(2020-03-16). Iran's death toll from Covid-19 increases to 853 — Health Ministry. rt.com 
Iran's death toll from the new coronavirus has reached 853, with 129 new deaths in the past 24 hours, according to the Health Ministry. | "In the past 24 hours we had 1,053 confirmed new cases of coronavirus and 129 new deaths," Alireza Vahabzadeh, a ministry official, tweeted on Monday. A total of 14,991 people have been infected across Iran, the official added. | To contain the outbreak in Iran, one of the deadliest outside of China, officials have called on people to stay at home. | "Based on the figures, we have past the peak of the outbreak, but I still suggest people stay at home, and in case of urgenc…
(2020-03-16). Coronavirus just got real in Moscow: outdoor events banned, schools closed, indoor crowds restricted. rt.com 
After videos went viral at the weekend showing Russian soccer fans chanting about the coronavirus in packed stadiums, some expressed concern that the country was in denial over Covid-19. If so, that ended on Monday. | In Moscow, all outdoor events have been banned and schools will be closed. Meanwhile, indoor gatherings will be restricted to a maximum of 50 people. The orders were published on the website of the capital's mayor Sergey Sobyanin and came only a few hours after a spokesman said the Kremlin "saw no need" to introduce a state of emergency. | Under the measures, schools will be shut from March 21, w…
(2020-03-16). US Army Might Have Brought Epidemic to China: China's Foreign Ministry Spokesman's Tweet. globalresearch.ca 
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian wrote on his Twitter account on Thursday that the US military may have brought the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) to Wuhan. | . | . | "CDC was caught on the spot. When did patient zero begin in …
(2020-03-16). US Health and Human Services faces cyber attack during coronavirus response — reports. rt.com 
The US Health and Human Services Department's computer system was reportedly hacked on Sunday night, with the National Security Council needing to step in and warn that news of a mass quarantine was fake news. | Three people "familiar with the matter" briefed Bloomberg on the hack and said the breach was meant to slow the department's system down in the middle of the coronavirus response. Though no major damage was done, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and President Donald Trump have been informed of the attack, which is said to have included several incidents. The National Security Council tweeted in response…
(2020-03-16). Thousands of volunteers join effort to help vulnerable people during UK coronavirus crisis. thecanary.co 
Thousands of Britons have joined local Facebook groups offering food and support for elderly and vulnerable people during the coronavirus outbreak.The groups, named Covid-19 Mutual Aid, have been set up in most London boroughs, cities including Manchester, Newcastle and Birmingham, as well as smaller towns throughout the UK.Some groups have received several thousand members in recent days as more and more people self-isolate to prevent the spread of the virus.In one group, users shared a printable postcard which could be dropped in to neighbours' letterboxes, with offers to pick up shopping, post mail or even jus…
(2020-03-16). 'Not with a bang but a twerk': Netizens dumbfounded as partygoers ignore coronavirus 'social distancing' pleas (VIDEOS). rt.com 
The immense gravity of the coronavirus crisis has yet to sink in fully and, despite the best efforts of authorities in warning the public, hordes of people have apparently ignored social distancing advice in favor of partying on. | Footage appeared on social media over the weekend of New Orleans police clearing the city's popular party hotspot the French Quarter, after the state's governor banned gatherings of 250 people or more. | However, revelers on Bourbon Street were defiant in the face of sound medical advice and emergency protocols, opting instead to twerk at police who were attempting to clear the area…
(2020-03-16). Getting Viral: Why COVID-19 is Such a Threat to the 60+ Plus Population and Why the Response May Make It Worse. counterpunch.org 
After looking at the demographics, virology, public health dimensions, and earlier parallels (e.g., the 1918 flu epidemic), it seems to me that this whole episode with COVID-19 is being handled incorrectly. This is partly due to Donald Trump's self-serving blunders, but not entirely.
(2020-03-16). Come To A Special Discussion On The Coronavirus Pandemic. indybay.org Online: www.facebook.com/RevolutionBooks/…
(2020-03-16). Ex-Pornhub Diva Mia Khalifa Baffles Fans as She 'Coughs' Amid Coronavirus Chaos. sputniknews.com Internet gadfly and sometime sports reporter Mia Khalifa has demonstrated how she masters her audience to keep them in suspense.
(2020-03-16). 'God is a Woman': Netizens Gush Over 'Ageless' Jennifer Lopez Shoe Line Promo Pic. sputniknews.com Pop-diva Jennifer Lopez has been teasing fans about her soon-to-be-released shoe line in collaboration with DSW since February, spotted on occasion posing with co-celebrities in different-colored versions of her high-heeled peep-toe sandals that showed off her voluptuous beauty.
(2020-03-16). Bond Girl Olga Kurylenko in Quarantine After Testing Positive for COVID-19. sputniknews.com The Ukrainian-born French actress said that she had been "ill for almost a week" with fever and fatigue.
(2020-03-16). Infected NBA player Rudy Gobert wished he had taken the coronavirus 'more seriously'. yenisafak.com Utah Jazz player Rudy Gobert, whose coronavirus diagnosis last Wednesday was the first domino that effectively shut down American sports, regrets not having taken the threat more seriously, he said in a social media post on Sunday."I've been feeling a little better every single days," the 27-year-old Frenchman said on the National Basketball Association (NBA) twitter feed.Gobert was diagnosed with the virus two days after playfully touching reporters' microphones and recorders at the end of a news conference."I wish I would have took this thing more seriously and I hope everyone else will do so," he said on Sunda…
(2020-03-16). Trump sought to buy German firm for coronavirus vaccine. yenisafak.com German politicians slammed U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday for trying to buy a German pharmaceutical company which has been working on a possible vaccine for coronavirus."Germany is not for sale," Economy Minister Peter Altmaier said on Twitter, and added that the government was in contact with the Tuebingen-based company CureVac on this offer.The weekly Welt am Sonntag reported earlier that Trump offered $1 billion to CureVac but demanded that the company should develop the coronavirus vaccine "only for the United States".Foreign Minister Heiko Maas sharply criticized the U.S. president for trying to get "
(2020-03-15). Trump 'strongly considering' Michael Flynn pardon, points at FBI 'conveniently losing' his records. rt.com 
President Donald Trump said on Twitter that he is "strongly considering" pardoning former adviser Michael Flynn after the FBI and Justice Department "destroyed" his life, seemingly confirming the long-standing rumors. | The Mueller investigation may be in the past for many, but Trump put the two-plus year probe back into the spotlight on Sunday by directly answering reports he would pardon Flynn, one of a handful of advisers to face criminal charges from Robert Mueller. | After saying the FBI and Justice Department were "destroying" the lives of Flynn and his "wonderful" family, the president claimed the depar…
(2020-03-15). Long lines beset US airports with passengers reportedly waiting up to 10 HOURS to get through due to Covid-19 screening (PHOTOS). rt.com 
Thousands have lined up in long queues to get their bags and pass customs at airports across the US, with photos of the crowds going viral. The chaos has been blamed on enhanced coronavirus checks under the European travel ban. | Also on rt.com | | O'Hare Airport in Chicago, Illinois, one of world's busiest airports by passenger traffic, has been overwhelmed with a sea of people, with photos and videos by stranded travelers showing long lines leading up to the baggage line and cu…
(2020-03-15). 'Just take it easy, just relax': Trump warns against HOARDING over coronavirus as VIDEOS of shoppers cleaning out stores go viral. rt.com 
The White House has warned citizens against hoarding daily supplies in the wake of videos showing people fighting for products like toilet paper and hand sanitizer and panic-buying daily essentials until shelves are empty. | President Donald Trump on Sunday spoke with "more than two dozen" grocery store and supply chain executives and thanked them for their work as people flock to stores to stockpile on supplies over fears surrounding the spread of coronavirus. | Delivering his daily update on the coronavirus situation, Trump suggested Americans "just take it easy, just relax," adding that the empty shelves al…
(2020-03-13). 'No tests': AP reporter trying to get Covid-19 test sent from pillar to post by health authorities, told to 'stay home' on Twitter. rt.com 
AP reporter Steve Peoples had no luck trying to get tested for the Covid-19 virus after he presented to a primary care center and was subsequently bounced around to various other health facilities with no tests available anywhere. | Peoples tweeted on Friday that he had been experiencing "mild symptoms" — a headache, mild fever and cough — but that when he arrived at his primary care center in north Jersey, they told him to go to the emergency room instead. | I'm presenting mild symptoms (headache, mild fever, mild cough) and want to get tested in north Jersey. Primary care tells me to go to ER. ER…
(2020-03-13). Soccer prez: "I resign…but the blatant sexism wasn't my fault." peoplesworld.org 
My, my, how quickly the mighty fall. Three days after the U.S. Soccer Federation sparked a massive backlash when its legal filings—in a gender discrimination lawsuit no less—argued: "male soccer players are more skilled than female soccer players," Carlos Cordeiro resigned as head of the organization. Cordeiro announced his resignation via Twitter Thursday night, apparently not even information …
(2020-03-13). That's how you spread panic! Ohio official backtracks on claim 100k people in state ALREADY carry coronavirus. rt.com 
Dr Amy Acton's shocking claim that 100,000 Ohioans are already carrying the Covid-19 coronavirus was just "guesstimating," she said a day later, noting that the actual number of confirmed cases stood at just 13. | At least one percent of the population carries the virus, Acton had said at a press conference on Thursday. "We have 11.7 million people. So the math is over 100,000. So that just gives you a sense of how this virus spreads and is spreading quickly." Her comment quickly went viral, so to speak. | By Friday, however, she was walking that back, saying that she was only "guesstimating" the numbers. The…
(2020-03-13). Peak 'Florida Man'? Ex-Tallahassee mayor denies using crystal meth after he was found in hotel room with overdosed male escort. rt.com 
Florida Democrat Andrew Gillum is taking a break from public life after police walked in on what has been described as a crystal meth-fueled orgy – but which he insists was just a wedding celebration where he drank too much. | Gillum was "unable to communicate with officers due to his inebriated state" when police chanced upon him in a hotel room at Miami's South Beach Mondrian on Thursday night, responding to another man's "possible drug overdose," revealed the police report, leaked via Twitter on Friday. | The police were concerned enough to request a second "welfare check" on Gillum, while they took his str…
(2020-03-13). Roaming Charges: Going Viral. counterpunch.org 
+ From Albert Camus's The Plague, which is once again on my nightstand: "There have been as many plagues as wars in history; yet always plagues and wars take people equally by surprise." + We are witnessing what happens to a country (this one) that faces a pandemic after it has privatized almost every aspect of
(2020-03-13). As Coronavirus Grips US, Critics Remember Susan Collins' Insistence Pandemic Flu Funding Be Cut From 2009 Stimulus Package. commondreams.org Political observers on social media pointed to an overlooked vote by Sen. Susan Collins from over a decade ago as one example of Republicans' disregard for public health. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/collins.png …
(2020-03-12). US confirms bombing Iraq's Shia Kata'eb Hezbollah militia after rocket strike at base near Baghdad killed 2 troops. rt.com 
US aircraft bombed five Shia militia targets in Iraq in retaliation for the earlier deaths of two US service members and a British nurse in a rocket attack on Camp Taji near Baghdad. | "Earlier this evening, the United States conducted defensive precision strikes against Kata'ib Hizbollah (KH) facilities across Iraq. These strikes targeted five weapon storage facilities to significantly degrade their ability to conduct future attacks against Operation Inherent Resolve (OIR) coalition forces," the US Department of Defense said in a statement, confirming multiple reports on social media. | Branding the raids "de…
(2020-03-06). Oil firm dumps plans to drill the Bight, but fight not over. greenleft.org.au 
(2020-02-21). In the Midst of Infighting, Anti-LGBTQ Church Network's Website and Social Media Disappear. splcenter.org The New Independent Fundamental Baptist network, most prominently associated with anti-LGBTQ pastor Steven Anderson, appears to be in turmoil as infighting again erupts, this time between Anderson and fellow pastors in the network.