2nd Trump-Biden presidential debate officially called off
WASHINGTON — The second presidential debate between President Donald Trump and Democrat Joe Biden is officially off.
The nonpartisan Commission on Presidential Debates confirmed Friday that the the Oct. 15 face-off would be scrapped.
The decision was made a day after the commission announced the debate would be a virtual one because Trump had contracted the coronavirus.
Trump balked at holding the debate in that format, and Biden scheduled a town hall with ABC News for that night once Trump said he would not participate.
Trump’s team later countered with a call to hold the debates as scheduled once the president’s doctor said he would be cleared to hold public events beginning Saturday.
But the commission said it would not reverse its decision not to have the candidates on stage together, citing an abundance of caution with health concerns — particularly for the town-hall-style debate that was set to feature questions from average voters.
The third debate, scheduled for Oct. 22 in Nashville, Tennessee, is still on.
China in vaccine alliance:
China, which has at least four coronavirus vaccine candidates in the last stage of clinical trials, said Friday it is joining an international initiative to distribute COVID-19 vaccines to countries worldwide known as COVAX, a move that may help the country find an international market for its coronavirus shots.
The country signed an agreement with Gavi, the co-leader of the project, on Thursday, China’s foreign ministry said.
Initially, China did not agree to join the alliance, after missing an early deadline to join in September.
“We are taking this concrete step to ensure equitable distribution of vaccines, especially to developing countries, and hope more capable countries will also join and support COVAX,” ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said in a statement.
She added later at a daily news briefing that many Chinese vaccine companies expressed a willingness to join the partnership and that China would buy vaccines for 1% of its population through COVAX.
The exact terms of the agreement and how China will contribute are not yet clear.
Countries can choose to buy vaccines to cover up to 50% of their population, but many developed countries are using COVAX as a type of insurance policy to obtain extra doses on top of any bilateral deals signed with pharmaceutical companies.
Chinese leader Xi Jinping previously said the country would make the vaccine a global public good and would distribute its shots in African nations — but only after China’s own immunization program had been completed.
The World Health Organization, which also leads COVAX, said in a statement that “the number of countries joining the COVAX facility grows every day, and we are pleased to see China formally join.”
The United States of America declined to join under President Donald Trump, saying COVAX was “influenced by the corrupt WHO and China.”
New daily high of COVID-19: The World Health Organization has announced a daily record high in coronavirus cases confirmed worldwide, with more than 350,000 infections reported to the U.N. health agency Friday.
The new daily high of 350,766 cases surpasses a record set earlier this week by nearly 12,000. That tally includes more than 109,000 cases from Europe alone.
In a news briefing Friday, WHO emergencies chief Dr. Michael Ryan acknowledged that even as COVID-19 continues to surge across the world, “there are no new answers.”
He said that although the agency wants countries to avoid the punishing lockdowns that have devastated economies, governments must ensure the most vulnerable people are protected, and numerous measures must be taken.
“The majority of people in theworld are still susceptible to this disease,” Ryan warned. He said countries should focus not just on restrictive measures, but also on bolstering their surveillance systems, testing, contact tracing and ensuring populations are engaged.
New terms for ex-cop in Floyd case: A Minnesota judge cited safety concerns as he issued new conditions of release for an ex-Minneapolis police officer charged in the death of George Floyd thatwould allow him to live in a neighboring state while he awaits trial.
Derek Chauvin posted $1 million bond on Wednesday and was allowed to walk free from the maximumsecurity state prison where he had been held for his safety since shortly after his arrest. Floyd died after Chauvin, who is white, pressed his knee against Floyd’s neck for several minutes even after the handcuffed Black man pleaded for air before his death May 25.
Chauvin was later charged with second-degree
unintentional murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter.
Chauvin’s release triggered two nights of protests in Minneapolis and St. Paul. Gov. Tim Walz mobilized National Guard troops and state law enforcement officers to help keep the peace.
Hostage freed in Mali: A 75-year-old French aid worker held hostage for four years by Islamic extremists in Mali was reunited Friday with her grandchildren in France, as relatives also welcomed home two Italians and a Malian politician freed with her this week.
Theywere released earlier this week, days after the Malian government freed nearly 200 Islamic militants in an apparent prisoner exchange.
But the homecoming was muted by the announcement later Friday that a Swiss woman held captive by the same extremist group had been killed.
Cease-fire talks: Azerbaijan and Armenia opened talks Friday for a limited cease-fire after almost two weeks of fierce fighting over a disputed province, with the goal of achieving at least a pause long enough to collect bodies from the battlefield and to exchange prisoners.
But the prospects for a broader peace deal appeared dim after the Azeri president, Ilham Aliyev, said in a televised speech Friday that he was happy to have talks but was making no concessions.
“We are winning andwill get our territory back and ensure our territorial integrity,” Aliyev said.
The conflict in and around Nagorno-Karabakh, an ethnic Armenian enclave in Azerbaijan, flared late last month and has threatened to spiral into a wider war drawing in Russia; Turkey, a NATO member; and possibly Iran.
The Russian Foreign Ministry mediated the talks after President Vladimir Putin warned thisweek that Russia could be forced to uphold its mutual defense pact with Armenia if the fighting spread.