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Els Torreele

Els Torreele

@elstorreele.bsky.social

620 followers 660 following 120 posts

Interested in Shifting Powers towards Health Equity, Economic Justice, post-Finance Capitalism, Climate Justice, Equitable Access to Medicines and Vaccines, and a better future for all of us. Founding Director of æqua.

Environmental science 28%

Economics 20%

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Els Torreele @elstorreele.bsky.social · Dec 5

As feared, the UK government remained blind and deaf to warnings from health advocates and scientific community to not give into US and Pharma demands for higher drug prices. @martinmckee.bsky.social and I explain how bad this surrender is for public health @bmj.com
www.bmj.com/content/391/...

Who are the winners and losers of the UK-US pharma deal—it depends which side you believe

Behind the UK’s “landmark” pharma deal with the US lies a costly surrender, with higher drug prices, weaker safeguards, and vague promises of investment, write Els Torreele and Martin McKee When the...

Els Torreele @elstorreele.bsky.social · 8h

The limits of tolerant democracy... allowing anti-European, anti-democratic, blatantly lying extremists to voice their untruths and undermine public trust and our social fabric @the heart of Europe's democratic institutions...
Paid for by our tax payer money.

Joey Grostern @joeygrostern.bsky.social · 3d

🔴 NEW - MAGA Gathers in European Parliament to Attack EU Laws

The European far-right rubbed shoulders with pro-Trump groups in Brussels.

I was in the room so you didn’t have to be (and be glad you weren’t)

For @desmog.com

www.desmog.com/2026/02/06/m...

MAGA Gathers in European Parliament to Attack EU Laws

BRUSSELS – Groups aligned with Donald Trump’s administration rallied against “online censorship” and “extreme environmentalism” as they took to the stage at an event held in the heart of the European ...

Reposted by Els Torreele

EPSU @epsu.bsky.social · 9h

“Made in Europe” sounds simple. But it could decide who gets billions in public money - and on what conditions.

As EU leaders gather to discuss the label, @jwgoudriaan.bsky.social explains why it must come with strong social, labour and tax rules.

Read more 👇 www.socialeurope.eu/made-in-euro...

Pop-art style illustration of a woman with red lipstick looking surprised beside a yellow speech bubble reading “MADE IN EUROPE”, on a blue starry background.

Reposted by Raffaella Ravinetto, Els Torreele

Al Jazeera English @aljazeera.com · 10h

This is a breaking news story.

Two babies among 53 people dead or missing after boat capsizes off Libya

Shipwreck brings number people reported dead or missing on Central Mediterranean route this year to at least 484.

www.aljazeera.com

Reposted by Els Torreele

Caroline @Ka81 @ka81.bsky.social · 11h

In case you missed it this ⬇️ It is still going on. Weirdly in a era where people are asking if a machine can be a person whilst simultaneously treating people like machines. Having to ask questions about both.

It's weird times guys.

www.theguardian.com/technology/2...

‘It’s destroyed me completely’: Kenyan moderators decry toll of training of AI models

Employees describe the psychological trauma of reading and viewing graphic content, low pay and abrupt dismissals

www.theguardian.com

Reposted by Els Torreele

East Anglia Bylines @eastangliabylines.co.uk · 12h

A senior MoD official helps shape defence strategy, then joins Palantir.

Months later, Palantir lands a £240m MoD contract without tender.

No laws broken – just the revolving door doing what it does best.

The great Ministry of Defence-to-Palantir pipeline

Senior defence officials are moving into Palantir roles as the company secures ever-deeper footholds across government

eastangliabylines.co.uk

Reposted by Els Torreele, Mark Priestley

The Citizens @the-citizens.bsky.social · 12h

Today MPs will debate Russian interference in our politics and democracy.

This is why a full inquiry is still necessary 👉 citizensreunited.substack.com/p/britain-st...

Britain still hasn't looked

A democracy that won’t investigate its own weaknesses - is a weak democracy. Let’s make sure Parliament doesn’t look away again.

citizensreunited.substack.com

Reposted by James M. Bullock, Els Torreele

Greenpeace EU @greenpeace.eu · 13h

📍HAPPENING NOW

@xrbelgium.bsky.social and activists from Greenpeace Belgium are blocking the offices of CEFIC, the European chemicals lobby group

‼️ 50 activists have declared the area a climate crime scene!

Extinction Rebellion activists block the entrance to CEFIC in Brussels with signs reading "CEFIC = TOXIC LOBBY", "AREA CLOSED", "CEFIC, COUNCIL FOR ECOCIDE, FAMINE AND IRREVERSIBLE COLLAPSE"

Reposted by Els Torreele

Ellen Coyne @ellenmcoyne.bsky.social · 13h

Big tech companies have been lobbying EU justice commissioner Michael McGrath, in advance of his bringing forward a law that could crack down on addictive apps and targeted online advertising.

www.irishtimes.com/politics/202...

Tech firms lobby EU commissioner Michael McGrath in advance of law targeting addictive apps

Proposal would include crackdown on design geared to encourage compulsive behaviour and ‘unfair personalisation’ in adverts

www.irishtimes.com

Nick Pettigrew @nick-pettigrew.bsky.social · 22h

I'm convinced AI is our generation's radium - a discovery with genuinely useful applications in specific, controlled circumstances that we stupidly put in everything from kid's toys to toothpaste until we realised the harm far too late where future generations will ask if we were out of our minds.

Dan Nguyen @dancow.bsky.social · 23h

VC, founder, dumbass

@Nick_Davidov
Asked Claude Cowork organize my wife's desktop, it stated doing it, asked for a permission to delete temp office files, I granted it, and then it goes "ooops"
Turns out it tried renaming and accidentally deleted a folder with all of the photos my wife made on her camera for the last 15 years. All photos of kids, their illustrations, friends' weddings, travel, everything.
It's not in trash, it was done via terminal It's not in iCloud, it already synced the new file structure.
She didn't have Time Machine.
Disc recovery tools can't see anything.
I called Apple and they pointed me to a feature in iCloud allowing to retrieve files that were saved before but are no longer on iCloud Drive (they keep them for 30 days).
I'm now watching it load tens of thousands of files. I nearly had a heart attack.

Nick Davidov • @Nick_Davidov
VC, founder, DVC.ai - backing repeat founders with a community of 200 engineers. e/acc/OSS. Perplexity, Higgsfield, Animation, Etched. Husband to @msdavidova

Reposted by Els Torreele

Gil Durán @gilduran.com · 1d

You Don't Need Democracy If You Don't Have People.

@quinnslobodian.com and I discuss the tech billionaire dream of "capitalism without democracy."

Quinn's work helped inspire my own, so it was great to finally chat! He's been leading the way on this topic.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=U1om...

You Don't Need Democracy If You Don't Have People: Quinn Slobodian's Warning

YouTube video by The Nerd Reich with Gil Duran

www.youtube.com

Reposted by Els Torreele

Tom dB @deadlyhifi.com · 1d

A great article about the EU digital fairness act on addictive design and the big tech industry’s 900 Brussels-based lobbyists fighting against it.

corporateeurope.org/en/2026/02/a...

Addicted to the algorithm: how Big Tech lobbies to keep us hooked on social media | Corporate Europe Observatory

As the EU prepares the Digital Fairness Act to tackle the addictive nature of social media design, big tech aggressively protects its business models. With Trumpists and far-right allies likely to joi...

corporateeurope.org

Reposted by Susan Young, Els Torreele

Christopher Webb @cwebbonline.com · 1d

NEW WINTER OLYMPIC SPORT: synchronized snow blowing. 🤷🏽‍♂️

Reposted by Els Torreele

Madhu Pai, MD, PhD @madhupai.bsky.social · 1d

Everytime I teach global health these days, young people express their dismay at the state of the world and the pathetic leadership we see in most places

They invariably ask me, "What can we do??"

These days, I go prepared with this list (slide below that anyone is welcome to use)

A slide showing that students can do about the state of the world these days:

•Peaceful protests (but only one of many ways)
•Write letters (or call) to your elected leaders and reps
•Vote in local, provincial and national elections
•Run for office
•Write op-eds or letters in media
•Post on social media & follow inspiring people
•Get involved in your local community, volunteer for NGOs
•Donate money (even tiny $) to good causes
•Take courses
•Read, read, and read more (especially history)
•Listen to podcasts, watch inspiring films
•Do art, poetry, theatre, film, dance, sing – joy is resistance
•Go outdoors & reconnect with nature
•Rest when you need to - rest is resistance

Reposted by Els Torreele

MeidasRick 🇺🇸🇺🇦🇨🇦🇬🇱💙🐸 @sgtrick.bsky.social · 1d

A plea to our allies in Canada, the EU, UK, and everywhere else. It will send a VERY clear message to this regime that we are fighting so we can restore OUR democracy, and the freedoms of everyone, everywhere.

Reposted by Els Torreele

Javier Padilla @javierpadillab.bsky.social · 2d

“No se deben anunciar hallazgos básicos realizados en ratones como si el paso a la curación en humanos fuese inmediato”.

Esa frase de hace 15 años está ahora más vigente que nunca.

Muy recomendable este articulo de @manuelansede.bsky.social en @elpais.com

elpais.com/ciencia/2026...

La verdadera historia detrás de “la primera terapia efectiva contra el cáncer de páncreas” de Mariano Barbacid

La empresa del bioquímico, Vega Oncotargets, ha rebajado su eslogan después de las falsas expectativas generadas por el anuncio de un prometedor experimento con 45 ratones ‘curados’

Reposted by Els Torreele

Derek Beres @derekberes.bsky.social · 2d

2 new MAHA-approved bills would force insurance companies to cover supplements and shield homeopathic manufacturers from liability while allowing them to make more health claims.

This is what Kennedy has always been aiming for.

www.conspirituality.net/episodes/brief-maha-is-a-supplements-grift

Brief: MAHA is a Supplements Grift — Conspirituality

Two new MAHA-approved bills would force insurance companies to cover supplements and shield homeopathic manufacturers from any liability while allowing them to make more health claims. As Derek argues...

www.conspirituality.net

Reposted by Els Torreele

Jonathan Howard @joho.bsky.social · 2d

Listen to RFK lie about the MMR killing kids.

Reposted by Els Torreele

Sarah Emily Duff @sarahemilyduff.bsky.social · 2d

‘About 80% of data-annotation and content moderation workers are drawn from rural, semi-rural or marginalised backgrounds. Firms deliberately operate from smaller cities and towns, where rents and labour costs are lower, and a growing pool of first-generation graduates are seeking jobs.’

‘In the end, you feel blank’: India’s female workers watching hours of abusive content to train AI

Women in rural communities describe trauma of moderating violent and pornographic content for global tech companies

www.theguardian.com

Reposted by Els Torreele

Soraya Nadia McDonald @sorayanadiamcdonald.com · 2d

Fuck these fucking thieves

Anthropic Knew the Public Would Be Disgusted by How It Was Destroying Physical Books, Secret Documents Reveal

Newly unsealed documents suggest that Anthropic was well aware that destroying books to train its AI would look bad.

Reposted by Jennifer Bussell, Rosemary A. Joyce, Rita Rubin , and 8 more Jennifer Bussell, Rosemary A. Joyce, Rita Rubin, Lesley A. Hall, Justin Lewis, Scott A. Imberman, Els Torreele, Melanie Simms, Erin O’Donnell, Catherine J. Frieman, Nicole Guenther Discenza

Nome @nome.bsky.social · 2d

Just because good news is worth celebrating:

There is now a Prep medication that is an *every six month* injection.

HIV has, effectively, a vaccination.

Reposted by Jonathan Wolff, Rosemary A. Joyce, Michael Zimmer , and 6 more Jonathan Wolff, Rosemary A. Joyce, Michael Zimmer, Stephen D. Murphy, Els Torreele, Paul Nightingale, Federica Genovese, Thomas E. Murray, Olúfẹ́mi Táíwò

Scott Patrick, PhD @neimanmarxist.bsky.social · 2d

This is bleak: Jes Staley, currently CEO of Barclays, reassuring Epstein that popular revolt against financial elites is unlikely because capitalism and pop culture have defanged social movements, leaving people more invested in consumption than justice.

Reposted by Els Torreele

Joey Grostern @joeygrostern.bsky.social · 3d

🔴 NEW - MAGA Gathers in European Parliament to Attack EU Laws

The European far-right rubbed shoulders with pro-Trump groups in Brussels.

I was in the room so you didn’t have to be (and be glad you weren’t)

For @desmog.com

www.desmog.com/2026/02/06/m...

MAGA Gathers in European Parliament to Attack EU Laws

BRUSSELS – Groups aligned with Donald Trump’s administration rallied against “online censorship” and “extreme environmentalism” as they took to the stage at an event held in the heart of the European ...

Reposted by Fabián Muniesa, Els Torreele

DeSmog @desmog.com · 3d

🔴 NEW - MAGA Gathers in European Parliament to Attack EU Laws

The European far-right rubbed shoulders with pro-Trump groups in Brussels.

📝 @joeygrostern.bsky.social

MAGA Gathers in European Parliament to Attack EU Laws

BRUSSELS – Groups aligned with Donald Trump’s administration rallied against “online censorship” and “extreme environmentalism” as they took to the stage at an event held in the heart of the European ...

Reposted by Stephan Lewandowsky, Gerald Friedman, Els Torreele

Carole Cadwalladr @carolecadwalla.bsky.social · 3d

NEW: Trump's coup is almost complete. And the attack on the press is a central piece of it. Bezos's gutting of the Washington Post cannot be allowed to be just another blip in the news cycle.

We are all going to have to fight for a free and independent press.
open.substack.com/pub/broligar...

Fuck Bezos. The Washington Post can and must rise again.

open.substack.com

Reposted by Aaron Sojourner, Richard Larouche, Els Torreele , and 1 more Aaron Sojourner, Richard Larouche, Els Torreele, José Antonio Noguera

Brent Toderian @brenttoderian.bsky.social · 3d

“In Finland, the number of homeless people has fallen sharply. Those affected receive a small apartment & counselling with no preconditions. 4 out of 5 people affected make their way back to a stable life. And all this is CHEAPER than accepting homelessness.”

IT SAVES PUBLIC MONEY to house people.

Finland ends homelessness and provides shelter for all in need - scoop.me

In Finland, the number of homeless people has fallen sharply. Why? The country applies the "Housing First" concept agains homelessness.

Reposted by Naomi Klein, Mel Bartley, Patrick Dunleavy , and 2 more Naomi Klein, Mel Bartley, Patrick Dunleavy, Els Torreele, Nick Hubble

Byline Times @bylinetimes.bsky.social · 4d

"If Mandelson's links to Jeffrey Epstein disqualifies him from holding power, why does the company controlled by Epstein's business partner and co-owner retain access to the UK's most sensitive national security infrastructure?"

Peter Thiel. Jeffrey Epstein. Palantir. The UK Government.

Jeffrey Epstein Co-Owned Venture Fund with Palantir Founder as it Entered UK Government

The Russian connected convicted sex trafficker co-owned a fund with Peter Thiel, now embedded in Britain’s most critical infrastructure with the help of Peter Mandelson

bylinetimes.com

Reposted by Jussi T. Eronen, Els Torreele

Shobita Parthasarathy @shobitap.org · 8d

“Rather than viewing technological innovation as unidirectional, developed by researchers to benefit the public, we should reimagine it as a collective enterprise grounded in community”—my take on how we might repair public trust in science, in @science.org 👇🏽

Repairing trust in science requires a more inclusive understanding of innovation

These are extraordinarily challenging times for university researchers across the United States. After decades of government largess based on the idea that a large and well-financed research ecosystem...

www.science.org

Reposted by Richard Dien Winfield, Gerald Friedman, Stacy D. VanDeveer , and 8 more Richard Dien Winfield, Gerald Friedman, Stacy D. VanDeveer, Els Torreele, Michael D. McDonald, Jo Littler, Christina Pagel, Manisha Sinha, Colin Woodard, David Darmofal, Steven H. Seggie

Laleh Khalili @lalehkhalili.bsky.social · 9d

The director of Melania movie

Reposted by Els Torreele

RichardJR @electricbluesfan.bsky.social · 9d

1/13
🇺🇸 🇨🇦 #TRUMP PREPARES TO BREAK #CANADA 🇨🇦 🇺🇸

Since Davos, the attacks have been relentless.

#Tariffs, military threats, and overt support for #Alberta #Separatism.

👉 The message is clear: Trump wants to make an example of us. 👈

Andrew Coyne reports
#CdnPoli #Trade #PolitiSky #SkyPolitics

Reposted by Els Torreele, Catherine M. Hulshof

Scott Galloway @profgalloway.com · 9d

Trump cares most about the markets. The best strategy is to opt out.

We’re asking you to join a monthlong national economic strike targeting tech and AI companies. www.resistandunsubscribe.com