China Says Covid Origins Probe Should Be Focused On U.S. Military Labs

In this Feb. 24 photo, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian speaks during a daily briefing at the Foreign Affairs Ministry in Beijing. © Andy Wong/AP  

Washington Post: As U.S. calls for focus on covid origins, China repeats speculation about U.S. military base 

China reacted angrily to the Biden administration’s calls for a harder investigation into the origins of the coronavirus pandemic, by accusing the United States of hypocrisy and suggesting it needed to open its own biological laboratories to international inspection.

Speaking at a media briefing in Beijing, Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Zhao Lijian said that President Biden’s call for more scrutiny of the still-disputed origins of coronavirus was politically motivated and showed that the United States “does not care about facts and truth, nor is it interested in serious scientific origin tracing.”  

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Update: China counters Biden's Covid origins lab probe ... by calling for a US lab probe (CNN)  

WNU Editor: These Chinese claims and statements are being made to influence Chinese public opinion .... not international opinion.And from what I am hearing. It has been very effective.

Russia Bails Out Belarussian President Lukashenko Again

 

Daily Mail: President Putin and Belarus leader Lukashenko 'agree loan deal' during a yacht tour in Sochi amid international uproar over the hijacking of Ryanair flight to detain dissident journalist 

* Vladimir Putin and Alexander Lukashenko went on a yacht tour in Sochi today 

* Russia will move ahead with a second £352million loan to Belarus next month 

* Lukashenko ordered hijacking of Ryanair plane as it crossed Belarusian airspace 

* Dissident blogger Roman Protasevich and girlfriend Sofia Sapega were arrested 

Vladimir Putin and Belarus leader Alexander Lukashenko have 'agreed a loan deal' during a yacht tour in Sochi amid international uproar over the hijacking of a Ryanair flight to detain a dissident journalist. 

The Russian President and Mr Lukashenko held a second day of talks - as well as a yacht tour - in the southern Russian city of Sochi on Saturday. 

The former-Soviet superpower will move ahead with a second £352million loan to Belarus next month amid the latest standoff with the West.  

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More News On President Putin and Belarus Leader Lukashenko Meeting In The Southern Russian City Of Sochi  

Vladimir Putin hosts Alexander Lukashenko amid wave of criticism from the West -- DW  

Russia Ready To Send $500 Million Loan Tranche To Belarusian Government -- RFE  

Russia confirms $500m loan for Belarus as West toughens sanctions -- Al Jazeera  

Russia confirms second loan for Belarus in talks in Sochi -- Global Times  

WNU Editor: Throwing good money after bad. That is how I describe this. 

I also noticed that Belarus leader Alexander Lukashenko brought his son (and presumed heir) to this meeting with Putin on his boat. 

President Biden Sends A Warning To Xi And Putin In A Memorial Day Speech

 

FOX News: Biden sends Xi, Putin warning while remembering son Beau, fallen troops in Memorial Day speech 

President Biden sent a warning to the presidents of China and Russia during his Memorial Day address on Sunday. 

"I had a long conversation for two hours recently with [Chinese] President Xi [Jinping], making it clear to him we could do nothing but speak out for human rights around the world because that's who we are," Biden said.

"I'll be meeting with [Russian] President [Vladimir] Putin in a couple weeks in Geneva making it clear that we will not stand by and let him abuse those rights."  

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Update #1: Biden pays tribute to late son Beau during Memorial Day remarks in Delaware as he vows to tell Putin US will 'not stand by and let him abuse human rights' (Daily Mail)  

Update #2: 'This is a hard day for us': Biden honors son Beau in Memorial Day remarks on anniversary of his death (USA Today)  

WNU Editor: This is news that I did not know. President Biden says he had a two-hour call with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

President Biden's White House Is 'A Monday-Through-Friday Kind Of Place'

President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden return to the White House after a trip to Camp David, in Washington, March 21, 2021. REUTERS/Erin Scott  

CNN: For Biden, the White House is 'a Monday-through-Friday kind of place' 

(CNN)Beginning in 1973, when he was a United States Senator from Delaware, Joe Biden had a ritual: nearly every evening he would hop a train back to Wilmington after his work day on Capitol Hill, spending most nights and weekends at the place he considered home, 100 miles from Washington. 

Doing so earned him the nickname "Amtrak Joe," and in 2011, the Wilmington depot was renamed the Joseph R. Biden Jr. Railroad Station. In all, he took more than 8,000 of those roundtrips during his 36 years in the Senate and, though less frequently, his eight years as vice president, no small feat for a busy politician. 

Turns out old habits die hard. 

Since taking office four months ago, the President has spent more weekends away from the White House than he has stayed there, almost three times as many. Counting this Memorial Day weekend, Biden has been in Wilmington nine weekends and passed five weekends at the presidential retreat, Camp David, in rural Maryland. The numbers far exceed any modern president's weekends off-campus at this point in his tenure. 

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WNU Editor: The White House says he is busy from 9:00 AM to 7:00 PM on weekdays (Monday to Friday) . I am not sure about that. When compared to Presidents Obama and Trump, his schedule looks very light .... Joe Biden - President's Public Schedule (Factbase)

Chinese Warships Patrolling Off America's East Coast?

June 20, 2016: A Chinese fleet participates in the Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) multinational naval exercises with US warships in west Pacific Ocean. /Xinhua Photo  

Gordon G. Chang, Gatestone Institute: Coming Soon: China's Navy Patrolling Off New York 

* Chinese planners are not only thinking of the continent [Africa], they are also eyeing islands in the Atlantic, specifically Terceira, one of the Azores. 

* On that island, part of Portugal, there is a port and, of even greater interest, Air Base No. 4. Better known as Lajes Field, the facility is jointly operated by the U.S. Air Force and its Portuguese counterpart. 

* If China controlled the base, the Atlantic would no longer be secure.... Chinese planes could patrol the northern and central portions of the Atlantic and thereby cut air and sea traffic between the U.S. and Europe. Beijing would also be able to deny access to the nearby Mediterranean Sea. 

* Pentagon budget cutters have been scaling back activities at Lajes, making it a "ghost base." As a result, Lajes is ripe for China to take it over. 

* China could get a base even closer than [Lajes]. About 90 miles east of Palm Beach, on Grand Bahama Island, a Hong Kong-based business is spending about $3 billion on a deep-water container facility, the Freeport Container Port.  

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WNU Editor: Before the Chinese navy patrol the east coast, they will first be patrolling the west coast.

Are Two Iranian Warships Headed To Venezuela?

US security agencies are keep a close eye on two Iranian naval vessels that may be headed toward Venezuela. The former oil tanker, Makran, is one of two ships currently sailing south along the east coast of Africa 

Daily Mail: US security agencies are monitoring TWO Iranian warships 'heading towards Venezuela' amid fears they could be used to intimidate Washington 

* Two Iranian warships are headed south along the east coast of Africa 

* It's unclear where they are headed, but US security experts believe they may be traveling toward Venezuela 

* Iran and Venezuela have become close allies in the past decade; both have been heavily sanctioned by the US 

* Venezuela is located just 1,500 miles from mainland America, and Iranian warships in the region may intimidate Washington 

US security agencies are keep a close eye on two Iranian warships that may be headed toward Venezuela. 

An Iranian frigate and a former oil tanker known as the Makran are currently sailing south along the east coast of Africa, anonymous sources told Politico on Saturday. Intelligence officials remain mystified by Iran's motivations with the two vessels and they are unsure what kind of cargo they may be holding. 

However, if the ships do end up in Venezuela it could be a sign Iranian President Hassan Rouhani is trying to intimidate Washington. 

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More News On Reports That Two Iranian Warships Are Headed To Venezuela  

U.S. monitoring Iranian warships that may be headed to Venezuela -- Politico 

Iranian warships possibly headed to Venezuela reportedly spark US concern -- The Hill  

US officials monitoring two Iranian navy ships that may be headed to Venezuela: report -- Arab News

U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris Gives Commencement Address At Naval Academy. Slammed For Smiling Tone Deaf Memorial Day Tweet

Her post included a candid photo of herself smiling with the caption: 'Enjoy the long weekend' 

 

Daily Mail: 'Enjoy the long weekend': Kamala Harris is slammed for smiling tone deaf Memorial Day tweet that doesn't acknowledge fallen soldiers 

 * Kamala Harris' post included a candid photo of herself smiling with the caption: 'Enjoy the long weekend' 

 * The tweet came ahead of Memorial Day without mentioning fallen soldiers 

 * It also came hours after she praised Midshipman Sydney Barber -the first black woman to serve as Brigade Commander at the U.S. Naval Academy

* Harris also spoke at the U.S. Naval Academy's graduation and commissioning ceremony on Friday 

* During that speech, she called the United States military 'the best, the bravest, and the most brilliant' 

* Air National Guard Lt. Colonel Adam Kinzinger blasted her tweet as 'tone deaf' 

* Sarah Huckabee Sanders said that even her seven-year-old son 'understands what this weekend is about' 

Vice President Kamala Harris has been accused of 'disgusting' disrespect by members of the military after tweeting 'Enjoy the long weekend' ahead of Memorial Day without mentioning fallen soldiers. 

The post included a candid photo of herself smiling and comes hours after she posted a tweet praising Midshipman Sydney Barber who made history as the first black woman to serve as Brigade Commander at the U.S. Naval Academy. 

Harris also spoke at the U.S. Naval Academy's graduation and commissioning ceremony on Friday during which she called the United States military 'the best, the bravest, and the most brilliant.' 

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Update #1: Vice President Kamala Harris under fire for 'disrespectful' tweet -- FOX News 

Update #2: VP Harris' VERY woke joke about female Marines flops during her Naval Academy commencement speech - two weeks after Biden slammed graduating Coast Guard class as 'dull' -- Daily Mail  

WNU Editor: Usually the press ignore the Vice-President. But Vice-President Harris has definitely been receiving a lot of negative coverage in the past few months.

U.S. Missile Test Fails To Intercept Mid-Range Ballistic Missile Target

FILE PHOTO: A ballistic missile target launches from the Pacific Missile Range Facility at Barking Sands, Kauai, Hawaii, September 12, 2018 © Ryan Keith / Missile Defense Agency via DVIDS  

Daily Mail (Reuters): US fails to intercept medium-range ballistic missile test target 

* The MDA, an agency under the Department of Defense, routinely conducts missile defense tests 

A U.S. warship failed to intercept a medium-range ballistic missile test target on Saturday, the U.S. Missile Defense Agency said. 

 'The objective of the test was to demonstrate the capability of a ballistic missile defense-configured Aegis ship to detect, track, engage and intercept a medium-range ballistic missile target' with a salvo of two Standard Missile-6 (SM-6) Dual II missiles, the agency said in a statement.  

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More News On The Recent U.S. Missile Test Failure  

Missile Defense Test Fails off Kauai Following Appearance by Russian Spy Ship -- Military.com/The Honolulu Star-Advertiser 

US warship FAILS to intercept mid-range ballistic missile target… amid reports of ‘Russian spy ship’ off Hawaii -- RT  

US Aegis Combat System Fails to Intercept Target, Pentagon Agency Says -- Sputnik

French President Macron Threatens To Pull Troops From Mali If ‘Radical Islamism’ Takes Hold

 

France 24: Macron threatens to pull troops from Mali if ‘radical Islamism’ takes hold 

President Emmanuel Macron warned in comments published Sunday that France will pull its troops out of Mali if it lurches towards radical Islamism following the second coup in nine months. 

France has around 5,100 troops in the region under its so-called Barkhane operation which spans five countries in the Sahel -- Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania and Niger. 

The mission, headquartered in Chad, was launched after France intervened to fend off a jihadist advance in Mali in 2013.  

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Update #1: Macron threatens to withdraw French troops from Mali (BBC)  

Update #2: Macron warns of Mali withdrawal as coup leader summoned to Ecowas summit (RFI)  

WNU Editor: Mali's coup leader is heading to Ghana for emergency talks .... Mali coup leader heads to Ghana for ECOWAS crisis talks (Al Jazeera).

Vietnam Detects New Highly Transmissible Coronavirus Variant

 

Daily Mail: Now Vietnam detects a new hybrid of Indian AND UK Covid variants that spreads quickly by air 

* Vietnam health minister said the country has discovered new variant of Covid-19 

* The virus is believed to be a hybrid of strains first found in both India and the UK

* Nguyen Thanh Long said tests suggest the strain spreads more easily through air 

* He did not specify how many cases had been identified with the new Covid strain 

Vietnam has discovered a new variant of Covid-19 that is a hybrid of the Indian and UK strains, health officials confirmed on Saturday. 

Scientists in Vietnam examined the genetic makeup of the virus that had infected recent patients and found the new variant, according to health minister Nguyen Thanh Long. 

Long, who is a doctor, said laboratory tests suggest that the new strain, which is a combination of the Indian and British variants, may spread more easily by air than other versions of the virus.  

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WNU Editor: Vietnam is far behind in its vaccination efforts. This could become a crisis situation very quickly. 

More News On Vietnam Detecting A New Highly Transmissible Coronavirus Variant  

Vietnam discovers new Covid-19 strain, hybrid of Indian and British variants -- France 24  

Covid: Vietnam detect new UK-Indian variant according to health officials -- BBC

Vietnam Detects New Highly Transmissible Coronavirus Variant -- NPR 

Vietnamese Health Ministry announces discovery of a new hybrid UK-India coronavirus variant -- Euronews/AP  

Vietnam detects new hybrid variant amid COVID surge -- DW 

'Very Dangerous' COVID Variant Found in Vietnam Highly Transmissible, Replicates Quickly -- Newsweek

Concern as quick-spreading Covid virus variant discovered in Vietnam -- RFI  

Vietnam identifies a highly contagious new coronavirus variant with strains from the UK and India -- Business Insider