(2020-04-21). Customers wait in line for HOURS at reopened McDonald's drive-thru in still-locked-down France. rt.com 
Hungry motorists lined up for hours after news of a French McDonald's restaurant re-opening spread like wildfire on social media, causing major traffic jams in a Parisian suburb. | Photos and footage of the tailbacks, which began when the fast food outlet in Moissy opened at 11am on Monday, were shared on social media by stunned onlookers. |
(2020-04-21). American dream suspended: Trump says he's signing order to halt immigration into US 'in light of attack' from coronavirus. rt.com 
US President Donald Trump said he will sign an executive order suspending all immigration into the United States, citing the need to protect American jobs amid the ongoing Covid-19 crisis. | "In light of the attack from the Invisible Enemy, as well as the need to protect the jobs of our GREAT American Citizens, I will be signing an Executive Order to temporarily suspend immigration into the United States!" Trump said in a tweet on Monday night. | In light of the attack from the Invisible Enemy, as well as the need to protect the jobs of our GREAT American Citizens, I will be signing an Executive Order to tempo…
(2020-04-21). Trump Tweets Plan to Suspend All Immigration to US. truthout.org President Donald Trump "In light of the attack from the Invisible Enemy, as well as the need to protect the jobs of our GREAT Ameri…
(2020-04-21). Global Climate Fight Continues Despite Isolation. telesurenglish.net Fridays For Future (FFF) members announced demonstrations and other activities next Friday, April 24. The ecological international movement will perform protests through social media to remain active and respect COVID-19 preventive measures. | RELATED: | FFF representatives explained that international attention is on COVID development and all preventive strategies. However, as movement leaders pointed out, the environmental…
(2020-04-21). Fake Facebook pages used to push protests at state capitals. peoplesworld.org 
A wealthy family of extreme right wingers, armed with plenty of money and social media skills, is behind the hundreds of Facebook groups, including the five largest of those groups, opposing stay-at-home orders designed to curb the spread of the coronavirus. The Facebook groups, which have hundreds of thousands of members, are being used to …
(2020-04-21). PM Conte: Italy to start easing its lockdown from May 4. rt.com 
Italy will announce before the end of this week its plans for a gradual reopening following a lockdown imposed to fight the coronavirus outbreak from May 4, according to Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte. | "I wish I could say: let's reopen everything. Immediately. We start tomorrow morning," Conte wrote in a Facebook post on Tuesday. "But such a decision would be irresponsible. It would make the contagion curve go up in an uncontrolled way and would nullify all the efforts we have made so far." | The lockdown, closing most Italian businesses and preventing people from leaving their homes for all but essential nee…
(2020-04-21). MSM sneer at grave of Covid-19 victim because he criticized Ohio lockdown measures. rt.com 
A man who tragically died after contracting the coronavirus has posthumously found himself at the center of a mainstream media sneer campaign because he questioned the restrictive lockdown measures in his native Ohio. | Despite thousands of people dying from the illness across the world every day, a range of news outlets have taken it upon themselves to exhaustively report on the case of John W. McDaniel — inspiring a vicious Twitter excoriation in their wake — because he voiced his opposition to the clampdown on personal freedoms that authorities have introduced in a bid to tackle the disease. | Thi…
(2020-04-21). At least 11 percent of Swedes may have contracted Covid-19, antibody study suggests. rt.com 
More than one in 10 people in Sweden may have been infected with the novel coronavirus since the outbreak began, the country's leading medical university has said, citing preliminary results of a new Covid-19 antibody study. | Tests conducted on 200 blood donors by Sweden's Karolinska Institute together with Karolinska University Hospital showed that at least 11 out of 100 of the participants have antibodies to Covid-19. If their results are truly indicative of the viral spread in society, they suggest that for the nation with a roughly 10 million-strong population, more than a million people may have been inf…
(2020-04-21). San Leandro, California police execute man suffering mental health crisis in front of dozens of people in packed Wal-Mart. wsws.org The killing of 33-year-old Steven Taylor on Saturday sparked outrage after a 57-second graphic video was posted and shared widely on social media.
(2020-04-21). MP makes shocking PPE revelation that the government won't want you to hear. thecanary.co 
On 21 April, Labour MP Bill Esterson made a shocking revelation about personal protective equipment ( PPE scandal: | Esterson tweeted: | One of my constituents offe…
(2020-04-21). Fake 'nurses' propaganda tweets distract from further government coronavirus shambles. thecanary.co Over 100 fake twitter accounts of 'nurses', offering support to the Cabinet's coronavirus (Covid-19) strategy, have apparently appeared, then suddenly disappeared. There has been speculation on Twitter as to their origin.This distraction comes at a time when details of government cock-ups regarding the outbreak appear almost daily.Fake accounts: A claim has emerged that someone, either an employee with the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), or via a contracted "marketing agency", created 128 fake NHS twitter accounts. It's alleged that postings on those accounts came from one person and "4 assign…
(2020-04-21). Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe's prison release extended. thecanary.co Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe's temporary release from an Iranian jail has been extended by a month, according to her MP. | The British-Iranian mother has been freed from Evin prison in Tehran in response to the Covid-19 pandemic. | Tulip Siddiq tweeted on Tuesday morning: "Very happy to hear from Richard Ratcliffe that Nazanin's furlough has been extended for a month — in line with other prisoners in Iran." | The Labour MP added: "Now is the time for our government to do all it can to make it permanent." | Very happy to hear from Richard Ratcliffe that Nazanin's furlough has been extended for a month — i…
(2020-04-21). Notes on Viral Separation. counterpunch.org It's lurking. It's salivating. It's breathless, waiting in the pandemic quiet. And at first opportunity, it will step out, roaring, spitting fire, devouring free will yet again as it commands you, you, you, and you to consume, consume, consume. All in the name of "returning to normal." Well, I hate normal. I hate what normal has
(2020-04-21). How the Obama administration ignored the pandemic threat. wsws.org The inadequate response of the Obama-Biden administration to previous viral outbreaks demonstrates the responsibility of both big-business parties for the horrific toll being wrought by the coronavirus pandemic.
(2020-04-20). Trump's Reelection Strategy: Pit Workers Against Democrats. commondreams.org Right now, working people in the United States face the agonizing choice of going to jobs, if they still have jobs, or becoming destitute. (Photo: James Barragan / Facebook / cc) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/txprotest1-980×735.jpg …
(2020-04-20). Will US troops stop guarding Syrian oil fields? Negative oil prices provide that extra bit of coronavirus surrealism. rt.com 
US benchmark oil futures plummeted to negative numbers on Monday, as if the coronavirus epidemic hadn't already pushed the world into the Twilight Zone. Social media took time to appreciate the icing on a very surreal cake. | Futures contracts for West Texas Intermediate (WTI) — the US oil benchmark fuel — plunged over 100 percent on Monday to a record-breaking -$37.63, the first time going negative in history and a bizarre event by any measure. Even if it hadn't happened in the midst of a pandemic that has laid waste to the US and many other countries' economies, it would be a shock. | Also on rt.co…
(2020-04-20). Domestic Violence Increases 431% in Brazil Amid Lockdown. telesurenglish.net Domestic violence has soared in Brazil since the beginning of the lockdown imposed by state governors to fight the spread of the new coronavirus, the Brazilian Forum on Public Safety NGO (FBSP) revealed Monday in a report. | RELATED: | Although cases of violence against women and girls in the country are being widely exposed on social media, complaints to the authorities declined due to the impossibility for the victims to go to t…
(2020-04-20). Australia Wants Google, Facebook to Pay Media for the News. telesurenglish.net The Australian government wants platforms such as Google and Facebook to pay the media for the news they publish, authorities reported Monday. | RELATED: | The Australian government has ordered the creation of a mandatory code of conduct that should cover issues such as data exchange, classification, and display of news, payment and exchange of income generated, the Head of the Treasury Josh Frydemberg said in a statem…
(2020-04-20). Netanyahu and Gantz Reach Deal, End Political Deadlock. telesurenglish.net Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud and former rival Benny Gantz's Blue and White party signed Monday a coalition agreement, putting an end to the worst political crisis the country has witnessed in decades. | RELATED: | "We have prevented a fourth election. We will protect democracy. We will fight coronavirus and care for all Israel's citizens," Gantz said on Twitter after signing the deal, while Netanyahu Tweeted…
(2020-04-18). 'Journos are living this like everyone else': CNN's Brian Stelter has Twitter Covid-19 breakdown. rt.com 
CNN host Brian Stelter claimed through Twitter that he "hit a wall," "crawled in bed" and "cried for our pre-pandemic lives," but many aren't buying his Covid-19 breakdown. | "Disturbed by the [government's] shortcomings" and "dismayed by political rhetoric that bears no resemblance to reality," Stelter says it was all too much to bear for him on Friday night, crying "tears that have been waiting a month to come out" over worries about "friends who are losing jobs; kids who are missing school; and senior citizens who are living in fear." | The 'Reliable Sources' host said on Saturday he was motivated to share…
(2020-04-18). Trump slams 'rude & nasty' Dems admitting Covid-19 cooperation bad between parties. rt.com 
Donald Trump slammed Democrats for a "rude and nasty" phone call with the vice president over the Covid-19 pandemic, and theorized nothing will satisfy them as they try to "fool" America in November's election. | "No matter what you do for the Do Nothing Democrats, no matter how GREAT a job you are doing, they will only respond to their Fake partners in the Lamestream Media in the negative, even in a time of crisis," Trump tweeted on Saturday. | He added that his working relationship with Democrats during the Covid-19 pandemic has been "even worse" than before and revealed senators held a "rude and nasty" conf…
(2020-04-17). BJP Capitalizes on Coronavirus Fears to Take India's Fascist Creep to the Next Level. mintpressnews.com Last week, 22-year-old Dilshad "Mehboob" Ali was dragged into a field on the outskirts of Delhi and beaten with sticks and shoes by an enraged crowd demanding to be told, "who else is behind this conspiracy?" His attackers believed he was part of a "corona Jihad: " an evil plot by India's Muslim minority to spread the disease and kill as many Hindus as possible. Ali was dragged to a temple and told to convert to Hinduism before they would allow him to go to the hospital. Images of the incident went viral, illustrative of a nationwide assault on the country's nearly 200 million Muslims. | Ali is part of the Tabligh…
(2020-04-17). Which Bailed Out Industries Have a Shortcut to Biden World? cepr.net For the reality-based, Trump's indifference to the tragedy that COVID-19 is spreading across the country might be maddening but not surprising. Trump downplaying the severity of the crisis, tweeting nonsense, and pushing for a $500 billion corporate bailout are entirely on brand. This is to be expected of an administration full of former lobbyists and industry executives. But special interests are coming for Democrats, …
(2020-04-16). Hate Groups and Racist Pundits Spew COVID-19 Misinformation on Social Media Despite Companies' Pledges to Combat It. splcenter.org Hate groups and racist pundits have pushed misinformation about the COVID-19 pandemic on mainstream social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube throughout the crisis, despite companies pledging to fight fake news about the virus.
(2020-04-15). Antiviral reducing influenza spread in ferrets could help control flu outbreaks. imperial.ac.uk A new antiviral treatment has been found to reduce the risk of ferrets with influenza spreading the virus to healthy animals.
(2020-04-21). Turkey, Russia hold fifth joint patrol in Idlib, Syria. yenisafak.com Turkish and Russian military forces have carried out another joint patrol along a key highway in northwestern Syria, said Turkey's Defense Ministry on Tuesday."Fifth combined Turkish-Russian land patrol was conducted today by air and ground vehicles on M4 motorway in Syria's Idlib province, as part of the earlier TR-RF agreement," the ministry said on Twitter.The M4 highway, also known as the Aleppo-Al Hasakah road, is about 30 kilometers (19 miles) from Turkey's southern border.Last month, Ankara and Moscow agreed on a protocol urging parties to "cease all military actions along the line of contact in the Idlib…
(2020-04-21). Twitter in Awe of Indian Beggar Singing Jim Reeves' 'He'll Have to Go' in Viral Video. sputniknews.com New Delhi (Sputnik): Amused at the skill of a beggar in tatters, several Twitter users wondered what brought the "talented" man to the streets, while others said his English and his accent were even better than of the man filming him.
(2020-04-21). Is That a Meteor? Mysterious Fireball Caught on Camera in Texas – Video. sputniknews.com According to the American Meteor Society (AMS), fireball is a term for a meteor falling from the sky, brighter than -4 magnitude, meaning it shines as bright as Venus in the morning or evening sky. Although several thousand meteors of fireball magnitude enter Earth's atmosphere every day, most of them go unnoticed.
(2020-04-21). Trump Temporarily Suspends All Immigration Into The United States. iranian.com In a stunning turn of events, late on Monday, President Trump tweeted that "In light of the attack from the Invisible Enemy, as well as the need to protect the jobs of our GREAT American Citizens, I will be signing an Executive Order to temporarily suspend immigration into the United States!" twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1252418369170501639 Trump did not …
(2020-04-19). Iranian Health Ministry Document Shows Coronavirus Test Kits Blocked by US Sanctions. iranian.com Iranian Health Ministry Spokesman Kianoush Jahanpour released a document which proves that the US sanctions against the country have blocked imports of coronavirus kits from South Korea. Jahanpour wrote on his twitter page on Saturday evening that a SWIFT request by Iran for the purchase of coronavirus diagnosis kits from South Korea has been rejected …
(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). 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…
(2020-04-09). 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.