Hacked hospitals, hidden spyware: Iran conflict shows how digital fight is ingrained in warfare
WASHINGTON — As they fled an Iranian missile strike, some Israelis with Android phones received a text offering a link to real-time information about bomb shelters. But instead of a helpful app, the link downloaded spyware giving hackers access to the device’s camera, location and all its data. The operation,...
Worries about global economic pain deepen as the war in Iran drags on
WASHINGTON — U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran have driven up prices, darkened the outlook for the world economy, sent global stock markets reeling and forced developing countries to ration fuel and subsidize energy costs to protect their poorest. Ongoing strikes and counterstrikes on Persian Gulf refineries, pipelines, gas fields...
After the flames: Financial, personal hurdles challenge owners reopening a local eatery
The dining room is still a maze of unassembled furniture and the deck is on the back burner, but for the first time since September 2024, the ovens are hot at Ianni’s Pizzeria in Delmont. “We’re so happy to be back!” employee Sarah Barral, 46, of Delmont, said as she...
Peoples Gas proposes raising average monthly bill by $16
Peoples Gas wants to raise rates for the average residential customer by just over $16 a month, according to a request filed Friday with the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission. The hike would amount to another $163 million in annual revenue for the gas utility, which serves more than 700,000 homes...
Multibillion-dollar Nvidia deal brings quiet Saxonburg-based manufacturer Coherent into the spotlight
Coherent executive Steve Rummel offered a peek under the hood Friday at the Saxonburg-based manufacturer’s multibillion-dollar deal with Nvidia, a stock market darling and driving force behind much of the artificial intelligence industry. The agreement was announced March 2 and continues some 20 years of collaboration between the companies. Over...
Workers’ strike at 1 of the largest U.S. meatpacking plants will continue for a 3rd week
DENVER — Thousands of striking workers at one of the nation’s largest meatpacking plants will extend their walkout to a third week as they push for higher wages and better health care. Industry experts said it’s too early to know if the strike that began March 16 at the Swift...
Another PlayStation price hike means the gaming console will cost 30% more than it did last year
The price of a PlayStation is going up by another $100, the second time in less than a year that Sony has upped the price tag on its popular gaming console. Citing “continued pressures in the global economic landscape,” the Japanese company said that as of next Thursday, the PS5...
Stocks fall and oil prices rise after Trump’s latest delay in the Iran war fails to raise much hope
NEW YORK — U.S. stocks are falling Friday as Wall Street stumbles toward the finish of a fifth straight losing week, which would be its longest such streak in nearly four years. The S&P 500 sank 1% and deepened its losses a day after its worst drop since the war...
Austria plans to ban social media use for under-14s, joining a string of other countries
VIENNA — Austria’s governing coalition on Friday announced plans to ban social media use for children under 14, joining a string of other countries in drawing up restrictions for young people. Alexander Pröll, the official in Chancellor Christian Stocker’s office responsible for digitization, said that draft legislation will be drawn...
Some Pa. lawmakers call for suspending state taxes on gas and dieselVideo
With average gas prices hovering around $4 a gallon, and diesel prices nearly $2 a gallon higher, some Pennsylvania lawmakers are exploring temporarily suspending the state’s taxes on both. “Everybody is talking about affordability, but what are we doing about it? I think we can do something,” state Sen. Lisa...
Federal judge temporarily blocks Pentagon from branding AI firm Anthropic a supply chain risk
SAN FRANCISCO — A federal judge has ruled in favor of artificial intelligence company Anthropic in temporarily blocking the Pentagon from labeling the company as a supply chain risk. U.S. District Judge Rita Lin on Thursday said she was also blocking President Donald Trump’s directive ordering all federal agencies to...
GoFundMe launched to support TSA workers at Pittsburgh International Airport
The Allegheny County Airport Authority Charitable Foundation launched a GoFundMe campaign Thursday, aiming to lift up government workers hit hard by the partial Department of Homeland Security shutdown caused by the ongoing federal budget deadlock. By 4:30 p.m., the GoFundMe had raised more than $4,000 for Transportation Security Administration (TSA)...
Wall Street has its worst day since the war with Iran started and crude oil prices rise
NEW YORK — Stocks fell sharply Thursday, and oil prices rose as doubt took over again from hope on Wall Street about a possible end to the war with Iran. The S&P 500 slumped 1.7% for its worst day since January and is back on track for a fifth straight...
Candle studio joins pop-up businesses fueling Downtown’s NFL Draft push
The temperature Tuesday afternoon in Downtown Pittsburgh didn’t climb much above freezing. But patrons at Kayla Branca’s new candle workshop, The Studio by PGH Candle, said they felt something warm wash over them upon entering the Wood Street store. Branca made the shop’s opening official this week with an oversized...
Sony and Honda pull plug on the $100,000 EV that was set to debut in California
As major automakers pare back their EV offerings, Sony and Honda are scrapping their plans to launch a gadget-packed electric vehicle. The move by Sony Honda Mobility comes weeks after Honda announced a $15.7 billion writedown of its EV business and said it would cancel planned production for three of...
U.S. eases Belarus sanctions as Trump says he’ll help U.S. farmers impacted by Iran war
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration on Thursday announced it had eased restrictions on a group of Belarus-linked financial and potash companies in the latest sign of improving ties between the country’s autocratic leader, Alexander Lukashenko, and Washington. The war with Iran has largely stopped the export of nitrogen fertilizers manufactured...
Average U.S. long-term mortgage rate leaps to 6.38%, the highest level in more than 6 months
The average long-term U.S. mortgage rate climbed this week to its highest level in more than six months, driving up borrowing costs during what’s typically the busiest time of the year for prospective home buyers. The benchmark 30-year fixed rate mortgage rate rose to 6.38% from 6.22% last week, mortgage...
EU lawmakers approve trade deal with U.S. but add safeguards
BRUSSELS — The European Parliament voted Thursday to approve a trade deal between the European Union and the United States but with amendments added to protect European interests should the U.S. fail to hold up its end of the bargain. The deal was negotiated last July in Turnberry, Scotland, by...
U.S. filings for jobless aid tick up last week to 210,000 but remain at historically healthy levels
WASHINGTON — The number of Americans applying for jobless aid inched up last week as employers continue to retain workers despite a labor market that has weakened considerably in the past year. U.S. applications for jobless aid for the week ending March 21 rose by 5,000 to 210,000 from the...
EU targets Snapchat over child safety and accuses porn sites of failing to block minors
LONDON — European Union regulators are investigating Snapchat over concerns the platform isn’t doing enough to protect kids and exposing them to risks such as increased vulnerability to child predators or recruitment by criminals. The 27-nation EU’s executive Commission said Thursday it was opening a formal investigation into Snapchat under...
Green a lucky color for Howard Hanna Realtor
Lauren Shepherd knows how to go green. She uses the primary color as her signature hue for her successful realty marketing campaign. She often is spotted around the Fox Chapel area in signature green outfits as a Howard Hanna Realtor and drives the “Green Machine,” the playful moniker given to...
U.S. Postal Service to hike prices as war drives up fuel costs
The U.S. Postal Service plans to raise prices to offset rising transportation expenses including the cost of fuel, a sign that the beleaguered mail carrier is feeling the strain of higher oil prices as the war in Iran continues. The USPS will increase prices by 8% on some packages until...
Delta Air Lines says it will suspend special services for Congress members
Delta Air Lines said that it would suspend special services for members of Congress, citing the partial government shutdown that has hobbled travel across the country. The services include airport escorts and specialized customer service for lawmakers. The Capital Desk, a dedicated reservations line that helps members book trips at...
O’Connor sees NFL Draft spotlight as chance to shed steel-town perceptions
Appearances are a top priority for Pittsburgh officials ahead of the 2026 NFL Draft. Just this week, Pittsburgh police started a citywide sweep of abandoned vehicles. City public works crews are also putting in overtime to clean up Downtown Pittsburgh ahead of the event, which runs from April 23-25 and...
Jury finds Instagram and YouTube liable in a landmark social media addiction trialVideo
LOS ANGELES — Meta and YouTube must pay millions in damages to a 20-year-old woman after a jury decided the social media giant and video streamer designed their platforms to hook young users without concern for their well being. The California jury’s decision Wednesday in a first-of-its-kind lawsuit could influence...
