2022-02-14: News Headlines

WSWS (2022-02-14). As US COVID-19 deaths continue to surge, corporate media maintains near blackout. wsws.org COVID-19 deaths continue at pandemic highs. However, all efforts are in place to hide these figures and return to a state of normalcy.

Sandipan Talukdar (2022-02-14). Researchers examine molecular factors that provide some variants the edge. peoplesdispatch.org One of the worrying aspects of the pandemic is the emergence of new variants with characteristics that sometimes become more threatening. New variants have shown a trend of outnumbering the previous ones. For example, when the Delta variant emerged, it outnumbered the original strain within a short period and became the dominant form worldwide. The Delta led to more disease severity coupled with its rapid spreading. At this moment, Omicron has become the dominant variant worldwide. However, the Omicron is characterized by lesser hospitalization of the infected. | Scientists have been trying to decipher the molecu…

TASS (2022-02-14). Omicron COVID-19 variant likely to supplant Delta, says Russian expert. tass.com Founder and General Director of the Scientific Center for Molecular and Genetic Research DNKOM Andrey Isaev also assumed that the Delta variant would circulate only in some remote Russian regions…

WSWS (2022-02-14). COVID-19 surges in New Zealand. wsws.org New Zealand has reported a record 981 cases of Omicron today, as infections soar due to the Labour government abandoning its previous elimination strategy.

Staff (2022-02-14). Headlines for February 14, 2022. democracynow.org High-Level Diplomatic Talks Continue as U.S. Warns Russia Could Invade Ukraine at Any Time, Canadian Police Clear Trucker Convoy from Ambassador Bridge as Protests Spread to More Countries, Pfizer's Vaccine for Under 5s on Hold; Study Finds Even Mild COVID Cases Up Risk of Heart Disease, Afghan Central Bank, Aid Groups Condemn U.S. Move to Seize and Redirect Billions in Afghan Assets, Honduran Court Releases Environmental Activists Who Protested Open-Pit Mining Project, Deforestation in Brazilian Amazon Reached Record Levels Last Month, U.S. Judge Restores Protections for Gray Wolves; Australia Declares Koa…

Karen Arana (2022-02-14). NUWH workers at Kaiser strike on MLK Day. liberationnews.org On Jan. 17, while millions of workers across the country had the day off to honor Martin Luther King Jr., Kaiser health care workers in California were denied the day, prompting swift action from the National Union of Healthcare Workers. A hundred people gathered outside the Kaiser Permanente Oakland Medical Center to picket the health industry giant forcing its overworked health care professionals to work this holiday honoring a man who held the power of labor in such high regard. Close to 200 workers went on strike, joined in solidarity by labor organizers and community members.

WSWS (2022-02-14). Australian health workers speak after public meeting in support of NSW nurses' strike. wsws.org "Workers need meetings like this one so that they can have an audience, to have somewhere to voice their worries and know that they have support from the people that are listening to them."

WSWS (2022-02-14). Sri Lankan president imposes essential services strike ban on health and power workers. wsws.org While the nurses and other health workers have demonstrated their determination to fight, the GNOA leadership responded to Rajapakse's dictates by announcing that the union was immediately withdrawing from the strike.

Kai Ehlers (2022-02-14). Constant State of Emergency. indybay.org The wars are waged by special forces, while the population is kept quiet in a permanent state of emergency under the slogan "war is peace" by full technical control, including mental and health surveillance. Anyone who questions this kind of peace is threatened with annihilation.

WSWS (2022-02-14). SEP (Australia) meeting on NSW nurses strike provokes lively discussion on role of unions, fight against pandemic. wsws.org The meeting, addressed by a health worker in the US, a nurse in Sydney and Socialist Equality Party leaders, opened up a discussion on the burning need for workers to form rank-and-file committees throughout the health sector.

sputniknews (2022-02-14). Interim Trials Show Safety of Sputnik Light and AstraZeneca Vaccine Mix. sputniknews.com The interim results of the phase II clinical trials held to evaluate the safety and immunogenicity of the combined use of the AstraZeneca vaccine and the first component of the Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine (Sputnik Lite) did not reveal any serious adverse events, the RDIF, AstraZeneca, and R-Pharm said.

_____ (2022-02-14). Ottawa Under Right-Wing Occupation: Progressives Push Back. popularresistance.org For more than 10 days, truckers opposed to vaccine mandates at the Canadian and U.S. borders have mobilized thousands of supporters to disrupt and terrorize the people of Ottawa. While beginning as a protest against vaccine mandates, the thousands who have poured into Ottawa have escalated the situation into a major occupation threatening the safety and well being of Ottawa residents. The true character of this seditious uprising is that this is not just about vaccine mandates. Throughout the crowds, Confederate flags from U.S.-based racists can be seen everywhere, and pro-Nazi signs and anti-Jewish signs can be…

Jesús Rodríguez-Espinoza (2022-02-14). Cuban Band Buena Fe Postpones Concerts in Canada Defending Cuban Vaccines. orinocotribune.com Caracas, February 13, 2022 (OrinocoTribune.com)—Kawsachun News posted a video on its YouTube channel from the world renowned Cuban duo Buena Fe (with English subtitles) where the two singers explain the reason behind the cancellation of their concerts that were supposed happen this year across various Canadian cities. | Buena Fe is a Cuban pop band formed in Guantánamo in 1999, with strong Trova influence, which is a style of Cuban popular music dating back to the 19th century. Its core members consist of Israel Rojas and Yoel Martínez Rodríguez, who in just ten years have released 10 albums, the most recen…

Antonio C.S. Rosa (2022-02-14). COVID World Data -Total: 412,6M -Dead: 5,8M -Death Rate: 0.01%. transcend.org On 14 Feb 2022 (10am GMT): | Total Cases: 412,627,461 | Deaths: 5,836,222 | Active: 73,538,688 | Recovered: 333,252,551 | Cases Closed: 339,088,773 | Total Vaccinated: 4,869,912,010…

Staff (2022-02-14). Conviasa Announces Direct Flights from Tehran to Caracas. orinocotribune.com Venezuela's national airline is ready to start direct flights between Caracas and Tehran in March 2022. The flights will benefit tourists, commerce, and industry. | Ramón Velázquez, Venezuelan vice minister for air transport and president of the Venezuelan national airline, Conviasa, announced direct flights between Tehran, Iran, and Venezuela's capital. The announcement occurs in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, which remains relatively controlled in both countries, due to the approach of each country's government. | In an exclusive interview for HispanTV, Velázquez said that "joining Tehran with Caracas is a…

TASS (2022-02-14). Russia's Rospotrebnadzor develops technology that can detect COVID at earliest stage. tass.com The greatest advantage of the system is its sensitivity…

Staff (2022-02-14). V-Day to Earth Day: How Women in 70+ Countries Are Rising to End Violence Against Women & Our Planet. democracynow.org Valentine's Day kicks off a campaign by feminist leaders in 70 countries across the world to celebrate One Billion Rising, an initiative by V-Day to end violence against women — cisgender, transgender and gender nonconforming — girls and the planet. "COVID has ushered in a very strange and perplexing time for women. We are on the frontlines everywhere," says V-Day founder V (formerly Eve Ensler). The campaign seeks to resist "the broken systems of capitalism and neoliberalism," as well as the fascist governments upholding these broken systems, says Monique Wilson, global…

TASS (2022-02-14). Three new COVID-19 cases confirmed at Beijing Olympics. tass.com One case of the infection was detected among athletes and officials, two COVID-19 cases were confirmed among the representatives of other interested parties…

Tom Engelhardt (2022-02-14). Tomgram: Belle Chesler, Teaching in a World No Student Deserves. warisacrime.org This article originally appeared at TomDispatch.com. To receive TomDispatch in your inbox three times a week, click here. Honestly, it's been hell on earth for grown-ups. Thanks largely to Donald Trump and crew, we're in the country with by far the highest Covid-19 death rate of any wealthy nation on earth. The U.S. has already left …

WSWS (2022-02-14). German federal government preparing abolition of coronavirus safety measures. wsws.org The ruling class is responding to this wave of infections by announcing even more comprehensive steps to reopen and even promising an end to all remaining pandemic safety measures.

ecns.cn (2022-02-13). Interview: UN refugee agency official says China's contribution helps alleviate dire situation in Afghanistan. ecns.cn The resources provided by China to Afghanistan are helping the internally displaced Afghans to weather the harsh winter and COVID-19 pandemic, while China's engagement in political levels would facilitate a long-term solution to the situation.

TASS (2022-02-13). Omicron strain may lead to neurological complications, inflammations – expert. tass.com Systemic inflammations may evolve with children against its background, founder and chief executive of DNKOM research center Andrey Isaev said…

Florence CGTN (2022-02-13). U.S. states begin rolling back mask mandates as COVID-19 cases fall. america.cgtn.com Children in many K -12 schools across the United States have been wearing masks to protect themselves and others from COVID-19. But with coronavirus case numbers on their way down again, from a national peak in mid-January, some states are deciding to roll back …

sputniknews (2022-02-13). Selfie Care: New AI Medical Program Can Spot Genetic Disease With a Single Picture. sputniknews.com A new AI medical program developed by a team of researchers at the University of Bonn called GestaltMatcher can spot rare genetic diseases with a single picture. The technology will help clinicians quickly diagnose ailments and help in the discovery of new genetic disorders, according to the project's abstract.

Gérard Delépine (2022-02-13). High Recorded Mortality in Countries Categorized as "Covid-19 Vaccine Champions". The Vaccinated Suffer from Increased Risk of Mortality. globalresearch.ca This "health strategy" based on false simulations, lies, promises never kept, propaganda and the fear campaign has become unbearable. In turn it has been followed by the extortion of consent to be vaccinated, by outright blackmail.

_____ (2022-02-13). Flaws Plague a Tool Meant to Help Low-Risk Federal Prisoners Win Early Release. strategic-culture.org By CARRIE JOHNSON | Thousands of people are leaving federal prison this month thanks to a law called the First Step Act, which allowed them to win early release by participating in programs aimed at easing their return to society. | But thousands of others may still remain behind bars because of fundamental flaws in the Justice Department's method for deciding who can take the early-release track. The biggest flaw: persistent racial disparities that put Black and brown people at a disadvantage. | In a report issued days before Christmas in 2021, the department said its algorithmic tool for assessing the risk that…

Dr. Roxana Bruno (2022-02-13). 57 Top Scientists and Doctors Release Shocking Study on COVID Vaccines and Demand Immediate Stop to All Vaccinations. globalresearch.ca Important article first published …

Mary Triny Mena (2022-02-13). COVID-19 vaccine boosters available in Venezuela. america.cgtn.com Venezuela has started administering booster vaccinations against COVID-19, as the country continues its efforts to keep the pandemic under control. For the boosters, Venezuela is using China's Sinopharm and Russia's Sputniklight vaccines. One of those getting a booster is Augusto Mancini. He went to a vaccination center in …

Karina Huber (2022-02-13). Moderna begins human clinical trials for mRNA HIV vaccine. america.cgtn.com It's been almost 40 years since scientists discovered HIV is the cause of AIDS. Since then, scientists have tried to develop a vaccine to protect against HIV, without success. But clinical trials for a new HIV vaccine using mRNA technology are now underway and …

F. William Engdahl (2022-02-13). "We are Human Guinea Pigs": Alarming Casualty Rates for mRNA Vaccines Warrant Urgent Action. globalresearch.ca Official US and EU data confirm alarming numbers of deaths and permanent paralysis as well as other severe side effects from the experimental mRNA vaccines. It is now clear that we are being asked to be human guinea pigs in an experiment that could alter the human gene structure and far worse.

ecns.cn (2022-02-13). Thousands of New York City workers set to lose jobs over vaccine mandate. ecns.cn Around 3,000 New York City employees could lose their jobs Friday for failing to follow COVID-19 vaccine mandate.

Dan Williams (2022-02-13). Truckers block U.S.- Canada border to protest against COVID-19 rules. america.cgtn.com The protests in Canada, originally sparked by COVID-19 vaccine mandates, has broadened into a backlash against all restrictions. The truckers 'freedom convoy' blocks roads and key infrastructure including one of the most crucial bridges between the U.S. and Canada. Friday, the Canadian Province of Ontario declared a state …

_____ (2022-02-13). Class Struggle And Freedom Beyond Colonial Borders. popularresistance.org The global COVID-19 pandemic has brought into sharp relief how truly interconnected our world is, how superficial colonial borders are, and thus how the struggle for freedom must link localized organizing to broader global insurgencies. Of course, this is not new. Though our epoch offers unique challenges, problems, and articulations of the dialectic between repression and resistance, history doesn't repeat itself—but it rhymes. | In a world structured by racial capitalism, white supremacy, and imperialism, Blackness has often been the antithesis of freedom. After legal emancipation from racial slavery, fre…

Peoples Dispatch (2022-02-13). British workers protest rising costs, Tesla faces lawsuit and other stories. peoplesdispatch.org In today's episode of the Daily Round-up we look at a protest by workers against the rising costs of living in the UK; a lawsuit filed against car and energy company Tesla detailing horrific racial discrimination and harassment at a plant in Fremont, California; and the impact of the 3rd wave of COVID-19 on small businesses in Brazil.

Internationalist 360 ∞ (2022-02-13). The Cover-up Begins: Philip Zelikow's Questionable Role in Proposed Bipartisan COVID-19 Commission. libya360.wordpress.com Jeremy Kuzmarov Philip Zelikow's Role in Proposed Bipartisan COVID-19 Commission Raises Serious Doubts About its Credibility Zelikow was Executive Director of the 9/11 Commission which suppressed evidence and misrepresented facts A bipartisan group of senators, led by Patty Murray (D-WA) and Richard Burr (R-NC), has developed legislation to create a commission to investigate the origins…

JANET (2022-02-13). Labor-Indigenous solidarity spotlighted. iacenter.org February 11, 2022 On Jan. 20, hours before members of Boston School Bus Drivers, United Steelworkers Local 8751, were scheduled to take a strike vote, the drivers' transnational, private employer Transdev and its City of Boston client came to the negotiating table with substantially more wages than the union was officially demanding. But even in this unprecedented situation, the 1,000-strong Local 8751 made another pass which emphasized solidarity with the communities the union serves. Paid job training to recruit young drivers from the communities, COVID-19 protections, benefits for elder retirees and correcting…

Jeremy Kuzmarov (2022-02-13). Philip Zelikow's Role in Proposed Bipartisan COVID-19 Commission Raises Serious Doubts About its Credibility. covertactionmagazine.com Zelikow was Executive Director of the 9/11 Commission which suppressed evidence and misrepresented facts A bipartisan group of senators, led …

Prof. Anthony J. Hall (2022-02-13). Corrupt Judges and Elected Politicians in Lockstep with Covid Mandate. A Power-Grab at Levels Never Before Seen in the History of the World? globalresearch.ca Different methods in choosing and employing judges form a possible factor in the contrasting judicial reception to schemes for mandatory injections in the United States and Canada. | The fact that some judges in the United States are elected, might make …

Paulo Cabral (2022-02-13). COVID-19 pandemic batters Latin America's economy. america.cgtn.com Latin America is still struggling underneath crippling economic conditions brought or worsened by the COVID-19 pandemic. And for many of the region's citizens the solution has been looking for opportunities elsewhere.

Rabbi Hillel Handler (2022-02-13). Stop the Covid Holocaust! Open Letter. globalresearch.ca

Florence CGTN (2022-02-13). Lunar New Year celebrations return in New York. america.cgtn.com Big public celebrations for the Lunar New Year have returned in New York after many were cancelled last year during the coronavirus pandemic. The festivities saw crowds fill the streets of Manhattan's famous Chinatown. But with more and more Asian American families moving out to residential …

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