December 25, 2019 7:00 am
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AP) — Saudi Arabia and Kuwait have ended a nearly five-year-long dispute over shared oil fields and have agreed to resume oil production from the divided Neutral Zone, but stressed this would not change their OPEC commitments to crude oil production cuts. The allied Gulf Arab nations signed the agreement in Kuwait City on Tuesday. Local media reported that about 300,000 barrels per day were being pumped from the area before the dispute halted production in early 2015. The divided zone, located between the two neighboring countries’ land borders, can produce up to half-a-million barrels per day. The state-run Saudi Press Agency reported that the agreement will not affect Saudi Arabia’s commitments to reduce its crude output to 9.7 million barrels per day. The agreement was signed by Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman, who has spent the past few years as a Saudi energy insider trying to resolve the rare public spat between the kingdom and its Gulf neighbor. The Kuwait News Agency reported that a “lavish ceremony” was held to mark the event, and was attended by Kuwait’s foreign minister, energy minister and other officials.
December 25, 2019 6:58 am
MOSCOW (AP) — Russian officials say 15 people are injured after a passenger helicopter made a rough emergency landing in Siberia on Wednesday morning. The Mi-8 helicopter with 21 passengers and three crew members got caught in a snowstorm soon after taking off in the village of Baykit, officials from the local branch of Russia’s Emergency Ministry said. The helicopter toppled over upon landing. The injured have received medical help and two remain in a hospital, health care officials said. Police are investigating the accident. The Mi-8, code-named Hip by NATO, is a medium twin-turbine helicopter designed in the Soviet Union and widely used in Russia as a transport aircraft. Rough landings and other incidents involving Mi-8 helicopters have become rather common in Russia in recent months.
December 25, 2019 6:56 am
PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — President Donald Trump said Tuesday that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un may be planning to give him “a nice present” such as a “beautiful vase” for Christmas rather than a missile launch. The president was asked what he will do if North Korea does conduct a long-range missile test. The North has threatened to take unspecified action if sanctions are not eased by the end of the year, and speculation has centered on the possibility of a new missile test, possibly of an intercontinental ballistic missile capable of delivering a nuclear warhead. The North has said that its “Christmas gift” to the United States will depend on Washington’s actions. Trump, who is in Florida for the holidays, had just finished thanking service members from each branch of the military via satellite when he was asked about North Korea. He opted for a wait-and-see approach.
December 25, 2019 6:53 am
MOON TOWNSHIP, Pa. (WPXI) — A man was arrested after police said he rummaged through a family’s home in Moon Township while they slept upstairs. Police said they responded to a report of a burglary Monday in the Crosswinds housing complex off of Becks Run Road in Moon Township. Several homes along Blue Ride Drive were approached from the rear by two people before one of the homes was entered through an unlocked basement door. Police said when the burglary happened, the family living inside the home was sleeping upstairs. Items from the home and the cars parked at the home were stolen, including a gun safe containing rifles, police said. The suspects then allegedly came back to the home in a silver Nissan Rogue to load the safe in the car. Police said they were able to identify the car and one of the suspects because of evidence left behind at the home, neighborhood video, a witness and intersection cameras. On Tuesday, police arrested Shawn Dupree Graham and charged him with burglary. He is currently in the Allegheny County Jail. Police said they also executed a search warrant on the home where Graham lived and recovered many of the stolen items. Police are still working to identify the second burglar or anyone else involved in the crime. Anyone with information is asked to call Moon Township police at 412-262-5000 and ask for the Special Investigations Unit.
December 25, 2019 6:50 am
PITTSBURGH, Pa. (WPXI) — Long lines of cars backed up. Growing numbers of delayed or canceled flights. A thick, heavy fog blanketed the region on Christmas Eve, and the travel headaches continued well into the evening. As of about 9 p.m., there were over two dozen canceled flights into and out of Pittsburgh International airport. A Dense Fog Advisory had been issued by the National Weather Service, effective until late morning on Christmas Day. At PIT, drivers were lining the roads leading to the terminal waiting for their loved ones to arrive. Buses were dispatched from Cleveland and Dulles airports to bring passengers to Pittsburgh after their flights were canceled. One man’s flight from Dulles airport to Pittsburgh was canceled, so the airline put him on a bus to get him home in time for the holidays.
December 25, 2019 5:54 am
NEW STANTON, Pa. — A crash involving two tractor-trailers, one of which caught fire, had all westbound lanes of the Pennsylvania Turnpike blocked for several hours Tuesday morning in New Stanton. The crash was reported shortly before 5 a.m. Fire officials said the tractor-trailer that caught fire was carrying car batteries and there was an explosion when the crash happened. Crews were able to clear the crash and reopen westbound lanes by 8 a.m. to allow drivers who were stuck in traffic through. However, the detour at the Somerset exit remained in effect until shortly before 9 a.m.
December 25, 2019 2:24 am
CLAIRTON, Pa. — For the fifth straight day, air pollution in the Mon Valley reached unhealthy levels in the Clairton area, violating federal air quality standards. Clean Water Action renewed warnings to residents about the health threat from the air pollution from U.S. Steel. It is likely pollution levels on Christmas Day will also be unhealthy without action by U.S. to reduce emissions. Myron Arnowitt, Pennsylvania Director for Clean Water Action says this lengthy period of unhealthy air represents a real danger to residents in the Mon Valley and is degrading air quality throughout the region. The group is concerned that neither U.S. Steel nor the Allegheny County Health Department has taken any actions to address the situation claiming; “We cannot control the weather. But we can control how much pollution we put into the air.”
December 24, 2019 4:16 pm
CHICAGO (AP) – Dense fog has caused flight delays and some cancellations at Chicago’s O’Hare and Midway international airports early on Christmas Eve during one of the busiest travel days of the holiday season. The Federal Aviation Administration briefly grounded flights at both airports until about 8 a.m. Tuesday and eased those restrictions as the fog cleared. By mid morning, nearly 50 flights had been canceled at O’Hare, and more than 70 flights canceled at Midway, split evenly between arrivals and departures.
December 24, 2019 4:16 pm
PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) – President Donald Trump has called members of the military to share greetings ahead of the Christmas holiday. Trump spoke by video conference with service members from his private club in Florida, where is he is on a more than two-week vacation. Trump has been largely out of the spotlight since delivering a speech to conservative students in nearby West Palm Beach on Saturday, spending his days golfing on his private course and greeting the well-heeled members of his clubs.áTrump was asked what he’d bought his wife, first lady Melania Trump, for Christmas. He said he’d bought her a “beautiful card,” but was “still working on a Christmas present.”
December 24, 2019 1:25 pm
PITTSBURGH, Pa. (WPXI) — A Baltimore man was arrested early Tuesday morning after police said he caused a disturbance and bit two officers at the Amtrak station in downtown Pittsburgh. Officers went to the station on Liberty Avenue around 2:45 a.m. when Deandre McCrary, 39, became irate after asking an Amtrak employee for a cigarette and the employee didn’t have any, police said. Police said the man yelled at a ticket seller, punched a window that was separating them and then angrily paced the lobby while talking to himself. Officers told the man he had to leave the station, but he refused, according to police. When the officers began to escort him outside, the man resisted. During the struggle, he allegedly bit two officers. Police said they tased the man and eventually took him into custody. McCrary was taken to the Allegheny County Jail and charged with aggravated assault, trespassing and resisting arrest. The two officers who were bitten were treated at UPMC Mercy and released.
