UPDATE 1-PRESS DIGEST - China - April 21

(Adds Beijing items)

BEIJING/SHANGHAI, April 21 (Reuters) - Chinese newspapers available in Beijing and Shanghai carried the following stories on Monday. Reuters has not checked the stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.

CHINA DAILY (www.chinadaily.com.cn)

-- Three people have died in typhoon-related accidents in Guangdong province, while rescue workers were searching for 40 fishermen, including 22 Vietnamese, off Hainan island.

-- The seven most popular Chinese websites signed an agreement with the Motion Picture Association of America to protect the copyright of American films.

-- Chinese cities of Xi'an, Jinan, Harbin and Dalian saw more protests in front of outlets of French supermarket chain Carrefour on Sunday, following similar demonstrations in Beijing, Xi'an, Hefei, Qingdao, Wuhan and Kunming a day earlier.

PEOPLE'S DAILY

-- Authorities across the country destroyed more than 470 million items of pirated or illegal publications on Sunday.

-- Construction of a new panda breeding centre began in the southwestern province of Sichuan. The centre will be able to house about 200 pandas when it is finished at the end of the year.