(2020-02-25). Iran's deputy health minister tests positive for coronavirus — local media. rt.com 
Iran's Deputy Health Minister Iraj Harirchi has tested positive for coronavirus, Iranian state media has reported. Harirchi has been at the forefront of the country's response to the outbreak. | A spokesperson for Iran's health ministry confirmed in a television interview on Tuesday that Harirchi has been infected and is under quarantine. | ILNA reported Monday that officials from the city of Qom had said there had been 50 coronavirus deaths there. "We prefer not to censor what concerns the coronavirus because people's lives are in danger," the outlet said. | Harirchi rejected that report, however, saying he w…
(2020-02-25). How Are We Going to Pay for Saving Trillions of Dollars? counterpunch.org Enhanced Medicare for All — that wild scheme that Michael Bloomberg calls "untried" because it's only been tested for decades in virtually every wealthy nation on earth — would cost $450 billion a year less than the current U.S. system. In the usual propaganda terms (in which you multiply by ten and then — if asked —
(2020-02-25). Sanders' Medicare for All. zcomm.org Why the Nevada Culinary Workers revolted against their Union Bosses…
(2020-02-25). The New Coronavirus Outbreak, COVID-19, Sounds Menacing and Is. globalresearch.ca Tom Clifford Reporting from Beijing | There is no room for complacency or outright fear. The new coronavirus outbreak, COVID-19, sounds menacing and is. But there's another viral epidemic hitting countries around the world: the flu. | COVID-19 has, since December, led …
(2020-02-25). India home to most polluted cities worldwide: Report. yenisafak.com Indian cities rank among the world's most polluted, with a total of 21 listed in the world's top 30 polluted regions in 2019, according to an air quality watchdog on Tuesday."Of the world's top 30 most polluted cities during 2019, 21 are located in India, 27 in South Asia, and all the top 30 cities are within greater Asia," according to World Air Quality Report, released by Swiss-based IQ AirVisual.Citing reports that 90% of the global population breathes air exceeding World Health Organization (WHO) exposure targets, the report indicated that air pollution is estimated to contribute to seven million premature de…
(2020-02-25). Iran deputy health minister tests positive for coronavirus. yenisafak.com Iran's deputy health minister has tested positive for coronavirus, the semi-official news agency ILNA reported on Tuesday.The spokesman for Iran's health ministry confirmed in an interview with state television that Deputy Minister Iraj Harirchi has been infected and is now under quarantine.
(2020-02-25). Turkey quarantines its citizens returning from Iran. yenisafak.com Turkey will quarantine for 14 days its citizens returning from Iran amid coronavirus fears, the Turkish health minister said on Tuesday.Fahrettin Koca said a total of 132 Turkish citizens, who landed in the capital Ankara from Iran on Tuesday, have been quarantined and they will remain in a hospital for 14 days.He said all Turkish citizens, who want to return from Iran, will be subject to 14-day quarantine."No coronavirus cases were found in Turkey," the minister said, adding maximum efforts are being made to prevent the spread of coronavirus to the country.Iran has so far reported 14 deaths from the coronavirus,…
(2020-02-25). Turkey: Istanbul-bound Iranian flight lands in Ankara over coronavirus alert. yenisafak.com A plane from Iran has diverted from Istanbul, its destination, to land in Ankara, Turkey's capital, due to the presence of 17 people possibly infected with coronavirus on board.The Turkish Airlines flight from Tehran, with 132 passengers on board, landed at Ankara's Esenboga Airport Tuesday at 10.29 a.m. (0729GMT), said correspondents on the ground.Passengers from the flight have been taken in for preliminary health exams by the Ankara Health Directorate and Health Ministry officials.The 17 passengers are being treated as possible cases as they have higher-than-normal temperatures.Turkey to date has no reported c…
(2020-02-25). Virus 'literally knocking at the door', WHO warns countries. yenisafak.com The World Health Organization (WHO) called on countries on Tuesday to boost their readiness against coronavirus, saying the virus is "literally knocking at the door".WHO spokesman Christian Lindmeier, speaking at a news briefing in Geneva, said that WHO officials were meeting in Rome to discuss measures taken in Italy, which he said were "pretty strong". A mission to Iran, which had been announced for Tuesday, has been delayed and he had no date for its departure.Many countries have "pandemic plans" ready and some may act upon them depending on their situation, but at the moment the WHO itself does not plan anoth…
(2020-02-25). Four more infected with coronavirus in Iraq. yenisafak.com Some four people have been infected with the coronavirus in Kirkuk, north of Iraq's capital Baghdad, according to country's Health Ministry on Tuesday.In a statement, the ministry confirmed that four people were from the same family who recently returned from Iran.On Monday, the Iraqi authorities confirmed the first case of the coronavirus in the country's Najaf city, saying an Iranian student tested positive for the coronavirus, and was immediately quarantined.Coronavirus outbreak, officially known as COVID-19, which was first detected in December in the Chinese city of Wuhan, the capital of central Hubei provin…
(2020-02-25). French hospital releases last quarantined patient. yenisafak.com The man, a British national who contracted the virus while vacationing last month in the French Alps, is deemed no longer infectious, Oliver Vera told reporters late Monday."There are no identified patients" or circulation of the virus in France, he added.After the initial 12 diagnosed cases in January and February in France, each patient has healed except for one man who died on Feb. 14, an 80-year-old tourist of Chinese origin.Regardless, France remains on alert as the disease has spread close to home: seven people have died in Italy over the past few days in the northern regions of Lombardy and Veneto. Some 28…
(2020-02-25). Iranian Deputy Health Minister Diagnosed With Coronavirus – Reports. sputniknews.com Tehran previously stated that at least 95 people had been diagnosed with the dangerous disease. The majority of confirmed cases in the country come from the city of Qom – a centre of traditional pilgrimage for Shia Muslims, with at least 15 Iranians dying from the disease.
(2020-02-25). Policymakers Predict Rapid Recovery for China After Coronavirus Outbreak. sputniknews.com Chinese policymakers expect a quick recovery of economic growth after the novel coronavirus pneumonia epidemic is contained, as the country has made a series of strong policy adjustments to counter downward growth pressure.
(2020-02-25). Exclusive Video: What it's Like to Live in Beijing Amid the Epidemic? sputniknews.com At the moment, there are up to 78,000 infected individuals across China, and several thousand more in other countries. The dire situation has resulted in severe measures, with many areas under quarantine to stop the outbreak.
(2020-02-25). Trump Betrays His Promise to Protect and Fight for American Workers. dissidentvoice.org 
Campaigning for the presidency in 2016, Donald Trump promised that, if he was elected, "American worker[s] will finally have a president who will protect them and fight for them." Has he kept this promise? When it comes to protecting workers' health and safety, his administration has been a disaster. Once in office, Trump packed the …
(2020-02-24). Medicare for All, Union Benefits, and the Promise of #NotMeUs. commondreams.org Nurses and doctors rallying for Medicare for All in Chicago over the weekend outside the annual gathering of the American Medical Association which currently opposes the plan to make healthcare coverage in the United States available to all. (Photo: National Nurses United/flickr/cc) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files… …
(2020-02-24). Trojan Horse Timber Sales on the Bitterroot. counterpunch.org The proposed Darby Lumber Timber Sale Phase Two on the Bitterroot National Forest is a Trojan Horse being implemented under the guise of "forest health" based on numerous false assumptions. The proposal displays the Forest Service's Industrial Forestry bias and its subterfuge of science. The timber sale is being litigated by the Friends of the
(2020-02-24). China Adopts Decision to Ban Trade, Consumption of Wildlife. telesurenglish.net China's top legislature adopted Monday a decision to ban the trade and consumption of wild animals in an attempt to safeguard people's lives and health. | RELATED: | The move came in a bid to safeguard biological and ecological security and prevent major public health risks, as wild animals are largely believed to be the source of the novel coronavirus. | According to the decision, the consumption of wild animals "of…
(2020-02-24). COVID-19 not yet a pandemic, says UN health agency chief. news.un.org While a sudden increase in new cases of COVID-19 is of concern, the spread of coronavirus is not yet a pandemic, the head of the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Monday.
(2020-02-24). Here's What 22 Separate Studies Found: Medicare for All Would Cost Less Than the For-Profit Status Quo. commondreams.org Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., speaks during an event to introduce the Medicare for All Act of 2017 on Capitol Hill on Sept. 13, 2017. (Photo: Yuri Gripas/Reuters) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files… …
(2020-02-24). The Dangers of Synthetic Biology: A Biotech Firm Made a Smallpox-like Virus on purpose. Nobody Seems to Care. globalresearch.ca In 2017, the virologist David Evans made headlines when he used synthetic biology to recreate the extinct horsepox virus, which is closely related to the virus that causes smallpox, a disease eradicated in 1980. Evans and his team, ordering the …
(2020-02-24). Cities quarantined in Italy, Iran, South Korea as coronavirus spreads globally. wsws.org Medical staff are racing to avert a deadly global pandemic, underscoring the need for a coordinated, international medical campaign to halt the spread of the disease.
(2020-02-24). The U.S. Is the World Leader of Bio-Weapons Research, Production, and Use Against Mankind. globalresearch.ca Those that prevent disease and expose virus creation are heroic, but those that create and purposely spread disease and virus are inhuman. Given the history of the United States government and its military industrial complex concerning biological and germ warfare, …
(2020-02-24). Australia Remembers Bushfire Victims in Public Ceremony. telesurenglish.net The Australian people, along with firefighters and politicians, paid tribute on Sunday to the men and women of the state of New South Wales (NSW) who lost their lives while trying to put out the wildfires that have plagued the country since last September. | RELATED: | The public ceremony, which took place in Sydney, honored the 25 victims from the state of NSW, Australia's most populated state and the worst affected during t…
(2020-02-24). "Unconscionable": Fury as Federal Appeals Court Upholds Trump's Anti-Women, Anti-Choice "Gag Rule" commondreams.org "Leaving women in the dark about their healthcare and restricting doctors from providing candid advice is simply not in the best interest of public health." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files… …
(2020-02-24). Health Experts Warn World Is Approaching 'Tipping Point' in Spread of Coronavirus as Outbreaks Erupt in Italy and Iran. commondreams.org Even as world health officials were encouraged Monday by reports out of China that the spread of coronavirus first detected in Wuhan is slowing, two months after outbreaks first began, authorities warned that the virus is now spreading rapidly in other countries and that the world is fast approaching a "tipping point" with the virus. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files… …
(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…
(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 …
(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…
(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…
(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.
(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…
(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…
(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.
(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.
(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…
(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.
(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…