TOP HEADLINES

- Desperately needed international aid has started flowing to support COVID-19 stricken India, with the U.S., the UK, France and China sending thousands of ventilators and oxygen supplies.

- Five thousands music lovers in Liverpool Sefton's Park, UK, participated in a mini-festival at the weekend, with no obligation to wear a mask or respect social distancing, as part of a government official trial event researching how large gatherings can safely take place again.

- In more good news from the UK, Wales has eased further restrictions, reopening gyms, leisure centers and swimming pools, while England is set to remove the 30-person limit on the number of funeral mourners on May 17.

- The European Commission is easing travel restrictions to EU member countries for fully vaccinated foreign citizens and those coming from countries with a good epidemiological situation. Travelers must have received the last dose of an EU-approved vaccine.

- Australia's chief medical officer Paul Kelly warned the government that Australian citizens in India might face serious illness and even die there as a controversial ban on travel to Australia, valid until May 15, has left them stranded in the struggling country.

- India has opened its vaccination program to all adults, as the country nears 20 million cases. But vaccine supplies are still critically short, and most of India's population is still unvaccinated.

- U.S. president Joe Biden and UK's Prince Harry took part (respectively virtually and in person) in the charity event Vax Live: The Concert to Reunite the World in Los Angeles, which raised $53.8m for COVAX, the organization in charge of providing vaccines to low and middle-income countries.

- Saudi Arabia is set to open its sea, air and land borders on May 17, as announced in a tweet by the interior minister.

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AROUND EUROPE

Rahul Pathak in Madrid

Spain saw a partial return for two of its favorite pastimes, which had been in limbo for the past year due to the pandemic: clubbing and bullfighting.

The city of Girona trialed a new digital pass that allowed people to go to a club night hosted by a live DJ.  To get the pass, residents had to download an app and show they had been tested for COVID-19.

The pass is valid for 36 hours and can also be used to gain entry to any live music event or dine out at certain restaurants in the city.

Meanwhile in Madrid, bullfighting made its return to the world famous Ventas Arena. The charity event was raising money for matadors who've been out of work since the outbreak of the pandemic.

COVID-19 restrictions meant only 6,000 fans were allowed to attend the bullfighting spectacle at the 24,000 capacity arena.

Toni Waterman in Brussels

Around 2,000 partygoers on Saturday gathered at Bois de la Cambre, Brussels' largest park, for an anti-COVID-19 party, with police arresting 132 after repeatedly urging participants to adhere to COVID-19 restrictions.

As the day wore on, the crowd became more boisterous and the police deployed several water cannons and tear gas to disperse partygoers. At least 15 people were injured and a dozen individuals were sent to hospital. 

Meanwhile, Belgium's COVID-19 cases continue to drop. There was an average of 3,046 new cases reported a day last week, a 16 percent decrease from the week before. But the country is closing in on a milestone - the total number of cases will surpass 1 million this week. 

Penelope Liersch in Budapest 

Large parts of Hungary's economy reopened over the weekend to those who can show their COVID-19 vaccination card. 

After more than four million people received at least one dose of a vaccine, baths, gyms, indoor dining, hotels, zoos and museums have been allowed to welcome back customers - many for the first time in nearly six months. 

The government's next target is five million vaccinations after which family reunions and weddings are likely to be given the green light. 

Meanwhile, written graduation exams have begun for Hungarian high school students, with ten students allocated to each room and obliged to wear masks, while oral exams are being skipped again this year. This year's graduating class were only able to spend around six of the last 20 months at school due to COVID-19 restrictions.  

Ross Cullen in Paris

Starting today, secondary school pupils in France are going back to class, after the extended COVID-19-related schools closure which began before Easter. A hybrid timetable will be used for the rest of term. 

University students are also returning to a mix of in-person and online lectures, while primary-level pupils went back to school last week. 

The national 10km travel limit will also be removed from today, with no limit on travel throughout France between 6 a.m. and 7 p.m., as the 7 p.m. curfew remains in place. 

The moves are stage two of five planned steps set out by the government to ease the current COVID-19 restrictions over the next two months. 

France's finance minister Bruno Le Maire defended the strategy in a breakfast media interview, saying that "we have made a choice of visibility...all French citizens can see the calendar, they can see the projected plan." Financial support will stay in place throughout May but will only be accessible under conditions in June, said Le Maire.

FROM OUR GLOBAL COLLEAGUES

CGTN Europe: Greece aims to be 'center of culture and sustainability' post pandemic

CGTN China: Over 40,000 oxygen generators are underway from China to India

CGTN APAC: Could India's COVID-19 case count be an underestimate?

CGTN Africa: Nigeria restricts passengers from India, Brazil, Turkey over virus

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CGTN Europe has been providing in-depth coverage of the novel coronavirus story as it has unfolded. Here you can read the essential information about the crisis.