Under pressure from Democratic lawmakers and activists, the Joe Biden administration said it will back an effort to waive intellectual property (IP) protections (WaPo) for COVID-19 vaccines at the World Trade Organization (WTO).

The proposal, brought by a group of developing countries led by India and South Africa in October, would suspend portions of the WTO’s agreement on IP, known as TRIPS, allowing countries to make generic versions of the vaccines. The United States and other wealthy countries initially opposed it. Following Biden’s decision, the European Union announced that it is willing to engage in discussions (NYT) but did not commit to supporting the effort. Negotiations will continue at the WTO and could take months, as most decisions the body makes must be unanimous. U.S. pharmaceutical companies opposed the proposal (WSJ), arguing that it could stifle innovation, lead to a shortage of vaccine ingredients, and spur the creation of counterfeit shots.

China’s state economic planning commission announced that it is suspending (Reuters) the China-Australia Strategic Economic Dialogue, saying Australia has adopted a “Cold War mindset and ideological discrimination.” Relations between the countries have deteriorated since Australia called for an investigation into the origins of the coronavirus.

Hong Kong: Pro-democracy activist Joshua Wong was sentenced to ten months (SCMP) in jail for participating in a vigil last year marking the anniversary of the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests. Wong is already serving a separate sentence. Three district councillors also received sentences of four and six months.

This Backgrounder explains Beijing’s crackdown on Hong Kong.

The U.S. State Department said it will allow nonemergency employees to leave India (NYT) as the country continues to battle a devastating surge in COVID-19 cases. India reported more than four hundred thousand new cases and nearly four thousand deaths yesterday.

This photo essay illustrates India’s COVID-19 crisis.

Pakistan: Finance Minister Shaukat Tarin said Pakistan is in talks (Reuters) with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to ease the terms of a $6 billion loan the country received in 2019.

Israeli President Reuven Rivlin gave Yair Lapid, the leader of the centrist Yesh Atid party, twenty-eight days to form a governing coalition (TOI). Lapid has said he is prepared to allow Naftali Bennett, who leads the right-wing Yamina party, to serve as prime minister first as part of a unity government.

Lebanon: French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian is in Beirut today for talks aimed at ending a political stalemate (Al Jazeera) that has prevented the formation of a new Lebanese government. A caretaker government has been in place since Prime Minister Hassan Diab resigned in August after an explosion at a Beirut port killed hundreds.

South Africa’s ruling African National Congress (ANC) suspended Secretary-General Ace Magashule after he refused to step down (FT) over corruption charges. In retaliation, Magashule said he will move to suspend President Cyril Ramaphosa (Mail and Guardian) as head of the party. ANC officials are meeting today.

Ethiopia: The federal government replaced the head (Al Jazeera) of the interim government in Tigray, where federal and regional forces have been battling since November. A spokesperson for Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said the change was the result of a six-month performance review.

Group of Seven (G7) foreign ministers wrapped up a meeting in London with a strongly worded communique (Politico) criticizing China and Russia. The ministers condemned any actions toward Taiwan that could “escalate tensions” and took aim at Moscow for the “negative pattern of Russia’s irresponsible and destabilizing behavior.”

UK: Voters in Scotland head to the polls (Scotsman) today to elect a new government. The Scottish National Party seeks to win an outright majority in Parliament, which could pave the way for a second referendum on Scottish independence from the United Kingdom.

At least two dozen people have been killed and hundreds more injured during anti-government protests (Miami Herald) in Colombia that have lasted more than a week. Rights groups have expressed alarm over a police crackdown. President Ivan Duque said he has not ruled out declaring a “state of national commotion,” which would give him broad emergency powers.

Guatemala/Mexico: U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris announced that she will visit the countries on June 7–8 in her first trip abroad (CBS News) under the Biden administration. Harris leads the administration’s efforts to control migration from Central America.

This video explains why people are fleeing Northern Triangle countries.

Facebook’s Oversight Board, a quasi-judicial body set up by the company, upheld Facebook’s decision (NYT) to suspend former President Donald Trump but said an indefinite suspension is not an appropriate penalty. The board gave Facebook six months to decide whether to issue a permanent ban or one with a time limit.