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Theory That COVID Came From A Chinese Lab Takes On New Life In Wake Of WHO Report

Members of the World Health Organization team investigating the origins of the coronavirus leave the Wuhan Institute of Virology in Wuhan, China, on Feb. 3. Hector Retamal/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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Hector Retamal/AFP via Getty Images

Coronavirus Updates

Theory That COVID Came From A Chinese Lab Takes On New Life In Wake Of WHO Report

Some scientists worry the possibility the coronavirus escaped from research facilities hasn't gotten enough scrutiny. Others say it appears far more likely to have emerged naturally.

Calls For An Open Investigation Into The Possibility COVID-19 Leaked From A Lab

The WHO's report with China concluded that COVID-19 likely started in bats, jumped into humans via another animal. But some are pushing for an investigation into the possibility it leaked from a lab.

Calls For An Open Investigation Into The Possibility COVID-19 Leaked From A Lab

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Asia

Biden Administration Considers Whether To Continue Trump's Hard Line Against Huawei

The Biden administration is weighing whether to continue former President Trump's hard line against Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei. It's part of the broader review of China-related policies.

Biden Administration Considers Whether To Continue Trump's Hard Line Against Huawei

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Latin America

In Mexico, The Death Of A Woman At The Hands Of Police Has Caused An Uproar

In Mexico, an autopsy indicates a migrant woman's spine was severed by the weight of a police officer kneeling on the her back. The case is drawing comparisons to George Floyd's death.

In Mexico, The Death Of A Woman At The Hands Of Police Has Caused An Uproar

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France Imposes 3rd National Lockdown As COVID-19 Again Surges

Young people gathered Wednesday by the Seine River in Paris, largely without masks and without social distancing. French President Emmanuel Macron has ordered the country into a third lockdown because of the continued spread of COVID-19. Eleanor Beardsley/NPR hide caption

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Eleanor Beardsley/NPR

Coronavirus Updates

France Imposes 3rd National Lockdown As COVID-19 Again Surges

President Emmanuel Macron, in a televised address to the nation, said he was left with no choice as deaths approach 100,000 and the country's hospitals are overwhelmed.

India Reports Its Highest Daily Number Of COVID-19 Deaths So Far This Year

Commuters wait to board a suburban train on Tuesday at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus prior to the night curfew that has been introduced to curb the spread of COVID-19 in Mumbai. Rajanish Kakade/AP hide caption

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Rajanish Kakade/AP

Coronavirus Updates

India Reports Its Highest Daily Number Of COVID-19 Deaths So Far This Year

Wednesday's death toll was 354. Scientists are investigating what's making cases of infection rise precipitously after a decline last fall. "This race is really against time," says one immunologist.

India Reports Its Highest Daily Number Of COVID-19 Deaths So Far This Year

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Italy Expels 2 Russian Embassy Officials, Arrests Navy Captain On Spying Charges

The Russian Embassy in Rome on Wednesda. Italy has ordered two Russian Embassy officials expelled and arrested an Italian Navy captain on spying charges after police caught the Italian allegedly giving classified documents to one of the Russians in exchange for money. Alessandra Tarantino/AP hide caption

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Alessandra Tarantino/AP

Italy Expels 2 Russian Embassy Officials, Arrests Navy Captain On Spying Charges

The captain, identified by Italian media as Walter Biot, was reportedly caught Tuesday evening as he handed over allegedly top-secret documents to one of the Russian diplomats in exchange for money.

Key Part Of Voice Recorder Found From January's Crash Of Indonesian Airliner

Indonesia's National Transportation Safety Committee (KNKT) officers carry the memory unit from a cockpit voice recorder recovered from the crashed Sriwijaya Air Flight SJ 182 at Tanjung Priok Port in Jakarta on Wednesday. Anton Raharjo/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images hide caption

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Anton Raharjo/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

Asia

Key Part Of Voice Recorder Found From January's Crash Of Indonesian Airliner

The memory unit from the cockpit voice recorder belonging to the Sriwijaya Air Boeing 737-500 that crashed into the Java Sea has been recovered, investigators say. All 62 people aboard were killed.

Asia

China Urged To Withdraw Ships From Reef In South China Sea

The massing of Chinese ships around a contested reef in the South China Sea is drawing unusual attention. The Philippines fired off a diplomat protest calling on China to withdraw some 180 vessels.

China Urged To Withdraw Ships From Reef In South China Sea

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National

Texas Migrant Facility Was Severely Overcrowded, AP Reporter Says

NPR's Noel King talks to Elliot Spagat of The Associated Press, who was one of the few journalists allowed into a Texas facility housing migrants, about what he saw.

Texas Migrant Facility Was Severely Overcrowded, AP Reporter Says

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U.K., U.S. Working Closely On Countering 'Almost Gangsterish' Russia, U.K. Envoy Says

U.K. Ambassador to the U.S. Karen Pierce, pictured in a previous role in 2018, talked with NPR about the country's outline of its future foreign policy. Spencer Platt/Getty Images hide caption

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Spencer Platt/Getty Images

U.K., U.S. Working Closely On Countering 'Almost Gangsterish' Russia, U.K. Envoy Says

The two allies are "collaborating very closely" on a response to Russian-backed cyberattacks, Ambassador to the U.S. Karen Pierce says. And she says the U.K. is still powerful after Brexit.

U.K., U.S. Working Closely On Countering 'Almost Gangsterish' Russia, U.K. Envoy Says

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Latin America

Political Crisis Deepens In Brazil As 3 Military Commanders Are To Be Replaced

Brazil's Ministry of Defense has announced that the commanders of the army, navy and air force will be replaced, deepening a political crisis for President Jair Bolsonaro.

Political Crisis Deepens In Brazil As 3 Military Commanders Are To Be Replaced

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Race

The Paris Opera Ballet Is Undergoing A Racial Reckoning

The world's oldest ballet company is undergoing a racial reckoning. The Paris Opera Ballet is working to update racist stereotypes and increase diversity.

The Paris Opera Ballet Is Undergoing A Racial Reckoning

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Politics

British Ambassador To The U.S. Explains What A New President Means To The U.K.

NPR's Ari Shapiro talks to British Ambassador to the U.S. Karen Pierce about how a new American president changes how the United Kingdom fits on the world stage.

British Ambassador To The U.S. Explains What A New President Means To The U.K.

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Brazil: Military Chiefs Replaced Amid Major Reshuffle Of Bolsonaro Government

Demonstrators show support for Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro in front of the presidential palace Monday in Brasilia. Bolsonaro reshuffled his Cabinet amid turmoil in his administration and dropping approval ratings over the coronavirus pandemic. Eraldo Peres/AP hide caption

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Eraldo Peres/AP

Latin America

Brazil: Military Chiefs Replaced Amid Major Reshuffle Of Bolsonaro Government

The moves come while President Jair Bolsonaro is under intense criticism as the country's coronavirus cases spin further out of control. Brazil is now seen as the epicenter of the pandemic.