North America

COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — A Missouri man who admitted burying his wife’s body and misleading authorities for more than a year about her whereabouts was convicted Thursday of second-degree murder.

A jury found Joseph Elledge guilty in the killing of 28-year-old Mengqi Ji, whom he married after she moved to the U.S. from China to study at the University of Missouri.

Elledge reported Ji missing in October 2019, prompting months of extensive searches. Her remains were found in a park near Columbia, Missouri, in March.

WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal appeals court on Thursday temporarily blocked the release of White House records sought by a U.S. House committee investigating the Jan. 6 insurrection, granting — for now — a request from former President Donald Trump.

The administrative injunction issued by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit effectively bars until the end of this month the release of records that were to be turned over Friday. The appeals court set oral arguments in the case for Nov. 30.

NEW YORK (AP) — In the past week, Republican Rep. Paul Gosar tweeted a video showing a character with his face killing a figure with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s face. Several of the 13 House Republicans who backed a bipartisan infrastructure bill said they faced threats after their vote. In one profanity-laced voicemail, a caller labeled Rep. Fred Upton a “traitor” and wished death for the Michigan Republican, his family and staff.

The response from Republican leaders? Silence.

KENOSHA, Wis. (AP) — The defense rested its case Thursday at the murder trial of Kyle Rittenhouse, setting the stage for closing arguments Monday in the shootings that left Americans divided over whether he was a patriot taking a stand against lawlessness or a vigilante.

Rittenhouse’s lawyers put on about 2 1/2 days of testimony to the prosecution’s five, with the most riveting moment coming when the 18-year-old told the jury that he was defending himself from attack when he used his rifle to kill two men and wound a third on the streets of Kenosha in the summer of 2020.

WASHINGTON, Nov 11 (APP): Pakistan’s Ambassador to the US, Asad Majeed Khan, reaffirmed his government’s commitment to economic reform and facilitating international investment at an event hosted by a group of leading American investors on Wednesday.

Ambassador Khan, who was invited by the 20-20 Investment Association to the closing session of its annual meeting in Washington, said Pakistan provides attractive incentives and liberal policies for investment in all sectors of the economy for foreign and local investors.

LOS ANGELES, Nov 11 (NNN-AGENCIES) – A new report found a 20 percent increase in hate crimes last year, in Los Angeles County, the most populous county in the United States, mostly due to a 53 percent jump in racial hate crime.

In 2020, reported hate crimes in the county, home to over 10 million residents, grew from 530 to 635, the largest number since 2008, according to the annual report, released by the Los Angeles County Commission on Human Relations yesterday. The report noted that, hate crimes have been trending upwards, and since 2013 there has been a 65 percent rise.

HAVANA, Nov 11 (Reuters) - Cuba opens its borders next week signaling new opportunity for pandemic-weary travelers and the island's tourism industry, but for U.S. citizens getting there requires jumping through hoops like never before, according to the heads of eight U.S. tour agencies.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden and Democrats in Congress are looking to give U.S. automakers with union employees the inside track on the burgeoning electric vehicle market, triggering vocal opposition from foreign trade partners and Republicans who worry that manufacturers in their home states will be placed at a competitive disadvantage.

KENOSHA, Wis. (AP) — Kyle Rittenhouse told jurors at his murder trial that he tried to get away from his pursuers the night he shot three men during street unrest in Kenosha, saying he never wanted to kill anyone: “I didn’t do anything wrong. I defended myself.”

The 18-year-old spent most of Wednesday giving his account of what happened in just a few frenzied minutes on Aug. 25, 2020, sobbing so hard at one point that the judge called a recess.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — A SpaceX rocket carried four astronauts toward orbit Wednesday night, including the 600th person to reach space in 60 years.

The repeatedly delayed flight occurred just two days after SpaceX brought four other astronauts home from the International Space Station. They should have been up there to welcome the newcomers, but NASA and SpaceX decided to switch the order based on Monday’s ideal recovery weather in the Gulf of Mexico.