Trump to discuss Siberian plague scare with Putin
President Donald Trump has announced a scheduled call with Russian President Vladimir Putin following the death of a lab technician exposed to pneumonic plague bacteria in Siberia. Darya Shipilova, 28, died after reportedly smashing a test tube containing Yersinia pestis at the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Research Institute. Russian authorities have denied that Shipilova died of the plague and reported no positive cases among nearly 200 quarantined contacts, despite reports of a potential second death. President Trump stated that US intelligence agencies are in deep discussions regarding the incident and pledged American assistance to help Russia. The World Health Organisation has requested further information from Russian officials regarding suspected cases of pneumonia of undetermined cause.