KEY COVID NOS. WORLDWIDE

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

               World    2,95,818              /             49,13,731            /             4,025     /             1,78,60,583        /             630.4

1             USA        16,939   /             7,44,541              /             156        /             96,75,462            /             2,232

2             UK          45,140   /             1,38,584              /             57           /             13,94,142            /             2,028

3             Russia    34,303   /             2,23,312              /             997        /             7,68,751              /             1,529

4             Turkey   24,114   /             67,623   /             186        /             4,96,888              /             791

5             Mexico  5,203     /             2,84,321              /             313        /             3,57,392              /             2,176

6             Iran        11,396   /             1,24,075              /             199        /             3,36,632              /             1,453

7             Ukraine 11,288   /             60,633   /             219        /             2,48,540              /             1,397

8             Honduras                            /             10,097   /                            /             2,48,406              /             999

9             Brazil     5,738     /             6,03,282              /             83           /             2,46,685              /             2,812

10           India      14,289   /             4,52,321              /             165        /             1,97,012              /             324

11           Poland   2,523     /             76,112   /             1             /             1,87,657              /             2,014

12           Romania              11,546   /             41,781   /             298        /             1,76,647              /             2,191

13           Germany              6,807     /             95,454   /             10           /             1,50,767              /             1,135

14           Serbia    5,077     /             9,105     /             53           /             1,22,513              /             1,048

15           Thailand               10,863   /             18,273   /             68           /             1,07,790              /             261

16           Norway 122        /             884        /                            /             1,06,428              /             161

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

18           France   3,778     /             1,17,265              /             5             /             93,419   /             1,791

19           Malaysia              6,145     /             27,921   /             63           /             92,246   /             849

20           Philippines           6,913     /             40,675   /             95           /             81,641   /             365

53           Pakistan               720        /             28,269   /             17           /             26,237   /             125

95           Bangladesh         314        /             27,768   /             16           /             9,858     /             166

CHINESE MILITARY SLAMS U.S., CANADIAN WARSHIPS TRANSIT IN TAIWAN STRAITS

China's military on Sunday condemned the United States and Canada for sending warships through the Taiwan Straits last week, saying their provocative acts have seriously damaged peace and stability in the region, said Senior Colonel Shi Yi, spokesperson for the Eastern Theater Command of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) on Sunday.

The Eastern Theater Command of the PLA organized naval and air forces to track and monitor the warships in the whole course, added Shi.

The spokesperson stressed that troops of the PLA Eastern Theater Command are ready to respond to all threats and provocations.

The Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer USS Dewey sailed through the Taiwan Straits along with the Canadian frigate HMCS Winnipeg on Friday.

MERCK COVID-19 PILL SPARKS CALLS FOR ACCESS FOR LOWER INCOME COUNTRIES

The plan to roll out Merck & Co's (MRK.N) promising antiviral pill to treat COVID-19 risks repeating the inequities of vaccine distribution, potentially leaving the nations with the greatest need once again at the back of the line, international health groups say.

For example, only about 5% of Africa’s population is immunized, creating an urgent need for therapeutics that could keep people out of hospitals. That compares with more than a 70% inoculation rate in most wealthy nations.

Merck on Oct 11 applied for U.S. emergency clearance of the first pill for COVID-19 after it cut hospitalizations and deaths by 50% in a large clinical trial. The medicine, made with Ridgeback Biotherapeutics, could gain authorization as soon as December.

The U.S. drugmaker has taken the unusual pandemic step of licensing several generics of its antiviral molnupiravir before its branded version was even authorized for marketing.

But international health officials said even that is not enough for the medicine to reach many in low- and middle-income countries in large enough numbers, while noting shortcomings and red tape among global organizations that could further slow distribution.

Merck this year plans to produce 10 million treatment courses of the pill, which is taken twice a day for five days, and another 20 million next year.

In addition, its licensing deals with eight Indian drugmakers will allow cheaper generic versions for 109 low- and middle-income countries including in Africa, a move international groups acknowledge is a positive concession.

WARNING FROM IS: SHIA MUSLIMS WILL BE TARGETED EVERYWHERE

The Islamic State (IS) group said in a statement that Shia Muslims will be targeted by its network wherever possible, a media report has claimed. Al-Naba, the IS group’s weekly, has published a warning and it further read that Shia Muslims will be targeted in their homes and strongholds, reported Khaama Press.

The statement has especially threatened Shia Muslims living in Afghanistan. From Baghdad to Khorasan, Shia Muslims will be target everywhere, said IS.

The warning came after a powerful explosion rattled a Shia mosque in Afghanistan’s Kandahar province on Friday, killing over 60 worshippers while wounding more than 80. The attack was claimed by Islamic State-Khorasan (IS-K). On October 8, a terror attack on a Shia mosque in Kunduz had killed more than 100 people.

The Taliban have said that not recognising the new government in Afghanistan is benefiting IS-K. While talking to Anadolu Agency, Afghanistan’s acting foreign minister Amir Khan Muttaqi said the official recognition of his government and international aid were important for the country’s recovery.

ANTHONY FAUCI SAYS US MAY MIX AND MATCH DIFFERENT COVID-19 VACCINES FOR BOOSTER DOSE

Anthony Fauci, the chief medical advisor to President Joe Biden, said American drug regulator will consider whether those who have been inoculated with one dose of Johnson & Johnson (J&J) vaccine should be administered an mRNA-based vaccine, like Moderna or Pfizer as a booster shot to help induce a higher number of antibodies.

“If you boost people who have originally received J&J with either Moderna or Pfizer, the level of antibodies that you induce in them is much higher than if you boost them with the original J&J,” Fauci told reporters during a television interview.

Fauci’s comment comes after a second dose of the J&J vaccine was recommended by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for 18 years and above as a booster shot. FDA also recommended a third dose of the Modern vaccine as a booster shot to high-risk adults.

CHINA TESTED ‘NUCLEAR CAPABLE HYPERSONIC MISSILE’ IN AUGUST, SAYS REPORT

China’s military has carried out its first-ever test of a “nuclear capable hypersonic missile”, according to a report on October 17.

The missile in August “circled the globe before speeding towards its target, demonstrating an advanced space capability that caught U.S. intelligence by surprise,” the Financial Times reported.

The newspaper quoted five people familiar with the test as saying the Chinese military launched a rocket that carried a hypersonic glide vehicle “which flew through low-orbit space before cruising down towards its target.” The missile “missed its target by about two-dozen miles”, three people told the newspaper, but two others added that it “showed that China had made astounding progress on hypersonic weapons and was far more advanced than U.S. officials realised.”

The Financial Times noted that only the U.S., Russia and China were developing hypersonic glide vehicles, that are launched on rockets and then orbit the earth on their own speed. They are difficult to track because unlike ballistic missiles, they “do not follow the fixed parabolic trajectory”. The newspaper said the test would post a big challenge to U.S. missile defence systems because “the weapon could, in theory, fly over the South Pole.” “That would pose a big challenge for the U.S. military because its missiles defence systems are focused on the northern polar route,” the report said.

The newspaper quoted security experts as saying the test was conducted in August. It noted that the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology, which carries out launches, had in July announced its 77th launch of a Long March rocket, and in end-August said it had carried out a 79th flight, sparking speculation about a secretive 78th launch that had not been reported.

IRAN TO RESUME NUCLEAR TALKS, SAYS MP

Iran is to resume nuclear negotiations with world powers on October 21 that were suspended in June, an Iranian lawmaker said on Sunday after a meeting with Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian.

The Minister said that “talks with the 4+1 Group will restart on Thursday in Brussels”, Ahmad Alirezabeigui told the conservative news agency Fars after a closed-door session with Mr. Amir-Abdollahian.

The lawmaker was referring to four UN Security Council permanent members — Britain, China, France and Russia — along with Germany.

SEVENTEEN U.S. MISSIONARIES AND THEIR FAMILIES KIDNAPPED IN HAITI

As many as 17 American Christian missionaries and their families, including children, were kidnapped on October 17 by gang members in Haiti's capital of Port-au-Prince, the New York Times reported, citing security officials there.

The kidnapping happened as the missionaries were leaving an orphanage in the crisis-engulfed Caribbean nation, the Times said.

They were abducted from a bus headed to the airport to dropoff some members of the group before continuing to another destination in Haiti, the report added, citing local officials.

Jennifer Viau, a spokeswoman for the U.S. State Department in Washington, said by email that "we’re looking into this." The U.S. Embassy in Haiti did not respond to a request for comment outside business hours.