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Commander: Kurdish forces end riots by IS prisoners in Syria

Kurdish-led forces have successfully put down riots by Islamic State militants in a prison in northeast Syria with none of the prisoners escaping the facility, the top commander of the U.S.-backed forces said. Mazloum Abdi of the Syrian Democratic Forces tweeted shortly before midnight on Monday that "we were able to avoid catastrophe" in the prison in the northeastern city of Hassakeh. Kurdish authorities run more than two dozen detention facilities, scattered around northeastern Syria, holding about 10,000 IS fighters.

Russia's Covid-19 Crackdowns Could Get Real Ugly

Russia's Covid-19 Crackdowns Could Get Real Ugly. Read full details
Food Supply Is the Next Virus Headache

Food Supply Is the Next Virus Headache. Read full details
Extroverts (and introverts, too) face quarantine challenges

Within days, Vicktery Zimmerman had figured out how to connect with friends and family even as she and her husband shelter in place at their Chicago home. Whatever it takes to keep the 30-year-old self-professed extreme extrovert and public relations specialist from, as she puts it, “spinning in circles." Justin Zimmerman, 32, her introverted husband, is bemused — and amused — by it all.

Europe's hospitals among the best but can't handle pandemic

Crammed in filthy cells, political prisoners fear infection

Reza Khandan got the word from friends locked away in Iran’s most feared prison, Evin. A prisoner and a guard in their cell block had been removed because they were suspected of having coronavirus, and two guards in the women’s ward had shown symptoms. Khandan’s wife, Nasrin Sotoudeh, one of Iran’s most prominent human rights lawyers, is imprisoned in that ward in close quarters with 20 other women.

Brazilian pews become trenches in fight against quarantine

Like every Sunday, Brazilian Pastor Silas Malafaia took the stage of his Pentecostal temple in a middle-class Rio de Janeiro neighborhood. Brazil's churches have landed on the front lines of a battle between state governors, who have introduced quarantine measures designed to contain spread of the new coronavirus, and President Jair Bolsonaro, who is actively undermining them and says a broad lockdown will ultimately destroy Brazil’s economy.

Stranded cruise ship hit by virus begs Florida to dock

As a cruise ship stranded at sea with dozens sick and four dead makes for Florida, passengers who have been confined to their rooms for more than a week are anxious for relief, hoping Gov. Ron DeSantis will change his mind and allow them to disembark despite confirmed coronavirus cases aboard. Orlando technical writer Laura Gabaroni and her husband, Juan Huergo, have wanted to explore the southernmost tip of South America for years — to see the penguins on the Falkland Islands and the glacial landscapes of the Strait of Magellan. Hundreds of passengers and crew members from the Zaandam have not stepped on dry land for 15 days as the novel coronavirus prompted authorities around the world to seal borders, implement checkpoints and force people into quarantines.

Indonesia Bans Entry of Foreigners to Curb Spread of Coronavirus

(Bloomberg) -- Indonesia barred foreign nationals from entering the country as the world’s fourth-most populous country stepped up efforts to contain the spread of the coronavirus pandemic.The travel ban, to be effective soon, will also cover foreigners transiting through the country, Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi told reporters after a cabinet meeting in Jakarta Tuesday. The curbs will not apply to holders of work permits, diplomats and other official visitors, she said.The curbs on foreign citizens is the latest in a raft of measures taken by Indonesia to combat the deadly virus that’s sickened more than 1,400 people and killed 122. President Joko Widodo’s administration previously banned flights to and from mainland China and some of the virus-hit regions in Italy, South Korea and Iran. The president on Monday ordered stricter implementation of social distancing and health quarantine amid calls for a lockdown to contain the pandemic.Indonesia Plans to Limit People’s Movement to Combat Virus Jokowi, as Widodo is known, has also ordered officials to step up screening of Indonesian workers returning from overseas and also foreign nationals visiting or transiting the country to prevent the virus from spreading further.For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.comSubscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source.©2020 Bloomberg L.P.

White House turns to statistical models for virus forecast

Like forecasters tracking a megastorm, White House officials are relying on statistical models to help predict the impact of the coronavirus outbreak and try to protect as many people as possible. The public could get its first close look at the Trump administration's own projections Tuesday at the daily briefing. High numbers of potential deaths estimated under different models have focused President Donald Trump's attention.