2020-02-23: News Headlines

RT (2020-02-23). Tommy Robinson locks horns with RT's 'Worlds Apart' as the British activist brings his 'Rape of Britain' lecture to Russia. rt.com Tommy Robinson had a lively exchange with RT about his campaign to stop Muslim grooming gangs in the UK. The firebrand activist arrived in Russia to give a presentation about the "Rape of Britain." | Robinson sat down with RT's Oksana Boyko to discuss his provocative views about Islam and the alleged epidemic of Muslim grooming gangs in the United Kingdom. The former leader of the right-wing English Defense League said his theory is that Islam is incompatible with Western values, and even condones rape and pedophilia. | Boyko took issue with the idea that Islam is to blame for the grooming gangs that have come…

Jim Hightower (2020-02-23). The Lie of Health Care 'Choice'. zcomm.org In our corporate-run health system, consumer "choices" are shaped entirely by profit-seeking monopolists…

Aída Chávez (2020-02-23). How Young Latinos Delivered Nevada to Tío Bernie. zcomm.org "I think, like these ideas are so radical to them. Like free college, or a Green New Deal, Medicare for All. And then when you actually have a serious conversation as to seeing it through our lens, they really start to change."

sputniknews (2020-02-23). Iran Reports Total of 43 Coronavirus Infections, 8 Deaths. sputniknews.com TEHRAN (Sputnik) – Iran has detected 15 new infections with coronavirus, bringing the tally to 43, while eight people have died as of Sunday, a Health Ministry spokesman said.

sputniknews (2020-02-23). Italian Authorities Cancel Venice Carnival Amid Coronavirus Outbreak. sputniknews.com The outbreak of China's pneumonia-like disease has gripped Europe, and Italy is the most affected country on the continent. Cases of the novel coronavirus surpassed 130 this weekend, with two deaths confirmed.

sputniknews (2020-02-23). IMF Pares Down Global Growth Forecasts as Possible Risks Considered Amid Coronavirus Outbreak. sputniknews.com The cascading impact of the novel coronavirus outbreak, first detected in the Chinese city of Wuhan in late December 2019, is becoming more apparent worldwide, and uncertainties regarding when the epidemic can be fully contained are too great to permit reliable forecasting of the financial and economic costs.

yenisafak (2020-02-23). Death toll from coronavirus in Iran climbs to 8. yenisafak.com The death toll from coronavirus in Iran has risen to eight, according to a statement released by the country's Health Ministry on Sunday.Spokesman Kianoush Jahanpour also reported 15 new coronavirus cases taking the total to 43.Jahanpour said seven of the new cases of the virus, officially known as COVID-19, were detected in Qom city, four others in the capital Tehran, two others in Gilan city and one each in Markazi and Mazandaran provinces.In China, the epicenter of the virus, the death toll from the outbreak has reached 2,444, with over 76,000 confirmed cases.Following the global spread of the virus, the World…

yenisafak (2020-02-23). Iraqi suspected of coronavirus tests negative. yenisafak.com An Iraqi student quarantined for suspected coronavirus has tested negative for the virus, according to health authorities on Sunday."Tests proved that the suspected case was not carrying the virus," the Health Directorate in the southern Dhi Qar province said in a statement.A medical source said Saturday the student was quarantined for further tests after returning from the Iranian city of Qom.On Saturday, the Iraqi authorities called on its nationals not to travel to neighboring Iran, where eight coronavirus deaths were reported.Coronavirus has spread to more than 25 other countries including the U.S., the UK, S…

yenisafak (2020-02-23). 2 Palestinians injured by Israeli fire near Gaza fence. yenisafak.com Two Palestinians were injured by Israeli gunfire on Sunday near border of the Gaza Strip, according to the Health Ministry.In a statement, the Israeli army said it fired at two Palestinians allegedly planting an explosive device next to Gaza's security fence.The Health Ministry said the two Palestinians were injured in their legs, without giving further details.

yenisafak (2020-02-23). Three suspected coronavirus cases surface in Afghanistan. yenisafak.com Three suspected cases of the coronavirus surfaced in Afghanistan on Sunday following a spike in confirmed cases and fatalities in the neighboring Iran.Since the new coronavirus emerged last December, it has killed over 2,000 people in China, the epicenter of the epidemic, and more than a dozen people elsewhere in the world. Some eight deaths have been reported in Iran, the most in any country outside the Chinese mainland.The three suspects, all adult men, recently returned from the Iranian city of Qom to Herat in Afghanistan, Dr. Nazeer Ahmad, a member of the country's coronavirus control committee told Anadolu A…

RT (2020-02-22). Bernie Sanders takes early lead in Nevada Caucus based on first preference polling. rt.com Early preference polling shows Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders is a clear favorite for caucus-goers, though it is still too early to call a true victor in the race. | Entrance poll results from ABC, CBS and others show Bernie's frontrunner status in the race for the Democrat Party's presidential nomination could hold strong in the third major votes for the battling candidates. | CBS reports that six in 10 caucus goers interviewed by them support a government-run, single-payer health care system, a signature part of Sanders' campaign promises, as well as that of contender Elizabeth Warren, though she did not far…

Colin Todhunter (2020-02-22). Apocalypse Now! Insects, Pesticide and a Public Health Crisis. dissidentvoice.org In 2017, UN Special Rapporteur on the right to food, Hilal Elver, and UN Special Rapporteur on Toxics, Baskut Tuncak, produced a report that called for a comprehensive new global treaty to regulate and phase out the use of dangerous pesticides in farming and move towards sustainable agricultural practices. In addition to the devastating impacts …

WSWS (2020-02-22). Coronavirus cases outside China are alarming, global health officials say. wsws.org Though new cases of Covid-19 cases appear to be declining in Hubei province in China, officials are concerned that the epidemic may be expanding into other Asian countries and continents.

WSWS (2020-02-22). Las Vegas Culinary Workers Union stumps for "anybody but Bernie" wsws.org The CWU's attack on Sanders' proposal for "Medicare for All" is motivated by its financial interests in the health care fund that it operates.

Staff (2020-02-22). Grassroots Movements Fight for Gender Equity in Elections, Culture and Health. truthout.org Even before the #metoo movement trained the spotlight on gender inequity and its impact across the globe, there were organizations doing the hard work to address these at-times violent failings. | From closing the wage gap and protecting reproductive rights to ending gender-based sexual exploitation, the push to support and empower women and nonbinary people has Recent at…

Jake Johnson, staff writer (2020-02-22). Nevada Entrance Poll Shows 62% of Democratic Caucus-Goers Support Medicare for All. commondreams.org "It's fair to say Democratic leadership fails to understand how much everyday Americans hate their private healthcare coverage." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files…

RT (2020-02-21). 'Tremendous public health threat': CDC confirms 34 coronavirus cases in US, prepares for 'very possible, even likely' pandemic. rt.com The CDC has warned that transmission of the deadly Covid-19 virus in the US is "very possible, even likely" and said its current goal is not to prevent but to slow down its spread and "buy more time" for US communities to prepare.

teleSUR (2020-02-21). Iran: Coronavirus Has Spread to Several Cities, 2 More Deaths. telesurenglish.net The coronavirus has spread to several Iranian cities, a health ministry official said on Friday, as an outbreak that the authorities say began in the holy city of Qom caused two more deaths. | RELATED: | "Based on existing reports, the spread of coronavirus started in Qom and with attention to people's travels has now reached several cities in the country including Tehran, Babol, Arak, Isfahan, Rasht, and other cities," health ministry offic…

Staff (2020-02-20). "Most Important Issue for Most People": Split on Healthcare Continues to Define 2020 Race. democracynow.org Healthcare continues to be a central issue of the Democratic nomination fight, with Senators Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren repeating their calls for Medicare for All on the debate stage Wednesday night while their rivals proposed more incremental approaches. | We continue our roundtable discussion on Wednesday's Democratic debate in Nevada. Our guests are Katrina vanden Heuvel, editorial director and publisher of The Nation, America's oldest weekly magazine, and a columnist for WashingtonPost.com; journalist and activist Raquel Willis, executive editor of Out magazine, who has endorsed Senator Elizabeth War…

Staff (2020-02-20). Bernie Sanders Says "Will of the People" Should Decide Democratic Nomination, Not Party Insiders. democracynow.org As the primary season heads into the Nevada caucuses on Saturday, we unpack the ninth Democratic presidential debate in a roundtable on the tensions at work on the Las Vegas debate stage. Senator Bernie Sanders, currently the front-runner in the race, said the candidate with the most delegates should become the nominee; all his rivals on stage suggested they would be open to a brokered convention, with superdelegates and other party insiders potentially deciding the nomination. | We continue our discussion with Katrina vanden Heuvel, editorial director and publisher of The Nation; Raquel Willis, journalist, activ…

Sophia Reuss (2020-02-20). The Problem With Canadian Health Care. thenation.com The Problem With Canadian Health Care…

Alan Macleod (2020-02-20). Study: Medicare for All Would Save 68,000 lives, Half a Trillion Dollars Per year. mintpressnews.com Under U.S. law, the government is barred from negotiating prices with drug companies, leading to a situation where American-made HIV medication sells for $8 in Australia and up to $2,000 in the US.

Staff (2020-02-19). Nevada Culinary Workers Union Member: I Would Trade My Union Healthcare for Medicare for All. democracynow.org The third presidential contest of the primary season takes place Saturday in Nevada. One of the state's most coveted endorsements is from the Culinary Workers Union, which represents some 60,000 workers in the restaurant and hospitality industries in Las Vegas and Reno. Its membership is 54% Latinx. But last week they decided not to endorse any of the candidates. Nevada is a "right to work" state, and the Culinary Workers Union has attracted members by offering them healthcare. It has said it supports "choices" in healthcare. The mobilization of service employees could be critical to winning the Nevada caucuses.

Staff (2020-02-19). Yale Study Says Medicare for All Would Save U.S. $450 Billion, Prevent Nearly 70,000 Deaths a Year. democracynow.org As the Democratic presidential hopefuls prepare to take to the debate stage tonight, we turn to a central issue of the campaign: Medicare for All. In a new study, Yale scholars have found that Medicare for All will save Americans more than $450 billion and prevent 68,000 deaths every year. The study in The Lancet — one of the oldest and most prestigious peer-reviewed medical journals — found that Medicare for All, supported by Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, will save money and is more cost-effective than "Medicare for All Who Want It, "a model supported by Pete Buttigieg. Sanders referenced the…

John Perry (2020-02-19). While Nicaragua returns to peace, media and international NGOs conjure epidemic of violence with dubious reporting. thegrayzone.com Media bias against Nicaragua's Sandinista government is unremitting, and international NGOs are feeding it by misreporting a violent land dispute…

news.un (2020-02-19). 'Not a single country' does enough to help children flourish, say health experts. news.un.org The world's survival depends on children being able to flourish, but no country is doing enough to give them a sustainable future, dozens of highly respected international health experts said on Wednesday.

news.un (2020-02-19). At Stockholm road safety summit, UN officials join global call to end 'scourge' of preventable deaths. news.un.org Road traffic accidents take some 1.35 million lives every year and cost most countries three per cent of their gross domestic product, the top UN health official said on Wednesday as the Third Global Ministerial Conference On Road Safety kicked off in Stockholm, Sweden.

news.un (2020-02-19). Millions of children and families in Niger struggle as humanitarian needs mount — UNICEF. news.un.org Malnutrition, disease, floods, droughts and displacement in Niger have put nearly three million people, more than half of them children, in need of humanitarian assistance, UNICEF said on Wednesday, calling for increased attention to their plight.

Staff (2020-02-19). Headlines for February 19, 2020. democracynow.org Trump Falsely Claims He Is "Chief Law Enforcement Officer" of U.S., Trump Issues Clemency to White-Collar Criminals and Political Allies, Democratic Presidential Candidates to Take Debate Stage in Nevada, Resurfaced Video Shows Bloomberg Calling for Cuts to Medicare and Social Security, Death Toll from Coronavirus Surpasses 2,000 People, Afghanistan: Ashraf Ghani Declared Winner of Presidential Election, U.N.: 22 Killed, Including 14 Children, in Massacre in Cameroon, Somali Broadcast Journalist Abdiwali Ali Hassan Assassinated, North Carolina Court Temporarily Blocks Discriminatory Voter ID Laws…

Kate Oh (2020-02-18). ICE's Destruction of Records Must Be Stopped. aclu.org Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is | notorious for committing rampant unconstitutional and inhumane abuses in its | detention system — something advocates, communities, and years. Public oversight of ICE detention is about to become even harder, | further eroding accountability and endangering the health and safety of more than | 50,000 people in ICE custody every day. That's because the National Archives | and R…

news.un (2020-02-18). 'Working night and day', UN health agency seeks to prevent global coronavirus crisis. news.un.org As COVID-19, also known as coronavirus, continues to spread, the head of the United Nations health agency said that there is still a chance to prevent a broader global crisis.

news.un (2020-02-18). Polio eradication a UN priority, says Guterres in Pakistan visit. news.un.org In one of the last bastions of polio on the planet, millions of children are being given a fighting chance against the paralyzing and potentially fatal disease.