shooting and at whom,“ he said on Telegram. A similar cease-fire planned for Mariupol and the nearby city of Volnovakha collapsed Saturday, trapping residents under more shelling and aerial bombardment by Russian forces.
March 6, 2022 8:05 am
PITTSBURGH (WPXI) — The West End Bridge was closed in both directions Saturday night after a fatal motorcycle crash. According to Pittsburgh Public Safety, first responders arrived on scene at around 7:30 p.m. Responders located the motorcyclist down on the street. He was pronounced dead at the scene. He was wearing a helmet at the time of the crash. Two other vehicles are said to be involved in the collision. No other injuries have been reported. There is no word on the identity of the motorcyclist. The Collision Investigation Unit is investigating to determine the cause.
March 6, 2022 7:57 am
SOMERSET TOWNSHIP, Pa. — Washington County fire crews were called for two brush fire incidents Saturday as temperatures shot above 70 degrees for the first time this year. Just before 8:00 p.m., a large fire sparked in the area of the old Somerset Elementary School according to 911 reports. Ellsworth VFD along with by Fallowfield, Valley Inn and Bentleyville were called to the scene. Reports say it took over an hour to put out the fire. In a separate incident earlier in the day, crews from Mt. Pleasant and McDonald Volunteer Fire Departments were dispatched to Washington Avenue for a brush fire reportedly 100 yards from a structure. No injuries or major damage were reported from the fire calls. (Photo: Bentleyville Fire-Rescue Facebook Page)
