The Covid lab leak theory just got even stronger

In both Yunnan and Laos, the only people who knowingly transported bat virus samples to Wuhan — and only to Wuhan — were scientists

Two years in, there is no doubt the Covid pandemic began in the Chinese city of Wuhan. But there is also little doubt that the bat carrying the progenitor of the virus lived somewhere else.

Central to the mystery of Covid’s origin is how a virus normally found in horseshoe bats in caves in the far south of China or southeast Asia turned up in a city a thousand miles north. New evidence suggests that part of the answer might lie in Laos.

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Former IS fighters say they paid way out of Kurdish jail in ‘reconciliation’ scheme

Documents also indicate prisoners who pay £6,000 being freed from cells in north-east Syria

Kurdish-led forces in charge of jails in north-east Syria housing about 10,000 men with alleged links to Islamic State are releasing prisoners in exchange for money under a “reconciliation” scheme, according to interviews with two freed men and official documents.

Syrian men imprisoned without trial can pay an $8,000 (£6,000) fine to be freed, a copy of the release form shows.

As part of the deal, the released prisoners sign a declaration promising not to rejoin any armed organisations and to leave the parts of north and east Syria under control of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).

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Peng Shuai Only the Latest Reason to Move Olympics, Hold China Accountable

“It is now time,” Gordon Chang recently wrote, “for the world to face the reality of the Communist Party of China and the horrific system it has constructed.”

Now? Both Chang and I are in strong agreement that the world should long ago have confronted the evil system that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has built and continues to develop. China has ignored its trade agreements with the WTO, failed to disclose crucial information about its businesses on stock exchanges as other businesses do, has built artificial islands in the South China Sea and militarized them after promising not to. China has also threatened JapanAustralia, the Philippines and the US; it recently has attacked India, illegally seized Hong Kong, enslaved Uyghurs and, by repeatedly lying about the human-to-human transmissibility of its Wuhan COVID-19 virus, caused the deaths worldwide of more than five million people, not to mention economic devastation.

That would make Justin cry.

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GOLDSTEIN: Suzuki predicts ‘blown up’ pipelines to protest climate change

David Suzuki predicted over the weekend that “there are going to be pipelines blown up if our leaders don’t pay attention to what’s going on” with climate change.

Suzuki’s comment to Victoria, B.C. television station Chek News during a protest by the radical environmental group, Extinction Rebellion, during “a funeral for the future” can be interpreted in one of two ways.

Either as a threat, or a warning.

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Rittenhouse On Filing Defamation Lawsuits: ‘Really Good Lawyers’ Are ‘Taking Care Of That Right Now’

Kyle Rittenhouse said during an interview with Fox News on Monday night that his legal team is in the process of going after individuals who defamed him in the media.

When Fox News host Tucker Carlson asked if he was planning on holding “liars to account” who smeared him, Rittenhouse responded, “I have really good lawyers who are taking care of that right now.”

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Trial begins of 25 men over 2019 Islamist Easter bombings in Sri Lanka that killed nearly 300

The trial has begun of the 25 men accused of masterminding the 2019 Easter bombings in Sri Lanka, which killed almost 300 people when churches and luxury hotels were targeted by Islamic terrorist suicide bombers.

The lengthy process to reach trial after more than two years has been heavily criticised by families of those killed and the Christian church in Sri Lanka, who have accused the government of failing to take proper action against those responsible.

The suspects are facing over 23,000 charges in total, including conspiracy to murder, aiding and abetting the attacks, and collecting arms and ammunition.

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‘You bet my bail reforms will kill people’: Admission by woke Milwaukee District Attorney John Chisolm who freed Waukesha parade killer

The district attorney whose office let out Waukesha parade killer Darrell Brooks on a $1,000 bond three weeks ago previously admitted he knew his laxed bail policies would lead to killers being set free and murdering others, saying flippantly in a 2007 interview: ‘You bet, it’s guaranteed to happen.’

John Chisolm was elected as Milwaukee County District Attorney in 2007 and he immediately started advocating for lower cash bonds for criminals, like Brooks – a felon with a history of domestic violence charges who was most recently locked up for running over the mother of his children.

Milwaukee hasn’t ever abolished cash bond nor has the state, but prosecutors in the DA’s office advocate for lower amounts.

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‘This Piece is Full of Bias!’ Polish Official Fact-Checks CNN, BBC

A Polish Government Official has slammed reports from CNN and the BBC on the ongoing Belarus border crisis for demonstrating left-wing bias.

Poland’s Spokesperson of the Minister-Special Services Coordinator, Stanisław Żaryn, heavily criticized the two articles, saying that the article published by the BBC was “full of bias” and that the CNN article was “absurd”.

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Archie Award Nominee Linked To Book Banning

Toronto School Board Bans European Children’s Literature, Destroys 5000 Books

The Toronto District School Board (TDSB) has banned a plethora of European children’s literature and destroyed 5,000 books for being “offensive.”

As reported by the National Post, some 30 books were burned for “educational purposes” and then the ashes were used as fertilizer to plant a tree.

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Parkland shooting: Families involved in 2018 attack settle FBI lawsuit

The families of those killed in a Florida school shooting have reached a multi-million dollar settlement with the US government after the FBI failed to act on a tip about the gunman.

A lawyer for the plaintiffs said the agreement, once finalised, would mark “an important step” towards justice.

At least 17 people died after a former student opened fire at the campus in Parkland on 14 February 2018.

It was one of the deadliest school shootings in US history.

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Dozens of Bay Area Stores, Pharmacies Hit by More Smash-and-Grab ‘Roving Caravans’: Officials

Mobs of smash-and-grab robbers targeted other businesses in the San Francisco Bay Area over the weekend, robbing cannabis dispensaries, pharmacies, and other businesses in Oakland.

Looters also targeted a Nordstrom in Walnut Creek, a Louis Vuitton store in San Francisco, and a jewelry store in a Hayward mall. But looters also targeted other businesses, officials confirmed on Monday.

“At least two dozen businesses were impacted,” Oakland Police Chief LeRonne Armstrong told a CBS affiliate station on Monday evening. “Roving caravans of vehicles, targeting cannabis operations, retail shops, pharmacies, throughout the city of Oakland.”

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