Jonathan Miller , Foreign Affairs Correspondent

It’s the first time the annual vigil has been banned – ostensibly due to coronavirus restrictions.

The British government has expressed its deep concern over the endorsement of a new security law for Hong Kong by the Chinese National People’s Assembly in Beijing.

Police in Hong Kong have arrested around 300 people – firing pepper spray to disperse crowds of  pro-democracy protesters as the legislature began debating a bill which would make it illegal to insult or abuse the Chinese national anthem.

Hong Kong’s veteran pro-democracy politican, Martin Lee, has challenged Britain to stand up to China over its failure to abide by their joint agreement.

A Pakistani passenger plane with almost 100 people on board has crashed in a residential area of Karachi – with reports of many casualties on the ground.

The United Nations Refugee Agency has appealed for international assistance for the crowded Rohingya refugee camps in southern Bangladesh, where the first cases of coronavirus have been recorded.

South Korea has managed to return to relative normality – the success of its track, trace and contain effort held up as a model for the rest of the world.

Many New Zealanders have praised Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s decisive leadership in the crisis.

Across Asia crowded wet markets are very much open for business.

With gatherings banned due to the coronavirus outbreak, Beijing has used the opportunity to reassert its authority in Hong Kong.

Dictators and autocrats around the world have responded to the coronavirus crisis as only they know how – with threats, repression and entrenching their own control.

In Bangladesh up to two million people could be in danger of dying from Covid-19.

A month ago, South Korea suffered what was far-and-away the biggest coronavirus outbreak outside China.

Thailand now has 25 confirmed cases of the coronavirus, and its capital Bangkok is now considered the most at-risk city in the world outside of China for spread of the infection.

Hong Kong police officers have brandished their guns during further unrest today – reportedly firing a warning shot into the air after they were chased by protestors with sticks and rods. The incident happened as officers used tear gas to disperse a large crowd occupying a street,  while water cannons were also deployed for the…