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| - Duty Editor: James Legge Tel: +852 2829 6211 -- TOP STORIES -- + Condemnation after Myanmar's deadliest day since coup + Human error may be behind Suez blockage + Americans, Canadians sanctioned in Xinjiang row + France, other EU nations tighten virus curbs + Cities go dark for Earth Hour Myanmar-politics-military NAYPYIDAW Defence chiefs from a dozen countries jointly condemn the bloodbath in Myanmar a day earlier, when at least 90 people -- including several children -- were killed after security forces opened fire on protesters. 650 words 0730 GMT. Picture. Video Also moved: Myanmar-politics-military-strikes Egypt-shipping-Suez,WRAP SUEZ, Egypt Egypt's Suez Canal chief says "technical or human errors" could be behind the grounding of a huge container ship blocking the vital waterway, causing a backlog of over 300 vessels. 800 words moved by Mohamed Abouelenen with Farid Farid in Cairo. Picture. Video. Graphic China-US-Canada-rights-diplomacy,WRAP BEIJING China announces sanctions against two Americans, a Canadian and a rights advocacy body over their criticism of Beijing's treatment of Uyghurs, but Washington says the tit-for-tat measure will only intensify the spotlight on Xinjiang. 650 words moved Health-virus,WRAP PARIS France, Belgium and Poland tighten curbs as coronavirus cases surge in Europe while the Philippines readied for a giant lockdown and Chile confined over 80 percent of its population. 750 words moved. Picture. Graphic. Video Climate-environment-EarthHour,WRAP NEW YORK Cities around the world turn off their lights for Earth Hour, with this year's event highlighting the link between the destruction of nature and increasing outbreaks of diseases like Covid-19. 650 words moved. Picture. Video -- SPOTLIGHT -- US-politics-disinformation-Trump,FOCUS WASHINGTON False and misleading claims about American politics have plummeted since Twitter permanently suspended Donald Trump's account after the January 6 Capitol riot, a trend Twitter and Facebook -- which also blocked Trump but may reverse course -- are keen to take credit for. 800 words moved by Arthur MacMillan Iraq-religion-Judaism,FOCUS BAGHDAD The death of Dhafer Eliyahu hit Iraq hard, not only because the doctor treated the neediest for free, but because with his passing, only four Jews now remain in the country. 750 words moved by Salam Faraj and Sarah Benhaida. Picture -- AMERICAS -- Venezuela-Maduro-Facebook-health-virus,2ndlead CARACAS Facebook says it is "freezing" Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro's page for a month after repeated violations of the platform's rules against Covid-19 misinformation. 450 words moved. Picture US-Britain-China-diplomacy-infrastructure WASHINGTON US President Joe Biden has suggested founding an initiative from "democratic" countries to rival China's trillion-dollar Belt and Road infrastructure initiative as tensions spike between the Asian power and Western nations. 400 words moved US-racism-police-trial-Floyd MINNEAPOLIS, Minnesota Opening arguments begin on Monday in the trial of the white police officer accused of killing George Floyd, a Black man whose death was captured on video and touched off protests against racial injustice across the United States and around the world. 650 words moved by Joy Powell and Chris Lefkow in Washington. File picture Health-virus-US,FOCUS NEW YORK Three days after testing positive for Covid-19, "everything tasted like cardboard," recalls 38-year-old Elizabeth Medina, who lost her sense of taste and smell at the start of the pandemic. A year later, she fears she will never get them back. 725 words moved by Catherine Triomphe. Picture Entertainment-US-music-pandemic,VIDEOESSAY NEW YORK After a year that saw concert venues go dark and stages moved online, an empty storefront in New York has offered a glimmer of hope to artists and audiences ravenous for live music. 550 words moved by Maggy Donaldson. Picture. Video -- ASIA -- Indonesia-explosion,LEAD JAKARTA An Indonesian cathedral is rocked by a suspected bombing, which leaves body parts littering the chaotic scene, as Christians inside celebrate Palm Sunday at the start of Holy Week. 450 words 0600 GMT -- EUROPE -- Poland-health-politics-abortion,FOCUS WARSAW In the wake of Poland's near-total ban on abortions, the need for support for pregnant women with severe foetal defects is greater than ever but few know there are specialised clinics they can turn to for help. 700 words moved by Anna Maria Jakubek. Picture. Video Russia-media-politics,FOCUS MOSCOW Captured on a CCTV camera late at night, a man on a bicycle with a food delivery backpack approaches the offices of Novaya Gazeta, Russia's leading independent newspaper. 800 words moved by Anastasia Clark. Picture. Video -- MIDDLE EAST & NORTH AFRICA -- Iran-China-diplomacy,WRAP TEHRAN Iran and China sign a 25-year cooperation agreement in the latest expansion of Beijing's flagship trillion-dollar Belt and Road Initiative as the US rivals build closer ties. 550 words moved. Picture. Video -- AFRICA -- Mozambique-unrest, WRAP MAPUTO Islamist militants seize control of a town in northern Mozambique, killing several people including at least one foreign worker, near a huge gas project involving France's Total and other energy companies, security sources say. 700 words moved by Joaquim Nhamirre and Susan Njanji in Johannesburg. File Picture. Graphic -- BUSINESS, ECONOMY & TECH -- Health-virus-Italy-tourism,FOCUS MILAN Just over a year into the pandemic, Venice remains a ghost town. Portofino, a colourful playground for the jet-set on the Ligurian coast, and Varenna on the shores of Lake Como are also deserted. 650 words moved by Brigitte Hagemann. File picture -- SPORT -- Auto-Prix-BRN,WRAP SAKHIR, Bahrain Max Verstappen claims pole position for Sunday's season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix with a flawless final lap in a tense qualifying session, beating defending champion Lewis Hamilton by three-tenths of a second. 650 words moved. Picture RugbyU-6Nations,ANALYSIS LONDON A 2021 Six Nations many feared would be a sterile spectacle as a result of being played entirely behind closed doors because of the coronavirus pandemic ended in thrilling fashion. 600 words moved by Julian Guyer. Picture afp
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