Chinese experiments created Covid-19 and accidentally released it, say reports; And a "more political" Soros is now taking over the family empire

Market Watch

• Indian benchmark indices ended the day in the green, with the Sensex up 99 points at 62,724, and Nifty up 38 points at 18,601.
• Sectorally, Nifty Bank (-0.10%) and Financial Services (-0.06%) shed the most, while IT (1.51%) and Realty (1.41%) gained the most.

Wuhan institute, Chinese military created, covered-up Covid pandemic: Shocking report reveals

An investigation by?The Sunday Times ?has revealed that the Wuhan Institute of Virology and the Chinese military were secretly working on new types of viruses for use as bioweapons,?which led to the leak of Covid-19 from the WIV .

• The new report relies on intercepted messages, emails and other communication between researchers at Wuhan and the Chinese military.
• Chinese scientists were allegedly running a covert project of dangerous experiments that caused a leak from the Wuhan Institute of Virology and started the COVID-19 outbreak.

The details: The report says scientists at Wuhan "were combining some of the world's most deadly coronaviruses?to create mutant strain capable of sparking a pandemic ?just before the Covid outbreak began."

• The Wuhan Institute of Virology stopped making its findings public in 2016 after researchers?discovered a new type of coronavirus in a mineshaft ?in Mojiang in Yunnan province where people had died from symptoms similar to SARS.
• Investigators believe that the classified program was to make the mineshaft viruses more infectious to humans and may have led to the creation of the COVID-19 virus and that it leaked into the city of Wuhan after a laboratory accident.
• The leak was allegedly covered up due to the involvement of the Chinese military.

What were the experiments??Albino mice with human-like lungs were reportedly infected with three lab-grown viruses which were made by fusing SARS-like viruses with the one discovered in the Yunnan cave

• Investigators believe these secret experiments eventually led to the creation of Covid-19 before it was accidentally leaked from the Wuhan lab.

Why this matters: The institute's work (a lot of which was funded by the US and Anthony Fauci) became classified after the discovery of the new virus in Mojiang.

• The Chinese military had also taken positions of responsibility within the institute, and it is believed that the military had taken an interest in developing a vaccine for the viruses so they could be used as potential bioweapons.

Billionaire George Soros hands control of $25 billion empire to "more political" son Alex

Billionaire investor George Soros - infamous for his support of liberal causes - has passed the baton of his $25 billion empire to his son, Alexander Soros,?marking a significant shift in the family's philanthropic enterprise .

The context: George Soros had earlier stated that he did not want any of his five children to inherit his empire, but later?said his 37-year-old son Alex has "earned it" .

• Alexander Soros, a self-described center-left thinker, was not initially considered a potential successor due to his self-consciousness about the family's wealth.

The details: Alexander Soros has been?appointed as the chairman of the Open Society Foundations (OSF) ?and will also direct the organization's political activities as president of Soros' super PAC.

• Despite the criticism from right-wing groups Alexander Soros has been actively meeting with officials in the Biden administration and other world leaders on behalf of the family foundation.

More political than George Soros??George Soros' decision to hand over the reins of his empire to Alexander Soros signifies a shift in the family's philanthropic enterprise, with a more political approach expected under Alexander's leadership.

• Alexander Soros has expressed that he is even 'more political' than his father, indicating a potential increase in the political involvement of the Soros family's philanthropic activities.
• Alexander said he intends to?continue donating family money to left-leaning U.S. political candidates , and would broaden the foundation's priorities to include voting and abortion rights as well as gender equity.

What they're saying: "As much as I would love to get money out of politics, as long as the other side is doing it, we will have to do it, too," Alexander Soros said.

• "We are going to double down on defending voting rights and personal freedom at home and supporting the cause of democracy abroad," he added.

Of note: George Soros shot to infamy in the 1990s when his fund took massive short positions on the British pound, and later, the Malaysian baht, being accused of triggering currency crises for profit.

ICYMI

• A report alleging a large-scale data breach of the CoWIN database has?been brushed aside by the government as “baseless” .
• In the aftermath of the World Test Championship (WTC) Final, India's Shubman Gill and both the Indian and Australian cricket teams?have been hit with significant fines .
• According to data published by the government,?India is now the world’s fastest-growing ?among major economies.
• The BCCI has shared the?draft schedule for the ODI World Cup, scheduled to be played in India ?later this year, listing out the cities where specific matches would be tentatively played.
• A?video of a Dutch YouTuber being harassed ?and manhandled by a shopkeeper in Bengaluru’s Chor Bazaar has gone viral.
• Silvio Berlusconi, the former Prime Minister of Italy and a billionaire businessman,?has passed away at the age of 86 .