Harvard University President Resigns

January 2, 2024 1:49 pm

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. (AP) — Harvard University President Claudine Gay has resigned amid plagiarism accusations and criticism over testimony at a congressional hearing where she was unable to say unequivocally that calls on campus for the genocide of Jews would violate the school’s conduct policy. Gay announced her departure, which came just months into her tenure, in a letter to the Harvard community on Tuesday. She and the presidents of MIT and the University of Pennsylvania came under fire last month for their lawyer like answers to a line of questioning from New York Rep. Elise Stefanik, who asked whether calling for the genocide of Jews would violate the colleges’ code of conduct.  (Photo:  AP)

Uniontown Murder Suspect In Custody In Las Vegas

January 2, 2024 9:32 am

LAS VEGAS — (WPXI) – A Uniontown man that police say is the prime suspect in his wife’s murder was arrested at a resort in Las Vegas. According to Uniontown police, Franyerlys Nicold “Nicole” Zambrano Briceno was found dead from a single gunshot wound in a house on Bierer Avenue at 1:31 p.m. Monday. Police said she was believed to have been dead for at least a couple of days. The victim’s husband, Arthur Guty Jr., 55, is considered a suspect in her murder, police said. Las Vegas Metro Police snapped a photo of Guty, moments after they took him into custody at a Las Vegas resort. He had a cigarette in his mouth and his hands behind his back. “He was in possession of $100,000 cash approximately, and he was located at the Mardi Gras Casino having a continental breakfast,” Fayette County District Attorney Mike Aubele told Channel 11. Police in Uniontown have been trying to find him for days after family and friends of his wife said they hadn’t heard from her. Detectives got a search warrant and found Zambrano dead inside their home. Police say it’s unclear how long she had been dead but it was enough time for Guty to make it to Las Vegas. His cell phone pinged there, and officers there tracked him down. Police believe he was trying to leave the country.

Five Dead After Collision & Plane Fire In Japan

January 2, 2024 8:20 am

TOKYO (AP) — A passenger plane and a Japanese coast guard aircraft have collided on the runway at Tokyo’s Haneda airport and burst into flames. TV footage showed a large burst of fire erupt from the side of the Japan Airlines plane as it taxied after landing. The area around the wing then caught fire. Transport Minister Tetsuo Saito said all 379 occupants of the passenger plane got out safely. He said the pilot of the coast guard plane evacuated safely but the other five crewmembers were found dead. Haneda is one of the busiest airports in Japan, and many people travel over the New Year holidays.

$842 Million Powerball Ticket Sold In Michigan

January 2, 2024 5:22 am

JOHNSTON, Iowa (AP) — Someone in Michigan has won an $842.4 million Powerball jackpot on the first day of 2024, the first time it has been won on New Year’s Day since the game’s start in 1992. The winning numbers drawn were: 12, 21, 42, 44, 49 and red Powerball: 1. Final ticket sales pushed the jackpot beyond its earlier estimate of $810 million to $842.4 million at the time of the drawing, making it the fifth-largest Powerball jackpot and 10th-largest U.S. lottery jackpot ever won. Before the big win on New Year’s, the jackpot had been growing since mid-October. The chance of winning the Powerball jackpot is 1 in 292.2 million.

Russian Ballistic Missiles Strike Ukraine’s Largest Cities

January 2, 2024 5:19 am

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukraine’s two largest cities have come under Russian hypersonic ballistic missile attacks. Officials said the Tuesday morning assaults killed at least four people and injured almost 100, as the war approached its two-year milestone and the Kremlin’s forces stepped up their winter bombardment of urban areas. Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said four civilians were killed and 92 injured in the capital, Kyiv, and in northeastern Kharkiv as hypersonic Kinzhal missiles that can fly at 10 times the speed of sound slammed into city blocks. The barrage extended Russia’s escalated attacks on Ukraine in recent days that began on Friday with its largest single assault on Ukraine since the war started, in which at least 41 civilians were killed.

South Korean Opposition Leader Stabbed In Neck

January 2, 2024 5:18 am

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korean opposition leader Lee Jae-myung has been stabbed in the neck by an unidentified man during a visit to the southeastern city of Busan. Emergency officials say Lee was attacked Tuesday as he visited the proposed site of a new airport in the city. They say Lee is conscious and isn’t in critical condition. Lee slumped to the ground, where a person pressed a handkerchief to his neck to stop the bleeding. Lee, head of the main opposition Democratic Party, lost the 2022 presidential election to President Yoon Suk Yeol by a very narrow margin.

At Least Forty-Eight Dead In Japan Earthquake

January 2, 2024 5:16 am

WAJIMA, Japan (AP) — A series of powerful earthquakes has hit western Japan, leaving at least 48 people dead and damaging thousands of buildings, vehicles and boats. Officials are warning people in some areas on Tuesday to stay away from their homes because of a risk of more strong quakes. Aftershocks continued to shake Ishikawa prefecture and nearby areas a day after a magnitude 7.6 temblor slammed the area on Monday afternoon. Officials say at least 48 people are confirmed dead and 16 seriously injured in Ishikawa. Japan is frequently hit by earthquakes because of its location along the “Ring of Fire,” an arc of volcanoes and fault lines in the Pacific Basin.

New Federal Warnings About Hackers

January 2, 2024 5:13 am

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — The hacking of a municipal water authority in a small Pennsylvania town is prompting new warnings from U.S. security officials as states and the federal government are wrestling with how to harden water utilities against hackers. Officials say the danger is hackers gaining control of automated equipment to shut down pumps that supply drinking water or contaminate drinking water by reprogramming automated chemical treatments. The efforts took on new urgency in 2021 when the federal government’s leading cybersecurity agency reported five attacks on water authorities over two years, four of them by ransomware and a fifth by a former employee. Potentially hostile geopolitical rivals such as Iran and China are viewed by U.S. officials as a threat.

Husband Considered Suspect In Wife’s Murder Arrested

January 2, 2024 5:10 am

UNIONTOWN, Pa. — (WPXI) – A Uniontown man who police say is the prime suspect in his wife’s murder has been arrested at a resort in Las Vegas. According to Uniontown police, Franyerlys Nicold “Nicole” Zambrano Briceno was found dead from a single gunshot wound in a house on Bierer Avenue at 1:31 p.m. Monday. Police said she was believed to have been dead for at least a couple of days. The victim’s husband, Arthur Guty Jr., 55, is considered a suspect in her murder, police said. Guty is facing charges of criminal homicide and aggravated assault.  According to police, officers were first notified by her coworkers on Dec. 29 after she didn’t show up or call out for work. Zambrano Briceno was a housekeeper at Nemacolin resort. Lieutenant Tom Kolencik with the Uniontown Police Department said not showing up for her shift was unusual for the Venezuelan native.

Israeli Strike Kills Senior Hamas Figure In Beirut

January 2, 2024 5:00 am

BEIRUT (AP) — An apparent Israeli strike in the Lebanese capital of Beirut has killed Hamas’ No. 2 political leader, marking a potentially significant escalation of Israel’s war against the militant group and heightening the risk of a wider Middle East conflict. Saleh Arouri was the most senior figure in the group killed since the Israel-Hamas war began nearly three months ago. His killing risks provoking major retaliation from Lebanon’s powerful Hezbollah militia. Hezbollah and the Israeli military have been exchanging fire almost daily over the Israeli-Lebanese border since Israel’s military campaign in Gaza began. So far, the Lebanese group has appeared reluctant to dramatically escalate the fighting.