2020-02-17: News Headlines

The Canary (2020-02-17). Coastal landfill sites set to spill over into sea, expert warns. thecanary.co More than 1,200 coastal landfill sites are in danger of spilling their contents into the sea — leading to a pollution time bomb around the UK coastline.Powerful storms and rising sea levels mean once-hidden waste could be exposed to pollute oceans and beaches, according to coastal policy expert Mark Stratton."One of the biggest risks of doing nothing at these sites is that the defences will fail and you'll potentially have former landfill either eroding out onto the foreshore or leaching into the water. Alongside that there's a potential impact on human health depending on what's in the sites," he said.Landf…

RT (2020-02-17). Macau allows casinos to resume work from February 20 after suspension over virus fear. rt.com Macau, the world's biggest gambling hub, will allow casinos to resume operations from February 20, after authorities imposed a two-week suspension to curb the coronavirus' spread, authorities said on Monday, according to public broadcaster TDM. | The government has told casino operators they have 30 days to return to full business, health officials say. | The unprecedented halt of gaming operations started on February 5 and was due to end on February 19. Macau has not reported any new cases of the virus since February 4, officials said. There have been 10 confirmed cases of the virus in total there. | Governme…

RT (2020-02-17). Toxic dump: First-world electronics scrapyard in Ghana puts THOUSANDS at risk of cancer. rt.com Ghana has become one of the world's largest dumping grounds for electronic waste, creating a deadly industry that has put thousands at risk. RT's Ruptly video agency talked to people living in the epicenter of the catastrophe. | The electronics scrapyard near Ghana's capital, Accra, has left the surrounding region contaminated with hazardous toxins that have polluted the environment and created serious health problems for residents. According to one estimate, around 200,000 tons of the globe's discarded electronics find their way to one slum in Accra — the equivalent weight of more than one thousand blue…

Staff (2020-02-17). Chinese Health Report Says 80% of Virus Cases Have Been Mild. truthdig.com The coronavirus report also says that new cases seem to be falling, although it's too soon to tell whether the outbreak has peaked.

teleSUR (2020-02-17). US Prevents Medical Supplies From Reaching Cuba. telesurenglish.net The U.S. blockade has affected the Cuban Health services by cutting the supplies entering the island natio, the Director of Trade for the MediCuba Company S.A., Solainy Fajardo said in a statement on Monday. | RELATED: | In an interview with local newspaper Juventud Rebelde, the functionary said that Cuba is compelled to buy these medical resources in distant markets located in third countries, which increases…

Children's Health Defense (2020-02-17). Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.'s Children's Health Defense Submitted Historic Case Against U.S. Government for Children Injured by Wireless Technology Radiation. globalresearch.ca CHD Chairman, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., will lead the legal team with seasoned telecommunications and administrative law attorney Scott McCollough. |

Staff (2020-02-17). Is Coronavirus the First Climate Plague? truthdig.com Journalists Bryn Nelson and Jane C. Hu, in conversation with The Real News Network's Kim Brown, explain how rising temperatures will create more deadly outbreaks, and why we can expect an increase in xenophobia as these diseases spread. | Watch the interview in its entirety above.

Staff (2020-02-17). John Oliver Makes the Definitive Case for Medicare-for-All. truthdig.com In a new episode of "Last Week Tonight," the HBO host explains how the elimination of private insurance could benefit millions of Americans.

Luke Elliott-Negri (2020-02-17). Why Is Nevada's Most Powerful Union Turning on Bernie Sanders? zcomm.org Top leaders in Unite Here Local 226 in Las Vegas have been circulating attacks on Bernie Sanders and his Medicare for All proposal. They should listen to their membership and stop slandering the most pro-worker candidate in the race…

Staff (2020-02-17). Trump Wants to Inflict Severe Pain on Disabled Community Just Because He Can. truthout.org The "need" to strip benefits from poor and working people to help maintain the lifestyles of the Mar-a-Lago set is one of the fundamental principles of Donald Trump and the Republican Party. The rich always "need" more tax cuts, so when budget deficits get in the way, those at the middle and bottom are just going to have to sacrifice. | This is the reasoning behind the large budget cuts that the president has proposed for Medicare, Medicaid and food stamps in his most recent budget proposal.

Daniel Willis (2020-02-17). Doing More Harm Than Good? Our Latest Report on the UK's Development Bank, CDC. globalresearch.ca Amid the recent back and forth over whether the Department for International Development

yenisafak (2020-02-17). FACTBOX: Latest on coronavirus spreading in China and beyond. yenisafak.com Here are the latest developments around the coronavirus outbreak: * The death toll in mainland China reached 1,770 as of Sunday-end, up by 105 from the previous day, while there were 2,048 new cases, bringing the total count to 70,548.* In Hubei province, 1,933 new cases and 100 new deaths were reported — the lowest daily death count since Feb. 11.* Outside China, more than 500 cases have been confirmed, mostly of people who travelled from Chinese cities, with five deaths in Japan, Hong Kong, the Philippines, France and Taiwan.* China says a World Health Organization (WHO) delegation of experts will visit Be…

yenisafak (2020-02-17). French health minister resigns, enters Paris mayor race. yenisafak.com In a dramatic turn of events, France's Solidarity and Health Minister Agnes Buzyn stepped down from her post to run for the Paris mayor.She announced her resignation on Sunday and confirmed her candidacy for next month's mayoral elections on a ticket of President Emmanuel Macron's party, La Republique En Marche (LREM).She replaces Macron's previous handpicked candidate Benjamin Griveaux who withdrew last Friday after the release of a compromising video.In a statement, Buzyn expressed "immense gratitude" and "hope for the future of Paris."She was replaced as health minister by Olivier Veran, a 39-year-old neurolog…

yenisafak (2020-02-17). Russian airstrikes target two hospitals in Syria's Aleppo. yenisafak.com Russian warplanes struck two hospitals, as well as residential areas, in Syria's northern Aleppo province, an official said on Monday.According to Syria Civil Defense, also known as the White Helmets, airstrikes hit the hospitals in the northern town of Darat Izza near the Turkish border, wounding civilians and forcing the medical facilities to close.According to the World Health Organization (WHO), over half of the country's health facilities have been damaged or destroyed since the start of the civil war in 2011.Russian aircraft also targeted villages in the northwestern Idlib province, a stronghold of oppositi…

yenisafak (2020-02-17). China seeks help of national tech giants to track coronavirus with QR codes. yenisafak.com China's government is enlisting the help of Alibaba Group Holding Ltd and Tencent Holdings Ltd to expand colour-based systems for tracking individuals affected with the coronavirus nationwide.On Wednesday, Alipay, the payment app operated by Alibaba's financial division Ant Financial, released a feature in collaboration with the government that assigns a coloured QR code representing the health of residents in Hangzhou.Users in the city fill out an online form reporting their ID number, whether they have travelled outside Hangzhou recently, and any symptoms they might have that suggest an illness, such as fever o…

sputniknews (2020-02-17). Netizens Blast Indian Ascetic Claiming Coronavirus is 'Avatar' to Punish Non-Vegetarians. sputniknews.com New Delhi (Sputnik): The death toll from the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) that broke out in Wuhan in December has reached 1,770 in mainland China, with the total number of registered cases surpassing 70,000.

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…

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). 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…

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…

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). 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.

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…

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."

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 …

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 …

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…

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.

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.

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…

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…