2020-01-18: News Headlines

RT (2020-01-18). India issues travel advisory out of 'abundant caution' as new coronavirus takes hold in China. rt.com Indians traveling to and from China have been warned of a dangerous new virus on the move in the country, with officials boosting security and health screenings at Indian airports in an effort to catch new cases of the illness. | The emergent coronavirus — related to the lethal SARS pathogen — has struck scores of people across China, hitting the city of Wuhan the hardest, with up to 40 confirmed cases, prompting the Indian Ministry of Health to issue a travel advisory on Friday. | While the World Health Organization has…

RT (2020-01-18). 'I can't do more than what I did': Federer defends himself after being branded 'selfish' amid Australian Open bushfires row. rt.com Tennis star Roger Federer says that he couldn't have done much more to help communication between Australian Open officials and his fellow players as poor air quality due to the Australian bushfires blights the tournament. | Bushfires which have been raging in Australia since September have to date claimed at least 28 lives, destroyed thousands of homes and left millions of acres of land as a barren wasteland in its wake. | But even those not in the direct path of the flames are experiencing trouble due to the fires, including competitors at the Australian Open. | The plumes of smoke have led to poor air quali…

The Canary (2020-01-18). Philippine officials brace for long crisis with simmering volcano. thecanary.co Philippine officials are bracing for a long crisis whether the Taal volcano erupts more disastrously or simmers precariously in the coming weeks and months, as massive numbers of displaced villagers fled to emergency shelters.Health secretary Francisco Duque III said more than 900 villagers who fell ill have been treated, mostly for exposure to volcanic ash, in evacuation sites since the volcano in Batangas province erupted last weekend.About 125,000 people fled from ash-blanketed villages and crammed into hundreds of emergency centres in Batangas alone and many others took shelter in relatives' homes, disaster r…

Staff (2020-01-18). Hunger Striker Nearing Death in ICE Custody: "I Just Want Freedom" truthout.org Doctors and advocates for incarcerated immigrants are demanding that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) release five South Asian asylum seekers on hunger strike at a remote ICE jail in Louisiana, where at least three strikers are being force-hydrated and at least two are being force-fed after refusing to eat and drink for over 75 days. | When a hunger striker's health fails, ICE may obtain a court order to restrain the striker and force fluids and nutrients into their body with tubes, a process hum…

Mark Dudzic (2020-01-18). Take My Benefits — Please! Medicare System in Crisis. globalresearch.ca At the June 2019 House Ways and Means Committee Hearing on Medicare for All, Texas Republican Kevin Murphy lamented, "That great health care plan that your union negotiated for you? It's gone. Banned under Medicare for All." | A right-wing congressman …

WSWS (2020-01-18). Smoke haze from Australian bushfires pose serious public health threat. wsws.org The fine particulates in smoke from fires has been known to contain a toxic mix of chemicals that are a concern to public health.

WSWS (2020-01-18). Rich in US and UK live nearly ten more healthy years than the poor. wsws.org Wealthy men and women generally have eight to nine more years of "disability free" life after age 50 than the poorest American and English adults.

Eds. (2020-01-18). World First: Bank of England unveils climate stress test to banks and insurance companies. mronline.org Tackling climate change isn't just about replacing fossil fuels with renewables, or planting more trees. It's about confronting climate stress across society. | Source

Norman Solomon (2020-01-17). Not Bernie, Us. Not Warren, Us. Their Clash Underscores the Need for Grassroots Wisdom. counterpunch.org The dismal conflict that erupted this week between Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren should never have happened. But now that it has, supporters must provide grassroots leadership to mitigate the dangerous mess. The argument that broke out between Warren and Sanders last weekend and escalated in recent days is already history that threatens to foreshadow More

RT (2020-01-17). Passengers at 3 major US airports to be screened for deadly Chinese VIRUS. rt.com Authorities at major airports in New York and California will screen passengers traveling from the Chinese city of Wuhan gripped by the outbreak of a new deadly pneumonia-like virus, which has since spread to Japan and Thailand. | Starting Friday, passengers from Wuhan who arrive at San Francisco, New York and Los Angeles's main international airports will undergo screening for the symptoms of a novel coronavirus (2019-nCov) that broke out in the Chinese city last month. Officials with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will carry out the checks, along with Customs and Border Protection (CBP)…

Staff (2020-01-17). The Cruelty of US Justice System Exposed in a Single Video. therealnews.com A 19-year-old girl was punished with 9 months in a men's jail for spitting at an officer during a mental health crisis. Video reveals the extreme treatment she received and her exclusive interview reveals how law enforcement officers are badly equipped to treat the mentally ill.

RT (2020-01-17). Happy birthday Mrs. Obama? Trump admin replaces Michelle's 'healthy school lunches' with pretty suspicious timing. rt.com The US Department of Agriculture has announced new rules for school lunches, which could see the fruit and veggies championed by Michelle Obama replaced by pizza and fries. The changes were announced on ex-First Lady's birthday. | USDA Deputy Under Secretary Brandon Lipps revealed the changes on Friday. Aimed at reducing food waste, the new rules will allow schools to cut the amount of fruit and vegetables served at breakfast and lunch, effectively freeing them up to make up the calories wi…

The Canary (2020-01-17). Government threatened with legal action after giving Flybe a £10m 'tax holiday'. thecanary.co Flybe confirmed it has agreed a financial arrangement with HM Revenue and Customs to defer tax payments of "less than £10 million".The government intervention on Tuesday has reportedly saved Flybe from collapse. This deal gives the airline a few more months to pay outstanding taxes.HMRC and the government said all tax arrangements are "confidential" but deferred tax arrangements were common. Flybe added: This is a standard Time to Pay arrangement with HMRC that any business in financial difficulties may use.Lack of transparency: As a result of the decision, rival airlines have complained and are also…

Alan Macleod (2020-01-17). 91% of Peer-Reviewed Papers Find Medicare for All Would Save Public Money, Cover Everyone. mintpressnews.com An analysis of peer-reviewed scientific papers found overwhelming consensus in the conclusion that Medicare for All would indeed save the American taxpayer money.

Brigitte Amiri (2020-01-17). The Supreme Court Takes Up the Issue of Birth Control Coverage — Again. aclu.org The Supreme Court just announced that it will hear | yet another case about the Affordable Care Act's (ACA) birth control coverage | requirement. If you are experiencing déjà vu, you are not alone. Court battles | over the birth control coverage requirement have been raging for almost a | decade. How did we get here? | 2012: | The Birth Control Benefit is Established | Congress passed the Women's Health Amendment to the | ACA to try to close the disparity in health care costs that women have | historically experienced. In 2012, the independent, nonpartisan Institute of | Medicine was tasked with determining wh…

news.un (2020-01-17). Urgent need for 'immediate' solutions to combat drug-resistant infections, warns WHO. news.un.org Drug-resistant infections are on the rise as private investment in new antibiotic development declines, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Friday.

Jared Bernstein, Dean Baker (2020-01-17). Reducing the Health Care Tax. counterpunch.org One of most enduring, economically and socially damaging, downright frustrating facts about life in the United States is how expensive health care is here. Not only does U.S. health care cost far more than in other advanced economies, but compared with the nations that spend less, we have worse or equivalent health outcomes. In fact, More

EOIN (2020-01-17). Biden Accidentally Makes Case for Medicare for All by Admitting Employers Can Take Away Your Insurance—Even If You Like It. commondreams.org Biden Accidentally Makes Case for Medicare for All by Admitting Employers Can Take Away Your Insurance—Even If You Like It | eoin | Fri, 01/17/2020 – 14: 27 | Eoin Higgins, staff writer…

Michele Goodwin (2020-01-16). Arkansas Legislators' Attack on Abortion is Unconstitutional. aclu.org The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled time and again that | reproductive privacy is "central to personal dignity and autonomy, [which] are | central to the liberty protected by" the Constitution. The Court has made | eminently clear that under the Constitution, the right of a pregnant person to | terminate a pregnancy prior to viability is a right so essential to our freedom | that our government cannot ban or impose an undue burden on its exercise. But | despite the long-standing clarity of this principle, reproductive health and rights | continue to come under blistering, unrelenting attack. | Nowhere is this cl…

teleSUR (2020-01-16). 'Sars-Type' Virus Claims 2nd Victim in China, 41 Infected. telesurenglish.net Chinese authorities have reported Thursday a second death from the Wuhan pneumonia, a new sars-like coronavirus that has left dozens of people ill in the central city of Wuhan. | RELATED: | Unicef: 4,000 Killed by Measles Epidemic in DRC This Year | A 69-year-old man, who had fallen ill on Dec. 31, died on Wednesday at the Wuhan Jinyintan Hospital in Hubei province after a two-week illness that progressed to multi-organ system failure, making him the second person to die from the unknow…

Staff (2020-01-15). CNN Attacks Sanders in Iowa Dem Debate. therealnews.com The Warren/Sanders feud is splitting progressives. Can Sanders unite the working class with anti-war policies and Medicare for All?

RT (2020-01-15). VIDEOS show airplane dumping JET FUEL on Los Angeles schools, resulting in 60 injuries. rt.com Sixty people were treated for injuries after a passenger plane dumped jet fuel over several schools while making an emergency landing at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). Videos show the release of the unusual payload. | According to the airline, the Delta jet experienced an engine issue shortly after departing from Los Angeles, and was forced to return quickly to the airport. Following safety procedures, the Boeing 777-200 released fuel in order to reach a safe landing weight. | The excess fuel, however, caused a health emergency among at least six Los Angeles schools, where children found themselves d…

Staff (2020-01-15). Sanders and Warren Openly Spar as Some Progressives Fear Fighting Could Help Centrist Democrats. democracynow.org At Tuesday night's Democratic presidential debate in Des Moines, Iowa, Senators Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren openly sparred for the first time when asked about Warren's claim that Sanders told her in a private 2018 meeting that a woman could not win the presidential election. Sanders again denied the accusation when asked about it by CNN's Abby Phillip. Warren maintained her claim. At the end of the night, Warren also apparently refused to shake Sanders's hand. We speak with journalist Julian Brave NoiseCat, activist and Truthout contributor Alexis Goldstein and Larry Hamm of People's Organization for Prog…

Colin Todhunter (2020-01-15). Gone Fishing? No Fish but Plenty of Pesticides and a Public Health Crisis. dissidentvoice.org There is mounting evidence that a healthy soil microbiome protects plants from pests and diseases. One of the greatest natural assets that humankind has is soil. But when you drench it with proprietary synthetic chemicals or continuously monocrop as part of a corporate-controlled industrial farming system, you can kill essential microbes, upset soil balance and …

Michael Felsen (2020-01-15). Raising the Minimum Wage Can Save Lives. progressive.org A new study in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health suggests a relatively simple way to reduce the number of people who take their own lives: raise the minimum wage.

Alan Macleod (2020-01-15). CNN, Warren's Sexism Jibe Against Sanders Backfires as #CNNisTrash Trends on Twitter. mintpressnews.com CNN has been widely criticized for its perceived bias in moderating yesterday's Democratic presidential debate in Iowa. With just three weeks before the first primaries, six leading candidates descended upon Des Moines last night to take part. But, as with previous debates, much of the public discussion centered on the organization, framing and bias of the organizers and moderators. | CNN asked Bernie Sanders, the most left-leaning of the candidates, if he thought he "owed voters an explanation" on how much his health plan would cost them…

news.un (2020-01-15). Sudan: Lives of traumatized, displaced women in West Darfur under threat. news.un.org Ongoing instability in Sudan's West Darfur region has left the lives, health and safety of thousands of women hanging in the balance, according to the United Nations Population Fund, UNFPA.

news.un (2020-01-14). UN moves to tackle 'hidden abuse' and violence against Europe's children. news.un.org Each year, at least 55 million children in Europe suffer some form of physical, sexual, emotional or psychological violence, the UN health agency (WHO) said on Tuesday.

Ahmed Abdulkareem (2020-01-13). During Yemen's Annual Martyr Week, Anti-American Sentiment Prevails. mintpressnews.com SANA'A, SADAA, YEMEN — As the ongoing war and blockade against their country enters its sixth year, Yemenis are commemorating the annual Martyr Week amid an increasing feeling of hatred and resentment towards the United States, a feeling never seen at this level in the war-torn country. | In Yemen, a country far from the prosperous and bustling United States, the size of cemeteries has increased dramatically in the past five years, with new burial sites springing up to house victims of the weapons supplied by western countries, particularly by the United States, as well as the blockade, hunger, and disease…

Staff (2020-01-13). Democratic Debate: Will Progressives Highlight the Cost of War? therealnews.com Senators Sanders and Warren could have their best opportunity yet to argue that if the U.S. has trillions to pay for war abroad, it can invest in healthcare, education, and infrastructure at home.

news.un (2020-01-13). 'No shortcuts to a healthier world': WHO chief sets out health priorities for the decade. news.un.org The head of the UN health agency, WHO, has set out his urgent global health challenges for the next ten years — designated the "Decade of Action" by the UN General Assembly" — and underscored the importance of investing in public health, in a statement released on Monday.

news.un (2020-01-13). UN health agency urges China to continue search for source of new virus, as Thailand case emerges. news.un.org It is "essential" for China to continue investigating the source of a previously unknown strain of coronavirus, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared on Monday, following confirmation that an infected patient is being treated in Thailand.

Vania Leveille (2020-01-10). Pregnant Workers Are Still Fighting for the Right to Work. aclu.org In 2015, | Michelle Durham, an ACLU client, was faced with an impossible choice: | continue working and risk the health of her pregnancy or give up her paycheck. | She was working | as an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) for Rural/Metro Corporation, a company | in Alabama that provides emergency medical care to people living in areas that | lack basic medical services. Shortly after joining Rural/Metro Corporation in | Alabama, Michelle learned she was pregnant with her first child and was advised | by her health professional not to lift more than 50 pounds. She was confident | the company would grant her a…