Axios

The Trump administration thinks that discussions about Israel's possible annexation of the West Bank "should take place as part of direct talks between Israel and the Palestinians on the Trump peace plan," State Department spokesperson Morgan Ortagus told a group of Israeli reporters in a conference call on Friday.

Why it matters: The comments follow a series of public messages from the Trump administration in what looks like an attempt to signal to the new Israeli government that the U.S. does not support moving forward with annexation at the this time.

King Abdullah II of Jordan said in an interview with the German magazine Der Spiegel that Israeli annexation of parts of the West Bank “will lead to a massive conflict with Jordan."

Why it matters: This is the harshest statement by the King regarding possible annexation of parts of the West Bank by Israel. It comes days after Secretary of State Mike Pompeo visited Israel for talks with Israeli leaders and ahead of the swearing in of the new Israeli government on Sunday.

Kutupalong refugee camps in Bangladesh reported their first coronavirus cases on Thursday, per the humanitarian organization International Rescue Committee (IRC) and U.N. Refugee Agency (UNHCR).

Why it matters: Public health experts view a major coronavirus outbreak in a refugee camp as a worst-case scenario, as conditions are overcrowded with residents sharing water and basic hygiene facilities.

Russia’s surging coronavirus epidemic is now the world’s second-largest, behind the United States.

What to watch: As Russia becomes a new epicenter, President Vladimir Putin appears almost paralyzed.

"Soaring Prices, Rotting Crops ... Processing and transportation breakdowns, panic buying threaten vulnerable nations;" reports The Wall Street Journal (subscription):

What they're saying: "You can have a food crisis with lots of food. That’s the situation we’re in,” said Abdolreza Abbassian, a senior economist at the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.

AUCKLAND, New Zealand — Lines formed outside three different barbers and a cafe in the Auckland suburb of Birkenhead at 12:01 a.m. Thursday local time for a haircut and a late-night bite as the country relaxed some of the world's toughest restrictions.

The big picture: New Zealand is reopening for business this month with no coronavirus community spread. Barber Karl Hurcombe said it was "nerve-wracking" not knowing when he'd reopen as he has a bank loan and a mortgage. He had to organize rent relief. But like many Kiwis Axios spoke with, he cherished the lockdown time with his family, going for walks on warm, sunny days. "Part of me was like I've got myself in a bit of a laid-back rut now!" he joked.

The novel coronavirus will cause the sharpest economic downturn since the Great Depression, a UN report projected on Wednesday.

Why it matters: Governments around the world are pushing to reopen economies devastated by COVID-19 lockdown measures as cases continue to rise along with the death toll. And the World Health Organization warns the virus "may never go away."

AUCKLAND, New Zealand — Australia and New Zealand are reopening their economies from coronavirus constraints and are on track to share a "COVID-safe travel zone" within weeks.

Why it matters: New Zealand is ending some of the world's toughest lockdown measures this week, after eliminating community spread. Australia is on course to suppress the virus and remove all domestic restrictions by July.

A hospital in the epicenter of Italy's coronavirus outbreak has seen a 30-fold increase of children with severe inflammatory symptoms most often associated with Kawasaki-like disease, according to a study published Wednesday in the medical journal The Lancet.

Why it matters: This is one of the first completed studies to examine the rise of an inflammatory illness that is affecting children — some of whom have tested positive for the coronavirus or its antibodies.