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| - Duty Editor: Katy Lee Email: engdeskers@afp.com -- TOP STORIES -- + Bomb blast in Myanmar as crackdown toll tops 700 + Peru votes for presidency in deadliest Covid week + Power cuts in St Vincent after volcano eruption + Crunch talks in Germany as Merkel exit looms + Britain set for most diverse Baftas in history Myanmar-politics-military-unrest,WRAP YANGON A security guard is wounded in a bomb blast outside a military-owned bank in Myanmar's second-biggest city, as the civilian death toll from the junta's brutal crackdown on dissent tops 700. 800 words 1100 GMT. Picture. Video. Graphic Peru-vote,WRAP LIMA Some 25 million Peruvians are set to turn out to vote for a new president amid the country's deadliest week of the coronavirus pandemic and a surge in new infections. 650 words moved by Francisco Jara and Carlos Mandujano. Picture. Video. Graphic Also moved: Peru-vote,CHRONO SaintVincent-volcano-evacuation,WRAP ST. JOHN'S, Antigua and Barbuda Massive power outages strike the Caribbean island of Saint Vincent as officials record more explosive activity at a long-dormant volcano that launched into a series of eruptions Friday. 600 words 0930 GMT by Gemma Handy. Picture. Video. Graphic Germany-politics,FOCUS BERLIN With less than six months to go until a general election and their poll ratings plummeting, Angela Merkel's conservatives meet for crunch talks as pressure builds to pick their chancellor candidate. 600 words 1000 GMT by Kit Holden and Femke Colborne. File Picture Entertainment-Britain-film-Bafta,WRAP LONDON Migration saga "Nomadland", and the British film "Rocks" are among favourites at Sunday's Bafta film awards -- billed as the academy's most diverse year ever -- following criticism over all-white short lists last year. 700 words 1000 GMT by Callum Paton. Picture -- SPOTLIGHT -- Myanmar-politics-military-media YANGON Myanmar youth are fighting the junta's internet shutdown and information suppression with an explosive underground printed newsletter they are secretly distributing across communities. 450 words moved. Picture. Video Libya-agriculture-hydroponics,FOCUS TRIPOLI Under a tarpaulin stretched over an arched metal frame, Siraj Bechiya and his partner inspect their hydroponically-grown lettuce. They are pioneers of the method in mostly-desert Libya where conventional agriculture struggles. 600 words moved by Jihad Dorgham. Picture. Video TTennis-diplomacy-CHN-USA,FOCUS SHANGHAI It was 50 years ago but Zhang Xielin still remembers vividly how a shaggy-haired American table tennis player stepped onto the Chinese team's bus, a chance encounter which would shape history. 650 words moved by Peter Stebbings. Picture. Video -- CORONAVIRUS -- Health-virus-China-vaccines BEIJING China is considering mixing different Covid-19 vaccines to improve the relatively low efficacy of its existing options, a top health expert tells a conference. 400 words moved Health-virus-Britain-business,FOCUS NUNHEAD, United Kingdom Consultant Rachel Watson enjoys being based at her home that looks onto the London skyline but misses the office vibe. She will soon get the best of both worlds as Britain's Covid lockdown eases. 750 words moved by Roland Jackson. Picture. Video -- EUROPE -- Britain-royals-Philip,WRAP LONDON Expectations are raised about reconciliation between Prince William and Prince Harry, as the pair are set to be reunited at their grandfather Prince Philip's funeral after the 99-year-old husband of Elizabeth II died on Friday. 450 words 1100 GMT by Callum Paton. Picture. Video France-heritage-architecture-religion,FOCUS PARIS Two years on from the fire that ravaged Notre-Dame cathedral in Paris, the road to restoration remains long and arduous. 750 words moved by Jean-Louis de la Vaissiere and Stuart Williams. Picture. Video. Graphic -- MIDDLE EAST -- Israel-US-Iran-nuclear-politics,WRAP TEL AVIV US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin visits Israel on the first American high-level trip there since talks resumed on reviving the 2015 Iran nuclear deal which the Jewish state staunchly opposes. 450 words 1100 GMT. Picture. Video. Live Video Iran-nuclear-accident,WRAP TEHRAN An "accident" hits an Iranian nuclear facility, causing no casualties or damage, a day after President Hassan Rouhani inaugurates new uranium-enriching centrifuges at the site. 500 words 1100 GMT. File picture Lebanon-economy-crisis-history,FOCUS BEIRUT During the Lebanese civil war that ended over 30 years ago Abla Barotta survived shelling and clashes, but she now fears a "slow death" from the country's worst economic crisis in decades. 700 words moved by Layal Abou Rahal. Picture. Video -- AFRICA -- Benin-vote,WRAP COTONOU, Benin Benin President Patrice Talon seeks re-election in a tense ballot, with critics accusing him of rigging the race in his favour by sidelining opposition leaders. 600 words 1100 GMT by Camille Malplat. Picture. Video. Graphic Also moved: Benin-vote-politics,CHRONO Benin-vote-politics,FACTFILE Chad-vote,WRAP N'DJAMENA Chad heads into presidential elections with Idriss Deby Itno, ruler for the last three decades, set to win a sixth term. 700 words 1030 GMT. Picture. Graphic -- AMERICAS -- Cuba-law-animal,lead HAVANA Cuba publishes a new animal welfare law, the country's first, providing for fines in cases of abuse but not banning cockfights or animal sacrifices during religious rites. 400 words moved by Carlos Batista. File picture -- BUSINESS/ECONOMY -- IMF-WorldBank-economy-environment,FOCUS WASHINGTON The idea of forgiving debt held by poor countries in exchange for "green" investments gained ground this week during the spring meetings of the IMF and World Bank, with concrete proposals expected in time for a global climate summit this fall. 650 words moved by Delphine Touitou -- SPORT -- Racing-ENG-National-Blackmore,PROFILE LONDON Rachael Blackmore found it hard to quantify her achievement in becoming the first woman jockey to win the Grand National but for legendary rider AP McCoy it is a "groundbreaker" for the sport. 620 words moved by Pirate Irwin. Picture Golf-Masters-Matsuyama,lead AUGUSTA With a new coach solving swing issues and reduced celebrity media stress this week, Japan's Hideki Matsuyama finds himself on the verge of a historic victory at the Masters. 650 words by Jim Slater. Picture -- ENTERTAINMENT -- Entertainment-US-films-television-DGA,LEAD LOS ANGELES Chloe Zhao ("Nomadland") becomes only the second woman to win the Directors Guild of America prize, Hollywood's top directing award and the final major guild ceremony before the Oscars. 500 words moved by Andrew Marszal. Picture Entertainment-US-film-Oscars-Romania,INTERVIEW BUCHAREST With a shot at two Oscars, Romanian cinema "has proven its worth," said director Alexander Nanau, whose documentary became the country's first nominated for the prestigious award. 700 words moved by Mihaela Rodina and Ionut Iordachescu. File picture. Video afp
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