2020-02-16: News Headlines

RT (2020-02-16). Houthis say Saudi-led coalition airstrikes in Yemen killed at least 30 people, including women & children. rt.com Strikes carried out by the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen on Saturday left at least 30 dead, according to the health ministry in the Houthi-controlled Al-Jawf province. Women and children were among the casualties, the ministry told a local TV channel according to Reuters. The alleged attack came shortly after the Houthis claimed to have downed a coalition warplane on Friday. Meanwhile, according to Saudi state news agency SPA, a spokesman for the coalition said that a Tornado jet had "crashed." He added that a rescue operation had been launched but declined to go into detail about what may have caused the crash…

RT (2020-02-16). From clothes to condoms: Coronavirus is threatening global consumption in ways you never knew were possible. rt.com China's status as the world's manufacturing powerhouse means the coronavirus epidemic's effects are being felt in some odd places. We've come to terms with no new iPhones, but weirder shortages could upend people's daily lives. | Plummeting iPhone production and a lack of new cars rolling off the assembly line dominated early discussion of coronavirus-induced shortages. But the epidemic currently sweeping China and making determined inroads into over two dozen other countries has forced hundreds of factories to close, affecting dozens of industries. If nothing else, coronavirus has made the world realize that…

Staff (2020-02-16). US-Linked South African "Crisis Pregnancy Centers" Spread Harmful Misinformation. truthout.org A senior South African health official has today vowed action as openDemocracy Supported by US Christian campaigners who claim close links to the Trump White House, around the world these centres appear to offer pregnant women unbiased "advice…

Conn Hallinan (2020-02-16). Irish Elections & Unification. zcomm.org Prospects for unification will have less to do with ancient hatreds than with health care, schools, housing, and jobs.

Staff (2020-02-16). Medicare for All Would Save $450 Billion and Prevent 68,000 Deaths Every Year. truthout.org Sen. Bernie Sanders on Saturday applauded "This study confirms that Medicare for All will save the American people $450 billion on health ca…

teleSUR (2020-02-16). First Coronavirus Death Reported in Taiwan. telesurenglish.net The first person to die from the coronavirus in Taiwan has been reported by the local authorities, putting the death toll closer to 2,000 since the start of the new year. | RELATED: | According to the Taiwanese authorities, a taxi driver has died from the coronavirus, marking the first such death on the island and the fifth fatality outside mainland China from an epidemic that has curbed travel and disrupted global…

sputniknews (2020-02-16). Irish MP Reada Cronin Claimed Mossad Helped Johnson Beat Corbyn, Backtracks on Comments. sputniknews.com Jeremy Corbyn's campaign leading up to the December general election was plagued by accusations of anti-Semitism, relating both to Corbyn himself and his alleged tolerance for the sentiment within party ranks.

Common Dreams staff (2020-02-16). Sanders Applauds New Medicare for All Study: Will Save Americans $450 Billion and Prevent 68,000 Unnecessary Deaths Every Year. commondreams.org Medicare for All will save Americans $450 billion and prevent 68,000 unnecessary deaths each and every year. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files…

The Canary (2020-02-15). Hundreds of people contacted as coronavirus case emerges after bus summit. thecanary.co Health officials have contacted more than 200 people who attended a conference in central London after it emerged one delegate is suffering from coronavirus.Public Health England (PHE) sent a letter to those who were at the UK Bus Summit at the QEII Centre in Westminster on February 6, including several MPs, two of whom have now decided to stay mostly at home.The person taken ill is one of the nine people diagnosed with coronavirus in the UK.Dr Yimmy Chow, consultant in health protection at PHE, said: "One of our main priorities has been to identify any people who we think have been in close contact with confirme…

The Canary (2020-02-15). Johnson under pressure from key allies over Huawei access to UK 5G network. thecanary.co Boris Johnson is coming under renewed pressure from key British allies over his controversial decision to give Chinese tech giant Huawei a role in building the UK's 5G network.A delegation of senior US officials — including Donald Trump's acting chief of staff — are set to fly to London to raise their concerns directly with the Prime Minister, according to the Daily Telegraph.Meanwhile, the Sydney Morning Herald reported that MPs on Australia's intelligence and security committee have pulled out of a visit to the UK next month following a diplomatic row with Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab.Mick Mulvaney,…

WSWS (2020-02-15). John Pilger's The Dirty War on the National Health Service screening on Australia's SBS this Sunday. wsws.org The WSWS urges all our readers to watch this powerful documentary on SBS television, at 8.30 p.m. Sunday night, February 16.

teleSUR (2020-02-15). 'Countries Must Prepare for the Coronavirus Arrival' WHO Warns. telesurenglish.net The RELATED: | "We are concerned about the potential crisis that this coronavirus could cause in countries with weaker health syste…

WSWS (2020-02-15). Coronavirus cases continue to increase and spread internationally. wsws.org The World Health Organization is alarmed about the implications of the virus taking hold in areas where the medical system is vastly ill-prepared.

IMEMC & Agencies (2020-02-15). Health of Imprisoned Cancer Patient Seriously Deteriorated. imemc.org The health condition of Palestinian detainee Mowaffak Orouq, 77, has significantly deteriorated, the Detainees and Ex-Detainees Commission stated Friday. Orouq, a cancer patient in Israeli detention since 2003, is in serious condition as he is in a state of semi-coma, taking only small amounts of liquid and having lost a …

Staff (2020-02-15). Nearly 2 in 5 Women of Reproductive Age May Be Stuck With Catholic Health Care. truthout.org Nearly two in five women of reproductive age may face restricted access to services like abortion, contraception and sterilization, because they happen to live in a county where Catholic hospitals make up a high share of the market, according to In the first-ever study of its kind, researchers analyzed patient discharge data in almost every U.S. county to determin…

news.un (2020-02-15). 'This is a time for facts, not fear,' says WHO chief as COVID-19 virus spreads. news.un.org The head of the World Health Organization (WHO) on Saturday cautioned against panic over COVID-19 but also urged governments to step up their efforts to prepare for the virus, saying "it's impossible to predict which direction this epidemic will take."

Zach D. Roberts (2020-02-15). New Hampshire 2020: This is just the beginning. nationofchange.org "This is a democracy problem. Yes, Donald Trump is a great threat to our way of life… but the reality is that he is a symptom of a larger disease."

Russell Mokhiber (2020-02-14). NPR and the Escalating Attack on Single-Payer Health Care. counterpunch.org National Public Radio's Mara Liasson this weekend entered a new term into the corporate liberal establishment's attack on single payer healthcare. Mandatory Medicare for All. As in — do you want Bernie Sanders' Mandatory Medicare for All — or Mayor Pete Buttigieg's Voluntary Medicare for Those Who Want It? It was the first time that

Conn Hallinan (2020-02-14). Irish unification back on agenda after election, but it won't be simple. peoplesworld.org The victory by Ireland's left-wing Sinn Fein Party in the Republic's recent election has not only overturned some 90 years of domination by the island's two center-right parties, it suddenly puts the issue of Irish reunification on the agenda. While the campaign was fought over bread and butter issues like housing, the collapsing health care …

Staff (2020-02-14). Virus Cases Rise as Experts Question China's Numbers. truthdig.com BEIJING — Infections and deaths from the new virus in China ballooned for a second straight day Friday, on paper at least, as officials near the epicenter of the outbreak struggled to keep up with a backlog of patients' lab work. | The acceleration in cases was not necessarily an indicator of a surge in the illness known as COVID-19 because the hardest-hit province of Hubei and its capital of Wuhan changed the way it counted cases. But public health experts wrestled with what exactly could be deduced from the numbers given the shift in approach. | "If you change the way you count cases, that obviously confo…

Special to People's World (2020-02-14). Sanders says his health plan would protect culinary workers in Nevada. peoplesworld.org WASHINGTON — Sen. Bernie Sanders on Thursday issued a statement saying his Medicare for All plan would protect the benefits workers with good union-negotiated health plans currently have. He issued the statement after Culinary Workers Union Local 226 announced it would not endorse in the 2020 Nevada Democratic caucus: "I very much appreciate the struggle …

Alan Macleod (2020-02-14). Coronavirus: Media and Politicians Take Anti-China Fear Mongering to New Levels. mintpressnews.com Despite praise from the World Health Organization for its handling of the coronavirus, China has been derided by Western media and politicians alike over nearly every aspect of its response.

news.un (2020-02-14). Newly licensed vaccine, 'milestone in the fight' against Ebola in Africa, UN health agency. news.un.org Four countries in Africa have licensed an Ebola vaccine to "cement hard-fought progress" in keeping their people safe from the deadly disease, the UN health agency said on Friday.

teleSUR (2020-02-14). China's Health Workers Are Frontline Fighters Against the Virus. telesurenglish.net China's National Health Commission deputy director Zeng Yixin informed that extensive and strenuous working days are putting pressure on health workers who are physically and psychologically stressed. | RELATED: | He called on hospitals' authorities to distribute shifts rationally while proposing to reward the staff with more vacations when the outbreak remits and offer them psychological support.‚Ä&atilde…

Kristina Kristen (2020-02-14). Japan Leads the Way in Child Health: No Compulsory Vaccines. Banned Measles Mumps Rubella (MMR) Vaccine. globalresearch.ca Important article first published by Children's Health Defense, posted on Global Research on April 28, 2019 | In the United States, many legislators and public health officials are busy trying to make vaccines de facto compulsory—either by removing parental/personal choice …

news.un (2020-02-14). World Health Organization: Coronavirus must generate 'solidarity not stigma'. news.un.org Investing in preparedness is the smartest way to ensure that the coronavirus and other disease outbreaks are "identified and stopped quickly", the UN health agency said on Friday.

teleSUR (2020-02-14). Caricom Laboratories Ready to Analyze Coronavirus. telesurenglish.net The Caribbean Public Health Agency (Carpha) said Friday that the Caribbean Community (Caricom) is ready and fully equipped to receive and analyze samples of suspected cases of coronavirus (Covid-19) with immediate effect. | RELATED: | According to Carpha's doctor and executive director, Joy St. John, the agency has the capacity and equipment in its laboratories to investigate and manage contagious diseases, and in…

The Canary (2020-02-14). Mumps cases soar to highest number in a decade. thecanary.co There were 5,042 recorded cases of mumps in England in 2019 — four times the number in 2018 and the highest level in a decade. | Many of these cases were as a result of outbreaks in universities and colleges and most were in young adults who did not have the MMR (measles, mumps and rubella) jab. | A large number of the 2019 cases were people born in the late 1990s and early 2000s who missed out on the MMR vaccine when they were children. | In 1998, doctor Andrew Wakefield led a study that linked the MMR vaccine to autism. | His work was subsequently discredited and he was struck off, but uptake of the vacci…

Julia Conley, staff writer (2020-02-14). Federal Appeals Court Strikes Down Trump's 'Work-or-Die' Medicaid Requirements in Arkansas. commondreams.org Healthcare advocates on Friday applauded a federal appeals court decision striking down the Trump administration's Medicaid work requirements, in which a three-judge panel unanimously ruled that the proposed rule fundamentally disregarded the purpose of the Medicaid program. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files…

Colin Todhunter (2020-02-14). Menace on the Menu in Post-EU Britain. counterpunch.org Environmentalist Dr Rosemary Mason has just written the report 'Bayer Crop Science rules Britain after Brexit — the public and the press are being poisoned by pesticides'. It has been sent to editors of major media outlets in the UK. In it, she outlines her concerns for pesticide regulation, health and the environment in a

Michael Pappas (2020-02-13). Democrats Team Up With Trump to Maintain Disastrous Healthcare System. dissidentvoice.org On Tuesday, February 4, Donald Trump delivered his third State of the Union (SOTU) address. As expected, it was filled with contradictions, falsehoods, and distortions. Among other things, Trump spoke for close to ten minutes about health care in the U.S., claiming that he "will always protect Medicare." However, neither Trump and the Republicans, nor …

John Washington (2020-02-13). The Epidemic of Hunger Strikes in Immigrant Detention Centers. thenation.com The Epidemic of Hunger Strikes in Immigrant Detention Centers…

news.un (2020-02-13). Outside China, Coronavirus transmission 'iceberg' may not be as big as feared. news.un.org As infections from COVID-19 coronavirus continue to rise, a senior UN health expert on Thursday said that there were some indications that disease transmission outside China might not be the tip of the "iceberg" that had been feared.

Scott Nass (2020-02-13). Transgender and Intersex Kids Must Have a Voice in Health Care Decisions. thenation.com Transgender and Intersex Kids Must Have a Voice in Health Care Decisions…

RT (2020-02-12). 'Dirty streets and human waste?' Twitter not buying survey claiming San Francisco is 'healthiest' US city. rt.com A new report names San Francisco, California the healthiest city in the United States, but the public seems skeptical, considering the endless coverage of the city's homeless crisis and unsanitary streets. | Though WalletHub is typically used to check credit scores, it turned its attention recently to grading cities in the United States based on how 'healthy' they are. According to their experts and number crunching, San Francisco This has come a…

news.un (2020-02-12). UN health agency developing COVID-19 virus treatment master plan. news.un.org The World Health Organization (WHO) is developing a master plan for coordinating clinical trials that could lead to potential therapies for patients infected with the COVID-19 virus, the agency's chief, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, announced on Wednesday.

news.un (2020-02-12). DR Congo Ebola outbreak still an international public health concern. news.un.org The Ebola virus disease outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) remains an international public health concern, experts meeting in Geneva concluded on Wednesday.

news.un (2020-02-11). $683 million appeal to deliver reproductive health services, where they're most needed. news.un.org With more than half of all maternal deaths occurring in countries affected by humanitarian crises and fragility, the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) is calling for greater international support to provide life-saving reproductive health and protection services in these locations.

Meagan Burrows (2020-02-11). The Trump Administration Wants Health Insurance Companies to Drop Abortion Coverage from Your Insurance Plan. aclu.org From denying | access to abortion | for unaccompanied immigrant minors, to gutting | the Title X | family planning program, to trying to roll | back the Affordable Care Act's requirement that employers and universities cover | contr…

Staff (2020-02-10). Headlines for February 10, 2020. democracynow.org Coronavirus Deaths Soar as First U.S. Citizen Succumbs to Disease, Iowa Dem. Party Officially Gives Buttigieg the Lead as Candidates Prepare for New Hampshire Vote, Trump Budget Seeks Boost to Military and Nuclear Spending, Cuts to Social Programs and EPA, Two U.S. Soldiers Killed in Afghanistan, Trump Fires Key Impeachment Figures Following Acquittal, Thai Soldier Kills 29 People in Shooting Rampage, Brazilian Police Kill Hitman Suspected of Involvement in Marielle Franco's Assassination, Temperature Reaches Record-Breaking 65 Degrees in Antarctica, Extinction Rebellion Activists Demand New York Divest from Foss…