The world’s number of confirmed coronavirus cases now exceeds five million (Reuters), with the largest portion of new cases coming from Latin America.
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World Health Organization Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said Wednesday that more than one hundred thousand new cases had been reported in the previous twenty-four hours, the most in a single day (NBC). “We still have a long way to go in this pandemic,” he said.

China has moved to curb imports (SMH) of Australian coal by directing state-owned utilities to buy domestic coal, escalating tensions between the two countries. New Chinese customs rules could also delay shipments of iron ore, Australia’s most valuable export.
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Japan: The head of the International Olympic Committee told the BBC that if the Tokyo Olympics cannot be held next summer due to the coronavirus pandemic, they will have to be canceled.

At least twenty-two people have been killed by Cyclone Amphan (CNN), which struck Bangladesh and India’s east coast, leaving thousands homeless. Both countries conducted large-scale evacuations ahead of the storm.
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Afghanistan: U.S. special envoy Zalmay Khalilzad urged a reduction in violence (RFE/RL) “by all sides” after meeting with Taliban leaders and the Afghan government in Kabul.

Lebanese Prime Minister Hassan Diab warned of a food crisis in his country and the region in a Washington Post op-ed. Diab called for a plan to address the issue that would include a reduction in export restrictions and an emergency fund created by the European Union and the United States.
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The head of Lebanon’s public health ministry discusses the country’s coronavirus outbreak in Think Global Health.

Iran: Tehran shrugged off new U.S. sanctions (Reuters), calling them “fruitless and repetitive.” The United States on Wednesday sanctioned several Iranian officials, accusing them of human rights abuses.

Nearly three hundred people were killed in an outbreak of intercommunal violence (Al Jazeera) on Saturday in South Sudan’s eastern state of Jonglei, including a Doctors Without Borders staffer, government officials said.
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Rwanda: The country is set to release fifty women jailed for having abortions (Guardian) after President Paul Kagame pardoned them.

The eurozone’s economy has begun to show signs of recovery (FT) as countries ease lockdown measures, but the bloc is still expected to suffer a historic slump in the second quarter.
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Hungary: The country will stop detaining asylum seekers (Reuters) in border transit zones, the prime minister’s chief of staff said, complying with a ruling by the European Court of Justice. He said Hungary disagrees with the ruling and believes it threatens European security.

Bolivian Health Minister Marcelo Navajas was arrested and promptly fired for allegedly taking part in a kickback scheme (Santiago Times) to buy Spanish ventilators at inflated prices.

Ecuador: The president announced that the government would close embassies, eliminate state-owned enterprises, and liquidate the national airline as it seeks to address the economic crisis (AFP) brought on by the pandemic.
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CFR’s Paul J. Angelo and Shannon K. O’Neil discuss Latin America’s coronavirus response in this conference call.

President Donald J. Trump and congressional Republicans are mounting opposition (WaPo) against extending unemployment benefits that were approved in March, believing they will reduce incentives to work.