Bedugul Coffee: Tuesday Briefing: U.S. reaches 500,000 COVID deaths

Today's top stories

Trump may soon have to answer rape allegations under oath, the glamorous life of El Chapo's detained wife, and Australia refriends Facebook

The United States has crossed the staggering milestone of 500,000 COVID-19 deaths just over a year since the pandemic claimed its first known victim in Santa Clara County, California.

In a proclamation honoring the dead, President Joe Biden ordered the U.S. flag to be flown at half-staff on public buildings and grounds until sunset on Friday.

Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell will appear in Congress today to provide lawmakers an update on an economy still reeling from the pandemic but perhaps poised to take off later this year if the U.S. vaccination program hits its stride.

Writer E. Jean Carroll may soon sit face-to-face with the man she accuses of raping her decades ago, former President Donald Trump.

Hers is one of two defamation cases involving sexual misconduct allegations against Trump that could move forward faster now that he has left the presidency.

↑ Joe Biden and his wife Jill Biden attend a moment of silence and candle lighting ceremony to commemorate the milestone of 500,000 U.S. deaths from COVID-19 at the White House, February 22, 2021. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst

WORLD

↑ FILE PHOTO: Emma Coronel Aispuro, the wife of Joaquin Guzman, the Mexican drug lord known as "El Chapo", exits the Brooklyn Federal Courthouse in New York, February 5, 2019. REUTERS/Jeenah Moon

The arrest yesterday on drug trafficking charges of Emma Coronel Aispuro, a former beauty queen and wife of imprisoned drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, follows a telenovela-style life that straddled hyper-violent Mexican cartels, fame and motherhood.

Will London rise again? It is premature to write off big cities which will bounce back strongly as the pandemic wanes, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said after unveiling a plan that will keep offices deserted for months more.

Sheikh Zaki Yamani, the Saudi oil minister who brought the West to its knees, has died in London at the age of 91. Yamani was a witness to the murder of the Saudi king and was later kidnapped by Carlos the Jackal.

As Western countries consider more sanctions to press Myanmar's generals to shun a violent crackdown, we look at why English is the language of choice for the country's young protesters.

And Pakistani police are popping their rollerblades on to catch Karachi's criminals.

Business

U.S. manufacturers are grappling with steel shortages and soaring prices, provoking a new round of calls to end Donald Trump’s tariffs.

Facebook says it will restore Australian news pages after negotiating changes with the government to a proposed law that forces tech giants to pay for media content displayed on their platforms.

Bitcoin has tumbled, sparking a sell-off across cryptocurrency markets as investors grow nervous at sky-high valuations. Tesla, which recently invested $1.5 billion in the cryptocurrency, is likely to see its shares plunge into the red for the year today.

How rich is Saudi Arabia? We take a look at the country's efforts to demystify its finances.