| schema:articleBody
| - Duty Editor: Daniel Lawler Tel: +33 783578721 -- TOP STORIES -- + Downsized hajj begins as virus surges in US, India + US to withdraw 11,900 troops from Germany + Afghans demand ceasefire be made permanent + Tech titans face grilling by US lawmakers + Boeing to end production of iconic 747 Health-virus,WRAP MECCA, Saudi Arabia Mask-clad Muslims gather at Saudi Arabia's holiest site for a hajj pilgrimage that has been massively scaled down because of the coronavirus pandemic, as the US, China and India register alarming new figures. 700 words moved by AFP bureaus. Picture. Video. Graphic Also moved: Health-virus-toll,FACTS Health-virus-world,FACTS US-Germany-NATO-military-politics,WRAP WASHINGTON The Pentagon announces it will slash troop levels in Germany by 11,900 personnel in a move that will shift the US deterrence in Europe and deliver an economic hit to some German regions. 550 words 1500 GMT by Paul Handley. File picture Afghanistan-conflict,WRAP KABUL Afghans welcome a three-day ceasefire but demand it be made permanent after the government and the Taliban said they would observe a truce that could kickstart peace talks as soon as next week. 650 words moved by Usman Sharifi and Jay Deshmukh in Mumbai US-IT-politics-antitrust-Congress,WRAP WASHINGTON Big Tech CEOs underscore American roots and values as they faced a grilling in Congress over their extraordinary economic power and influence. 700 words 1500 GMT by Rob Lever. Picture US-aviation-earnings-Boeing,WRAP NEW YORK Boeing reports a bigger-than-expected quarterly loss as it signals further job cuts and a plan for phasing out the iconic 747 in the wake of an industry downturn from the coronavirus. 600 words 1600 GMT by John Biers Also moving: US-aviation-Boeing-747,FOCUS -- EUROPE -- Belarus-Russia-voting-arrest,WRAP MINSK Belarus arrests a group of Russian mercenaries allegedly plotting to destabilise the country as strongman leader Alexander Lukashenko fends off an emboldened opposition in the run-up to presidential elections next month. 600 words 1500 GMT by Tatyana Kalinovskaya Turkey-Internet-politics-law,WRAP ISTANBUL Turkey's parliament passes a controversial bill giving the government greater control of social media and criticised by human rights advocates as an attempt to increase online censorship. 650 words 1500 GMT by Fulya Ozerkan. File picture Romania-culture-tradition-watermills,VIDEO ESSAY GARNIC, Romania In a small Romanian village, Alois Nemecek is not ready to give up grinding grain yet, but he might be one of the last to run a watermill. 500 words moved by Mihaela Rodina. Picture. Video -- MIDDLE EAST & NORTH AFRICA -- Health-virus-Saudi-religion-hajj MECCA, Saudi Arabia Mask-clad Muslim pilgrims begin the annual hajj, walking along socially distanced paths in the smallest numbers in modern history as the Saudi hosts strive to prevent a coronavirus outbreak. 750 words 1430 GMT. Picture. Graphic. Video Yemen-conflict-Saudi,WRAP RIYADH Yemeni separatists abandon their declaration of self-rule in the south and pledge to implement a stalled Saudi-brokered peace deal, mending a rift between allies in the war against Huthi rebels. 700 words moved by Anuj Chopra, with Omar Hasan in Dubai Also moved: Yemen-conflict-south,CHRONO Iran-military-Gulf,WRAP TEHRAN Iran's Revolutionary Guards say they launched ballistic missiles from "the depths of the Earth" on the last day of military exercises near sensitive Gulf waters. 400 words 1500 GMT. Picture. Video Egypt-court-internet,WRAP CAIRO Egypt jails a sixth young woman who posted online videos on the TikTok app, deeming the clips in which she dances and lip-syncs popular songs to be "inciting debauchery". 400 words 1500 GMT. Picture Lebanon-politics-economy,FOCUS FAQRA, Lebanon Panama hats and designer sunglasses, champagne buckets and luxury cars: in the mountain resort town of Faqra, Lebanon's economic crisis is not immediately obvious. 750 words moved by Bachir El-Khoury. Picture. Video UAE-Gulf-music-social,FOCUS DUBAI Saud Waled Ibrahim raps in a mixture of Arabic and English, a blend that has become a hallmark of a hip hop scene in search of its identity in the United Arab Emirates. 650 words moved by Aziz El Massassi. Picture. Video Health-virus-Morocco-religion-agriculture,FOCUS SKHIRAT, Morocco Amid drought and the pandemic, Moroccan farmer Hamid had pinned his hopes on selling his sheep for the Muslim Eid al-Adha feast, but domestic travel restrictions have cast a pall over trade. 600 words moved by Ismail Bellaouali. Picture. Video -- AMERICAS -- US-politics-vote-Biden-VP,WRAP WASHINGTON Joe Biden's vice presidential pick has been one of Washington's best kept secrets but a supposedly accidental story publication and Biden's own teasingly displayed notes are raising expectations that the winner is Kamala Harris. 550 words 1630 GMT by Sebastian Smith. Picture Health-virus-US-doctor,lead WASHINGTON A Houston physician who praised hydroxychloroquine as a miracle coronavirus cure in a viral video retweeted by President Donald Trump blames gynecological problems on sex with evil spirits and believes the US government is run by "reptilians." 600 words moved by Issam Ahmed Colombia-environment-rights,INTERVIEW CALI, Colombia A year ago, Francia Marquez was attacked with grenades and automatic weapons, targeted for defending clean water against mining pollution in the black community where she lived in Colombia's southwest Cauca department. 700 words moved by Diego Legrand -- ASIA -- Health-virus-Japan-lifestyle-restaurant-food-offbeat TOKYO The coronavirus pandemic might have left many restaurants empty, but one establishment in Tokyo is relying on some model customers to enforce social distancing: life-like mannequins keeping diners from getting too close. 350 words moved. Video. File picture Health-virus-Australia MELBOURNE Australia is deploying disaster-relief teams to elderly care homes in Melbourne overwhelmed by a surge in coronavirus cases and deaths. 450 words moved. Picture -- AFRICA -- Health-virus-Madagascar,FOCUS ANTANARIVO The toll from coronavirus is surging in Madagascar -- as are tensions over President Andry Rajoelina's claims that the island nation has devised a "cure" for the disease in the form of herbal drink. 650 words 1700 GMT by Tsiresena Manjakahery. File pictures -- BUSINESS & ECONOMY -- Health-virus-US-economy-bank-rate,WRAP WASHINGTON Facing the second recession in just over a decade and with Congress locked in debate over a new emergency spending package, the Federal Reserve will seek a way to put some guardrails on the US economy. 600 words 1830 GMT by Heather Scott Germany-finance-fraud-politics-Wirecard,WRAP FRANKFURT Germany's finance and economy ministers face questions from lawmakers about the massive fraud scandal that brought down payments provider Wirecard, amid criticism that authorities missed early warning signs. 600 words 1630 GMT by Michelle Fitzpatrick. Picture -- SCIENCE & ENVIRONMENT -- Environment-climate-rights-murder,WRAP PARIS At least 212 environmental campaigners were murdered worldwide in 2019, making last year the deadliest on record for frontline activists battling the destruction of Nature, watchdog group Global Witness reports. 650 words moved by Marlowe Hood. Graphic Also moved: Philippines-environment-rights-politics,Q&A Health-virus-vaccine-Moderna-animal WASHINGTON US biotech firm Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine induced a robust immune response and prevented the coronavirus from replicating in the noses and lungs of monkeys, a study in the New England Journal of Medicine says. 500 words moved Environment-agriculture-economy-conservation,lead PARIS Wild bees are worth some $1.5 billion to key fruit and vegetable crops in North America, according to new research that warns declines in these pollinators threatens the productivity of economically important agriculture. 550 words moved by Kelly Macnamara -- ENTERTAINMENT -- Entertainment-US-television-Emmys,WRAP LOS ANGELES HBO's "Watchmen," an innovative reimagining of a superhero graphic novel that tackled racism in America, tops the nominations list for this year's Emmy Awards with 26 nods. 700 words moved by Jocelyne Zablit. File picture. Graphic Also moved: Entertainment-US-television-Emmys-highlights,POINTS Entertainment-US-television-Emmys-nominees,FACTS -- SPORTS -- Golf-KOR-leisure-technology-SKorea DAEJON On the final green, Ha Ki-won's putt makes a rattling sound as it drops. The ball is not in a hole, however, but on a carpet, and Ha has triumphed in a South Korea professional screen golf tour event. 700 words moved by Kan Jin-kyu. Picture. Video Basket-NBA,PREVIEW ORLANDO Four months after COVID-19 sent basketball into an unprecedented shutdown, the NBA takes a leap into the unknown on Thursday as the league bids to resurrect its season at Disney World in Florida. 750 words moved Also moved: Basket-NBA-bubble,Q&A afp
|
![[RDF Data]](/fct/images/sw-rdf-blue.png)
![[cxml]](/fct/images/cxml_doc.png)
![[csv]](/fct/images/csv_doc.png)
![[text]](/fct/images/ntriples_doc.png)
![[turtle]](/fct/images/n3turtle_doc.png)
![[ld+json]](/fct/images/jsonld_doc.png)
![[rdf+json]](/fct/images/json_doc.png)
![[rdf+xml]](/fct/images/xml_doc.png)
![[atom+xml]](/fct/images/atom_doc.png)
![[html]](/fct/images/html_doc.png)