Sleeping shoulder-to-shoulder on the floor of a crumbling, windowless room, prisoners in Indonesia fear an outbreak of the deadly coronavirus inside its walls is a "disaster waiting to happen"."It will be a breeding ground for the virus, should it get into any prison," said Brett Savage, locked inside Kerobokan prison known as "Hotel K" - on the Indonesian island of Bali, where 1,500 prisoners occupy blocks built for 350 people.Overcrowding, poor ventilation and

Singapore's usually bustling business district was almost deserted Tuesday as most workplaces in the city-state closed to stem the spread of the coronavirus after a surge in cases.The financial hub has won praise for using a tough regime of testing and tracing contacts of the sick to keep its outbreak largely in check, but has seen a jump in new infections in recent days.Authorities previously resisted the kind of draconian measures seen in worse-hit countries - but have now ordered the

Thailand discovered its first COVID-19 case on 13 January, 2020, a 61-year-old woman from the city of Wuhan, in Hubei province, China. Nearly a month after that, the Rajavithi Hospital in Bangkok announced that they had observed success in treating severe cases of COVID-19 using a combination of drugs that are normally used in the treatment for influenza and the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Initial results showed vast improvement in patients 48 hours after receiving the treatment.

From meditation to memory games, former political prisoners in Myanmar are dishing out tips on surviving isolation in a pandemic as the country once severed from the world again closes its borders.The Southeast Asian state spent nearly half a century under a paranoid, secretive junta that violently suppressed dissent, jailed its critics and locked the country off as it drove the economy into ruin.Pro-democracy activist Bo Kyi, 56, was one of thousands jailed, spending eight years behind bars

Indonesia's capital Jakarta has launched a special police unit to guard the burials of coronavirus victims over concerns that scared residents could try to block funerals, authorities said Monday.The move comes days after angry mobs in several cities on Sulawesi island and in Central Java blocked streets to prevent ambulances from transporting victims of the deadly illness to local cemeteries.Launched at the weekend, the 120-strong Jakarta team will watch over victims' bodies as the

The COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, which first emerged in the city of Wuhan in China’s Hubei province, has unleashed chaos on the world. Many countries have imposed strict and drastic measures to contain the deadly virus, these include citywide lockdowns and extensive travel curbs. These measures have caused major disruptions to businesses and have severely impacted local industries and the global economy.

Food delivery has seen an exponential increase in demand all across the region as ASEAN member states enforce partial or even full lockdowns on their citizens. No more is this more evident than in Malaysia, a country where eating out is a popular activity when it comes to daily meals. Even before the COVID-19 outbreak, food delivery services had affected the dining behaviour of Southeast Asians.

British singer Marianne Faithfull joins the list of high-profile figures hit by the coronavirus, which also includes British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and heir to the throne Prince Charles. Here is a roundup:ArtsFaithfull, 73, a 1960s icon and celebrated singer songwriter, has tested positive and is being treated in hospital in London, her publicists said on Saturday (4 April).Jazz great Ellis Marsalis, died on 1 April aged 85 after contracting the virus.Spanish opera star Placido

Jamie Chui has been a virtual prisoner in her Hong Kong home for most of her nine-month pregnancy.Trapped initially by violent pro-democracy protests and tear gas, and then by the coronavirus – she now faces giving birth alone, with her husband unlikely to see his child until days later.Asia is facing a second wave of COVID-19 infections and as cases spiral globally with one million confirmed positive and half the planet on lockdown, women are having to give birth in unprecedented circumstanc

In Europe, officials, doctors and engineers are looking at how smartphones could be enlisted in the war against the spread of the new coronavirus. One obvious attraction for health officials is the possibility of using smartphones to find out with whom someone diagnosed with COVID-19 has been in contact. But can this be done without intrusive surveillance and access to our devices that store a wealth of private information?Anonymised And Aggregated Firms can "a