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| - Duty Editor: Barry Parker Tel: +33 64016 8343 -- TOP STORIES -- + Virus deaths top 20,000 in US + Pope livestreams Easter mass + UK's Johnson 'owes life' to medics + 'Tik Tok Doc' rocks lockdown Health-virus,WRAP ROME Christians celebrate Easter Sunday under coronavirus lockdown across the globe with church pews empty and the Pope livestreaming as the US death toll from the disease surges beyond 20,000. 750 words 1130 GMT by Dmitry Zaks with Laura Bonilla in New York and AFP bureaus. Picture. Video. Graphic Health-virus-Easter VATICAN CITY Pope Francis breaks with centuries of tradition and livestreams Easter Sunday mass to allow the world's 1.3 billion Catholics to celebrate their holiest holiday under a coronavirus lockdown. 750 words 1200 GMT by Dmitry Zaks. Picture. Video Health-virus-Britain-Johnson LONDON Virus-stricken Prime Minister Boris Johnson says he owes his life to his medical team as Britain is set to pass the grim milestone of 10,000 hospital deaths from COVID-19. 500 words 1100 GMT by Joe Jackson. File picture. File video. Graphic Health-US-virus-doctor,FOCUS LOS ANGELES A US doctor's dance videos posted on social media have proven just the right medicine for hundreds of thousands of people, including health care workers, who are cheering him on for lifting their spirits during the coronavirus pandemic. 500 words moved by Jocelyne Zablit. Picture. Video -- AMERICAS -- Health-virus-US-telemedicine,FOCUS WASHINGTON For a follow-up visit after her recent cancer surgery, Gail Rae-Garwood opted for a video consultation with her specialist, avoiding a long journey -- and potential exposure to COVID-19 in medical offices. 800 words moved by Rob Lever Health-virus-US-lifestyle-nightlife,FOCUS NEW YORK With New York's nightlife spots closed, digital dance parties are all the rave, as DJs stream sets while revelers don their nipple pasties and disco-ball facemasks for clubs online. 700 words moved by Maggy Donaldson. Picture. Video. File picture Health-virus-US-wine,FOCUS LOS ANGELES The coronavirus outbreak has proven a sobering experience for vintners across California as they try to navigate the pandemic by organizing virtual wine tastings and slashing prices to remain afloat. 600 words moved by Laurent Banguet. Video Health-virus-US-lifestyle-cycling,FOCUS NEW YORK When America's oldest bike shop opened, the Spanish flu was ravaging New York. More than a century later, it's helping residents work and stay sane as cycling takes on a vital role during the coronavirus pandemic. 750 words moved by Peter Hutchison. Picture. Video Health-virus-Nicaragua-politics-religion,FOCUS MASATEPE, Nicaragua With no concern for social distancing, hundreds of Nicaraguans dressed in costumes converge on the southern city of Masatepe to catch and drag "Judas" through the streets. 650 words moved by Julia Rios and Blanca Morel. Picture. Video -- ASIA -- Afghanistan-Taliban-prisoners,WRAP KABUL The Taliban say they will release the first prisoners in a delayed exchange deal with the Afghan government, a potential breakthrough after the insurgents walked out of talks with Kabul last week. 450 words moved by Usman Sharifi Health-virus-China-employment-economy,FOCUS BEIJING Although China is claiming success in the battle against the coronavirus, millions have lost their jobs in the economic fallout, throwing in jeopardy an ambitious target to eradicate poverty this year. 800 words moved by Beiyo Seow Health-virus-Japan-labour-business,FOCUS TOKYO Some Japanese office workers are facing a small, but insurmountable hurdle to staying home under the state of emergency declared in parts of the country over the virus: personal signature stamps. 700 words moved by Natsuko Fukue. File picture Health-virus-India,FOCUS NEW DELHI Shahjahan's family feared the worst when a New Delhi public hospital told her to leave because her bed was needed for a coronavirus unit. 800 words moved by Aishwarya Kumar. Picture. Video Health-virus-India-Pakistan-Bangladesh-SriLanka-Maldives-Nepal NEW DELHI South Asia is on course for its worst economic performance in 40 years, with decades of progress in the battle against poverty at risk, because of coronavirus, the World Bank says. 500 words moved -- EUROPE -- Britain-US-espionage-Assange LONDON WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange fathered two children with one of his lawyers while holed up in Ecuador's embassy in London for much of the past decade, a report says. 500 words moved. File picture History-Holocaust-Jews-Netherlands-AnneFrank,FOCUS AMSTERDAM A lifetime ago, a Jewish girl confided in her diary as she spent two years in isolation from the outside world in a doomed attempt to escape mortal danger. Seventy-five years after her death in Belsen-Belsen concentration camp, Anne Frank's diary remains more relevant than ever. 800 words moved by Danny Kemp. Video -- MIDDLE EAST -- Health-virus-Morocco-women-poverty,FOCUS CASABLANCA, Morocco A small van zips through the streets of Casablanca to deliver food to single mothers, as economic paralysis caused by the coronavirus crisis puts pressure on Morocco's poor. 600 words moved by Sophie Pons. File Picture. Video Health-virus-Algeria-oil-politics-economy-social,ANALYSIS ALGIERS Algeria faces economic and social turmoil if oil prices continue to collapse, experts warn, with the oil-dependent country reeling from a year of popular protests, political turmoil and now, coronavirus. 650 words moved by Amal Belalloufi with Philippe Agret in Tunis UAE-banking-technology-Islam,FOCUS DUBAI Islamic finance has become a $2 trillion business over the past two decades, but with complex standards set out by Islamic bodies, it's not easy for observant Muslims to decide whether an investment is halal. 770 words moved by Mathilde Dumazet. File Picture -- AFRICA -- Health-virus-Africa-economy,FOCUS ABIDJAN Sub-Saharan Africa has not been as badly hit by the coronavirus pandemic as some other parts of the world, but the economy is being pummelled. AFP takes a look at the main issues. 800 words moved by David Esnault with AFP Africa bureaus Health-virus-Africa,Q&A JOHANNESBURG Coronavirus has spread to 52 African countries, but despite a steady rise in the number of confirmed cases, the continent continues to lag behind the global curve for infections and deaths. 900 words by moved by Philippe Alfroy with AFP bureaus Health-virus-Morocco-women-poverty,FOCUS CASABLANCA A small van zips through the streets of Casablanca to deliver food to single mothers, as economic paralysis caused by the coronavirus crisis puts pressure on Morocco's poor. 550 words moved by Sophie Pons. Picture -- SPORT -- Health-advertising-Ffbl-marketing-ENG-FRA-ESP,FOCUS PARIS With stadiums dark, match shirts folded in closets and most players confined at home, football's sponsors have lost all visibility and are growing restless. 750 words by moved by Yassine Khiri. File pictures Fbl-virus-IND SRINAGAR, India Stranded by the coronavirus lockdown in one of the world's most militarised regions, Zambia's Aaron Katebe is one of 10 foreign footballers reduced to playing video games or training in a hotel gym in Indian-administered Kashmir. 550 words 0230 GMT by Tauseef Mustafa in Srinagar and Faisal Kamal in New Delhi. Picture afp
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