While You Were Sleeping: 5 stories you might have missed, Oct 24

Mr Trump speaks during his election campaign event at The Villages Polo Club in Florida, on Oct 23, 2020. PHOTO: AFP

Trump, Biden battle for swing states after final presidential debate

US President Donald Trump hit the campaign trail in must-win Florida on Friday after a spirited last debate against White House challenger Joe Biden, who sought to cement his lead with a vow to get every American a free Covid-19 vaccine if elected.

With 11 days to go and 50 million people having already cast early ballots, Biden has a firm lead in national polls, as well as in most of the battleground states that typically decide the winner in US presidential elections.

Trump, who won to the surprise of most in 2016, defeating frontrunner Hillary Clinton, is pulling out all the stops to try and repeat the upset.

He landed in Ocala, Florida, for a rally in the famous retirement community The Villages where he will try to make up lost ground among the elderly - an important electoral group because they tend to be active voters.

READ MORE HERE

'It is terrifying': Europe braces for lengthy battle with Covid-19

Europe faces a lengthy battle against the coronavirus at least until mid-2021, France warned on Friday, as anxious governments introduced ever more restrictions to curb the disease once again accelerating through the continent.

Europe's daily infections have more than doubled in the last 10 days, reaching a total of 7.8 million cases and about 247,000 deaths, as a second wave right before winter has crushed economic revival hopes.

France, which passed 1 million cases on Friday with a new record daily total of more than 42,000, has been one of the hardest-hit nations and has imposed curfews.

READ MORE HERE

Sudan becomes third Arab state to reach US-brokered peace deal with Israel

Israel and Sudan agreed on Friday to take steps to normalise relations in a deal brokered with the help of the United States, making Khartoum the third Arab government to set aside hostilities with Israel in the last two months.

US President Donald Trump, seeking re-election on Nov 3, sealed the agreement in a phone call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Sudanese Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok and Transitional Council Head Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, senior US officials said.

Trump's decision this week to remove Sudan from the US list of state sponsors of terrorism paved the way for the accord with Israel, marking a foreign policy achievement for the Republican president as he seeks a second term trailing in opinion polls behind Democratic rival Joe Biden.

READ MORE HERE

Millions more enter coronavirus lockdowns in UK

Millions more people headed into lockdowns across Britain on Friday, as the country's four home nations adopt differing criteria in their attempts to stem surging coronavirus rates.

Around 3.1 million people in Wales saw the most severe restrictions imposed, after the devolved government there ordered a 17-day "firebreaker" lockdown forcing people to stay at home from 6pm (1700 GMT).

The first national lockdown since an earlier UK-wide shutdown over the summer, it bans all non-food retailers, cafes, restaurants, pubs and hotels from opening.

READ MORE HERE

WHO says advice on remdesivir drug to come in 3 to 4 weeks

WHO is preparing its guidelines on the use of antiviral drug remdesivir to treat Covid-19, and should be able to release it in three to four weeks, the organisation's top official for clinical care responses said.

"We would anticipate that the guidelines will be available within three to four weeks," Janet Diaz told a news conference.

A WHO panel "will convene next week to look at the totality of the evidence" of the effectiveness of the drug, made by Gilead Sciences.

READ MORE HERE

Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.