(2020-02-06). Pope Francis endorses wealth redistribution, calls for an end to tax cuts for the 'richest people'. rt.com 
Pope Francis blasted the practice of tax cuts for the rich as part of a "structure of sin" and lamented the fact that "billions of dollars" end up in "tax haven accounts" instead of funding "healthcare and education." | Speaking at the seminar set up by the Pontifical Academy for Social Sciences the Pope criticized "the richest people" for receiving "repeated tax cuts" in the name of "investment and development." These "tax haven accounts" impede "the possibility of the dignified and sustained development of all social agents," claims the Pope. | He added that "the poor increase around us" as poverty is rising…
(2020-02-06). 10 MORE people diagnosed with coronavirus aboard cruise ship quarantined off Japan with 3,700 passengers & crew. rt.com 
Ten additional passengers aboard a cruise ship quarantined off the coast of Japan have tested positive for coronavirus, just one day after 10 others on the vessel were confirmed to have the illness. | Around 3,700 people face at least two weeks of quarantine aboard the cruise ship — the Diamond Princess, now docked at the port of Yokohama — as health screenings continue. Those with symptoms have been moved to medical facilities for treatment. | Only a fraction of the ship's passengers have undergone tests so far, making it unclear whether more cases will be detected, with 10 of the 71 test results re…
(2020-02-06). Russia praises China for transparent coronavirus updates. rt.com 
Moscow welcomes the prompt and transparent information exchange with China on the new coronavirus outbreak, said Deputy Minister of Digital Development, Communications and Mass Media, Aleksey Volin. | "China is providing transparent updates on developments around the new coronavirus outbreak. Every day they report the number of new cases, deaths and recoveries, detailing their steps to fight the epidemic. There is enough information to gauge the real picture," Volin said in an interview to Russia-China: Top News. | Volin stressed that the transparency and verifiability of the coronavirus-related updates is bei…
(2020-02-06). Jeremy Hunt's new role 'holding the government to account' on health policy is a sick joke. thecanary.co Rather quietly, Jeremy Hunt has sidled back towards the political limelight, with a new role in parliament. But it's one that says so much about the rot in our political system. | In 2016, Hunt But now, Hunt…
(2020-02-06). As number of cases soars, researchers announce potential coronavirus vaccine. wsws.org Drug companies are cautioning that vaccine manufacturing is a slow, methodical process.
(2020-02-06). Why Doctors Are Fighting Their Professional Organization Over Medicare for All. thenation.com Why Doctors Are Fighting Their Professional Organization Over Medicare for All…
(2020-02-06). Chinese Coronavirus: There'll Be No Pandemic. sputniknews.com The 2019-nCov coronavirus outbreak continues to make headlines throughout the world. According to China's National Health Commission, more than 24,000 people have been infected in the country. Outside of China, 159 confirmed cases of the virus have been recorded in more than 20 countries, Nearly 500 people, total, have died.
(2020-02-06). Malaysia Confirms First Coronavirus Case Via Human-to-Human Transmission – Reports. sputniknews.com BANGKOK (Sputnik) – The first case of coronavirus infection via human-to-human transmission was detected inside Malaysia, and the total number of cases of the virus in the country reached 14, the media reported on Thursday, citing Health Minister Dzulkefly Ahmad.
(2020-02-06). Vietnam total confirmed coronavirus cases rise to 12. yenisafak.com Both the new cases are Vietnamese nationals from the northern province of Vinh Phuc and had close contact with previously detected patients, the health ministry said in a statement.The death toll in China from the coronavirus outbreak has exceeded 500.
(2020-02-06). ISS 61st expedition successfully lands in Kazakhstan. yenisafak.com Three crew members of the 61st expedition to the International Space Station (ISS) successfully landed in Kazakhstan on Thursday.A capsule with Russian cosmonaut Aleksandr Skvortsov, U.S. NASA astronaut Christina Koch and Italian astronaut Luca Parmitano from the European Space Agency made touchdown in the Kazakh steppe 147 kilometers (91 miles) from the city of Jezkazgan, the Russian Mission Control Center said in a statement.The landing went smoothly and the crew members' general physical and mental health is in good condition, it said.During the 126-day expedition of the 61st expedition, Christina Koch set a n…
(2020-02-05). Dossier 25: People's Polyclinics: The initiative of the Telugu communist movement. mronline.org 
Under the shadow of the Charter of the United Nations (1945) and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948), countries are obliged to guarantee the right to health. The 1946 Constitution of the World Health Organisation (WHO) defines health as 'a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of […] |
(2020-02-05). Medics oppose restricting NI abortion to 'arbitrary' points before 24 weeks. thecanary.co 
Restricting abortion access to "arbitrary" points before 24 weeks in the north of Ireland will only create barriers for women, healthcare workers said.Nobody must be excluded from reforms legalising the procedure, medical professionals and campaigners including Amnesty International said.Unrestricted terminations would be available in the north of Ireland up to 12 or 14 weeks under government proposals.Nobody must be excluded from reforms legalising the procedure, medical professionals and campaigners including Amnesty International's Grainne Teggart said (Liam McBurney/PA)A joint submission by midwives and obste…
(2020-02-05). 'The best is yet to come'? Defiant Trump doubles down in campaign rally-style State of the Union speech. rt.com 
Teased as "low key," US President Donald Trump's annual address to Congress was anything but, with several unprecedented symbolic gestures and a powerful assertion of American triumphalism that put his critics on the back foot. | Trump did not mention impeachment once in the 90-minute speech on Tuesday evening. Instead, he turned his persuasion skills up to eleven, painting a picture of America with a booming economy and infinite opportunities brought about by his administration, and contrasting that with Democrat proposals such as socialized healthcare and sanctuaries for illegal immigrants. | Amid the sta…
(2020-02-05). The US Is 'in Denial' About Levels of Poverty: Ocasio-Cortez. telesurenglish.net Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC) testified Wednesday before her House committee about the United States government's intentional denial to acknowledge how many U.S. citizens are living in poverty. | RELATED: | AOC joined several anti-poverty campaigners in testifying at a hearing on the effects of U.S. President Donald Trump's policies on child poverty, hunger, homelessness, and healthcare. | She called on the…
(2020-02-05). Female Genital Mutilation costs $1.4 billion annually: UN health agency. news.un.org Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) poses serious risks to the health and well-being of women and girls, but it also exacts a crippling economic toll, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
(2020-02-05). Palestinian Teen Shot Dead by Israeli Forces in Hebron. imemc.org A Palestinian boy identified as Mohammad Salman al-Haddad, 17, was shot and killed, on Wednesday, during confrontations between Palestinian youths and Israeli soldiers in the southern West Bank city of Hebron, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health. Witnesses said clashes broke out in Bab al-Zawiyeh, where the heavily-barricaded Israeli-controlled …
(2020-02-05). $675 million appeal to stop coronavirus in its tracks, as deaths rise. news.un.org The head of the World Health Organization (WHO) appealed on Wednesday for $675 million to boost international measures to counter the new coronavirus epidemic, as deaths from the outbreak neared 500.
(2020-02-05). Israeli Forces Kill Palestinian Teen as Tension Rise Over US Plan. telesurenglish.net Israeli soldiers shot and killed a Palestinian teenager during clashes Wednesday in the occupied West Bank, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health. | RELATED: | "Mohammed al-Haddad, 17, was killed by a bullet that penetrated his heart," the ministry said in a statement. | According to Israel's military spokesman's office, soldiers "identified a Palestinian who hurled a Molotov cocktail at them [and] responded…
(2020-02-05). Putin Praises China's Measures to Stop Novel Coronavirus. telesurenglish.net Russian President Vladimir Putin praised Wednesday China's actions to fight the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) during the ceremony of credentials presentations by ambassadors of 23 countries, the Chinese representative among them. | RELATED: | Putin highlighted that Chinese authorities are taking "decisive and vigorous" measures in order to stop the epidemic, adding that "China and all of us are co…
(2020-02-05). VIDEO: The "Lock Step" Simulation Scenario: "A Coronavirus-like Pandemic that Becomes Trigger for Police State Controls" globalresearch.ca By now, those following the novel coronavirus epidemic are familiar with Event 201, the pandemic
(2020-02-05). Waste and Failure in Cyber Charter Schools. dissidentvoice.org 
While waste, corruption, and failure have plagued the segregated and nontransparent charter school sector for decades, privately-operated-owned cyber charter schools, even by the admission of the most dogmatic supporters of charter schools, are the worst of the worst. The academic performance of cyber charter schools is consistently abysmal; they have a very high failure rate. …
(2020-02-04). 'Why are you voting for Putin?' Tulsi Gabbard supporters harassed at Iowa caucuses. rt.com 
A Tulsi Gabbard supporter was physically attacked with a Sharpie marker and called a Russian terrorist after voicing support for the candidate at an Iowa caucus, one of several reports of Gabbard supporters being "abused." | Caucusing for the Hawaii congresswoman can be hazardous to one's health, if reports from Monday's botched vote in Iowa are any indication. Journalist Dack Rouleau accidentally triggered a supporter of billionaire candidate Tom Steyer into a full-on Jekyll-and-Hyde transformation culminating in physical attack when he casually mentioned that he would be voting for Gabbard. | The man on the…
(2020-02-04). Ocean Conference has potential to be a 'global game-changer'. news.un.org The second global Ocean Conference taking place in Portugal in a few months' time promises to be "a critical moment" for the health of life under water and on land, the President of the UN General Assembly said on Tuesday, as preparations got underway.
(2020-02-04). Coronavirus: UN health agency moves fast to tackle 'infodemic'; Guterres warns against stigmatization. news.un.org The World Health Organization (WHO) has taken steps to ensure that the coronavirus epidemic that has claimed hundreds of lives in central China does not spark a dangerous social media "infodemic" fuelled by false information.
(2020-02-03). Laurie Garrett on How Trump Has Sabotaged America's Response to the Coronavirus Pandemic. democracynow.org 
As the coronavirus outbreak continues to spread, the United States has declared a public health emergency and is barring foreign nationals who have recently traveled to China from entering the country. So far, there are 11 confirmed cases of the virus in the U.S. The virus has claimed at least 361 lives in China. A 44-year-old man in the Philippines became the first casualty of the disease outside of China Saturday, and over the weekend the number of confirmed cases worldwide rose to at least 17,205 across more than two dozen countries, with most of those cases occurring in China. U.S. citizens who have visited H…
(2020-02-03). Tackle 'unacceptable inequalities' in cancer care, saving up to seven million lives, WHO urges. news.un.org Global cancer rates could rise by 60 per cent over the next 20 years unless cancer care is ramped up in low- and middle-income countries, the World Health Organization (WHO) has warned.
(2020-02-03). Syria: UN health agency highlights 'critical health threats' facing Idlib civilians. news.un.org The World Health Organization (WHO) raised the alarm on Monday over critical health threats facing hundreds-of thousands of Syrians forced to flee due to intensified hostilities in Syria's northwest, where health facilities and workers have increasingly come under attack.
(2020-02-02). Marinette, WI: Workers at Aurora Medical Center Bay Area stand up to union busting. fightbacknews.org Marinette, WI – 300 workers at Aurora Medical Center Bay Area in Marinette, Wisconsin are fighting back against management's attacks on their right to organize. These attacks include using the expiration of their contract to cease dues check-off, offering poverty wages, and consistently extending bargaining by conveying misleading and inaccurate information to workers. These tactics are a vicious attack on working people and our ability to provide for our families. | AFSCME Local 3305 represents medical and professional support staff at the hospital, which was purchased by Aurora Health Care Inc. in 2019. Aurora…
(2020-01-31). Headlines for January 31, 2020. democracynow.org Senate Poised to Acquit President Trump in Impeachment Trial, World Health Organization Declares International Public Health Emergency, U.S. Special Envoy Warns of International Crisis in Idlib, Syria, Britain Formally Withdrawing from European Union Tonight, Pentagon Deploys 1st Low-Yield Nuclear Warhead-Armed Submarine, Trump Admin Poised to Loosen Restrictions on Use of Landmines, Human Rights Groups Condemn Mexico for Crackdown on Central American Migrants, Mexican Butterfly Conservationist Found Dead, Bolivia's Movement for Socialism Candidate Luis Arce Returns to Bolivia, U.S. Pushes EU to End Ban on Chemic…
(2020-01-29). South Dakota May Criminalize Lifesaving Healthcare for Trans Youth in Latest Attack on LGBTQ Rights. democracynow.org 
The South Dakota Legislature is expected to debate a bill today that would criminalize gender-affirming surgery for transgender youth. If passed, House Bill 1057 would make it a felony for doctors to provide anyone under the age of 16 with puberty blockers, hormones and other transition-related healthcare. Medical professionals who provide this care could face up to 10 years in prison under the terms of the Republican-backed bill, which was passed in committee last week. On Tuesday, South Dakota introduced another anti-trans bill that would authorize parents to deny gender-affirming treatment to their children. I…
(2020-01-28). What You Need to Know About the Coronavirus Outbreak: A Civil Liberties Perspective. aclu.org The world is watching anxiously to see what happens with the | coronavirus that originated in Wuhan, China. As scientists and public health | officials in the United States learn more about the virus, and as we all see | how bad the outbreak turns out to be, it is important that public policymaking | remain firmly centered around science. | Unfortunately, our history of reactions to infectious | disease outbreaks suggests that if this outbreak becomes severe, we're likely | to see strong pressure to the contrary. In particular, we can expect three | things: | We can expect some to | panic.: | Unfortu…