Italy reported 260 deaths caused by the novel coronavirus on Sunday, marking the country's lowest confirmed single-day death toll since the week of March 12, per Johns Hopkins data.
The big picture: Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte outlined plans on Sunday to cautiously reopen parts of Italy, with manufacturing and construction set to start back on May 4, followed by shops on May 14. Bars, restaurants, cafes and other nonessential businesses will not open until at least June 1, and broad social distancing measures will remain in place for the foreseeable future.
Several hundred Hong Kong protestors held an anti-government demonstration at a mall on Sunday in one of the city's largest protests since early March.
Why it matters: The pro-democracy demonstrations in Hong Kong dominated headlines for months until the coronavirus crisis forced the government to implement strict social distancing measures.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a prerecorded speech for an event organized by an evangelical organization that he is “confident” that President Trump will honor his pledge to recognize Israel’s sovereignty over the Jewish settlements in the West Bank and the Jordan Valley "a couple of months from now."
Why it matters: According to the recent coalition deal between Netanyahu and the leader of the Blue and White party Benny Gantz, Netanyahu can bring "the understandings with the Trump administration" on annexing parts of the West Bank to a discussion in the Cabinet and to a vote either in the Cabinet or in the Knesset starting July 1.
Children in Spain were allowed to go outside on Sunday for the first time since a nationwide lockdown aimed at slowing the spread of the coronavirus began six weeks ago.
Driving the news: Spain's government has permitted the country's 6.3 million children under the age of 14 to go outside for one hour each day, but no more than a half-mile away from their homes, according to the BBC. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said Saturday that Spain will begin gradually easing more restrictions on May 2 if new cases continue to fall.
Spain will begin gradually easing stay-at-home restrictions on May 2 if the evolution of novel coronavirus cases look positive, Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said on Saturday.
Why it matters: Spain has reported the most COVID-19 cases outside of the U.S. (almost 224,000), although it has recorded nearly 4,000 fewer deaths than Italy — the second most-affected country in Europe, per Johns Hopkins. Sánchez said the country's reopening, or its "new normal," would continue until a vaccine is found.
Jordan is lobbying foreign leaders to put pressure on the new Israeli government not to move forward with annexation of the Jordan Valley — the settlements and other parts of the West Bank.
Why it matters: According to the coalition deal between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the leader of the Blue and White party Benny Gantz, Netanyahu can bring "the understandings with the Trump administration" in annexing parts of the West Bank to a discussion in the Cabinet, and to a vote either in the Cabinet or in the Knesset starting July 1.
India began to relax its lockdown measures on Saturday in some parts of the country, as the government slowly allows neighborhood stores to reopen outside known hotspots, AP reports.
Why it matters: India had among the strictest stay-at-home orders in the world and the measures, introduced March 24, have taken their toll economically, forcing millions of people to rely on government food handouts and other subsidies.
