At a time when first world countries like the United States (US) and European nations are struggling to cope with an unprecedented and escalating crisis triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic, Brunei has emerged as a shining example of the preparedness, concern and care for not only its citizens but all who are present in the country, including foreign nationals and tourists. The first COVID-19 case was detected on 9 March, 2020, when a 53-year-old man tested positive for the coronavirus

Intelligence agencies are used to making headlines when they fail to do their job.

When pandemics strike, world leaders and health responders must adapt quickly to the looming threat. Often the last factor they consider – if it makes their to-do lists at all – is gender. As advocates for the health and rights of girls and women, we’ve heard the excuses time and time again: “Gender isn’t a priority right now,” leaders say. “Maybe when things calm down,” they claim. “It’s not the right time,” they insist.

The COVID-19 pandemic has cast a pall over the global economy, making it impossible to anticipate even the near future. Restrictions on cross-border movements, along with national lockdowns, are rapidly reducing global production and consumption, and disrupting value chains. Growing uncertainties are creating a vicious circle, as the contraction in the real economy spills over into the financial sector, in turn reducing credit to non-financial firms.

COVID-19 has been slowly creeping into our communities. As we seek to ensure our families’ health and safety, to many people, food has never seemed so important, both as a source of nutrition and, for many, of comfort. The question is whether, as economic disruption continues, we can stave off a pandemic-related food crisis.What and how we eat affects our health and wellbeing.

As COVID-19 expands across the southern hemisphere, governments there have a lot to learn from Vietnam’s approach. Clear communication and government-citizen cooperation that leveraged technology are the main reasons why the country has had relatively few cases.Much attention has been paid to other models in Asia. Taiwanese health authorities investigated cases of pneumonia reported in Wuhan before community spread occurred.

Assuming the coronavirus infection rate does tail off and life eventually carries on as normal, Southeast Asia is well placed to champion growth and get its economies back up and running. The driver for this is the purchasing habits of the ASEAN consumer and their love of social media and technology.If the Asia-Pacific region was never a cohesive entity before the pandemic, it will be even less so in the aftermath.

The unprecedented public health emergency triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic and its multi-faceted impact on people’s lives around the world is taking a heavy toll on Asia and the Pacific. Countries in our region are striving to mitigate the massive socioeconomic impact of the pandemic, which is also expected to affect the region’s economic health.

This week, leaders from medicine, economics, politics, and civil society are uniting to demand immediate and coordinated international action – in the next few days – to mobilise the resources needed to address the COVID-19 crisis, prevent the current health catastrophe from becoming one of the worst in history, and avert a global depression.

The contrast between the silence of Europe’s streets and squares and the tumultuous, painful reality in many of its hospitals is heart-breaking. COVID-19 has not only Europe but the entire global community in its grip. It is already clear that the pandemic will reshape our world. But precisely how will depend on the choices that we make today. The coronavirus should be seen as the world’s common enemy.