U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken began a series of visits (AP) in the Middle East that aim to shore up a cease-fire between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas, which controls Gaza, that has been in effect since Friday. The truce ended eleven days of fighting that left more than 250 people dead.
 
In Jerusalem, Blinken met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who warned that Hamas would face a “very powerful” response if it breaks the cease-fire. Blinken said Israelis and Palestinians “equally deserve to live safely and securely” and pledged to rally support (Reuters) for humanitarian aid to Gaza that does not benefit Hamas. He will meet with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah today and will go on to visit Egypt and Jordan. Yesterday, U.S. President Joe Biden called Egyptian President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi to thank Egypt (White House) for its help brokering the cease-fire.  

Japanese authorities will decide by the end of the week whether to extend a state of emergency (Kyodo) for Tokyo, Osaka, and other prefectures past its current May 31 deadline due to rising COVID-19 infections. Meanwhile, the U.S. State Department issued a travel advisory for Japan.
 
Taiwan: China-backed agents inundated Taiwan with disinformation related to COVID-19 and Taiwan’s 2020 election and used the island as a “testing ground” for Chinese propaganda campaigns, according to a report by Taipei-based disinformation watchdog Doublethink Lab.
 
This Backgrounder discusses why China-Taiwan relations are so tense.

Authorities detained Danny Fenster (Reuters), an American editor of the independent magazine Frontier Myanmar, as he attempted to leave Myanmar. Fenster is the fourth foreign journalist arrested since the country’s February coup.
 
CFR’s Joshua Kurlantzick explains how Fenster’s detainment shows Myanmar’s junta is digging in.
 
India: Police visited Twitter’s office in New Delhi to investigate a complaint (FT) that the company had flagged a tweet by the ruling party’s spokesperson as “manipulated media.” Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) officials and Twitter have clashed in recent months over the government’s demand that Twitter remove posts related to farmers’ protests.

Omanis staged three days of protests (AP) over job layoffs and a poor economy in the city of Sohar. The demonstrations drew a heavy police presence.

Malian security forces detained (Guardian) the country’s president, prime minister, and defense minister, prompting international calls for their release. The leaders were overseeing an eighteen-month transition back to civilian rule following an August coup.
 
Sudan: The World Bank allocated $2 billion (AP) for Sudanese infrastructure projects and aid for displaced people. Two months ago, Sudan repaid overdue debt to the bank as part of an economic reform process following the 2019 overthrow of longtime leader Omar al-Bashir.

The European Union will forbid (FT) Belarus’s state airline from using the bloc’s airspace and airports and impose economic sanctions in response to Minsk’s diversion of a commercial flight to arrest a dissident journalist. Some European airlines said they would avoid Belarus’s airspace.
 
Poland: Poland will become the first EU and North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) member to purchase armed drones (Hurriyet Daily News) from Turkey. The deal was announced during Polish President Andrzej Duda’s visit to Ankara.
 
For Foreign Affairs, Asli Aydintasbas looks at Ankara’s assertive foreign policy.

Fighters tied to the Shining Path rebel group, known for its dominance in Peru’s countryside during the 1980s, killed at least fourteen people (Guardian) in a remote village on Sunday, the military said. Pamphlets advising Peruvians not to vote in the upcoming June 6 presidential election were found at the massacre site.
 
Brazil: Police arrested Rocco Morabito (Reuters), a fugitive Italian man wanted for having ties to the ‘Ndrangheta criminal group that cooperates with Brazilian gangs to move cocaine to Europe.

The family of George Floyd, a Black man killed by a Minneapolis police officer last year, will meet with federal lawmakers (NBC) and President Biden today to mark the one year anniversary of Floyd’s death. His killing sparked global calls for police reform and prompted a bill Biden had urged Congress to approve by today that would ban certain policing techniques.