International
China Calls on U.S. to ‘Clarify’ Rumor of Alleged Biological Weapons
Following Russia’s claims that the U.S. is financing biological weapons labs in Ukraine—an allegation the U.S. calls “disinformation”—China is adding more fuel to the fire by repeating the same talking points and calling on the U.S. to prove the rumors are false.
In Chinese state-run media, a spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry urged American leaders to provide “thorough clarification” regarding any biological military activities.
“This will help restore the international community’s confidence in the U.S. fulfillment of its international obligations and strengthen global biosecurity,” the spokesperson, Zhao Lijian, said.
The United Nations has said it is not aware of any biological weapons programs in Ukraine.
“There are no Ukrainian biological weapons laboratories supported by the United States—not near Russia’s border or anywhere,” said UN Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield.
The U.S. has always claimed to be “open and transparent,” the Foreign Ministry said. “If the concerns are truly ‘disinformation,’ why doesn’t the United States release detailed materials to prove its innocence?”
Zhao claims that the U.S. spent $200 million funding bio-labs and questioned what kind of research was being conducted.
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The U.S. has partnered with Ukraine through the Biological Threat Reduction Program (BTRP), part of the Cooperative Threat Reduction (CTR) initiative that aims to “support peaceful and safe biological detection and diagnostic capabilities and to reduce the threats posed by pathogens,” according to the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD). The Ukraine Embassy says the BTRP is designed to counter outbreaks of the world’s most dangerous infections.
Through the BTRP, the U.S. has invested approximately $200 million in Ukraine since 2005, supporting over 40 Ukrainian labs, health facilities and diagnostic sites, according to the DOD.
“DoD’s CTR Program began its biological work with Ukraine to reduce the risk posed by the former Soviet Union’s illegal biological weapons program, which left Soviet successor states with unsecured biological materials after the fall of the USSR,” the DOD states in a fact sheet about the CTR program.
The DOD claims it has partnered with many countries for its CTR program, stating even working within Russian-owned laboratories until 2014.
Zhao questioned why U.S. officials refuse to open the Ukrainian labs for independent research by international experts. He then accused the U.S. of being self-contradictory, saying the nation “points fingers” at other countries stating noncompliance but then refuses to verify its own actions.
“This is typical double standard. Moreover, given the credibility of the United States, it is very difficult for it to win the trust of the international community,” Zhao said.
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The U.S. Department of State says Russia and China’s conspiracy theories are only attempting to justify Moscow’s hostility towards Ukraine.
“The Kremlin is intentionally spreading outright lies that the United States and Ukraine are conducting chemical and biological weapons activities in Ukraine,” said U.S. Department of State spokesperson Ned Price. “We have also seen PRC [People’s Republic of China] officials echo these conspiracy theories.”
However, U.S. officials say given Russia’s history of falsely accusing other nations of the same violations it commits, they suspect Russia may be planning to use chemical or biological agents against the Ukrainian people.
“Russia has a track record of accusing the West of the very crimes that Russia itself is perpetrating,” Price continued. “These tactics are an obvious ploy by Russia to try to justify further premeditated, unprovoked, and unjustified attacks on Ukraine. We fully expect Russia to continue to double down on these sorts of claims with further unfounded allegations.”
Newsweek reached out to the U.S. Department of State and the Chinese Embassy for comment.
NEWSWEEK
International
American man arrested for beating tourist to death at Ireland hotel
American man arrested for beating tourist to death at Ireland hotel
A 30 year old American man whose name was not given by security officials, has been arrested for beating up a 60 year old tourist to death at the Ballyfin Demesne hotel in Laois, Ireland.
The Irish police force commonly known as ‘Garda Síochána’ announced that the incident occurred in the late hours of Tuesday, November 12.
Ballyfin Demesne hotel, is a popular luxury five-star hotel located in Laois, Ireland and special guests such as Kanye West, Kim Kardashian, George Clooney e.t.c had made use of the hotel in times past.
The victim was discovered unconscious in the late hours of Tuesday, November 12 and was then rushed to the hospital were he died due to severe beating inflicted on him by the culprit.
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Independent local councilor James Kelly stated that nearby communities were ‘stunned’ upon learning about the incident at the renowned hotel.
He said, “There would be a lot of staff from the area and they’re totally shocked by what has happened here.
“It’s something we didn’t think we’d be waking up to this morning.”
The police also noted that a senior officer has been assigned to lead the investigation and an incident room has been set up at Portlaoise Garda Station, Ireland.
Furthermore, a family liaison officer will be designated to assist the family of the deceased.
International
FBI raids home of crypto platform Polymarket CEO, after accurate prediction of Trump win
FBI raids home of crypto platform Polymarket CEO, after accurate prediction of Trump win
The Federal Bureau of Investigation on Wednesday carried out a raid at the home of Shayne Coplan, CEO of cryptocurrency prediction outlet Polymarket.
Authorities seized Mr Coplan’s phone during the raid, according to New York Post which first reported the incident.
Mr Coplan, 26, has been running the famous platform for bets throughout the 2024 presidential election in the United States.
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It wasn’t immediately clear why the search was conducted, but Polymarket promptly said it might be due to its activities during the election. Users on the platform had correctly predicted Donald Trump was going to defeat Kamala Harris. The company paid out a substantial amount to winners following the election.
“This is obvious political retribution by the outgoing administration against Polymarket for providing a market that correctly called the 2024 presidential election,” a spokesperson for Polymarket said in a statement from its headquarters in New York. “Polymarket is a fully transparent prediction market that helps everyday people better understand the events that matter most to them, including elections.”
It was unclear whether or not the FBI would be filing charges after the raid.
FBI raids home of crypto platform Polymarket CEO, after accurate prediction of Trump win
International
Two dead, buildings destroyed in American factory explosion
Two dead, buildings destroyed in American factory explosion
Two employees of Givaudan sense colour, a factory known for making colourings for beverages, located in Louisville, Kentucky, United States (US) were killed in an explosion that took place at the company’s facility.
The factory reported that the incident which took place on Tuesday, November 12 in the afternoon have also destroyed buildings around the company.
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Louisville Mayor, Craig Greenberg stated that firefighters managed to rescue and evacuate numerous individuals from the site, including some who sustained life-threatening injuries.
He also confirmed that all employees present at the plant during the explosion have been accounted for.
Earlier reports indicated that at least 11 workers were hospitalized.
The cause of the explosion is still under investigation.
Two dead, buildings destroyed in American factory explosion
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