As part of the attempts to push misinformation to justify its invasion, Russia is falsely claiming that the U.S. is experimenting with "bat coronavirus" to create biological weapons in Ukraine.

Russia's armed forces claimed, without evidence, to have found proof that the Pentagon has been financing biological studies in the Eastern European country in order to carry out the "covert spread of deadly pathogens."

The speculation was presented (again, without any evidence) and arrived after Russia had already attempted to revive a years-old conspiracy that there exists U.S.-military labs in Ukraine developing germ warfare capabilities.

"According to the documents, in Ukraine, in 2022, the American side planned to conduct works on bird, bat and reptile pathogens, then subsequently proceeding to researching the possibility of them transmitting African swine fever and anthrax," Russian Defence Ministry Spokesman Igor Konashenkov told reporters, via the Russian news agency TASS.

https://www.newsweek.com/us-labs-ukraine-coronavirus-biological-weapons-russia-1686737

March 14 (UPI) – China's "Silicon Valley" manufacturing hub of Shenzhen was idled Monday after authorities ordered most production be suspended and employees work from home amid a surge in COVID-19 cases.

The Shenzhen Municipal Epidemic Prevention and Control Headquarters ordered the city's more than 17 million residents into a week-long lockdown on Sunday when 75 locally transmitted cases were confirmed.

Buses and subway systems were also suspended in the city, which is home to major technology companies such as Apple supplier Foxconn, phone maker Huawei, electric carmaker BYD and Internet services provider Tencent.

Foxconn told CNBC its factories in Shenzhen would remain closed until notified by the government.

Other parts of the country were also put into strict lockdown mode as the latest surge of Omicron variant cases threatened to upend Beijing's economic recovery from the pandemic.

https://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2022/03/14/lockdown-tech-hub-Shenzhen-COVID-19-cases-spike/2631647292747/