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Pedestrians carry shopping bags as they walk through the Union Square shopping district on April 15 in San Francisco. Data on Friday showed personal income jumped 21.1% last month, in what was the largest increase on record. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images hide caption

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Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Flush With Cash, Americans Are Buying Everything From iPhones To Teslas

Personal income jumped by a record 21% last month, largely thanks to those $1,400 relief payments. The extra cash helped fuel a jump in spending that should continue in the months to come.

NYPD canceled its contract with Boston Dynamics last week after its test run of the company's Spot robot sparked concerns of misuse of city funds and potential police abuse. Josh Reynolds/AP hide caption

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Josh Reynolds/AP

'Creepy' Robot Dog Loses Job With New York Police Department

Following public outrage, the NYPD terminated a $94,000 contract to test a canine-like surveillance device designed to keep officers out of harms way. Critics panned the tech and its potential abuses.

The "516 Arouca," the longest pedestrian suspension bridge in the world, hangs above the Aguieiras Waterfall in the Paiva Gorge in Arouca, Portugal. It is opening to the public early next week. Octavio Passos/Getty Images hide caption

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Octavio Passos/Getty Images

Portugal Opens World's Longest Pedestrian Suspension Bridge, And It's A Trip

The record-breaking bridge measures roughly 1,692 feet long and is suspended more than 570 feet above a rushing river. Officials in the town of Arouca called it "frighteningly beautiful."

Benin Bronze artifacts on display in the Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe in Hamburg, Germany. An international consortium is working on repatriating artifacts which were looted in the late 19th century. Daniel Bockwoldt/picture alliance via Getty Images hide caption

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Daniel Bockwoldt/picture alliance via Getty Images

Germany Will Repatriate Benin Bronzes, Plundered From Africa In The 19th Century

German officials announced they have reached an agreement with Nigeria to return artifacts looted from the ancient Kingdom of Benin and now housed in German museums; other nations also hold bronzes.

Amy Donofrio stands in front of Robert E. Lee High School in Jacksonville, Fla. She was suspended from teaching duties after she refused to take down a Black Lives Matter flag from outside her classroom. Amy Donofrio hide caption

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Amy Donofrio

Can A Teacher Fly A Black Lives Matter Flag At School? A Florida Court Will Consider

WJCT News 89.9

A schoolteacher in Jacksonville, Fla., was disciplined after she put Black Lives Matter flag up outside her classroom and refused administrators' orders to take it down. Now the case is in court.

Protesters wearing Guy Fawkes masks carry empty coffins during a national strike to protest a government proposal that would raise taxes, in Bogotá, Colombia, on Wednesday. Fernando Vergara/AP hide caption

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Fernando Vergara/AP

Protesters March In Colombia Against Plan To Raise Taxes In Pandemic-Wracked Economy

Even though COVID-19 deaths are spiking and the country is climbing out of a deep economic downturn, the president has proposed new taxes. Colombians are defying restrictions by protesting.

Protesters March In Colombia Against Plan To Raise Taxes In Pandemic-Wracked Economy

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Afghan Army commandos train at the Shorab military camp in Helmand province, in southern Afghanistan in 2017. With U.S. and NATO forces leaving in the coming months, the Afghan forces will have to confront the Taliban without support from Western countries. Massoud Hossaini/AP hide caption

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Massoud Hossaini/AP

What Happens To The Afghan Army Once American Forces Leave?

An Afghan general is confident that his soldiers can defeat Taliban fighters. But the imminent withdrawal of U.S. troops, allied forces and contractors worries many observers of the war.

Liu Haocun as Zhang Lan in Cliff Walkers, a spy thriller from Chinese director Zhang Yimou. CMC Pictures hide caption

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CMC Pictures

Double Feature: Refugees In 'Limbo,' And Spies And Subterfuge In 'Cliff Walkers'

Chinese director Zhang Yimou tells an epic tale of subterfuge and spies in Cliff Walkers. And in the Scottish dramedy Limbo, a young musician is stranded in a starkly beautiful no-man's-land.

Double Feature: Refugees In 'Limbo,' And Spies And Subterfuge In 'Cliff Walkers'

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Commuters watch a TV showing a file image of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and U.S. President Joe Biden at the Suseo Railway Station in Seoul, South Korea, on March 26, 2021. Ahn Young-joon/AP hide caption

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Ahn Young-joon/AP

White House Says It Is Open to Diplomacy With North Korea

White House press secretary Jen Psaki said the United States still hopes to see complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, but that diplomatic talks could boost security in the region.

A child wearing a mask sits on his father's shoulder on May 24, 2020 in New York City. Dr. Jose Romero suggested that taking toddlers into the public is a risk. Alexi Rosenfeld/Getty Images hide caption

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Alexi Rosenfeld/Getty Images

Pediatricians Weigh In On What's Safe And Not Safe For Unvaccinated Children

NPR's Audie Cornish talks with pediatricians Nia Heard-Garris of Northwestern University and Jose Romero, Arkansas secretary of health, about what's safe and not safe to do with unvaccinated children.

Pediatricians Weigh In On What's Safe And Not Safe For Unvaccinated Children

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Fragile X syndrome involves changes in the X chromosome, seen in the four columns of chromosomes starting on the left. Two normal X chromosomes are shown in the far-right column. Richard J. Green/Science Source hide caption

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Richard J. Green/Science Source

An Alzheimer's Drug May Boost Cognition In People With Fragile X Syndrome

An experimental medicine seems to ease symptoms of Fragile X syndrome, a genetic disorder that is the most common inherited cause of intellectual disabilities and autism.

An Alzheimer's Drug May Boost Cognition In People With Fragile X Syndrome

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