Duty Editor: Ross Adkin Tel: +852 2829 6211 -- TOP STORIES -- + Maldives marks the spot in China rocket freefall + Death toll in Afghan girls school blast up to 50 + Major US fuel pipeline down in ransomware attack + Annexed east Jerusalem clashes leave scores hurt China-space-rocket,WRAP BEIJING A large segment of a Chinese rocket re-enters the Earth's atmosphere and disintegrates over the Indian Ocean, the Chinese space agency says, following fevered speculation over where the 18-tonne object would come down. 500 words 0730 GMT by Laurie Chen, with Qasim Nauman in Seoul. Graphic. File picture Afghanistan-conflict-blasts,WRAP KABUL The death toll from bombs planted outside a girls school in an area of the Afghan capital populated largely by Shiite Hazaras rises to 50 as the Taliban deny a government accusations that they were behind the bloody attack. 550 words 0730 GMT by Emal Haidary. Picture. TV. US-IT-crime-hacking-pipeline,WRAP WASHINGTON The largest fuel pipeline system in the United States is forced to shut down its entire network after a ransomware attack, the operating company says. 500 words moved by Virginie Montet. File picture Israel-Palestinians-conflict,WRAP JERUSALEM Scores more people are injured as Israeli police fire water cannon and rubber bullets to disperse Palestinian protesters in annexed east Jerusalem, a day after fierce clashes at the city's Al-Aqsa mosque. 750 words moved by Daniella Cheslow. Picture. Graphic. Video -- SPOTLIGHT -- Mali-Sahel-France-conflict-journalism,FOCUS BAMAKO Recent killings and kidnappings of reporters in the Sahel highlight the severe risks journalists face in the war-torn African region, with some describing themselves as "sick with fear". 650 words moved by Ismael Diallo with Armel Baily in Ouagadougou and Boureima Hama in Niamey -- CORONAVIRUS -- Health-virus-WHO-India,INTERVIEW GENEVA A Covid-19 variant spreading in India is more contagious and may be dodging vaccine protections, fuelling the country's explosive outbreak, the World Health Organization's chief scientist tells AFP. 700 words moved by Nina Larson. Picture. Video Also moved: Health-virus-India-politics,FOCUS Health-virus-EU-US-summit-vaccine,4thlead PORTO, Portugal Europe passes the ball back to Washington in a debate over Covid vaccine patents, pushing the US for a concrete proposal and a commitment to export much needed jabs. 750 words moved by Thomas Cabral. Live Video. Video. Picture -- AMERICAS -- US-crime-shooting,lead NEW YORK A shooting in New York's bustling Times Square injures a four-year-old girl and two women, in the latest incident of gun violence in the city, police say. 350 words moved. Picture US-politics-animal WASHINGTON Barack Obama's family dog Bo, who became a popular resident of the White House, dies from cancer, the former president says, remembering him as "a constant, gentle presence in our lives." 250 words moved. File picture. File video US-politics-Republicans-Stefanik-Trump,PROFILE WASHINGTON US politician Elise Stefanik began her Washington career as a moderate, but has changed tack and surged in influence to likely become the most powerful Republican woman in Congress -- a trajectory she owes entirely to her staunch defense of Donald Trump. 800 words moved by Michael Mathes. File picture US-art-auction-minorities,FOCUS NEW YORK Black artists are represented like never before at New York's spring sales next week after years of being overlooked and underappreciated, with several expected to set new records for their works. 650 words moved by Thomas Urbain and Peter Hutchison. Picture. Video -- ASIA -- Maldives-politics-attack-president,2ndlead MALE Maldives police say "religious extremists" staged the attempt to assassinate former president Mohamed Nasheed, who remains in intensive care after major surgery. 400 words moved. File picture -- EUROPE -- Britain-vote,WRAP EDINBURGH The Scottish National Party wins a fourth term in power in the devolved parliament just short of an outright majority, with its leader Nicola Sturgeon reiterating her demand for a fresh referendum on independence. 800 words moved by Stuart Graham. Picture. Graphic. Also moved: Britain-Scotland-politics-vote Britain-vote-Scotland,COUNTRY-FACTFILE Britain-Scotland-vote-Sturgeon,PROFILE Britain-Scotland-vote-Sturgeon,PROFILE Health-virus-Spain MADRID Spain has lifted a state of emergency in place since October to fight the pandemic, allowing Spaniards to travel between regions for the first time in months. 650 words moved by Mathieu Gorse. Picture. Vatican-pope-Italy-Mafia-crime ROME An Italian judge murdered by the mafia in Sicily takes a step towards sainthood Sunday, almost three decades after being declared a martyr by pope John Paul II. 450 words moved by Catherine Marciano. File picture. EU-India-summit,WRAP PORTO The EU and India boost warming ties at a virtual summit by relaunching long-stalled trade talks and vowing to work together to fight the Covid-19 pandemic as it batters the south Asian giant. 600 words moved by Thomas Cabral with Max Delany in Brussels. Video. Live video. Picture -- MIDDLE EAST & NORTH AFRICA -- Iraq-heritage-environment,FOCUS AIN TAMR, Iraq One of the world's oldest churches is crumbling deep in Iraq's desert, another victim of years of conflict, government negligence and climate change in a country with a rich heritage. 800 words moved by Salman Ameen with Haydar Indhar in Nippur. Picture. Video -- AFRICA -- Ethiopia-unrest-conflict-religion,WRAP ADDIS ABABA The head of Ethiopia's Orthodox Church accuses the government of wanting to "destroy" the country's northern Tigray region, in rare public criticism from a high-profile figure about the war there. 600 words moved by Robbie Corey-Boulet -- SPORT -- fbl-ENG-Pr,WRAP LONDON Chelsea force Manchester City to put their Premier League title party on hold, winning 2-1 to strengthen their grip on a top-four place as Liverpool keep their Champions League qualification hopes alive. 650 words moved by John Weaver. Picture afp