LUIZ INACIO LULA DA SILVA

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has suffered a major defeat in Congress when Brazilian lawmakers rejected a proposal to require printed receipts at some electronic ballot boxes.

Brazil’s military has staged an unusual convoy of troops and armored vehicles through the capital.

The coronavirus has taken a heavy toll among Roman Catholic priests and nuns around the world, killing hundreds of them in a handful of the hardest-hit countries alone.

About 52 percent respondents felt that Bolsonaro is doing ‘terrible’ job

Anti-government protesters have taken to the streets in more than a score of cities across Brazil as the nation’s confirmed death toll from COVID-19 soared past half a million.

(AP Photo/Andre Penner)RIO DE JANEIRO – Brazil’s Supreme Court on Tuesday ruled that former judge Sergio Moro was biased in the way he oversaw former President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s corruption trial, providing vindication for the leftist leader who has long claimed political persecution. The decision further darkens the shadow over the reputation of Moro and the sweeping Car Wash corruption investigation he presided over for years. Leaked messages published by The Intercept Brasil in 2019 showed apparent collusion between Moro and Car Wash prosecutors during the process that ultimately jailed da Silva for corruption and money laundering. Da Silva is universally known as Lula in Brazil. The justices didn’t rule whether evidence gathered previously could be used when retrying da Silva’s other conviction, or in his other two unresolved criminal cases.

(AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, File)DURHAM, N.C. -- Duke University issued a quarantine order for all of its undergraduates effective Saturday night due to a coronavirus outbreak caused by students who attended recruitment parties, the school said. The university said in a statement that all undergraduate students will be forced to stay-in-place until at least March 21. Suspension or dismissal from the school are potential punishments for “flagrant or repeat violators.”Over the past week, the school has reported more than 180 positive coronavirus cases among students. AdItaly has now tallied some 3.2 million cases in the pandemic. The COVAX alliance aims to share COVID-19 vaccines with more than 90 lower and middle-income nations.

Former Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva speaks at the Metalworkers Union headquarters in Sao Bernardo do Campo, Sao Paulo state, Brazil, Wednesday, March 10, 2021, after a judge threw out both of his corruption convictions. (AP Photo/Andre Penner)SAO PAULO – Former Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva criticized incumbent Jair Bolsonaro on Wednesday for the government's failings in the COVID-19 pandemic and the economy, but avoided giving out hints on whether he will make another run for the presidency next year. “Do not be afraid of me,” da Silva said in a press conference at the metalworkers’ union he once headed in Sao Bernardo do Campo, outside Sao Paulo, arguing political dialogue must be restored despite Brazil's divisions. Supreme Court Justice Luiz Edson Fachin annulled two convictions against da Silva arguing the cases were tried in the wrong jurisdiction. AdFachin said in his ruling that da Silva's cases don't have any relationship with Petrobras, as lawyers of the president have argued for years.

FILE - In this Feb. 13, 2020 file photo, Brazilian former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva arrives for a meeting with the Italian Cgil union, in Rome. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini, File)SAO PAULO – A top judge has thrown out both corruption convictions of former Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, opening the way for a possible battle against conservative incumbent Jair Bolsonaro in next year’s elections. Bolsonaro quickly responded to the court ruling, calling the administration of da Silva's Workers' Party “catastrophic. AdAs news of the ruling broke, chants of “Lula livre!” — “Lula free!” — and recordings of jingles from his presidential campaigns echoed from windows in some cities. “Fachin knows that his decision basically means Lula will not be punished, but he wants to save whatever is left of Car Wash,” Badaró said.

FILE - In this Feb. 13, 2020 file photo, Brazilian former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva arrives for a meeting with the Italian Cgil union, in Rome. Da Silva still faces other prosecutions in Brasilia, but those are far from any final decision. Da Silva has been sentenced to 12 years and seven months for allegedly receiving an apartment worth about $1 million as a bribe from construction company OAS. Da Silva has always denied ownership of the apartment. With da Silva out, conservative lawmaker Bolsonaro won the election handily.

Da Silva walked out of the prison Friday, less than a day after the Supreme Court ruled that a person can be imprisoned only after all the appeals have been exhausted. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)CURITIBA Former Brazilian President Luiz Incio Lula da Silva's release from jail has fired up the weakened leftist opposition, though it's likely to anger conservatives who considered his incarceration proof the country was finally serious about ending corruption. Hundreds of red-shirted Brazilians applauded the 74-year-old politician Friday as he walked out of a federal police building. His release came less than a day after the Supreme Court ruled a person can be imprisoned only after all appeals have been exhausted. Da Silva's 2018 jailing drove the two sides of Brazil's already polarized society even further apart, and his release is set to reignite tensions.

(AP Photo/Leo Correa)SAO BERNARDO DO CAMPO Former Brazilian President Luiz Incio Lula da Silva has arrived at a union headquarters, a day after being released from prison. Da Silva was expected to give an address Saturday at the headquarters of the Metalworkers' Union near Sao Paulo. Da Silva once led the union, which served as the base for his political career. Da Silva was released from prison Friday after the Supreme Court ruled a person can be imprisoned only after all appeals to higher courts have been exhausted. Da Silva is still appealing his conviction related to the alleged purchase of a beachfront apartment.

A supporter of Brazil's former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva holds up a mask of Da Silva outside the Federal Police headquarters where the former leader is imprisoned in Curitiba, Brazil, Friday, Nov. 8, 2019. Da Silva has been detained since April 2018 after being convicted of corruption. WHAT WAS DA SILVA CONVICTED OF? Its former CEO said the apartment was reserved for Da Silva. Da Silva appealed his conviction but it was upheld last year, and he was put behind bars in April 2018.

Supporters of jailed former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, celebrate a Supreme Court decision that may free Da Silva, outside Brazil's Supreme Court, in Brasilia, Brazil, Thursday, Nov. 7, 2019. Brazil's top court has reached a narrow decision that could release almost 5,000 inmates that are still appealing their convictions, including Da Silva. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres)SAO PAULO The Latest on Brazilian former President Luiz Incio Lula da Silva (all times local):4:30 p.m.Brazil's former President Luiz Incio Lula da Silva is set to walk out of prison after a judge ordered his release. Da Silva has been detained since April 2018 after being convicted of corruption and money laundering. The decision appears to cover Da Silva, whose attorneys said they will request his release Friday.

A supporter holds a doll depicting jailed former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, outside Brazil'sSupreme Court in Brasilia, Brazil, Thursday, Nov. 7, 2019. The decision could affect cases like that of Da Silva. Da Silva had been favored to win the 2018 presidential election, but his conviction prohibited him from running. Right-leaning protesters have used social media in recent weeks to attack justices who cast votes that could allow Da Silva to walk out of prison. In addition to Da Silva, Brazil's justice council estimates at least 4,895 prisoners stand to benefit from the decision.

Brazils highest court reached a narrow decision that could release almost 5,000 inmates who are still appealing their convictions, including jailed former President Luiz Incio Lula da Silva. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres)CURITIBA Lawyers for Brazil's former President Luiz Incio Lula da Silva have begun legal procedures requesting his release from prison. The move follows a Supreme Court decision late Thursday that a person can be imprisoned only after all appeals to higher courts have been exhausted. Da Silva is appealing the case that put him behind bars. Da Silva, who governed from 2003 to 2010, says the case against him was politically motivated.

The Supreme Court will resume debate over if its legal (as is done currently) to jail a person who fails to overturn their conviction in a higher court. Da Silva had been favored to win the 2018 presidential election, but his conviction prohibited him from running. They hope Da Silva's sentence is annulled later this month in another Supreme Court debate over whether Moro was unbiased when he delivered his rulings. Attacks on the Supreme Court's ruling will doubtless feature loudly, with the prospect of Da Silva's release already looming. In addition to the former president, at least 4,895 prisoners stand to benefit from the decision, Brazil's justice council estimates.