March 31, Wednesday, 2021 (1:30 p.m.) Newsline

1. Osaka Prefecture in western Japan, which is now reporting more daily coronavirus cases than anywhere else in the country, plans to ask the central government for a new designation that would allow its governor to enforce stricter anti-virus measures.
2. A human rights group in Myanmar says as of Tuesday, 521 people have been killed by the military’s crackdown on protesters following the recent coup. The military conducted airstrikes against ethnic minority armed forces in the southeastern state of Karen for a fifth straight day, as they joined in protesting the military coup.
3. Acts of violence targeting Americans of Asian descent have continued to rise across the United States. A 65-year-old Asian American woman sustained injuries in New York City on Monday after a man suddenly assaulted her. Videos from security cameras show the man stamped on her multiple times after knocking her to the ground. He also made anti-Asian remarks.