North America

NEW YORK (AP) — A Florida businessman who helped Rudy Giuliani’s effort to dig up dirt on Joe Biden in Ukraine was convicted Friday of campaign finance crimes, including funneling a Russian entrepreneur’s money to U.S. politicians.

Lev Parnas was on trial for more than two weeks as prosecutors accused him of using other people’s money to pose as a powerful political broker and cozy up to some of the nation’s star Republicans.

(AP) --- Federal health regulators said late Friday that kid-size doses of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine appear highly effective at preventing symptomatic infections in elementary school children and caused no unexpected safety issues, as the U.S. weighs beginning vaccinations in youngsters.

The Food and Drug Administration posted its analysis of Pfizer’s data ahead of a public meeting next week to debate whether the shots are ready for the nation’s roughly 28 million children ages 5 to 11. The agency will ask a panel of outside vaccine experts to vote on that question.

WASHINGTON (AP) — A deal within reach, President Joe Biden and Congress’ top Democrats edged close to sealing their giant domestic legislation, though the informal deadline appeared to slip as they worked to scale back the measure and determine how to pay for it.

Negotiations were expected to continue into the weekend, all sides indicating just a few issues remained unsettled in the sweeping package of social services and climate change strategies.

WASHINGTON (AP) — As supporters of Donald Trump stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6th, battling police and forcing lawmakers into hiding, an insurrection of a different kind was taking place inside the world’s largest social media company.

OTTAWA, Oct 22 (Reuters) - Canada has scrapped an official advisory urging its citizens to shun non-essential foreign travel, dropping a warning that was issued in March 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic erupted.

The Canadian government, however, is still telling people to avoid cruise ship travel outside of the country.

In an update to its travel advisory page posted late on Thursday, Ottawa removed the advice to avoid unnecessary travel and reverted to its usual practice of issuing notices for individual countries.

WASHINGTON, Oct 22 (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken accused Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega on Friday of preparing a sham election next month and trying to establish an “authoritarian dynasty” amid a wave of arrests ahead of Nicaragua’s Nov. 7 vote.

Blinken, who visited Latin America this week with stops in Ecuador and Colombia, welcomed a vote on Wednesday by the Organization of American States expressing “alarm” over Nicaraguan government actions it says will undermine the election, in which Ortega seeks a fourth consecutive term. 

NEW YORK, Oct. 22 (Xinhua) -- The old Cold War is the wrong way to frame what is happening now between China and the United States, and both sides should cooperate on climate and other issues, said an article published on The New York Times.

"Governments that plunge into a Cold War mind-set can exaggerate every conflict," said David E. Sanger, White House and national security correspondent, in the article earlier this week. "They can miss opportunities for cooperation."

UNITED NATIONS, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- More than 80 countries opposed the interference in China's internal affairs under the pretext of human rights at the Third Committee of the 76th session of the United Nations (UN) General Assembly on Thursday.

During the meeting, Zhang Jun, China's permanent representative to the UN, resolutely refuted the unfounded accusations against China which were launched by a few countries, including the United States and France.

He expressed China's firm opposition, and later held a press conference on China's position on human rights issues.

NEW YORK (AP) — Millionaire real estate scion Robert Durst has been charged in suburban New York City with the death of his former wife, Kathie Durst, who vanished in 1982, authorities confirmed Friday.

A state police investigator filed a criminal complaint on Tuesday at a town court in Lewisboro, New York, accusing Durst of second-degree murder.

The action wasn’t announced at the time by any law enforcement officials or Westchester District Attorney Mimi Rocah, who recently convened a grand jury to consider charges.

(AP) --- Kid-size doses of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine appear safe and nearly 91% effective at preventing symptomatic infections in 5- to 11-year-olds, according to study details released Friday as the U.S. considers opening vaccinations to that age group.

The shots could begin in early November — with the first children in line fully protected by Christmas — if regulators give the go-ahead.