Bedugul Coffee: Thursday Briefing: Biden to urge vigilance and offer hope on anniversary of lockdown

Today's top stories

Biden’s nationwide victory lap, protests and prayers on the Fukushima anniversary, and why riding GameStop's rally is not for the faint-hearted

As President Joe Biden prepares to mark the one-year anniversary of the U.S. coronavirus lockdown, we look at how Americans are seeking compensation for failed COVID-19 treatments from a decade-old government fund.

The House of Representatives gave final approval to one of the largest economic stimulus measures in American history, a sweeping $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief bill that gives Biden his first major victory in office.

Mindful of hard lessons learned by the previous Democratic administration, Biden and top aides are planning a nationwide tour to sell Americans on the benefits of the pandemic relief bill.

The bill was crafted without Republican input and passed Congress without a single Republican vote. Nevertheless, Republican-leaning states are due to get a disproportionate share of many of its benefits.

↑ House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer display the 'American Rescue Plan' on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., March 10, 2021

WORLD

↑ Participants pray and observe a moment of silence towards the sea at 2:46 p.m., the time when the 9.0-magnitude earthquake struck off Japan's coast in 2011, at Arahama district in Sendai, northeastern Japan, March 11, 2021

With a moment of silence, prayers and anti-nuclear protests, Japan mourned about 20,000 victims of the massive earthquake and tsunami that struck Japan 10 years ago, destroying towns and triggering nuclear meltdowns in Fukushima.

Myanmar’s military government accused deposed leader Aung San Suu Kyi of accepting illegal payments as eight people were killed when security forces opened fire on protests against the coup.

China’s parliament approved a draft decision to change Hong Kong’s electoral system, further reducing democratic representation in the city’s institutions and introducing a mechanism to vet politicians’ loyalty to Beijing.

Tens of thousands of Hindu devotees plunged into India’s Ganges river as the country kicked off one of the world’s largest religious festivals, even as officials reported the biggest spike in coronavirus cases for three months.

Business

The worst of the COVID-19 crisis is over for Rolls-Royce, its CEO predicts, after the engine maker plunged to a record 4 billion pound ($5.6 billion) underlying loss for 2020 as its airline customers stopped flying.

Electric van and bus maker Arrival is wrestling with the global pandemic like other UK firms, but not because of a lack of business. We look at how the picture is brightening for commercial EVs on rising demand from delivery customers

A fire at a French cloud services firm has disrupted millions of websites, knocking out government agencies’ portals, banks, shops, news websites and taking out a chunk of the .FR web space.

Joe Youngblood, who works in digital marketing in Dallas, bought his first share of GameStop at $98 in early February and found his investment cut in half in a matter of days. After a wild ride, he is now up more than 200%.