(2021-12-08). What is behind the Initial Frenzy over the Dangers of the Omicron Strain? journal-neo.org 
In recent days, the media and political establishment in many countries have been discussing the emergence of Omicron coronavirus variant and the strengthening of the fight against its spread. According to the World Health Organization, the new strain of coronavirus has many mutations, some of which are designated as a Variant of Concern (VOC). In …
(2021-12-08). United States COVID-19 vaccine delivery to Mozambique. moderndiplomacy.eu In an effective effort to make tremendous and recognizable contributions to help fight the spread of coronavirus, the United States Embassy in Mozambique has announced the arrival of more than two million doses of the Johnson & Johnson coordinated through COVAX in Maputo, Mozambique. This is the United States' fourth and largest bi-lateral COVID-19 vaccine …
(2021-12-08). Omicron R-rate could be three times higher than current infection rate. thecanary.co The R-rate for the Omicron coronavirus (Covid-19) variant could be as high as 3.47, preliminary research suggests. The 'R-rate' High R: | Professor Alastair Grant, from the University of East Anglia, has predicted the reproduction rate of the new variant based on figures from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA). He said the high figure for Omicron is due to "a mixture of it being good at transmitting itself and being a partial vaccine escape". A…
(2021-12-08). Don't Bribe My Kid: Mom Says Son Vaccinated in Exchange for Pizza at LAUSD Without Her Consent — NBC Los Angeles. moguldom.com One Los Angeles mother has taken major issue with the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) vaccine mandate — specifically after her 13-year-old son was vaccinated at school without her consent. To make matters worse, she says they bribed her son by offering him pizza in exchange for taking the vaccine. According to Duarte, her …
(2021-12-08). Boundary-pushing research projects boosted by President's Excellence Fund. imperial.ac.uk Projects making nanomagnetic computers, sustainable packaging, improved vaccine carriers, and cut-and-paste chemistry have won up to £250k each.
(2021-12-08). This Holiday Season, Be Our Santa! Support Global Research. globalresearch.ca We are into the second year of this whole COVID-19 pandemic and instead of normalcy, "democratic governments" are sleep-walking into tyranny. People are stripped of their rights and freedoms. Those who resist the globalist agenda of mass vaccination suffer from …
(2021-12-08). Support grows for UK safe schools campaigner Lisa Diaz amid widespread child infections. wsws.org Workers are responding to Lisa's fight in recognition of the crisis underway in schools, as the Delta variant continues to run like wildfire through the young population and the Omicron variant threatens an even worse surge.
(2021-12-08). In OtherWords: December 8, 2021. otherwords.org If you're feeling low this holiday season, you're hardly alone. Record numbers of Americans are seeking treatment for mental health care. | But as Katie Prout writes this week in OtherWords, record numbers are also struggling to get it — especially if you're on Medicaid. Psychiatrists were in short supply even before the pandemic, and the number of practices who take Medicaid is declining. A year in a half into a pandemic that's seen massive deaths, unemployment, and mental illness, she asks: should we really still be tying health care to people's employers? | Also this week, Farrah Hassen calls for a bipar…
(2021-12-08). Mental Health Care Is Hard to Come By — Especially If You're Low-Income. otherwords.org During the first wave of the pandemic in April 2020, my boyfriend asked, not unkindly, if I've ever been diagnosed with anything besides generalized anxiety disorder. | I was relieved that somebody had finally asked about my mental health. | All spring and summer 2020, I kicked the ball of my fritzing brain down the field to some imaginary goal of "things" getting better in the world, or at least more stable. Plainly, that didn't happen. | And so, like many others, I went back to therapy. Or tried to. | I'm on Medicaid, and while the insurance I receive through the program is accepted by many dentists and primary…
(2021-12-08). Russian-Vietnamese Relations and the Joint Fight Against the Pandemic. journal-neo.org 
The history of relations between Russia and Vietnam goes back to Soviet times when the USSR supported the Vietnamese communists in their war for creating their state, the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV). After that, the Soviet Union became a major partner of the SRV for many years. The common ideology, joint opposition to the …
(2021-12-08). The COVID-19 pandemic, the return of the class struggle and the tasks of the Socialist Equality Party in Germany. wsws.org The Socialist Equality Party, the German section of the International Committee of the Fourth International, held its party congress November 19—22. We publish here the resolution unanimously adopted by the delegates.
(2021-12-08). How Portland's Activists Are Bringing Mutual Aid to the Homeless. independentmediainstitute.org Steven Stroud says when he was released from prison in 2020, where he'd wound up due to becoming addicted to doctor-prescribed opioids and eventually heroin, the Portland, Oregon, streets where he grew up had changed. The pandemic had shut down most of the already sparse jobs he would have potentially been able to pursue, and …
(2021-12-08). Texas mask mandate ban reinstated by federal appeals court. wsws.org The Texas government's machinations to hinder public safety in the face of a deadly pandemic are not popular, with a majority of voters in the state supporting mask requirements in public places as well as schools.
(2021-12-08). Organizers against police crimes meet: "We have nothing to lose but our chains" fightbacknews.org Chicago, IL – Two years after the refounding of the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (NAARPR) in November 2019, over 125 NAARPR members and affiliates from around the country convened for the second NAARPR conference in Chicago starting on Saturday, December 4. They shared updates about their work fighting against police crimes and for community control of the police, among other areas of struggle, then voted on resolutions and new leadership for the next two years. | Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic the conference was attended only by delegates from NAARPR chapters and affiliated org…
(2021-12-08). Video: Covid-19: Economic and Social Chaos. globalresearch.ca V the Virus" is said to be responsible for the wave of bankruptcies and unemployment. That's a lie. There is no causal relationship between the (microscopic) SARS-2 virus and economic variables. | It's the powerful financiers and billionaires who are behind …
(2021-12-08). Detroit teachers organize sickouts to demand school safety and Covid protections. wsws.org Teachers and support staff at The School at Marygrove have been conducting a sickout since Monday to demand improved health and safety after the recent school shooting in Oxford, Michigan and the explosion of Covid cases in the state.
(2021-12-08). "Collective Narcissism" and the "Dark Triad": Those Who Protest against the "Official" Covid-19 Narrative are Categorized as "Psychopaths". Is It A Witch Hunt? globalresearch.ca Note: | First published on August 26, 2020. Author's …
(2021-12-08). COVID-19 spreads through New Zealand schools and childcare centres. wsws.org More than 145 schools and early childcare centres in New Zealand have reported COVID-19 cases since August, and a new survey shows half of preschool teachers do not feel safe at work.
(2021-12-08). As Massachusetts COVID-19 cases rise sharply, public school infections at record high. wsws.org The case of one Boston public school, where 46 cases of COVID-19 were found across multiple grade levels, exposes the dangerous, anti-science approach taken by state officials to rising COVID-19 infection rates among students and staff.
(2021-12-08). Promoters of "Wuhan lab" conspiracy theory fume as their claims fall apart. wsws.org As scientific studies continue to undermine the conspiracy theory that SARS-CoV-2 is a genetically engineered virus, journalist Glenn Greenwald has accused the New York Times and Washington Post of being insufficiently faithful to the lab leak "theory."
(2021-12-08). Seun Kuti: "The oppressed people of the world need to organize themselves for political power" peoplesdispatch.org Seun Kuti talks to Vijay Prashad about the EndSARS movement in Nigeria, the need for broadening the movement and building popular resistance in the country, and more.
(2021-12-07). Headlines for December 7, 2021. democracynow.org Justice Department Sues Texas Over Political Maps That Diminish Power of Voters of Color, New York City Announces First-in-Nation Vaccine Mandate For Private Employers, Biden Meets Putin as Russian Troops Mass on Ukraine Border, Russia and India Agree to Deepen Military Ties, Haitian Kidnappers Release 3 More Missionaries, 12 Remain Hostages, Civil Rights Office's Warnings Over Haiti Deportations Went Ignored by DHS and ICE , Biden Administration Reinstates and Expands Trump-Era "Remain in Mexico" Policy, Trump-era Oil & Gas Drilling Boom Continues Under Biden, Despite Campaign Pledge , Top Mike Pence Aide Will C…
(2021-12-07). U.S. Vowed to Help Prevent New Variants by Closing Global Vaccine Gap, But Plan's Funding Is Stalled. democracynow.org 
As the Biden administration faces increased pressure to address global vaccine inequity, USAID administrator Samantha Power announced a plan Monday for the United States to spend an additional $400 million to help increase vaccine access internationally. The move came days after Vanity Fair revealed a $2.5 billion plan to thwart Omicron-like variants has been stalled inside the Biden administration. We speak with reporter Katherine Eban, who broke the story, and says vaccines are piling up in countries that lack the health infrastructure to distribute them quickly. "The problem is shifting from not enough doses t…
(2021-12-07). New Study Finds The US Military Is Spreading Disease Around The World. popularresistance.org A new study out of York University in Toronto, Canada finds that the US military plays a large role in the spread of diseases globally, including past and present pandemics. Clearing the FOG speaks with one of the lead authors, K J Noh, an expert analyst on the geopolitics of the Asian-Pacific region and health, about the study. Important factors in the spread of disease are Status Agreements that the US military makes with local and national governments that exempt members of the military from being required to follow public health measures and a culture of impunity within the military that leads to members defy…
(2021-12-07). Vaccine imperialism: a global threat. mronline.org 
Leaving a vast section of the world's population unvaccinated can only create the basis for the virus to spread and mutate, argues John Clarke…
(2021-12-07). Tougher COVID-19 Testing Rules Take Effect For US Entry. telesurenglish.net As the Omicron variant was found in more U.S. states, tighter rules for entry into the country for international travelers went into effect on Monday — all incoming travelers will need to show proof of a negative test taken within a day of their departure, regardless of vaccination status. | RELATED: | The time span for all international air travelers to take a pre-departure coronavirus test is shortened from three days to one…
(2021-12-07). As World Confronts Omicron Variant, Top 8 Pfizer & Moderna Investors Make $10 Billion in a Week. democracynow.org 
The eight top Pfizer and Moderna shareholders made over $10 billion last week when their stock holdings skyrocketed after the discovery of the new Omicron variant. This comes as global public health advocates warn the world will keep seeing more coronavirus variants unless wealthy nations and vaccine manufacturers do more to address vaccine inequity. "The companies that make the most are doing the least to share their technology," says Nick Dearden, director of Global Justice Now U.K., which is documenting Big Pharma's profits. "The priority is making enormous amounts of money for some of the richest people in th…
(2021-12-07). New York attorney general belatedly calls for stricter coronavirus protections at Amazon warehouse. wsws.org The long-overdue demand for the most minimal COVID safety oversight is an effort by the attorney general's office to boost the credibility of Democrat-aligned union organizing efforts at the JFK8 warehouse in Staten Island, New York.
(2021-12-07). EU health agencies advise on how to achieve 'good levels' of antibodies. rt.com 
EU health authorities have recommended a "mix-and-match" approach to Covid-19 vaccination, saying that using different jabs during the initial and booster inoculation phases produces "good levels of antibodies." | In a joint
(2021-12-07). Medical authorities warn of disaster as Omicron variant found in India. wsws.org Indian national and state authorities are indicating they will take no new action to halt the spread of a more vaccine-resistant variant of the virus that has devastated the country.
(2021-12-07). Where Is Biden In The Global War On Omicron?>. dailyposter.com 
(2021-12-07). Punishing the Unvaccinated: Europe's COVID-19 Health Experiment. dissidentvoice.org Forget any notions of juicy carrots; the stick approach of savage punishment is in vogue with the Greek government in pushing vaccination rates. It is far from the only one. Across a number of countries in Europe, governments wishing to drive up levels of COVID-19 vaccination have decided to abandon suasion and the generous supply …
(2021-12-07). NYC Opens Nation's First Safe Drug Injection Sites; 15 Lives Saved in First Week of Operation. democracynow.org 
At least fifteen lives have been saved, so far, after the nation's first supervised illegal drug injection sites opened in New York City about a week ago. The facilities provide clean needles and the opioid reversal medication Naloxone, as well as medical care and drug dependency treatment options. This comes as U.S. overdose deaths topped 100,000 during the first year of the pandemic. While the New York facilities are the first to be government-approved, advocates have long fought for better and safer resources for people with addiction, and there are now over 120 drug injection sites operating worldwide. We spe…
(2021-12-07). NYC's Safe Drug Injection Sites Saved 15 Lives in First Week of Operation. truthout.org 
Image Credit: Yorgos Karahalis/Reuters | At least fifteen lives have been saved, so far, after the nation's first supervised illegal drug injection sites opened in New York City about a week ago. The facilities provide clean needles and the opioid reversal medication Naloxone, as well as medical care and drug dependency treatment options. This comes as U.S. overdose deaths topped 100,000 during the first year of the pandemic. While the New York facilities are the first to be government-approved, adv…
(2021-12-07). Education watchdog says nearly all children have fallen behind with education during pandemic. thecanary.co Nearly all children in England have fallen behind in their education and suffered as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, the Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills ( Chief inspector Amanda Spielman warned that many of the youngest children's progress and development "faltered" amid the pandemic, with some regressing in basic language…
(2021-12-07). The Heat: Concerns rise as Omicron variant spreads around the world. america.cgtn.com 
Concern over the Omicron variant as COVID-19 cases rise around the world.
(2021-12-07). Canadian educators declare support for Global Workers' Inquest into the COVID-19 Pandemic. wsws.org At a meeting Sunday, educators from Ontario, Quebec, and British Columbia also voted for a resolution opposing the persecution of Lisa Diaz, a British mother who is being targeted by the UK government for refusing to send her daughter into COVID-infested schools.
(2021-12-07). Trade unions in Turkey call for demonstrations demanding revision in minimum wage. peoplesdispatch.org The Confederation of Progressive Trade Unions of Turkey has said that the current national minimum wage is not sufficient for workers to meet their basic needs amid rising prices and an economic crisis intensified by the COVID-19 pandemic…
(2021-12-07). Staggering travel decline spoils World Aviation Day. rt.com 
Covid-19 has led to a dramatic drop in global air travel as the aviation industry marks its annual International Civil Aviation Day today, December 7. | "Collapse," "an unprecedented decline in history," and "stagnation" — these are the terms used by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) to describe the current state of global air travel. | Read more | | In its report, the ICAO says that in 2020, when the spreading virus forced the shutdown of many borders, the total number of interna…
(2021-12-07). Delta spreads as New Zealand government ends Auckland lockdown. wsws.org The Ardern government has lifted Auckland's lockdown, despite the presence of 6,000 cases of COVID-19 and the threat posed by the more infectious Omicron variant internationally.
(2021-12-07). In a criminal disregard for human life, New York transit agency seeks increased ridership. wsws.org Although at least 177 transit workers have died of COVID-19, the New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority is prioritizing an increase in ridership.
(2021-12-07). Unorthodox Covid Views and Medical Regulation — Richard Smith. ukhumanrightsblog.com 
White v General Medical Council [2021] EWHC 3286 (Admin) (03 December 2021) A case in which the High Court reminds the regulator of requirements for imposing curbs on free speech. Dr Samuel White is a GP. Earlier this year he posted a seven minute video on Instagram explaining that he had resigned from his job …
(2021-12-07). Where Are the Damn PCR Tests Already? It's Been 21 Months! truthout.org 
When I look back on the prior two years — if I'm around to look back — I'm going to remember these last few days as the moment I met peak frustration and bade it come sit a spell. I'm used to blaming Donald Trump when I achieve this level of aggravation, but the Biden administration a year after Trump's departure has some serious explaining to do. | I've been a good soldier all throughout the long slog of COVID, got my shot times three, got my daughter vaxxed, wore my mask and social distanced, stayed…
(2021-12-07). Europe passes 75 million COVID cases, as Omicron variant found in at least 17 countries across the continent. wsws.org According to a Reuters analysis, in 2021 "Europe has reported highest daily average of 359,000 new cases in second half as compared with highest daily cases of about 241,000 a day in the first half of the year."
(2021-12-07). The Omicron COVID-19 variant and the reckless endangerment of children. wsws.org Despite the deepening wave of infections, hospitalizations and deaths among children, which Omicron threatens to intensify, the entire political establishment, corporate media and the teachers unions insist that schools must stay open.
(2021-12-07). SEP electoral members speak on Workers' Inquest into COVID-19 and Australia's anti-democratic electoral laws. wsws.org "The Coalition, the ALP and the Greens want to consolidate their own power. It's being done from a position of weakness, not strength"
(2021-12-07). Education Must Come First in Cameroon: Yasmine Sherif calls for an end to attacks on schools. moderndiplomacy.eu The future of humanity hangs in the balance. Acute threats of conflict, COVID-19, climate change, poverty, displacement, hunger and other factors are pushing millions more people — with children the most vulnerable and hardest hit — to the edge in humanitarian crises around the world. We can save humanity from these vast interconnected crises, including …
(2021-12-07). Microplastics may cause bacteria to develop higher antibiotic resistance. nationofchange.org As bacteria become less likely to die from existing antibiotics, it is harder for scientists and doctors to treat infections and protect public health.