Daily Archives: January 17, 2022

2022-01-17: News Headlines

Staff (2022-01-17). China makes Winter Olympics decision amid new Covid fears. rt.com China will not sell tickets to the general public to attend the upcoming Winter Olympics in Beijing | China has canceled plans for the public sale of 2022 Winter Olympics tickets, with only invited groups set to be allowed to watch the action in person at February's Games in Beijing. | With foreign fans

sputniknews (2022-01-17). Wealth of 10 Richest Men Doubled During Pandemic, Incomes of 99% of Humanity Drop, Oxfam Says. sputniknews.com MOSCOW (Sputnik) – The first two years of the COVID-19 pandemic have helped doubling of fortunes of the world's ten richest people, who now are six times wealthier than the poorest 3.1 billion people, Oxfam, international charitable NGO, reported on Monday, ahead of the World Economic Forum's Davos from 17-21 January.

WSWS (2022-01-17). Australian COVID-19 deaths continue to climb as governments claim Omicron is about to "peak" wsws.org Most of those who died from COVID-19 in New South Wales last week were fully vaccinated, making clear that inoculation, important as it is, cannot end the pandemic alone.

Fight Back (2022-01-17). Retail sales drop in December. fightbacknews.org San José, CA – On Friday, January 14, the U.S. Department of Commerce reported that retail sales dropped 1.9% in December 2021. This number was called "terrible" by economists, who expected a very slight drop of 0.1%. Since the retail sales report is not adjusted for inflation, sales discounting higher prices fell almost 2.5%. | Many news reports tried to blame the new Omicron variant of COVID-19, which began to surge in the United States in December. But online sales, which usually go up when people don't want to shop in stores because of the pandemic, fell a much sharper 8.7% in December, more than four times…

WSWS (2022-01-17). Omicron wave in Germany leads to massive increase in infections. wsws.org Despite a massive spread of the virus, the German government is continuing the "profits before lives" policy that has already led to more than 115,000 dead.

ecns.cn (2022-01-17). Experts doubt Biden's ability to keep U.S. businesses, schools open amid Omicron: The Guardian. ecns.cn While U.S. President Joe Biden has vowed to keep businesses and schools open, some experts wonder if that's possible given the high infectious nature of Omicron and the lack of adequate measures to combat it, The Guardian said in a recent report.

WSWS (2022-01-17). Omicron's surge through rural America will take a terrible toll. wsws.org The number of people admitted for COVID-19 remains at record highs. The surge of infections has begun to move into rural America, where the completely unprepared health care systems face calamity.

Richa Chintan (2022-01-17). Cuba shows an alternative to Big Pharma hegemony through global solidarity. greenleft.org.au Cuba puts people before profits — showing the world an alternative to the monopolistic practices of Big Pharma. It promotes a public health system, state-funded research and shows global solidarity through tech transfer and vaccine delivery to developing countries, writes Richa Chintan.

WSWS (2022-01-17). Spanish scientists oppose PSOE-Podemos call to treat COVID-19 like the flu. wsws.org The Socialist Party (PSOE)-Podemos government plans to ignore mass COVID-19 infections and deaths by treating it as an "endemic disease" similar to influenza.

WSWS (2022-01-17). Jacobin to teachers and kids: Back to death trap schools! wsws.org Jacobin magazine, associated with the Democratic Socialists of America, published an article calling for the end of remote instruction, demanding that students and teachers go back to schools where they will almost certainly be infected with a potentially deadly and debilitating disease.

Staff (2022-01-17). Germany shortens Covid natural immunity status. rt.com Immunity gained by infection will only be valid for 90 days | In new guidelines published by the Robert Koch Institute, Germans who have recovered from Covid-19 will only have immunity status for a period of 90 days, down from 180 days. | On Friday, the Robert Koch Institute, a federal agency responsible for disease control and prevention, published new guidance based on developments concerning the Covid-19 pandemic. | Under the new guidance, people previously infected with Covid-19 will only have immunity status for 90 days. The old rules stated that prior infection could be used as proof of immunity for 180…

Staff (2022-01-17). China's birth rate drops to record low. rt.com The number plummeted for a fifth consecutive year | Mainland China's birth rate dropped to a record low in 2021, continuing a downward trend that prompted Beijing to allow couples to have up to three children, amending its long-running one-child policy. | China's National Bureau of Statistics recorded 10.62 million births, or only 7.5 births per 1,000 people, last year — the lowest birth rate since the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949. | The number of births barely outnumbered deaths, with the natural growth only 0.034%, a low not reached since 1960 when the great famine killed tens of m…

WSWS (2022-01-17). Germany's health care workers' bonus—another insult to employees. wsws.org While companies have been handed tens of billions since the start of the pandemic, those in the medical wards who have risked their lives and health every day for more than two years get only pittances.

WSWS (2022-01-17). Doctor discusses desperate situation at Sri Lankan COVID-19 treatment hospital. wsws.org "Health workers held protests demanding a lockdown, as well as more tests and health facilities. The government only declared a second lockdown because this opposition was developing." — Sri Lanka doctor…

Michael Lyon (2022-01-17). Tuesday 1/18: Opportunities and Dangers for Medicare and Guaranteed Healthcare in California. indybay.org Zoom info: us02web.zoom.us/j/2880330680?pwd=VXlSdVB…. ID 288 033 0680 Password 131457. Phone in at 1-669 900 9128, then punch in 288 033 0680 and #, then 131457 and punch # again.

Joyce Chediac (2022-01-17). Hospital greed caused nurse shortage, not COVID-19. liberationnews.org Short-staffing is an intentional practice where hospitals don't schedule enough RNs to safely care for patients in order to increase hospital profits.

Nino Brown (2022-01-17). Boston students walk out to demand remote learning & stronger COVID safety. liberationnews.org Students across Boston walked out of their schools at 10: 30 a.m. on Jan. 14 in protest against unsafe learning conditions. Their demands align with the Boston Teachers Union — that state officials strengthen COVID-19 safety protocols and make remote learning an option.

WSWS (2022-01-17). 32-year-old Ford Chicago Assembly Plant worker dies of COVID-19. wsws.org Caleb Dye's death was a preventable tragedy, under conditions in which management, the unions and the political establishment have allowed COVID to spread uncontrolled in workplaces and schools.

WSWS (2022-01-17). Australian childcare centres hit by COVID outbreaks. wsws.org Child care workers are among those confronting the highest risk of infection in their workplace.

WSWS (2022-01-17). Novak Djokovic deported by Australian government terrified of public opposition to its "let it rip" COVID policies. wsws.org Prime Minister Scott Morrison, who has unleashed a COVID tsunami over the past month, has absurdly claimed that the decision was motivated by the need to "keep Australia safe."

WSWS (2022-01-17). Thousands of airline workers out due to COVID-19 infections in the US. wsws.org Airlines cut thousands of flights due to worker illness and severe winter weather over the past two months.

sputniknews (2022-01-17). Banker Brought in to Clean Up Credit Suisse's Image Resigns Over Breach of Covid Quarantine Rules. sputniknews.com Credit Suisse — the global investment bank and financial services giant headquartered in Zurich, Switzerland, has reeled from a series of scandals and poor investment decisions which put a major dent in its reputation and position on Wall Street's coveted bulge bracket listing of the world's largest and most profitable banks.

WorkWeek (2022-01-17). SEIU Members On Death Of Ludwig Leota,Chicago Teachers/ Zero Covid vs Permanent Covid. indybay.org WorkWeek covers SEIU 1021 Members On Death Of Ludwig Leota, Chicago Teachers & Zero Covid vs Permanent Covid 19, Vermont AFL-CIO On Rise Of Fascism, Journalist Jeremy Portjo's Assault & Argentina General Strike Against A Mining Company.

Tom Engelhardt (2022-01-17). Tomgram: Alfred McCoy, An Epochal Decline in American Global Power. warisacrime.org This article originally appeared at TomDispatch.com. To receive TomDispatch in your inbox three times a week, click here. Honestly, I wonder why (other than Covid-19) Americans aren't out in the streets protesting. Oh wait, given that we've just "celebrated" the anniversary of January 6th and our world is alive with talk of coming violence against the …

WSWS (2022-01-17). Redondo Beach, California high school students walk out amid mass COVID-19 infections. wsws.org Redondo Union High School senior Michael Lee-Chang spoke with the WSWS on the students' courageous actions and the deepening spread of COVID-19 within schools.

ecns.cn (2022-01-17). Swiss snowboarders expect Beijing 2022 to be safe and great. ecns.cn Two of Switzerland's best snowboarders to compete in the Beijing Winter Olympics said they had high hopes for medals as well as faith in China's organization and COVID-19 safety measures during the Games.

ecns.cn (2022-01-17). Answers needed on how to beat pandemic, build post-COVID world: Xi. ecns.cn Answers must be given to major, urgent questions of how to beat the pandemic and how to build…

Norman Solomon (2022-01-16). Ominous History in Real Time: Where We Are Now in the USA. zcomm.org Corporate power constrains just about everything, whether healthcare or education or housing or jobs or measures for responding to the climate emergency. What prevails is the political structure of the economy…

teleSUR, JDO (2022-01-16). Señalan que Ecuador hace frente al pico más alto de la Covid-19. telesurtv.net Experto asevera que los contagios tardarán en descender entre cinco y seis semanas.

_____ (2022-01-16). As Omicron Rages, Teachers And Students Fight For Safety Measures. popularresistance.org Chicago Teachers Union members voted by 77 percent on January 4 to go fully remote until effective Covid mitigations to protect educators and students were approved by members and enacted, or until the current Covid surge subsided. | Within a week they had a tentative agreement on mitigation measures. Members ratified it January 12 by 56 percent and returned to in-person teaching. | With citywide positivity rates over 20 percent and hospitals overwhelmed, Chicago Public Schools had already faced staffing shortages the first few days of the year. When the district failed to implement adequate testing protocols, CT…

Jon Skolnik (2022-01-16). Thousands of Students Stage Walkouts, Protest In-Person Classes Amid COVID Surge. truthout.org Thousands of U.S. students and teachers are organizing walkouts and work stoppages over their schools' lack of COVID-19 precautions — a development that comes amid an unprecedented upsurge in coronavirus cases as the the Omicron variant tears through the nation. | On Tuesday afternoon, hundreds of New York City school students

Editor (2022-01-16). As Omicron rages, teachers and students fight for safety measures in Chicago and elsewhere. mronline.org Chicago Teachers Union members voted by 77 percent on January 4 to go fully remote until effective Covid mitigations to protect educators and students were approved by members and enacted, or until the current Covid surge subsided.

ecns.cn (2022-01-16). One third of small U.S. firms see sales drop amid surging Omicron cases. ecns.cn Thirty-three percent of small firms in the United States have reported revenue decreases in the week ended Jan. 9 due to the surge of Omicron cases, the highest since February last year, Bloomberg reported Friday, citing the U.S. Census Small Business Pulse Survey.

WSWS (2022-01-16). For a mass movement to halt in-person classes across Canada and save lives! wsws.org The decision by provincial governments across the country to reopen schools to in-person learning amid a tsunami of Omicron infections is criminally reckless. It must be resisted through walkouts and other forms of working class struggle.

newsnetwork.mayoclinic (2022-01-16). Consumer Health: What is Hashimoto's disease? newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org January is Thyroid Awareness Month, which makes this a good time to learn more about Hashimoto's disease. Hashimoto's disease, also known as Hashimoto's thyroiditis, is an autoimmune disorder where your immune system creates antibodies that damage your thyroid gland. The thyroid is a butterfly-shaped gland at the base of your neck. Your thyroid produces hormones that regulate your heart rate, blood pressure, body temperature and weight. Hashimoto's disease is the most common cause of hypothyroidism, or underactive…

ecns.cn (2022-01-16). Hong Kong extends anti-epidemic measures for 14 more days. ecns.cn The current anti-epidemic measures will be extended for 14 more days until Feb. 3, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government announced on Friday.

_____ (2022-01-16). Public Health Professionals Must Demand An End To Weaponized Drones. popularresistance.org On January 13, 2017, a family including a husband, wife and three small children scurried from building to building in East Mosul, Iraq. They were seeking refuge as a battle between ISIS (also known as Daesh) and U.S.-backed forces swirled around them. The family was huddled in an abandoned school surrounded by other civilians when a U.S.-operated drone struck and destroyed the structure. The father and one of his sons narrowly escaped with their lives. The tragic fate of his wife and other children would not be confirmed until months later when he watched as their bodies were excavated from the rubble. | This ac…

Staff (2022-01-16). Seniors to be fined for violating vaccine mandate. rt.com Greeks over 60 warned about punishment for non-compliance with vaccination rules | The Greek prime minister has made a final appeal to the country's senior citizens to get inoculated before monthly punishments for violating the country's vaccination mandate kick in next week. | "Our fellow citizens who are over 60 and still unvaccinated — I encourage them today: take this step," Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said during a visit to a health center in Megara, near Athens, on Saturday. | "Protect your life and the lives of those you love, and understand that the vaccine is safe and saves lives." | Citiz…

Michael Lyon (2022-01-16). Tuesday 1/18: Opportunities and Dangers for Medicare and Guaranteed Healthcare in California. indybay.org Zoom info: us02web.zoom.us/j/2880330680?pwd=VXlSdVB…. ID 288 033 0680 Password 131457. Phone in at 1-669 900 9128, then punch in 288 033 0680 and #, then 131457 and punch # again.

Global Research News (2022-01-16). Global Research Weekender: Will 2022 be the Year of Mass Awakening and the End of COVID-19? globalresearch.ca It has been two years since people worldwide were dragged into this whole COVID-19 cult. Up until now, many countries implement universal health protocols such as social distancing and wearing of face mask in public spaces. Draconian measures have also …

ecns.cn (2022-01-16). 90 pct of Chinese people vaccinated against COVID-19. ecns.cn Over 1.26 billion Chinese people, or nearly 90 percent of the country's population, have received COVID-19 vaccine jabs as of Friday, said a health official on Saturday.

ecns.cn (2022-01-16). COVID-19 situation in China stable, controllable: official. ecns.cn The recent COVID-19 resurgence in China has been in general stabilized, as the country managed to bring the outbreaks in some areas under control in a timely manner, the National Health Commission said Saturday.

Dean Baker (2022-01-16). Why Pay Less? The U.S. Strategy for Vaccinating the World. cepr.net Earlier this month, Dr. Peter Hotez announced that his team of researchers at Texas Children's Hospital and Baylor University, had developed an effective vaccine against the coronavirus. In limited clinical trials, it showed effectiveness comparable to the mRNA vaccines produced by Pfizer and Moderna, and better than the Johnson and Johnson and widely used AstraZeneca …

Carla Stea (2022-01-16). The United Nations and Western Governments Endorse Shocking Vaccine Mandates, Violating Human Bodily Integrity and Autonomy. globalresearch.ca . | First published by …

_____ (2022-01-16). New York's Eviction Moratorium Ends Today. popularresistance.org New York's pandemic eviction moratorium expires today; it began in March 2020 when then-governor Andrew Cuomo ordered a temporary ban on eviction proceedings in response to eviction protests and calls for action to protect tenants. Hundreds of thousands of households across the state owe back rent and now face eviction. Forty-one percent of these households include children, and 72 percent of the affected renters are people of color. According to the Eviction Lab at Princeton University, there have been 81,530 eviction filings in New York City alone since March 2020. Many are now set to proceed amidst a new Covid…

Staff (2022-01-16). Democrat group hides comments accusing Nike of slave labor after praising company. rt.com Occupy Democrats scrubbed its page of references to slave labor and child workers after celebrating Nike's decision to threaten unvaccinated employees with dismissal | Occupy Democrats, a popular left-wing political advocacy group which supports the US Democratic Party, was caught hiding comments expressing concern about slave labor after it praised sportswear company Nike. | The group praised Nike on social media after the multi-billion-dollar company threatened to fire employees who remained unvaccinated against Covid-19. | "Nike sends a defiant letter to its remaining unvaccinated employees that they will b…

WorkWeek (2022-01-16). SEIU Members On Death Of Ludwig Leota,Chicago Teachers/ Zero Covid vs Permanent Covid. indybay.org WorkWeek covers SEIU 1021 Members On Death Of Ludwig Leota, Chicago Teachers & Zero Covid vs Permanent Covid 19, Vermont AFL-CIO On Rise Of Fascism, Journalist Jeremy Portjo's Assault & Argentina General Strike Against A Mining Company.

ecns.cn (2022-01-16). One in Beijing tests positive for COVID-19. ecns.cn One person in Beijing tested positive for COVID-19 on Saturday, local authorities said.

Joel Warner (2022-01-16). WEEKEND READER: Hospitals' COVID Secrets. dailyposter.com

Internationalist 360 ∞ (2022-01-16). Corona Totalitarianism and the Masses. libya360.wordpress.com Carlos Fazio The massive acceptance of the draconian rules imposed by various governments in the wake of the covid-19 pandemic could lead to a new totalitarian system. A technocratic system of transhumanist ideology, with the eventual ensuing atrocities that would be justified under the banner of collective welfare. According to this hypothesis of Mattias Desmet,…

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