US President Joe Biden said on Wednesday he is calling on the intelligence community to submit a report within three months on the origins of Covid-19 amid a resurgent debate over how the virus appeared.
Mr Biden said the report should look into "whether it emerged from human contact with an infected animal or from a laboratory accident", and present questions that may require confirmation, including some for China.
"I have now asked the intelligence community to redouble their efforts to collect and analyse information that could bring us closer to a definitive conclusion and to report back to me in 90 days," he said.
The move comes during a growing controversy on how to handle an investigation into the origins of the virus, which has killed more than 3.5 million people globally.
“We need to get to the bottom of this," deputy White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said.
"As we all know, we’ve lost almost 600,000 Americans to Covid-19 and we have to get a better sense of the origins of Covid-19 and also, how do we prevent the next pandemic?”
The first virus cluster was reported to the World Health Organisation in late 2019 in Wuhan, China, home to the Wuhan Institute of Virology, fuelling theories that Covid-19 might have escaped from the lab.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian on Wednesday said the US was “spreading conspiracy theories and disinformation, such as a laboratory leak".
“Some people in the United States claim they want the truth but their real intention is political manipulation,” Mr Zhao said.
Members of the former president Donald Trump's administration favoured the laboratory leak theory, including former Centres for Disease Control and Prevention chief Dr Robert Redfield.
Many scientists, including WHO members, say the theory is unlikely.
The UN agency co-ordinated an investigation by independent scientists who visited Wuhan, China, and their report concluded that the virus most probably jumped to humans from bats.
Global leaders, scientists and WHO Director General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus have said the investigation was not extensive enough.
Meanwhile, there are concerns that investigations into Covid's beginnings could fuel anti-Asian sentiment, which has increased in the US in recent months.
Mr Biden has signed an anti-hate crimes bill in response to several attacks on Asian Americans.
Scientists assert that finding the virus's origin would help the global community to prevent or prepare for the next pandemic, by figuring out how to protect against diseased animals or how to best improve medical lab security.
Top US infectious diseases expert Dr Anthony Fauci said he was "not convinced" that Covid-19 had developed naturally.
"I think we should continue to investigate what went on in China until we continue to find out to the best of our ability what happened," Dr Fauci said.
"Certainly, the people who investigated it say it likely was the emergence from an animal reservoir that then infected individuals, but it could have been something else and we need to find that out.
"So, you know, that's the reason why I said I'm perfectly in favour of any investigation that looks into the origin of the virus."
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
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The stats
Ship name: MSC Bellissima
Ship class: Meraviglia Class
Delivery date: February 27, 2019
Gross tonnage: 171,598 GT
Passenger capacity: 5,686
Crew members: 1,536
Number of cabins: 2,217
Length: 315.3 metres
Maximum speed: 22.7 knots (42kph)
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Why are asylum seekers being housed in hotels?
The number of asylum applications in the UK has reached a new record high, driven by those illegally entering the country in small boats crossing the English Channel.
A total of 111,084 people applied for asylum in the UK in the year to June 2025, the highest number for any 12-month period since current records began in 2001.
Asylum seekers and their families can be housed in temporary accommodation while their claim is assessed.
The Home Office provides the accommodation, meaning asylum seekers cannot choose where they live.
When there is not enough housing, the Home Office can move people to hotels or large sites like former military bases.
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
RESULTS: 2018 WORLD CUP QUALIFYING - EUROPE
Albania 0 Italy 1
Finland 2 Turkey 2
Macedonia 4 Liechtenstein
Iceland 2 Kosovo 0
Israel 0 Spain 1
Moldova 0 Austria 1
Serbia 1 Georgia 0
Ukraine 0 Croatia 2
Wales 0 Ireland 1
Captain Marvel
Director: Anna Boden, Ryan Fleck
Starring: Brie Larson, Samuel L Jackson, Jude Law, Ben Mendelsohn
4/5 stars
Company%20profile
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The specs
Engine: Long-range single or dual motor with 200kW or 400kW battery
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Max touring range: 620km / 590km
Price: From Dh250,000 (estimated)
MATCH INFO
Burnley 0
Man City 3
Raheem Sterling 35', 49'
Ferran Torres 65'
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Our legal consultants
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
TALE OF THE TAPE
Manny Pacquiao
Record: 59-6-2 (38 KOs)
Age: 38
Weight: 146lbs
Height: 166cm
Reach: 170cm
Jeff Horn
Record: 16-0-1 (11 KOs)
Age: 29
Weight: 146.2lbs
Height: 175cm
Reach: 173cm
Key findings of Jenkins report
- Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
- Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
- Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
- Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
A State of Passion
Directors: Carol Mansour and Muna Khalidi
Stars: Dr Ghassan Abu-Sittah
Rating: 4/5
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The five pillars of Islam
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