DONALD TRUMP SAYS IT'D BE 'INSULT' IF KAMALA HARRIS IS FIRST WOMAN PRESIDENT

Attacking Democratic Vice Presidential nominee Kamala Harris, US President

Donald Trump on Tuesday said that "people don't like her" and it would be

"an insult" to America if she becomes the President. Addressing a rally in

North Carolina, Trump said, "People don't like her (Kamala Harris)--nobody

likes her. She can never be the first woman president of the US. It will be

an insult to our country."

Further attacking Harris, Trump said that it was interesting that Biden

picked her as his running mate in the upcoming elections despite her having

"left the race". "She left the race (for President) and it's interesting

that they picked her because, in theory, they should win California but I

don't know, we will make them play for that. You always pick someone who is

going up in the polls," Trump added.

Hitting out at his rival Joe Biden, the US President said, "It's very simple

to remember--if Biden wins, China wins, it is as simple as that. You have a

situation where we build the greatest economy in the history of the world

and we were forced to close it because the China plague came in and now we

have opened it (the economy)." He further said that "it was clear" why China

and the "rioters" want Biden to win because "they know his policies will be

the downfall of America".

Earlier this week, the US President asserted that a Coronavirus vaccine

would be available in record time, maybe by the end of the year and even

before the November 3 presidential election. This, he said, had unnerved his

political opponents. Biden and Harris "should immediately apologise for the

reckless anti-vaccine rhetoric that they are talking right now, talking

about endangering lives," Trump said.

"Numbers are looking unbelievably strong, unbelievably good. So now they'll

say, 'wow Trump's pulled this off. OK, let's disparage the vaccine'. That's

so bad for this country. That's so bad for the world to even say that.

That's what they're saying," he said.

G7 FOREIGN MINISTERS' STATEMENT ON THE POISONING OF ALEXEI NAVALNY

The text of the following statement was released by the G7 foreign ministers

of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United

States of America and the High Representative of the European Union.

We, the G7 foreign ministers of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the

United Kingdom and the United States of America and the High Representative

of the European Union, are united in condemning, in the strongest possible

terms, the confirmed poisoning of Alexei Navalny.

Germany has briefed G7 partners on the fact that clinical and toxicological

findings by German medical experts and a specialised laboratory of the

German armed forces have determined that Mr Navalny is the victim of an

attack with a chemical nerve-agent of the "Novichok" group, a substance

developed by Russia. Mr Navalny is in intensive care in a Berlin hospital

and remains in a serious condition. Our heartfelt thoughts are with his

family and we hope for his full and speedy recovery.

Any use of chemical weapons, anywhere, anytime, by anybody, under any

circumstances whatsoever, is unacceptable and contravenes the international

norms prohibiting the use of such weapons. We, the G7 foreign ministers,

call on Russia to urgently and fully establish transparency on who is

responsible for this abhorrent poisoning attack and, bearing in mind

Russia's commitments under the Chemical Weapons Convention, to bring the

perpetrators to justice.

This attack against opposition leader Navalny is another grave blow against

democracy and political plurality in Russia. It constitutes a serious threat

to those men and women engaged in defending the political and civil freedoms

that Russia herself has committed to guarantee. We call on Russia to fulfill

its commitments under the International Covenant on Civil and Political

Rights and to guarantee these rights, including the right to freedom of

expression, to its citizens.

We will continue to monitor closely how Russia responds to international

calls for an explanation of the hideous poisoning of Mr Navalny. We remain

strongly committed to our support for democracy, the rule of law and human

rights in Russia and to bolster our support to the Russian civil society.

CHINA CELEBRATES 'SUCCESS' IN VIRUS FIGHT

China's leaders held a triumphant ceremony to celebrate beating the

coronavirus on Tuesday, as billions of people around the world still suffer

the fallout from the pandemic and the global death toll nears 9,00,000.

The upbeat mood in Beijing comes as concerns grow about a resurgence of

COVID-19 across Europe, with France tightening restrictions, cases in

Britain spiking and schools resuming around the region in recent days.

Worldwide infections to date now stand at more than 27 million and over

8,90,000 people have died from the disease, with the pandemic showing no

sign of peaking.

But in China the virus has been all but banished through a combination of

lockdowns and travel restrictions earlier in the year that have officials

touting the nation as a coronavirus success story.

President Xi Jinping said China had passed "an extraordinary and historic

test" during an awards ceremony for medical professionals decorated with

bugle calls and applause.

"We quickly achieved initial success in the people's war against the

coronavirus," Mr. Xi said.

"We are leading the world in economic recovery and in the fight against

COVID-19."

The nation's propaganda machine has been attempting to seize the narrative

surrounding the pandemic, reframing the episode as an example of the agility

and organisation of the Communist leadership.

Mr. Xi had stern words for China's doubters, saying "selfish moves, any

buck-passing and deeds that confuse right and wrong" risked inflicting

damage across the world.

Beijing is also touting progress on its vaccines as a sign of global

leadership and resilience. China put its homegrown vaccines on display for

the first time at a Beijing trade fair this week and authorities hope the

jabs will be approved for use by year-end.

CHINA DETAINS AUSTRALIAN JOURNALIST, INTIMIDATES TWO MORE TO FLEE

A high-profile Australian journalist who worked for Chinese official media

and was missing for weeks is being held on charges of endangering "national

security", China said on Tuesday.

Cheng Lei, who worked as an anchor for China Global Television Network

(CGTN) channel, is suspected of "criminal activity of endangering China's

national security", the Chinese foreign ministry announced.

The channel is the only English channel of national broadcaster, China

Central Television.

Authorities had taken "compulsory measures" against Cheng, foreign ministry

spokesperson, Zhao Lijian said at the regular ministry briefing on Tuesday.

Cheng, a Chinese-born Australian anchor, was detained on August 14, the

Australian foreign ministry had said last month.

Australian diplomats spoke to her from her detention facility over video at

the end of August.

Zhao didn't share details of the charges levelled against Cheng.

Zhao' announcement came hours after the last two Australian journalists flew

back to Sydney in late night flights after a five-day diplomatic stand-off.

CORONAVIRUS: OXFORD UNIVERSITY VACCINE TRIAL PAUSED AFTER PARTICIPANT FALLS

ILL

AstraZeneca Plc has paused a late-stage trial of one of the leading Covid-19

vaccine candidates after a suspected serious adverse reaction in a study

participant, health news website Stat News reported on Tuesday.

It quoted an AstraZeneca spokesperson as saying in a statement that the

"standard review process triggered a pause to vaccination to allow review of

safety data."

The study is testing a Covid-19 vaccine being developed by AstraZeneca and

University of Oxford researchers at various sites, including the United

Kingdom, where the adverse event was reported.

The nature of the case and when it happened were not detailed, although the

participant is expected to recover, according to Stat News.

The suspension of the trial has impacted other AstraZeneca vaccine trials -

as well as clinical trials being conducted by other vaccine makers, which

are looking for signs of similar reactions, Stat said.

The AstraZeneca spokesperson's statement said that "in large trials,

illnesses will happen by chance but must be independently reviewed to check

this carefully." Stat reported that serious adverse reactions vary and can

include issues that require hospitalization, life-threatening illness and

death.

CANADA POLL BODY PREPARES FOR POSSIBLE SNAP ELECTIONS

Canada's polling agency has released the "approach" it will adopt to conduct

safe elections during the Covid-19 pandemic as it appears likely that Prime

Minister Justin Trudeau may trigger early polls in the near future to try

and convert his Liberal Party's minority government into one with a

majority.

Elections Canada is addressing a potential scenario of such polls taking

place in the autumn, as it looked "to a possible fall election."

Trudeau will face a vote of confidence in the House of Commons by the end of

this month and a defeat, if it happens, will necessitate snap polls. As he

prepares to present a platform in Parliament that will be transformative in

terms of social policies, there is speculation that he himself might prefer

early elections, using the legislative promises as a manifesto.

Andrew McDougall, a political scientist with the University of Toronto -

Scarborough, said it was "possible" that elections could occur in the fall,

that is between late October and November, though there was a "greater

chance" they will take place in spring, around March or April.

Trudeau returned to power just last October after federal elections, though

short of a majority. McDougall said Trudeau could set the stage with the

Throne Speech in September, equivalent of India's Presidential address

laying out the government's agenda. He said, "He wants to go big and wants

to introduce some major initiatives. That could be a strategy - he's trying

to reset the agenda."

Early elections could see Trudeau facing a fine balance between risk and

reward. McDougall said he will benefit from the public perception of

handling the coronavirus crisis efficiently while suffering from criticism

over handing out a nearly billion dollar contract, since cancelled, to a

charity with links to himself and his family. In addition, there may be

little appetite among Canadians for early elections especially during a

pandemic.

CAN HELP WITH TURKEY-GREECE TENSION: RUSSIA

Moscow is prepared to help ease tensions in the eastern Mediterranean where

Cyprus and Greece are embroiled in a stand-off with Turkey over maritime and

energy rights, visiting Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on

Tuesday.

"Russia considers that any further escalation would be unacceptable and

calls on all parties to settle all conflicts exclusively through dialogue

and on the basis of International law," Mr. Lavrov said. "We are ready to

provide assistance to set up this dialogue if asked by the parties."

Tensions are running high over Turkey's maritime drilling activities which

Cyprus and its ally Greece say violate their sovereignty.

Turkey as well as Greece, Cyprus, France and Italy have recently staged

military exercises, heightening fears that the stand-off could accidentally

tip into conflict.

Mr. Lavrov was in Nicosia and met President Nicos Anastasiades to mark 60

years of Cyprus' independence and bilateral relations with Russia.

But Russia's top diplomat also used the occasion to take a swipe at U.S.

influence in the region, calling it an "outside player".

PAKISTAN MARBLE MINE COLLAPSE KILLS 22; DOZENS BATTLING FOR LIFE

At least 22 people have been killed and dozens were battling for their lives

after six units of the famed marble mines in Pakistan's Ziarat Ghar mountain

collapsed, causing large boulders to fall on them, according to media

reports on Tuesday.

The mines collapsed on Monday night, instantly killing 12 miners, the Geo

News reported. The death toll rose after 10 more succumbed to injuries at

the District Mohmand Hospital.

Majority of the deceased include labourers and few others who had gathered

at the foothill in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's Safi town near the Afghanistan

border, about 85 km from provincial capital Peshawar.

Mohmand District Police Officer Mohmand Tariq Habib told Geo News that

people are still buried under the rubble.

He said the rescue operations were hit due to darkness on Monday night and

that heavy machinery had been mobilised on Tuesday for rescue operations.

Deputy Commissioner Iftikhar Alam said the death toll is expected to rise,

according to the daily.

Rescue Officer Bilal Faizi said most of the injured were in serious

condition.

AMAZON'S JEFF BEZOS TOPS FORBES RICHEST LIST, PANDEMIC KNOCKS TRUMP LOWER

Jeff Bezos topped Forbes' list of richest Americans for the third year in a

row, while US President Donald Trump's ranking dropped as the coronavirus

pandemic slammed his office buildings, hotels and resorts, the magazine said

Tuesday.

The aggregate wealth of the Forbes 400 list rose to a record $3.2 trillion,

as the richest Americans continued to do well even though the pandemic has

devastated the economy, which is short about 11 million jobs compared to

where it was in February.

Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Co-founder Bill Gates is ranked second on

the list with a net worth of USD 111 billion.

Rounding out the top five on the list are Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg

on the third spot with a net worth of $85 billion, Berkshire Hathaway CEO

Warren Buffett, ranked 4th and with a net worth of $73.5 billion and

chairman, chief technology officer and co-founder of software giant Oracle

Larry Ellison, ranked 5th with a new worth of $72 billion.

"Pandemic be damned: America's 400 richest are worth a record $3.2 trillion,

up $240 billion from a year ago, aided by a stock market that has defied the

virus.Even in these trying times mega-fortunes are still being minted,"

Forbes said.

The list has seven Indian-Americans - cybersecurity firm ZScaler CEO Jay

Chaudhry, Founder and Chairman of Symphony Technology Group Romesh Wadhwani,

cofounder and CEO of online home goods retailer Wayfair Niraj Shah, Silicon

Valley venture capital firm Khosla Ventures founder Vinod Khosla, Managing

Partner of Sherpalo Ventures Kavitark Ram Shriram, Airline veteran Rakesh

Gangwal and Workday CEO and Cofounder Aneel Bhusri.

President Donald Trump is ranked 339th on the list with a net worth of $2.5

billion.

Trump's ranking dropped to No. 352 from 275 last year and his net worth fell

to $2.5 billion from $3.1 billion, as office buildings, hotels and resorts,

have suffered during the pandemic. His business, the Trump Organization,

owns property in all three categories.