The government is considering releasing some offenders from prisons in England and Wales to ease pressures caused by the coronavirus pandemic. Justice Secretary Robert Buckland said the virus poses an “acute” risk in prisons, many of which are overcrowded. Some 3,500 prison staff – about 10% of the workforce... Read more

BEIJING (REUTERS) – Mainland China had 39 new confirmed cases on Sunday (March 22), the country’s National Health Commission said, down from 46 a day earlier. All of the new cases involved travellers arriving in China from abroad, the health authority said in a statement on Monday. That brings... Read more

AFP/Reuters/Rome/Berlin/Madrid/Paris Italy’s world-topping toll from the coronavirus pandemic approached 5,500 yesterday after the Mediterranean country reported another 651 deaths. The novel coronavirus causes the Covid-19 disease. The latest daily toll was smaller than Saturday’s record 793 fatalities, but still the second-highest registered during Italy’s month-long crisis. The number of... Read more

Agencies/Mumbai Hundreds of millions of people stayed at home yesterday, heeding Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s appeal for people to self-isolate to contain the coronavirus as confirmed cases in the country surge past 360, with seven deaths reported so far. While the curfew was voluntary and not an outright ban... Read more

BANGKOK (REUTERS) – The coronavirus pandemic led to a rare surge of online posts in Thailand questioning the monarchy on Sunday (March 22) and a government minister subsequently warned that inappropriate posts could lead to jail. Insulting the monarchy is a crime, punishable by up to 15 years in... Read more

The number of coronavirus patients in Pakistan has now reached 646, the country’s health ministry said yesterday, although the government again refused to impose a nationwide lockdown to contain the virus’ spread. Pakistan registered 112 new cases during the past 24 hours, Special Adviser to the Prime Minister on... Read more