Daily Archives: April 11, 2020

2020-04-11: News Headlines

RT (2020-04-11). Real opposition? Labour's Starmer stands up for NHS workers… but gets slammed for being late & doing it on Twitter. rt.com Labour leader Keir Starmer has been accused of political theatrics after firing off an angry tweet about the government's handling of the coronavirus crisis. Some have asked — maybe he should do something about it then? | The internet fracas began after Health Secretary Matt Hancock stressed that UK healthcare workers fighting Covid-19 should use face masks and other medical garments "in line with the guidelines: no more and no less." He insisted that there was enough personal protection equipment (PPE) for medical personnel — but only if the equipment is worn in adherence with current protocols.

RT (2020-04-11). Public backlash as star journo Ross Kemp allowed into Covid-19 ward, but visits remain off limits for mortals. rt.com Relatives and friends of Covid-19 patients aren't allowed to visit their loved ones in hospital. But celebrity journalist Ross Kemp and his camera crew are. Commenters on twitter are furious. | More than 78,000 cases of the Covid-19 coronavirus have been recorded in the UK, with more than 1,500 of these critical. Owing to the risk of transmission, the National Health Service (NHS) last week

RT (2020-04-11). 'I only saw him once': NBA legend Shaquille O'Neal distances himself from Joe Exotic but discusses deal with Tiger King star. rt.com Despite previously namechecking television's most notorious current figure, Shaquille O'Neal has responded to ribbing by insisting that he only met Joe Exotic once and did not accept animals from the prolific tiger breeder. | Historic footage of O'Neal visiting Greater Wynnewood, the Oklahoma exotic animal park that was run by Exotic before he was sentenced to 22 years in prison in 2019, has added to the story of Tiger King, the documentary that has shocked the world and become the most talked-about show on Netflix in recent weeks. | O'Neal can be seen leading a tour of the zoo in a YouTube video posted last y…

newsnetwork.mayoclinic (2020-04-11). Convalescent Plasma: A Therapy for COVID-19? newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org To develop a treatment for patients with COVID-19, researchers around the world are steadfastly exploring numerous angles, including testing existing antiviral drugs and new compounds. One potential treatment that has garnered attention is known as convalescent plasma therapy. The approach involves giving patients an infusion of antibody-rich plasma from people who have recovered from an infection …

newsnetwork.mayoclinic (2020-04-11). How does COVID-19 affect the heart? newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org The effects of COVID-19 on the lungs are well-known. As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, more information is becoming available about the role the virus, called SARS-CoV-2, has on the heart. "Individuals with known cardiovascular disease are at an increased risk of more severe complications from respiratory viral illnesses, including the flu and COVID-19," says Dr. …

RT (2020-04-10). 'Madness that will start riots': Philadelphia police drag man off public transit for not wearing mask (VIDEOS). rt.com Viral videos are showing police in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania telling people to wear masks on public transportation to help stop the spread of Covid-19, and harshly enforcing this rule with non-complying passengers. | The first video, posted by the Philly Transit Riders Union on Friday, shows an official informing transit riders that they are not allowed to be on board if they are not wearing masks to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. | He says all of this while he himself is not wearing a mask. A rider also not wearing a mask is then told to exit the vehicle. | throwing off riders for not having masks. A…

RT (2020-04-10). 'Someone had their hands in the till': Ex-Barcelona VP claims club was stung over social media service accused of attacking stars. rt.com Emili Rousaud fears that foul play could have led to Barcelona paying as much as ten times more than they should have for the social media management service that was accused of criticizing Lionel Messi and some of his teammates. | The Barcelona vice president tendered his resignation along with five fellow members of the beleaguered Spanish giants' board on Thursday, bluntly questioning a payment for social media services that he claimed has cost the club more than $1 million. | In a scandal that became known as Barcagate, the La Liga leaders threatened legal action in response to a podcast show talking about…

Staff (2020-04-10). Venture Capitalist Stuns CNBC by Saying We Should Let Hedge Funds Fail. truthout.org Venture capitalist Chamath Palihapitiya stunned CNBC anchor Scott Wapner and generated widespread applause on social media by declaring in a television interview Thursday that the U.S. government should let hedge funds and billionaire CEOs "get wiped out" by the coronavirus-induced economic collapse and instead focus its attention on rescuing Main Street. | When Wapner, seemingly incredulous at what he was hearing, asked Palihapitiya why he would support the collapse of large companies, the Social…

teleSUR (2020-04-10). New York Uses Mass Graves Due to Increase COVID-19 Deaths. telesurenglish.net Regarding the images of mass graves on Hart Island, which have been circulating on social media for the last few days, New York City (NYC) Mayor Bill de Blasio said those graves are temporary solutions until families can organize a private burial.‚Äã‚Äã‚Äã‚Äã | RELATED: | "The pictures of our fellow New Yorkers being buried on Hart Island are deva…

RT (2020-04-09). US boasts of intercepting 2 Russian military planes on routine training flight far off Alaska. rt.com The US Air Force has reported intercepting two Russian scout planes that entered its "defense identification zone" off Alaska. Moscow says it was a training flight and the planes came nowhere near US airspace. | US F-22 Raptor fighters, supported by an aerial refueling KC-135 Stratotanker aircraft and an early warning E-3 AWACS plane, were mustered to intercept Russian military aircraft over the Bering Sea on April 8, the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) reported in a series of tweets on Thursday. | The intercept happened north of the Aleutian Islands, which stretch from the coast of Alaska far…

Dominique Morgan (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…

RT (2020-04-08). 'Thank you India!' Trump praises 'strong leader' Modi after Delhi allows exports of drug touted as Covid-19 treatment. rt.com US President Donald Trump has praised Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi after his government reversed its decision not to export hydroxychloroquine, an anti-malaria drug touted as a possible treatment for the coronavirus. | "Thank you India and the Indian people for the decision on HCQ," Trump tweeted on Wednesday. "Thank you Prime Minister [Narendra Modi] for your strong leadership in helping not just India, but humanity, in this fight!" | Extraordinary times require even closer cooperation between friends. Thank you India and the Indian people for the decision on HCQ. Will not be forgotten! Thank you Prime…

Tasnim News (2020-04-08). Iran Welcomes Putin's Idea for Green Corridor in Coronavirus Fight. iranian.com Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif welcomed a proposal from Russian President Vladimir Putin to create a green corridor for the global battle with the coronavirus pandemic. "In order to contain the situation of coronavirus, different countries have closed their geographical borders, but opened them to provide assistance," Zarif said in a tweet on Wednesday, …

Margaret Flowers (2020-04-08). The United States Is Where COVID-19 Deaths Are Being Under-reported. dissidentvoice.org Refrigerated trucks parked outside of a New York City hospital (Screenshot from Twitter of @bestgug) While the United States government and corporate media point fingers at China, accusing the Chinese government of under-reporting the number of deaths from COVID-19, it is actually the US and not China that has that problem. When the COVID-19 pandemic …

Hatewatch Staff (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.

IRNA (2020-04-07). Zarif: Iran does not need Trump's charity. iranian.com Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif in a message urged US to stop preventing Iran from selling oil, saying Iran does not need Trump's charity. "Iran is rich in human & natural resources. We don't need charity from @realDonaldTrump —who's forced to buy ventilators from sources he's sanctioned," Zarif wrote on his Twitter account on …

Esther E Freeman, Devon E McMahon, Miriam Laker-Oketta (2020-03-05). [Comment] Time to address disparities in the standard of care for Kaposi sarcoma. thelancet.com Despite clinical trial evidence and guideline recommendations to use pegylated liposomal doxorubicin or paclitaxel for AIDS-associated Kaposi sarcoma, most patients in sub-Saharan Africa continue to receive bleomycin and vincristine.1—3 Before antiretroviral therapy (ART), clinical trials for AIDS-associated Kaposi sarcoma in resource-abundant settings had shown a superior response for pegylated liposomal doxorubicin compared with bleomycin and vincristine.4 A trial in 2010 showed similar progression-free survival for pegylated liposomal doxorubicin plus ART and for paclitaxel plus ART for advanced AIDS-ass…

Justin Stebbing, Anne Phelan, Ivan Griffin, Catherine Tucker, Olly Oechsle, Dan Smith, Peter Richardson (2020-02-27). [Comment] COVID-19: combining antiviral and anti-inflammatory treatments. thelancet.com Both coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) are characterised by an overexuberant inflammatory response and, for SARS, viral load is not correlated with the worsening of symptoms.1,2 In our previous Correspondence to The Lancet,3 we described how BenevolentAI's proprietary artificial intelligence (AI)-derived knowledge graph,4 queried by a suite of algorithms, enabled identification of a target and a potential therapeutic against SARS coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2; the causative organism in COVID-19).

Elaine Y P Lee, Ming-Yen Ng, Pek-Lan Khong (2020-02-24). [Comment] COVID-19 pneumonia: what has CT taught us? thelancet.com In late December, 2019, a cluster of cases of viral pneumonia was linked to a seafood market in Wuhan (Hubei, China), and was later determined to be caused by a novel coronavirus, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2; previously known as 2019-nCoV).1 The genome sequence of SARS-CoV-2 is similar to, but distinct from, those of two other coronaviruses responsible for large-scale outbreaks in the past: severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV; about 79% sequence identity) and Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV; about 50%).

Yang Pan, Daitao Zhang, Peng Yang, Leo L M Poon, Quanyi Wang (2020-02-24). [Correspondence] Viral load of SARS-CoV-2 in clinical samples. thelancet.com An outbreak caused by a novel human coronavirus, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) was first detected in Wuhan in December 2019,1 and has since spread within China and to other countries. Real-time RT-PCR assays are recommended for diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 infection.2 However, viral dynamics in infected patients are still yet to be fully determined. Here, we report our findings from different types of clinical specimens collected from 82 infected individuals.

Uduak Okomo, Olubukola T Idoko, Beate Kampmann (2020-02-20). [Comment] The burden of viral respiratory infections in young children in low-resource settings. thelancet.com Acute lower respiratory infections (ALRI), encompassing bacterial and viral pneumonias, acute viral bronchiolitis, and bacterial and viral bronchitis, remain the leading cause of global child mortality.1 The thrust of global prevention and treatment efforts has been directed against bacterial causes of ALRI, and deaths from bacterial pneumonia have decreased substantially since 1990 because of improved access to health care and life-saving antibiotics, as well as increased use of vaccines targeted at bacterial respiratory pathogens.

2020-04-11: Social Media Postees

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(Copy the text of the postee below, then paste it on social media
and the story images will also appear.

Public backlash as star journo Ross Kemp allowed into Covid-19 ward, but visits remain off limits for mortals
rt.com | 2020-04-11
Relatives and friends of Covid-19 patients aren't allowed to visit their loved ones in hospital. But celebrity journalist Ross Kemp and his camera crew are. Commenters on twitter are furious. | More than 78,000 cases of the Covid-19 coronavirus have been recorded in the UK, with more than 1,500 of these critical. Owing to the risk of transmission, the National Health Service (NHS) last week suspended all hospital visits "with immediate effect and until furth…
rt.com/uk/485587-ross-kemp-coronavirus-hospital/

Real opposition? Labour's Starmer stands up for NHS workers… but gets slammed for being late & doing it on Twitter
rt.com | 2020-04-11
Labour leader Keir Starmer has been accused of political theatrics after firing off an angry tweet about the government's handling of the coronavirus crisis. Some have asked

'I only saw him once': NBA legend Shaquille O'Neal distances himself from Joe Exotic but discusses deal with Tiger King star
rt.com | 2020-04-11
Despite previously namechecking television's most notorious current figure, Shaquille O'Neal has responded to ribbing by insisting that he only met Joe Exotic once and did not accept animals from the prolific tiger breeder. | Historic footage of O'Neal visiting Greater Wynnewood, the Oklahoma exotic animal park that was run by Exotic before he was sentenced to 22 years in prison in 2019, has added to the story of Tiger King, the documentary that has shocked the world and become the most talked-about show on Netflix in recent weeks. | O'Neal can be seen leading a tour of the zoo in a YouTube video posted last y…
rt.com/sport/485582-shaquille-oneal-joe-exotic/

Convalescent Plasma: A Therapy for COVID-19?
newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org | 2020-04-11
To develop a treatment for patients with COVID-19, researchers around the world are steadfastly exploring numerous angles, including testing existing antiviral drugs and new compounds. One potential treatment that has garnered attention is known as convalescent plasma therapy. The approach involves giving patients an infusion of antibody-rich plasma from people who have recovered from an infection …
newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org/discussion/convalescent-plasma-a-therapy-for-covid-19/

How does COVID-19 affect the heart?
newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org | 2020-04-11
The effects of COVID-19 on the lungs are well-known. As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, more information is becoming available about the role the virus, called SARS-CoV-2, has on the heart. "Individuals with known cardiovascular disease are at an increased risk of more severe complications from respiratory viral illnesses, including the flu and COVID-19," says Dr. …
newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org/discussion/how-does-covid-19-affect-the-heart/

Belmarsh 'barely functioning': Assange tells friend Covid-19 is raging through British prison
rt.com | 2020-04-10
Julian Assange has revealed to a friend the harrowing details of his life in Belmarsh. WikiLeaks founder is still confined at the UK maximum security prison, despite it being stricken with the novel coronavirus. | Covid-19 has spread around Belmarsh to such an extent that the prison is "barely functioning" any more at all, British freelance video journalist Vaughan Smith has revealed in a Facebook post, after talking with Assange by phone. | As many as 150 prison staff member…
rt.com/news/485548-assange-belmarsh-prison-covid-19/

'Madness that will start riots': Philadelphia police drag man off public transit for not wearing mask (VIDEOS)
rt.com | 2020-04-10
Viral videos are showing police in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania telling people to wear masks on public transportation to help stop the spread of Covid-19, and harshly enforcing this rule with non-complying passengers. | The first video, posted by the Philly Transit Riders Union on Friday, shows an official informing transit riders that they are not allowed to be on board if they are not wearing masks to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. | He says all of this while he himself is not wearing a mask. A rider also not wearing a mask is then told to exit the vehicle. | throwing off riders for not having masks. A…
rt.com/usa/485549-philly-maks-coronavirus-public-transit/

'Someone had their hands in the till': Ex-Barcelona VP claims club was stung over social media service accused of attacking stars
rt.com | 2020-04-10
Emili Rousaud fears that foul play could have led to Barcelona paying as much as ten times more than they should have for the social media management service that was accused of criticizing Lionel Messi and some of his teammates. | The Barcelona vice president tendered his resignation along with five fellow members of the beleaguered Spanish giants' board on Thursday, bluntly questioning a payment for social media services that he claimed has cost the club more than $1 million. | In a scandal that became known as Barcagate, the La Liga leaders threatened legal action in response to a podcast show talking about…
rt.com/sport/485533-rousaud-barcelona-social-media/

New York Uses Mass Graves Due to Increase COVID-19 Deaths
telesurenglish.net | 2020-04-10
Regarding the images of mass graves on Hart Island, which have been circulating on social media for the last few days, New York City (NYC) Mayor Bill de Blasio said those graves are temporary solutions until families can organize a private burial.‚Äã‚Äã‚Äã‚Äã | RELATED: | New York Lives Its Deadliest Day With 799 Deaths by COVID-19 | "The pictures of our fellow New Yorkers being buried on Hart Island are deva…
telesurenglish.net/news/New-York-Uses-Mass-Graves-Due-to-Increase-COVID-19-Deaths-20200410-0005.html

Venture Capitalist Stuns CNBC by Saying We Should Let Hedge Funds Fail
Staff | truthout.org | 2020-04-10
Venture capitalist Chamath Palihapitiya stunned CNBC anchor Scott Wapner and generated widespread applause on social media by declaring in a television interview Thursday that the U.S. government should let hedge funds and billionaire CEOs "get wiped out" by the coronavirus-induced economic collapse and instead focus its attention on rescuing Main Street. | When Wapner, seemingly incredulous at what he was hearing, asked Palihapitiya why he would support the collapse of large companies, the Social…
truthout.org/articles/venture-capitalist-stuns-cnbc-by-saying-we-should-let-hedge-funds-fail/

US boasts of intercepting 2 Russian military planes on routine training flight far off Alaska
rt.com | 2020-04-09
The US Air Force has reported intercepting two Russian scout planes that entered its "defense identification zone" off Alaska. Moscow says it was a training flight and the planes came nowhere near US airspace. | US F-22 Raptor fighters, supported by an aerial refueling KC-135 Stratotanker aircraft and an early warning E-3 AWACS plane, were mustered to intercept Russian military aircraft over the Bering Sea on April 8, the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) reported in a series of tweets on Thursday. | The intercept happened north of the Aleutian Islands, which stretch from the coast of Alaska far…
rt.com/usa/485433-us-intercept-russian-military-planes/

I'm Queer and I've Been in Solitary. Ellen Isn't Experiencing What I Did
Dominique Morgan | aclu.org | 2020-04-09
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

The United States Is Where COVID-19 Deaths Are Being Under-reported
Margaret Flowers | dissidentvoice.org | 2020-04-08
Refrigerated trucks parked outside of a New York City hospital (Screenshot from Twitter of @bestgug) While the United States government and corporate media point fingers at China, accusing the Chinese government of under-reporting the number of deaths from COVID-19, it is actually the US and not China that has that problem. When the COVID-19 pandemic …
dissidentvoice.org/2020/04/the-united-states-is-where-covid-19-deaths-are-being-under-reported/

'Thank you India!' Trump praises 'strong leader' Modi after Delhi allows exports of drug touted as Covid-19 treatment
rt.com | 2020-04-08
US President Donald Trump has praised Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi after his government reversed its decision not to export hydroxychloroquine, an anti-malaria drug touted as a possible treatment for the coronavirus. | "Thank you India and the Indian people for the decision on HCQ," Trump tweeted on Wednesday. "Thank you Prime Minister [Narendra Modi] for your strong leadership in helping not just India, but humanity, in this fight!" | Extraordinary times require even closer cooperation between friends. Thank you India and the Indian people for the decision on HCQ. Will not be forgotten! Thank you Prime…
rt.com/usa/485329-trump-modi-india-covid-drug/

Iran Welcomes Putin's Idea for Green Corridor in Coronavirus Fight
Tasnim News | iranian.com | 2020-04-08
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif welcomed a proposal from Russian President Vladimir Putin to create a green corridor for the global battle with the coronavirus pandemic. "In order to contain the situation of coronavirus, different countries have closed their geographical borders, but opened them to provide assistance," Zarif said in a tweet on Wednesday, …
iranian.com/2020/04/08/iran-welcomes-putins-idea-for-green-corridor-in-coronavirus-fight/

Facebook's Strategy for Taking Down Hate Groups is Spotty and Ineffective
Hatewatch Staff | splcenter.org | 2020-04-07
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.
splcenter.org/hatewatch/2020/04/07/facebooks-strategy-taking-down-hate-groups-spotty-and-ineffective

Zarif: Iran does not need Trump's charity
IRNA | iranian.com | 2020-04-07
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif in a message urged US to stop preventing Iran from selling oil, saying Iran does not need Trump's charity. "Iran is rich in human & natural resources. We don't need charity from @realDonaldTrump –who's forced to buy ventilators from sources he's sanctioned," Zarif wrote on his Twitter account on …
iranian.com/2020/04/07/zarif-iran-does-not-need-trumps-charity/