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| - Duty Editor: Jenny Vaughan Tel: +33 1 40.41.46.36 -- TOP STORIES -- + Xi backs virus inquiry, Europe lifts lockdowns + Calls for universal vaccine access at WHO assembly + US biotech firm reports 'positive' interim vaccine results + Heat wave sweeps Mediterranean + S. Korea footie club 'sorry' for sex doll gaffe Health-virus,WRAP GENEVA China says it supports an independent inquiry into the handling of the coronavirus pandemic after it is "brought under control", as Europe accelerates its reopenings with Saint Peter's Basilica and the Acropolis in Athens welcoming visitors again. 950 words 1600 GMT by Nina Larson, with Alexandria Sage in Rome and AFP bureaus. Picture. Video. Graphic Health-virus-WHO-assembly,UPDATE GENEVA The World Health Organization kicks off its first-ever virtual assembly, with countries calling for a joint response to the COVID-19 pandemic and for any vaccine to be a "global public good". 800 words 1530 GMT by Nina Larson. Video. Picture Health-virus-US-vaccine-Moderna WASHINGTON US biotech firm Moderna reports "positive interim" results in the first clinical tests of its vaccine against the new coronavirus performed on a small number of volunteers. 600 words 1530 GMT by Ivan Couronne. File picture Health-virus-Mediterranean-heatwave NICOSIA Across the Mediterranean with its tantalising beaches, a record heatwave hits countries just as they cautiously emerge from COVID-19 isolation but also raises hopes a change of season could help the fight against the virus. 550 words 1530 GMT by Guillaume Klein with AFP bureaus. Picture. Video Health-virus-fbl-KOR-SKorea-offbeat SEOUL One of South Korea's top football clubs apologises for causing "deep concern" after being accused of using sex dolls to fill empty seats at a weekend game. 300 words moved. Picture -- WHO VIRTUAL ASSEMBLY -- Health-virus-China-vaccines,2ndlead GENEVA Chinese President Xi Jinping says Beijing has been "transparent" throughout the coronavirus crisis, and offered to share a vaccine as soon as one was available -- as well as $2 billion in aid. 600 words moved by Nina Larson with Jing Xuan Teng in Beijing. Picture. Video Health-virus-WHO-Ethiopia,PROFILE GENEVA Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the first African to head the World Health Organization, faces the towering challenge of coordinating a global pandemic response increasingly complicated by US-China tensions. 800 words moved by Nina Larson. Picture Health-virus-WHO,FACTS GENEVA A look at the World Health Organization in five snapshots, as the UN agency's World Health Assembly decision-making body holds its annual conference. 600 words moved by Robin Millard Health-virus-WHO,CHRONO GENEVA A timeline covering the key moments in the World Health Organization's hotly-contested handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. 700 words moved -- EUROPE -- Health-virus-Russia,2ndlead MOSCOW Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin says the growth in new coronavirus cases had been stopped as Russia reported under 9,000 infections for the first time since the beginning of the month. 600 words moved by Jonathan Brown Health-virus-Germany,lead FRANKFURT Germany uncovers another cluster of coronavirus infections at a slaughterhouse, fuelling alarm about working conditions in the country's meat packing plants. 400 words moved. Picture Health-virus-Italy,UPDATE ROME Spaghetti carbonara, Gucci bags and trendy haircuts are back on the menu in Italy, but only the bravest eat, shop or style-away their lockdown blues as the country attempts to return to normality. 600 words 1500 GMT by Alexandria Sage and Ella Ide. Picture. Video. Live Video Also moved: Health-virus-Italy-church,SCENE Health-virus-Russia,SCENE MOSCOW An exhausted coronavirus patient slowly and deliberately writes his message on a green clipboard one letter at a time: "Doctor, when can I go home?" Medics in the Russian capital say they have yet to see the light at the end of the tunnel despite a decrease in the number of new cases. 700 words 1600 GMT by Romain Colas. Picture. Video Health-virus-Europe-restaurants,lead COPENHAGEN Restaurants and cafes begin reopening in parts of Europe and Central Asia after weeks of closures, eager to again welcome hungry patrons albeit under strict regulations, but diners seem hesitant. 600 words 1500 GMT by Camille Bas-Wohlert. Picture. Video Syria-conflict-Germany-trial KOBLENZ, Germany The main defendant in the first trial on state-sponsored torture in Syria tells a German court that he never tortured anyone when he was in charge of a notorious Damascus detention centre. 500 words 1500 GMT by Yannick Pasquet. Picture -- MIDDLE EAST -- Israel-Palestinians-conflict-diplomacy-US JERUSALEM Israel's new foreign minister says that US President Donald Trump's Middle East peace proposal offers a "historic opportunity" but also that regional peace deals must be maintained during its implementation. 400 words moved Libya-conflict,WRAP TRIPOLI The forces of Libya's UN-recognised unity government score another battlefield victory against troops loyal to strongman Khalifa Haftar by capturing a major rear base used by his fighters in a conflict now in its second year. 600 words 1600 GMT Israel-Palestinians-conflict-crime,WRAP LOD, Israel An Israeli court convicts a Jewish settler on three counts of murder over a 2015 arson attack that killed a Palestinian toddler and his parents. 700 words 1500 GMT by Nir Kafri with Joe Dyke in Duma. Picture. Video Health-virus-Yemen-conflict,FOCUS ADEN, Yemen Deaths in the Yemeni port city of Aden have surged at least five-fold above normal, a non-government group and medics say, igniting fears of a major coronavirus outbreak. 700 words moved. Picture. Video -- AFRICA -- Lesotho-politics,WRAP MASERU Lesotho's embattled Prime Minister Thomas Thabane says he is stepping down, ending months of political uncertainty gripping the tiny southern African kingdom since he was accused of having a role in his ex-wife's murder. 550 words 1500 GMT by Pascalinah Kabi Health-virus-SAfrica-mining,FOCUS MARIKANA, South Africa South Africa's key mining sector is reconfiguring its operations to reduce the risk of coronavirus infections among some of its nearly half a million workers as cases rise in the country. 750 words 1445 GMT by Susan Njanji. Picture. Video -- AMERICAS -- US-automobile-health-virus,WRAP DETROIT Detroit's 'Big Three' begin to ramp up their North American plants following coronavirus shutdowns amid worker concerns over safety and uncertainty about consumer demand. 600 words 1600 GMT US-politics-diplomacy-Pompeo,FOCUS WASHINGTON As Mike Pompeo faces an investigation related to allegations he ordered staff to walk his dog, America's top diplomat responded with grinning defiance -- posting a picture of himself with his new puppy. 600 words 1700 GMT by Shaun Tandon. File pictures Health-virus-family,PHOTOESSAY MANAUS, Brazil Maria Nunes Sinimbu thought of the coronavirus pandemic as a faraway crisis. Then COVID-19 killed five of her family members as the disease ravaged her hometown, Manaus, the biggest city in the Brazilian Amazon. 450 words 1600 GMT by Michael Dantas, with Paula Ramon in Sao Paulo. Picture Health-virus-Mexico-liquor,FOCUS PUEBLA, Mexico Scores of Mexicans are dying from drinking adulterated liquor, a consequence of the shortage of beer and other mainstream alcoholic beverages during the COVID-19 pandemic, authorities say. 600 words moved by Roman Ortega, Ivan Duarte and German Campos Health-virus-US-tourism-cruise,FOCUS MIAMI For the thousands of cruise ship crew members stuck at sea aboard their vessels as the coronavirus crisis unfolds, the situation is psychologically intense, to say the least. For some, it has been too much to bear. 800 words moved by Leila Macor. Picture. Video -- ASIA -- Afghanistan-attack-politics,WRAP KABUL The Taliban claim a deadly attack on an Afghan intelligence agency post, even as they urge the new power-sharing government to accelerate a prisoner swap to pave the way for talks. 450 words moved. Graphic HongKong-China-politics-unrest,WRAP HONG KONG Hong Kong's political crisis returns to centre stage as clashes erupted in the legislature and a group of prominent pro-democracy activists were charged for taking part in last year's huge protests. 650 words moved by Su Xinqui and Jerome Taylor. Picture. Video. Live video Health-virus-India,FOCUS NEW DELHI Death had not fazed gravedigger Mohammed Shamim up to now, but since the grip of the coronavirus crisis has tightened in New Delhi, a shiver runs up his spine each time he sees a hearse pull up at the cemetery he tends. 500 words moved by Aishwarya Kumar. Picture -- BUSINESS -- Japan-economy-GDP,WRAP TOKYO Japan dives into its first recession since 2015, according to official data, with the world's third-largest economy shrinking by 0.9 percent in the first quarter as it wrestles with the fallout from the coronavirus. 550 words moved by Kyoko Hasegawa Markets-world,WRAP LONDON Global stock markets rise sharply as governments relax coronavirus lockdowns and investors bet that the world economy has seen the worst of the pandemic's impact. 600 words 1600 GMT Health-virus-Greece-Albania-farms,FOCUS ATHENS In a field near the city of Veria, the heartland of Greece's peach country, a handful of Albanian farm workers are standing on ladders, picking fruit. Many more are needed for Greece's fruit harvest, but coronavirus restrictions are preventing the usual help from making the journey. 700 words 1430 GMT by Vassilis Kyriakoulis, with Briseida Mema in Tirana. Picture Japan-telecommunication-company-SoftBank-earnings,WRAP TOKYO Struggling Japanese conglomerate SoftBank Group reports record losses as the coronavirus pandemic compounds woes caused by its investment in troubled office-sharing start-up WeWork. 700 words moved. Picture -- SPORTS -- Fbl-GER-Bundesliga-Germany-health-virus BERLIN The Bundesliga drew bumper global audiences for its largely successful restart at the weekend behind closed doors, but a top league official says the players will be reminded to maintain social distancing even during goal celebrations. 600 words moved by Ryland James. Picture. Video -- HEALTH -- Health-virus-Gates,FOCUS PARIS False claims targeting billionaire philanthropist Bill Gates are gaining traction on social media platforms and messaging apps since the beginning of the coronavirus outbreak, and experts warn they could hamper efforts to curb the pandemic. 800 words 1500 GMT by Julie Charpentrat. Picture -- LIFESTYLE & ENTERTAINMENT -- Health-virus-France-film-drive-in PARIS French cinema owners are up in arms that a drive-in film festival is beating the country's lockdown while they are forced to stay closed. 400 words 1530 GMT by Paul Ricard Entertainment-France-film-Piccoli,OBIT PARIS French film legend Michel Piccoli, one of the most original and versatile French actors of the last half century, dies aged 94. 600 words 1500 GMT by Fiachra Gibbons. File picture. File video afp
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