Coronavirus Update

Global cases rose to nearly 2.64 million yesterday with more than 177,400 deaths. The number of confirmed U.S. cases rose to more than 849,000 with 47,663 confirmed deaths.

• Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt unveiled a plan to begin reopening the state in three phases.
• New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced the creation of a “tracing army” with the help of former NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg, whose foundation donated $10.5 million to the cause.
• Spanish officials said the current ban that prevents children from leaving their homes will be lifted starting this Sunday.
• Germany on Wednesday gave the go ahead for BioNTech to begin human trials on a potential vaccine, while the UK’s Oxford University will begin similar trials on its vaccine candidate today.
• President Trump yesterday said his administration will begin the process of reopening national parks.

Iran & The U.S.

Iran on Wednesday announced a successful launch of the country’s first-ever military reconnaissance satellite. Earlier that morning, President Trump tweeted that he had instructed the Navy to shoot down any Iranian boats that harass U.S. ships, though Naval officials say they have received no new orders.

More: Last week, the Navy reported Iranian vessels were conducting “dangerous and harassing approaches” of U.S. ships.

Syrian Defectors On Trial For War Crimes

The trial of two Syrian defectors on charges of crimes against humanity, including torture and sexual assault, begins today in a German court. One of the defendants is a former high-ranking intelligence officer under Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, and is accused of overseeing the torture of more than 4,000 prisoners and at least 58 deaths.

More: The ongoing multi-sided Syrian Civil War began in March 2011, and is currently the second-deadliest war of the 21st century.

The Coronavirus Effect

• Tyson Foods on Wednesday suspended operations at its largest pork plant, just days after the world’s largest pork producer, Smithfield Foods, closed three of its plants.
• Private equity firm Sycamore Partners has filed a lawsuit seeking to back out of its deal to purchase a 55% controlling share of Victoria’s Secret for $525 million.
• Delta in Q1 2020 posted its first quarterly loss in five years, and forecasted a 90% year-over-year decrease in revenue for the second quarter.
• Magic Leap will lay off about half its staff (~1,000 people), while Endeavor and LendingClub both announced they would cut roughly a third of their workforce (2,500 & 460 employees, respectively).
• Expedia is reportedly in advanced talks with two private equity firms to secure a $1 billion investment.

Jio Goes Geo

Facebook has announced a $5.7 billion investment in Jio Platforms Limited, the digital arm of Indian conglomerate Reliance Industries run by billionaire Mukesh Ambani. Jio Platforms owns a number of different telecommunications brands, which includes India’s number one mobile carrier - both by revenue and subscriber base.

More: In unrelated news, the social media giant released a map of the U.S. showing the proportion of people experiencing COVID-19 symptoms after surveying more than one million people.

Even More: Also on Wednesday, Facebook said it will begin to display the location of so-called “high-reach” FB pages and IG accounts on each post they share in an effort to combat overseas influence.

Reach For The Stars

SpaceX on Wednesday successfully launched sixty Starlink satellites into orbit, bringing their total number in the sky up to 422. Despite the coronavirus pandemic, the company reportedly still hopes to offer their Starlink internet service later this year in the U.S. and Canada, with a global launch planned for sometime next year.

More: Take a peek at this image of more than a dozen Starlink satellites, captured by an astronaut aboard the International Space Station last week.

Lovers Without Borders

Karsten Hansen, 89, and Inga Rasmussen, 85, have been together for two years, ever since an unlikely run-in blossomed into romance. However, they both reside on opposite sides of the German-Denmark border, which has been closed for over a month due to coronavirus.

The octogenarian couple has managed to avoid letting the physical barrier dampen their relationship. Each day, Karsten bikes to the German side of the border - while Inga drives to the Danish side - and the two meet up to chat, joke, and drink while maintaining a safe distance.

Read All About It

Nonprofit Little Free Libraries promotes reading as a community by setting up public bookcases in neighborhoods across the country. With the coronavirus outbreak across America, their bookcases have taken on a whole new purpose.

The organization recently devised a map - based on emails they received from more than a hundred communities - that shows which of its bookcases has been transformed into a sharing box filled with food and other essential goods.

Fantastic Snakes And Where To Find Them

While some people look forward to a relaxing retirement, the seven elderly ladies that make up the “Fantastic Grandmas” prefer to occupy their time scuba diving for venomous snakes in the Pacific Ocean.

The only volunteer research group at the University of Caledonia (located on an island west of Australia), the Fantastic Grandmas have documented 262 different species of underwater snakes since their expeditions began in 2017.