JOE BIDEN CUTS DONALD TRUMP'S LEAD IN GEORGIA TO LESS THAN 1,800 VOTESResults continue to pour in from across the United States. Democratic Partycandidate and former vice president Joe Biden is taking on RepublicanParty's nominee and incumbent President Donald Trump. California SenatorKamala Harris and Vice President Mike Pence are their respective runningmates. Biden is leading Trump in the overall Electoral College vote tally.But, things can change as the margins are narrowing in multiple battlegroundstates. Yet, Trump has moved court in three states over the ballot countingprocess. Voters were urged to vote early this time, especially throughmail-in ballots, to avoid queues amid the coronavirus pandemic.Thus, over 101 million votes were cast and recorded even before the ElectionDay. Voters had cast about 73.4 percent of the total votes counted in the2016 presidential election, even before Election Day. But counting of mailballots is more laborious and that is delaying the result.CHINA SUSPENDS VISAS TO INDIA, FOUR OTHER COUNTRIESChina has temporarily suspended the entry of nationals from India, the UK,Belgium, France and the Philippines, as Covid cases in these countries soar.While the four European countries have a high per capita number of cases, inthe case of India 19 passengers on a flight to Wuhan were found Covidpositive on landing.Sources here highlighted the fact that the announcement by the ChineseEmbassy here indicates that the measure is temporary and that changes can beexpected in a timely manner.The reason behind the measure seems to be Chinese concerns on possible risein Covid cases globally, due to the advent of autumn and winter in theNorthern Hemisphere. The Government is in touch with the Chinese side tofacilitate essential travel of Indians to and from China, said the sources.Chinese nationals in these countries are exempt from the temporary ban.EUROPE TIGHTENS RESTRICTIONS AS VIRUS HOSPITALIZATIONS RISECoronavirus cases hit new daily highs this week in Russia, and Germany andthe U.K. announced plans Tuesday to expand virus testing as Europeancountries battled rapidly increasing COVID-19 infections andhospitalizations.Nations reintroduced restrictions to get ahead of a virus that has causedmore than 1.2 million deaths around the globe, over 270,000 of them inEurope, according to Johns Hopkins University, and is straining health caresystems.New measures took effect Tuesday in Austria, Greece and Sweden, following apartial shutdown imposed in Germany Monday and tighter rules in Italy,France, Kosovo and Croatia. England faces a near-total lockdown fromThursday, although schools and universities will stay open.Infections spiked in Russia, where authorities reported 18,648 new casesTuesday. It was the fifth straight day of more than 18,000 confirmed cases,compared to the country's daily record of over 11,000 in the spring.Russia has the world's fourth-highest reported coronavirus caseload withover 1.6 million people confirmed infected, including more than 28,000 whodied in the pandemic.The country lifted most virus-related restrictions this summer, and Russianofficials say the health care system can cope. However, alarming reportshave surfaced of overwhelmed hospitals, drug shortages and inundated medicalworkers.Sweden, where the government skipped the lockdowns other nations adopted fora much-debated approach that kept much of society open, set new nationwidelimits on restaurants and cafes, ordering them them to serve only seatedcustomers and with a maximum of eight per table. The Scandinavian countryannounced local restrictions in three more counties that include Sweden'slargest cities.Amid the gloom, a partial lockdown in the Netherlands appeared to be payingoff; Dutch officials reported the number of new confirmed cases fell 5% to64,087 in the past seven days, the first decline in weeks.In Italy, Premier Giuseppe Conte late Tuesday signed a decree putting morepandemic limits on the country, RAI state radio said. The government waspoised to announce details Wednesday.In Britain, the government plans to offer regular COVID-19 testing to anyoneliving or working in Liverpool, a city of 500,000.U.K.'S NIGEL FARAGE SET TO RELAUNCH BREXIT PARTY AS ANTI-LOCKDOWN PARTYBrexit Party leader Nigel Farage will relaunch the group as an anti-lockdownparty called Reform UK in an attempt to fight anti-coronavirus measuresimposed by Prime Minister Boris Johnson's government.The new party will back a policy of focused protection from the coronavirusfor only the most vulnerable, and allow the rest of the population todevelop herd immunity, Mr. Farage and party Chairman Richard Tice wrote inan opinion piece in The Telegraph on Sunday.Papers seeking the name change have been submitted to the ElectoralCommission, they added.The Brexit Party was set up in early 2019 by Mr. Farage, whose years ofcampaigning against membership of the European Union played a major part indelivering the 2016 referendum in which the UK voted to leave the bloc."We are showing the courage needed to take on consensus thinking and vestedinterests on COVID. But there are so many areas of public life that can beimproved to benefit ordinary people. That is why we will campaign forReform," Mr. Farage and Mr. Tice wrote."We want to be known as the party of Reform. The name reflects the ambition:Reform UK," they added.SAUDI ARABIA TO EASE CONDEMNED RESTRICTIONS ON FOREIGN WORKERSSaudi Arabia said Wednesday it will ease key restrictions on millions offoreign workers, under reforms to its labour policy that is blamed forwidespread abuses and exploitation.Human rights groups have repeatedly called on the kingdom to abolish its"kafala" sponsorship system, branded by critics as a modern form of slaverythat binds workers to their Saudi employers.The Saudi human resources and social development ministry said that fromMarch 14, expatriates will no longer need their employers' authorisation tochange jobs, travel or leave Saudi Arabia, which is home to some 10 millionforeigners."This initiative will improve and increase the efficiency of the workenvironment," the ministry said in a statement carried by the official SaudiPress Agency.The reforms, if fully implemented, could have a big impact on the Saudilabour market and the lives of blue-collar foreign workers who lackeffective recourse against overcrowded housing and exploitative employers.Sattam Alharbi, a deputy minister at the ministry, said the changes willabolish "runaway" reports against foreign workers who do not report forduty, which effectively makes criminals at risk of being jailed anddeported."These changes are not small changes -- it's huge," Alharbi told BloombergNews in an interview on Wednesday.SRI LANKA REPORTS FIVE COVID DEATHS AMID CURFEWSri Lanka on Thursday reported five Covid-19 deaths -- the highest numberreported on a single day so far -- a month after a new wave broke out at agarment factory near Colombo.The new wave, spreading rapidly since early October, prompted the governmentto declare a 10-day curfew in the Western Province, where capital Colombo islocated, and the highest concentration of cases have been found. Since lastweekend, Colombo and neighbouring districts are under complete lockdown,while authorities have restricted inter-district travel.Further, a total of 84,000 persons across the island, who were found to havecome in contact with Covid-19 patients, have been directed to remain inself-quarantine, a statement from the President's office said. With a sharprise in cases over the past few weeks, a total of 12,400 positive patients,6,623 recoveries and 29 deaths have been reported as of Thursday.Government authorities have indicated that the lockdown may not continue,amid President Gotabaya Rajapaksa's instructions to keep the economyrunning, especially in the interest of daily-waged workers, while strictsafety measures are implemented.Sri Lanka's second wave, now attributed to two live clusters, came monthsafter health authorities effectively contained the spread of the virus,receiving praise including from the World Health Organization. Meanwhile,thousands of Sri Lankan workers remain stranded abroad, mostly in West Asiancountries where they are employed, as the government as suspendedrepatriation flights in the wake of the recent outbreak.QATAR EMIR SETS FIRST NATIONAL ELECTION FOR NEXT OCTOBERQatar's ruler said on Tuesday that a long delayed vote for the country'spolicy reviewing chamber will be held in October 2021, marking the Gulfemirate's first national election.The currently un-elected Shura Council advises the absolute ruler, EmirSheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, on draft laws but does not create its ownlegislation and can be overruled by a simple decree.October's vote would be Qatar's first national election although SheikhTamim did not give details on who would be permitted to vote or who would beable to stand.Qataris have previously been able to cast ballots on constitutional reformsand in elections to a nationwide municipal council."The Shura Council elections will be held in October of next year tostrengthen the traditions of the Qatari shura, with wider participation bycitizens," the Emir said in a speech to open the 49th session of thecouncil.Elections to the council, required under the country's 2004 Constitution,have been postponed repeatedly and the body's members have instead beendirectly appointed by the emir.