As New Zealand began easing month-long lockdown restrictions, burger and coffee takeaway joints in the country witnessed a massive rush.
Long queues of cars were seen outside McDonald's outlets in Auckland and Wellington from the early hours of Tuesday, with many spotted heading to the beaches.
Around 400,000 people returned to work after Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced the easing of lockdown restrictions from "Level 4" to "Level 3".
She said the shutdown had effectively eliminated the coronavirus in the country, but stressed it would be weeks before all movement restrictions were lifted.
"It's an ongoing battle," Ardern said at a televised news conference. "There is no one point in time that this mission ends. We are in the next phase of the battle and we are not done."
"No one wants a second wave in New Zealand and we must guard against that," she added.
So far, the country has recorded 1,472 cases and 19 deaths.
The UN children’s agency said on Tuesday it had for the first time in two-and-a-half years been able to deliver school kits with learning materials into Gaza after they were previously blocked by Israeli authorities.
Search and rescue operations have continued on Tuesday for 10 people still missing after a passenger boat capsized off a southern Philippine province, with the death toll rising to 18, the Philippine Coast Guard said.
A major heatwave across Australia's southeast stoked bushfires, forced hundreds of residents in rural towns to evacuate and brought record-breaking temperatures, with Melbourne recording its hottest day in nearly 17 years.
Israel has recovered the remains of the last remaining hostage held in Gaza, the military said on Monday, fulfilling a key condition of the initial phase of US President Donald Trump's plan to end the war in the Palestinian territory.
The UAE will not allow its airspace, territory and waters to be used in any hostile military actions against Iran, nor will it provide logistical support for such operations.