Standing over the still body of an intubated 5-year-old boy wearing nothing but a plastic diaper, an Iranian health care worker in a hazmat suit and mask begged the public for just one thing: Stop drinking industrial alcohol over fears about the new coronavirus. The boy, now blind after his parents gave him toxic methanol in the mistaken belief it protects against the virus, is just one of hundreds of victims of an epidemic inside the pandemic now gripping Iran. Iranian media report nearly 300 people have been killed and more than 1,000 sickened so far by ingesting methanol across the Islamic Republic, where drinking alcohol is banned and where those who do rely on bootleggers.

An anonymous paparazzo tells Yahoo UK of the differences between celebrity life in California and royal life in London.

Yahoo News UK outlines the five countries that have incurred the highest death tolls due to coronavirus, including how the virus spread there, what they have done, and how it is changing.

As the UK in gets used to life under lockdown, stark pictures show just how much life has changed for the country during the coronavirus outbreak.The busiest landmarks and beauty spots in London and beyond lie deserted in the spring sunshine as the nation stays indoors to try and contain the spread of the virus.The pavements outside Buckingham Palace, usually packed with tourists, were completely empty on Tuesday after the government introduced tough restrictions for the public earlier this week.Latest coronavirus news, updates and adviceLive: Follow all the latest updates from the UK and around the worldFact-checker: The number of COVID-19 cases in your local areaExplained: Symptoms, latest advice and how it compares to the fluThe Millennium Bridge over the Thames was deserted as galleries, restaurants, pubs and cafes were told they must shut up shop until the worst of the virus has passed.St Paul’s Cathedral, seen from the south bank of the river, was completely clear of people this week as even places of worship have been told to shut their doors.Tower Bridge was also free of its usual queues of traffic.Bath, Bournemouth and Edinburgh also saw streets lie empty as the country followed government guidance on stopping the spread of COVID-19.

NBC Today show anchor Hoda Kotb had just finished her interview with New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees Friday morning when she was suddenly overcome by emotion. The two had been discussing the devastating toll COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, has taken on New Orleans, the city Kotb called home throughout the '90s. Brees explained his decision to donate $5 million to feed struggling Louisiana residents before he signed off-at which point Kotb began to cry.Kotb apologized as the tears came on, and co-anchor Savannah Guthrie said, “Oh, Hoda. I know. It’s a lot. I’m so sorry, hon. Take a moment. It’s a lot. I know where your heart is, my dear. I do.” Guthrie went on to read the tease for an upcoming segment as Kotb gathered herself.Later in the segment, after Kotb had composed herself, Guthrie took a moment to reflect. “So many people, I don’t know if you’ve looked online or anything, I bet you haven’t, but so many people are sending love to you, Hoda, and just saying, we all get it. There’s just moments where it just gets you from out of nowhere, and I think all of us understand that. Everyone feels a lot of pressure right now.”“And I think the other thing, too, is you sort of look around for someone to hug just because,” Kotb replied. “And you realize, OK, that’s also part of it. But anyway. The new normal! We get used to it, right?”Guthrie replied with perhaps the most important thing to remember: “And it’s not forever.”Read more at The Daily Beast.Get our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now!Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more.

As coronavirus continues to spread, Republican Attorneys General continue their push to dismantle Obamacare.

The continued existence of wildlife markets, which are considered potential breeding grounds for the spread of harmful viruses, means it's just a matter of time before the world is hit with another deadly pandemic, some scientists suggest."If we do not deal with this, there is nothing to say that we could not in eighteen months' time have another outbreak, and it could be worse," said Kerry Bowman, an assistant professor and bioethicist at the University of Toronto's Dalla Lana School of Public Health.Scientists believe the novel coronavirus that causes the disease COVID-19 emerged from one of these wildlife markets - also known as "wet markets" - in the Chinese city of Wuhan, possibly through an infected bat.Bats are just one of the animals that are sold at these markets, where customers come to purchase domestic livestock and wildlife, including pigs, chickens, civet cats, bamboo rats, porcupines and pangolins.But Bowman said shutting down such markets may prove extremely challenging, as these cultural practices date back thousands of years and have become part of a multi-billion-dollar global industry.Spillover eventBowman said the main concern with these markets is a spillover event, when viruses transfer from one species to another and then cross over to humans.On very rare occasions, humans will transmit that virus from one person to another, which is what occurred with Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) and, by all indications, is happening with COVID-19.WATCH | An explainer on where the coronavirus came from"Mathematically, this is not a common occurrence. But if you actually wanted to create a laboratory-like experiment to design the conditions for a spillover event, you would create the kind of wildlife market that you have in China," Bowman said.In a recent video message about COVID-19, famed primatologist Jane Goodall warned that the close relationship between people and wild animals in these markets "has unleashed the terror and misery of new viruses."SARS may have spread to humans through wild mammals. The Ebola epidemics in west and central Africa are thought to have originated from bats, while Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) is suspected to have come from camels.All of these infected animals were in wildlife markets, where every day millions of people around the world still get their food.Not just in ChinaBowman emphasized that China is not the only culprit, nor is Asia "the only continent in the world that has this challenge.""But it's particularly tenacious in the Far East, and extends into Vietnam, a lot of Southeast Asia, Indonesia," he said.In February, China announced a ban on the trade and consumption of wild animals. But it also imposed tough restrictions following the SARS outbreak in 2003, only to see the industry slowly re-emerge. Many environmentalists say such bans contain loopholes.The selling of wild animals accounts for "a significant portion of the economy. And it has created an economic opportunity for a lot of people," Bowman said.There are different estimates, but Bowman said the size of the global wildlife trade is pegged at somewhere between $7 billion to $23 billion US a year.Animals in unsanitary conditionsBowman, who conducts research on this issue, said when he last visited a market in Wuhan, he counted 57 species of animals, about two-thirds of them wild, mostly of Asian origin. Cages were stacked on top of each other, in unsanitary conditions.He said operators had "high-powered hoses that are blasting around urine, feces, blood from one cage to another to another to another."In terms of the general concepts of infectious diseases, wildlife markets are "a perfect opportunity for the mixing of bacteria and viruses as well as transmission to other groups," said Jason Stull, assistant professor at the University of Prince Edward Island's Atlantic Veterinary College.Not only that, but stress and malnutrition reduce the immune system of animals and potentially exacerbate this problem, Stull said. For example, an animal under duress may be more likely to shed higher amounts of virus."All of these things likely can contribute to movement back and forth of diseases," Stull said.Many infectious diseases linked to wildlifeAccording to the EcoHealth Alliance, a New York-based organization that conducts scientific research into emerging infectious diseases, about three-fourths of all such diseases are somehow linked to wildlife.William Karesh, executive vice president for health and policy at the EcoHealth Alliance, said the current coronavirus outbreak was likely spread in two possible ways. It could have been a wild animal being sold in the market that contaminated the market. It's also possible that a vendor in the market was infected somewhere else and then infected their customers.The animals that end up in the market are coming from two places - hunted in the wild or bred on farms.WATCH | How bats likely spread the novel coronavirusBowman said there are deep cultural roots with this industry - thousands of years of tradition of eating wild animals. As well, the animals are used for traditional Chinese medicine, luxury goods and the pet trade."What's really changed is that this has gone from occasional domestic use with emerging populations in combination with the burgeoning wealth to a massive commercial enterprise," Bowman said.Focus should be on educationKaresh said ending these practices will take time, likely generations, and can only be done through education and helping countries improve their food systems.He suggested that instead of banning all wildlife trade, countries should focus on those animals that are more likely to have viruses that can be transmitted to humans - like rodents, bats and non-human primates.He said the international community must come to grips with the growing and unsustainable use of wildlife, or we will "continue to see pandemics.""There are three to five emerging diseases every year, and only by luck and the grace of God ... they don't turn into pandemics each time."