Your Tuesday Briefing

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/15/briefing/astrazeneca-stimulus-law-coronavirus.html

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Germany, France and Italy became the latest countries to suspend use of AstraZeneca’s Covid-19 vaccine, citing reports of unusual blood clotting among a few people who recently received the shots in Norway.

Evidence that the vaccine causes clots seems thin at best. The World Health Organization continues to recommend the use of the vaccine. Even Europe’s main drug regulator says the benefits outweigh the risks. And Ann Taylor, AstraZeneca’s chief medical officer, said yesterday that the rate of clotting among vaccinated Europeans was lower than “would be expected among the general population.”

Thailand said it would resume distribution of the AstraZeneca vaccine on Tuesday, with Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha among the first to receive it.

Here are the latest updates and maps of the pandemic.

Third wave: Europe is facing a third wave of coronavirus infections, with France considering new restrictions. Hungary’s prime minister predicted hospitals this week would be at their most overwhelmed since the start of the pandemic.

Overcoming your fear: If an aversion to needles is keeping you from being vaccinated, experts suggest some ways to overcome it.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson of Britain met with law enforcement officials yesterday after the London police faced a firestorm of criticism for cracking down on a vigil on Saturday.

Officials are investigating police tactics at the event, which had been declared unlawful because of coronavirus restrictions. The vigil honored Sarah Everard, 33, whose killing touched off a national outcry over misogyny and violence. A Metropolitan Police officer has been charged in her death.

Many women have questioned why the police — who reportedly told residents in the South London neighborhood where Ms. Everard disappeared to stay inside for their own safety — were demanding sacrifices from women rather than forcing men to forsake violence.

Later this week, Parliament is set to debate legislation that would grant the police more powers to control protests. Mr. Johnson said the bill would also increase sentences for rape and tackle domestic violence.

Related: Thousands took to the streets in at least 40 cities across Australia to protest violence and discrimination against women, spurred by multiple allegations of rape in the country’s halls of power.

President Biden and Democrats are betting big that the coronavirus relief plan and vaccine rollout will be a hit with voters, forestalling a potential Republican comeback. The package includes the largest-ever single infusion of federal aid for public transportation, allowing agencies to scrap plans for draconian cuts.

In remarks on Monday afternoon, Mr. Biden heralded his administration’s distribution of both stimulus checks and Covid-19 vaccines. Democrats are now starting to angle for gains in the 2022 midterm elections, even though the party in power usually loses ground in the midterms.

Analysis: Though the pandemic recession has been painful, our economics reporter explains how the U.S. got it (mostly) right in rescuing the economy.

China’s ability to mass-produce and distribute vaccines has reshaped its relations with Latin American nations devastated by the pandemic.

A survey of nearly 50,000 people in eight countries found that 40 percent of respondents ages 18 to 24 reported feeling sadness, distress or hopelessness over the past year.

Hundreds of people spending spring break in the Miami area have been arrested after flouting Covid-19 protocols.

The E.U. is taking legal action against Britain for what it called a violation of a legal agreement over Brexit and Northern Ireland that was part of a trade pact the two sides forged last year.

In a prelude to the Biden administration’s first in-person meeting with top Chinese envoys, Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin will travel this week to Japan and South Korea.

The Biden administration tried to restart discussions with North Korea over the fate of its nuclear program, but its overtures have not been returned.

Above, the largest and strongest dust storm in a decade swept across northern China, grounding hundreds of flights, closing schools and casting a ghastly shroud over tens of millions of people.

The Vatican said that Catholic priests could not bless same-sex marriages, but that the church should welcome gay people “with respect, compassion, and sensitivity.”

The authorities in Myanmar declared martial law in six townships in Yangon, the country’s largest city, after security forces killed dozens of protesters over the weekend.

Aleksei Navalny, the Russian opposition leader, said in an Instagram post that he was well and had not been subject to violence, but described a dystopian existence in the prison camp where he will most likely spend the next two years.

Usually it’s foreigners who cavort in the winter at Siberia’s Lake Baikal, the world’s deepest lake. But with international tourism shut down, Russians are arriving in droves to make TikTok videos and snap Instagram photos.

“This season is like no other — no one expected there to be such a crush, such a tourist boom,” said the director of a history museum in the area.

Podcast listening numbers in Britain have surged — nearly a fifth of the British adult population now regularly listen to podcasts.

In an attempt to escape the BBC’s tight grip over Britain’s audio industry, a small group of podcast companies, using an influx of cash and inspired by the medium’s success in the U.S., are trying to prove they can produce content without the public broadcaster’s backing, and often with the support of large multinational corporations such as Spotify or Sony.

The BBC sees its role as protecting the British audio industry from the undue influence of other large companies.

“There’s a the danger of tech giants shaping a U.K. radio industry,” said Jonathan Wall, who runs the BBC Sounds audio app. “We think they have a huge part to play, but we don’t think they can solely shape a successful U.K. audio industry.”

The BBC’s own huge budget gives the broadcaster outsize influence on what gets produced in Britain. “We have such a rich legacy of production companies who have basically lived feast to famine predicated on how many BBC commissioning rounds they win,” said Jake Warren, the founder of Message Heard, a three-and-a-half-year-old podcast company.

Writing on Medium, Nick Hilton, the founder of the independent British podcasting company Podot, described an industry in flux. “The market is shaping up to be much less indie, much less counter cultural, much less innovative, going forward,” he wrote. “There are lots more full-time podcast producers doing the rounds, but they’re going to be indentured to big, flush corporations.”

Sweet-and-spicy roasted tofu and squash offers an explosion of textures: velvety, tender, crunchy, chewy.

Netflix’s “Mank” led the Oscar nominations with 10 nods. (Our reviewer described it as “eminently watchable.”) “The Trial of the Chicago 7,” “Sound of Metal,” “Nomadland,” “Minari,” “Judas and the Black Messiah” and “The Father” each scored six nominations.

Beyoncé became the female artist with the most Grammys ever with her four wins during Sunday’s award show, and Megan Thee Stallion was the first female rapper to win best new artist since Lauryn Hill in 1999. Here’s what else happened.

See the meadows and breathtaking landscapes of the Fagaras Mountains in Romania.

Here’s today’s Mini Crossword, and a clue: Depend (upon) (four letters).

You can find all our puzzles here.

That’s it for today’s briefing. Thanks for joining me. We’d love to hear your thoughts on our revamp here at briefing@nytimes.com. — Natasha

P.S. The word “brochuremenship” appeared for the first time in The Times yesterday.

The latest episode of “The Daily” is about life after widespread vaccination in Israel.

You can reach Natasha and the team at briefing@nytimes.com.