AP News Digest 5:30 a.m.

APTOPIX Ukraine Tensions (Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

Here are the AP’s latest coverage plans, top stories and promotable content. All times EST. For up-to-the minute information on AP’s coverage, visit Coverage Plan at https://newsroom.ap.org.

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TOP STORIES

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UKRAINE-TENSIONS - Hundreds of artillery shells have exploded along the contact line between Ukrainian soldiers and Russia-backed separatists. The separatists evacuated thousands of civilians from eastern Ukraine as fears rose Sunday that the volatile region could spark a Russian invasion. Western leaders warned that Russia was poised to attack its neighbor, which is surrounded on three sides by about 150,000 Russian soldiers, warplanes and equipment. By Lori Hinnant and Jim Heintz. SENT: 1,210 words, photos, videos.

Find full Ukraine coverage here.

OLY-OLYMPICS-THE GAMES END — A pile of figure-skating rubble created by Russian misbehavior. A new Chinese champion — from California. An ace American skier who faltered and went home empty-handed. The end of the Olympic line for the world’s most renowned snowboarder. All inside an anti-COVID “closed loop” enforced by China’s authoritarian government. The terrarium of a Winter Games that has been Beijing 2022 is winding to its end. By AP National Writer Ted Anthony. SENT: 1,330 words, photos.

OLY--WRAPUP-THE TROUBLED OLYMPICS — The cordoned-off Olympic bubble that folds up when the closing ceremony ends Sunday has produced its usual collage of amazing athletes doing great things. This journey, however, has all been viewed through a lens warped and sterilized by Beijing’s organizing committee with underwriting IOC. By National Writer Eddie Pells. SENT: 1,158 words, photos.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-BRITIAN — The British government says people with COVID-19 will not be legally required to self-isolate starting next week, as part of a long-term plan for “living with COVID.” But some of the government’s scientific advisers said it was a risky move that could bring a surge in infections and weaken the country’s defenses against more virulent future strains. By Jill Lawless. SENT: 630 words, photos.

ITALY-POMPEII REBIRTH — Pompeii, the ancient city destroyed by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius, is experiencing a kind of rebirth. The immensely popular archaeological site near Naples nearly died a second death just over a decade ago, when excavated buildings collapsed after long years of neglect and mismanagement. By Franci D'Emilio. SENT: 1,030 words, photos.

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MORE ON THE OLYMPICS

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OLY-FIG-FIGURE SKATING BODY IMAGE — Some figure skaters are hoping an Olympic doping scandal that is fueling a push to raise the minimum age of competitors will also focus attention on what they see as the sport’s most pressing issue: body image, body shaming a disordered eating. SENT: 930 words, photos.

OLY-FIG EXHIBITION GALA — The Olympic figure skating program at the Beijing Games probably won’t be remembered for the soaring performances. Instead, the competition in the bubble of Beijing will be remembered for a Russian doping controversy centered around a 15-year-old girl and her entourage, scoring that left fans scratching their heads and serious questions about the future of both the Olympics and the sport. SENT: 820 words, photos.

OLY-BEIJING-SNAPSHOT-THE BUTTON — At an Olympics in a pandemic run by an authoritarian state, the slightest bit of agency matters. Some stuck in Beijing’s closed loop found it in the elevator. The “close door” button. SENT: 320 words, photos.

OLY-CHINA-TAIWAN-SKATER'S SUIT — Taiwan’s premier has called for a Taiwanese speed skater to be punished for wearing a suit from rival China’s team ahead of the Beijing Olympics. Symbols of the two sides are especially sensitive at a time when the communist Beijing government, which claims Taiwan as part of its territory, is stepping up efforts to intimidate the island democracy by flying fighter jets and bombers nearby. SENT: 230 words, photo.

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MORE ON THE VIRUS OUTBREAK

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VIRUS OUTBREAK-PROTESTS AND POLITICS — Canada’s trucker protest, which grew until it closed a handful of Canada-U.S. border posts and shut down key parts of the capital city for weeks, could echo for years in Canadian politics and perhaps south of the border. SENT: 940 words, photos.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-HONG KONG — Hong Kong’s top health official says anti-virus controls that ban public gatherings in Hong Kong of more than two people might be tightened to stop a surge in infections. SENT: 219 words, photo.

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TRENDING NEWS

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LIZARD LICK TOWING-SON KILLED — The owner of a towing and repossession business that was featured in a reality TV show confirmed that his son was killed in a shooting in North Carolina. SENT: 260 words, photos.

PORTLAND PARK SHOOTING — Authorities say one person was killed and five others were wounded in a shooting at a park in Portland. SENT: 130 words.

POLICE HELICOPTER-CRASH —Authorities say an officer was killed and another officer was critically injured after a Huntington Beach police helicopter crashed in water near California’s coast. SENT: 170 words.

HELICOPTER CRASH-MIAMI BEACH - A helicopter crashed Saturday into the ocean waters off Miami Beach, plummeting a few feet away from swimmers in a crowded stretch popular among tourists, officials said. SENT: 170 words, video.

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NATIONAL

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BIRD FLU-NEW YORK — A highly pathogenic avian influenza has been detected in a non-commercial backyard flock of birds on Long Island in New York. Samples from the flock were tested at the Cornell University Animal Health Diagnostic Center and confirmed at a USDA laboratory in Ames, Iowa. SENT: 200 words, photos.

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INTERNATIONAL

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INDIA ELECTIONS-PUNJAB — India’s Punjab state is casting ballots in polls seen as a barometer of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s popularity — and his party’s Hindu nationalist reach — ahead of general elections in 2024. SENT: 1,120 words, photos.

BURKINA FASO-HUMAN RIGHTS ACTIVIST — For Daouda Diallo the threat of death is constant in conflict-riddled Burkina Faso. One of the country’s most outspoken human rights defenders, the 39-year-old has documented more than 1,000 extrajudicial killings by security forces and jihadis since Islamic extremists launched a violent campaign in the country six years ago. And that has earned him many enemies. SENT: 820 words, photos.

WORLD COURT- ROHINGYA — An international case accusing Myanmar of genocide against the Rohingya ethnic minority is returning to the United Nations’ highest court amid questions over whether the country’s military rulers should even be allowed to represent the Southeast Asian nation. SENT: 590 words, photos.

ETHIOPIA DAM — Ethiopia has started generating electricity from the controversial mega-dam that is being built on the Blue Nile. The milestone was reached on Sunday morning when one of the 13 turbines of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam started power generation in an event officiated by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed. SENT: 290 words, photos.

GREECE FERRY FIRE — Greece’s coast guard says that rescuers have found a survivor on the stern of the still burning Euroferry Olympia ship. There are 11 people still missing. SENT: 370 words, photos.

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ENTERTAINMENT

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OLY-NBC’S-OLYMPICS — When NBC set a long-term deal to carry the Olympics through 2032, it seemed like a savvy deal. Yet it seems much shakier after the Beijing experience — a buzz-free event from an authoritarian country that saw an alarming drop-off in viewers from previous Olympics. SENT: 1,203 words, photos.

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SPORTS

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NBA-ALL-STAR SATURDAY NIGHT — Karl-Anthony Towns gave big men everywhere something to shoot for. Minnesota’s 7-footer became the first center to win the 3-Point Shooting Contest, defeating seven guards during the NBA’s All-Star Saturday and providing a memorable moment on a night the dunk contest barely got off the ground. SENT: 670 words, photos. With: All Star Saturday Night-The Latest. SENT: words, photos.

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HOW TO REACH US

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