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| - Duty Editor: Alex Nicoll Tel: +852 2829 6211 -- TOP STORIES -- + Protesters storm Lebanon ministries as Beirut rages + Stay-at-home mum takes on strongman in Belarus vote + Brazil second country to reach 100,000 virus deaths + Trump signs orders extending economic relief in US + Ruthless Bayern maul Chelsea to set up Barca clash Lebanon-blast,WRAP BEIRUT Lebanese protesters storm several ministries in an apparently planned assault after a vast explosion blamed on government negligence devastated the city and ignited unprecedented popular rage. 800 words moved by Layal Abou Rahal and Tony Gamal-Gabriel. Picture. Video. Live video. Graphic Belarus-vote,WRAP MINSK Belarus holds a high-stakes presidential election with a woman opposition candidate posing the greatest challenge yet to long-ruling strongman Alexander Lukashenko. 650 words 0700 GMT by Tatiana Kalinovskaya. Picture. Video Also moved: Belarus-vote,FACTS Belarus-politics-vote-Tikhanovskaya,PROFILE Belarus-vote-Lukashenko,PROFILE Health-virus,WRAP RIO DE JANEIRO Brazil becomes the second country to pass the grim milestone of 100,000 coronavirus deaths as US President Donald Trump signs executive actions extending economic help in virus-stricken America. 700 words moved by AFP bureaus. Picture. Video. Graphic Health-virus-economy-politics-Trump BEDMINSTER, New Jersey President Donald Trump signs executive actions extending financial relief to Americans hit by the coronavirus pandemic as polls show a large majority of voters unhappy with his handling of the crisis. 550 words moved by Jim Watson and Sebastian Smith in Washington. Picture. Video Fbl-Eur-C1-GER-ENG-Bayern-Chelsea,WRAP MUNICH, Germany Treble-chasing Bayern Munich are relishing their Champions League quarter-final against Barcelona in Lisbon after Robert Lewandowski nets twice to seal a 4-1 home win over Chelsea in the last 16 return-leg tie. 600 words moved. Picture. Video Also moved: Fbl-Eur-C1-GER-ENG-Bayern-Chelsea-Lampard,REAX -- BEIRUT BLAST -- Lebanon-blast-protest-ministry,SCENE BEIRUT The explosion that ripped through Beirut this week hands a resurgent protest movement an unexpected trophy by almost literally breaking open the doors of the foreign ministry. 550 words moved by Rouba el Husseini. Video. Picture Lebanon-blast-UN-France PARIS French President Emmanuel Macron on Sunday hosts US President Donald Trump and other representatives for a UN-backed virtual conference to drum up aid for Lebanon after the devastating Beirut port blast. 500 words moved by Jerome Rivet and Stuart Williams Also moved: Lebanon-blast-Israel,FOCUS -- AMERICAS -- US-Taiwan-China-diplomacy,ADVANCER WASHINGTON Eager to find a foil for adversary China, US President Donald Trump's administration is stepping up support for Taiwan, although a high-level visit to the island shows it is still treading carefully on an especially explosive issue. 700 words moved by Shaun Tandon Venezuela-US-justice-diplomacy,2ndlead CARACAS Two former US soldiers have been sentenced to 20 years in prison in Venezuela on charges including terrorism after a failed bid to invade the Caribbean country last May, Attorney General Tarek William Saab says. 450 words moved US-Poland-Czech-Slovenia-Austria-diplomacy,ADVANCER WASHINGTON As President Donald Trump orders US troops out of Germany and faces a tough re-election battle, his top diplomat, Mike Pompeo, is heading to friendly climes in Central and Eastern Europe. 600 words moved by Shaun Tandon US-health-virus-Hollywood-nightlife,FOCUS LOS ANGELES With Los Angeles nightclubs closed, party promoters have turned to mansions in the Hollywood Hills to throw lavish, raucous and sometimes deadly gatherings that have enraged neighbors and local officials. 700 words moved by Andrew Marszal. Picture. Video Health-virus-Haiti-education,FOCUS PORT-AU-PRINCE When Haiti's pandemic-shuttered schools re-open for classes on Monday, the growing chasm between the country's rich and poor students will be on painfully clear display. 700 words moved by Amelie Baron. Picture Mexico-crime-drugs-media,FOCUS MEXICO CITY Mexican journalist Julio Cesar Zubillaga shudders when his young daughter asks him why "they" want to kill him. He spoke up after a fellow reporter's murder and quickly felt the consequences: death threats and a gun attack on the office where his paper is printed. 600 words moved by Jennifer Gonzalez Covarrubias. File picture US-economy-agriculture-theft-drugs,FOCUS STANLEY, Virginia When she planted hemp to make extra money for her family farm, Susan Corbett did not imagine thieves would find their way to her rural plot in Virginia to steal the plants. 700 words moved by Chris Stein. Picture. Video US-China-economy-agriculture-diplomacy,FOCUS NEW YORK Seven months after the United States and China signed a preliminary agreement to temper their trade war, Beijing's purchases of US agricultural goods have yet to reach the deal's target. 600 words moved by Daniel Hoffman -- MIDDLE EAST & NORTH AFRICA -- Egypt-heritage-development-rights,FOCUS CAIRO Egyptian mother-of-three Menna said she was caught off guard when a bulldozer clearing space for a controversial highway flattened much of a mausoleum that doubled as her home in a sprawling cemetery. 750 words moved by Hager Harabech. Picture. Video -- ASIA -- Taiwan-US-China-politics-diplomacy,WRAP TAIPEI A senior Trump administration official is set to land in Taiwan for Washington's highest level visit since it switched diplomatic recognition to China in 1979, a trip Beijing has condemned. 550 words moved by Amber Wang Health-virus-Thailand-economy-luxury,FOCUS BANGKOK Thai businessman Yod decided to buy himself an $872,000 treat -- a lime-green Lamborghini -- as Bangkok's luxury sector goes unbroken by the coronavirus-induced crisis ripping through the wider economy. 750 words 0600 GMT by Aidan Jones. Picture. Video IT-China-automobile-autonomous-computers,FOCUS SHANGHAI Chinese entrants in the race to put autonomous vehicles on the road are bringing "robotaxis" online in hopes that a hired-car format can be the key to unlocking wide acceptance of the futuristic technology. 700 words moved by Beiyi Seow and Dan Martin. Picture. Video -- AFRICA -- Mauritius-environmental-pollution-shipping,WRAP PORT LOUIS France dispatches a warship and military aircraft from Reunion to Mauritius where desperate efforts are underway to contain a worsening oil spill polluting the archipelago's iconic reefs and protected ecosystems. 650 words moved. Picture. Video afp
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