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Younger children went back to schools in England on Monday and the UK parliament geared up to resume normal service, as the world's second-worst-hit country in the coronavirus outbreak took its biggest step yet out of a lockdown that police warned was becoming difficult to enforce, AFP reports.
Outdoor markets also swung open their gates and car showrooms tried to lure back customers and recoup losses suffered since Britain effectively shut down for business on 23 March.
But sales at stalls were slow and some schools had half-empty classrooms due to lingering fears that a virus that has officially killed 38 500 people in the UK - and probably thousands more - was still circulating.
The devolved governments in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have taken a more cautious approach, with more limited easing of restrictions, and schools remain shut.
The UK's Prime Minister Boris Johnson has set out a timeline that allows two million younger children in England to return to school on Monday and older ones from 15 June.
But a survey conducted by the National Foundation for Educational Research found that primary school leaders expect about half the families to keep their children home.
The UK government has been encouraged by the positive experience of other European countries that have started to return to something resembling the old way of life.
But critics of the easing believe the so-called R rate of transmission - estimated nationally at between 0.7 and 0.9 - was still dangerously close to the 1.0 figure above which the virus' spread grows.
They have warned the virus was still spreading too fast, and any return to work puts more vulnerable staff at risk.
Scientists and lawmakers are not the only ones to express concern, despite the government insisting the reopening measures were "cautious and phased".
Cameroon schools reopen despite rising virus cases
AFP reports that Cameroon's schools and universities reopened on Monday as the government was criticised over weak measures to combat the spread of coronavirus in one of the worst-affected countries in sub-Saharan Africa.
The government suspended classes in mid-March for universities and schools at all grade levels, both public and private.
Cameroon was the first central African country to register a case of the virus.
Braving the rain with masks on their faces, final-year students returned to school in the capital Yaounde.
There were fewer pupils assigned to each classroom in order to respect social distancing measures, and buckets of water were placed in the entrances and classrooms to encourage hand-washing.
Prime Minister Joseph Dion Ngute confirmed the resumption of classes despite the reservations of several teachers' unions and the concerns of parents widely shared on social media.
Cases of coronavirus are still on the rise in Cameroon, which has recorded more than 6 100 infections and 197 deaths.
Rome's Colosseum reopens, as Greece, Finland, Norway, Mexico, Turkey and India all ease restrictions
AFP reports that Rome's famed Colosseum reopened Monday after a three-month coronavirus lockdown but only a few hundred people were expected at Italy's top tourism site.
The massive amphitheatre, which witnessed savage fights and the gory deaths of unlucky gladiators and wild animals centuries ago, was eerily silent as the first tourists passed through its gates with new health protocols in place.
Officials said they expected only 300 people - a far cry from the thousands of selfie-taking tourists who jam-pack the stadium on a normal basis.
Last year, an average of 20 000 tourists visited the Colosseum daily on a combined ticket with the Imperial Forum - the site of ancient Rome's government and religious temples - and the Palatine Hill, where the city's elite built their villas, thrown in.
Seventy percent of those tourists came from abroad.
Meanwhile, cafes, restaurants and shopping malls reopened Monday in Georgia as the Black Sea country that has confirmed fewer than 800 virus cases continued to ease lockdown measures.
The ex-Soviet nation of 3.7 million has so far reported 794 coronavirus cases and 12 deaths -bone of the lowest rates in Europe.
Likewise, the Ukraine resumed its cross-country local train service on Monday. Passengers were made to follow physical distancing protocols.
Ukraine has recorded 24 012 coronavirus cases and 718 deaths, fewer than many European countries but enough to raise concerns over its under-funded healthcare system.
Meanwhile, Amsterdam's Van Gogh museum has also reopened.
AFP also reports that Greece has reopened its hotels for bookings, while Mexico has begun gradually reopening its economy. Bars in Norway and Finland have been reopened. Turkey's iconic Grand Bazaar has reopened.
Indian train services resume
Long queues stretched outside railway stations in major Indian cities Monday as authorities eased a nationwide lockdown despite a record daily spike in coronavirus cases, reports AFP.
Rail services, apart from the movement of some essential cargo, were abruptly halted in late March ahead of efforts to contain the virus that froze almost all economic activity, putting millions out of work overnight.
But as New Delhi tried to get the economy moving again, officials reported 8 392 fresh coronavirus infections - the steepest daily increase yet - taking the toll to more than 190 000 cases with over 5 000 dead.
At least 149 000 passengers were expected to board trains on Monday as Indian Railways ramped up the number of journeys from 30 to 200.
Bollywood composer Wajil Khan dies from coronavirus
Wajid Khan, one of the top composers of Bollywood dance songs, has died at the age of 42 after contracting coronavirus, AFP reports.
Khan, who had been suffering from a kidney ailment, passed away in Mumbai on Sunday after suffering cardiac arrest, his brother told Press Trust of India news agency, adding that he had tested positive for the virus.
The first death in Bollywood to be attributed to the pandemic sent shockwaves through the industry, which is still reeling from the loss of two luminaries, Irrfan Khan and Rishi Kapoor, in April.
Khan was part of the musical duo Sajid-Wajid who got their Bollywood break in 1998 when they composed the songs for superstar Salman Khan's hit film Pyaar Kiya To Darna Kya (Why Fear Anything if You are in Love).
They became his favoured composers, collaborating on films such as the 2007 comedy Partner, the 2009 action blockbuster Wanted and 2010's top grosser Dabangg (Fearless).
Fireworks set off across Japan to cheer up virus-weary public
Dozens of fireworks displays erupted simultaneously across Japan on Monday to cheer up the public, urge the gods to end the coronavirus pandemic and provide practice for struggling pyrotechnic artisans, AFP reports.
More than 160 manufacturers launched their displays at precisely 20:00 pm at secret locations across the country for a five-minute display called "Cheer up Hanabi".
In an era of social distancing, the synchronised shows were designed to be long enough for people to rush to balconies or doorsteps to see them but too short for people to race to the launch sites.
With traditional summer festivals cancelled due to the coronavirus, fireworks artisans said they wanted to bring light to the skies during these dark times.
