Bio-weapons theory over SARS grows

TWO nearly identical sequences of the SARS virus genetic structure have been reviewed and authenticated by experts.

The news comes as speculation claims the virus is the product of a bio-weapons programme.

Although most reporting favours a natural origin for SARS, a bio-weapon link should at least not be ruled out, according to Richard Fisher, a senior fellow at the Jamestown Foundation, a Washington-based think tank.