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| - Duty Editor: Tanya Willmer Email: Engdeskers@afp.com -- TOP STORIES -- + Myanmar protesters defy military crackdown + Pope prays for Iraq's victims of war + Biden's Covid rescue plan clears Senate + UK urges Iran to release dual national + British royals brace for Harry and Meghan interview Myanmar-politics-military-unrest,WRAP YANGON Thousands of Myanmar anti-coup demonstrators defy a continued military crackdown, following overnight raids in Yangon in which an official from Aung San Suu Kyi's party was beaten to death and several others were detained. 800 words moved. Picture. Graphic Vatican-pope-Iraq,WRAP ARBIL, Iraq After praying for "victims of war" in Iraq's jihadist-ravaged north, Pope Francis holds the largest mass of his visit to the country, with thousands flocking to a sports stadium in the Kurdistan region's capital. 750 words 1500 GMT by Catherine Marciano. Picture. Graphic. Video. Live video US-politics-economy-health-virus,WRAP WASHINGTON The US Senate votes to approve a $1.9 trillion relief package in what President Joe Biden called a "giant step" towards reviving the pandemic-stricken American economy, capping frenzied negotiations and a marathon overnight voting session. 750 words moved by Michael Mathes. Picture. Video Britain-Iran-politics-rights,WRAP LONDON The UK government calls for the immediate release of a British-Iranian woman after her five-year sentence for sedition ended in Tehran, but she faces further court action. 650 words 1500 GMT by Callum Paton. File picture. Video. File video Also moved: Britain-Iran-politics-rights-ZaghariRatcliffe,PROFILE US-Britain-royals-Harry-Meghan,WRAP LONDON Britain's royal family braces for further revelations from Prince Harry and his American wife, Meghan, as a week of transatlantic claim and counter-claim reaches a climax with the broadcast of their interview with Oprah Winfrey. 750 words 1730 GMT by Callum Paton and Thomas Urbain. File picture. File video. Graphic Also moved: Britain-royals-Harry,PROFILE Britain-US-royals-Meghan,PROFILE -- CORONAVIRUS -- Health-virus-France-vaccines,FOCUS PARIS In southwest Paris, mayor Philippe Goujon has answered the government's call for a "general mobilisation" to accelerate vaccinations this weekend -- but he wonders why there wasn't more urgency before. 750 words 1600 GMT by Adam Plowright Health-virus-Israel-vaccines JERUSALEM Israel takes another major step toward post-pandemic normalcy as restaurants, bars and cafés reopen to vaccinated "green pass" holders, with about 40 percent of the population fully inoculated against the coronavirus. 450 words moved. Picture. Video China-vaccines-virus-health,FOCUS BEIJING Shirley Shi has received three offers to be vaccinated against Covid-19 -- through her hometown, her Beijing residential area and her office area -- but the human resources manager is in no rush. 750 words moved by Beiyi Seow and Ludovic Ehret. Picture Health-virus-US-tourism,FOCUS NEW YORK New Yorkers are taking advantage of the absence of tourists during the pandemic to visit iconic sites in the Big Apple that they would normally avoid. 700 words moved by Thomas Urbain. Picture. Video Health-virus-vaccines,ADVANCER GENEVA Global players gather online from Monday to brainstorm ways to rapidly boost vaccine production and fight a still-virulent coronavirus that has hobbled the world for 14 months. 700 words moved by Christophe Vogt. Picture. Graphic -- AFRICA -- Senegal-politics-unrest,WRAP DAKAR Pressure mounts on Senegalese President Macky Sall to address a wave of deadly civil unrest as the country braces for a fresh round of opposition protests from Monday. 650 words 1530 GMT by Emmet Livingstone. Picture. Video. Graphic -- EUROPE -- Switzerland-vote-Islam-Indonesia-trade,WRAP GENEVA Swiss voters look set to ban full facial coverings in public places, despite women in Islamic full-face veils being an exceptionally rare sight in Swiss streets. 650 words 1530 GMT by Robin Millard. Picture. Graphic. Videographic Health-virus-Germany-vote-Merkel,FOCUS BERLIN With just a week to go before two key regional elections, support for German Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservatives has hit a one-year low on growing anger over the country's pandemic crisis management. 550 words moved by Yacine Le Forestier France-politics-court-corruption-Sarkozy,FOCUS PARIS The French justice system is scoring a series of major victories in high-profile corruption cases against right-wing politicians, but the successes are sparking claims of bias and verbal attacks on prosecutors and judges. 900 words moved by Adam Plowright. File picture. File video France-commerce-bookshops,FOCUS PARIS Battered by Covid and online sales, one of Paris's best-known book sellers Gibert Jeune is to shut up shop in the city's historic literary and intellectual heart, a stone's throw from the banks of the Seine where the family-owned firm started out over 130 years ago. 600 words moved by Thomas Saint-Cricq. File picture -- MIDDLE EAST -- Yemen-conflict-Saudi,WRAP RIYADH A Saudi-led military coalition mounts air strikes on Yemen's Huthi-controlled capital Sanaa after it intercepted 10 drones launched at the kingdom by the Iran-backed rebels. 500 words 1500 GMT. Picture Iran-nuclear-diplomacy-Ireland,WRAP TEHRAN Iran's President Hassan Rouhani urges Europe to avoid "threats or pressure" in any negotiations with Tehran, as he receives Ireland's foreign minister amid diplomatic efforts to revive a landmark nuclear deal. 500 words moved. Picture. Video -- AMERICAS -- US-politics-voting,lead WASHINGTON US President Joe Biden signs an executive order to make it easier for Americans to vote, to commemorate the 56th anniversary of the "Bloody Sunday" civil rights march when peaceful activists were attacked by police in Selma, Alabama. 500 words 1600 GMT US-racism-police-trial,ADVANCER MINNEAPOLIS, Minnesota Nine months after George Floyd's death laid bare the racial wounds in the United States, the white policeman charged with murdering the 46-year-old Black man is going on trial. 700 words moved by Joy Powell with Charlotte Plantive. File picture Also moved: US-racism-police-trial-Floyd,PROFILE US-racism-police-trial-Chauvin,PROFILE -- ASIA -- India-politics-election KOLKATA Up to 800,000 people turn out for Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's state election rally, as he seeks to unseat one of his fiercest critics in a campaign hit by violence. 400 words moved. Picture. Video Myanmar-politics-unrest-protester,VIDEOESSAY Hein Yar Zar grimaces as a tattoo artist etches onto his chest the features of his murdered first love, a young protester whose death has become a symbol of resistance against Myanmar's junta. 500 words moved. Picture. Video -- SPORT -- Tennis-ATP-QAT-Federer DOHA Roger Federer says retirement was never really an option during his battle with injury, insisting the pain is "completely under control" ahead of his return to competitive tennis at this week's Qatar Open. 450 words moved. Video -- ECONOMY -- China-indicator-exports-imports,WRAP BEIJING China's export growth jumped to the highest in over two decades, official data shows, with imports also surging in a sharp bounceback from the coronavirus outbreak that had brought activity to a near halt. 750 words moved by Beiyi Seow and Ludovic Ehret. Picture -- BUSINESS/TECHNOLOGY -- Israel-technology-transport-environment,FOCUS HERZLIYA, Israel From flat battery to full charge in just five minutes -- an Israeli start-up has developed technology it says could eliminate the "range anxiety" associated with electric cars. 660 words moved by Alexandra Vardi. Picture. Video France-economy-labour,FOCUS DIJON, France It may have taken a cracked rib, but Bruno Giraud is now joining a growing number of French riders trying to challenge the business model of meal delivery platforms. 750 words moved by Loic Vennin. File picture afp
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