France sees no evidence linking COVID-19 to Wuhan lab

Friday, 17 April 2020 22:57

France has dismissed reports of any links between the new coronavirus and a research lab in the Chinese city of Wuhan, where the pandemic started.

An official at French President Emmanuel Macron's office said there is no factual evidence to support the increasingly US-backed claims.

France has been forced to respond because in 2004, it signed an agreement with China to establish a research laboratory on infectious diseases in Wuhan.

On Wednesday, US President Donald Trump said his government was trying to determine whether the virus came from the Wuhan lab, while Secretary of State Mike Pompeo urged Beijing 'to come clean' on what they know.

Infections have been reported in more than 210 countries and territories since the first cases were identified in China in December 2019.

More from International News

Students and teachers march in France on biggest day of high school protests

Students, teachers and parents marched in cites across France on Tuesday and protesters blockaded hundreds of schools, in the biggest day of action in a wave of demonstrations demanding the government tackle understaffed and dilapidated classrooms.
'Ghost particle' hunter Francis Halzen wins 2026 Nobel Physics Prize

Belgian-American particle physicist Francis Halzen won the 2026 Nobel Prize in Physics for ground-breaking work creating an observatory to detect some of the universe's most elusive particles, high-energy neutrinos, and how they are created.
Saudi Arabia says 2 airports targeted as fighting with Yemen's Houthis escalates

Saudi Arabia's airports in Jazan and Najran were targeted in two attacks on Monday evening, injuring three people and causing limited damage, the Saudi aviation authority said, as hostilities between the kingdom and Houthis escalated.
Indian opposition marches in protest seeking resignation of election chief

Dozens of Indian opposition lawmakers began a march on Tuesday seeking the resignation of the election chief over a controversial revision of voter lists, as hundreds of security personnel kept vigil in the heart of the Indian capital and barricades were thrown up.
Cornell students stage rally in support of 'Jane Doe'

Cornell University students have staged a mass rally on Monday, voicing solidarity with a classmate whose gang-abuse allegations have ignited a national uproar and demanding that the Ivy League school take firmer action against sexual abuse on campus.

On Virgin Radio today

The Kris Fade Show's Hour of Power
6:00pm - 7:00pm

An extra hour of the UAE's biggest radio show for your drive home.
The Night Show with Jacob Cummings
7:00pm - 10:00pm

End the day with Virgin Radio turned loud.