Brazil’s ex-President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has been cleared of corruption by a Supreme Court judge, opening a path to a possible run for the presidency in 2022. Lula, a leftwing icon to many, was freed in 2019 after 18 months in jail. He was convicted following an investigation, Operation Car Wash, into a huge bribery scandal which ensnared politicians and business leaders. But Supreme Court Justice Edson Fachin annulled Lula’s convictions.

He said in a statement that a court in the southern city of Curitiba did not have the right to try the four cases, which should instead be heard by a federal court in the capital, Brasilia. The ruling, which still has to be considered by the full Supreme Court, restores Lula’s political rights, unless his convictions are reinstated. “This is recognition that we were right throughout this long legal battle,” his lawyers said in a statement. Lula, president from 2003 to 2010, could theoretically run against President Jair Bolsonaro. The right-wing incumbent is thought likely to seek re-election next year.(BBC)…[+]

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has announced that fully vaccinated Americans can return to some sense of normalcy. Those who have received the required jabs can visit with other vaccinated people and some unvaccinated people, according to the new guidelines. People are considered protected two weeks after they take the final dose of their vaccine, the CDC said. Over 30 million Americans have been fully vaccinated thus far. Health officials announced the new safety guidelines at Monday’s White House coronavirus task force briefing. The recommendations say fully vaccinated Americans can:  

The boss of Ikea has told the BBC he fears that global trade tensions will lead to higher prices for customers. Jesper Brodin, chief executive of Ingka Group, which is the furniture giant’s holding company, said imposing restrictions such as tariffs “normally doesn’t benefit the ordinary people”. Many countries have imposed new tariffs and other restrictions on imports in recent years. The trend was accentuated by the US under former President Donald Trump. And the World Trade Organization says even before the pandemic, trade restrictions were on the rise. “Normally it leads to cost increases on the product in the end of the day. And there are some concerns about that going on, not only in India but globally,” Mr Brodin said in a BBC interview.  

Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama has received his first dose of the coronavirus vaccine while urging others eligible to “take this injection”. “This is very very helpful, very good,” he said as he was given the Oxford-AstraZeneca jab at a facility in the Indian city of Dharamsala on Saturday. The Dalai Lama had enrolled himself to be vaccinated, officials said. India launched its vaccination drive on 16 January, but it was limited to healthcare workers and frontline staff. Since 1 March, however, the scheme has been extended to people aged over 60 and those between the ages of 45 and 59 with underlying illnesses.Receiving his first shot in the northern state of Himachal Pradesh on Saturday, the Dalai Lama said people needed to be vaccinated to “prevent some serious problems”. The chief medical officer of Himachal Pradesh’s Kangra district, Dr Gurdarshan Gupta, said the Dalai Lama had offered to visit the vaccination centre “like a common man”, Reuters news agency reported. “We arranged the session in the morning, considering the security concern,” he added. Speaking to the BBC last year, the Dalai Lama said the pandemic had promoted a “sense of concern, a more compassionate feeling”.(BBC)…[+]

The US is expressing growing concern over a hack on Microsoft’s Exchange email software that the tech company has blamed on China. “This is an active threat,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki said on Friday. “Everyone running these servers – government, private sector, academia – needs to act now to patch them.”

Microsoft said hackers had used its mail server to attack their targets. It is reported that tens of thousands of US organisations may be impacted. The US has long accused the Chinese government of cyber-espionage, something Beijing denies. Ms Psaki told reporters that the White House was “concerned that there are a large number of victims” and said the vulnerabilities found in Microsoft’s servers “could have far reaching impacts”. On Saturday, the US National Security Council said it was “essential that any organisation with a vulnerable server take immediate measures” to determine if they had been targeted.(BBC)…[+]

Comedian Sarah Silverman has apologised to Paris Hilton for jokes she told at the MTV Movie Awards in 2007 about the socialite’s forthcoming prison stint. The awards were attended by Hilton just hours before she was jailed for violating probation on an alcohol-related drink-driving conviction. “I said some very hardcore jokes about her…. Paris, I am really sorry,” Silverman said. Hilton responded by saying she was “shocked… and pleasantly surprised”. She added: “[Silverman] was so genuine and so sweet and it really moved me. I felt emotional hearing it and I could tell she really did mean what she said when she was apologising. “Thank you, I really, really appreciate you doing that.” Much of Silverman’s 2007 monologue is too explicit to repeat, but when she said “Paris Hilton is going to jail”, the audience whooped and cheered. The footage then cut to Hilton looking extremely uncomfortable. Silverman shared her lengthy (and expletive-laden) apology on Instagram after Hilton said in her podcast earlier this week that the “cruel” jokes had left her fighting back tears, adding “this would never happen today”. Hilton recalled being” seated ringside at my own surprise public humiliation”.(BBC)…[+]

Tesla has decided to become a technical partner in a nickel mine – which is needed for lithium-ion batteries that power electric cars. Elon Musk’s car firm will also buy nickel from the Goro mine on the small Pacific island of New Caledonia to secure its long-term supply. The move comes amid growing concerns about future supplies of nickel. New Caledonia is the world’s fourth largest nickel producer, which has seen a 26% rally in prices in the past year. “Nickel is our biggest concern for scaling lithium-ion cell production,” Musk said on Twitter last month.New Caledonia is a French overseas territory although it has seen growing calls for its independence.

President Jair Bolsonaro has told Brazilians to “stop whining” about Covid-19, as he criticised measures to curb the virus despite a surge in cases and deaths. His comments came a day after Brazil saw a record rise in deaths over a 24-hour period. Brazil is facing its worst phase of the pandemic yet, leaving its health system in crisis. In response some cities and states have imposed their own restrictions. Brazil’s health ministry says more than 260,000 people have died with Covid-19, the second-highest pandemic death toll in the world after the US. On Thursday, another 1,699 deaths were added to that tally, a slight decrease on Wednesday’s record 1,910. Meanwhile, a further 75,102 cases of coronavirus were reported, the second-highest daily rise on record.

An unknown number of young crocodiles are being hunted after they escaped from a breeding farm in South Africa’s Western Cape province. Some 27 reptiles have been recaptured but officials have admitted they do not know how many more they need to find. The crocodiles are believed to have escaped through a broken fence at a breeding farm outside Bonnievale and made their way to the Breede River. Local residents have been urged not to approach them. “Obviously, they are very dangerous. These are wild animals even though they’ve been in captivity,” said Petro van Rhyn, a spokeswoman for the region’s environmental service, CapeNature. “People must not approach them and stay clear of the river until all are captured.”(BBC)…[+]

Security has been ramped up at the US Capitol in Washington in response to “a possible plot to breach” the building. The move was prompted by intelligence that a militia group planned the attack for 4 March – the day conspiracy theorist group QAnon believes Donald Trump will return for a second term. The House of Representatives cancelled Thursday’s session, but the Senate will continue with its agenda. A mob loyal to Mr Trump stormed the Congress building in January. That attack came as lawmakers were inside moving to certify Democrat Joe Biden’s election victory. Mr Trump still refuses to admit losing the election. The riot saw five people including a police officer killed and shook the foundations of American democracy. The head of the Capitol police force later resigned.(BBC)…[+]