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GUSAU, NIGERIA -- Hundreds of Nigerian schoolgirls abducted last week from a boarding school in the northwestern Zamfara state have been released, the state's governor said Tuesday. Zamfara state governor Bello Matawalle announced that 279 girls have been freed. Source

WASHINGTON -- Democrats' hopes of including a minimum wage increase in their US$1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief bill seemed all but dead Monday as the Senate prepared to debate its own version of the House-passed aid package. Source

WASHINGTON -- FBI Director Chris Wray is set to testify for the first time since the deadly Jan. 6 deadly riot at the U.S. Capitol, with lawmakers likely to press him on whether the bureau adequately communicated with other law enforcement agencies about the potential for violence that day. Source

YANGON, MYANMAR -- Demonstrators in Myanmar took to the streets again on Tuesday to protest last month's seizure of power by the military, as foreign ministers from Southeast Asian countries prepared to meet to discuss the political crisis. Source

Gunmen have released girls kidnapped from a boarding school in northwest Nigeria, the governor of Zamfara state said in a message posted on Twitter on Tuesday. An armed gang abducted 317 girls from the Government Girls Science Secondary (GGSS) School in the town of Jangebe at around 1 a.m. Source

CANBERRA, AUSTRALIA -- Police on Tuesday ruled out investigating an unnamed Australian Cabinet minister over an allegation that he raped a 16-year-old girl more than 30 years ago. The decision by New South Wales state police adds pressure on Prime Minister Scott Morrison to establish an independent investigation to examine the accusation. Source

MANILA, PHILIPPINES -- The Philippine president has dismissed his former ambassador to Brazil after she was seen on video physically abusing a Filipino member of her household staff. President Rodrigo Duterte said Monday night he had approved a recommendation to fire Marichu Mauro, revoke her retirement benefits and disqualify her from public office for life. Source

MEDAN, INDONESIA -- Indonesia's Mount Sinabung was erupting Tuesday, sending volcanic materials as high as 5,000 metres (16,400 feet) into the sky and depositing ash on nearby villages. Activity at the volcano in North Sumatra province increased over the past week, with authorities recording 13 times when it released ash clouds. Source

A California doctor's trial was delayed after he appeared for a virtual court hearing while simultaneously conducting a surgery last Thursday. Dr. Scott Green, a plastic surgeon, showed up to his virtual Sacramento Superior Court hearing -- held over Zoom -- to contest a traffic violation, wearing scrubs, gloves, a mask and surgical cap. Source

WASHINGTON -- The United States is expected to impose sanctions to punish Russia for the poisoning of Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny as early as Tuesday, two sources familiar with the matter said. U.S. President Joe Biden's decision to impose sanctions for Navalny's poisoning reflects a harder stance than taken by his predecessor, Donald Trump, who let the incident last August pass without punitive U.S. Source