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From checks to child poverty, US economy awaits Biden stimulus
Washington (AFP) - A flood of money for Covid-19 vaccines, stimulus checks and unemployment benefits is set to flow into the US economy this week, with Congress's expected approval of President Joe Biden's $1.9 trillion stimulus package. The bill -- approved by the Senate on Saturday and set for a vote in the House on Tuesday -- will pay for programs credited with helping the world's largest economy survive the mass layoffs and business disruptions sparked by the Covid-19 pandemic. In a departure from previous relief measures, the package also specifically targets poverty by expanding tax cre...
AFP
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Senegal opposition leader charged with rape, protests continue
A court in Senegal charged opposition leader Ousmane Sonko with rape on Monday, after days of fierce protests against what his supporters say are “politically motivated” charges. Sonko, who was charged with raping a 20-year-old woman in a beauty salon, was released on bail after his court appearance in the capital Dakar, Sonko’s lawyer Bamba Cisse said. “[Sonko] shall neither leave the country without the judge’s approval and nor speak publicly about the rape charges,” Cisse added. Thousands of Sonko’s supporters protested against the charges in central Dakar on Monday, many of them violently ...
DPA
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Mo. Sen. Roy Blunt says he won't run next year, potentially clearing way crowded GOP primary
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — In an announcement that instantly shook up Missouri's political landscape, U.S. Sen. Roy Blunt said Monday morning he would not run for reelection in 2022. "After 14 general election victories — three to county office, seven to the United States House of Representatives and four statewide elections — I won't be a candidate for reelection to the United States Senate next year," Blunt, a Republican first elected to the Senate in 2010, said in a Twitter announcement. "I want to thank my family, and thank the great team that came together to help me work for you," Blunt said....
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
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Security forces surround hundreds of protesters in Yangon
Security forces in Myanmar surrounded hundreds of demonstrators in Yangon on Monday, and the situation threatened to escalate in the Sanchaung neighbourhood. Despite a night curfew, thousands of people in several neighbourhoods took to the streets in the evening to demand police and security forces withdraw. "We are now protesting at night because we want the police to let young people go," 25-year-old May Myat Thu told dpa. "Many neighbourhoods in Yangon are taking part. We will stay on the streets until the situation is resolved." The German embassy called for restraint. "The embassy is high...
DPA
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Under-fire lawmakers step down in Germany's coronavirus mask scandal
Two German politicians from the governing conservative bloc have been forced to leave their respective parties in a scandal surrounding profits from the sale of coronavirus masks, just days ahead of regional elections. Party leaders across the spectrum have weighed in on the so-called "mask-affair," which has dominated political debate for the last few days. Christian Democrat (CDU) Nikolas Loebel and Georg Nuesslein from the allied Christian Social Union (CSU) left after coming under immense pressure from party colleagues and other politicians. After initially saying that he would resign his ...
DPA
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Babysitting sites to face stricter guidelines for gov't site listing
The welfare ministry will tighten guidelines for l...
Kyodo News
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More deaths reported during mass protests in Myanmar against coup
Security forces in Myanmar fired live ammunition at anti-coup protesters again on Monday. In Myitkyina in the northern state of Kachin, at least two men were killed and at least three others were seriously injured, a witness told dpa. Photos on social media showed the lifeless body of one victim. "Our protest started this morning around 9 am [0230 GMT] but the military broke up the demonstrations when we were 20 people collectively together ... we scattered and moved to other places, when the protest was about 400 people together, they fired shots," activist Kyaw Zin Oo said. "Two men were kil...
DPA
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CORRECTED: UPDATE1: Senior Japan official close to PM ousted in ethics scandal
A senior official with close ties to Prime Ministe...
Kyodo News
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CORRECTION (:Suga UPDATE1:)
In the story headlined "UPDATE1: Senior Japan offi...
Kyodo News
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Coronavirus 'mask affair' shakes German parties ahead of polls
A scandal surrounding alleged profits that two German lawmakers gained from the sale of coronavirus masks has stirred up the country's main parties ahead of key regional elections. Party leaders across the spectrum have weighed in on the so-called "mask-affair," which led to the two conservative lawmakers leaving the governing bloc. Christian Democrat (CDU) Nikolas Loebel and Georg Nuesslein from the allied Christian Social Union (CSU) have both left their parliamentary parties as a result of the scandal. Loebel said that he would resign his parliamentary mandate by the end of August and would...
DPA
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