Daily Archives: December 16, 2021

2021-12-16: News Headlines

WSWS (2021-12-16). Omicron explodes in Australia as governments scrap nearly all safety measures. wsws.org As a result of truly criminal decisions taken by governments, Liberal-National and Labor Party alike, millions of people face infection within weeks.

ecns.cn (2021-12-16). Sinovac booster shot shows 94% neutralization efficacy against Omicron: company. ecns.cn The latest study shows a third shot of Chinese biotech firm Sinovac's inactivated vaccine can more than double the vaccine's neutralizing antibody positive rate against the Omicron variant.

Andreas Noack (2021-12-16). Video: Graphene Hydroxide in the mRNA Vaccine Vial: Assassination of Dr. Andreas Noack. globalresearch.ca ** | First published on …

WSWS (2021-12-16). Biden presses forward with February 2022 resumption of student loan repayments. wsws.org The Biden administration is insisting that federal student loan repayments must be restarted on February 1, 2022, after being paused for nearly two years, despite the continuing spread of the pandemic.

_____ (2021-12-16). Most American homeowners are 'house poor'. popularresistance.org During the pandemic, Americans scrambled to buy homes. Now they're struggling to afford to stay in them. | In a recent survey, 40% of homeowners with mortgages said they work second, full-time jobs to afford housing expenses. A majority of the 1,002 people surveyed by Consumer Affairs feel like they can't afford their housing expenses, and did not anticipate the extra costs of upkeep when they bought their homes.

Dean Baker (2021-12-16). Quick Note on the Inflation Debate and November Retail Sales. cepr.net People are still not spending the money banked in the pandemic. This means that we have less reason to fear excess demand driving inflation.

WSWS (2021-12-16). Time's person of the year Elon Musk: Worshipping the pandemic profiteer. wsws.org Time magazine is celebrating a billionaire who personifies the most noxious tendencies in contemporary capitalism.

WSWS (2021-12-16). Governments refuse to take action as Omicron variant surges throughout the world. wsws.org As the official death toll from the COVID-19 pandemic has exceeded 800,000 in the United States, public health officials are warning of a "tsunami" of COVID-19 cases in the coming weeks and months.

ecns.cn (2021-12-16). China contributes TCM-based treatment protocols to global COVID-19 fight. ecns.cn China has introduced treatment protocols based on traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) to more than 150 countries and regions as part of its contributions to the global COVID-19 fight.

Kevin Mwanza (2021-12-16). Pfizer CEO: Omicron Spreading Fast But Mild Isn't A Good Thing, Could Infect Billions, Lead to More Mutations. moguldom.com The omicron variant appears to be milder than previous strains but it is spreading faster and this could lead to more mutations in the future, Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla told The Wall Street Journal. Bourla said he expects the number of confirmed covid-19 cases to surge from dozens to millions over the next few weeks. …

Ramzy Baroud (2021-12-15). The Omicron Shame: Why is the World Punishing Instead of Helping Africa? dissidentvoice.org The decision by several governments across the globe to institute travel bans on seven African countries, starting on November 27, due to the discovery of a new Covid-19 variant, Omicron, was perceived to be hasty in the eyes of some and fully justifiable on medical grounds, in the view of others. However, the matter is …

Staff (2021-12-15). Cuba Hosts 20th ALBA-TCP Summit to Promote Regional Unity. orinocotribune.com The 20th Summit of the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America-Peoples' Trade Treaty (ALBA-TCP) was inaugurated this Tuesday in Havana, Cuba, on the occasion of its 17th anniversary, to reaffirm regional unity and solidarity, and reject US interference in regional affairs. | Among other topics to be discussed are the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic and the alliance's action program for the coming year. Its objective is to defend the Proclamation of Latin America and the Caribbean as a Zone of Peace, approved in Havana in accordance with the 2nd Summit of the Community of Latin American and Caribbea…

teleSUR (2021-12-15). UN: Drivers of Humanitarian Aids Trucks Held by Hijackers. telesurenglish.net UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Monday that drivers of eighteen trucks of humanitarian aid are being hold by military groups in the Amhara region of northern Ethiopia. | UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Monday that drivers of eighteen trucks of humanitarian aid are being hold by military groups in the Amhara region of northern Ethiopia. Dec. 13, 2021.

WSWS (2021-12-15). "These laws aim to keep us in the dark"—Australian SEP electoral members denounce new anti-democratic laws. wsws.org SEP electoral members speak on the link between Australia's party deregistration laws, the COVID-19 disaster and last week's British High Court ruling to extradite Julian Assange.

Staff (2021-12-15). Headlines for December 15, 2021. democracynow.org U.S. Tops 800,000 COVID Deaths as Officials Around the World Warn of Omicron's Rapid Spread, House Votes to Hold Mark Meadows in Contempt; D.C. Sues Oath Keepers, Proud Boys over Insurrection, Judge Dismisses Trump Attempt to Shield Tax Docs from House; NY Probe into Trump Org. Continues, Another GOP Rep. Attacks Ilhan Omar as House Passes Anti-Islamophobia Bill, Congress Votes to Increase Debt Ceiling by $2.5 Trillion, Averting Default, UAE Suspends Talks with U.S. on $23 Billion Arms Sale, Presidents Putin and Xi Meet Amid Mounting Tensions with U.S., Belarusian Opposition Leader Sentenced to 18 Years in Prison…

Mike Ludwig (2021-12-15). Not Just Billionaires — the Average Rich Person's Pay Has Risen During COVID. truthout.org Amid all the anxiety about inflation, the good news this year has been that many businesses increased wages in an effort to keep a reluctant workforce on the job and contend with a tight labor market. However, wages rose quickly for the ultra-rich even as the pandemic raged in 2020, and economists say gains made by workers in 2021 are not sustainable unless structural changes are made. | Wage growth in the United States has slowed since hitting an all-time high in April, when employers sought…

_____ (2021-12-15). Russia And Israel — A Double Standard In International Condemnation. popularresistance.org Over the past month, in a break from its usual focus on COVID-19, the Western mainstream media has dedicated a sizeable amount of coverage to unverified claims by unnamed US intelligence officials that the Russian Federation is planning an imminent military invasion of its western neighbour Ukraine — under the rule of the successive US-EU friendly governments of Petro Poroshenko and Volodymyr Zelensky since 2014, when the CIA-orchestrated Euromaidan colour revolution toppled the pro-Russian government of Viktor Yanukovych, following his November 2013 decision to suspend an EU trade deal in favour of pursuin…

Kevin Mwanza (2021-12-15). Man In Italy Tries Go Get Vaccine Certificate With Fake Arm, Nurse Notices Pinker Arm Than Face. moguldom.com A 50-year-old Italian man who wanted to get a coronavirus certificate without actually having the jab presented a nurse with a fake arm, according to The New York Times. A nurse in the northern city of Biella discovered the deception when she noticed that the man's arm was pinker than his hands and face because …

Isheka N. Harrison (2021-12-15). Omicron Variant Flares Up At Cornell University, Over 900 Students Infected with Covid-19. moguldom.com The omicron variant of covid-19 has flared up at Cornell University, which reported 930 coronavirus cases among faculty and students from Dec. 7-13 — most of them, omicron cases — university officials said. Of the 930 cases, 898 were students with no evidence of severe illness reported in any of the infected students to date. …

Staff (2021-12-15). Venezuela Receives more than 1.5 Million Sputnik Light Doses from Russia. orinocotribune.com On Monday, December 13, Venezuela received another shipment of Sputnik Light vaccine doses from the Russian Federation, which will be used in the Venezuelan government's mass vaccination program against COVID-19. | The new batch consists of more than 1.5 million Sputnik Light doses, which will be used as booster jabs for the elderly population in Venezuela. | The Deputy Minister of Resources, Technology and Regulation, which is under the Ministry of Health, Gerardo Briceño, received the shipment at the Maiquetía international airport. While at the airport, he informed that the supply coming in from Russia will re…

teleSUR (2021-12-15). UNGA President Says Vaccinating World New Year's Top Priority. telesurenglish.net On Tuesday, Abdulla Shahid, president of the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), said that his first goal for the New Year is to vaccinate the world and achieve vaccine equity. | RELATED: | "My top priority is going to be on vaccine. That is why I am convening this high-level meeting on Jan. 13. That is why I want to make my New Year resolution on vaccine," the UNGA president told reporters while responding to the question regarding his top pr…

Carlos Martinez (2021-12-15). China plays a crucial role supporting progress and sovereignty in Latin America. mronline.org In the last two decades, economic links between Latin America and the People's Republic of China have been expanding at a dizzying rate.

Peoples Dispatch (2021-12-15). The Omicron variant: Spread, lethality and prevention. peoplesdispatch.org Immunologist Dr. Satyajit Rath discusses what is known about the Omicron variant at this stage. Does it spread faster? Is it more lethal? How do prevailing vaccine inequities affect its transmission?

Dr. Robert Malone (2021-12-15). Before your Child is Injected, Watch Dr. Robert Malone's statement on Child COVID Vaccinations. globalresearch.ca Before your child is injected, watch Dr. Robert Malone's statement on child COVID vaccinations | Before you vaccinate your child, which is irreversible and potentially permanently damaging, find out why 15,000 physicians and medical scientists around the world signed a declaration …

Ann Brown (2021-12-15). NY State Ethics Board Drops Hammer On Cuomo, Forces $5M Pandemic Hero Book Money To Be Returned. moguldom.com Beleaguered former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has been ordered to give back the $5.1 million he earned from his bestselling book, "American Crisis: Leadership Lessons from the Covid-19 Pandemic," which focused on his handling of the covid-19 crisis and painted him as a pandemic hero. Cuomo was forced to resign in August after numerous …

Workers World Texas Bureau (2021-12-15). Activists 'march' to abolish Texas death penalty. workers.org By Workers World Houston bureau Houston, Texas Though virtual for a second year due to the pandemic, the 22nd Annual March and Rally to Abolish the Death Penalty on Dec. 4 in Texas kept the fighting spirit alive here in the killing capital of the U.S. Demonstrators at Texas annual . . . |

The Socialist Program (2021-12-15). Worshiping at the Altar of Billionaires. liberationnews.org Elon Musk is TIME magazine's Person of the Year this year, despite gaining more than $225 billion dollars over the course of the pandemic, while hundreds of thousands of Americans died. Why does the mainstream capitalist culture worship him and billionaires like him?>

Fight Back (2021-12-15). Hennepin County AFSCME members authorize strike. fightbacknews.org Minneapolis, MN – On December 13, over 3500 Hennepin County clerical and social service workers who are members AFSCME Locals 34 and 2822 rejected the county's "last best and final" contract offer and authorized a strike across both locals. The two locals represent the largest blocks of organized workers in the Hennepin County system. | The AFSCME members say the county's offer is an attempt to stagnate wages and pass costs of operating onto employees. They also say that the county has ignored the risks that frontline workers face during the COVID-19 pandemic. Many of the workers have been forced to work in-perso…

WSWS (2021-12-15). Lisa Diaz, Sarah Saul condemn right-wing campaign to keep schools open amid surging pandemic. wsws.org Huge numbers of children, educators, their families and communities are suffering the consequences of this right-wing agenda. Omicron cases are being reported at school after school, leading to an increasing number of full or partial closures.

WSWS (2021-12-15). The new West Side Story: A remaking of the Leonard Bernstein classic at war with itself. wsws.org The appearance of the new version is a much anticipated event. In the works for a number of years, Spielberg's film was shot and edited in 2019, but its opening was delayed a year by the pandemic.

WSWS (2021-12-15). Australian university union holds back industrial action. wsws.org The votes for strike action reflect the anger and disgust that has built up over the past two years as managements continue to exploit the COVID pandemic to eliminate tens of thousands of jobs.

Eric Zuesse (2021-12-15). The only way to deal effectively with a pandemic is socialistic. moderndiplomacy.eu The two extremes of ideology are libertarianism (anarchy) versus government (socialism). (Pure embodiments of either are rare if not non-existent.) A democratic government represents the public; an aristocratic government represents the wealthiest 0.1% as its actual dictators and beneficiaries. The two types of libertarianism are: the pure form, in which everyone is free to destroy …

WSWS (2021-12-15). Sri Lankan port and free trade zone workers back global inquest into pandemic. wsws.org "No one is taking responsibility for the virus. It is not the people who should be held accountable, but the authorities who hold office."

WSWS (2021-12-15). Jittery markets await central bank decisions. wsws.org Since the start of the pandemic trillions of dollars have been poured into financial markets by central banks, sending stock prices to record highs, but the rise of inflation is leading to increased instability.

Sharon Zhang (2021-12-15). US Passes Another Unfathomable COVID Milestone, Reaching 800,000 Deaths. truthout.org On Tuesday, the U.S. reached a grim pandemic milestone: 800,000 people have died of COVID-19 since the pandemic hit the country last year. | In the initial months of the pandemic, when the U.S. surpassed an already towering 100,000 deaths,

WSWS (2021-12-15). "The emergency is over," declares Colorado Governor, as hospital system nears total collapse. wsws.org During an interview with Colorado Public Radio late last week, Democratic Governor Jared Polis doubled down on his declaration that he will not impose any statewide public health measures to stop the spread of COVID-19.

WSWS (2021-12-15). 17-year-old Philadelphia high school student dies from COVID-19. wsws.org Before catching COVID-19, Alayna Thach had circulated a petition at the school calling for outside learning and lunches to protect students from the deadly virus.

Prof. Pankaj Jha (2021-12-15). Vietnam's Economic Policy and adaptation to COVID-19. moderndiplomacy.eu Vietnam which was seen as a success story in terms of countering COVID-19 is facing challenges with regard to re-invigorating its economy given the fact that the constraints related to international travel, trade and investment are still looming large on the horizon. As part of the initiative to provide the necessary support to the economy, …

WSWS (2021-12-15). Omicron identified throughout the Southern US amid continuing child, educator deaths. wsws.org As Omicron is identified across the Southern US, at least 13 children in the region have officially died of COVID-19 in the past month while the media remain virtually silent.

teleSUR (2021-12-15). Pfizer Confirms High Efficacy Of COVID-19 Antiviral Pill. telesurenglish.net On Tuesday, Pfizer said final results show that its novel COVID-19 oral antiviral tablets could reduce risk of hospitalization or death by close to 90 percent for high-risk patients. | RELATED: | The results, based on an analysis of over 2,000 patients in a phase 2/3 trial, were consistent with the interim analysis announced in November 2021. The risk of hospitalization or death was reduced by 89 percent compared to…

WSWS (2021-12-15). Johnson government hit by massive backbench rebellion opposing minimal COVID measures. wsws.org Yesterday's grotesque parliamentary debate was a warning of what is coming.

Staff (2021-12-15). Nuevo hallazgo podría explicar por qué la ómicron puede transmitirse con mayor rapidez que variantes anteriores. cubadebate.cu La variante ómicron de la covid-19 contagia y se multiplica 70 veces más rápido en los bronquios humanos que la delta y que el virus original del SARS-CoV-2, comunicó este miércoles un equipo de investigación dirigido por científicos de la Universidad de Hong Kong (China).

Newsroom (2021-12-15). Digital Technology Key to Supporting Thailand's Recovery from COVID-19. moderndiplomacy.eu After being severely hit by a surge of COVID-19 cases in the third quarter of 2021, Thailand's economic activity has subsequently rebounded and is expected to grow by 1.0 percent this year, according to the World Bank's latest Thailand Economic Monitor "Living with COVID in a Digital World" published today. Going forward, the adoption of …

WSWS (2021-12-15). Russia anticipates new COVID surge, even as deaths remain at record highs. wsws.org The country continues to experience extremely high daily COVID-19 infections and death, as the spread of the Omicron variant threatens yet another spike.

Newsroom (2021-12-15). COVID-19: Don't underestimate Omicron. moderndiplomacy.eu The Omicron variant is "probably" now present in most of the world's countries and it would be a mistake to dismiss the COVID-19 strain as "mild", said the head of the UN health agency (WHO) on Tuesday. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization, told reporters from WHO headquarters in Geneva that the …

Elliott Wallace (2021-12-15). Venezuela prepares for spike in COVID cases as Omicron spreads across Latin America. america.cgtn.com With the COVID-19 Omicron variant spreading across Latin America, Venezuela is doing what it can to protect the country.

WSWS (2021-12-15). Kaiser workers: To prepare for our fight for safe staffing during Omicron, we must learn the lessons of the AHCU contract betrayal! wsws.org The Alliance of Health Care Unions may have succeeded in ramming through the latest concessions contract, but that does not change the fact that we still need a fully staffed health care system now to handle the impending surge of COVID-19 cases.

Global Research News (2021-12-15). Selected Articles: Towards Another Devastating Worldwide Crisis? The WEF's "Cyber Attack With Covid-like Characteristics". globalresearch.ca By In "normal" times, the practice of medicine has many challenges, some from within and some from outside the profession. If you let it, much of your daily practice …

imperial.ac.uk (2021-12-15). How a virus transforms immune cells into cancer uncovered by researchers. imperial.ac.uk An international team have mapped how the HTLV-1 virus causes a rare leukaemia in some people, providing clues on how to stop it happening.

Internationalist 360 ∞ (2021-12-15). Libya: Mass Demonstrations Demand Elections Not Be Postponed. libya360.wordpress.com The Independent High Electoral Commission in Libya announced on Wednesday that it had handed over the final report on the stage of electoral appeals to elect the president, to the committee formed by members of the House of Representatives concerned with following up the electoral process, coinciding with the outbreak of demonstrations in different parts…

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