November 3, 2019 6:59 am
HONG KONG (AP) – China’s state-owned Xinhua News Agency has denounced the attack on its office in Hong Kong by pro-democracy protesters as “barbaric.” The city’s journalists also criticized the attack on the media organization during Saturday’s melee that marked nearly five months of unrest in the Chinese territory. Xinhua in a brief statement strongly condemned the “barbaric acts of mobs” that vandalized and set fire to the lobby of its Asia-Pacific office building in the city. Hong Kong Journalists Association called for an end to violence against the media. It was the first strike against the official Chinese news agency in a show of anger against Beijing, a day after the ruling Communist Party vowed to tighten the grip on the violence in the city. Police say Sunday over 200 people were detained.
November 3, 2019 6:58 am
LONDON (AP) – British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said he will apologize to Conservative Party members who voted for him based on his promise to take Britain out of the European Union by Oct. 31. He told Sky News on Sunday that it was a matter of “deep regret” that he failed to do so. Asked if he was sorry about missing the deadline, Johnson said: “Yes, absolutely.” Johnson’s plant to leave the EU on Oct. 31 with or without a divorce deal was blocked by Parliament, which required him to seek an extension. It had been the central plank of his platform in the party leadership competition that brought him to power in July. The EU has granted a Brexit extension until Jan. 31. Johnson faces a national election on Dec. 12 in his bid to get a more Brexit-friendly Parliament.
November 3, 2019 6:57 am
LOS ANGELES (AP) – Ventura County officials say firefighters contained 30% of the Maria Fire, which has burned nearly 15 square miles (39 sq. kilometers) and continues to threaten more than 2,500 homes and other buildings. The officials add that the humidity is expected to stay low and winds will be more favorable to firefighting in Southern California. The fire began Thursday during what had been expected to be the tail end of Santa Ana winds that fanned destructively across Southern California. While the cause of the fire hasn’t been determined, Southern California Edison reported Friday that it had re-energized a high-voltage power line minutes before a nearby hilltop exploded into a blaze. Edison had earlier turned off the line due to heavy winds.
November 3, 2019 6:55 am
NONTHABURI, Thailand (AP) – Leaders from fast-growing Southeast Asian economies, China, Japan and other regional powers are meeting in Bangkok for an annual summit that President Donald Trump is skipping so that he can campaign back home. The annual summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations formally began Sunday with its host, Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, saying the group intends to reach a basic agreement on the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, a 16-member trade bloc encompassing nearly a third of all global trade.
Prayut says the aim was to have a final deal by next year. ASEAN also hopes to set a code of conduct with China regarding disputed waters in the South China Sea.
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang says Beijing was intent on maintaining stability in the region in turbulent times.
November 3, 2019 6:54 am
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) – Saudi Arabia has formally announced the start of its initial public offering of the state-run oil giant Saudi Aramco. The kingdom’s Capital Market Authority made the announcement in a statement posted on its website early Sunday. The authority said its “board has issued its resolution approving the Saudi Arabian Oil Co. application for the registration and offering of part of its shares.” It did not immediately offer any timeline for the IPO. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has been pushing the IPO since 2016. However, it has seen repeated delays. The kingdom hopes for a $2 trillion valuation for the firm, in order to raise some $100 billion for development programs. The valuation may be lower, however, as analysts have said $2 trillion may be too much.
November 3, 2019 6:52 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – Newly released documents show a Trump campaign official told the FBI that during the 2016 presidential race the campaign’s chairman, Paul Manafort, pushed the idea that Ukraine, not Russia, was behind the hack of the Democratic National Committee’s servers. That unsubstantiated theory was advanced by President Donald Trump even after he took office, and it would later help trigger the impeachment inquiry now consuming the White House. Notes from an FBI interview were released Saturday after a lawsuit by BuzzFeed News that led to public access to hundreds of pages of documents from special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation. Information related to Ukraine has taken on renewed interest after calls for impeachment based on efforts by Trump and his administration to pressure Ukraine to investigate Democrat Joe Biden.
November 3, 2019 6:49 am
PHILADELPHIA (AP) – A regional Starbucks manager fired after the high-profile arrests of two black men at one of the coffee shops in Philadelphia has filed a wrongful termination suit against the company. Shannon Phillips accuses Starbucks of unfairly punishing white employees like her in response to the widely publicized arrests last year. Phillips says she lost her job after objecting to the company putting another white manager on leave. Starbucks denies Phillips’ claims and says it will defend the suit, filed Monday in federal court in New Jersey. Rashon Nelson and Donte Robinson were arrested minutes after a manager called police to say they hadn’t bought anything and were refusing to leave. The arrest prompted Starbucks officials to close stores nationwide to conduct racial bias training.
November 3, 2019 6:47 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) – Thousands of faculty members at Pennsylvania’s 14 state-owned universities will be voting later this month on a tentative contract agreement finalized last week. The Association of Pennsylvania State College and University Faculties said votes will be held on the 14 campuses between Nov. 11 and Nov. 13. If approved, the pact will go to the board of governors of the State System of Higher Education for approval. The union says details of the accord, which would run through June 2023, will be released after ratification. APSCUF represents about 5,000 faculty at Bloomsburg, California, Cheyney, Clarion, East Stroudsburg, Edinboro, Indiana, Kutztown, Lock Haven, Mansfield, Millersville, Shippensburg, Slippery Rock, and West Chester universities of Pennsylvania. The union also represents coaches at the universities who are still in contract talks.
November 3, 2019 6:46 am
PITTSBURGH, Pa. (WPXI) – “I’m waking up and it’s like a piece of me is really missing.” The mother of Nalani Johnson shared her pain with our news partners at Channel 11, speaking publicly for the first time. Police said Nalani was kidnapped on August 31, triggering an AMBER Alert. Three days later, her body was found in an Indiana County park. Homicide charges were filed in the case last week. Gladys Duarte has since moved out of Pittsburgh because of her daughter’s tragic death, but she smiled when talking about Nalani — her first and only child. “She was such a happy baby,” Duarte said. “She was literally like this ball of energy. I just love her so much and I just want her to know that.” Duarte told Channel 11 some days she forgets about the tragedy, thinking her daughter is still there. “I’ll look at the time and it’s like, ‘Oh my God it’s 5 o’clock. I have to go pick Nalani up from daycare.’ And then… I check my surroundings and I’m like OK no,” she said. Duarte said she last saw Nalani on Aug. 30 when her father picked her up. The next day, the search for Nalani began. Police said Sharena Nancy drove off with Nalani after getting into an argument with Nalani’s father that day. Investigators said the two were romantically involved. “I didn’t know this woman at all,” said Duarte. “I didn’t even know she was in his life.” Nancy was spotted in Penn Hills hours after Nalani was last seen, but Duarte’s daughter was nowhere to be found. After days of searching, investigators found Nalani in a wooded area in Pine Ridge Park. There was a split-second of hope for Duarte, but those emotions quickly turned to grief. Duarte said she lost it when detectives told her they found Nalani lifeless, still strapped in a car seat. On Oct. 25, Nancy was charged with homicide. She is awaiting trial, and Duarte had a message for her.
November 3, 2019 6:45 am
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (WPXI) – Two high school students overdosed and were hospitalized after using heroin-laced “vape pens,” according to Morgantown police. In a video message posted to social media Friday, Morgantown Police Chief Ed Preston said the devices also contained other drugs and substances. Preston encouraged people to stop using vaping devices and if they suspect an issue, to get rid of them. Nationwide, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported nearly 2,000 cases of illness associated with using vaping products as of Oct. 29. 37 people have died.
