Trade and investment ministers for the Group of Twenty (G20) held a virtual meeting (AFP) on Thursday and pledged to ensure that pandemic response measures do not create “unnecessary barriers to trade or disruption to global supply chains” and to refrain from placing export controls on food.

A proliferation of export restrictions and calls to reshore production have led to concerns about the global trading system. U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer wrote in the New York Times this week that the “era of reflexive offshoring is over.” U.S. Senator Josh Hawley of Missouri called for the World Trade Organization to be abolished (NYT). President Donald J. Trump warned that he could “cut off the whole relationship” with China (FT), saving the United States $500 billion, a number he often uses to refer to the bilateral trade deficit.

Hong Kong police officers responding to last year’s pro-democracy protests only used force in response to violence, the Independent Police Complaints Council said in a report (SCMP). The council, whose members are appointed by Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam, said there were “areas for improvement,” including more training for officers and clearer guidelines for the use of weapons.

​In Foreign Affairs, Jeffrey Wasserstrom looks at the threats facing Hong Kong’s pro-democracy movement amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Philippines: More than one hundred thousand people fled their homes for shelters as a typhoon battered the country (AFP), which is also hard-hit by the coronavirus.

Two health advocacy groups are asking the Indian government to rescind patents (Reuters) given to U.S.-based pharmaceutical company Gilead Sciences for remdesivir, a drug that has shown some promise in treating the coronavirus disease, COVID-19. Health access groups say such patents make it difficult for poorer nations to access cheaper, generic forms of the drug.

​Afghanistan: The United States said the self-proclaimed Islamic State, not the Taliban, was responsible for a devastating attack (Reuters) on a Kabul hospital this week, and urged Afghans to remain committed to the intra-Afghan peace process.

Israeli forces killed a Palestinian teenager (Haaretz) in the West Bank after a suspected car-ramming attack injured a member of the Israel Defense Forces. An Israeli soldier and another Palestinian teen were killed in separate incidents earlier this week.

Yemen: The government reported that several Houthi rebels had been killed or wounded (Al Jazeera) during clashes in the al-Bayda region. The report followed a UN envoy’s announcement that Yemen’s warring parties had made progress toward a cease-fire agreement.

​This CFR backgrounder explains the crisis in Yemen.

African countries are developing a system to pool orders (FT) for diagnostic and medical equipment, according to the head of the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a division of the African Union. The agency is setting up a digital system to coordinate purchases of chemical reagents and nasal swabs to increase testing availability.

​For Think Global Health, a CFR initiative, Charles Holmes, Matthew Boyce, and Rebecca Katz discuss how African countries’ experience with other infectious diseases prepared them for this moment.

Burundi: The country expelled (AFP) a top World Health Organization (WHO) official and three other experts helping to coordinate the country’s coronavirus response. Officials did not disclose the reason for the expulsions.

The European Union’s top court ruled that Hungary’s arbitrary detention of migrants (BBC) in border zones is illegal, potentially paving the way for their release. Nearly three hundred people are being held in such zones along Hungary’s border with Serbia.

​Germany: Europe’s largest economy has officially sunk into recession (FT), shrinking 2.2 percent in the first quarter of 2020, the largest drop since 2009.

The government ordered a mandatory quarantine (Santiago Times) in Santiago in response to a 60 percent spike in coronavirus cases. People will only be allowed to leave their homes for essential purposes.

​Mexico: Officials said the country had reached the “peak moment” (BBC) of its coronavirus outbreak after it saw a record-breaking 2,400 new cases in one day.

Senator Richard Burr of North Carolina, chairman of the powerful Senate Intelligence Committee, stepped down from the position amid an investigation of stock sales (WaPo) he made before the pandemic devastated markets worldwide.