Recent News

By Category: Policy & Initiatives

Op-Ed – More BTWC Education Needed for Life Scientists

(VBC Blog) State Parties to the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention (BTWC) have agreed since the Second Review Conference in 1986 that educating life scientists about the BTWC would strengthen the prohibition norm. Although, in 2005 when they met to discuss codes of conduct for scientists, it became clear from statements by governments and the Read More »

August 16, 2011
| Filed under Africa, Asia/Pacific, Europe, Middle East, North America, South America, South Asia, and Policy & Initiatives
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Workshop Announced on Next-Generation Smallpox Vaccines

(Occupational Health & Safety) The U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases will host a public workshop Sept. 16 about the development and evaluation of next-generation smallpox vaccines. It will take place at the Hilton Washington DC North/Gaithersburg in Gaithersburg, Md., and Read More »

August 15, 2011
| Filed under North America, Countermeasures, Policy & Initiatives, and Public Health
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U.S. Pushes to Standardize Collection of Biothreat Samples

(GSN Daily News) The U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology on Tuesday said it is collaborating with the National Guard to ensure that federal, state and local emergency response personnel are trained to collect disease materials for analysis in accordance with recently adopted procedures (see GSN, Aug. 1).

August 4, 2011
| Filed under North America, Policy & Initiatives, and Research
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BWC Review Conference Should Not Address Verification, Diplomat Says

GSN Daily News — WASHINGTON — The Biological Weapons Convention review conference this December is not likely to revive talks on the divisive topic of standing up an international verification regime for the accord, according to a senior U.S. diplomat (see GSN, July 8). (Aug. 2) – U.S. Special Representative Laura Kennedy last week expressed Read More »

August 3, 2011
| Filed under Europe, North America, Biological Weapons, International, and Policy & Initiatives
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Qaeda WMD Threat Remains After Bin Laden’s Death, Ex-Official Says

The most likely … are simple forms of chemical or biological weapons" instead of a nuclear strike, Leiter said. He cited the lethal toxin ricin, which is fairly easy to produce, as one bioweapon that might be used. Ricin is derived from commercially …