1. More European countries suspend the AstraZeneca vaccine

Germany, France, Italy and Spain have announced they will suspend the rollout of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine following reported cases of blood clots in some vaccine recipients. "This does not necessarily mean these events are linked to vaccination, but it’s routine practice to investigate them, and it shows that the surveillance system works and that effective controls are in place," said World Health Organisation Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. WHO's Advisory Committee on Vaccine Safety will meet with the European Medicines Agency on Tuesday.

2. Josh Frydenberg warns states to 'think twice' before closing borders

Treasurer Josh Frydenberg will deliver a speech to the Business Council of Australia tonight in which he will warn states and territories to "think twice" before implementing border closures due to the "immense" economic consequences as JobKeeper comes to an end. "JobKeeper had to end as its continuation beyond 12 months would be counterproductive to the economy propping up unsustainable business and preventing the more efficient allocation of workers and capital across the economy," Frydenberg will say.

3. Coalition loses popularity with men and women equally

Analysis by The Australian of the two most recent Newspolls conducted after former Liberal Party staffer Brittany Higgins alleged she had been raped by a colleague has shown that the Coalition has fallen in the primary vote equally for men and women. The primary vote for the Coalition fell from 41% in December to 39% for women and from 44% to 42% for men.

4. Lego introduces new $750 Colosseum set with over 9,000 pieces

A new Lego set has been launched based on Rome's Colosseum containing 9,036 pieces, breaking the Guinness World Record for the largest commercially available Lego set. Rok Zgalin Kobe, who designed the set that will retail at $750 in Australia, said it took him over 30 hours to build each time he tried.

5. Seventh days of gains for the Dow

The Dow Jones rose by 174.82 points or 0.53% to 32,953.46 on Monday, the seventh consecutive day of gains and another new record close for the index. The S&P was up for the fifth session in a row, rising 25.60 points or 0.65% to 3,968.94, while the Nasdaq rose 139.84 points or 1.05% to 13,459.71.