The lab leak theory held the Wuhan Institute of Virology in China responsible for the virus outbreak that killed hundreds of more than 7 million people across the world.
The Chinese 'takeover' happened after hundreds of global brands left Russia in protest against Moscow's military operation in Ukraine that started a year ago.
The organizers said they do not support the decision by the government of Olaf Scholz and foreign minister Annalena Baerbock to continue supplying weapons to Ukraine.
BASF, which produces chemicals widely used in products like fertilisers, plastics, automobiles and pharmaceuticals, wrote down €7.3 billion on plants that the Russian state took over in retaliation to the western sanctions.
Sodium-ion batteries use cheaper raw materials and can offer EV makers an alternative to existing technologies that rely on lithium and cobalt as the main ingredients.
The latest shift in the thinking of the Americans comes close on the heels of President Joe Biden's high-profile visit to Ukraine last week, where he promised Zelensky more military and financial assistance to beat back the Russians.
Moscow's ambassador to the UN, Vassily Nebenzia, said the 'smoking gun' clearly points to the American role in the planting of explosives on Russia's Nord Stream gas pipeline in Baltic Sea.
The Russian President says he would achieve the strategic goals of the military campaign in Ukraine despite the combined firepower of the West in Russia's backyard.
The Biden administration gave a mind-boggling $50 billion in assistance to Ukraine in 2022 alone. Of this amount, at least $23 billion was in military aid.
In early January, China's benchmark CSI 300 Index hit the highest level in almost five months after foreign investors started showing renewed interest in the markets.
The incident happened in the Arabian Sea, approximately 300 nautical miles off the coasts of India and Oman. The oil tanker was reportedly hit by an airborne object.
Biden is already the oldest president in US history. If he were to run in 2024 and win, he would be 86 years old when hew ends his second term in office.