'Mute button' part of next US presidential debate

Each candidate will be given two minutes of uninterrupted time at the beginning of each 15-minute segment of the debate

The US Commission on Presidential Debates has said it will mute the microphones of President Donald Trump and his Democratic rival Joe Biden when they are not answering questions during their final showdown on Thursday.

The commission said the plan as to avoid the interruptions that disrupted their last debate.

Each candidate will be allotted two minutes to answer the moderator's questions, during which time the other man's microphone will be shut off.

Once they both have had their two minutes, there will be open discussion, and neither microphone will be muted.

"It is the hope of the Commission that the candidates will be respectful of each other's time, which will advance civil discourse for the benefit of the viewing public," the commission said in a statement.

"We realise, after discussions with both campaigns, that neither campaign may be totally satisfied with the measures announced today.

"We are comfortable that these actions strike the right balance and that they are in the interest of the American people, for whom these debates are held.

"The only candidate whose microphone will be open during these two-minute periods is the candidate who has the floor under the rules."

Mr Trump's campaign manager Bill Stepien reacted angrily to the announcement.

"President Trump is committed to debating Joe Biden regardless of last minute rule changes from the biased commission in their latest attempt to provide advantage to their favored candidate," he said in a statement.

Mr Stepien said Mr Trump was planning to raise a number of allegations regarding Mr Biden's son Hunter, all of which are unsubstantiated.

The president's pursuit of such claims in Ukraine led to his impeachment by the House of Representatives earlier this year.

"If the media won't ask Joe Biden these questions, the President will, and there will be no escape for Biden," Stepien said.

The Biden campaign did not immediately comment on the latest developments.

In the last debate, in September, Mr Trump interrupted Mr Biden 71 times, compared to the former vice president's interrupting Mr Trump 22 times, the news site Axios reported.

The two candidates were supposed to have held a second debate last Thursday, but the commission changed the rules to allow an online debate format after the president tested positive for the coronavirus. 

Mr Trump then pulled out of the debate, and the two men held rival town meetings on different television channels.

Thursday's debate will be the last time the two rivals face off before the 3 November election.

Melania Trump cancels campaign rally appearance due to 'cough'

US First Lady Melania Trump has cancelled a rare joint appearance with her husband at a campaign rally due to a "lingering cough" following her infection with the coronavirus, a spokeswoman said.

"Mrs Trump continues to feel better every day following her recovery from Covid-19, but with a lingering cough, and out of an abundance of caution, she will not be traveling today," Stephanie Grisham said in a statement.

Her appearance with President Donald Trump in Erie, Pennsylvania, was to have been her first at a campaign rally in more than a year.

Mr Trump, the first lady and their teenage son Barron all tested positive for Covid-19 earlier this month.

The president was hospitalised for three nights and later said he had risked death, but now appears to have recovered.

Mrs Trump's case was described as having been considerably milder.