Monday Briefing: Airlines urged to suspend use of some Boeing 777s

Today's top stories

Texas utilities can't stick customers with huge bills, some tough lockdown choices in Europe, and an eagerly anticipated market debut is back on track

Boeing has urged airlines to suspend the use of 777 jets with the same type of engine that shed debris over Denver at the weekend after U.S. regulators announced extra inspections and Japan suspended their use.

Meanwhile, an incident involving a Boeing 747-400 cargo plane that dropped engine parts shortly after take-off in the Netherlands on Saturday is under investigation.

Texas utility regulators will temporarily ban power companies from billing customers or disconnecting them for non-payment, after the deadly winter storm that caused widespread blackouts.

Some Texans who were still able to turn on lights or keep their fridge running found themselves with bills of $5,000 for just a five-day period.

World shares have tumbled as expectations for faster economic growth and inflation batter bonds and boost commodities, while rising real yields make equity valuations look more stretched in comparison.

United Airlines flight UA328 returns to Denver International Airport with its starboard engine on fire, February 20, 2021

WORLD

A Buddhist monk holds a flag during a protest against the military coup in Yangon, Myanmar, February 22, 2021

Myanmar police moved to disperse pro-democracy protesters as businesses around the country shut in a general strike called to oppose the military coup despite a threat from authorities that confrontation could cost lives.

Chinese spies used code first developed by the U.S. National Security Agency to support their hacking operations, Israeli researchers say, another indication of how malicious software developed by governments can boomerang against their creators.

The leaders of Britain and Germany are facing some tough decisions as they try to navigate a path out of coronavirus lockdown.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson will announce plans today to reopen England’s schools and allow people to see family and friends, while Chancellor Angela Merkel wants a staggered plan to lift Germany's restrictions that is linked to increased testing.

And farmers fight back - making animal feed from a locust plague in Kenya. Take a look at a photo essay on bringing "hope to the hopeless".

Business

With Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell due to deliver his semi-annual testimony before Congress this week, has he done enough to earn four more years as head of the central bank?

Athens Voulgaridis and his family have run their Greek gyro stand in Philadelphia’s Reading Terminal Market since 1984, but now their customer base "has just disappeared". We take a look at how merchants in the historic market are grappling with the pandemic.

Roblox has revived plans to list on the New York Stock Exchange, benefiting from a surge in the popularity of video games during the pandemic.

And from gum to gummies, Beau Wrigley takes pot producer Parallel public.

Video

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