* Plague of locusts set to descend upon Middle East in time for Passover 'Extremely alarming' desert locust swarms forming in Horn of Africa - but will skip Holy Land.
* Iranian Official Calls to Deliberately Spread Coronavirus Worldwide to Bring Messiah Ali Reza Banahyan (also spelled Alireza Panahian), a Hojatoleslam (Shia cleric) and head of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's 'think tank for universities', was recently quoted in Shafaq News as saying that the coronavirus pandemic is a prelude to the emergence of the expected Mahdi (Muslim Messiah).
* Iran warns virus could kill 'millions' in Islamic Republic Iran issued its most dire warning yet Tuesday about the outbreak of the new coronavirus ravaging the country, suggesting "millions" could die in the Islamic Republic if the public keeps traveling and ignoring health guidance.
* Where Is the Supreme Leader? Last week, I proposed that Iran's coronavirus problem is much greater than commonly acknowledged, and that the true number of cases is perhaps hundreds of times greater than the official number.
* 'We're headed for the worst financial crisis of our lifetimes' - Jim Rogers Governments worldwide are trying to stop the spread of the Covid-19 virus, which now threatens the global economy.
* G7 pledge to 'do whatever it takes' to safeguard economy Leaders of the G7 industrial powerhouses pledged Monday to join forces to halt economic freefall in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, which they called "a human tragedy."
* 'Ethical Dimension': Sweden Considers Who Will Live, Who Will Die in Rationing Coronavirus Healthcare The Director-General of the Swedish National Board of Health has confirmed the country is looking into triage measures that could prioritise care for those most likely to survive serious coronavirus infection.
* Greece-Turkey refugee crisis: Merkel, Macron seek solution with Erdogan Turkish government sources say the aim of the video call is to rework a 2016 deal that obliges Turkey to prevent refugees entering the EU in return for financial aid.
* Russia's Shift from "Greater Europe" to "Greater Asia" Though analysts tend to portray Russia's foreign policy as truly global (that is, independent of Europe, the US, and China), the country is plainly tilting toward Asia.
* Will The Turkish Air Force Soon Be Flying Russia's Best Stealth Fighters? Ankara's revived interest in Russian military hardware comes during a time of acute strain in Turkey-NATO relations.