December 27, 2024 4:58 am
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea’s opposition-controlled National Assembly has voted to impeach the country’s acting leader, Han Duck-soo. The assembly approved the impeachment motion in a 192-0 vote on Friday. Governing party lawmakers boycotted the vote. Han, the No. 2 official in South Korea, has been the caretaker leader after President Yoon Suk Yeol was impeached by the assembly over his short-lived imposition of martial law earlier this month. Han’s impeachment further deepens South Korea’s political crisis and damages its international image.
December 27, 2024 4:57 am
Aviation experts say that Russian air defense fire was likely responsible for the Azerbaijani plane crash the day before that killed 38 people and left all 29 survivors injured. Azerbaijan is observing a nationwide day of mourning on Thursday for the victims of the crash. Azerbaijan Airlines’ Embraer 190 was en route from Azerbaijan’s capital of Baku to the Russian city of Grozny in the North Caucasus on Wednesday when it was diverted for reasons yet unclear and crashed while making an attempt to land in Aktau in Kazakhstan. Cellphone footage circulating online appeared to show the aircraft making a steep descent before smashing into the ground in a fireball.
December 27, 2024 4:55 am
DALLAS (AP) — Parts of Texas, Louisiana and Arkansas are under severe weather watches as the National Weather Service predicts a storm system in the Gulf of Mexico could bring high winds, hail and possible tornadoes to the region. The storm watches have continued early Friday after more than 100 flights were delayed and dozens more were canceled Thursday at airports in Dallas and Houston. The weather service says the greatest weather risk stretched from just east of Dallas and between Houston and portions of southern Arkansas and western Louisiana. The risk includes the possibility of tornadoes, wind gusts between 60 and 80 miles per hour and large hail.
December 27, 2024 4:51 am
The Food and Drug Administration has raised the risk level of recalled Costco eggs to Class I, the highest category. More than 10,800 cartons of Kirkland Signature Organic Pasture Raised eggs produced by Handsome Brook Farms were initially recalled in November, USA Today reported. But this week the FDA has raised the level to a Class I recall, saying there is “a reasonable probability” that it “will cause serious adverse health consequences or death.” The recall was first initiated after the company found that eggs that were not meant for retail distribution were packaged and sent to stores. They were potentially contaminated with salmonella. The eggs, which came in a 24-count package – had a UPC of 9661910680 and a best-by date of Jan. 5, 2025. They were distributed in Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee, the FDA said. They were sold at only 25 Costco locations, NBC News reported. It has 624 stores across the country. (Photo: Handsome Brook Farms)
December 27, 2024 4:46 am
PITTSBURGH — The Fort Pitt Museum will close for updates in January. Closure begins on Jan. 1 and is expected to reopen on Feb. 1. The updates include routine maintenance and cleaning of the diorama of 18th-century Pittsburgh, which has been on display since the museum opened in 1969. Kids can visit the museum now for free through Dec. 31. An exhibit about the culture of Native American tribes who lived in Western Pennsylvania is open too.
December 27, 2024 4:44 am
CENTER TOWNSHIP, Pa. – (WPXI) – A winning Mega Millions lottery ticket worth $1 million was sold in Beaver County. The ticket was sold at the Sunoco in Center Township on Pleasant Drive. The numbers matched all five of the white balls drawn on Christmas Eve. They were: 11, 14, 38, 45 and 46. It did not match the yellow Mega Ball 3. The Mega Millions jackpot is currently worth $1.15 billion.
December 26, 2024 5:12 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — The fate of President-elect Donald Trump’s Cabinet is still unclear after Republican senators spent much of December carefully dodging questions. Scrutiny is being focused on Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s views on vaccines, accusations of sexual misconduct against Pete Hegseth and Tulsi Gabbard’s 2017 meeting with then-President Bashar Assad of Syria. Some GOP senators have indicated they are all-in for all of Trump’s picks. But others have withheld their support for now, especially on some of his more controversial nominees. That injects uncertainty into the process as Republicans are set to take the Senate majority with a four-seat margin. Trump has challenged them to confirm his Cabinet immediately.
December 26, 2024 5:11 am
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — A man accused of attempting to assassinate President-elect Donald Trump in South Florida won’t be tried until September 2025. U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon said in an order released on Monday that Ryan Routh’s trial will begin Sept. 8 instead of the previously scheduled Feb. 10 start date. Routh has pleaded not guilty. Routh’s attorneys had asked the judge to delay the trial until next December, saying they needed more time to review the evidence against him and decide whether to mount an insanity defense. Routh’s charge of attempted assassination of a major presidential candidate carries a potential life sentence in the event of a conviction.
December 26, 2024 5:09 am
An Azerbaijani airliner with 67 people onboard has crashed near the Kazakhstani city of Aktau and an official says 38 people were killed and 29 survived. The Embraer 190 was en route from the Azerbaijani capital of Baku to the Russian city of Grozny in the North Caucasus when it was diverted and attempted an emergency landing near the city of Aktau. Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said that it was too soon to speculate on the reasons behind the crash, but said that the weather had forced the plane to change from its planned course. Russia’s civil aviation authority, Rosaviatsia, said that preliminary information showed that the pilots diverted to Aktau after a bird strike led to an emergency on board.
December 26, 2024 5:06 am
PITTSBURGH — (WPXI) – The community came together on the first night of Hanukkah for a special ceremony in Squirrel Hill on Wednesday. The candle lighting of the larger-than-life menorah in front of the Tree of Life synagogue has a deeper meaning. “Remember it takes just a little light to dispel the darkness,” said Tree of Life synagogue Rabbi Jeffrey Myers. Standing strong outside the Pittsburgh synagogue, the menorah was a gift to the congregation in 2018, just weeks after the deadly antisemitic shooting where 11 Jewish worshipers were killed. Though plans are underway for a new synagogue on the site, the congregation, including Rabbi Jeffrey Myers, who survived the horrific mass shooting, said this will always be their home. “We’re temporarily not housed in this space but we’re still here,” Myers said. “Our spirit didn’t leave and the light that’s Tree of Life congregation didn’t go out. We are still here.” The Rabbi said Judaism and Christianity are intertwined through that light, especially on a rare double holiday. This December 25, Hanukkah and Christmas fall on the same day for the first time in 19 years.
