(2020-04-17). NHS staff make plea for PPE in video projected onto Palace of Westminster. thecanary.co NHS staff have made a plea to the Government for more personal protective equipment (PPE) in a video projected onto the Palace of Westminster. | The projection, organised by The protest video sees NHS staff members read an impassioned letter to the Government, asking for PPE to "save the lives of those that we clap for every single Thursday". | Led By Donkeys posted a video to Twitter of the protest that took place on Thursday evening, writing: "A m…
(2020-04-17). Emergency services hold minute's silence for pregnant nurse who died of Covid-19. thecanary.co 
Dozens of emergency service workers rallied round to pay tribute to Mary Agyeiwaa Agyapong, a pregnant nurse who died of Covid-19.On its Twitter account, the fire service posted a video of its deputy chief fire officer Andrew Hopkinson giving a speech to commemorate Agyapong who worked at the Luton and Dunstable University Hospital for five years. | She died on Sunday and her baby daughter was delivered successfully by Caesarean section.Hopkinson told well wishers: "We are taking the opportunity to remember and appreciate a wonderful young woman and nurse who's made a huge contribution to this NHS trust and to th…
(2020-04-17). Israeli TV says US intel warned IDF & NATO of coronavirus threat in NOVEMBER 2019, doubling down on claims dismissed by… US intel. rt.com 
American intelligence passed an early warning about the coronavirus to Tel Aviv and NATO as far back as November, Israel's Channel 12 claims, even after a top US medical intel officer dismissed a similar report just last week. | The broadcaster aired a story on Thursday alleging that the US intelligence community shared classified information about a new viral outbreak in China with the Israeli military and senior NATO officials. With nobody willing to go on record to confirm the report, however, the story is based on murky anonymous sourcing, leaving it a mystery where the claim originated. | "Still in Novemb…
(2020-04-17). Denmark will allow small businesses to reopen on Monday, borders remain closed. rt.com 
Denmark will allow certain small businesses, such as hairdressers, beauty salons and driving schools, to reopen on April 20, the government said on Friday. The order follows a lockdown imposed last month to curb the spread of coronavirus. | The move also comes after the Nordic country, one of Europe's first to shut down, began reopening day care centers and schools this week in a first step towards gradually easing the lockdown. | "No one wants to keep Denmark closed a day longer than is absolutely necessary," Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said on Facebook. "But we must not proceed faster than we can still…
(2020-04-17). How to use Social Media to Drive Environmental Change: Why Zero Waste? (livestream). indybay.org Online via Livestream…
(2020-04-17). Everyone needs to hear the words of an 'underfunded' intensive care nurse about the 'apocalyptic situation'. thecanary.co An intensive care nurse has recorded a spoken word poem warning of an "apocalyptic situation" for "underfunded, under-prepared and under-protected" NHS staff. | Tori Wills, a sister at Southampton General Hospital's intensive care unit, posted the video on Facebook "out of frustration" at people not obeying lockdown rules. | Willis told PA: "I wrote the poem out of general frustration at the public still flouting the rules, when my colleagues are putting their lives at risk and working in extremely harsh environments. | I have never shared any of my spoken word, But today, the sun is out, there are still families…
(2020-04-17). Stranded Indian parents watch son's funeral on Facebook. yenisafak.com An Indian family living in the UAE had to watch the funeral of their son on Facebook, as they could not fly to their home in the South Indian state of Kerala, due to coronavirus or COVID-19-related travel restrictions, media reports said.A class 10 student Jeuel Jomay died in American Hospital in Dubai, losing seven-year-long battle with cancer on April 11. His parents wanted to bury him in their hometown Pathanamthitta in Kerala. After days of struggle, they got permission to send mortal remains in a cargo plane on Wednesday.However, none of the four family members could fly along."His father wanted to fly with…
(2020-04-17). PKK terrorist ammunition seized in SE Turkey, N Iraq. yenisafak.com Turkish security forces seized a large number of weapons and ammunition belonging to the PKK terror group during operations in southeastern Turkey and in northern Iraq.The National Defense Ministry said on Twitter on Friday that security forces busted and destroyed PKK shelters during anti-terror operations in Cukurca, Hakkari, southeastern Turkey, and northern Iraq's Haftanin region.In operations, security forces destroyed three binoculars, including two night vision ones, two grenades, five detonators, two 60 mm mortar ammunition and 287 bullets, three RPG-7 rocket launcher ammunitions, four RPG-7 propelling ca…
(2020-04-17). I'm Out! Twitterians Terrified of Python Slithering Up a Railing. sputniknews.com Whoever's house this serpent sneaked into must have had a mini heart-attack when they saw the reptile coiling up a railing in this eerie manner.
(2020-04-17). 'Pretty Sure It Wasn't a Meteorite': Enigmatic Massive Glowing Object Spotted in British Skies. sputniknews.com As the man who witnessed the event explained, he has seen plenty of shooting stars, and the object in question wasn't one of them.
(2020-04-17). WATCH smoke from Chernobyl & dust turning Kiev sky gray. rt.com 
Apocalyptic-looking scenes were aplenty on Friday in the Ukrainian capital, when smoke from wildfires and dust borne by strong winds briefly lent Kiev the label of the world's most polluted city. | Kiev's skies remained grey in the morning, and residents had to shut their windows to keep out the nauseous stench of burning, according to complaints on social media platforms. | Air pollution spiked in the city starting late Thursday. Some of it came in the form of dust carried by heavy winds. Ukraine had an unusually dry winter and spring, which led to the large amount of dust, local weather officials explained.
(2020-04-16). 'Lock your doors': Manhunt underway in Wisconsin for two violent escaped inmates who fled MAX-SECURITY prison. rt.com 
A major manhunt is underway in Portage, Wisconsin after two inmates — each convicted of violent felonies — escaped from the maximum-security Columbia Correctional Institution. Nearby residents have been urged to lock their doors. | Portage Police Department has warned the public to stay alert following a jailbreak by convicts James Newman, 37, and Thomas Deering, 46, on Thursday morning. It's not clear exactly how the pair made their escape. | www.facebook.com/PortagePD/posts/4021919677848630 | With the majority of the American population already on lockdown due to Covid-19, police are reit…
(2020-04-16). 'How do you still exist?' Musk unloads on CNN after claims his ventilators were never delivered to California hospitals. rt.com 
The continued existence of CNN is surprising, Elon Musk tweeted, after the network said the 1,000 ventilators that the Tesla CEO had promised to California never made it to hospitals. Musk posted evidence to the contrary. | The tech entrepreneur was praised by California Governor Gavin Newsom after Musk pledged in March to deliver life-saving medical equipment to help the state deal with its Covid-19 epidemic. The promised 1,000 ventilators, however, never made it to the hospitals, CNN reported on Thursday, citing the governor's office. | "The Administration is communicating every day with hospitals across the…
(2020-04-16). Iran Army's presence 'disappointing enemies': top security official. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Apr. 16 (MNA) — The Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) Rear Admiral Ali Shamkhani in his twitter account on Thu. wrote that Iranian Army is "a source of fear and disappointment for the enemies".
(2020-04-16). Due to COVID-19, We Had First March Since 2002 Without a School Shooting. truthout.org The nationwide lockdown to stem the rise of the coronavirus has had one silver lining — March 2020 was the first March since 2002 without a school shooting. | "Depressing on mulitple levels," Washington Post reporter Robert Klemko made the observation Monday morning on Twitter. | "Heartbreaking statistic," tweeted the Wall Street Journal's Robbie Whelan in re…
(2020-04-16). Zarif says US Navy can't find its way around Iran waters. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Apr. 16 (MNA) — As an annual reminder, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif on Thu. republished his tweet in two years ago with the concept that the US Navy can't seem to find its way around Iran's waters.
(2020-04-16). France summons Chinese ambassador after embassy criticizes "herd immunity" policy. wsws.org Paris called in Chinese Ambassador to France Lu Shaye on Monday to criticize his embassy's statements that European countries abandoned "their citizens to face the viral onslaught."
(2020-04-16). Zarif lauds China COVID19 aid to Iran. iranian.com Iranian Foreign Minister in a message on Thursday thanked China for providing medical aid to Iran in time of coronavirus outbreak and slammed US sanctions that hindered Iran's fight against pandemic. "I am very happy to talk to my old friend, Wang Yi, Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister again," Zarif said in a Twitter …
(2020-04-15). What's the Matter With Science? dissidentvoice.org 
Science for the People at 2017's March for Science. John Vandermeer/Science for the People Ann Arbor | What's the matter with science? By that, do I mean, why don't we turn away from corrupt politics and religion and follow the way of science? Or do I mean, why have we allowed science to so corrupt our politics and our culture? I mean, of course, both. | We don't need an uneducated jackass telling people how to control a viral pandemic because he's a president. At the same time, w…
(2020-04-15). Elizabeth Warren officially endorses Democrat Joe Biden for 2020 election. rt.com 
Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren has joined former President Barack Obama and fellow ex-candidate Bernie Sanders in throwing her support behind Joe Biden, the presumptive Democratic Party nominee for the 2020 election. | "In this moment of crisis, it's more important than ever that the next president restores Americans' faith in good, effective government," Warren tweeted on Wednesday morning in her endorsement of Biden. | The senator also tweeted out a video of her talking up Biden's commitment to "public service" and "empathy," admitting she does not agree with the former vice president "100 percent of…
(2020-04-15). International Twitter/Media Storm & Phone Zap for Mumia! fightbacknews.org Fight Back News Service urges all our readers to support this event | Mumia Abu-Jamal—father, husband and grandfather—is an internationally renowned US political prisoner, widely honored for his piercing indictments of the racial inequities and brutal imperialist powers of the US. Abu-Jamal was originally targeted for surveillance and "neutralization" when he was a 15 year-old spokesman for the Black Panther Party in Philadelphia, by the FBI. | By the age of 26, Mumia Abu-Jamal was an award-winning radio journalist with a wide following, known as the "voice of the voiceless" and outspoken in his defen…
(2020-04-14). Preemptive Therapy vs Antiviral Prophylaxis and CMV in Seronegative Liver Transplant Recipients With Seropositive Donors. jamanetwork.com This randomized trial compares preemptive therapy vs antiviral prophylaxis with valganciclovir in cytomegalovirus (CMV)-seronegative liver transplant recipients with seropositive donors for the prevention of CMV disease.
(2020-04-14). Facebook Picks up Senior FTC Official to Undermine Her Former Employees. cepr.net The Covid-19 pandemic is creating ripe conditions for corporate acquisition sprees by industry giants. But at least one company, already under the microscope, isn't just looking to pick off competitors. Facebook has its eyes on the supposed cops on this beat, the antitrust enforcement officials ready to jump ship. Barbara Blank just joined Facebook …
(2020-04-14). Hatred going viral in 'dangerous epidemic of misinformation' during COVID-19 pandemic. news.un.org As the world battles the deadly COVID-19 pandemic and people are searching for clear facts and answers to questions, that could help save countless lives, "a dangerous epidemic of misinformation" is also spreading, the United Nations chief warned on Tuesday.
(2020-04-14). Preventing Cytomegalovirus Infection After Liver Transplant: An Evolving Approach. jamanetwork.com Despite recent advances in the management of patients following liver transplant, cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection remains a substantial cause of morbidity and mortality among this population. Clinicians and transplant centers have adopted varying approaches to managing CMV-seronegative liver transplant recipients with CMV-seropositive donors, a recipient group that is at highest risk for developing CMV-associated complications. Antiviral prophylaxis is typically initiated soon after transplant for a period of several months. Although the most widely used strategy, prophylaxis is limited by the incidence of delaye…
(2020-04-14). A New Vaccine for Chikungunya Virus. jamanetwork.com Arboviruses (arthropod-borne) are a group of viruses that encompass hundreds of members and span multiple viral families making it one of the most genetically diverse, widespread, and dangerous groups of viruses on earth. Arboviruses are transmitted to humans by a variety of geographically widespread arthropod vectors (most commonly, mosquitoes and ticks) so that these viruses can change location with human hosts or arthropod vectors, with potential for rapid spread wherever these vectors are present. Past outbreaks of West Nile virus and recent outbreaks of eastern equine encephalitis virus, Zika virus, and chik…
(2020-04-14). Syria coronavirus threat sparks broad UN containment effort. news.un.org The United Nations and its partners are doing their utmost to support a comprehensive, multi-pronged effort to stem the impact of COVID-19 in Syria, where the viral disease has claimed the lives of two people, sickened 23 others and presented epic challenges for ensuring the smooth delivery of life-saving assistance.
(2020-04-09). I'm Queer and I've Been in Solitary. Ellen Isn't Experiencing What I Did. aclu.org On Monday, I ended a 12-hour day returning emails to incarcerated queer folks, providing direct aid for housing to folks living with HIV & AIDS who have been incarcerated and challenging the state of Nebraska to provide humane conditions for incarcerated individuals and decided to mindlessly scroll on Twitter. , , I found the quote from the show Ellen DeGeneres filmed from her multimillion-dollar, multi-room mansion: "One thing that I've learned from being in quarantine is that people — this is like being in jail, is what it is," she said. "It's mostly because I've be…
(2020-04-07). Facebook's Strategy for Taking Down Hate Groups is Spotty and Ineffective. splcenter.org Facebook continues to provide a safe haven for hate groups and extremists despite the company's attempts to "stop the most egregious and dangerous groups from using its tools." Hatewatch staff previously reported several extremist groups and pages currently active on the platform directly to Facebook in 2018.