Briefly

FRANCE

$118b plan unveiled in bid to lift economy

The French government detailed on Thursday a 100 billion euro ($118.3 billion) stimulus plan to erase the economic impact of the coronavirus crisis over two years, lining up billions of euros in public investments, subsidies and tax cuts. The plan earmarks in particular 35 billion euros for making the eurozone's second-biggest economy more competitive, 30 billion euros for more environmentally friendly energies and 25 billion euros for supporting jobs, officials said ahead of its official presentation late on Thursday. With the plan equating to 4 percent of GDP, France is plowing more public cash into its economy than any other big European country as a percentage of GDP, one of the officials said.

UNITED STATES

Kenosha curfew ends before Biden visit

A curfew that was in place in Kenosha for more than a week after the police shooting of black man Jacob Blake was lifted on Wednesday, another sign of increasing calm in the Wisconsin city that has been the epicenter of the latest eruption over racial injustice. The move came a day after the curfew was targeted as unconstitutional in a federal lawsuit and the day before Joe Biden planned to visit, marking the Democratic presidential candidate's first campaign stop in the state in two years. The curfew was enacted after Blake was shot by a police officer on Aug 23. The shooting of Blake sparked protests that resulted in buildings being burned and vandalized and in the shootings of three demonstrators, two of whom died.

ETHIOPIA

Washington suspends aid over dam dispute

On the guidance of US President Donald Trump, the State Department said on Wednesday the United States is suspending some aid to Ethiopia over the "lack of progress" in the country's talks with Egypt and Sudan over a massive, disputed dam project it is completing on the Nile River. It was an unusual example of Trump's direct intervention on an issue in Africa, a continent he hasn't visited as president and rarely mentions publicly. The dam dispute centers on two of Africa's most populous nations, Ethiopia and Egypt, and some have feared it could lead to military conflict.

UGANDA

National park sees gorilla baby boom

Uganda says it has recorded a baby boom among gorillas in a national park that is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the East African country's most prized tourist attractions. Five of the apes have been born in just six weeks in the Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, according to the state-run Uganda Wildlife Authority. The park is located near Uganda's southwestern border with the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The latest, born last weekend, brings the total born this year to seven. In comparison only three were born last year.

Agencies - Xinhua