Ottawa's Ties with Far Right Colombian President Undermines Human Rights Rhetoric Regarding Venezuela
Yves Engler | globalresearch.ca | 2020-05-18
A week ago a former Canadian soldier instigated a harebrained bid to kidnap or kill Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. Launched from Colombia, the plot failed spectacularly with most of the men captured or killed. | Still, the leader of the …
globalresearch.ca/ottawa-colombian-president-undermine-human-rights-regarding-venezuela/5713214

Disgraceful yet illuminating reactions to the 2002 coup that briefly ousted Hugo Chavez: IACHR, CPJ and RSF
Joe Emersberger | zcomm.org | 2020-05-18
The Inter American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) The IACHR claimed in 2009 report on Venezuela that its reaction to the "the attempted coup d'état [of 2002] was immediate and decisive" and that it "warned that these acts constituted an interruption of the constitutional order as defined in the Democratic Charter." The evidence it offered Read…
zcomm.org/zblogs/disgraceful-yet-illuminating-reactions-to-the-2002-coup-that-briefly-ousted-chavez-iachr-cpj-and-rsf/

At least 275,000 teachers in the US face permanent job loss as states prepare massive budget cuts
wsws.org | 2020-05-18
The growing budgetary crisis in every state poses an existential threat to public education, with untold consequences for an entire generation of working class youth.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/05/18/budg…

New York Democratic governor enlists tech billionaires to push distance learning
wsws.org | 2020-05-18
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced "Reimagine Education," a partnership with Microsoft's Bill Gates and Google's Eric Schmidt.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/05/18/nydg…

Mayo Clinic Q&A podcast: COVID-19 research at Mayo Clinic
newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org | 2020-05-18
Thanks to its combination of practice, education, and research, Mayo Clinic has a strong foundation to respond quickly to a medical crisis such as COVID-19. As the SARS-CoV-2 virus spread worldwide, a research task force was formed at Mayo Clinic to review and approve research proposals related to the virus and the disease it causes. …
newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org/discussion/mayo-clinic-qa-podcast-covid-19-research-at-mayo-clinic/

Britain Warned Against 'Coup-mongering' in Venezuela After Embassy Discovery
Steve Sweeney | globalresearch.ca | 2020-05-18
Venezuela has warned Britain against "coup-mongering" after the discovery of a "Venezuelan reconstruction unit" in the Foreign Office. | Demanding an urgent explanation, Foreign Minister Jorge Arreeaza lodged a formal complaint with ambassador Duncan Hill, who the minister said confirmed …
globalresearch.ca/britain-warned-against-coup-mongering-venezuela-after-embassy-discovery/5713225

Over 250 Artists, Writers Urge Israel to Stop Siege of Gaza
The Levant | globalresearch.ca | 2020-05-18
More than 250 global artists and writers including rocker Peter Gabriel, director Ken Loach and actor Viggo Mortensen have appealed to Israel to stop the "siege" of Gaza. | The coronavirus epidemic could have a devastating effect in "the world's largest …
globalresearch.ca/over-250-artists-writers-urge-israel-stop-siege-gaza/5713264

Attack on Cuban Embassy in Washington Brings Complicit Silence From U.S. Government
Raúl Capote | globalresearch.ca | 2020-05-18
Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla discussed the April 30 attack on the country's embassy in Washington with the press yesterday, stating: "Here is the attacker, an AK-47 rifle, 32 shell casings, 32 bullet holes and a statement

Mayo Clinic Q&A podcast: COVID-19 news briefing
newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org | 2020-05-18
On the Mayo Clinic Q&A podcast, Dr. Gregory Poland, an infectious diseases expert and head of Mayo Clinic's Vaccine Research Group, covers the latest news on the COVID-19 pandemic. Dr. Poland discusses how the novel coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, is changing, and how scientists and researchers are rapidly gaining new knowledge about the virus and the disease that it …
newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org/discussion/mayo-clinic-qa-podcast-covid-19-news-briefing/

Mayo Clinic receives $26 million from BARDA for COVID-19 convalescent plasma expanded access program
newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org | 2020-05-18
Mayo Clinic was awarded a $26 million contract today from the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), part of the office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The financial support is for the Expanded Access Program (EAP) for convalescent plasma to fight COVID-19. …
newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org/discussion/mayo-clinic-receives-26-million-from-barda-for-covid-19-convalescent-plasma-expanded-access-program/

Twenty Years After the Unconditional Israeli Withdrawal From Lebanon, What Has Been Achieved?
Elijah J. Magnier | globalresearch.ca | 2020-05-18
"We were Hezbollah trainers. It is an organisation that learns quickly. The Hezbollah we met at the beginning (1982) is different from the one we left behind in 2000". This is what the former Chief of Staff and former Minister …
globalresearch.ca/twenty-years-after-unconditional-israeli-withdrawal-from-lebanon/5713216

Revealed: The Secret US-Iran Deal that Installed Kadhimi in Baghdad
David Hearst | globalresearch.ca | 2020-05-18
Tehran ordered Shia factions to back prime minister in return for Washington 'looking the other way' over release of assets targeted by sanctions, Iraqi officials tell MEE | *** | The nomination of Mustafa al-Kadhimi as Iraqi prime minister was the result …
globalresearch.ca/secret-us-iran-deal-installed-kadhimi-baghdad/5713223

Mayo Clinic's comprehensive COVID-19 research
newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org | 2020-05-18
newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org/discussion/mayo-clinics-comprehensive-covid-19-research/

Guaido Was the 'Commander in Chief' of the Failed Mercenary Operation Against Venezuela
Patricio Zamorano | globalresearch.ca | 2020-05-18
New information divulged this week reveals that Juan Guaidó was designated as "commander and chief" of the mercenary operation that completely unraveled on the shores of Venezuela. The 41 page contract that formed the basis of the already known eight …
globalresearch.ca/guaido-commander-chief-failed-mercenary-operation-against-venezuela/5713228

Military Spending and the Pandemic
Dispatches from the Edge | globalresearch.ca | 2020-05-18
"There have been as many plagues as wars in history, yet plagues and wars take people equally by surprise" –Albert Camus | "The Plague" | Camus' novel of a lethal contagion in the North African city of Oran is filled with characters …
globalresearch.ca/military-spending-pandemic/5713212

Australian teachers speak out about unsafe schools and excessive workloads
wsws.org | 2020-05-18
A survey of 10,000 teachers reveals that fewer than one in four felt safe working at schools at the end of term one and 60 percent had high levels of anxiety about returning to work.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/05/18/teac…

Growing resistance in Germany to returning to schools as coronavirus pandemic continues
wsws.org | 2020-05-18
Resistance is growing among German teachers and pupils against this irresponsible policy, which threatens to turn schools into new hotspots of COVID-19.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/05/18/retu…

Mayo Clinic Q&A podcast: The "Quarantine 15"
newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org | 2020-05-18
It's being called the "Quarantine 15" online

VIRUS: COVID-19 registry first to track global ICU experience to shed light on trends in care of critically ill patients
newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org | 2020-05-18
MOUNT PROSPECT, Ill

Voluntary groups in Kashmir battle invisible enemy
yenisafak.com | 2020-05-18
As the novel coronavirus or COVID-19 has spread rapidly across Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir, many volunteer groups have joined to combat the pandemic which has so far killed 15 people and infected more than 1,200.Since the first case of COVID-19 was detected in the region on March 18, hundreds of volunteers have been working tirelessly to help stem the spread of the infection.Hakim Mohammad Ilyas, general secretary of Ehsaas International, a non-government organization that mainly works to impart education to downtrodden, was moved with the news of deaths taking place across the globe due to the pandemic…
yenisafak.com/en/world/voluntary-groups-in-kashmir-battle-invisible-enemy-3529804

Bangladesh may see coronavirus peak next week: Experts
yenisafak.com | 2020-05-18
As the number of confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus continues to rise in Bangladesh, experts say the South Asian nation may see a peak in infections in the next two weeks. The country on Monday registered 1,602 new infections of COVID-19, with 21 deaths, marking the single day record in the country of around 165 million population."Bangladesh may see a peak in COVID-19 cases in next two weeks or so," said Dr. Bijon Kumar Sil, leader of a Bangladeshi research team at Gonoshasthaya Kendra Hospital that invented a $3 test kit that can detect the coronavirus in less than 15 minutes.Since the first positive case…
yenisafak.com/en/world/bangladesh-may-see-coronavirus-peak-next-week-experts-3529813

Coronavirus pushes Swedish deaths to highest since 1993 in April
yenisafak.com | 2020-05-18
More Swedes died in April than in any one month since 1993, figures from the Statistics Office showed on Monday, as the outbreak of the novel coronavirus pushed the death toll higher.Sweden, which has stopped short of the strict lockdown measures enforced by many countries, has suffered a higher death rate during the coronavirus pandemic than its Scandinavian neighbours.In Sweden, the pandemic has caused around 3,700 deaths since the first reported fatality in March, but has not been as deadly as some seasonal flu over the last three decades, when the toll in December 1993 and January 2000 was higher, the Statist…
yenisafak.com/en/world/coronavirus-pushes-swedish-deaths-to-highest-since-1993-in-april-3529812

Merkel Played Like a Fiddle
sputniknews.com | 2020-05-18
Angela Merkel is a formidable European leader, having served as German Chancellor for 15 years and still going strong. She also no doubt has a formidable intellect, having earned a doctorate in quantum chemistry and previously working as a research scientist before she entered politics.
sputniknews.com/columnists/202005181079342407-merkel-played-like-a-fiddle/

Iranian mills produce 2.3mn tons of steel ingot in one month
en.mehrnews.com | 2020-05-18
TEHRAN, May 18 (MNA)

Is that Big Brother behind the medical mask? Bill Gates to co-fund South Korean research of next-gen quarantine methods
rt.com | 2020-05-18
South Korea's biggest telecom firm is banding with Bill Gates to develop next-generation quarantine methods. The $10-million project may stir uncomfortable thoughts in those who suspect the billionaire of having a sinister agenda. | KT, the Seongnam-based multinational giant, plans to use its expertise and access to communications data to identify early and predict the spread of infectious diseases. Smartphones could be used, for example, to measure body temperature with a sensor and to collect other sympto…
rt.com/news/488938-bill-gates-korea-surveillance/

MSc virologists explore infections and cell biology in new virtual laboratory
imperial.ac.uk | 2020-05-18
As the College continues remote learning, MSc Molecular Biology & Pathology of Viruses students are trialling remote research in a 'virtual lab'.
imperial.ac.uk/news/197193/msc-virologists-explore-infections-cell-biology

AI successfully used to identify different types of brain injuries
imperial.ac.uk | 2020-05-18
Researchers at Imperial College London and Cambridge have developed an AI algorithm that can detect and identify different types of brain injuries.
imperial.ac.uk/news/197593/ai-successfully-used-identify-different-types

45,000 bird wing measurements reveal where the best fliers live
imperial.ac.uk | 2020-05-18
How adapted birds are to flying is linked to their lifestyle and environment, according to new research on the shape of their wings.
imperial.ac.uk/news/197555/45000-bird-wing-measurements-reveal-where

Protest To Stop Destruction of CCSF Through Elimination of ESL, Shuttering of Campuses
Labor Video Project | indybay.org | 2020-05-18
Rallies, protests and a car caravan was held in San Francisco to oppose the destruction of CCSF ESL program with the layoff of faculty and the closure of the Ft. Mason campus as well as other campuses. The management of CCSF with the Board of Trustees are shuttering campuses and want to sell off land to developers including at the Ocean campus and the Balboa reservoir which they support privatizing. The destruction of the college also comes after the people of San Francisco passed an $845 million dollar bond to refurbish and build new campus building. The elimination of faculty students and staff according to pro…
indybay.org/newsitems/2020/05/16/18833073.php

Covid Chaos: From Lockdown to Body Bags
Rob Woodward | globalresearch.ca | 2020-05-18
The national Covid strategy managed by the government is now in disarray. The mood in Tory HQ is migrating away from its beloved Brexit leader. The mainstream media are now causing confusion, the country is heading towards chaos. | What is …
globalresearch.ca/covid-chaos-lockdown-body-bags/5713230

Remembering Palestine on Nakba Day: Use the Hashtag COVID1948
Philip Giraldi | globalresearch.ca | 2020-05-17
Palestinians worldwide have an annual day of remembrance called Nakba Day. Nakba comes from the Arabic al-Nakbah and means "disaster" or "catastrophe." It takes place on May 15th, the day after the Gregorian calendar date for Israeli …
globalresearch.ca/remembering-palestine-nakba-day/5713135

Why U.S. Must Be Prosecuted for Its War Crimes Against Iraq
Eric Zuesse | globalresearch.ca | 2020-05-17
The reason why the U.S. Government must be prosecuted for its war-crimes against Iraq is that they are so horrific and there are so many of them, and international law crumbles until they become prosecuted and severely punished for what …
globalresearch.ca/why-u-s-must-prosecuted-war-crimes-against-iraq/5713149

Video: Syrian Army Suffers Casualties in Daraa. Militants Attack Russian-Turkish Patrol
South Front | globalresearch.ca | 2020-05-17
The security situation has been escalating in southern Syria. Over the past 24 hours, at least 3 pro-government fighters and a civilian have been killed in attacks by gunmen in al-Musayfrah and Saida-al-Taebah. The attacks followed the March 14 and …
globalresearch.ca/video-syrian-army-suffers-casualties-daraa-militants-attack-russian-turkish-patrol/5713174

The Online Double-bind. "Digital Revolution, …. Many More People are Crazy"
Edward Curtin | globalresearch.ca | 2020-05-17
The trap was set at least twenty-five years ago and the mice jumped at the smell of the cheese. I am referring to the introduction of the computer as a mass necessity and the Internet that followed. I was slow …
globalresearch.ca/online-double-bind/5713138

Pandemic Scales Up Cases of Mental Illnesses
Lucas Leiroz de Almeida | globalresearch.ca | 2020-05-17
The global pandemic of the new coronavirus worsens day after day worldwide, bringing with it a series of harms for humanity. As it is known, in addition to the simple infection by the virus, the pandemic causes problems in society …
globalresearch.ca/pandemic-scales-up-cases-mental-illnesses/5713162

China Declares the U.S. an Enemy: Sea-Change in World Affairs
Eric Sommer | globalresearch.ca | 2020-05-17
For a long period the Chinese regime has vacillated between seeking accommodation with the U.S.-led imperialist forces to 'do business' with the western world, and defending itself against the attempted economic, political, and military encirclement and strangulation of China by …
globalresearch.ca/china-declares-u-s-enemy-sea-change-world-affairs/5713141

[Letter] Author's reply
Shaoqing Lei, Zhong-Yuan Xia, Zhengyuan Xia | thelancet.com | 2020-05-17
We thank Tuech et al. and Dr. Ross for their letters in response to our recent study [1]. At the very beginning of the epidemic, we encountered some patients who had no symptoms before surgery but quickly developed COVID-19 pneumonia after surgery. During the period of the research, the participating hospitals performed approximately 15,000 elective surgeries. Our focus was to report those we believe and confident that the surgeries were performed during incubation period. Thus, any infection long after surgery (say, 10 to 14 days after surgery) or those who contacted with confirmed cases of COVID-19 after surger…
thelancet.com/journals/eclinm/article/PIIS2589-5370(20)30130-9/fulltext?rss=yes

How Biosecurity Is Enabling Digital Neo-Feudalism
Pepe Escobar | globalresearch.ca | 2020-05-17
Italian master thinker Giorgio Agamben has been on the

A Nation of Sheep
Judge Andrew Napolitano | globalresearch.ca | 2020-05-17
When the people fear the government, there is tyranny. When the government fears the people, there is liberty."

Chinese Ridicule Trump's China 'Cut-Off' Threat
Global Times | globalresearch.ca | 2020-05-17
"Is Trump totally insane?" Experts and the international community couldn't help but ask this question after US President Donald Trump threatened to "cut off the whole relationship" with China on Thursday in an interview with FOX Business. Observers said that …
globalresearch.ca/chinese-ridicule-trump-china-cut-off-threat/5713132

Section 230: Protecting Internet Speech, The Censors and Censorship
Renee Parsons | globalresearch.ca | 2020-05-17
With a better world on the horizon, the old order is desperately asserting its last vestige of power. What the perpetrators of the coronavirus event were not counting on was that the pandemic would usher in a new era of …
globalresearch.ca/section-230-protecting-internet-speech-the-censors-and-censorship/5713160

Jews to Palestinian Whose Home They Occupy: What Do You Want?
Najwan Simri | globalresearch.ca | 2020-05-17
"On the anniversary of the Nakba… a tour through depopulated Palestinian villages within Israel … and rare meetings between the owners of the original Palestinian homes and their current Jewish residents"

Video: Three ISIS-Daesh Terrorists Confess to Perpetrating a Number of Operations in Cooperation with US
SANA | globalresearch.ca | 2020-05-17
Three Daesh terrorists confess to perpetrating a number of operations in cooperation with US occupation forces in al-Tanf. | …
globalresearch.ca/video-three-daesh-terrorists-confess-perpetrating-operations-cooperation-us/5713167

How Big Wireless Lobbied Governments to Build 5G for Citizen Data Collection and Surveillance
Derrick Broze | globalresearch.ca | 2020-05-17
While selling 5G technology to the public as a means for faster downloads, Big Wireless

ISIS Terrorists Confess that They Have Carried Out Many Operations in Coordination with US Occupation Forces in Al-Tanf Base
Basma Qaddour | globalresearch.ca | 2020-05-17
During a security operation carried out with the help of the Syrian Badia's residents, an ambush was set up against an ISIS terrorist group composed of 6 members where 3 of them were killed and the remaining ones were arrested….
globalresearch.ca/isis-terrorists-confess-carried-out-many-operations-coordination-us-occupation-forces-al-tanf-base/5713158

COVID-19 vaccine secures new government investment
imperial.ac.uk | 2020-05-17
Imperial researchers have received a further £18.5 million in government support as they develop a coronavirus vaccine.
imperial.ac.uk/news/197573/covid-19-vaccine-secures-government-investment

A New Pandemic? Two Trailblazing COVID-19 Researchers Dead in a Month
Andrey Areshev | strategic-culture.org | 2020-05-17
Academia does not really have a reputation for being riddled with violence and sudden unexplained deaths. Yet at the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic, two young pioneering researchers from the same obscure field of study met with mysterious ends. | Outside of academic circles, Dr. James Taylor and Dr. Bing Liu were relative unknowns. Inside of the scientific community, however, the two had achieved something like rock-star status. And now, within a period of 30 days, both young men are dead at a time when their talents are needed most. | James Taylor, 1979-2020 | Let's first consider the life and work of James Taylo…
strategic-culture.org/news/2020/05/17/new-pandemic-two-trailblazing-covid-19-researchers-dead-in-month/

The Online Double-bind
Edward Curtin | dissidentvoice.org | 2020-05-17
The trap was set at least twenty-five years ago and the mice jumped at the smell of the cheese. I am referring to the introduction of the computer as a mass necessity and the Internet that followed. I was slow to enter the trap, "forced" finally in 2007 by the college where I was teaching. …
dissidentvoice.org/2020/05/the-online-double-bind/

BMJ damns UK government for mishandling coronavirus outbreak and ignoring science
Tom Coburg | thecanary.co | 2020-05-17
An editorial in the prestigious British Medical Journal (BMJ) condemns the Johnson-led government for the way it has handled the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic and for ignoring the science. It amounts to possibly the most damning criticism of the government's management of the pandemic so far. | Moreover, a set of slides seen by The Canary reveals that the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) referenced a document, issued in 2019, that provided detailed projections for a major UK epidemic. Yet, this doesn't seem to have informed the government's response to the crisis. | Early failings: | The…
thecanary.co/discovery/2020/05/17/bmj-damns-uk-government-for-mishandling-coronavirus-outbreak-and-ignoring-science/

[Commentary] COVID-19: Challenges and opportunities in the care sector
Paulina Cecula, Sir David Behan, Mahiben Maruthappu | thelancet.com | 2020-05-17
Covid-19 has spread around the world at a tremendous pace. On April the 12th, the total number of cases in the UK reached 84,279 including 10,612 deaths [1]. The UK Government introduced measures to reduce the spread of disease and the NHS is operating at full capacity to manage the demand. Meanwhile, more than 2000 care homes in England reported Covid-19 cases, which are underrepresented in national statistics [2]. Charities are calling for urgent action to support older people and the care sector.
thelancet.com/journals/eclinm/article/PIIS2589-5370(20)30134-6/fulltext?rss=yes