The NHS Nightingale Hospital, one of the biggest in the world, opens its doors to coronavirus patients at the ExCel convention centre in London.

The hospital, which was assembled in 9 days, is intended to house up to 4,000 people. It was set up in order to ease the pressure on closed hospitals which have been overwhelmed by COVID-19 patients. ​

On Wednesday, the United Kingdom registered the biggest increase in coronavirus-related deaths so far since the start of the outbreak. According to the the World Health Organization (WHO) the number of fatalities has risen to 2,352.

At the same time, Johns Hopkins University says that there are 33,718 COVID-19 cases and 2,921 fatalities in the UK.

The US military awarded a contract worth more than $500 million to Lockheed Martin to build eight F-16 fighter jets for Bulgaria, the Defence Department said in a statement

"Lockheed Martin Aeronautics, Ft. Worth, Texas, has been awarded a $512,004,418 firm-fixed-price contract for F-16 Block 70 production for the Republic of Bulgaria. This contract value includes $4,185,516 of pre-priced options. This contract provides for the production of eight F-16 Block 70 aircraft", the release said on Thursday.

According to the company website, the comprehensive F-16 Block 70 package for the Eastern European country includes training for pilots and ground crew, logistics, support equipment, and weapons for all operational needs.

On 1 April, Lockheed Martin won a more than $818 million US Air Force contract to produce 790 Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missiles (JASSM), the Department of Defence said in a press release.

Oil prices to increase!

Earlier, Brent and WTI oil futures rose by roughly 10 percent, trading at approximately $27 and $22 per barrel, on the back of Trump's comments.

The cost of June Brent crude oil futures on the London ICE exchange accelerated a decline which began the day before and reached the level of $28.4 per barrel, which is 5.1% lower than the previous session.

The price of WTI is down 5.13% to $24.02 per barrel.

Global oil prices had collapsed amid the output hike, although these began trending upwards after US President Donald Trump said that Russia and Saudi Arabia would soon agree on market-regulating measures.

The original layout for the $65 million drill anticipated 25,000 participants, including 3,000 from twelve foreign countries. However, due to the coronavirus outbreak and widespread cancellation calls, the fate of the drill will be decided on 6 April.

Several foreign countries have announced that they will not participate in Aurora 20, a major defence exercise which was set to be held in Sweden, its national broadcaster SVT reported.

Canada was the first to announce its pullout, followed by Germany. Austria is considering withdrawing, whereas Britain is withdrawing its frigate but will send an infantry company, thus substantially scaling down its contribution.

The original plan included about 25,000 participants, including 3,000 from twelve invited countries. Aurora 20 was long touted as an even larger reprise of Aurora 17, which was celebrated as Sweden's largest military exercise in decades.

Originally, Aurora 20 was to be held between 11 May and 4 June in southern Sweden, including in the counties of Blekinge and Skåne. However, on Monday, 6 April, the Swedish Armed Forces will decide whether Aurora 20 should be held as planned, rescheduled, or scaled back.

“We are in contact with our international partners and are aware that their contributions may change at short notice depending on how different countries are affected by Covid-19,” communications manager Jonas Svensson told SVT. “The exercise team for Aurora 20 is currently working intensively now on planning for alternative event developments,” Svensson added.

Swedish Armed Forces spokesman Marcus Nilsson said it was “utterly important” for Sweden to arrange the drill in the wake of the new coronavirus pandemic to show that “when the society is in a crisis, the defence must be at its strongest”.

“We plan Aurora 20 to be implemented in full force, but our field hospitals will not be used for they are currently being used to support the National Board of Health,” Nilsson told SVT.

Many national and international military exercise across Europe have been called off in the past weeks amid the spread of coronavirus, most notably Norway's Cold Response.

Plans to proceed with the drill amid the raging coronavirus pandemic have sparked a strong reaction. The International Women's Association for Peace and Freedom called to cancel the drill, claiming that it endangered people's safety through an even greater spread of infection.

“The perception of security must be broadened. You can't throw a grenade at COVID-19, weapons can't protect us”, its Secretary General Elin Liss  wrote in an opinion piece in Expressen, advocating for the drill to be scrapped.

Calls to cancel the drill were also published in the local press, including Kristianstadsbladet.

Sweden currently has 5,466 registered COVID-19 cases, and has witnessed 282 fatalities. Compared with the rest of Europe, Sweden has  chosen a different approach to tackling the coronavirus epidemic, imposing only voluntary restrictions as opposed to obligatory lockdowns. With only a few restraints in place, such as a limit on gatherings of over 50 people, Sweden largely continues to run as usual, with schools and preschools still open.

Meanwhile, the worldwide number of confirmed cases of the coronavirus disease that originated in the Chinese province of Hubei has exceeded one million, with about 55,000 fatalities.

More on covid19....what more to be ironed out!!

Am very happy that at least now people have adhered to the carfew..but there are some things that still make me worry or worried!!!

1. We are supposed to use masks and hand gloves..but the question now is, how long should a mask be used??? Am seeing people removing a mask and then later putting it on even many go with one mask for more than two days!!! Is this good?? Doctors should be ready to explain this!!!!

2.There are these cargo vehicles that you have allowed to carry on with activities..but are you aware that at some border points , especially DRC vehicles come from as far as goma to come and load cargo here in Uganda.. and worse of it all,these trucks usually come with more than two people,Ugandan trucks that ferry goods to DRC has got a tendency of even picking people to act as turnboys and they usually pick different people!!! Don't you think this presents a danger to our village communities??? Besides there are some people who have been allowed to carry on activities of buying goods on behalf of Congolese,I hear and I see a group of people on both Ugandan side and DRC side who are free to come to uganda to act as middle men between DRC business men and uganda business men,How sure are we that such people take precautions in heed to protect themselves?? If some business men are from far districts in DRC,how sure are we that such middlemen do not interact with them and do we know the status of such people and the area they come from.??

3..Am begging the gorvenment to make sure that  ,they take extra measures to protect the virus from getting to our villages,because with villages that do not have easy access to clean water, it who have no ability to stock enough food...etc if it gets there it willwbe too terrible and that's what most anti gorvenment groups want!

4.Gorvenment must set up shops in villages that will be selling goods at cheap price to the poor,I think the UPDF has done it in setting up shops to sell building materials and other things to its soldiers at a subsidized cost... Gorvenment can emulate such a program so that from these shops established at a subcounty or select a patriot to run such shops or must be run by a UPDF soldier preferably from SFC...am sorry that I do not trust any Ugandan anymore for most of them are opportunists who do not care about Uganda and Ugandan....
I have been hearing MPs saying that they want money to help the locals,really is this what they are supposed to demand at such a time? I think they have been working,why can't they establish such shops,and am sure that they can afford it using their money,,why they demand money from gorvenment is just to show the public that they are working,they on selfishly think that if gorvenment takes it up alone they will be taken as if they neglected the people who voted them?? If the RDC and the team are doing it,why do they demand such money??? I suspect some selfishness on their side...
.... otherwise,am happy at how some RDCs are really working to see thus virus contained.....


For God and my country..

Israel defence forces have taken up activities to fight covid19

The IDF did not specify the location of the manufacturing center. However, a day earlier, Israeli media reported that that the Tank Rehabilitation and Maintenance Center in Tel Shahomer outside Tel Aviv has begun production of 1,400 pairs of protective goggles per day in a bid to reduce protective facemask shortages.

Ordinarily, the facility produces Israel’s Merkava tanks, as well as other armoured vehicles, and communications equipment for the ground forces. The order to convert its capacity was given in late March, with other military facilities, including a vehicle factory in Haifa, now producing equipment to help fight COVID-19.

Israel’s military has joined the rest of the country in being forced to take measures against the COVID-19 outbreak, with multiple senior generals quarantined after attending a meeting where a reserves commander testing positive for the virus participated. On Wednesday, the military issued a statement that IDF Chief of Staff Aviv Kochavi tested negative for the virus, but would remain in isolation.

Despite the preventative measures, the IDF has continued limited military and training operations, engaging in air Force drills with US jets late last month, and allegedly taking part in fresh strikes against Syria late Tuesday, firing missiles at targets in Homs region.

Amid efforts to contain the virus, Israel’s economy has been hit hard, with nearly quarter of hours claiming unemployment benefits in March amid the shutdown. At the same time, observers have warned that any further tightening of lockdown measures could lead to over 140 billion sheckels ($39 billion) in lost GDP, and a potential explosion

in suicide rates, crime and violence.

Darvaza crater,The alleged gates to HELL

n 1971, Soviet engineers headed to the Karakum desert in Turkmenistan to look for natural resources. Little did they know that they would create an area that would become one of the most interesting tourist attractions in the world and a topic for conspiracy theories.
That same year, Soviet engineers set up a drilling rig in the hope of finding oil. However, preliminary works revealed that the site was a huge gas reserve. Soon the ground beneath the drilling rig collapsed, creating an enormous crater that is 69 metres wide and 30 metres deep. Fearing that the crater could release gases, which may poison nearby towns, they decided to set the area alight. They thought that the whole process of burning off the dangerous gases would take no more than a few weeks.
But 50 years after its discovery the Darvaza crater, which has since earned the nickname the Gates of Hell or Door to Hell, is still burning, though the flames have somewhat decreased.

The US Space Force announced in a press release that its space surveillance radar site, known as the 'Space Fence', is now operational after five years of construction.

The surveillance radar, capable of tracking tiny objects in low Earth orbit, took five years to complete and was said to cost $1.5 billion.
The US Space Force announced in a press release that its space surveillance radar site, known as the 'Space Fence', is now operational after five years of construction.
The ground-based radar, located on Kwajalein Island in the Republic of the Marshall Islands, will be used for tracking small objects in low Earth orbit and provide search capability for objects at higher orbits. All data it gathers will be delivered to the military's Space Surveillance Network, currently said to be tracking over 25,000 objects.
“Space Fence is revolutionizing the way we view space by providing timely, precise orbital data on objects that threaten both manned and unmanned military and commercial space assets,” Chief of Space Operations Gen. John Raymond said.
The Pentagon claims that its so-called Space Fence provides precise positional data for what it refers to as 'Space Domain Awareness' to maintain an accurate and up-to-date catalog of space objects, ensure orbital safety and provide early warnings for conjunction events and indications of potential threats, the US Space Force noted in their press release.
On 26 March, the US Space Force launched an Atlas V rocket, its first stage powered by a Russian-made RD-180 engine.
The Space Force remains a part of the Air Force, but it is set to become the sixth branch of the US armed forces alongside the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines and Coast Guard.

The first US service member stationed inside the Pentagon was tested positive for COVID-19 on 26/3/2020

In a Wednesday release , the Department of Defense (DoD) explained that the “Marine is in isolation at his home and will undergo further assessment by health professionals. His last day in the Pentagon was March 13.”
The release also notes that the Marine followed both US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines and DoD directives and isolated himself when an immediate family member started showing symptoms of the novel coronavirus.
“His workspace has been cleaned by a Pentagon response team, and a thorough contact investigation is underway to mitigate risk and preserve the health of the workforce at the Pentagon,” the statement adds.
The Pentagon on Wednesday also raised the military's health protection level on all DoD installations globally to the second-highest setting, known as “Charlie,” as the number of COVID-19-positive service members continues to increase.
Under the Charlie designation, large-scale meetings at some DoD installations will be canceled, people's temperatures will need to be taken before they are allowed into military buildings, and some entrances to buildings will be restricted, Pentagon spokesperson Alyssa Farah told reporters Wednesday.
According to Military.com , there are at least 227 coronavirus cases among US forces and a total of 435 cases within the DoD. On Sunday, the first COVID-19 death within the DoD was announced. The patient was a department contractor based in Crystal City, Virginia.

The Philippine Department of Health said that 343 new cases have been recorded in the country in the past 24 hours, taking the tally to 1,418. The death toll stands at 71.
An aircraft destined for Tokyo, Japan with eight passengers and crew members on board has crashed near Ninoy Aquino International Airport, Manila, Philippines, Manila's main airport said. The flight was reportedly chartered by the Philippine government to evacuate a patient to Tokyo.
The Manila International Airport Authority has confirmed the accident, which it said took place at the end of the airport's Runway 24.
The plane was carrying three medical personnel, three crew members, a patient and a companion, Senator and Head of the Philippine Red Cross Richard Gordon said on Twitter.
The plane caught fire and exploded as it was taking off the NAIA runway 24.
— Richard J. Gordon (@DickGordonDG) March 29, 2020
Social media users have shared photos and videos of the plane. Fire crews were promptly dispatched to douse the plane with foam.
Shocks! Just in Airplane crash at NAIA Rwy 24 Lion Air aircraft registration RPC-5880 carrying Med supplies pic.twitter.com/Vkkv087Qx8
— s h é r ✈️ (@pursherrr) March 29, 2020
Plane burns in NAIA @gmanews (video from source) pic.twitter.com/YLh6sYWj7W
— Joseph Morong 🇵🇭 (@Joseph_Morong)
March 29, 2020
CTTO pic.twitter.com/eVD3wZB0yn
— ahitpogi 🔪 (@after_shave) March 29, 2020
Globally, more than 684,000 people have contracted the COVID-19 disease since the outbreak began in China in late December. Over 32,000 have died of virus-related complications.