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BRUSSELS (AP) — Weary European Union leaders were closing in on an unprecedented 1.82 trillion euro ($2.1 trillion) budget and coronavirus recovery fund early Tuesday, somehow finding unity after four days and as many nights of fighting and wrangling over money and power in one of their longest summits ever. To confront the biggest recession in its history, official said the EU nearing consenus on a 750 billion euro coronavirus fund to be sent as loans and grants to the countries hit hardest by the virus. That comes on top of the seven-year 1 trillion euro EU budget. At first the grants were to total 500 billion euros, but the figure was brought down to 390 billion euros.
MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Australia’s hot spot Victoria state has reported 374 new cases of COVID-19, its second-highest daily tally. Victoria Premier Daniel Andrews said a lockdown in Australia’s second-largest city Melbourne, which began two weeks ago, was having an impact. Military personnel were helping deal with the growing caseload, state border restrictions were coming into effect, and masks would be compulsory from Thursday for people in lockdown areas. Elsewhere in Asia, China was seeing declining numbers in Xinjiang while relaxing its containment measures elsewhere. And South Korea reported 45 new cases.
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Texas has surpassed 4,000 deaths in the coronavirus pandemic but officials in Houston say they're cautiously optimistic about recent trends following weeks of alarming surges at hospitals. State health officials Monday reported more than 7,400 confirmed new cases and at least 62 new deaths. The virus continues taking a particularly hard toll along the Texas-Mexico border. Hidalgo County has reported more than 140 deaths over the past week, and the county judge on Monday signed a shelter-at-home order. Houston's health authority says hospitalizations appear to be tapering off a bit but urged residents to continue wearing a mask and avoiding large gatherings.
SALEM, Ore. (AP) — A Navy veteran was beaten with a baton swung with both hands by a federal officer in Portland. Christopher David is uncomfortable with his newfound fame as the subject of an online video and news coverage. David, whose bones were broken, says the focus should be on Black Lives Matter. David is a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy and a Navy veteran. He had been so disturbed by federal forces' actions that he came to a protest site to talk to the officers. Instead he was beaten and pepper sprayed.
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A California appeals court has upheld a verdict that Monsanto’s widely used weed killer caused cancer in a school groundskeeper but the panel also slashed the damage award. The San Francisco Chronicle says the 1st District Court of Appeal on Monday found there was evidence to support a 2018 jury finding that Monsanto acted with “conscious disregard for public safety." But it reduced the damages awarded to Dewayne Johnson from $78.5 million to $21.5 million. Johnson blamed his cancer on the main ingredient in Monsanto's Roundup and Ranger Pro. Monsanto's owner, Bayer AG, says the entire verdict should have been tossed.
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