<p>The UN Security Council has called on a ceasefire in Yemen echoing the earlier calls of the UN Secretary-General who warned that outbreak of the coronavirus poses a unique threat to the country.&nbsp;</p> <p>Earlier this month the UN welcomed a unilateral two-week ceasefire announced by the Saudi-led coalition which came into effect on the 9 April in an effort to support the UN-led peace process.</p> <p>Despite the announced ceasefire reports of violence from both sides.&nbsp;</p>

Nigeria’s police force and army, referred to as the Nigerian Correctional Service, is reported to have killed 18 people over the past two weeks during lockdowns intended to curb the spread of the coronavirus, reports Nigeria’s National Human Rights Council.

Nigeria imposed a lockdown on the 30 March in the southern commercial hub of Lagos, the Ogun state and the capital Abuja. The lock which was initially stated to only last two weeks was extended a further two weeks and increased to other states such as Kano in the north.

Following a statement from the US President that the US would halt funding for the World Health Organisation (WHO); António Guterres, UN Chief, has responded insisting now is not the time to reduce funding.

The state of Kerala, has dropped 30 percent in number of new coronavirus cases in the first week of April compared to the week before, despite being the first state in India to report a coronavirus case in late January.

The success of the Communist state’s government can be attributed to a number of their methods which has just seen just two deaths and the highest percentage of positive patient recoveries in the country. Even as of yesterday, the number of cases has been dropping, yet they have conducted over 13,000 tests – which is more than some states that have half the population as that of Kerala.

(Photo Credit: Gage Skidmore)

US President, Donald J. Trump, has convened a press conference during which he claimed that the World Health Organisation (WHO) had “failed in its basic duty and it must be held accountable” for the poor handling of the coronavirus.

During the press conference, Trump also claimed that the WHO promoted Chinese disinformation days before the initial outbreak of the virus in Wuhan.

<p>International human rights organisations such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch has called on Bahrain to release imprisoned opposition activists, journalists and leaders as well as human rights campaigners during this crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic.</p> <p>HRW’s statement follows the release of 1,486 prisoners, 901 of which were released on “humanitarian grounds”. 585 were given non-custodial sentences. According to the Bahrain Center for Human Rights (BCHR), 394 detainees of the 1,486 released were imprisoned on political charges. This includes opposition leaders who led the 2011 protest movements.</p>

Abdul Majed, a former Bangladeshi army officer, was hanged in the country’s capital, Dhaka, for the assassination of the country’s founding President, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

Majed was executed after spending 25 years as a fugitive and having his appeal for presidential clemency. Rahman was killed in 1975, along with much of his family. He was captured after returning to Bangladesh last month.

(Photo Credit: World Bank)

The World Bank has warned that South Asian countries, such as India and Sri Lanka, will suffer the worst economic slump it has faced in 40 years because of the coronavirus.

According to the World Bank, the South Asian countries are projected to make economic growth of 1.8 to 2.8% this year. This is down from the projected 6.3% growth which was made six months ago.

<p>Amnesty International has released footage revealing deplorable conditions in Cambodia's prisons including overcrowding.</p> <p>This comes during the midst of coronavirus where people are encouraged to socially distance to prevent the spread of the disease. Those unable to are viewed at particular risk, leaving Amnesty to describe the Cambodian prisons as a "ticking time bomb" for the spread of this deadly disease.</p> <p>Amnesty reports that as 2 April 2020, Cambodia reported holding 38,890 people in prison despite having a capacity of only 26,593. They further detail that some prisons have been estimated to be up to 463% overcapacity.</p>

<p>HRW has issued a statement condemning Myanmar for not doing enough to prevent the on-going repression of Rohingya which may amount to genocide.</p> <p>This follows two presidential directives which Myanmar aimed to respond to the International Court of Justice’s call for greater protection for Rohingya’s community.&nbsp;</p> <p>The two directives issues ordered the ministries and all regions and state governments to ensure that staff do not commit crimes defined by the Genocide convention and prohibits all Ministries and the Rakhine State from destroying evidence of genocide.</p>