Monday Briefing: South Africa halts AstraZeneca vaccine

Today's top stories

A vaccine blow, oil bulls are back and an age-defying performance from Tom Brady

South Africa has halted a planned rollout of AstraZeneca's COVID-19 shot after data showed it gave minimal protection against mild infection from one variant, stoking fears of a much longer cat-and-mouse battle with the virus.

The AstraZeneca vaccine was the big hope for Africa as it is cheap and easier to store and transport than the Pfizer shot, making South Africa’s move a major blow.

Myanmar police have warned protesters to disperse or face force after tens of thousands of people joined a third day of street demonstrations across the country to denounce the military for its seizure of power last Monday.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has pleaded not guilty to corruption charges at the resumption of his trial, six weeks before voters again head to the polls. We take a look at what's at stake for Israel’s longest-serving leader.


French Health Minister Olivier Veran receives a dose of the AstraZeneca-Oxford COVID-19 vaccine in Melun, on the outskirts of Paris, February 8, 2021



U.S.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady (12) and tight end Rob Gronkowski (87) celebrate after beating the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LV

Tom Brady threw three touchdowns as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers thumped the Kansas City Chiefs 31-9 to win the Super Bowl, giving the evergreen 43-year-old quarterback a record-extending seventh championship ring. Attendance was limited to 25,000 spectators, sprinkled among 30,000 happy-faced cardboard cutouts.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen says American workers who earn $60,000 per year should receive stimulus checks as part of the White House’s proposed $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package.

Chicago schools could gradually start to reopen for in-person learning this week under a tentative agreement with the teachers union on a COVID-19 safety plan, a major milestone that will put an end to a bitter labor dispute and avert a possible strike.

Across the U.S., scores of landlords and eviction judges are confronting energized tenants unions looking to slow evictions of renters. Housing experts are likening their combative tactics to the rent strikes that swept the United States during the Great Depression.

Business


Hedge funds are turning bullish on oil once again after the pandemic hobbled producers. They're betting that limitations on supply will push prices to multi-year highs and keep them there for two years or more.

Americans are taking to 'buy now, pay later' shopping, but can they afford it? Nearly 40% of U.S. consumers have missed more than one payment, worrying regulators.

Clothing retailers, some of whom are still nursing last year’s stock, are keeping volumes small and lead times tight - leaving garment factories in Bangladesh on the rack.

Hyundai and Kia have seen $8.5 billion wiped off their market value on news that their deal with Apple is off. The companies had been in talks to develop self-driving electric vehicles but some Hyundai executives raised concerns about becoming a contract manufacturer for the U.S. tech giant.

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