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Nicolas Sarkozy, who was president of France from 2007 to 2012, was sentenced on Monday to 3 years imprisonment, 2 of them suspended, in a bribery case. Archive image: Nicolas Sarkozy is seen during a conference in the Paris region, 3 May 2019. Photo credit: Jacques Paquier (CC BY 2.0) 

Sarkozy convicted in corruption case

A Paris court found former French president Nicolas Sarkozy guilty of corruption and influence peddling. He was sentenced to a year in prison for attempting to bribe an investigating magistrate with a top job in exchange for information on another legal case. Sarkozy’s lawyer said he plans to appeal. He will remain free during the appeals process; if his appeal is rejected Sarkozy could serve his sentence at home wearing an electronic tag. Sources: AFP, DW, Euronews, The Guardian and NPR.

US sends 2 men charged with Ghosn escape to Japan

Two Americans who allegedly helped ex-Nissan boss Carlos Ghosn flee Japan have been extradited from the US to Tokyo. Their lawyers had argued the accusations do not fit Japanese law. Ghosn faces financial misconduct charges, which he denies, and said he cannot receive a fair trial in Japan. Sources: AFP, AP, New York Times and Reuters.

Ettelbruck hospital lodges vaccination complaint

The CHDN hospital filed a complaint with the public prosecutor’s office against unknown persons for jumping the vaccination queue. Sources: 100,7 and Paperjam.

Under-65s to begin inoculations

Luxembourg’s government is starting “phase 5a” of its national vaccination drive (with phase 2 currently in progress), which focusses on people under 65. They will receive the Astrazeneca/Oxford vaccine. Sources: 100,7 and RTL.

France approves Astrazeneca jab for over-65s

The French government shifted its stance on the Astrazeneca/Oxford vaccine, saying it could now be administered to people 65 and older. Sources: BBC, Financial Times and Reuters.

Novavax covid-19 jab close to initial approval

The US Food and Drug Administration could give emergency authorisation for Covax’s covid-19 vaccine candidate in May, its CEO said. Sources: CNBC, Financial Times and Reuters.

Latest Luxembourg covid-19 update

52 people tested positive on 28 February, a rate of 8.31 new cases per 100,000 inhabitants (compared to 5.43 on 21 February). The reproduction rate was 0.95, below the target threshold of 1.00 (compared to 1.05). There were 98 covid-19 patients in hospital (compared to 79), including 21 in intensive care (compared to 16). One person died, bringing the national total to 639. No vaccinations were given on 28 February (a total of 37,793 doses have been administered, including 10,700 people who have received two doses). Sources: Delano and health ministry.

Partial unemployment changes

Luxembourg’s government will start to scale back the short-time working scheme starting in May. Aid will be granted based on the number of hours worked (compared to the number of employees currently) and the amount of support will be tapered. Sources: Delano and Paperjam.

Biden backs Amazon warehouse workers

Joe Biden indirectly threw his support behind a unionisation drive at an Amazon site in the US state of Alabama. While he did not mention the company by name, the US president tweeted that the workers’ vote “should be made without intimidation or threats by employers.” Amazon has not commented. Sources: BBC, CNN, The Guardian and NPR.

Assets still being moved to EU post-Brexit

Financial firms have shifted 7,600 jobs as of January 2021 (up from 7,500 jobs in October 2020) and £1.3trn in assets (up from £1.2trn) from the UK to Europe due to Brexit, according to the consulting outfit EY. Sources: The Guardian, Irish Times and Reuters.

Zoom surpasses earnings forecast

The videoconferencing firm Zoom said revenue rose by 369% in the quarter ending 31 January (compared to the same quarter last year) and it expects sales to rise by 40% this year. Sources: BBC, Bloomberg, CNBC and Financial Times.

Danone to separate top posts

The French food group Danone yielded to investor pressure and said it would split the CEO and chairman roles. Sources: Bloomberg, Financial Times and Reuters.

Gucci owner invests in Vestiaire Collective

The French luxury group Kering took a minority stake in Vestiaire Collective, which sells secondhand high-end clothes and handbags online. Sources: Financial Times, Reuters and South China Morning Post.

Fund exec receives record pay package

Hedge fund manager Christopher Hohn paid himself a £343m ($479m) dividend last year, believed to be a UK record. His Children’s Investment Fund (TCI) posted a 66% rise in pre-tax profits. Sources: AFP, CityAM, Financial Times and The Guardian.

Here are 5 science & technology stories you may have missed

Animals: A recent study found that dogs have self-awareness about their own bodies, per Earth.com. Astronomy: Researchers released a map of 25,000 black holes, per the Independent. Covid-19: Several Chinese studies suggest that Sars-CoV-2 can be transmitted by frozen meat and fish, but some researchers outside China say the evidence so far is week, per Nature. Economics: “Women received 12 percent more questions than men, and they were more likely to get questions that were patronizing or hostile,” while presenting at economic conferences, per the New York TimesSpace: The European Space Agency could send a fleet of autonomous rovers to explore underground caves and lava tubs on the Moon, per The Register.

All’s well that’s sheared well 

Baarack, a sheep found in an Australian forest after being missing for several years, yielded a fleece weighing 35kg, per Reuters

Today’s breakfast briefing was written by Aaron Grunwald