November 27, 2020 4:20 am
Japanese Emperor Naruhito and his family will not offer their New Year greetings from the palace balcony due to concerns over the country’s struggles with a resurgence of coronavirus infections. The Imperial Household Agency said in a statement Friday that the annual greetings on Jan. 2 will not be held. The event traditionally draws tens of thousands of well-wishers to the palace garden. The greeting was last canceled in 1990 following the death of Naruhito’s grandfather. Emperor Naruhito and his family have rarely made public appearances since the pandemic began, due to cancelation of palace events. Experts have urged the government to reduce social and business activity before the holiday season because of a rise in serious coronavirus cases.
November 27, 2020 4:19 am
LONDON (AP) – Julian Assange’s partner, Stella Moris, has tweeted President Donald Trump on Thanksgiving, appealing to him to pardon the WikiLeaks founder. Moris posted a photo of their two young children on Twitter Thursday and wrote: “These are Julian’s sons Max and Gabriel. They need their father. Our family needs to be whole again.” She added: “I beg you, please bring him home for Christmas.” Assange, 49, remains in a British prison cell as he awaits a judge’s decision about whether he can be sent to the U.S. to face espionage charges. He attended four weeks of an extradition hearing at London’s Central Criminal Court in September and October. The judge overseeing the case said she would deliver her decision on Jan.4.
November 27, 2020 4:17 am
CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) – Defense lawyers for six American oil executives held for three years in Venezuela say a judge has found them guilty of corruption charges and immediately sentenced them to prison. The judge’s ruling Thursday came with sentences of more than eight years for each. The verdicts dashed the hopes of relatives for a quick release that would send the men home to the United States. The so-called Citgo 6 had been lured to Venezuela for three years ago for a business meeting and arrested. They are employees of the Houston-based Citgo refining company, which is owned by Venezuela’s state oil company, PDVSA.
November 27, 2020 4:16 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – President Donald Trump on Thursday renewed baseless claims that “massive fraud” and crooked local officials in battleground states led to his election defeat, and said he’ll go to Georgia for a rally to boost two Republican candidates facing runoff elections that will determine control of the Senate. Trump spoke to reporters at the White House after a Thanksgiving conversation with U.S. military members overseas. It was his first time taking questions since the election. Trump insisted the election has a “long way to go,” even though he lost to President-elect Joe Biden and his campaign have failed to produce evidence of the mass voter fraud it alleges.
November 27, 2020 4:13 am
NEW YORK (AP) – After months of slumping sales and businesses toppling into bankruptcy, Black Friday is offering a small beacon of hope. In normal times, Black Friday is the busiest shopping day of the year, drawing millions of shoppers eager to get started on their holiday spending. But these are not normal times. The economy is tanking and crowds are expected to be dramatically diminished as coronavirus cases spike and shoppers do more of their purchases online. Many retailers are beefing up their safety protocols, moving their doorbuster deals online and curbside pickup options as a last grasp at sales before the year ends and they head into the dark days of winter with the pandemic still raging.
November 27, 2020 4:12 am
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) – South Korea’s spy agency has told lawmakers that North Korea executed at least two people, banned fishing at sea and locked down its capital Pyongyang as part of frantic anti-coronavirus steps. The lawmakers cited the National Intelligence Service as saying Friday that North Korea also ordered diplomats overseas to refrain from any acts that could provoke the United States as it’s worries about President-elect Joe Biden’s possible new approach on the North. Lawmaker Ha Tae-keung cited the agency as saying North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is displaying an excessive anger and irrational measures over the pandemic and its economic impact.
November 27, 2020 4:09 am
PITTSBURGH — (WPXI) The coronavirus led to more people picking up outdoor activities this year. The state’s Fish and Boat Commission reports there were 156,000 more anglers this year and the number of hunters is on the rise. “General hunting licenses I believe are up around 7% some of the specialty licenses. There are even a little higher than that. But a lot of people I think are taking advantage of the fact that they have more time than what they’ve had in the past,” said Patrick Snickles, southwest region information & education supervisor for the Pennsylvania Game Commission. As more people take to the woods, there are big changes statewide and locally, the first being, if you are stopped for a license and safety check — wardens will be standing back. “Don’t be offended if an officer stands an extra few feet away this year it’s just, again, it’s just social distancing is just a precaution. He will read he or she will reach out to, to ask you for your license and you can certainly hand it to them,” Snickles said. Another big statewide change impacting all is there’s one Sunday hunting day – that’s Nov. 29. So if you’re a non-hunter heading out for that Sunday hike, be alert.
November 27, 2020 4:03 am
MANOR, Pa. (AP) – Three people were rescued after their boat overturned Thanksgiving morning on a river in southern Pennsylvania. The boat overturned around 5:30 a.m. Thursday on the Susquehanna River in Lancaster County, near Manor Township. Emergency responders were soon able to get the three people to land, where they were treated for minor injuries. It’s not yet known what caused the boat to overturn. The names of the three people aboard the boat were not released. State police are investigating the incident.
November 27, 2020 4:01 am
PITTSBURGH — (WPXI) – An inmate died after he was found unresponsive in his cell in the Allegheny County Jail on Thursday. According to Warden Orlando Harper, a medical emergency was called, and the man was helped immediately by a correctional officer and medical staff. The medical staff continued life-saving efforts until paramedics arrived and took over. Harper said the man was pronounced dead at 10:43 a.m. An internal review will happen, and the incident will also be investigated by the county police. Harder said these procedures are done with all incidents at the jail.
November 26, 2020 4:38 am
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) – Some California counties are pushing ahead with plans to wind down a program that’s housed homeless people in hotel rooms amid the coronavirus pandemic. It comes despite an emergency cash infusion from the state aimed at preventing people from returning to the streets in colder weather as the virus surges. Counties say that as federal coronavirus funding expires, it’s time to transition residents from costly hotels to cheaper, more stable housing. Gov. Gavin Newsom recently announced $62 million for counties to move hotel guests into permanent housing or to extend hotel leases. In San Francisco, advocates are outraged by plans to start moving hundreds of people around the holidays.
