Wuhan lab had three live bat coronaviruses: Chinese state media

Yahoo – AFP, May 24, 2020

The director of the Wuhan Institute of Virology told a Chinese state broadcaster
that the lab has three live strains of bat coronavirus on-site, but that claims the
coronavirus could have leaked from the facility were 'pure fabrication' (AFP Photo/
Hector RETAMAL)

The Chinese virology institute at the centre of US allegations it may have been the source of the COVID-19 pandemic has three live strains of bat coronavirus on-site, but none match the new global contagion, its director has said.

Scientists think COVID-19 -- which first emerged in the central Chinese city of Wuhan and has killed more than 340,000 people worldwide -- originated in bats and could have been transmitted to people via another mammal.

But the director of the Wuhan Institute of Virology told state broadcaster CGTN that claims made by US President Donald Trump and others the virus could have leaked from the facility were "pure fabrication".

In the interview filmed on May 13 but broadcast Saturday night, Wang Yanyi said the centre has "isolated and obtained some coronaviruses from bats".

"Now we have three strains of live viruses... But their highest similarity to SARS-CoV-2 only reaches 79.8 percent," she said, referring to the coronavirus strain that causes COVID-19.

One of their research teams, led by Professor Shi Zhengli, has been researching bat coronaviruses since 2004 and focused on the "source tracing of SARS", the strain behind another virus outbreak nearly two decades ago.

"We know that the whole genome of SARS-CoV-2 is only 80 percent similar to that of SARS. It's an obvious difference," she said.

"So, in Professor Shi's past research, they didn't pay attention to such viruses which are less similar to the SARS virus."

Plans for more labs

Conspiracy rumours that the biosafety lab was involved in the outbreak swirled online for months before Trump and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo brought the theory into the mainstream by claiming that there is evidence the pathogen came from the institute.

The United States and Australia have called in recent weeks for an investigation into the origins of the pandemic.

Chinese scientists have said that the virus first emerged at a market selling live animals in Wuhan, though officials in Beijing more recently cast doubt about its origins.

Chinese Foreign minister Wang Yi on Sunday blasted what he called efforts by US politicians to "fabricate rumours" about the pathogen's origins and "stigmatise China".

He said China would be "open" to international cooperation to identify the source of the novel coronavirus, as long as any investigation is "free of political interference".

The World Health Organization has said Washington offered no evidence to support the "speculative" claims about the Wuhan lab.

The Wuhan lab has said it received samples of the then-unknown virus on December 30, determined the viral genome sequence on January 2 and submitted information on the pathogen to the WHO on January 11.

Wang Yanyi said in the interview that before it received samples in December, their team had never "encountered, researched or kept the virus".

"In fact, like everyone else, we didn't even know the virus existed," she said. "How could it have leaked from our lab when we never had it?"

At a press conference Sunday, Zhao Chenxin, deputy secretary-general of the National Development and Reform Commission, said every Chinese prefecture must have its own P3 laboratory to ramp up preparations against infectious diseases.

Apart from the P3 lab plans -- the second-highest biosafety classification for labs handling pathogens -- Zhao said each city should also have a lower-level P2 laboratory so they could "quickly respond in a major epidemic".

The Wuhan institute has both P3 and P4 labs.

Related Articles:

Theory that Coronavirus Escaped from a Lab Lacks Evidence

"Kryon on Corona", Reykjavik, Iceland, Mar 13, 2020 (Kryon Channelling by Lee Carroll) - (>13.46 Min - Reference to the Global Coronavirus crisis and the Wuhan lab)

“Virus Truths” – (Kryon Channelling by Lee Carroll)

Kryon.com, April 14, 2020

This live channelling was streamed live for the World-Wide Channeling Retreat

Lee Carroll

To help the reader, this channelling has been revisited [by Lee and Kryon] to provide even clearer understanding. Sometime information is even added or condensed. Often what happens live has implied energy within it, which carries a kind of communication that the printed page does not. So enjoy this enhanced message which was streamed live for the World-Wide Channeling Retreat.

Greetings, dear ones, I am Kryon of Magnetic Service. We come to you at this time, and we know what kind of a time it is. Mid-April 2020 it is, and we know what you’re going through. We have said this so many times, dear ones: Spirit knows your name, knows your situation, knows your feelings, knows your anxieties, and knows your fears. It’s like we stand off to the side, sometimes, watching you cry, and we stand there waiting, waiting – and we’ve talked about it so often and given it in names – a time where we are waiting for you to take our hand. That’s the spiritual free choice of humanity: to see it or not see it; to feel it or not feel it.

We’ve said it so many times: This planet acknowledges one God, a beautiful, loving God, and it acknowledges this all over, yet, there seems to always be a wall. It’s a wall that Humans have built and designed that’s always between us, yet, that was not the design, dear ones, ever. You’re never alone. Your soul is filled with the essence of God. That means we are not somewhere else. This veil that you talk about is inside you. You realize this, don’t you? It’s not off in the sky somewhere. And I say this and preface this, so you’ll know why I’m going to give you the information that I’m giving you today.

Yes, I’m going to talk about the elephant under the table. Yes, I’m going to talk about that which is the virus. I’m going to talk about the aftermath that is coming. I’m going to talk about some things you should know that might be encouraging to some, and I’m going to give information that will make others roll their eyes and say, “Well, I don’t think so, Kryon.” You’ll see that in a moment.

I’m going to give you information, just a little bit, about what you’re seeing that’s so sad, yet, it doesn’t have to be sad. It’s all about this microbe, this virus, that you say is taking so many lives. I’m going to give you some information right now that is not that new. It is something that has already been considered by some on the planet already. It is being worked on, but I want to push it forward, so many of you will understand and know that this virus itself is not taking your lives. It’s something else, dear ones.

Oh, the virus gets you to that place where you’re very close to either death or recovery, but then, suddenly, something else takes place and I want to talk about that “something else” right now. I want to speak of this because I want science to know and I want medicine to know. This scenario has already been considered by those already working the puzzle and, yet, they’re not really certain what they’re seeing. What I’m going to tell you next, dear ones, I hope is taken to heart by those who may be listening here. Those who would listen to channelling are not necessarily the frontline scientists of the planet, and I’m aware of that. Let us turn to what the facts are showing right now.

The virus is not killing you.

The virus will often take someone, perhaps, who is weaker, to a level that is dangerous. With that danger, the doctors will put them into a hospital and give the best care that they know how to give. Some of the patients go into that which you call the ICU (Intensive Care Unit). Surrounded by ICU specialists and doctors and nurses who care about them and are doing their best to save their lives, these health care professionals watch their efforts fail. Instead of seeing that which is a normal response within an ICU protocol, or that which is normal for a virus of this kind, they observe something completely different.

They watch a dramatic and quick downturn, and, sometimes, an almost immediate death. They are mystified, since there shouldn’t be this scenario happening, and they’re scratching their heads and saying, “that should not have happened.”

Dear ones, they are correct. Indeed, it should not be that way, and so, there’s another component to this – there is something else happening. This is factual, dear ones, and you can ask the physicians on the front lines and the nurses who have watched and seen those who are put on the ventilators who seem to be recovering, and then they lose them.

There is something else going on, dear ones, and now I will tell you what it is – and it’s not sinister or esoteric. It’s just chemistry. What I tell you now, hopefully, will lead to an understanding, so that, in the future, this virus does not have to be the “killer flu.” It will only be “the flu.” I’m telling you now the potential of what will be discovered and, if you roll your eyes at this, talk to me in a few years and see if you are going to roll your eyes then.

Number One:

Dear ones, your immune system has never seen this. Most of you have a robust immune system, but for those who don’t, your system will overreact to the virus. You might say that the immune system is what is killing the Human Beings, not the virus. The virus will take the dysfunction of your body to a certain level, and then the immune system, which has never seen this before, will completely overreact and cause quick death.

Now, I just gave you a key: If your medical science could encapsulate that immune system so it will not overreact, this flu will never kill another Human. You absolutely know the flu season is coming back. However, it will simply be the flu and it won’t be a killer flu anymore, because you will have figured it out. I just gave you something to work on and to know, and, if you think I am wrong, simply ask those doctors in the ICU if they have seen this phenomenon. They will say, “Yes, and we know there’s something else. We wish we knew what it was.”

Concentrate not on the virus vaccine, but on the immune system. Figure out why this reaction is taking place and work the puzzle of the immune system, so that there is no devastating horror for so many and hurt for so many hearts. Inappropriate death, it is.

You have gone into a habit of looking for an outside cure to always come forward and give you protection. Realize, dear ones, that this is an “add on” to an already wonderful immune system that begs for help. What if you, someday, have no need for any vaccine, and instead, you become super-strong in your resistance? What if everything can be solved and cured by enhancing YOUR system instead of something from the outside? What if this strength comes from organic substances and enhanced support for your own system instead of going to a pill? This would be a new paradigm for mainstream health.

That’s number one.

Number Two.

I would like to give you some information that may seem cryptic, but it’s information about the aftermath. This information all falls within previous channels, which speak of a coming energy of change. Let’s get away from the health right now and take a look at the economies of the planet.

There are many who have said this situation is devastating to the economies. I will tell you something, dear ones, it is not devastating, it’s a pruning. Many have told you about the coming crash. Books have been written, futurists have said so, and the message is that the stock market itself has systemic problems and can’t survive. That means, in its very design, it’s going to fail. I told you some time ago that this didn’t have to happen, and the way around it would be an integration of new energy and alteration of policies so it wouldn’t fail.

Within that message was a lot of head scratching. “Kryon, what do you mean, integration?” I will tell you what it is: It’s the virus. It is integrating a full stop and a regroup. Because what is going to happen when the stock market comes back, and it will, is a rebound that is different from a surge. Dear ones, it is not set to fail. Already, it has started to leap forward with any kind of good news. On bad news, it doesn’t. Think about it: It’s not dead. However, many have said so, since they are seeing indicators that respond to an old system, not a situation that the planet has never seen. There is NO MODEL to fall back on to predict anything from here on.

What happens within the system and the commerce around the system is a reboot. This restart tends to correct the systemic problems that it had naturally from the stagnation that it was in. Some would say, “Well, what about the stores that are closed, where the companies are saying they’re not going to reopen? Isn’t that going to cause a crash?” Dear ones, listen: Many will not reopen because they shouldn’t have been open. Their very existence in a bloated market was about to cause the shift. A reboot is a pruning out of the things that should change, so that, when you rebound, those stagnant systemic issues are no longer there. So, systems that were not working, processes that were almost broken, will not be rebooted. When you come from zero and start coming back, those dysfunctional attributes will no longer exist. Do you see how this works?

Let me put it in another way: When a Human Being is in trouble, and really needs to have help with the systemic issues of their own mind, they perhaps find a health worker, a psychiatrist, or a psychologist. The Human mind often creates fear by itself. It overreacts. It brings itself down and often creates its own demise. It fears fear, and can’t crawl out of the hole it digs for itself.

A wise health worker will know what to say: They’re going to tell them: “You’ve got to stop everything and take a breath. Go to zero and recalibrate yourself. Stop everything and get away from what is ‘normal’ so you can get out of the loop of depression and anxiety and sameness.” Can you see where this is going? This is great advice, and it works.

Every lightworker knows how this works: You go to a place of meditation and zero point. All over the world, meditators know how this works. You have to stop everything. You stop going to work, you stop with your family, you stop everything, and you stand there, or you sit there, and pause for whatever length of time, and consider what is important to you and what is not.

You have to go to that place where nothing is moving. When you do, your intuition is free to come in and say, “Oh my – I see what’s wrong. I see this situation over here that doesn’t serve my life. I thought it did, but I was too busy to notice how dysfunctional it really was. Oh, I see this relationship over here, and I thought it was one thing, and now I realize it’s another. Maybe I ought to take another look. I was too busy with myself and my own issues. I was too afraid to change my established surroundings. No wonder I couldn’t see these things. No wonder I couldn’t sleep well.”

And so, just as Human to Human you know this works, you understand that what you have to do to correct yourself is to stop and take a breath. What happens is you start to balance yourself and breathe, meditate, take time. Then your intuition starts to flow in, and that intuition will be without all the busyness and without all the things that disturbed you before. It will be without all the fears or those who tell you this and that and have opinions that conflict your soul. It all goes away with the stop, and instead, the intuition flows in that is beautiful, from your own spirituality, from your own soul, from across the veil. It often speaks to you through the sunsets and the time alone. It will tell you the truth – Number One: You are dearly loved. Number Two: Take a hard look at the things around you because now is the opportunity to eliminate them and start afresh. Then, as you do, you’ll be healthier you’ll be a sweeter person – because you’ll understand what works and what does not.

As goes the Human, goes the planet.

Dear Human Being, the planet is in reboot mode right now. There has never been anything to create this kind of unity on the planet, not even the end of a world war. This is new. Take a look. It’s on purpose, you might say, from a virus, by the way, which came from nature but didn’t get to you naturally. I’ll talk on that some other time.

I would like to tell you right now that, when this situation is over, and it starts to come back, it’s going to come back a different way. Say goodbye to “normal.” It’s going to come back fresher. It’s going to come back with systems that are correcting themselves because they’re starting over. New ideas will abound. Industries may disappear, not because of the virus, but because of the stop. They will be recognized as no longer necessary. New industries and new inventions are going to pop up because of this.

I’m telling you that, whatever you think is going to happen, you’ll be wrong. This is the reboot regarding the energy shift we have talked about for many years. When all around the naysayers say, “Well, recovery really can’t happen with the economy we have.” They’re right! It can’t! It simply can’t happen with a stock market the way it is. You see, nothing will be “as you currently have” when it returns.

You are at zero right now, and you’re going to come rebounding back differently. There is so much hope for this planet because of this. I tell you these things in love and compassion because you’ll see, with time, that it’s true. You may have difficulty understanding why this had to happen or why that had to happen. It’s the salvation of humanity. It’s the beginning of a higher consciousness and understanding and togetherness of humanity.

You let a microbe bring you to your knees. What if, instead, the next time, it’s love? What if, next time, it’s understanding and compassion for one another? That could sweep over this planet with health, with love, and make things happen that never happened before. This is not what you think.

I give you these things, in love, to tell you there is not only hope for the future, there is hope for a different future. You’re not going to return to the same-old, same-old, and that goes for politics, and that goes for broadcast news, and that goes for what you are going to find out later – what really happened with the “outbreak” of what you call Covid-19. These things will happen because you need them, and you will correct things because of what you discover. This will be a much better planet to live on, believe me. You are not returning to the old world ever again.

I am Kryon, in love with humanity, and I’ll be back.

And so it is.

KRYON

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"Corona 2", Reykjavik, Iceland, Mar, 2020 (Kryon Channelling by Lee Carroll) - (>3,12 Min - Reference to the Global Coronavirus crisis)

"Kryon on Corona", Reykjavik, Iceland, Mar 13, 2020 (Kryon Channelling by Lee Carroll) - (>13.46 Min - Reference to the Global Coronavirus crisis and the Wuhan lab)

WTO chief to step down early as global economic crisis rages

Yahoo – AFP, Nina LARSON, May 14, 2020

World Trade Organization (WTO) Director General Roberto Azevedo plans to
step down early (AFP Photo/Fabrice COFFRINI)

Geneva (AFP) - The World Trade Organization chief announced Thursday he will step down on August 31, a year before his term ends, despite the COVID-19 pandemic ravaging the global economy.

Roberto Azevedo said it had been a "personal decision" reached with his family, and stressed that he was not leaving to pursue "political opportunities".

"This is a decision that I do not take lightly," Azevedo told member state representatives, according to a written version of his speech.

Azevedo's early departure will come at a time when the coronavirus pandemic has pushed the global economy and international trade into turmoil, facing downturns not seen since the Great Depression.

Global trade, already hit by political tensions and uncertainties around Brexit, is expected to register "double-digit declines" in volumes in nearly all regions this year, the WTO said last month.

The 164-member organisation was already in crisis before the pandemic hit, dealing with raging trade wars and scathing criticism by United States under President Donald Trump, who has pushed for reforms of the Geneva-based body.

Referring to Azevedo's announcement, Trump told a White House briefing Thursday that "I'm ok with it," adding "The World Trade Organization is horrible".

'New post-COVID realities'

Azevedo meanwhile said he was "convinced that this decision serves the best interests of this organisation."

The 62-year-old Brazilian career diplomat, who became the WTO chief in 2013, suggested that an early change of leadership would help it face "new post-COVID realities".

He also insisted his move would avoid weighing down the WTO's 12th ministerial conference next year with the difficult process of finding his successor.

"My departure in August will give you the time you need to work with my successor -- whoever she or he may be -- to shape the strategic direction for MC12 and the months and years that follow," he said.

He said that the current slowdown in activity due to measures taken to curb the COVID-19 pandemic offered an opportune time to seek his replacement.

EU trade chief Phil Hogan said in a statement that he agreed.

"It is essential that we quickly chart a new path ahead at this critical and uncertain time for trade. It makes sense to proceed now with the succession process rather than wait until next year," he said.

Not everyone agreed the timing was right, however.

Azevedo's expected departure "comes at a very bad moment for the institution, as the trade system has become deeply destabilised," Sebastien Jean, head of CEPII think tank, told AFP.

He pointed to "existing tensions, in particular the scathing criticism from the US president, violations of many agreements, the US-China trade war and the paralysis of the appeals body."

Azevedo, who before his appointment as WTO chief spent five years as Brazil's ambassador to the organisation, has enjoyed a reputation as a consensus-builder.

During his first term he dedicated much energy to trying to unblock long-deadlocked trade agreements.

African candidate

The WTO has for nearly two decades failed to conclude the Doha Round of trade liberalisation talks.

However, on Azevedo's watch, WTO members did conclude their first ever multilateral agreement when they reached a deal in Bali in late 2013 on overhauling global customs procedures.

But since his second term began in 2017, countries have failed to reach further multilateral agreements, and the WTO has struggled to deal with a US administration openly hostile to its multilateral approach.

The WTO was forced to put its dispute settlement appeal system on ice last December after Washington blocked the appointment of new judges, preventing it from reaching a three-judge quorum.

US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer meanwhile hailed Azevedo's service.

"Despite the many shortcomings of the WTO, Roberto has led the institution with grace and a steady hand. He will be difficult to replace," he said in a statement.

Many observers are already betting on a candidate from Africa -- and against a WTO insider.

One diplomatic source told AFP that there appeared to be a clear "consensus" that the next leader should not come from "a big economic power", and certainly not from China or the United States, in light of their trade war.

Trump urges China, Russia, US arms control in Putin call: W.House

Yahoo – AFP, May 7, 2020

US President Donald Trump and Russia's Vladimir Putin discussed arms control
issues in a phone call (AFP Photo/JIM WATSON, EMMANUEL DUNAND)

US President Donald Trump called Thursday for involving China in new arms control talks with Russia, telling his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin that they need to avoid a "costly arms race," the White House said.

"President Trump reaffirmed that the United States is committed to effective arms control that includes not only Russia, but also China, and looks forward to future discussions to avoid a costly arms race," a statement said.

Trump and Putin spoke by phone, also discussing the global coronavirus pandemic, the White House said.

"President Trump reiterated that the United States is working hard to care for Americans at home and is also ready to provide assistance to any country in need, including Russia," the statement said.

Russia and the United States -- rivals during the four decades of the Cold War -- ripped up the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) treaty this year, blaming one another for its demise.

That deal was seen as a cornerstone of global security and its burial sparked fears of a new arms race.

Washington is threatening to quit the 2010 New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, or "New START", when it expires next year.

New START -- which obliged them to halve the number of missile launchers and set up a new verification regime -- is seen as the last major deal keeping their arsenals below the Cold War peak.

However, Trump has been pushing for China to be brought into a future deal, arguing that Beijing's missile and nuclear capability is rapidly expanding.

Canada bans assault weapons in wake of worst-ever mass shooting

Yahoo – AFP, May 1, 2020

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has ordered a sweeping ban on many
assault weapons after a deadly mass shooting (AFP Photo/Dave Chan)

Ottawa (AFP) - Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Friday announced an immediate ban on military-grade assault weapons, responding to a mass shooting and arson spree that left 22 people dead earlier this month.

"These weapons were designed for one purpose, and one purpose only: to kill the largest number of people in the shortest amount of time," Trudeau told a news briefing.

He said his government has approved a decree banning the sale, purchase, use, transport and import of 1,500 models of military-grade assault weapons and variants of them.

"There is no use, and no place for such weapons in Canada," Trudeau said.

The killing spree, the worst in Canadian history, began on the night of April 18 in Nova Scotia and led to a 13-hour manhunt for the shooter, who was eventually shot dead by police.

Authorities have said the assailant -- identified as 51-year-old denturist Gabriel Wortman -- was wearing a police uniform, driving a mock police car, and had several guns with him including at least one assault-style weapon.

Trudeau said there will be a two-year amnesty for people who currently own assault-style weapons to protect them from liability, and parliament will eventually pass legislation to compensate them for turning in their guns.

"For many families, including indigenous people, firearms are part of traditions passed down through generations, and the vast majority of gun owners use them safely, responsibly, and in accordance with the law, whether it be for work, sports shooting for collecting or for hunting," Trudeau said.

"But you don't need an AR-15 to bring down a deer," he added.

Mass shootings are less common in Canada than in the US "but the heartbreaking truth is, they're happening more often than they once did," the prime minister said.

He mentioned for instance a shooting at a mosque in Quebec City in 2017 that left six dead and 19 wounded.

Trudeau made banning assault weapons part of his campaign for elections that brought him to power in 2015. He repeated it in the campaign for the October 2019 elections in which he won another term.

Nearly four of five Canadians back such a ban, according to an Angus Reid poll released Friday.

US, China block UN resolution in spat over WHO handling of pandemic

Yahoo –AFP, April 30, 2020

The UN General Assembly in New York (AFP Photo/TIMOTHY A. CLARY)

The United States and China remained at loggerheads Thursday over a UN Security Council draft resolution calling for a 90-day humanitarian pause in conflicts worldwide in the face of the coronavirus pandemic.

The stalemate -- over a mention of the World Health Organization -- leaves little hope of a quick vote as the Security Council struggles to find a response to the global crisis, remaining largely mute since the once-in-a-century pandemic began killing tens of thousands of people and shutting down economies across the world.

"It's a major stalemate, nobody's moving," one diplomat told AFP, speaking on condition of anonymity.

"We're treading water," said another.

At a news conference, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres deplored the impasse.

"It's absolutely essential that countries come together and that the big powers are able to overcome their difficulties in order to allow for the Security Council to be more active and more effective," he said.

"We need unity and strength from the international community. All our efforts depend on strong political backing."

The text, authored by France and Tunisia and obtained by AFP, has been under discussion for weeks.

It calls for a 90-day humanitarian pause to bring aid to the most vulnerable populations caught in conflicts around the globe, including in places such as Afghanistan and Yemen.

The draft also supports a March 23 plea by Guterres for a worldwide ceasefire to facilitate the fight against the coronavirus.

But Washington and Beijing remain at loggerheads over how to refer to the World Health Organization (WHO) in the text.

The UN General Assembly in New York (AFP Photo/TIMOTHY A. CLARY)

The WHO's role in dealing with the pandemic has been vilified by US President Donald Trump, who complained it had not been transparent about the coronavirus and suspended US funding to it. China responded by offering additional funding.

China "insists on a mention of the World Health Organization" in the text, while the United States does not want it, several diplomats explained, asking for anonymity.

"We don't comment on ongoing negotiations" at the Security Council, the US State Department said when asked about the stalemate.

No reaction could be obtained from the Chinese mission to the UN.

The co-authors of the text, like the rest of the Security Council, are reduced to waiting for a compromise between the two permanent members, each of which has a right of veto.

There has been no progress since the beginning of the week, other diplomats added.

Blank paragraph

A vote had been expected this week, and Guterres has been pressing for one for more than a month. But this seems less and less likely over the short term because of the disagreement between the US and China.

"I am particularly worried about the lack of sufficient solidarity with developing countries -- both in equipping them to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic, which risks spreading like wildfire, and to address the dramatic economic and social impacts," Guterres said.

One diplomat said there will probably not be a vote this week."Let's see if next week will bring something new," this diplomat said.

The stalemate could end quickly if the US and China find a compromise, one Western ambassador said. The WHO mention is just a side issue in a draft centered on support for a ceasefire in some 20 war or conflict zones around the world, this ambassador said.

As it stands, the resolution now has a blank space where the WHO mention is supposed to go and how to fashion it will be decided at the end of the negotiations. France and Tunisia could simply decide to scrap such a mention altogether, although this idea might be vetoed by China, with support from Russia.

Except for a virtual meeting on April 9, the Security Council has remained silent on the biggest global crisis since World War II.