The 2024 version of the presidential debate, a key element of US politics, will be significantly different and fewer, if President Joe Biden’s proposal sent on Wednesday is accepted by the body that organises them and, more importantly, by former President Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee.

In a letter to the Commission on Presidential Debates, which has organised these debates for decades now, the Biden campaign has proposed two debates, instead of the three scheduled by the body as before, and to be held in June and September, instead of in September and October, without live audiences, and with a provision to automatically switch off the microphone when the candidate’s time elapsed.

The letter, signed by Biden campaign chair Jennifer O’Malley Dillon, which was first reported by The New York Times, also stated that the President will only participate in the debates if they are hosted by a news organisation.

Delhi reported seven Covid-related fatalities for the second consecutive day on Thursday and registered 865 fresh coronavirus cases with a positivity rate of 16.9 per cent, according to data shared by the city government's health department.

On Wednesday too, the city had reported seven fatalities, the highest so far this year.

According to the Delhi government's health bulletin, the overall Covid tally has increased to 20,37,061, while the death toll rose to 26,620.

A new survey has revealed that the average hotel price in Japan during the latest quarter rose 15 per cent from the same period in 2019, before the start of the coronavirus pandemic.

The survey conducted by STR, a research firm that provides market data on the hotel industry worldwide, shows that the average price for a hotel room in Japan during the January-March quarter was 16,125 yen ($120), up by around $15.7 from the same period in 2019.

A new Omicron subvariant is spreading in the United States, and has accounted for nearly 10 per cent of new weekly Covid-19 cases reported across the country, according to data updated by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The subvariant XBB.1.16, referred to as "arcturus", has been added by the CDC to its variant tracker.

The percentage is expected to increase in the coming weeks, and it may become the next dominant coronavirus strain in the country, experts warned.

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) senior leader and Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chadha on Thursday gave a Suspension of Notice under Rule 267 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business seeking a discussion on incessantly rising coronavirus cases in China and its impact on India. In his written notice, Raghav Chadha said, "I hereby give notice under Rule 267 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the Rajya Sabha, this House do suspend Rule 38 of the said Rule in its application to the discussion on rising corona cases in China and impact on India. China is witnessing an alarming surge in fatal COVID infections from a sub-variant of Omicron.

Two more members of the K-pop supergroup BTS -- RM and Jin -- were confirmed to have fully recovered from the new coronavirus and released from isolation on Tuesday after Suga. "Members RM and Jin were released from isolation at noon as they were confirmed to have been fully recovered from Covid-19."
"The two showed no serious symptoms of the virus during the isolation period," the agency added. "Jin had mild symptoms, such as a mild fever at the early stage of treatment at home, but soon fully recovered."

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Monday ruled out government funding free rapid coronavirus tests. Morrison said that the federal government cannot afford to continue spending on preventing the spread of Covid-19 at the same rate it did in 2020 and 2021, reports. "We've invested hundreds of billions of dollars getting Australia through this crisis," he told Seven Network television. "But we're now in a

Israel-based RedHill Biopharma on Tuesday announced that its Covid pill Opaganib is expected to be unaffected by mutations associated with Omicron and other known Coronavirus' variants of concern. Studies on Opaganib have shown an apparent clinical benefit in reducing mortality, getting patients back onto room air and getting them out of hospital faster. Opaganib, if approved, would target an entirely different and sicker patient population than the Pfizer and Merck oral drug candidates, which showed benefit only in non-hospitalised patients at the earliest stages of symptomatic infection. "Opaganib acts independently of mutations to the viral spike protein. We believe that its unique proposed mechanism of action -- targeting a protein in the human cell required by the

More new cases came to light on Saturday in Jammu and Kashmir as the Covid spread continued to surge, especially in the Kashmir Valley. Officials said 187 positive cases, 24 from Jammu division and 163 from Kashmir division came to light on Saturday. Two Covid related deaths occurred on Saturday as the total number of people killed by coronavirus in Jammu and Kashmir rose to 4,461.

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said on Friday that his government has decided to secure 1.6 million doses of oral medication for Covid-19 and increase the hospitalisation capacity for infected patients by 30 per cent compared to the peak level this summer. "By securing a medical system based on the worst-case scenario and enhancing early treatment, we will be able to continue our economic and social activities even if infections spread," Kishida said at a special task force meeting.

A senior World Health Organization official has cast doubt on Turkmenistan's claim that it has zero Covid cases, the BBC reported. "[It] has been spreading worldwide as a pandemic for almost two years now," said Catherine Smallwood, a senior WHO emergencies officer, adding: "From the scientific point of view, it's unlikely that the virus is not circulating in Turkmenistan."

The Covid-19 pandemic, as well as gun violence and drug overdoses, have caused lasting damage to the US workforce over the last two years, media have recently reported. Almost 4.3 million people quit their jobs in August, the Labor Department said.

The number of young people diagnosed with the eating disorder anorexia in Japan has increased around 60 per cent in fiscal 2020 compared with a year earlier, likely due to growing anxiety and pressure amid the Covid-19 pandemic, local media reported Wednesday. A survey released last month by the National Centre for Child Health and Development found that 28 boys and 230 girls under 20 years old were newly diagnosed with the eating disorder in fiscal 2020 through March this year, both up over 60 per cent from the previous year. Nine boys and 132 girls were newly hospitalized for anorexia, increased from six and 93 respectively compared with the previous year. The survey also found some hospitals lacked available beds for those in severe conditions despite the uptick in patients, as their beds were used to treat Covid-19 patients. The centre conducted the survey in two months

The counting of votes for the Vallabhnagar (Udaipur) and Dhariawad (Pratapgarh) bypolls, which were held on October 30, will start on Tuesday morning from 8 a.m. The Election Commission of India has issued necessary guidelines to the District Election Officers along with the guidelines related to the coronavirus.

The number of Covid-19 cases in Indonesia rose by 633 within a day to 4,237,834, with the death toll adding by 43 to 143,120, the country's Health Ministry said on Thursday. According to the ministry, 1,372 more people were discharged from hospitals, bringing the total number of patients recovering from Covid-19 to 4,079,120.

Russia has confirmed 973 Covid-related fatalities over the past 24 hours, the highest daily count reported in the country since the start of the pandemic, bringing the national death toll to 218,345, the official coronavirus monitoring and response centre said on Tuesday. A total of 28,190 new infections were registered, taking the nationwide tally to 7,832,964. The number of recoveries increased by 20,706 to 6,894,285. Meanwhile, Moscow reported 4,699 new cases, taking the city's total to 1,688,376. The Russian capital has launched 20 free rapid coronavirus test spots and each facility can test about 200 people a day. Russian Deputy Prime Minister Tatyana Golikova said last Friday that

The upward surge in Covid spread continued in J&K on Friday, with 155 new cases were reported during the last 24 hours with the Srinagar district reporting around two-thirds of these. Officials said that 22 cases were reported from the Jammu division and 133 cases and one death from the Kashmir division while 135 patients were discharged from hospitals after recovery.

Australia's coronavirus response has saved tens of thousands of lives, the government claimed on Friday.
According to data released by the federal government, Australia has the second-lowest Covid-19 death rate in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) with 0.75 fatalities per 100,000 people.By comparison, the death rate between February 24 and September 14 was 93 per 100,000 in the US and 89.4 in the UK.Only New Zealand was better than Australia among the OECD members.Health Minister Greg Hunt said that even amid the country's biggest wave of infections Australians have been protected from the worst of the pandemic.

The upward surge in Covid spread continued in J&K on Friday, with 155 new cases were reported during the last 24 hours with the Srinagar district reporting around two-thirds of these.Officials said that 22 cases were reported from the Jammu division and 133 cases and one death from the Kashmir division while 135 patients were discharged from hospitals after recovery.Officials said 96 new cases were reported in Srinagar district as the authorities brought another affected area into the micro-containment zone.

The police in Tripura on Thursday arrested five persons associated with the ruling BJP after a group of people severely assaulted a Block Development Officer (BDO) and nine other government employees in southern Tripura, the police said.J&K on Thursday saw a renewed Covid spurt with 170 new cases and 98 recoveries reported during the last 24 hours. Officials said 41 cases and 12 recoveries were reported from the Jammu division and 129 cases and 86 recoveries from the Kashmir division. Srinagar district reported 70 new

Three mobile vaccine buses launched in New Zealand's Auckland city on Thursday to help people fasten their Covid-19 vaccination. According to local media, 12 such buses in total converted from airport Park and Ride vehicles will be provided to suburbs where access to vaccinations is more difficult. The converted black and orange airport buses have vaccination signs posted on their sides. One reads "Roll up your sleeves, Auckland", and another "Vaccinate for Auckland". Auckland, the biggest and most populated city in New Zealand, is experiencing the fifth consecutive week of Level 4 lockdown, the longest period since Covid-19 outbreak in the country.

The Punjab government has commenced its first genome sequencing facility in Patiala town and 150 samples were tested with no new variant of coronavirus identified, state Health Minister Balbir Sidhu said on Thursday. He said now the report would be ready within five to six days. Earlier, the government used to send the samples to Delhi and it took at least a month to confirm if there was a new variant.

In a momentous feat, Ludhiana has achieved highest ever vaccination in a single day with 131993 lakh doses given across district on Sunday. Lauding the untiring and determined efforts of the healthcare workers in recording highest single day vaccination, Deputy Commissioner Varinder Kumar Sharma said that this will further strengthen the fight

 Iran's daily Covid-19 death toll hit a new high on Sunday at 684 new fatalities, taking the country's overall toll to 102,038. The pandemic has so far infected 4,677,114 people in the country, after 36,419 new cases were registered in the past 24 hours, according to Iran's Ministry of Health and Medical Education.

The Nepal government has started evacuating and repatriating its citizens from the crisis-ridden Afghanistan after the Talibans capture of the South Asian nation.Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba has said that his government will provide protection to all Nepalis in Afghanistan waiting to be rescued. Deuba assured that his government will coordinate with the concerned authorities to make arrangements for the rescue of the Nepalis and said that the government has already taken cognizance of the issue.

There is no scientific evidence to prove that the impending third wave of coronavirus disease will have a detrimental effect on children, said experts here on Friday, asking people to stay away from such misinformation, which has been on the rise since the outbreak of pandemic. It has been widely claimed that children will be infected the most during the third Covid-19 wave. While some kids were affected during the second wave, almost 90 per cent of the infections, so far, have been mild or asymptomatic. "The combination of misinformation and disinformation, which is called infodemic, has been happening since the

Thailand has announced stricter restrictions in the capital Bangkok and nine provinces, as the current measures have failed to contain a fresh Covid-19 resurgence.A ban on restaurant dine-ins for at least 30 days in Bangkok and five neighbouring provinces as well as four southern provinces, will come into effect on Monday, according to a document released by Thailand's royal gazette.The restrictions also required shopping malls in Bangkok and selected provinces to close by 9 p.m. and forbade gatherings of more than 20 peoples in hotels and convention centres.The authorities will monitor road traffic in and out of Bangkok and the nine selected provinces for at least 30 days to prevent further spread of the coronavirus.

American "shadow banks"-- which are less regulated and include private credit intermediaries such as private equity, venture capital, and hedge fund firms -- have invested in ways that extracts profit from the misfortunes of frontline workers, struggling companies, and distressed sectors during the Covid-19 pandemic, finds new research.The research focused on industry reports and news media coverage of the industry to track investments made by shadow banks during the crisis as well as their investments leading up to the crisis that affected the safety and security of frontline workers when the coronavirus hit."We found that while the most economically vulnerable have suffered the brunt of the pandemic's hardship, those with financial capital have profited from struggling and booming sectors alike. The work of shadow banks has contributed to growing economic and social inequality during the crisis," said lead author Megan Tobias Neely, Assistant Professor in the Department of Organisation, Copenhagen Business School. The research is published in the American Behavioral Scientist journal.
Shadow banking has been one of the fastest growing areas of finance since deregulation in the early 1980s. The research states that shadow banks have since played a central role in shaping how executives manage companies, often placing pressure on companies to downsize their workforces and cut wages and benefits for the sake of the shareholders.Healthcare, grocery, and distribution drivers have been some of the industries hardest hit even before this crisis. Private equity helped to create the conditions that made frontline workers vulnerable in the first place. These investors have targeted the US healthcare industry with a negative impact on hospitals, urgent care, and ambulances, the research showed.

Recoveries continued to outnumber new Covid cases in J&K on Sunday as 745 patients recovered while 415 new cases and eight deaths were reported during the last 24 hours.Officials said 171 cases and four deaths were reported from the Jammu division and 244 cases and four deaths from the Kashmir division.As many as 29 cases of black fungus have also been reported so far.

With 871 recoveries and 498 new Covid cases in J&K on Friday, recoveries outnumbered new cases during the last 24 hours. Officials said 209 cases and five deaths were reported from the Jammu division and 289 cases and five deaths from the Kashmir division. One more confirmed 

As the Covid-19 Delta Plus variant claimed its first victim, an 80-year-old woman from Ratnagiri, the Maha Vikas Aghadi government on Friday clamped Level-3 norms across entire Maharashtra and hinted at "wider and stricter restrictions". FDA Minister Dr Rajendra Shingne warned that the potential third wave could see a staggering 50 lakh infections, of which around 8 lakh would be active cases needing hospitalisation. He apprehended that up to 10 per cent of the infectees (5 lakh) could be children and urged people to exercise all Covid-19 protocols, even as the state crossed the landmark 3 crore vaccination mark, the highest in India. Under the revised Level-3 norms, all shops would shut by 4 p.m., malls, and cinemas would remain shut and there will be strong curbs on unnecessary movement of people. "An 80-year-old patient from Ratnagiri has died due to the Delta Plus variant of Covid-19 infections There are around 21 cases of the same in the state currently," said Health Minister Rajesh Tope.

Pakistan recorded 1,097 new coronavirus cases in the last 24 hours, raising the total infection tally to 951,865, official data showed Thursday.According to the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC), 38 patients died in the same period, raising the death toll to 22,108.There have been 896,821 recoveries so far in Pakistan, as well as 32,936 active cases being treated across the country, including 2,084 in critical condition, the NCOC said.Pakistan's eastern Punjab province is the worst-hit region by the pandemic with 345,449 infections and 10,688 deaths, followed by the southern Sindh province with 333,798 infections and 5,368 deaths.

Covid-19 pandemic decreased life expectancy in the US by 1.87 years, between 2018 and 2020, a drop not seen since World War II, according to new research.The numbers are even worse for people of colour. On average, whereas life expectancy among white Americans decreased by 1.36 years in 2020, it decreased by 3.25 years in Black Americans and 3.88 years in Hispanic Americans, revealed the research published in the journal of the British Medical Association."It's like nothing we've seen since World War II. 1943 was the last time the US had such a large decrease in life expectancy," said lead author Steven Woolf, and director Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) Center on Society and Health.Other countries also saw declines in life expectancy between 2018 and 2020, but the loss of life expectancy in the US was 8.5 times that of the average for 16 peer countries. The declines for minority populations were 15 to 18 times larger than other countries.The US had among the world's highest per-capita mortality rates due to Covid. Black and Hispanic communities were hit harder than white populations. The US death toll has surpassed 600,000, according to Johns Hopkins University's Coronavirus Resource Center.A

The national capital on Tuesday reported 111 new Covid-19 cases, while its daily test positivity rate stood at 0.15 per cent, according to the health bulletin issued by the Delhi government.With seven more deaths reported in the last 24 hours, Delhi's total death due to Covid rose to 24,940.During the same time period, 702 people recovered from the disease, taking the national capital's total recoveries to 14,06,629 till date.Delhi presently has 1,791 active cases, of which 522 are under home isolation.A total of 76,185 Covid samples were tested in the last 24 hours, including 52,940 through RT-PCR and 23, 245through Rapid Antigen method.

The Delta variant of the novel coronavirus "must be of concern to us," French government spokesperson Gabriel Attal warned on Wednesday, urging individual and collective vigilance to prevent a spiral of infections due to the more contagious variant."There is a threat (of epidemic resurgence) linked to the Delta variant," Attal told RMC radio. "We can see that things can go very quickly ... and that requires individual and collective vigilance."
First identified in India, the Delta variant is the fastest and fittest coronavirus strain that will "pick off" the most vulnerable people, the World Health Organisation said on Monday.In France, the variant is now responsible for 9 to 10 per cent of the around 2,000 new Covid-19 cases per day. It may prompt an epidemic resurgence in September or October, predicted Jean-Francois Delfraissy, head of the scientific council that advises the government on Covid.