USA

INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) — A Los Angeles jury convicted Robert Durst on Friday of murdering his best friend 20 years ago, a case that took on new life after the New York real estate heir participated in a documentary that connected him to the slaying that was linked to his wife’s 1982 disappearance.

Durst, 78, was not in court for the verdict from the jury that deliberated about seven hours over three days. He was in isolation at a jail because he was exposed to someone with coronavirus.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Dealing the White House a stinging setback, a government advisory panel overwhelmingly rejected a plan Friday to give Pfizer COVID-19 booster shots across the board, and instead endorsed the extra vaccine dose only for those who are 65 or older or run a high risk of severe disease.

The twin votes represented a heavy blow to the Biden administration’s sweeping effort, announced a month ago, to shore up nearly all Americans’ protection amid the spread of the highly contagious delta variant.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Pentagon retreated from its defense of a drone strike that killed multiple civilians in Afghanistan last month, announcing Friday that a review revealed that only civilians were killed in the attack, not an Islamic State extremist as first believed.

“The strike was a tragic mistake,” Marine Gen. Frank McKenzie, head of U.S. Central Command, told a Pentagon news conference.

UNITED NATIONS, September 17. /TASS/: The United Nations Security Council has passed a resolution extending the mandate of its mission in Afghanistan for six months.

The mission’s mandate remains basically as it is but it can be adjusted within the next six months.

NEW YORK, Sept. 17 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. federal government is seeking to achieve broader vaccination against COVID-19, targeting corporates, official departments and global meetings, as the pandemic keeps claiming more and more American lives and will likely become the biggest pandemic killer in the country's history.

According to The New York Times, the 7-day average of confirmed cases stood at 152,605 nationwide on Wednesday, with its 14-day change striking an 8-percent fall. COVID-19-related deaths were 1,943 on Wednesday, with the 14-day change realizing a 37-percent rise.

(AP) --- President Joe Biden tried to hammer out the world’s next steps against rapidly worsening climate change in a private, virtual session with a small group of other global leaders Friday, and announced a new U.S.-European pledge to cut climate-wrecking methane leaks.

Ever-grimmer findings from scientists this year that the world is nearing the point where the level of climate damage from burning oil, gas and coal becomes catastrophic and irreversible “represent a code red for humanity,” Biden said at the session’s outset.

17 Sep 2021; MEMO: In news that is likely to be met in Riyadh with a sense of relief, a potential $500 million military support service for Saudi Arabia has been approved by the US State Department, the Pentagon said yesterday. The agreement has been sent to Congress for review.

The package would provide continued maintenance support services for a wide range of helicopters, including a future fleet of CH-47D Chinook helicopters. The announcement said the vendor was not yet known.

17 Sep 2021; MEMO: The United Nations' political mission in Libya is being blocked by Russia, threatening the country's unity ahead of a presidential election due to be held on 24 December, diplomatic sources said.

Russia vetoed a resolution drafted by Britain on the withdrawal of foreign troops and mercenaries from Libya as well as the role of the UN envoy to Libya because it did not approve the wording of the document, reports have said.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The prosecutor tasked with examining the U.S. government’s investigation into Russian election interference charged a prominent cybersecurity lawyer on Thursday with making a false statement to the FBI five years ago.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The architect of a Washington protest planned for Saturday that aims to rewrite history about the violent January assault on the U.S. Capitol is hardly a household name.

Matt Braynard worked as an analyst for the Republican Party, crunched data for a small election firm and later started a consulting business that attracted few federal clients, records show. He started a nonprofit after he was dismissed by Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign following several months on the job, but struggled to raise money. The group’s tax-exempt status was revoked last year.