South Africa is waiting for vaccinations with AstraZeneca funds

South Africa will suspend the use of the vaccine from the British-Swedish company AstraZeneca
while scientists are still discussing the best use of the drug. Health Minister Zweli Mkhize announced
this. The company had previously admitted that the vaccine offers limited protection against mild
infection with the South African variant of the virus.

Minister Spahn sees little scope for relaxation of the corona

Before the next corona meeting of the federal and state levels this week, Federal Health Minister
Jens Spahn (CDU) has campaigned for a continuation of the lockdown protective measures. The
government must continue to proceed gradually, said Spahn on ARD television. There were still a
few hard and difficult weeks ahead. In this context, the minister referred to the dangers of virus
mutations.

In Myanmar, activists are calling for a general strike

A week after the military coup, prominent activists in Myanmar called for a nationwide general
strike. The protests in the Southeast Asian country continue this Monday. In the economic
metropolis of Yangon and other cities, tens of thousands of people again marched through the
streets. In the capital Naypyidaw, the police used water cannons for the first time. The
demonstrators demanded the release of de facto Prime Minister Aung San Suu Kyi, who was
arrested by the army a week ago, and a return to democracy.

Left candidate is ahead in Ecuador election

In the presidential election in Ecuador, the left-wing candidate Andrés Arauz is forecast to have won
the most votes. However, he missed an absolute majority and will now have to run a runoff election
on April 11 against the right-wing conservative ex-banker Guillermo Lasso, according to two post-
election surveys. The previous president Lenín Moreno was no longer running.

Former US Secretary of State George Shultz has died at the age of 100

Former US Secretary of State George Shultz is dead. He died at the age of 100. Shultz had served as
Secretary of State from 1982 to 1989 under Republican President Ronald Reagan. Prior to his
appointment as Secretary of State, he had served as Treasury Secretary, Secretary of Labor and Head
of Budget in the White House. This made him one of only two US politicians who held four different
positions in government, said representatives of the renowned Stanford University, of which Shultz
was a member.

Massive onset of winter in Germany

A massive onset of winter with snow, black ice and strong winds has hit the northern half of
Germany. According to its own information, Deutsche Bahn had to shut down numerous
connections, and clearing services were in constant use on countless roads in the north and center
of Germany. The first snowstorm in ten years raged in the Netherlands.
Tom Brady wins the Super Bowl for the seventh time

In the US, quarterback Tom Brady won the Super Bowl for the seventh time in his career. With his
team, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Brady beat the favorite defending champions, the Kansas City
Chiefs. The Buccaneers won 31: 9 in Tampa and are now the first team in NFL history to celebrate
the greatest triumph in American football in their own stadium.

German women's trio out at Australian Open

The German tennis professionals Angelique Kerber, Laura Siegemund and Andrea Petkovic have
already been eliminated at their opening matches at the Australian Open. Kerber lost to the
American Bernarda Pera in the first Grand Slam tournament of the season in Melbourne. Siegemund
had to admit defeat to US top favorite Serena Williams, Petkovic made a mistake in the match
against Ons Jabeur from Tunisia. In contrast, Hamburg's Alexander Zverev won his first round
encounter against American Marcos Giron.