AP News Digest 5:35 a.m.
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ONLY ON AP
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VIRUS-OUTBREAK-INDIA-ON-THEIR-OWN — When the pandemic exploded in India in early April, with the government left unprepared and medical system quickly on the verge of collapse, millions of families found themselves faced with a new reality: They would have to keep their relatives alive. Families now scour cities for coronavirus tests, medicine, ambulances, oxygen and hospital beds. When none of that works, some have to deal with loved ones zippered into body bags. Everyone is on their own now. By Aniruddha Ghosal, Aijaz Hussain and Tim Sullivan. SENT: 2,890 photos. An abridged version is also availible.
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TOP STORIES
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IRAN-NUCLEAR — Iran’s parliament speaker says international inspectors may no longer access surveillance images of the Islamic Republic’s nuclear sites, escalating tensions amid diplomatic efforts in Vienna to save Tehran’s atomic accord with world powers. By Nasser Karimi and Jon Gabrell. SENT: 480 words, photo.
VIRUS OUTBREAK — New coronavirus cases across the United States have tumbled to rates not seen in more than 11 months, sparking optimism that vaccination campaigns are stemming both severe COVID-19 cases and the spread of the virus. By Stephen Groves. SENT: 990 words, photos.
MUSIC-BILLBOARD-AWARDS — Some of the Grammys’ biggest critics, who felt they’ve been overlooked at the famed awards show, will take center stage at another event: the 2021 Billboard Music Awards. The Weeknd called out the Grammys last year when he didn’t earn a single nomination for its 2021 show, despite having the year’s biggest song with “Blinding Lights” and a multi-platinum, multi-hit album with “After Hours.” But at Sunday’s Billboard Awards, he’s the top nominee competing for an impressive 16 awards. By Music Writer Mesfin Fekadu. SENT: 540 words, photos.
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WHAT WE’RE TALKING ABOUT
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CHINA-CROSS-COUNTRY-RACE-DEATHS — 21 die in extreme weather in China cross-country race. SENT: 510 words, photos.
INDIA-AIRLINE-DATA-BREACH — India’s national carrier says hack leaked passengers’ data. SENT: 210 words, photos.
TODDLER-SHOOTS-SISTER — Toddler finds gun in sofa, accidentally shoots young sister. SENT: 310 words, photos.
PAKISTAN-AFGHANISTAN — Pakistan: Soldier killed in firefight with Afghan militants. SENT: 240 words.
APPLING-FATAL SHOOTING — Ex-Michigan State player Appling wanted in fatal shooting. SENT: 150 words.
DUBAI-MISSING-PRINCESS — Photos show Dubai princess, focus of UN concern, at malls. SENT: 390 words, photo.
SERBIA-FAN-RIOT — Red Star Belgrade fans riot during Serbian title celebration. SENT: 270 words, photos.
PALESTINIAN-JEWISH-FIGHT — Police say 1 arrested in attack on Jewish men in Los Angeles. SENT: 190 words, photo.
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MORE ON THE VIRUS OUTBREAK
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INDIA-VIRUS-OUTBREAK — Doctors in India are fighting a fatal fungal infection affecting COVID-19 patients or those who have recovered from the disease amid a coronavirus surge that has driven the country’s fatalities to nearly 300,000. SENT: 550 words, photos.
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WASHINGTON/POLITICS
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UNITED-STATES-HAITI — The Biden administration is allowing eligible Haitian nationals residing in the U.S. to apply for a new 18-month designation for temporary protected status, reversing a Trump administration effort that had sought to end the special consideration. SENT: 520 words, photo.
GREENE-GAETZ-ARIZONA — U.S. Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene and Matt Gaetz, two of the Republican Party’s most controversial figures, told a crowd of Trump supporters in the Phoenix area that an ongoing audit of the 2020 election in Arizona should be replicated in all the battleground states where President Donald Trump lost. SENT: 570 words.
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INTERNATIONAL
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ISRAEL-PALESTINIANS — Israeli police have escorted around 50 Jewish visitors to a flashpoint holy site in Jerusalem where police actions in recent weeks had ignited protests and violence that triggered war in Gaza, according to the Islamic authority overseeing the site. SENT: 560 words.
ZIMBABWE-TOBACCO-BLACK-FARMERS-COMPLAIN — Zimbabwe’s tobacco is flourishing again. And so are the auctions where premium prices are being paid for the “golden leaf” that is exported around the world. Most of the growers are Black, a historic change from when tobacco was largely produced by white farmers. But many of the small-scale farmers complain they are being impoverished by middlemen merchants who are luring them into a debt trap. SENT: 790 words, photos.
CROATIA-TOURISM-REOPENING — Croatia has opened its stunning Adriatic coastline to foreign tourists after a year of depressing coronavirus lockdowns and restrictions. Sun loungers are out, beach bars are serving and rave music is pumping. Now, the ability of people to go there depends on each country’s travel rules. SENT: 580 words, photos.
CONGO-VOLCANO — Congo’s Mount Nyiragongo has erupted for the first time in nearly two decades, turning the night sky a fiery red and sending lava onto a major highway as panicked residents tried to flee Goma, a city of nearly 2 million. There was no immediate word on any casualties. SENT: 560 words, photos.
BANGLADESH-JOURNALIST-ARRESTED — A court in Bangladesh has awarded conditional bail to a journalist known for her strong reporting on official corruption amid protests at home and abroad calling for her release. SENT: 380 words, photos.
SUDAN — A senior Sudanese official said she resigned in objection to the killing of two protesters during a rally earlier this month, when the military dispersed a demonstration in Sudan’s capital. SENT: 250 words, photos.
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HEALTH & SCIENCE
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VIRGIN-GALACTIC — Virgin Galactic on Saturday made its first rocket-powered flight from New Mexico to the fringe of space in a manned shuttle, as the company forges toward offering tourist flights to the edge of the Earth’s atmosphere. SENT: 730 words, photos, video.
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ENTERTAINMENT
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EUROVISION-SONG-CONTEST — A four-piece band of Italian rockers won the Eurovision Song Contest, giving one of the countries hit hardest in Europe by the coronavirus pandemic reason to cheer. Maneskin’s win was only Italy’s third victory in the immensely popular contest and the first since Toto Cutugno took the honor in 1990. SENT: 720 words, photos.
ISRAEL-PALESTINIANS-CELEBRITIES — Singer Dua Lipa is blasting an organization that paid for a full-page ad in The New York Times that called her antisemitic for her support of Palestinians, saying it used her name “shamelessly” to “advance their ugly campaign with falsehoods and blatant misrepresentations.” By Entertainment Writer Mark Kennedy. SENT: 220 words, photo.
MEDIA-CNN-SANTORUM — CNN is cutting ties with former Republican senator and current TV analyst Rick Santorum over disparaging comments he made about Native American culture. SENT: 310 words, photo.
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SPORTS
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GLF--PGA CHAMPIONSHIP — Phil Mickelson has survived a wild ride at the PGA Championship. It ended with Lefty saving par with a flop shot for a 70 and a one-shot lead over Brooks Koepka. Mickelson now is one round away from becoming golf’s oldest major champion at age 50. By Golf Writer Doug Ferguson. SENT: 970 words, photos.
BKN—TRAIL BLAZERS-NUGGETS — Damian Lillard scores 34 points and led Portland’s 3-point barrage that sparked the Trail Blazers’ 123-109 win over the undermanned Denver Nuggets in the opener of their first-round playoff series. The Blazers hit 19 of 40 shots from beyond the arc, and Lillard, sporting silver sneakers that were a fitting choice for his sterling performance, had five of them. SENT: 740 words, photos.
OLY-TOKYO-BACKLASH — Comments from an IOC vice president saying the Tokyo Olympics will go on even if the city is under a COVID-19 state of emergency have stirred a backlash in Japan. John Coates made the statement a few days ago. He repeated what the IOC and local organizers have been staying, but his tone was defiant and has stirred things up. Criticism has been strong on social media and among prominent figures in Japan. SENT: 700 words, photos.
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HOW TO REACH US
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