India allowed the reopening of local stores from Saturday, more than a month after the country went into lockdown to curb the spread of the coronavirus.
It said retail shops could operate with 50% of staff and implement social distancing guidelines for customers.
However, large market places and malls will remain shut until May 3.
So far, the country has reported 24,506 cases of the coronavirus and 775 deaths.
Meanwhile, Pakistan has extended the nationwide lockdown till May 9, but switched to a so-called "smart lockdown" from Saturday that'll allow some industrial and commercial activities to begin under safety guidelines.
It'll mainly target tracking and tracing of positive cases, officials explained.
Pakistan has reported 11,940 cases of infections, including 253 deaths.
Israel announced a major expansion of military operations in Gaza on Wednesday, saying large areas of the enclave would be seized and added to its security zones, accompanied by large-scale evacuation of population.
A fourth US Army soldier, who together with three others went missing in Lithuania last week when their vehicle sank in a peat bog, has been found dead, US and Lithuanian officials said on Tuesday.
The United Nations on Tuesday dismissed as "ridiculous" an assertion by Israel that there was enough food in the Gaza Strip to last for a long period of time, despite the closure of all 25 bakeries supported by the World Food Programme (WFP).
United Nations officials who surveyed earthquake damage in Myanmar urged the global community to ramp up aid before the looming monsoon season worsens already catastrophic conditions, with the death toll at 2,719 and expected to surpass 3,000.
President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan has offered his condolences to His Highness Sheikh Saud bin Rashid Al Mualla, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Umm Al Quwain, on the death of his mother Sheikha Hessa bint Humaid bin Abdul Rahman Al Shamsi.
The UAE’s National Ambulance Service handled 22,903 cases across the country in the first quarter of this year, according to the National Guard Command.
His Highness Sheikh Saud bin Rashid Al Mualla, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Umm Al Qaiwain, received condolences on the passing of his mother, the late Sheikha Hessa bint Hamid bin Abdulrahman Al Shamsi, at the majlis held at Emiri Court.