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| THE BIG STORY
This week, Germany joined France, Italy, and Spain in halting vaccinations with AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine, following reports of rare blood clots in people given the shots.
The pause in vaccinations is a new crisis of confidence in a vaccine widely seen as the developing world’s best vaccine hope because of its cost and portability.
Experts stress that there is still no clear evidence that the vaccine is causing these reported clots, and the cases are being investigated by regulators.
The pauses were triggered by reports of three hospitalizations, including one patient who died, among people given the vaccine in Norway, and a further death in Denmark. Meanwhile, the European Medicines Agency — the EU’s equivalent of the FDA — said there had been a total of 30 cases of “thromboembolic events,” or blood clots, among 5 million people who have received AstraZeneca shots in the EU.
The experts we contacted said that, without knowing more about the patients’ cases, there wasn’t enough evidence to draw clear conclusions about whether the vaccine caused clotting. Sopa Images LightRocket via Getty HELP US CELEBRATE SUNSHINE WEEK
Sunshine Week is an initiative led by the News Leaders Association, in partnership with other media and civic organizations, to promote access to information and open government.
In celebration of Sunshine Week, we’re extending our FOIA fundraising efforts! Now through March 22, every BuzzFeed News Membership sign up or one-time contribution will go towards our FOIA legal fund.
STAYING ON TOP OF THIS
The UK is mourning the death of 33-year-old Sarah Everard, who was last seen on March 3, making a 50-minute journey on foot from a friend’s house in South London when she went missing.
Everard never made it home, prompting a missing person's search. Her body was discovered on March 10, 56 miles away from where she was last seen.
A police officer has been arrested and charged with murder. Her death has ignited a call for immediate action to address violence against women and girls, while activists have taken to the streets of London to protest.
In the midst of a palpable public grief and outrage, an Instagram post went viral as it served as a reminder of how violence against women and the threat of it are part of everyday life. It all starts with the words, “Text me when you get home xx.” Metropolitan Police, Anadolu Agency / Getty Images SNAPSHOTS
Two men have been charged with assaulting the officer who died after the Capitol riots. Julian Khater and George Tanios allegedly sprayed a chemical substance at Officer Brian Sicknick and other Capitol Police officers.
Deb Haaland will be the first Native American to lead the Department of the Interior. Haaland will lead the agency of around 60,000 staffers tasked with overseeing millions of acres of federal lands. One senator dubbed the controversy over Haaland’s confirmation “a proxy fight over the future of fossil fuels.”
A car drove into a homeless encampment in California, killing three people. Authorities said a car veered into an encampment of unsheltered people in San Diego, and nine people were struck. Two of the survivors were left critically injured.
An American who fought with extremists in Ukraine will be extradited to face double murder charges in Florida. Craig Lang, who was once a US soldier, allegedly killed a couple as part of a bizarre and bloody plan to fund adventures fighting abroad.
Someone please tell me, what is Mank. Netflix’s Mank is this year’s most Oscar-nominated film with 10 nominations, and Chadwick Boseman was posthumously nominated for best actor for his role in Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom. Here are the nominees. "DOING THE LEAST"
Amazon is pushing readers down a “rabbit hole” of conspiracy theories about the coronavirus David Icke believes in the existence of lizard people. He’s been banned from Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Spotify over his lies about COVID-19.
But on Amazon, Icke is thriving: his book, The Answer, is loaded with misinformation about the coronavirus pandemic, and at one point was ranked 30th on Amazon.com’s bestseller list for Communication & Media Studies.
The book didn’t get there on its own. According to new research, its popularity is partly thanks to the e-commerce giant’s powerful recommendation algorithms that suggest The Answer and other COVID conspiracy theory books to people searching for basic information about the coronavirus.
An expert told us, “Amazon is doing the least, by a substantial measure, of any of the major platforms to deal with the misinformation and conspiracy theories around the COVID-19 virus.” SPRING ESCAPE
Here are the best science fiction and fantasy books coming out this spring
Maybe you’re just biding your time, waiting for the vaccine to come near you. Maybe you’re ready to dive into the renewal that comes with spring. Whatever your reason for being excited about some new science fiction and fantasy recommendations, we got you — here are 21 books coming out this spring that you need in your life. Remember that you're much more than any of your failures, Elamin P.S. If you like this newsletter, help keep our reporting free for all. Support BuzzFeed News by becoming a member here. (Monthly memberships are available worldwide). 📝 This letter was edited and brought to you by Elamin Abdelmahmoud and BuzzFeed News. You can always reach us here. Show privacy notice and cookie policy.
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