The coronavirus may never be completely eradicated (CNN) and could instead join the group of viruses that appear every year, according to a top World Health Organization (WHO) official. Mike Ryan, executive director of the WHO’s health emergencies program, said the virus “may never go away,” likening it to HIV in that sense.
 
The novel coronavirus disease has ravaged the globe, sickening more than four million people and killing nearly three hundred thousand to date. The WHO also said that the pandemic could trigger a mental health crisis (Reuters). The warnings come as some countries and U.S. states begin to ease lockdown measures.

A U.S. government retirement fund that manages $594 billion in assets said it will abandon (FT)  plans to shift investment to Chinese stocks. The fund attributed the decision to the economic impact of the coronavirus crisis. U.S. President Donald J. Trump had warned against the move on national security grounds.
 
In Foreign Affairs, Kevin Rudd discusses what the coronavirus pandemic means for the future of U.S.-China relations.
 
Malaysia: The Malaysian government postponed a no-confidence vote (SCMP) against Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin, whose opponents decried the delay as an attempt to shield Muhyiddin from accountability.

Facebook apologized (AFP) for “very real human rights impacts” stemming from misuse of its platform that researchers linked to the 2018 anti-Muslim riots in Sri Lanka that killed at least three people and injured twenty.

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu discussed the coronavirus (Haaretz) and regional efforts to counter Iran on the eve of a new Israeli coalition government’s inauguration. Pompeo appeared to deliver a cautionary message (NYT) about new Israeli annexations in the West Bank.
 
Syria: Under pressure from Russia, UN aid agencies plan to halt funding to private humanitarian groups in northeastern Syria, Foreign Policy reports. The region is home to groups that oppose the Russia-allied Syrian government and some two million people in need of health aid.

Public figures including South African President Cyril Ramaphosa and more than fifty former world leaders released an open letter calling for any vaccine against the coronavirus disease, COVID-19, to be no-cost, patent-free, and available worldwide (FT).
 
This CFR Backgrounder looks at the race to create a coronavirus vaccine.
 
Eritrea: A group of Eritreans sued the European Union (NYT) over the alleged use of forced labor at an EU-funded construction project in Eritrea. The case is thought to be the first litigation seeking accountability for EU spending in Africa.

The European Commission recommended a cautious lifting of internal border closures and restrictions on travel to allow for a summer tourism season (BBC).
 
France: The country’s legislature passed a requirement for social networks to remove content (CNN) flagged for child pornography or terrorism within one hour and take down hate comments and sexual harassment within twenty-four hours. Critics said the law could infringe on free speech.
 
This CFR Backgrounder looks at different approaches worldwide to hate speech on social media.

Colombia will increase its military presence (Bloomberg) and security screenings along its border with Brazil due to rising coronavirus cases in the neighboring country.
 
Cuba: The United States reinstated Cuba (Reuters) on a list of countries that do not cooperate with U.S. counterterrorism efforts over its refusal to extradite a Colombian militant leader. Washington had previously removed Cuba from the list in 2014 amid a warming in relations.

Under emergency coronavirus restrictions, the U.S. asylum system has conducted fifty-nine interviews and accepted only two people seeking asylum at the southern border since March 21, the Washington Post reports.