VOA常速英语:英国等四国出现新冠变异病毒病例

This is VOA news. Via remote, I'm Liz Parker.

U.S. congressional leaders have reached a deal on a coronavirus relief package. The $900 billion package will provide the first new aid in months [an American, as] to an American economy hammered by the pandemic. The Senate's top party officials confirmed the deal on Sunday. But it remains unclear when a vote will happen. The relief package would be the second largest economic stimulus in U.S. history. It follows a $2.3 trillion aid [pa...] bill passed in March. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a top Democrat, told reporters earlier on Sunday she wanted to give members some time to review the package before calling a vote.

Several countries are banning air travel from Britain because of rising concerns over a mutant strain of the coronavirus. The mutation has been spreading rapidly in England this month. Now countries report the strain has turned up outside the U.K. Italy's foreign minister said Sunday that a case has been identified in Rome. And the World Health Organization said nine cases have been found in Denmark and one each in the Netherlands and Australia. British scientists have been scrambling to work out whether the mutant strain may be resistant to the crop of newly developed vaccines.

U.S. embassy in Iraq condemned a rocket attack on its compound in Baghdad's Green Zone on Sunday, saying it resulted in minor damage but no casualties or injuries. The embassy called in a statement on all Iraqi political and governmental leaders to take steps in order to prevent such attacks and hold accountable those responsible.

This is VOA news.