he Trump administration has replaced the Covid.gov website, once a central hub for COVID-19 resources, with a new platform focusing on the lab leak theory regarding the virus's origins.
The revamped website now redirects users to a White House page supporting the idea that the coronavirus likely emerged from a laboratory in Wuhan, China.
Previously, Covid.gov offered crucial information on vaccines, testing, and long COVID support, but it now highlights a December report from the Republican-led House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic, which suggests that the pandemic may have started due to a “laboratory or research-related accident.”
White House spokesperson Kaelan Dorr explained the change, stating that it reflects the Trump administration’s commitment to transparency. He emphasized, “In contrast to the previous administration, we WILL be the most transparent administration in US history.”
This shift comes amid significant cuts to COVID-19-related funding, including an $11.4 billion reduction by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the cancellation of various research grants by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), including a $577 million project aimed at developing oral antiviral drugs. The move has sparked further debate about the administration’s priorities in handling ongoing public health challenges.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio told allied foreign ministers Washington will focus on sanctions and other pressure on Iran “for the time bein...
Kazakhstan is considering the Baku-Supsa pipeline as an alternative oil export route after Caspian Pipeline Consortium disruptions cost the country...
Kuwait’s Al-Sayer Group plans to export fresh and dried Afghan fruit to Kuwait and other markets while exploring broader trade and investment...
Oil prices fell after the U.S. expanded economic sanctions on Iran, as Tehran vowed to retaliate and warned it had tools to respond, raising concerns over potential disruption to regional oil supplies.
Kyiv has recently received a small number of U.S.-made Patriot interceptors capable of downing Russian ballistic missiles, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said. It comes as Britain and France pledged stronger military support for Ukraine.
Only four commodity vessels crossed the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday, following 13 transits a day earlier, as disruptions continue to restrict traffic through the key energy chokepoint.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio told allied foreign ministers Washington will focus on sanctions and other pressure on Iran “for the time being”, Axios reports. Meanwhile, Iran and Oman have resumed talks on a temporary shipping route through the Strait of Hormuz.
Russia and Ukraine have exchanged 10 prisoners of war each in Belarus, Moscow's Human Rights Commissioner, Yana Lantratova, has said.
Russia and Ukraine have exchanged 10 prisoners of war each in Belarus, Moscow's Human Rights Commissioner, Yana Lantratova, has said.
Meta Platforms has agreed to pay up to $16.68 billion and make sweeping changes to Facebook and Instagram to settle claims that its platforms put children and teenagers at risk.
At least nine people have been killed and hundreds of tourists are missing after a massive landslide triggered catastrophic flooding near Nepal’s Himalayan border with China’s Tibet region.
Instagram Chief Adam Mosseri has acknowledged that few teenagers used Instagram’s “Take a Break” feature before it became a default setting, as Meta faces a major U.S. trial over child safety.
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