KEY COVID NOS. WORLDWIDE

Pos   /   Country   /   New Daily cases   /   Total Deaths   /        Daily Deaths /           Active Cases   /           Deaths/1M Pop

               World    4,43,463              /             47,21,512            /             8,051     /             1,85,60,214        /             605.7

1             USA        1,11,719              /             6,96,799              /             1,861     /             97,15,430            /             2,090

2             UK          31,564   /             1,35,455              /             203        /             13,17,531            /             1,983

3             Russia    19,179   /             1,99,808              /             812        /             5,87,932              /             1,368

4             Iran        17,564   /             1,17,905              /             379        /             5,22,668              /             1,382

5             Turkey   29,338   /             62,065   /             260        /             4,53,840              /             726

6             Brazil                    /             5,91,518              /             484        /             3,75,855              /             2,759

7             Mexico  3,367     /             2,71,765              /             262        /             3,66,669              /             2,081

8             India      27,333   /             4,45,801              /             385        /             3,08,069              /             319

9             Honduras             818        /             9,537     /             15           /             2,41,665              /             945

10           Vietnam               11,692   /             17,545   /             240        /             2,14,548              /             178

11           Malaysia              15,759   /             24,078   /             334        /             2,06,473              /             732

12           France   7,851     /             1,16,251              /             153        /             1,81,217              /             1,776

13           Philippines           16,361   /             37,074   /             140        /             1,71,142              /             333

14           Spain     2,450     /             85,983   /             82           /             1,67,449              /             1,838

15           Poland   711        /             75,503   /             15           /             1,63,553              /             1,998

16           Germany              7,279     /             93,719   /             87           /             1,61,373              /             1,114

17           Thailand               10,919   /             15,612   /             143        /             1,31,655              /             223

18           Italy       3,377     /             1,30,421              /             67           /             1,09,513              /             2,161

19           Serbia    7,232     /             7,846     /             38           /             1,09,501              /             902

20           Norway 484        /             841        /                            /             93,609   /             154

30           Pakistan               1,897     /             27,327   /             81           /             62,922   /             121

76           Bangladesh         1,562     /             27,277   /             26           /             13,814   /             164

TRUDEAU PARTY WINS BUT FALLS SHORT OF MAJORITY

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's Liberal Party secured victory in parliamentary elections but failed to get the majority he wanted in a vote that focused on the coronavirus pandemic but that many Canadians saw as unnecessary.

Trudeau entered Monday's election leading a stable minority government that wasn't under threat of being toppled — but he was hoping Canadians would reward him with a majority for navigating the pandemic better than many other leaders. Still, Trudeau struggled to justify why he called the election early given the virus, and the opposition was relentless in accusing him of holding the vote two years before the deadline for his own personal ambition. The Liberal Party was leading or elected in 158 seats — one more than they won 2019, and 12 short of the 170 needed for a majority in the 338-seat Parliament.

CIA DIRECTOR “FUMING” AFTER HAVANA SYNDROME STRIKES TEAM MEMBER IN INDIA

When CIA Director Bill Burns traveled to India earlier this month a member of his team reported symptoms consistent with Havana syndrome and had to receive medical attention, according to three sources familiar with the matter.

The incident set off alarm bells within the US government and left Burns "fuming" with anger, one source explained. Some officials at the CIA viewed the chilling episode as a direct message to Burns that no one is safe, including those working directly for the nation's top spy, two sources said.

The event marks the second time in less than a month that reported cases of the mysterious illness have impacted the international travel of top Biden administration officials. Last month Vice President Kamala Harris's visit to Vietnam was slightly delayed when multiple US personnel reported symptoms consistent with the syndrome just ahead of her visit, and at least two of them had to be medevaced.

"We don't comment on specific incidents or officers. We have protocols in place for when individuals report possible anomalous health incidents that include receiving appropriate medical treatment," a CIA spokesperson said. "We will keep doing everything we can to protect our officers."

US investigators have struggled to determine what or who is causing the mysterious symptoms, and how exactly they are doing it. Incidents of Havana syndrome began in late 2016 in Cuba and there have since been cases reported in Russia, China, Austria and other countries across the globe.

TALIBAN BANS IPL BROADCAST IN AFGHANISTAN FOR HARMING ISLAMIC SENTIMENTS

Taliban-dominated Afghanistan has banned the broadcast of the the prime T20 competition, Indian Premier League (IPL) in the country over the presence of “female audience and spectators'” in stadiums.

Former Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) media supervisor and journalist M Ibrahim Momand stated that the broadcast of IPL matches became banned because of possible “anti-Islamic” content.

“Afghanistan national (TV) will not broadcast the IPL as usual as it was reportedly banned to live the matches resumed tonight due to possible anti-islam contents, girls dancing & the attendance of barred (sic) hair women in the (stadium) by Islamic Emirates of the Taliban,” Momand had tweeted on Sunday when the IPL action resumed.

Another journalist Fawad Aman, who has also served as the spokesperson of the Ministry of Defence as per his Twitter handle, wrote, “Ridiculous: Taliban have banned the broadcasting of Indian Premier League (IPL) in Afghanistan.” “Taliban have warned that Afghan media outlets should not broadcast the Indian Cricket League due to girls dancing and the presence of female audience and spectators in stadiums.”

Rashid Khan, Mohammad Nabi and Mujeeb ur Rahman are the top cricketers who are taking part in IPL 2021.

U.S. NOT SEEKING A NEW COLD WAR, SAYS JOE BIDEN AT UNGA

US President Joe Biden addressed the UN General assembly on Tuesday, saying that the country was not seeking a 'new Cold War' with any nation or the world's division into rigid blocks. President Biden asserted that the US was ready to work with any nation towards a peaceful resolution even if there were 'intense disagreements' in other areas.

“We are not seeking a new Cold War or a world divided into rigid blocs," Biden said. "The United States is ready to work with any nation that steps up and pursues peaceful resolution to share challenges even if we have intense disagreement in other areas," he added.

Biden's message on preventing another Cold War comes amid the long-building tensions between the US and China. The latter has been cornered by the US and the world on several issues ranging from the COVID-19 pandemic to its abuse of human rights in Xinjiang, and its blatant aggression in the Indo-pacific region. Notably, even as the US President asserted that he was not looking to enter into another Cold War-like situation, he took the UNGA stage to raise alarm about human rights abuses in Xinjiang.

CHINA'S XI, LIKE BIDEN HOURS EARLIER, TURNS TO CALM LANGUAGE

Choosing calm language as tensions with the United States grow, Chinese leader Xi Jinping reiterated his nation's longtime policy of multilateralism on Tuesday, telling world leaders at the United Nations that disputes among countries “need to be handled through dialogue and cooperation."

His remarks came hours after U.S. President Joe Biden said he didn't have any intention of starting a “new Cold War" — itself a response to criticism from the U.N. chief this weekend that both Washington and Beijing need to make sure their differences and tensions don't derail their 42-year-old relationship and cause problems for the rest of the planet.

"One country’s success does not have to mean another country’s failure," Xi said in a prerecorded speech to the U.N. General Assembly's leaders' meeting in New York. "The world is big enough to accommodate common development and progress of all countries."

The comments from leaders of the two major powers, the world's most formidable economies, appeared to represent linguistic, if not necessarily substantive, efforts to calm the waters after U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres admonished them over the weekend for putting confrontation over productive dialogue.

IRAN'S PRESIDENT SLAMS U.S. IN FIRST SPEECH TO UN AS LEADER

Iran’s new president slammed U.S. sanctions imposed on his nation as a mechanism of war. President Ebrahim Raisi addressed the United Nations leaders’ meeting remotely from Iran, and he packed a full slate of direct criticism of the United States into his first U.N. address as a head of state. Although some 100 leaders and senior officials are attending the U.N. General Assembly meeting in New York this week, Raisi delivered his remarks from Tehran remotely as some have also chosen to do. Raisi, sworn in last month after an election, is a conservative cleric and former judiciary chief who is close to Iran’s Supreme Leader.

MELBOURNE EARTHQUAKE: TREMOR RATTLES SOUTHEAST AUSTRALIA

A 5.8 magnitude earthquake has rattled southeast Australia, damaging buildings in the city of Melbourne.

The earthquake happened about 09:15 local time (00:15 GMT) on Wednesday at Mansfield, not far from the Victorian state capital.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said "we have had no reports of serious injuries and that is very good news".

The earthquake was also felt in neighbouring South Australia and New South Wales (NSW).

It was followed by two aftershocks of 4.0 and 3.1 magnitude.

While this is one of Australia's largest earthquakes in recent years, it does not appear to have caused significant damage.

Speaking from the US, Mr Morrison noted earthquakes were uncommon in Australia and "it can be very, very disturbing event".

JOE BIDEN DOWNPLAYS CHANCES OF UK-US TRADE DEAL

Joe Biden has downplayed the chances of brokering a post-Brexit free trade deal with the UK, as he held talks with Boris Johnson at the White House.

Downing Street said its priority was still getting a deal with the US alone.

But the BBC understands that UK ministers are now considering joining an existing North American trade pact instead of pursuing a separate deal.

The UK and US leaders also discussed Afghanistan, security and climate change during the 90-minute meeting.

Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office before the meeting, Mr Biden said the pair would discuss trade "a little bit", adding: "We're going to have to work that through".

Mr Johnson earlier downplayed the chances of securing a trade deal with the US before the next general election.

But during a joint appearance Vice President Kamala Harris, he told reporters there had been "real progress" on UK-US talks.

COVID-19 DEATHS IN U.S. TOPPING 1,900 A DAY

COVID-19 deaths in the U.S. have climbed to an average of more than 1,900 a day for the first time since early March, with experts saying the virus is preying largely on a distinct group — 71 million unvaccinated Americans.

The increasingly lethal turn has filled hospitals, complicated the start of the school year, delayed the return to offices and demoralized health care workers.

“It is devastating," said Dr. Dena Hubbard, a pediatrician in the Kansas City, Missouri, area who has cared for babies delivered prematurely by cesarean section in a last-ditch effort to save their mothers, some of whom died. For health workers, the deaths, combined with misinformation and disbelief about the virus, have been "heart-wrenching, soul-crushing." Twenty-two people died in one week alone at CoxHealth hospitals in the Springfield-Branson area, a level almost as high as that of all of Chicago. West Virginia has had more deaths in the first three weeks of September — 340 — than in the previous three months combined. Georgia is averaging 125 dead per day, more than California or other more populous states.

“I've got to tell you, a guy has got to wonder if we are ever going to see the end of it or not,” said Collin Follis, who is the coroner in Missouri's Madison County and works at a funeral home.

The nation was stunned back in December when it was witnessing 3,000 deaths a day. But that was when almost no one was vaccinated.

TALIBAN ASK TO SPEAK AT UN GENERAL ASSEMBLY IN NEW YORK

The Taliban have asked to address world leaders at the United Nations General Assembly this week in New York City.

The group's foreign minister made the request in a letter on Monday. A UN committee will rule on the request.

The Taliban also nominated their Doha-based spokesperson, Suhail Shaheen, as Afghanistan's UN ambassador.

The group, which seized control of Afghanistan last month, said the envoy for the ousted government no longer represented the country.

The request to participate in the high-level debate is being considered by a credentials committee, whose nine members include the US, China and Russia, according to a UN spokesperson.

But they are unlikely to meet before the end of the General Assembly session next Monday. Until then, under UN rules, Ghulam Isaczai will remain Afghanistan's ambassador to the global body.

He is expected to make a speech on the final day of the meeting on 27 September. However the Taliban said his mission "no longer represents Afghanistan".

J&J: 2ND SHOT BOOSTS PROTECTION AGAINST SEVERE COVID-19 TO 94%

Johnson & Johnson said on Tuesday a second shot of its Covid vaccine given about two months after the first increased its effectiveness to 94% in the US against moderate to severe forms of the disease. That compares to 70% protection with a single dose. The data will help J&J make its case to US regulators for a booster shot even as the company stresses the durability of its single-shot vaccine as a tool to ease the pandemic.

President Joe Biden is pushing for booster shots in the face of surging hospitalisations caused by the Delta variant and J&J, the only drugmaker with a single-shot vaccine approved in the US, has been under pressure to produce evidence on the effectiveness of an additional dose. The company has now “generated evidence that a booster shot further increases protection against Covid ”, Dr Paul Stoffels, J&J’s chief scientific officer, said.

J&J said a booster given two months after the first dose increased antibody levels four to six-fold. When given six months after the first dose, antibody levels shot up twelve-fold, data released last month showed, suggesting a large improvement in protection with the longer interval between doses. Side effects with two doses were comparable to those seen in studies with the single-dose shot. The data is yet to be peer reviewed but will be submitted for publication in coming months.

EL SALVADOR PREZ CALLS HIMSELF A ‘DICTATOR’ IN TWITTER PROFILE

El Salvador’s bitcoin-pushing president apparently changed his Twitter profile description to “dictator” on Monday, in what might be an ironic comment on last week’s protests against him. The office of President Nayib Bukele did not respond to requests for comment on the change, but there was no clear sign the president’s account had been hacked. The price and potential of the cryptocurrency appears to fascinate Bukele, and he made bitcoin legal tender in El Salvador, the first country to do so. Not everyone was charmed by the tactic. “He is trying to ridicule the feelings of the public or the opposition,” said lawyer Eduardo Escobar, of Citizen’s Action, a civic group devoted to government accountability. Last week, thousands marched against Bukele, who protesters say has concentrated too much power.