Good morning. We’re covering an Indian virus study that could offer key insights for other countries, global reactions to chaos in the U.S. presidential debate and how it feels to be back at the theater. | |  By Melina Delkic | | | A health worker tested a student for the coronavirus in Gauhati, India, on Wednesday. Anupam Nath/Associated Press | | | The study, published Wednesday in the journal Science, found that children of all ages can become infected with the virus and spread it to others, and that older men are more likely to be index cases — those who seed infections. | | | Among the other findings: The median hospital stay before death from Covid-19 was five days in India, compared with two weeks in the U.S., possibly because of limited access to quality care in India. And the trend in increasing deaths with age seemed to drop off after age 65 — perhaps because Indians who live past that age tend to be relatively wealthy. | | | Quotable: “The claims that children have no role in the infection process are certainly not correct,” said an epidemiologist who led the study. | | ■ North Korea has discovered “faults” in its anti-epidemic measures, its state news media reported on Wednesday. A report said that officials had displayed “carelessness, irresponsibility and slackness.” ■ Early clinical trials are complete for a second Russian vaccine, a health official said Wednesday, moving it closer to registration under the Russian approach of approving vaccines for emergency use before beginning late-stage trials. ■ South Korea said on Wednesday that it would impose a fine of up to $85 on anyone caught without a mask in high-risk areas like outdoor gatherings and public transportation, starting on Oct. 13. | | | President Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden at the presidential debate in Cleveland on Tuesday. Doug Mills/The New York Times | | | The first televised debate between President Trump and former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. left allies and rivals alike questioning the state of American democracy and the country’s place on the global stage. Our diplomatic correspondent looked at reactions around the world. | | | People voiced frustration, disbelief and even glee over Mr. Trump’s blustering and bellowing, which he directed both at the moderator and at Mr. Biden. Mr. Biden called Mr. Trump a “clown” and asked him to “shut up.” | | | Hu Xijin, the editor of The Global Times, a Communist Party paper, wrote: “Such a chaos at the top of U.S. politics reflects division, anxiety of U.S. society and the accelerating loss of advantages of the U.S. political system.” | | | Some mourned the loss of decorum. “Most people in Japan would be dismayed by the mudslinging style,” said a professor of American Studies at the University of Tokyo. | | | Protests in New Delhi on Wednesday over a deadly rape attack. Anushree Fadnavis/Reuters | | | The gruesome case is the latest example of sexual violence against women in the country. The woman was Dalit, the lowest caste in India’s Hindu hierarchy and so particularly vulnerable to discrimination and violence. Her attackers were reportedly of a higher caste. | | | On Monday, she was transferred to a hospital in New Delhi, where Dalit protesters clashed with the police. Scrutiny of the police has grown after her family said that officers seized and cremated the victim’s body in the middle of the night, over their objections. | | | Arrests: The police said four men were in custody. Yogi Adityanath, the chief minister for Uttar Pradesh, said on Wednesday that he ordered a special investigation team to handle the case and that it would be tried in a fast-track court. | | | Context: Of the tens of thousands of rape cases reported in India annually, only a handful result in prosecutions, National Crime Records Bureau figures show. Activists say the true scope of the problem is far worse, as many cases are never reported because of the stigma of sexual violence in India. | | | Andrea Mantovani for The New York Times | | | As the coronavirus was spreading in Europe in late February, Americans, Britons, Germans and others converged to ski in the famed resorts of the Austrian alps. They took the virus with them when they went home — to more than 40 countries on five continents. | | | PAID POST: A MESSAGE FROM CAMPAIGN MONITOR | | TEST: Email Marketing 101: Never Sacrifice Beauty for Simplicity | | A drag-and-drop email builder, a gallery of templates and turnkey designs, personalized customer journeys, and engagement segments. It's everything you need to create stunning, results-driven email campaigns in minutes. And with Campaign Monitor, you have access to it all, along with award-winning support around the clock. It's beautiful email marketing done simply. | | | Learn More | | | | Rio Tinto mine: Residents of the Papua New Guinea region have accused the mining giant, which is based in Britain and Australia, of environmental and human rights violations and asked Australia to investigate. The claim: that an abandoned mine is leaking waste and poisoning rivers on the island of Bougainville. | | | Snapshot: Above, “Sleepless: A Musical Romance,” at Troubadour Wembley Park Theater in London. Cautiously, theater is creeping back. Our reporter asked artists and audiences around the world — even an usher and a critic — to reflect on what it’s like to return. | | | What we’re reading: This home tour through a dog’s eyes in The New Yorker. This will send you off into your day with a smile, and maybe remind you to pet your dog a little more. | | | Sarah Anne Ward for The New York Times. Food stylist: Maggie Ruggiero. Prop stylist: Paola Andrea | | | Cook: A relatively easy recipe for pork chops by the cookbook author Toni Tipton-Martin. The pork is dressed in a glossy sauce made of capers, parsley, lemon and butter, taking it from a simple to elegant weeknight meal. | | | Read: “Jack,” the fourth volume in Marilynne Robinson’s Gilead series, features an interracial romance facing perils in a Jim Crow city. | | | We asked New York Times readers about the tiny details of their days during the pandemic. Some kept log books — where they went, whom they saw, what they ate and what they did — and their notes, taken together, offer a series of snapshots of everyday life during this unusual time. Here’s a bit of what they told us, and you can read more here. | | | A log book submission from The Pandemic Diaries. The New York Times | | ■ My “remembering Dad” sunflower bloomed today. — Ann Bovee, 54, Redmond, Wash. ■ A taxi arrived at the door this morning with a gift of fresh banana leaves from our friend Nora, so that I can line a pot with them for making barbacoa de pollo later today. — Thad Mummert, 74, Oaxaca de Juárez, Oaxaca, México ■ We’re at the hospital to train staff on Covid-19 infection, prevention and control. Staff are slowly, slowly arriving to the training site. Thousands of dragonflies are flitting about the courtyard. — Emily Guebert, 29, Aweil, South Sudan ■ Ran — hot (85 degrees) and humid (56 percent) today versus cool and windy yesterday. Passed two people. Wide berth. Could they be Covid transmitters? — Brant S. Mittler, 73, San Antonio, Texas ■ Locked eyes with a stag standing just beyond the patio in the backyard while on Zoom with my boss’ boss. Made the fancy boxed pasta for dinner. — Morgan Shockley, 30, Arroyo Seco, N.M. | | That’s it for this briefing. See you next time. — Melina | | Thank you
To Theodore Kim and Jahaan Singh for the break from the news. You can reach the team at briefing@nytimes.com. | | | Were you sent this briefing by a friend? Sign up here to get the Morning Briefing. | | |
