Iraq’s parliament approved (Al-Monitor) most of the ministers proposed by former intelligence chief Mustafa al-Kadhimi, the third prime minister–designate since Prime Minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi resigned in November.

Al-Kadhimi appears to have the approval of the United States, which extended a sanctions waiver (State Department) to allow Iraq to buy Iranian electricity, and Iran, which objected to a previous nominee (NYT). He takes office as a protest movement that has roiled the country since late last year begins to reemerge after coronavirus lockdowns, and has pledged to consult with protest leaders.

Taiwan’s health minister called on the World Health Organization (WHO) to provide it first-hand information (Reuters) on the coronavirus. Taiwan has stepped up a campaign to become an observer of the WHO, which currently recognizes Beijing’s authority over the island.

CFR’s Jerome A. Cohen and Yu-Jie Chen look at why the WHO excludes Taiwan.

China: Washington is considering walking away from a January trade truce reached with Beijing if China does not proceed with planned purchases of U.S. goods amid rising tensions between the two countries over the coronavirus, the Financial Times reports.

In Foreign Affairs, Kevin Rudd writes that the pandemic could curb Chinese and U.S. power.

Indian security forces killed top Kashmiri separatist leader (Hindustan Times) Riyaz Naikoo and three other militants in a targeted operation, prompting protests (NYT) that turned violent.

South Asia: U.S. special envoy for Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad is traveling to India, Pakistan, and Qatar in a new push (State Department) to de-escalate the conflict in Afghanistan and accelerate the start of intra-Afghan negotiations.

Israel’s top court ruled that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is permitted to govern (Haaretz) the country in a coalition deal with his erstwhile political rival Benny Gantz despite Netanyahu’s criminal indictment.

Two-thirds of people surveyed in twenty countries by the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said they would lack food and water (BBC) if they were required to stay in their homes for fourteen days. 

On The President’s Inbox podcast, CFR’s Michelle D. Gavin discusses the coronavirus’s impact throughout Africa.

Kenya: Floods and landslides (Reuters) in the country’s west killed 194 people and displaced some 100,000. Heavy rain is expected to continue in the coming weeks.

Poland’s ruling Law and Justice party announced that a presidential election slated for Sunday will be postponed (Politico) due to an anticipated Supreme Court ruling that would invalidate the vote.

Europe: Hungary, Montenegro, and Serbia were downgraded (RFE/RL) from classification as democracies in 2018 to “transitional government/hybrid regimes” in a report by watchdog Freedom House. The report describes a “stunning democratic breakdown” in the Balkans, Central Europe, and Eurasia.

As a June meeting on Brazil’s candidacy to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) approaches, the bloc’s anti-bribery chief urged Brazil to probe (Bloomberg) former Justice Minister Sergio Moro’s recent claims that President Jair Bolsonaro tried to tamper with police operations.

Education Secretary Betsy DeVos announced a long-anticipated regulatory overhaul for schools and colleges’ handling of sexual harassment and assault. Those who report an incident can now be cross-examined (Vox) at the college level and could face a higher standard of evidence required to prove misconduct. DeVos said the change protects the accused’s right to due process (CNN), but critics said it could discourage victims from coming forward.   

The increasing difficulty of shipping illegal drugs through global trade routes during the coronavirus crisis has increased competition among gangs, the Financial Times reports. A UN official said the pandemic will benefit stronger criminal groups and hurt weaker ones.