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Drake scores the Official UK Chart double with Dark Lane Demo Tapes and Toosie Slide

Congratulations to Drake, who scores the Official Chart double this week as his Dark Lane Demo Tapes mixtape and song Toosie Slide claim Number 1 on the Official Albums and Singles Charts.






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Labour confession: Len McCluskey's blunt analysis of Jeremy Corbyn's impact revealed



AS THE Labour Party prepares itself for four years under the leadership of Sir Keir Starmer, the leader of Unite the Union explained how he believes Jeremy Corbyn has changed the face of the party forever.




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Sanders' bid to collect delegates takes blow as New York cancels its Democratic presidential primary

Bernie Sanders' bid to collect convention delegates hits snag as New York cancels Democratic presidential primary




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Bloomberg to pay laid-off staffers' health care through November amid lawsuits, public pressure

Mike Bloomberg is agreeing to pay for health care through November for the more than 2,000 campaign staffers he laid off after suspending his presidential bid as he faces public pressure and multiple lawsuits.




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Amash's possible bid raises concerns about November implications

Rep. Justin Amash announced he's seeking the Libertarian Party's presidential nomination — a move which history suggests will hurt the Democratic candidate, but could pull votes from both Biden and Trump.




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Top Republican donor tapped to lead struggling U.S. Postal Service

Trump has long railed against the Postal Service, saying the agency has been swindled by e-commerce giants like Amazon.




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Tara Reade calls on Biden to 'be held accountable' and exit the race

In her first on-camera interview since the former vice president “unequivocally” denied the sexual assault allegation, Reade says she's willing to be questioned under oath.




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Publisher’s Platform: “Where is the Beef?”

As you read this, remember FSIS’s Mission Statement: The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is the public health agency in the U.S. Department of Agriculture responsible for ensuring that the nation’s commercial supply of meat, poultry, and egg products is safe, wholesome, and correctly labeled and packaged. And, remember that none of our food... Continue Reading




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Two labs hit problems in Salmonella typing test

Two laboratories did not achieve a good performance in the initial 2018 quality control test on Salmonella typing, according to a new report. The National Reference Laboratories (NRLs) of EU member states participate in quality control tests which consist of proficiency tests on Salmonella. Performance is assessed annually by testing ability to identify 20 Salmonella... Continue Reading



  • Genetic Testing
  • World
  • Dutch National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM)
  • european reference laboratory (EURL)
  • national reference laboratory (NRL)
  • PFGE
  • Salmonella
  • serotyping
  • whole genome sequencing (WGS)

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Some blame meatpacking workers, not plants, for virus spread

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - As coronavirus hotspots erupted at major U.S. meatpacking plants, experts criticized extremely tight working conditions that made the factories natural high risk contagion locations. But some Midwestern politicians have pointed the finger at the workers' living conditions, suggesting crowded homes bear some blame.

The comments - including ...




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House Republicans demand Postmaster General turn over plan for financial stability

Republicans on the House Oversight Committee said Friday repeated efforts to learn how the cash-strapped U.S. Postal Service intends to become financially stable have been stymied by U.S. Postmaster General Megan Brennan.

The lawmakers say they've requested a financial plan from Ms. Brennan three different times, but it hasn't been ...




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House coronavirus panel targets big corporations gobbling up small-biz aid

The House's special panel policing coronavirus spending demanded Friday that five large corporations return rescue money that was intended for small businesses.

The letters to the five companies were the first official action of the newly formed Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis.

"Since your company is a public entity ...




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Roberts won't order investigation into judge's retirement; finds no probable cause for complaint

Chief Justice John G. Roberts on Friday declined to order a judicial misconduct investigation into a federal judge's retirement and whether Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell had anything to do with it.

D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Sri Srinavasan had previously asked the chief justice to assign a court ...




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The 'mind-blowing' story of the ex-Green Beret who tried to oust Venezuela's Maduro

Jordan Goudreau once pushed a plan to protect U.S. schools. Then he moved on to a more daring pursuit, which also didn't end well.




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Stephen Poloz’s dashboard: The ‘terrible agonizing noise’ of Canada’s economic data in a crisis like no other

Trying to make sense of calamities that have already caused more destruction to people’s livelihoods than the Great Recession




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‘Horrifically swift’: Canada lost almost two million jobs in April; jobless rate soars to 13%

Roughly three million jobs have been lost over the past two months, the steepest consecutive monthly declines in employment ever recorded




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Powerhouse: the startup making solar the most accessible energy in the world

It’s one of the only incubators focused on solar companies – but Powerhouse is part of a larger movement to nurture new companies in the low-carbon future

It started with a crowdfunding startup, an investment from Prince, and the idea to help new solar companies tackle business challenges that can be hard to overcome on their own.

Now, four years later, the idea has morphed into a group called Powerhouse, and notably, in a world flush with tech startups, it’s one of the only incubators out there focused on launching and growing solar companies.

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Gardens bloom under lockdown with record demand for seeds

Seed firms report huge rise in sales with people worldwide turning to gardening as hobby

While the world may feel rather grey at times right now, lockdown has at least enabled some people to go green and inject colour into their gardens.

Britain is blooming – in one sense at least – with a record demand for seeds, and delphiniums, hollyhocks and hydrangeas are having their moment in the sun.

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Major blow to Keystone XL pipeline as judge revokes key permit

Campaigners welcomed Wednesday’s ruling as a victory for tribal rights and environmental protection

The controversial Keystone XL tar sands pipeline has been dealt a major setback, after a judge revoked a key permit issued by the US army corps of engineers without properly assessing the impact on endangered species.

In a legal challenge brought by a coalition of environmental groups, a federal judge in Montana ordered the army corps to suspend all filling and dredging activities until it conducts formal consultations compliant with the Endangered Species Act.

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'They won't survive': Trump gas wells would block pronghorn migration route

Conservation groups are fighting the creation of 3,500 gas wells in Wyoming that threaten a 170-mile path

The Path of the Pronghorn is a 170-mile migration route that the antelope-like creatures have traveled annually for 6,000 years. It is one of North America’s last remaining long-distance terrestrial migration corridors.

And it is at risk. This week conservation groups filed a legal petition challenging the Trump administration’s plan to allow 3,500 new gas wells in south-western Wyoming that would block the route.

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US national parks cause public health concern as visitors flood in

Parks have remained open amid the coronavirus and become a haven over the past week, prompting fears for staff and large crowds

Even as Broadway shows were shuttered and Disneyland was closed due to the Covid-19, most US national parks were open for business on Tuesday, confounding public health officials and worrying park staff who did not want to be exposed to the virus.

National parks have become a haven over the past week as the public seeks places to go during spring break. One park employee reported on Facebook that a visitor center at Big Bend national park was full on Monday with hundreds of people. Another shared a photo of shoulder to shoulder crowds at Zion national park waiting to board shuttle buses. (The park closed its shuttle bus system later in the day.)

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Trump seizes on pandemic to speed up opening of public lands to industry

Planned sale of land to fossil fuel, mining and and timber concerns mirrors rollback of Obama-era pollution regulations

The Trump administration has ratcheted up its efforts amid the coronavirus pandemic to overhaul and overturn Obama-era environmental regulations and increase industry access to public lands.

The secretary of the interior, David Bernhardt, has sped efforts to drill, mine and cut timber on fragile western landscapes. Meanwhile, the EPA, headed by the former coal lobbyist Andrew Wheeler, has weakened critical environmental laws and announced in March that it would cease oversight of the nation’s polluters during the Covid-19 crisis.

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Bill Belichick comfortable with Patriots' quarterback situation: 'We feel like we have four good players'

It seems like everyone but Patriots’ head coach Bill Belichick is worried about the quarterback situation in New England. 




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Coronavirus: No easy fix for problems in Canada’s nursing, retirement homes

For years, those living and working in nursing and retirement homes across the country have struggled as overburdened caregivers tried to maintain a basic level of care and dignity for aging and ailing Canadians.




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How Scientists Are Keeping Irreplaceable Research Going During the COVID-19 Pandemic

The outbreak, and the travel bans and fears that come with it, have endangered long-running research projects




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Why Warmer Weather Probably Won’t Stop COVID-19

Yes, most infectious diseases are seasonal. But waiting for COVID-19 to wane on its own is a bad idea




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The Fibonacci Sequence Is Everywhere—Even the Troubled Stock Market

The curious set of numbers shows up in nature and also in human activities.




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After the Dinosaur-Killing Impact, Soot Played a Remarkable Role in Extinction

The famous impact 66 million years ago kicked up soot into the atmosphere that played an even bigger role in blocking sunlight than experts had realized




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Astronomers Discover the Closest Known Black Hole

The newfound 'invisible' object is only 1,000 light years from home




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Possible vaccine for virus linked to type 1 diabetes

According to many observations, certain virus infections may play a part in the autoimmune attack that leads to type 1 diabetes. Researchers have now produced a vaccine for these viruses in the hope that it could provide protection against the disease.




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Blood thinners may improve survival among hospitalized COVID-19 patients

Treating hospitalized COVID-19 patients with anticoagulants -- blood thinners that slow down clotting -- may improve their chances of survival, researchers report. The study could provide new insight on how to treat and manage coronavirus patients once they are admitted to the hospital.




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More selective elimination of leukemia stem cells and blood stem cells

Hematopoietic stem cells from a healthy donor can help patients suffering from acute leukemia. However, the side effects of therapies are often severe. Researchers have now shown how human healthy and cancerous hematopoietic stem cells can be more selectively eliminated using immunotherapy instead of chemotherapy in mice. The aim is to test the new immunotherapy in humans as soon as possible.




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Scientists develop sustainable way to extract chitin from prawn shells

Scientists have developed a green way to create chitin, by using two forms of food waste - prawn shells and discarded fruit - and fermenting them.




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COVID-19 live updates: People defying public health orders a concern in north

The ongoing COVID-19 outbreak in La Loche is being attributed to citizens who've ignored physical distancing measures.




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Raspberry Pi launches camera with interchangeable lens system for $50

The "High Quality Camera" unlocks a world of photography options for the Pi.




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Airbus eyeing ‘smell sensors’ capable of detecting coronavirus on planes

Sensors being developed by Airbus and a California-based startup might be able to sniff out COVID-19 in an effort to help prevent its spread.




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10 incredibly useful tech tips you’ll use over and over

Everybody loves a cool trick. No matter how well we know an app or program, there’s almost always some shortcut we never learned. The same goes for hardware: We may use gadgets every day without knowing their helpful quirks.




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WHO readies coronavirus app for checking symptoms, possibly contact tracing

The World Health Organization (WHO) plans to launch an app this month to enable people in under-resourced countries to assess whether they may have the novel coronavirus, and is considering a Bluetooth-based contact tracing feature too, an official told Reuters on Friday.




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Musk's SpaceX, Bezos' Blue Origin land contracts to build NASA's astronaut moon lander

((This April 30 story has been corrected to say Starship can carry more than 100 metric tonnes of cargo, not 100 pounds in paragraph 9. The error occurred in a previous version as well.))




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Closest black hole to Earth has two partners in surprising celestial marriage

Astronomers have spotted the closest black hole to Earth ever discovered and are surprised about its living arrangements - residing harmoniously with two stars in a remarkable celestial marriage that may end in a nasty breakup.




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U.S. post office loss doubles as it warns COVID-19 will hit its finances

The U.S. Postal Service on Friday said its losses more than doubled to $4.5 billion in the quarter ending in March and warned the economic slowdown spurred by the spread of COVID-19 could severely hurt its finances over the next 18 months.




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Demand for flour doubles during lockdown as more people take up baking at home

Follow our LIVE updates about the coronavirus outbreak here Coronavirus: The symptoms




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Black and Asian coronavirus patients 'may be at higher risk of more severe illness', experts say

Coronavirus: the symptoms Read our LIVE updates on the coronavirus here




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Priti Patel shuts down police threats of harsher lockdown measures like road blocks and checking supermarket trollies

Read our live coronavirus updates HERE Coronavirus: The symptoms




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MPs eligible for £10,000 grant from councils over constituency office closures during coronavirus lockdown

Read our live updates on coronavirus HERE Coronavirus: The symptoms




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Fiona Phillips opens up on 'horrible' coronavirus symptoms which left her bedridden

Read our live updates on coronavirus HERE Cornavirus: The symptoms




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Germany to donate 60 ventilators to the NHS as scramble for Covid-19 equipment continues

Read our live updates on coronavirus HERE Coronavirus: The symptoms




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Chief constable condemns man who bit policewoman during coronavirus lockdown as 'lowest of the low'

Read our live coronavirus updates HERE Coronavirus: The symptoms