KEY COVID NOS. WORLDWIDE

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

               World    4,22,412              /             49,03,914            /             6,781     /             1,78,60,183        /             629.1

1             USA        84,637   /             7,43,824              /             1,659     /             96,93,350            /             2,230

2             UK          44,932   /             1,38,379              /             145        /             13,84,143            /             2,025

3             Russia    32,196   /             2,21,313              /             998        /             7,43,839              /             1,516

4             Turkey   30,694   /             67,225   /             181        /             4,94,649              /             786

5             Mexico  5,825     /             2,83,574              /             381        /             3,57,862              /             2,170

6             Iran        11,857   /             1,23,695              /             197        /             3,47,228              /             1,449

7             Brazil     15,239   /             6,02,669              /             468        /             2,66,210              /             2,810

8             Honduras             430        /             10,084   /             19           /             2,48,418              /             998

9             Ukraine 13,624   /             60,137   /             202        /             2,34,180              /             1,386

10           India      16,003   /             4,52,008              /             161        /             2,08,694              /             323

11           Poland   2,771     /             76,067   /             49           /             1,85,111              /             2,013

12           Romania              15,828   /             41,130   /             363        /             1,68,392              /             2,156

13           Germany              11,656   /             95,416   /             82           /             1,48,383              /             1,134

14           Serbia    6,424     /             8,996     /             50           /             1,26,591              /             1,035

15           Thailand               10,486   /             18,123   /             94           /             1,07,606              /             259

16           Norway 423        /             884        /                            /             1,05,972              /             161

17           Finland  723        /             1,116     /             7             /             1,02,781              /             201

18           Malaysia              7,420     /             27,770   /             89           /             97,505   /             844

19           France   6,099     /             1,17,245              /             34           /             90,728   /             1,791

20           Philippines           7,625     /             40,424   /             203        /             78,999   /             363

37           Pakistan               1,086     /             28,228   /             27           /             39,953   /             125

93           Bangladesh         396        /             27,746   /             9             /             10,244   /             166

RUSSIA SAYS IT CHASED OUT US NAVY DESTROYER FROM ITS WATER: REPORT

Moscow said Friday that one of its warships chased away a US Navy destroyer after it attempted to violate Russia's territorial waters in the Sea of Japan, but Washington denied this.

The incident took place as Russia and China were conducting naval exercises in the area.

The Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement that at around 5 pm local time (0800GMT), the destroyer USS Chafee, which had been operating in the Sea of Japan for several days, "approached the territorial waters of the Russian Federation and attempted to cross the border."

Russia's Admiral Tributs destroyer issued a warning to the US ship "about the inadmissibility of such actions."

However, the USS Chafee ignored the warning and "took action to violate the national border of the Russian Federation," according to the Russian Defense Ministry.

"Acting within the framework of the international rules of navigation, the Admiral Tributs set a course for ousting the intruder from the Russian territorial waters."

After that, the USS Chafee turned around and set off "on the opposite course" when it was less than 60 meters away from the Russian ship.

The US Navy dismissed the Russian account as "false."

It said in a statement that its ship "was conducting routine operations in international water in the Sea of Japan" when a Russian destroyer came within approximately 65 yards of the USS Chafee "while the ship was preparing for flight operations."

"The interaction was safe and professional," the US navy said.

35 KILLED IN SUICIDE BOMBING DURING PRAYERS AT KANDAHAR MOSQUE

A large explosion tore through a Shia mosque in the southern Afghan city of Kandahar killing at least 35 people, the second week in a row that militants bombed Friday prayers and killed dozens of worshippers from the minority sect.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for Friday’s attack in Kandahar, but the Islamic State claimed the similar bombing that killed scores of Shias in the northern city of Kunduz a week earlier.

The attacks have caused shock and terror among members of Afghanistan’s Shia minority and undermine the ruling Taliban movement’s claim to have restored security since taking control of the country in August.

A health official at Kandahar’s Mirwais hospital told Reuters it had confirmed 35 dead and was treating 68 wounded.

A local reporter in Kandahar told Reuters that eyewitnesses had described three suicide attackers, one of whom blew himself up at the entrance to the mosque with the two others detonating their devices inside the building.

U.S. TRAVEL PERMITTED FOR VACCINATED FOREIGNERS FROM NOVEMBER 8

The Biden administration is expected to announce that its new travel policy requiring foreign nationals traveling to the U.S. to be fully vaccinated will be operational November 8 onwards. The new policy will replace disparate rules that have applied so far to different countries of origin and will provide consistent guidelines based on vaccination status. Specifically, it will ease pandemic-related  restrictions for travel from India , the U.K., Ireland, South Africa, Brazil and the Schengen Zone.

The imminent announcement, which was first reported by Reuters, will apply to air travel as well as travel for non-essential purposes via land borders shared with Mexico and Canada. By January, those using land borders for “essential” travel will need to fall in line with vaccine requirements, as per the White House’s forthcoming announcement.

“This puts in place a global international travel policy that is guided by public health, stringent, and consistent,” a statement from the White House , sent to The Hindu said.

In addition to providing proof of vaccination status from November 8, travellers will need to continue to show a negative COVID-19 test taken within three days of departure from their point of origin.

So far exemptions have not been announced but a few are expected.

The announcement will follow vaccine recognition guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), i.e., vaccines will need to be approved or authorised by the FDA (the U.S. pharma regulator) or have Emergency Use Listing status from the WHO.

“Further guidance on the very limited exceptions to these vaccination requirements, what will be acceptable proof of vaccination, and other operational details are forthcoming,” the White House said.

LEBANON ON EDGE AFTER SECTARIAN UNREST

Lebanon buried on Friday the victims of its deadliest sectarian unrest in years after gunfire gripped central Beirut for hours and revived the ghosts of the civil war.

Seven people died and dozens were wounded as a result of violence that erupted on Thursday following a rally by Shia protesters demanding the dismissal of the judge investigating last year’s devastating Beirut port blast.

The Shia movements Amal and Hezbollah that organised the protest in front of the Justice Palace accused the Lebanese Forces (LF), a Christian party, of engineering the chaos by aiming sniper fire at the demonstrators.

“This massacre was committed by the LF movement,” senior Hezbollah official Hashem Safieddine said during a Beirut funeral on Friday, accusing the party of seeking to “start a civil war”.

“We will not be dragged into sectarian strife... but at the same time we cannot allow the blood of our (martyrs) to go to waste,” he added.

In Beirut’s southern suburbs, Hezbollah held burials for two of its members as well as a woman who was shot in the head by a stray bullet while she was standing on her balcony.

Hundreds of mourners chanting in support of the Iran-backed group carried caskets wrapped in the party’s yellow flag as prayers rang out from loudspeakers.

The LF has denied any involvement in Thursday’s violence and said Hezbollah was “invading” off-limits neighbourhoods when the violence broke out.

BHUTAN AND CHINA SIGN MOU TO EXPEDITE BOUNDARY TALKS

Bhutan and China have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) as a three-step roadmap to expedite boundary talks.

Bhutan shares a border with China that is over 400-km-long. Both nations have held 24 rounds of military talks to resolve their boundary dispute.

The country believes the MoU on the three-step roadmap will provide a fresh impetus to the boundary talks.

The Bhutanese foreign ministry said "The negotiations which have been conducted in a spirit of understanding and accommodation have been guided by the 1988 Joint Communique on the Guiding Principles for the Settlement of the Boundary and the 1998 agreement on the maintenance of peace, tranquillity, and status quo in the Bhutan-China Border areas.''

"During the 10th Expert Group Meeting in Kunming in April this year, the two sides agreed on a three-step roadmap that will build on the 1988 Guiding Principles and help to expedite the ongoing boundary negotiations," it said.

The pact between the two countries comes as India and China are locked in a standoff at the Line of Actual Control (LAC).

In response, Arindam Bagchi, the Ministry of External Affairs official spokesperson, said ''We have noted the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Bhutan and China today. You are aware that Bhutan and China have been holding boundary negotiations since 1984. India has similarly been holding boundary negotiations with China.''

SIR DAVID AMESS KILLING WAS TERRORIST INCIDENT, MET POLICE SAY

The killing of Conservative MP Sir David Amess has been declared a terrorist incident by police.

Sir David was stabbed multiple times at a constituency surgery in Leigh-on-Sea in Essex on Friday.

The Metropolitan Police said there was "a potential motivation linked to Islamist extremism".

A 25-year-old British man was arrested at the scene on suspicion of murder, and police said they were not seeking anyone else over the death.

As part of the investigation, officers are currently carrying out searches at two addresses in the London area, the Met said.

The force believes the man acted alone but inquiries into the circumstances of the incident are continuing.

The man is in custody in Essex, police added.

Government sources have told the BBC he is a British national who, from initial inquiries, appears to be of Somali heritage.

Sir David, 69, who represented Southend West, was holding a constituency surgery - where voters can meet their MP and discuss concerns - at Belfairs Methodist Church on Friday when he was attacked at 12:05 BST.

IN ITALY, NO HEALTH PASS, NO PAY CHEQUE

Italy set a new bar on Friday for major Western democracies seeking to move beyond the pandemic by putting in place a sweeping law that requires the nation’s entire work force — public and private — to have government-issued health passes. The measure requires workers to show proof of vaccination, a negative rapid swab test or recent recovery from Covid before returning to offices, schools, hospitals or other work places. Under the rules, those who do not have a Green Pass must take unpaid leave. Employers will be responsible for verifying the certificates, for the most part a phone app. Workers risk fines of up to €1,500 for not complying. Several protested the decision.