UN World Food Program Executive Director David Beasley warned the UN Security Council that “multiple famines of biblical proportions” (UN) could occur within months if action is not taken to secure aid access to conflict zones and avoid trade disruptions and funding shortfalls. 

The food program estimates that unmitigated effects of the coronavirus crisis could cause 265 million people to suffer from acute hunger, nearly double the number in 2019. Agriculture ministers from the Group of Twenty (G20) nations discussed the risk of mass migration due to food insecurity during a meeting yesterday and issued a joint statement (FT) agreeing to secure food supply chains. UN chief Antonio Guterres is expected to warn today, Earth Day, of further global disruption if there is not a green recovery (Politico) from the coronavirus crisis.

An Australian warship joined three U.S. vessels (Reuters) operating in the South China Sea near an area where U.S. forces suspect a Chinese ship is surveying for oil. China said its ship is conducting normal activities.
 
CFR’s Global Conflict Tracker looks at territorial disputes in the South China Sea.
 
Malaysia, Philippines: The two countries have arrested thousands of people (VOA) for violating movement restrictions, prompting warnings from rights groups about a heightened risk of coronavirus in prisons. Meanwhile, nearby countries such as Indonesia, Myanmar, and Thailand have begun mass prisoner releases.

India is promoting incentives (Economic Times) for companies looking to expand their manufacturing outside China, including the possibility of expedited government approvals. New Delhi officials said they have already reached out to about one hundred firms.

Lebanon passed a law legalizing cannabis production (Daily Star) for industrial and medical use, becoming the first Arab country (National) to do so. In 2018, the global consulting firm McKinsey estimated the country’s cannabis production could generate $1 billion annually.
 
Iran: Iran said it launched its first military satellite (Reuters) into orbit. Tehran has denied U.S. claims in the past that such activity is a cover for ballistic missile development.

South Africa is screening people for the coronavirus (WaPo) in their homes and at pop-up clinics, likely becoming the first country to implement such testing nationwide. Health workers have tested over 125,000 people so far.
 
For Think Global Health, a CFR initiative, Charles Shey Wiysonge looks at South Africa’s war against the coronavirus.
 
Ethiopia: Ethiopia has begun refusing to register some asylum seekers from Eritrea, including unaccompanied children, Human Rights Watch said. Ethiopia has long hosted Eritrean refugees fleeing military conscription.

Several researchers aligned with a pan-European virus tracking app defected from the project (Politico), citing concerns over transparency. The German-led app’s centralized model has also been criticized for insufficient privacy protections.
 
In Foreign Affairs, Mira Rapp-Hooper and Samm Sacks look at how coronavirus tracking technology could threaten privacy.
 
Germany: Germany hopes to buy forty-five fighter jets (DW) from Boeing and ninety-three from Airbus to fulfill contributions (Bloomberg) to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), Defense Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer said.

Guatemalan authorities said they are investigating eight health officials alleged to have conspired to defraud (Al Jazeera) the government. Two deputy health ministers were fired, though it was unclear whether they were among the officials being investigated.
 
Chile: Fourteen Chileans were arrested at an anti-government protest (Reuters) in Santiago, a continuation of protests against inequality that began in October. Chile has banned gatherings of more than fifty people due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The Senate passed a $484 billion deal to boost aid (WaPo) to small businesses and hospitals and fund a new coronavirus testing program. The House of Representatives is expected to approve the bill, and President Donald J. Trump has said he would sign it.