शाहीन बाग में धारा 144 लागू, इलाके में भारी सुरक्षाबल तैनात

शाहीन बाग में आज सुरक्षा व्यवस्था को चाक-चौबंद कर दिया गया है। हिंदू सेना के इस ऐलान के बाद कि रविवार को शाहीन बाग की सड़क खाली करा दी जाएगी, पुलिस ने अपनी मुस्तैदी बढ़ा दी है।

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नए टैक्स सिस्टम को अपनाने की है ये 5 शर्तें

बजट में वित्त मंत्री निर्मला सीतारमण ने नए टैक्स सिस्टम को लागू किया जो वित्त वर्ष 2020-21 से लागू हो रहा है। नए टैक्स सिस्टम में टैक्स रेट कम है, लेकिन डिडक्शन और एग्जेंप्शन का फायदा नहीं मिलेगा। वित्त वर्ष 2019-20 के लिए रिटर्न फाइल करने की तारीख 31 जुलाई 2020 तक है।

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‘Time to end war that began after 9/11’: Veterans welcome long overdue withdrawal from Afghanistan, but fear return of Sharia law

Savannah: Veterans of America's longest war are finding themselves torn as the US signs a potentially historic peace accord with the Taliban in Afghanistan.

For many, the US is long overdue in withdrawing its forces after more than 18 years of fighting. Others question the trustworthiness of the Taliban, whose hard-line government the US-led forces overthrew in 2001. Skeptics worry the Taliban's re-integration could cause Afghanistan to backslide on such issues as human rights. “If they sign a peace treaty and Afghanistan goes back to the Taliban or Sharia law, then it’s all been for nothing,” said former Army Staff Sgt. Will Blackburn of Hinesville, Georgia.

Though doubtful the Taliban will abide by the peace deal, Blackburn said he's ready for hostilities to end. He first deployed to Afghanistan in 2004 with an infantry unit of the Army's 10th Mountain Division. A decade later, his son headed overseas for the same fight. “Anything that would get us out of that country, I will support fully,” said Blackburn, 58, who left the Army in 2010.

Other Afghanistan veterans interviewed by The Associated Press said that, while the peace deal may not be perfect, it's time to end the war that began weeks after the 9/11 terror attacks. The toll has been heavy. More than 2,300 US service members have been killed and more than 20,600 others wounded in Afghanistan since the war began in October 2001.

Former Sgt. Michael Carrasquillo served as an infantrymen in the Army's 173rd Airborne Brigade when his unit was ambushed in Afghanistan in 2005. Shot five times while dragging a wounded comrade to safety, Carrasquillo spent the next two years in the hospital and underwent dozens of surgeries. “Peace in any way, shape or form is a good thing,” said Carrasquillo, 36, of Monrovia, Maryland, who leads a support group for wounded veterans through the Wounded Warrior Project. “We don’t want more guys to die or to get injured.”

The peace plan calls for the Trump administration to initially draw down US troop levels in Afghanistan from 13,000 to 8,600, with the remaining American forces withdrawing in 14 months.

In return, the Taliban promise not to let extremists use the country to stage attacks on the US or its allies. The Taliban and representatives from Kabul must negotiate a framework for a postwar Afghanistan. “I know the Taliban, and I never thought they could be trustworthy,” said Cmdr. Tom Porter of the US Navy Reserve, who oversaw media operations in Afghanistan during the US-led troop surge that began in 2010. “I know they have a different view of time and history than we do.”

Porter said he's concerned the Taliban could abide by the accord long enough to see American forces leave, then try to wrest control of Afghanistan under an assumption the US won't be willing to return for another fight. “If you’re the Taliban, people have come and gone and invaded that place for thousands of years,” said Porter, head of government affairs in Washington for the group Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America. “Genghis Khan has come and gone. They’ve got a long view of things.”

Former Army Capt. Emily Miller's job focused on communicating with Afghan women and children on deployments in 2011 and 2012 to assist US special operations forces. She said protecting women's rights and human rights overall needs to be a priority.

Overall, Miller said, she's thrilled to see a chance for Afghanistan to break from its long history of perpetual war. “There is this new generation and I think it’s really time to unlock that hope and optimism of Afghans that are really open to peace,” she said. “What’s the alternative to peace? This endless cycle of violence doesn’t really lead anywhere.”

At Fort Stewart in southeast Georgia, Army Staff Sgt. Phillip Wright thinks of himself as “one of the older guys” at age 33. He deployed to Kabul in 2010 with a field artillery unit to help train Afghanistan's army.

Nowadays, Wright works alongside many young American soldiers who've never been overseas. He thinks it's time for Afghanistan's military to stand on its own after years of US mentoring. “We were able to train an army for another country. So I do believe there has been a lot of good that’s come out of it,” he said.

There's no hesitation from Chris Collins, a former Army Reservist, when asked if it's time for a US exit. “It’s not worth one more American life,” said Collins, 38. "Enough is enough.”

Collins' unit from Missouri deployed to neighboring Uzbekistan in 2004 to run a supply warehouse for US forces in Afghanistan. Returning as a civilian contractor five years later, he concluded little had changed. “Let’s go home,” said Collins, now training to be a nurse. “We can’t stay there forever. They don’t want us there. It’s no different today than it was 18 years ago, essentially.”

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US confirms first coronavirus death in Washington; cases along West Coast rise despite no contact with infected persons

Washington: The governor of Washington declared a state of emergency Saturday after a man died there of COVID-19, the first such reported death in the United States. More than 50 people in a nursing facility are sick and being tested for the virus.

Gov. Jay Inslee directed state agencies to use “all resources necessary” to prepare for and respond to the coronavirus outbreak. The declaration also allows the use of the Washington National Guard, if necessary. “We will continue to work toward a day where no one dies from this virus," the governor vowed.

Health officials in California, Oregon and Washington state are worried about the novel coronavirus spreading through West Coast communities because a growing number of people are being infected despite not having visited an area where there was an outbreak, nor apparently been in contact with anyone who had.

The man who died was in his 50s, had underlying health conditions and no history of travel or contact with a known COVID-19 case, health officials in Washington state said at a news conference. A spokesperson for EvergreenHealth Medical Center, Kayse Dahl, said the person died in the facility in the Seattle suburb of Kirkland.

Dr. Frank Riedo, medical director of Infection Control at Evergreen, said local hospitals are seeing people with severe coronavirus symptoms but it’s probable that there are more cases in the community. “This is the tip of the iceberg,” he said.

The health officials reported two cases of COVID-19 virus connected to a long-term care facility in the same suburb, Life Care Center of Kirkland. One is a Life Care worker, a woman in her 40s who is in satisfactory condition at a hospital, and the other is a woman in her 70s and a resident at Life Care who is hospitalised in serious condition. Neither had traveled abroad.

“In addition, over 50 individuals associated with Life Care are reportedly ill with respiratory symptoms or hospitalised with pneumonia or other respiratory conditions of unknown cause and are being tested for COVID-19,” Seattle and King County officials said. “Additional positive cases are expected.”

Overlake Medical Center in Bellevue, Washington, said a health care worker from Life Care is a patient at the hospital. The woman, who is in her 40s, was admitted to the hospital Thursday and is in stable condition, the center said. Amy Reynolds of the Washington state health department said in a brief telephone interview: “We are dealing with an emergency evolving situation.”

No one answered the phone at Life Care, but Ellie Basham, its executive director, said in a statement that residents and employees are being monitored and those with symptoms or who were potentially exposed are quarantined. The facility has banned families, volunteers and vendors as a precaution, Basham said.

A growing number of cases in California, Washington state and Oregon are confounding authorities because the infected people hadn't recently traveled overseas or had any known close contact with a traveler or an infected person.

The Santa Clara County Public Health Department announced Saturday the case of a fourth person in the county infected with coronavirus, The case is of a woman who is a “household contact" of a person who is hospitalised with the virus, the health department said in a news release. The woman has not been hospitalised and is not ill, the department said.

The US has about 60 confirmed cases. Worldwide, the number of people sickened by the virus hovered Friday around 83,000, and there were more than 2,800 deaths, most of them in China. A 60-year-old US citizen died in Wuhan in early February. Most infections result in mild symptoms, including coughing and fever, though some can become more serious and lead to pneumonia. Older people, especially those with chronic illnesses such as heart or lung disease, are especially vulnerable. Health officials think it spreads mainly from droplets when an infected person coughs or sneezes, similar to how the flu spreads.

The number of coronavirus cases in the United States is considered small. But convinced that they will grow, health agencies are ramping up efforts to identify those who might be sick.

To achieve more rapid testing capacity, the US Food and Drug Administration issued an accelerated policy Saturday enabling laboratories to use tests they develop. FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn said his agency is "rapidly responding and adapting to this dynamic and evolving situation.”

The California Department of Public Health said Friday that the state will receive enough kits from the US Center for Disease Control and Prevention to test up to 1,200 people a day for the COVID-19 virus — a day after Gov. Gavin Newsom complained to federal health officials that the state had already exhausted its initial 200 test kits.

Oregon was able to more quickly identify a case — an employee of an elementary school in Lake Oswego near Portland because it was able to test a sample locally. School district officials said Saturday the employee had been visited in the hospital by several people before he was diagnosed. Those individuals have been asked to observe a two-week quarantine and are being closely monitored.

Worried shoppers thronged a Costco box store near Lake Oswego, emptying shelves of items including toilet paper, paper towels, bottled water, frozen berries and black beans. “Toilet paper is golden in an apocalypse,” one Costco employee said. Employees said the store ran out of toilet paper for the first time in its history and that it was the busiest they had ever seen, including during Christmas Eve.

The district is deep-cleaning all its schools and all school buses with the goal of having students back in class Monday, said Superintendent Lora de la Cruz. But Forest Hills Elementary, where the man worked, is closed until Wednesday, marking two weeks since he was last at the school.

Earlier US cases include three people who were evacuated from the central China city of Wuhan, epicenter of the outbreak; 14 people who returned from China, or their spouses; and 42 American passengers on the Diamond Princess cruise ship, who were flown to U.S. military bases in California and Texas for quarantining.

The US government looked at sending dozens of Californians, several of whom tested positive for the virus, who had been aboard the cruise ship to a state-owned facility in Costa Mesa, California. Local officials objected, saying they weren't included in the planning and wanting to know what safeguards would be in place to prevent spread of the virus. The US government said it didn't need to use the facility after all.

At UC Davis Medical Center in California, at least 124 registered nurses and other health care workers were sent home for “self-quarantine" after a Solano County woman with the virus was admitted, National Nurses United, a nationwide union representing registered nurses, said Friday. The case “highlights the vulnerability of the nation’s hospitals to this virus," the union said.

Washington state health officials announced two other new coronavirus cases Friday night, including a high school student who attends Jackson High School in Everett, said Dr. Chris Spitters of the Snohomish County Health District. The other case in Washington was a woman in in King County in her 50s who had recently traveled to South Korea, authorities said. Neither patient was seriously ill.

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Students, activists, Indian diaspora protest against CAA, Delhi riots in London; demand Amit Shah’s resignation

London: A large group of students, human rights activists and diaspora group representatives gathered outside the Indian High Commission on Saturday for an “emergency protest” against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act and the associated violence in Delhi.

The India Society at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), South Asian Students Against Fascism and South Asia Solidarity Group were among the groups behind the protest.

The London protest was called alongside similar demonstrations in around 17 cities across Europe, including Paris, Berlin, Brussels and Geneva, with the central message of: “We stand in solidarity with the victims of communal violence in Delhi”. “If the world does not take note and react urgently, the consequences will be disastrous,” SOAS India Society said in a statement.

The protesters chanted slogans and demanded the resignation of Home Minister Amit Shah, for alleged “gross failure” to maintain peace, and the arrest of BJP politicians accused of instigating violence in Delhi.  They also called on the UK government to issue a “strong condemnation” of the Narendra Modi government for the violence on the streets of the Indian capital.

The protestors also sought to highlight the many “heartening instances” of Hindus, Dalits and Sikhs protecting their Muslim neighbours, and Sikh gurdwaras opening their doors for victims fleeing violence in Delhi.

Over the past week, parts of the Indian capital have witnessed sectarian violence in reaction to CAA, an act passed by the Indian Parliament last December to grant citizenship rights to persecuted minorities from neighbouring countries. Critics fear the act, and a proposed National Register of Citizens (NRC), would discriminate against the country's Muslims.

The government has sought to allay fears by stressing that no Indian Muslim would be impacted by the act and Home Minister Amit Shah has blamed the Opposition for stirring up the violence by spreading misinformation.

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Joe Biden wins South Carolina primary with African-American community’s support; aims for nationwide Super Tuesday

Columbia: Joe Biden scored a thundering victory in South Carolina’s Democratic primary on Saturday, riding a wave of African American support and ending progressive rival Bernie Sanders' winning streak.

Biden's win came at a do-or-die moment in his 2020 bid as the moderate Democrat bounced back from underwhelming performances in Iowa, New Hampshire and Nevada. The race now pivots immediately to a new phase when 14 “Super Tuesday” states take the campaign nationwide early next week. “We are very much alive," Biden declared at an exuberant post-election rally. “For all of you who have been knocked down, counted out, left behind - this is your campaign.”

Sanders claimed second place, though his loss gave a momentary respite to anxious establishment Democrats who feared that the self-described democratic socialist would finish February with four consecutive top finishes.

Billionaire activist Tom Steyer, who was in a battle for third place, formally suspended his campaign. He spent more than $19 million on television advertising in South Carolina -- more than all of his rivals combined -- but never found a clear lane in the crowded contest.

Seven candidates remain in the Democrats' quest to find the strongest possible nominee to take on President Donald Trump in November. Biden's allies almost immediately cast the South Carolina victory as proof that he should stand as the clear alternative to Sanders.

The South Carolina primary was the first major test of the candidates' appeal among black voters. And while it gave the 77-year-old Biden a win when he most needed it, he must still prove that he has the financial and organisational resources to dramatically expand his campaign in the next 72 hours. He will also be under pressure to rely on his decades-long relationships with party leaders to create a new sense of inevitability around his candidacy.

The Associated Press declared Biden the winner at 7 pm EST, just after the polls closed in South Carolina. The AP based the call on data from AP VoteCast, a survey of the electorate conducted for the AP by NORC at the University of Chicago. The survey showed a convincing win for Biden.

Even before news of Biden's win was declared, Mike Bloomberg announced his own plan to deliver a three-minute prime-time address Sunday night on two television networks. He didn't say how much he paid for the air time, which is unprecedented in recent decades. Bloomberg's campaign privately acknowledged that Biden was likely to get a bump in momentum out of his South Carolina win, but they still believe Bloomberg can win in a handful of states that vote on Super Tuesday, including Arkansas, Alabama, Oklahoma, Virginia and North Carolina.

And Sanders was already peeking ahead to Super Tuesday as well, betting he can amass an insurmountable delegate lead at that point. After two consecutive victories and a tie for the lead in Iowa, the 78-year-old Vermont senator's confidence is surging.

Sanders congratulated Biden on his first win and said it was nothing for his own supporters to worry about. “Tonight, we did not win in South Carolina. That will not be the only defeat. A lot of states in this country. Nobody wins them all,” he told a cheering crowd in Virginia, one of 14 states to vote next week. “Now we enter Super Tuesday.”

Moments after Biden's victory was confirmed, former Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe formally endorsed the former vice president and encouraged the Democratic Party's moderate wing to unite behind him. On CNN, he called on several candidates to get out of the race — “not after Tuesday, but tomorrow.”

But the Democrats' 2020 primary election isn't yet a two-person race. Not ceding anything, Pete Buttigieg is fighting to prove he can build a multiracial coalition. And with the help of super PACs, Warren and Klobuchar vowed to keep pushing forward no matter how they finished on Saturday.

Trump was paying close attention to the Democratic race. Speaking before conservative activists earlier in the day, the president conducted a poll of sorts by asking his audience to cheer for who would be the best Democratic contender for him to face in November.

Sanders was the clear winner. “How could you be easier to beat than Joe? That guy can’t put two sentences together,” Trump told attendees of the Conservative Political Action Conference in suburban Washington. “But you know he is more down the middle. Everyone knows he’s not a communist and with Bernie there a real question about that.”

Saturday was all about Biden and whether he might convince anxious establishment Democrats to rally behind him at last.

Elected officials inclined to embrace his moderate politics had been reluctant to support him after bad finishes in Iowa and New Hampshire and a distant second place in Nevada last week. Yet fearing Sanders' polarising progressive priorities, they're still searching for an alternative who's viewed as a safer bet to defeat Trump in November.

Senior Biden adviser Symone Sanders called South Carolina a “springboard” for the campaign, on par with how the state boosted the presidential aspirations of Barack Obama in 2008 and Clinton in 2016.

South Carolina represented much more than the fourth state on the Democrats' months-long primary calendar. It served as the first major test of the candidates' strength with African American voters, who will be critical both in the general election and the rest of the primary season. Biden won 60 percent of the votes cast by African Americans. He also did well with older voters, women, moderates and conservatives and regular churchgoers, according to AP VoteCast.

Sanders earned the support of roughly 15 percent of African American voters, while billionaire businessman Tom Steyer won 16 percent. There was also evidence that Biden’s status as former President Barack Obama’s two-term vice president helped him win over African Americans.

VoteCast found that about 4 in 10 voters in South Carolina wanted to return to the politics of the past, compared to about a third in Iowa and New Hampshire. That includes the roughly 50 percent of African American voters who said they want a Democratic presidential nominee who would emulate the Obama’s presidency.

By comparison, roughly two-thirds of white voters wanted a presidential candidate who would bring fundamental change to Washington.

While voting technology was a concern in two of the last three primary contests, South Carolina uses a wide array of voting technology that presents unique challenges. Saturday's election in South Carolina marks the first statewide test of its new fleet of electronic voting machines, a $50 million upgrade from an old and vulnerable system that lacked any paper record of individual votes. The new machines produce a paper record that can be verified by the voter and checked after the election to detect any malfunction or manipulation.

Democratic National Committee Chair Tom Perez cautioned Democrats that it’s still early in their presidential primary. Speaking at a North Carolina Democratic Party fundraising gala, Perez noted that to win the nomination, a Democrat must win 1,991 delegates — and only a fraction of those have been allocated in the party’s first four primaries. “We have a long way to go,” he said.

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दिल्ली हिंसा: ऐसे पुलिस के हाथ से फिसलती चली गई बात

उत्तर पूर्वी दिल्ली में हुए दंगों में मारे जाने वालों की संख्या 42 तक पहुंच चुकी है। बहुत सारे लोग घायल भी हुए हैं। इस दंगे में सबसे अधिक सवाल उठ रहे हैं दिल्ली पुलिस पर, जिस पर आरोप है कि ये दंगा दिल्ली पुलिस की नाकामी का ही नतीजा है। जब दिल्ली पुलिस के अधिकारियों से बात की गई तो उन्होंने खुद बताया कि कैसे ये बाजी उनके हाथ से निकल गई।

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CAA से प्लान फेल...कांग्रेस को किस बात का मलाल

सीएए, एनआरसी पर छिड़ी जंग के बीच कांग्रेस का बयान आया है। कांग्रेस को मलाल है कि बेरोजगारी, अर्थव्यवस्था जैसे जिन मुद्दों पर वह केंद्र को घेरने की सोच रही थी वैसा हो नहीं पाया। कांग्रेस मानती है कि बीजेपी जानबूझकर भावनात्मक और विभाजनकारी मुद्दा लाई जिसने कांग्रेस के प्लान को पूरी तरह फ्लॉप कर दिया।

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आखिर क्यों बोलते-बोलते लड़खड़ा जाते हैं ट्रंप?

राष्ट्रपति ट्रंप का भारत दौरा खत्म हो चुका है लेकिन ट्रंप अभी भी सुर्खियों में हैं। सोशल मीडिया पर लगातार ट्रंप के मीम्स और उनके भाषण के चर्चे हैं। सचिन तेंदुलकर को सुचिन बोलना हो या फिर शोले को शोजे। आखिर क्या वजह है कि ट्रंप इस तरह अपने भाषण में लड़खड़ा जाते हैं।

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रविंद्र 'सुपरमैन' जडेजा का यह कैच देखा आपने?

रविंद्र जडेजा ने जब यह कैच लपका तो वह पूरी तरह से हवा में थे। उनके हाथ ऊंचे थे। इस कैच के बाद बल्लेबाज को यकीन ही नहीं हुआ कि वह आउट हो गए हैं।

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टीम इंडिया की नई 'सचिन', कहानी जान चौंकेंगे

शेफाली वर्मा के पिता संजीव वर्मा ने बताया कि उन्होंने जब रोहतक में सचिन तेंडुलकर को खेलते देखा, दर्शकों की प्रतिक्रिया देखी तो फैसला किया कि वह अब टेनिस बॉल से नहीं खेलना चाहती हैं।

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जेल में रहेंगी पाक जिंदाबाद कहने वाली अमूल्या

असदुद्दीन ओवैसी की रैली में पाकिस्तान जिंदाबाद का नारा लगाने वाली अमूल्या लियोना की न्यायिक हिरासत बेंगलुरु की एक अदालत ने 5 मार्च तक के लिए बढ़ा दी है।

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दांव पर दांव, आखिर कब मिलेगी निर्भया के दोषियों को फांसी?

निर्भया गैंगरेप मामले में 3 मार्च को फांसी की सजा होनी है, लेकिन इससे पहले ही दो दोषियों ने सजा को रोकने के लिए एक बार फिर कोर्ट में अर्जी दाखिल कर दी है। शनिवार को कोर्ट ने तिहाड़ जेल अथॉरिटी को भी नोटिस जारी किया है।

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दिल्ली: भड़काया तो खैर नहीं, हस्तियों पर भी नजर

दिल्ली में हुए दंगे के बाद फिलहाल स्थिति सामान्य है। लेकिन अभी प्रशासन सोशल मीडिया पर कड़ी नजर बनाए हुए हैं। ऐसे में आम लोगों के साथ-साथ कई नामचीन हस्तियों के सोशल मीडिया अकाउंट्स पर भी नजर है।

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'...BJP दिल्ली को गोधरा बना देगी', टीचर अरेस्ट

असम के सिलचर में एक टीचर सौरदीप सेनगुप्ता को भड़काऊ फेसबुक पोस्ट और प्रधानमंत्री के खिलाफ अपशब्दों का इस्तेमाल करने के आरोप में गिरफ्तार किया गया है। पुलिस ने शनिवार को सौरदीप को सीजेएम कोर्ट में पेश किया जहां से उन्हें 14 दिन की न्यायिक हिरासत में भेज दिया गया।

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डिजिटल हो रहा इंडिया, कैश को कह रहा बाय!

नोटबंदी के फैसले (2016) को लेकर अब तक कई तरह के सवाल उठ रहे हैं। सवाल उठाने वालों का कहना है कि नोटबंदी के बावजूद अर्थव्यवस्था में कैश के इस्तेमाल में इजाफा हुआ है। इसमें कोई दो राय नहीं है कि कैश के इस्तेमाल में तेजी आई है, लेकिन तेजी की रफ्तार पर ब्रेक जरूर लगा है।

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US संग डील पर अफगानिस्तान में क्यों है डर?

अमेरिका और तालिबान के बीच शनिवार को दोहा में एक शांति समझौते पर हस्‍ताक्षर हो गया। इस समझौते के बाद अब अफगानिस्‍तान में खून संघर्ष के खत्‍म होने की उम्‍मीद जगी है लेकिन स्‍थानीय लोगों में डर का माहौल है।

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असम: CAA विरोध पर यूं अंकुश लगाएगी सरकार

असम में विधानसभा और लोकसभा क्षेत्रों के परिसीमन से केंद्र सरकार नागरिकता संशोधन कानून के खिलाफ प्रदर्शन करने वाले लोगों को साधने की कोशिश करेगी। प्रदेश के वित्त मंत्री ने कहा कि परिसीमन का मकसद मूल असमियों के अधिकारों की रक्षा करना है।

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रैली में ट्रंप, तुम बस 15 हजार, भारत में लाख आए

अमेरिकी राष्ट्रपति डोनाल्ड ट्रंप हाल के गुजरात दौरे से बेहद प्रभावित हैं। उन्होंने अपने गुजरात दौरे का जिक्र अमेरिका की एक रैली में किया। ट्रंप ने कहा कि भारत में जुटे लोगों की संख्या ने उन्हें काफी प्रभावित किया है।

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दिल्ली हिंसा: छत से महिला ने बचाई 40 जानें

दिल्ली हिंसा के दौरान एक 42 साल की महिला मुश्तारी खातून ने करीब 40 लोगों को खजूरी खास इलाके से बचाया। इसके लिए उन्होंने छतों का इस्तेमाल किया और उन्हीं के जरिए अपने रिश्तेदारों के 8 परिवारों को सुरक्षित निकाल लिया। अब महिला को उनके इलाके में लोग एक हीरो कहकर बुलाते हैं।

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कोरोना LIVE: अमेरिका में एक शख्स की मौत

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अमित शाह के बंगाल दौरे समेत इन खबरों पर नजरें

टॉप न्यूज: मार्च महीने का पहला दिन है। गृह मंत्री अमित शाह के पश्चिम बंगाल दौरे, भारत बनाम न्यूजीलैंड, दूसरा टेस्ट, दूसरे दिन पर नजरें रहेंगी। इसके साथ दिल्ली देंगे से संबंधित खबरों पर भी हमारी नजर।

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चीन से सप्लाई बंद, भारत तलाश रहा सैकड़ों सामानों के दूसरे स्रोत

कोरोना वायरस की मार झेल रहे चीन से आयात होने वाली वस्तुओं के लिए भारत वैकल्पिक स्रोत तलाश रहा है। सरकार ने इसके लिए दुनिया भर में अपने मिशनों को संभावित आपूर्तिकर्ताओं को चिन्हिन करने के लिए कहा है। 1000 से ज्यादा आइटमों के वैकल्पिक स्रोत को तलाशा जा रहा है।

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Malaysian leader Mahathir Mohamad says he has support to return as prime minister; forms alliance with rival Anwar Ibrahim amid political turmoil

Kuala Lumpur: Malaysian leader Mahathir Mohamad indicated on Saturday that he will reconcile with the former ruling alliance he led with rival Anwar Ibrahim in an about-turn that follows a week of political turmoil that followed his resignation as prime minister.

Mahathir said he met with leaders from Anwar's Alliance of Hope early Saturday and is “now confident that I have the numbers needed to garner majority support" in Parliament to return as prime minister.

“I am therefore prepared to stand as a prospective candidate for Prime Minister," he said, adding that the decision will be conveyed to the king.

Mahathir didn't make clear in the statement if he was restoring the former alliance, which won a stunning victory in 2018 elections. That victory ousted a ruling alliance, once led by Mahathir, that had governed Malaysia since independence in 1957 but had become entangled in the widespread corruption scandal.

File image of Malayasian leader Mahathir Mohamad. Reuters

The unlikely alliance between Mahathir and Anwar, longtime rivals, crumbled Monday after Mahathir's Bersatu party quit in a bid to form a new government with several opposition parties.

Mahathir resigned in protest of the plan, which would have required him to work with the governing alliance he ousted in the 2018 polls.

The Alliance of Hope initially nominated Anwar as the next prime minister but said Saturday in a statement that they will now support Mahathir as prime minister.

The move is believed aimed at countering plans by Bersatu to revive its bid to build an ethnic Malay-centric government after the party on Friday said it would back party president, Muhyiddin Yassin, instead of Mahathir, to become prime minister.

Muhyiddin is seen as a more acceptable candidate as he was willing to work with the United Malays National Organization, where several leaders including ex-Prime Minister Najib Razak are on trial for corruption charges.

UMNO and its allies including a fundamentalist Islamic party with strong rural support have thrown their support behind Muhyiddin, putting him as a frontrunner in the battle for power. Much depends on two parties on Borneo island, that holds a block of votes.

Mahathir repeated Saturday that he is against any form of cooperation with UMNO but that he can accept individuals who leave the party. He rejected claims that he supported Muhyiddin's nomination.

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दिल्ली की सबसे रुला देने वाली जगह...पड़ी हैं 20 से ज्यादा लाशें

नॉर्थ ईस्ट दिल्ली में लोगों ने पहले दंगों की वजह से अपनों को खोया। अपने उन्हीं अपनों का शव लेने का इंतजार उनके जख्म पर नमक छिड़कने का काम कर रहा है। सभी डेड बॉडी के पोस्टमॉर्टम होने में कम से कम पांच से छह दिन का समय लग सकता है।

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3, 19, 2, 9...रन मशीन कोहली को क्या हो गया?

विराट कोहली का न्यूजीलैंड दौरे पर बुरा दौर जारी है। भारतीय कप्तान क्राइस्टचर्च टेस्ट की पहली पारी में सिर्फ तीन रन बनाकर आउट हो गए।

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मुसलमान हूं और भारत में सुरक्षित हूं: अदनान

पाकिस्तानी मूल के सिंगर अदनान सामी ने भारत की नागरिकता ले ली है। कुछ दिनों पहले ही भारत सरकार ने उन्हें पद्मश्री अवॉर्ड से नवाजा है। हाल में एक इवेंट में बात करते हुए अदनान ने देश के वर्तमान हालात पर चिंता जताई। उन्होंने कहा कि एक मुस्लिम होने के नाते वह भारत में खुद को सुरक्षित महसूस करते हैं।

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जानिए लीप ईयर से जुड़े 4 दिलचस्प किस्से

इस साल फरवरी का महीने 29 दिनों का है यानी ये लीप ईयर है, जो 4 सालों में एक बार आता है। ये दिन उन लोगों के लिए बहुत खास होता है जो इस दिन पैदा होता है, शादी करते हैं, किसी को प्रपोज करते हैं या कोई अन्य खास काम करते हैं। ऐसे ही हैं बंगाल के एक शख्स, जिनका नाम ही लीप ईयर बोस है। आइए जानते हैं ऐसे ही कुछ दिलचस्प किस्से।

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US, Taliban will sign peace deal today ending 19-yr-long Afghanistan war; Mike Pompeo to be present during signing of agreement

Washington: President Donald Trump said Friday that he's dispatching Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to the signing of an agreement with the Afghan Taliban aimed at beginning a draw down of thousands of US troops and ending America's 18-year involvement in the war.

Trump said Pompeo would soon, at the president's direction, witness the signing of an agreement with the Taliban, an event that will see America's top diplomat stand with leaders of militants, who harbored Al-Qaida before the 9/11 attacks and are responsible for the deaths of thousands of American servicemen and women. He said Defense Secretary Mark Esper also will issue a joint declaration with the government of Afghanistan.

Trump did not say where the deal would be signed, but it's been previously reported that it would be done on Saturday in Doha, Qatar.

The signing comes after a week in which both US-led forces and the Taliban committed to a reduction in violence. Under the plan being signed, the US is to reduce the number of troops in Afghanistan to 8,600 from about 13,000.

Much of the plan remains vague, except to say that American troops will withdraw and that the Taliban promise not to let extremists use the country as a staging ground for attacking the US or its allies. Within 10 to 15 days after the signing, the Taliban and representatives from all sectors of Afghan society, including the government, are to sit down to try to negotiate the framework of a post-war Afghanistan. Issues on the table include a more permanent cease-fire and the rights of women and minorities.

"If the Taliban and the government of Afghanistan live up to these commitments, we will have a powerful path forward to end the war in Afghanistan and bring our troops home," Trump said in a statement, adding, "These commitments represent an important step to a lasting peace in a new Afghanistan, free from al-Qaeda, IS, and any other terrorist group that would seek to bring us harm."

More than 20 lawmakers recently wrote a letter to Pompeo and Esper asking for assurances that the US-Taliban agreement will not jeopardize US security.

"I dealt with a lot of bad guys during my time in the CIA, and one thing I learned is that previous actions are a good indicator of future ones," said Rep. Will Hurd, R-Texas, who served in Afghanistan as an undercover CIA officer. "The war in Afghanistan should come to an end and it’s in the Taliban’s hands to make this happen. However, the Taliban has never demonstrated a willingness to be a real partner in peace."

Taliban leaders told The Associated Press that if everything goes according to plan, all US soldiers would be out of Afghanistan in 14 months, but Washington has not confirmed such a timeline. The agreement also stipulates the release of 5,000 Taliban from Afghan-run jails, but it's not clear if the Afghan government will agree to that.

The agreement mapping out a plan for peace follows months of negotiations between the US and the Taliban that have broken down before. The Pentagon has said for months that it is poised to reduce the number of US troops in Afghanistan to 8,600, but US officials have said it could take months for any troop cuts to begin.

"Nearly 19 years ago, American service members went to Afghanistan to root out the terrorists responsible for the 9/11 attacks," Trump said. "In that time, we have made great progress in Afghanistan, but at great cost to our brave service members, to the American taxpayers, and to the people of Afghanistan."

He said that when he first ran for president, he promised voters that he would start bringing troops home and seek an end to the war in Afghanistan. "We are making substantial progress on that promise."

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मेरे साथ आतंकियों जैसा हो रहा सलूक: आजम

एसपी नेता आजम खान ने योगी सरकार पर गंभीर आरोप लगाए हैं। आजम खान ने शनिवार को कहा क‍ि उनके साथ जेल के अंदर आतंकवादियों के जैसा व्‍यवहार क‍िया जा रहा है।

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सरकार क्यों चाहती है कि आप जल्द हों रिटायर?

पंजाब सरकार ने रिटायरमेंट की उम्र सीमा 60 से घटाकर 58 कर दी है। दूसरी तरफ छत्तीसगढ़ सरकार ने इसे दो साल बढ़ाकर 62 साल कर दिया है। केंद्र सरकार भी चाहती है कि रिटायरमेंट की उम्र सीमा घटकर 58 हो जाए।

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2, 19... और अब बस 3 पर निपट गए कोहली

भारतीय कप्तान विराट कोहली क्राइस्टचर्च में इस गेंद को मिड ऑन की तरफ खेलना चाहते थे लेकिन मिस कर गए। कैप्टन विराट कोहली ने इस पर डीआरएस लिया जो विफल रहा।

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LIVE: हॉन्ग कॉन्ग में कुत्ते को भी हुआ कोरोना!

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गुलबर्ग दंगे: जहां 69 मौतें हुईं वहां बसेंगे 2 परिवार!

गोधरा दंगे में गुलबर्ग सोसायटी में 28 फरवरी 2002 को 69 लोगों की मौत हो गई थी। इस घटना के 18 साल बाद अब दो परिवार गुलबर्ग सोसायटी में रहने की तैयारी कर रहे हैं।

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कॉफी विद SP: बिहार का IPS जगा रहा अलख

बिहार के किशनगंज के एसपी कुमार आशीष ने 'कॉफी विद एसपी' प्रोग्राम की शुरुआत की है। इसके तहत आशीष का लक्ष्य है कि इसके माध्यम से नई पीढ़ी से संवाद स्थापित किया जा सके। युवाओं को युवाओं को प्रो-एडमिनिस्ट्रेशन बनाने के लिए आशीष ने यह खास पहल शुरू की है।

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कैमरे के ऐंगल पर शादी में फोटोग्राफर की हत्या

आरोपी की पहचान सत्येंद्र यादव के रूप में हुई है जिसने अपनी डबल बैरल शॉटगन से दो बार फायरिंग की। घटना में दो लोगों को गोली लगी थी। हालांकि पुलिस ने गैरइरादतन हत्या का मामला दर्ज किया है।

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दिल्ली LIVE: दंगों के बाद पटरी पर आ रही जिंदगी

नॉर्थ ईस्ट दिल्ली में दंगों के बाद जिंदगी धीरे-धीरे पटरी पर लौट रही है। शनिवार सुबह मौजपुर और जाफराबाद में लोग सड़कों पर निकले। हालांकि पुलिस अभी भी इन इलाकों में भारी तादाद में तैनात है। जानिए हर अपडेट...

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साव की आकर्षक फिफ्टी, दिखी सचिन की झलक

साव का बैकलिफ्ट अच्छा था। वह विकेट पर अधिक नियंत्रित नजर आ रहे थे। उनके शॉट बहुत शानदार थे। बस उन्हें अब शुरुआत को बड़ी पारी में न बदल पाने का दुख होगा। साव ने विदेशी धरती पर अपनी पहली हाफ सेंचुरी लगाई।

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दिल्ली हिंसा:कल तक खुशियों का शोर, आज मातम

दिल्ली हिंसा में हर गुजरते दिन के साथ कोई न कोई नया किस्सा सामने आ रहा है, जो लोगों को झकझोर रहा है। हाल ही में कर्दमपुरी में हुई हिंसा में मुदस्सर खान नाम के एक शख्स की मौत हो गई है। 15 दिन पहले ही मुदस्सर खान की एक बेटी हुई थी और महज 15 दिन बाद ही खुशियों भरे घर में मातम छा गया है।

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Poll: अश्विन की जगह जडेजा को खिलाने का फैसला?

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'पति नहीं बनने देता मां, कहता सुंदर नहीं दिखोगी'

गाजियाबाद में पत्नी ने अपने पति पर गजब आरोप लगाया है। पत्नी का कहना है कि पति उसे मां नहीं बनने दे रहा। कहता है कि इससे वह खूबसूरत नहीं दिखेगी। महिला का कहना है कि पति ने उसे धमकाने के लिए पिस्टल भी ले ली है।

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...जब तेजस्वी को तेज प्रताप ने खुद खिलाया डोसा

पिछले लोकसभा चुनाव में दोनों भाइयों में मनमुटाव सार्वजनिक हो गया था, जब तेजप्रताप ने दो क्षेत्रों में अपना उम्मीदवार उतार दिया था। वैसे, तेज प्रताप अपने छोटे भाई तेजस्वी को ‘अर्जुन’ बताते रहे हैं।

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टॉप न्यूज: आज इन अहम खबरों पर रहेगी नजर

भारत और न्यूजीलैंड के बीच दूसरे टेस्ट मैच का पहला दिन। पीएम नरेंद्र मोदी आज यूपी दौरे पर रहेंगे। आइए जानते हैं कि किन अहम खबरों पर रहेगी नजर।

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जब हर तरफ थी दंगों की आग, तब मंदिर मस्जिद मार्ग बना मिसाल

23 फरवरी को जैसे ही मौजपुर में हिंसा भड़की वैसे ही उससे थोड़ी दूर स्थित नूर-ए-इलाही इलाके के लोग सतर्क हो गए। स्थानीय लोग मंदिर मस्जिद मार्ग पर डट गए ताकि दंगाइयों की भीड़ भीतर न घुस सके। मंदिर की हिफाजत में मुसलमान खड़े हो गए तो मस्जिद की सुरक्षा में हिंदू लग गए।

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सालाना 48000 करोड़ रिश्वत देते हैं ट्रक ड्राइवर

ट्रक ड्राइवरों को देशभर में करीब 48 हजार करोड़ रुपये की रिश्वत देनी पड़ती है। एक स्टडी में इस बात का खुलासा हुआ है। इस भ्रष्टाचार की मार ट्रक के मालिक, व्यापारी और अंत में आम उपभोक्ता पर पड़ती है।

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US-तालिबान में आज होगा ऐतिहासिक समझौता

कतर की राजधानी दोहा में शनिवार को अमेरिका और तालिबान के बीच ऐतिहासिक शांति समझौते पर दस्तखत होने वाले हैं। इस दौरान कतर में भारत के राजदूत भी उस समारोह में मौजूद रहेंगे। उम्मीद की जा रही है कि समझौता हो जाने के बाद अफगानिस्तान में अमेरिका की 18 सालों से ज्यादा वक्त से चली आ रही जंग का अंत हो जाएगा।

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कैसी रही जेल में आजम फैमिली की पहली रात?

फर्जी दस्तावेज के मामले में आजम खान, उनकी पत्नी और बेटे को बुधवार को रामपुर में गिरफ्तार किया गया था। आजम और उनके परिवार को जेल मैनुअल के हिसाब से सुविधाएं दी जा रही हैं।

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पॉर्न स्टार का दावा, खिलाड़ी भेजता है ऐसे मेसेज

अमेरिकी पॉर्न स्टार लैना रोड्स ने एक विडियो में दावा किया है कि एक बड़ा फुटबॉलर उन्हें पर्सनल मेसेज भेजता है। उन्होंने बताया कि उस फुटबॉलर के इंस्टाग्राम पर 4.3 करोड़ से ज्यादा फॉलोअर्स हैं।

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सेंसेक्स धड़ाम, 5 मिनट में निवेशकों के 4 लाख करोड़ रुपये स्वाहा

कई नए देशों में कोरोना के केस सामने आने से चिंता बढ़ गई है। वैश्विक बाजारों में बिकवाली का दबाव देखने को मिल रहा है। घरेलू शेयर बाजार में हालात बुरा है। लगातार छठे दिन गिरावट का दौर है, 6 दिनों में निवेशकों के करीब 10 लाख करोड़ रुपये डूब चुके हैं।

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ताहिर के घर में क्या हुआ, बता रहे हैं चश्मदीद

दिल्ली हिंसा में उस वक्त लोगों की रूह कांप गई, जब आईबी कर्मचारी अंकित शर्मा का शव एक नाले से मिला। उनकी हत्या का आरोप लग रहा है आम आदमी पार्टी के नेता और पार्षद ताहिर हुसैन पर, जिनकी बिल्डिंग में खींचकर ही अंकित की निर्मम हत्या की गई। अब हर गुजरते दिन के साथ चश्मदीद उस दिन का वाकया बयां कर रहे हैं।

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पटना में 7वीं की छात्रा का किडनैप कर गैंगरेप

बिहार की राजधानी पटना में एक नाबालिग बच्ची से गैंगरेप की घटना सामने आई है। इस बच्ची के अपहरण के बाद गैंगरेप की घटना को अंजाम दिया गया। पुलिस ने एक शख्स को गिरफ्तार कर लिया है।

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पिता आजम खान और बेटा अब्दुल्ला एक ही सेल में

सीतापुर जेल के अंदर आजम खान और उनके बेटे अब्दुल्ला आजम को एक ही सेल में रखा गया है, वहीं उनकी पत्नी और राज्यसभा सांसद तंजीन फातिमा को महिला सेल में रखा गया है। एक जेल अधिकारी ने बताया कि अब्दुल्ला के बाएं हाथ ही उंगली में चोट लगी हुई है।

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दिल्ली हिंसा में बिहार ने बहुत कुछ गंवा दिया!

नितिन घर से कुछ सामान खरीदने के लिए बाहर निकला था लेकिन रास्ते में उपद्रव के दौरान ही उसे सिर पर गोली लगी। गुरुवार तड़के गुरु तेग बहादुर अस्पताल में उसकी मौत हो गई।

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GTB में मृतकों की लिस्ट, इतनों की पहचान नहीं

गुरुतेग बहादुर अस्पताल ने 33 मौतों की पुष्टि की है, जिनमें से 22 तो मृत हालात में हॉस्पिटल लाए गए थे। अब तक कई शवों की पहचान नहीं हो सकी है। जीटीबी में सोमवार से अब तक 215 दंगा पीड़ितों का इलाज किया गया है।

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LIVE: अब चीन से बाहर ज्यादा फैल रहा कोरोना

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दिल्ली में दंगों के बाद अब डरा रहे हैं नाले

दिल्ली दंगों के बाद अब पुलिस नालों में शवों को खोज रही है। पिछले तीन दिनों में कई शव नाले से मिले हैं। इसके बाद से ही राजधानी में नालों का खौफ है। पुलिस भी बंद पड़े नालों को भी खंगाल रही है। बता दें कि दिल्ली दंगा में अबतक 38 लोगों की मौत हुई है।

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वायरस से उतरा कोरोना बीयर का खुमार, शेयर धड़ाम

कोरोना वायरस का खौफ ऐसा बढ़ गया है कि इसकी मार कोरोना बीयर पर भी दिखाई दे रही है। इंटरनेट पर 'कोरोना बीयर वायरस' और 'बीयर कोरोना वायरस' सर्च हो रहा है। यहां तक कि यह बीयर बनाने वाली कंपनी के शेयर भी हफ्तेभर में 8 पर्सेंट नीचे आ गए हैं।

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With Brexit underway, Britain and European Union enter trade negotiations on an acrimonious note

London: When the European Parliament bade farewell to Britain last month, its members broke out into a wistful chorus of Auld Lang Syne. But when British negotiators travel to Brussels on Monday to kick off the next phase of Brexit, these old acquaintances are likely to give them the cold shoulder.

Negotiations for a sweeping new trade agreement between Britain and the European Union are beginning in an atmosphere of deepening acrimony, with each side accusing the other of bad faith, posturing and moving the goal posts.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s government released its objectives for the trade agreement on Thursday — a 30-page document that served mainly to underscore how far apart the two sides are, as they begin a fiendishly complicated negotiation that must produce a deal by the end of the year.

“The whole objective of doing what we’re doing is so the UK can do things differently and better,” Johnson told the BBC, explaining why Britain has rejected a EU demand that it adhere to European standards on labour, environmental protection and state aid.

The prime minister’s top advisors added to the pressure by warning that if they did not have the outlines of a deal by June, they would walk away from the talks and pivot to preparing for a no-deal Brexit. Such a scenario, economists warn, would be hugely disruptive and damaging.

With the government having threatened a no-deal exit for months before signing a withdrawal agreement with Brussels, few people take this latest threat seriously. But it captures the combative tone that Johnson’s government is taking as it embarks on one of the most unusual exercises in the annals of trade negotiations.

Unlike in a typical trade negotiation, Brussels and London are not trying to pull down tariffs, eliminate quotas or remove other barriers. They are instead working out which barriers will need to be reinstated between two partners that once enjoyed open markets and friction-free trade.

The British negotiating blueprint calls for talks “based on friendly cooperation between sovereign equals, with both parties respecting one another’s legal autonomy and right to manage their own resources as they see fit.”

It says nothing about cooperating on security or defence — areas where Britain feels it can rely on existing arrangements, which should not be put under the umbrella of a future relationship with the European Union.

The document rejects a key element of the EU’s position: That Britain must align itself with European standards on an array of issues, and that the European Court of Justice will decide whether it has done so.

Johnson has insisted that Britain will diverge from the EU wherever it wants to, and that European courts should have nothing to say about it. At every turn, British officials talk about Brexit as a way for the country to reclaim its sovereignty from the bureaucrats in Brussels.

“This government has been adamant that it wants to do things differently,” said Mujtaba Rahman, a managing director at the political risk consultancy, Eurasia Group. “The two sides are so far apart, and there is so little time to make a deal that the odds of a bad outcome are rising.”

Britain is seeking a trade agreement modeled on that of Canada — one that grants favourable market access but demands less regulatory alignment with the European Union. European officials argue that Britain’s proximity to the continent makes such an arrangement untenable, since its regulations could disadvantage European firms far more than Canadian rules do.

“The UK says that it wants Canada,” the EU’s chief negotiator, Michel Barnier, said this week. “But the problem with that is that the UK is not Canada.”

There could be a rancorous breakdown over all this in June, Rahman said, since it was unlikely that they will have accomplished much by then. He still believes the two sides will hammer out some kind of deal by the end of year, but he puts the odds of success at only a little over 50 percent.

Part of the problem is sheer complexity. There will be 10 parallel tracks of negotiations involving a team of 100 on the British side alone. The first round will run from Monday to Thursday of next week in Brussels, with the teams reconvening in London on 18 March. At that rate, there will be time for only half a dozen rounds before Britain takes stock of the progress.

Moreover, some of the early sticking points — like the EU’s access to British fishing grounds — are going to be the most contentious. There is also growing tension over whether Johnson is quietly reneging on the status of Northern Ireland in the withdrawal agreement.

British officials say there will be no need for checks of goods flowing from Britain to Northern Ireland since Northern Ireland remains part of the British customs territory. But under the terms of the agreement with Brussels, the North will also adhere to EU regulations. This hybrid status, experts say, makes it impossible for there to be no border checks.

Adding to the fears of a bitter negotiation, Johnson reshuffled his Cabinet to stack it with hard-line Brexiteers. He replaced the Northern Ireland secretary, Julian Smith, who almost quit last year when Johnson threatened a no-deal Brexit, with Brandon Lewis, who is viewed as more compliant.

Sajid Javid, the chancellor of the Exchequer who voted to stay in the European Union in 2016, was forced out in a power struggle with No 10 Downing Street. Analysts say that his successor, Rishi Sunak, is likely to put up less resistance to a confrontation with Brussels.

Some analysts chalk up the fighting words to an opening gambit. Britain and the EU, they say, both have a strong incentive to come to terms. During the withdrawal talks with Brussels, Johnson showed an ability to pivot seamlessly from confrontation to compromise.

Yet other experts note that Johnson’s ultimate motives remain something of a mystery. He has yet to speak in detail about what kind of Brexit he wants. Some note that the disruption of failing to make a deal, while indisputably bad, would not be magnitudes worse than the bare-bones deal that Johnson says, for now, that he is seeking.

“I’m not certain whether, if you ranked the preferences in No 10,” said Anand Menon, a professor of European Studies at Kings College London, referring to the prime minister’s offices, “that getting a deal with the EU would be their No 1 priority.”

Mark Landler c.2020 The New York Times Company

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29 Turkish soldiers killed in airstrike by Syrian forces in Idlib; offence marks escalation in direct conflict between both countries

Beirut: An airstrike by Syrian government forces killed 29 Turkish soldiers in northeast Syria, a Turkish official said Friday, marking the largest death toll for Turkey in a single day since it first intervened in Syria in 2016.

The deaths were a serious escalation in the direct conflict between Turkish and Russia-backed Syrian forces that has been waged since early February.

Rahmi Dogan, the governor of Turkey's Hatay province bordering Syria's Idlib region, said 29 troops were killed and others were seriously wounded in the attack late Thursday. He said 39 injured were being treated in Turkish hospitals.

Three Turkish soldiers killed earlier Thursday in Idlib. At least 50 have now been killed in Idlib since the start of February.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was holding an emergency security meeting in Ankara, state-run Anadolu news agency reported. Meanwhile, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevult Cavusoglu spoke to NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg by telephone.

Erdogan's spokesman Ibrahim Kalin, who plays a senior role in foreign affairs, also spoke to US National Security Advisor Robert O'Brien.

The airstrike came after a Russian delegation spent two days in Ankara for talks with Turkish officials on the situation in Idlib, where a Syrian government offensive has sent hundreds of thousands of civilians fleeing towards the Turkish border.

The offensive has also engulfed many of the 12 military observation posts Turkey has in Idlib.

Fahrettin Altun, Erdogan's communications director, said “all known” Syrian government targets were under attack by Turkish air and land forces in response to the deaths.

Turkish television news channels aired black-and-white footage of airstrikes on Syrian targets.

Omer Celik, the spokesman for Erdogan's ruling party, said NATO should stand by Turkey's side. Ankara recently called for US Patriot missiles to be deployed to defend its forces in Syria.

In a message seemingly aimed at Europe, he added: “Our refugee policy is the same but there's a situation there, we're no longer able to hold refugees.”

Turkey hosts some 3.6 million Syrians and under a 2016 deal with the European Union agreed to step up efforts to halt the flow of refugees to Europe. Since then Erdogan has repeatedly threatened to “open the gates” in several disputes with European states.

Angry crowds gathered outside the Russian consulate in Istanbul, Anadolu said. Standing in front of a line of riot police and a water cannon, they chanted “Murderer Russia, murderer Putin.”

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said at least 34 Turkish soldiers were killed in airstrikes on Idlib on Thursday. It said the attacks occurred in an area between the villages of al-Bara and Baliun near the Jabal al-Zawiya region in the southern Idlib countryside. The Britain-based Observatory monitors the Syria war through a network of activists on the ground.

The airstrike came after Turkey-backed Syrian opposition fighters retook a strategic northwestern town from government forces on Thursday, opposition activists said, cutting a key highway just days after the government reopened it for the first time since 2012.

Despite losing the town of Saraqeb, Syrian President Bashar Assad's forces made major gains to the south. Assad now controls almost the entire southern part of Idlib province after capturing more than 20 villages Thursday, state media and opposition activists said. It's part of a weekslong campaign backed by Russian airpower into Syria's last rebel stronghold.

Violence in Idlib province also left three more Turkish soldiers dead, according to Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, raising the number of Turkish troops killed in Syria this month to 21. Thousands of Turkish soldiers are deployed inside rebel-controlled areas of Idlib province, which is dominated by al-Qaida-linked militants.

Turkey’s UN Ambassador Feridun Sinirlioglu told the Security Council on Thursday that Turkey was committed to upholding a fragile cease-fire agreement that Turkey and Russia reached on Idlib in 2018.

The Syrian government troops' “deliberate attacks on our forces has been a turning point. We are now determined more than ever to preserve Idlib's de-escalation status."

Syria's Defense Ministry said insurgents were using Turkey-supplied portable surface-to-air missiles to attack Syrian and Russian aircraft. It did not elaborate. Earlier this month, Turkish-backed opposition fighters shot down two helicopter gunships belonging to the Syrian military.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an opposition war monitoring group, said opposition fighters seized the town of Saraqeb after intense bombardment by Turkish troops. Turkey and Russia support opposite sides in Syria's brutal civil war, with Ankara backing the opposition and Moscow backing Assad.

Saraqeb's loss is a big setback for Assad. It sits on the strategic M5 highway linking the northern city of Aleppo with the capital, Damascus. Syrian troops recaptured the last rebel-controlled section of the M5 earlier this month. Officials had hailed the reopening of the motorway as a major victory in the nine-year conflict.

The Syrian government's military campaign to recapture Idlib province has triggered a humanitarian catastrophe and the war's largest single wave of displacement. According to the United Nations, almost 950,000 civilians have been displaced since early December, and more than 300 have been killed. Most have fled farther north to safer areas near the Turkish border, overwhelming camps already crowded with refugees in cold winter weather.

From inside Saraqeb, activist Taher al-Omar said the town is now under opposition control. He posted a video with a fighter saying the government forces “ran away like rats.”

The Observatory said more than 60 fighters were killed on both sides since Wednesday, adding that government forces launched a counteroffensive later Thursday under the cover of Russian airstrikes to try to retake the town.

Syrian state media reported intense clashes near Saraqeb, saying insurgents sent suicide car bombs and that Turkish forces bombarded the area. It said a small group of insurgents reached the highway to score a “propaganda stunt,” adding that “Syrian troops are dealing with them.”

State TV later Thursday confirmed that insurgents have cut the highway, adding that fighting is ongoing in the area.

The Observatory also reported on the more than 20 villages captured Thursday by the government. It added that Syrian troops have now besieged another Turkish observation post in an area known as Sheer Maghar.

The government-controlled Syrian Central Military Media said government forces advancing from northern parts of Hama province met Thursday with forces moving from southern Idlib, bringing wide areas under Syrian army control.

If government forces now turn north, they can eventually reach another major highway known as the M4 that links Syria's coastal region with the country's west. Assad has vowed to retake all of Syria.

Assad's forces have captured dozens of villages over the past few days, including major rebel strongholds.

However, Erdogan said Thursday that, “The situation in Idlib has turned in our favour." Speaking at the opening of a political academy in the capital, Ankara, he said the Syrian government had sustained “huge” losses.

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शाहरुख की सास की कंपनी पर 3 करोड़ जुर्माना

बॉलिवुड सुपरस्टार शाहरुख खान की पत्नी गौरी खान की मां और बहन जिस कंपनी की डायरेक्टर्स हैं, उसके ऊपर बॉम्बे टेनेंसी ऐक्ट के उल्लंघन के मामले में 3.09 करोड़ रुपये का जुर्माना लगाया गया है।

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शेफाली वर्मा को उनके 'भगवान' से भी मिली तारीफ

'क्रिकेट रेकॉर्ड के बादशाह' सचिन तेंडुलकर को शेफाली वर्मा अपना आइडल मानती हैं और उन्होंने यह बताया भी था कि उनका परिवार इस दिग्गज बल्लेबाज की पूजा करता है।

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महाराष्ट्र में अवैध पाकिस्तानियों को ढूंढने पर इनाम

औरंगाबाद में पोस्टर लगाने के साथ ही एमएनएस ने ऐलान किया है कि वह अवैध प्रवासियों की सूचना देने वालों को पांच हजार रुपये का इनाम देगी। पार्टी ने कहा है कि ऐसे रहने वाले लोगों को पुलिस के हवाले किया जाएगा।

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दिल्ली LIVE: तैनात है पुलिस, घरों से निकले लोग

नॉर्थ-ईस्ट दिल्ली में उपद्रवियों की हिंसा के बाद आम आदमी पार्टी के पार्षद ताहिर हुसैन के खिलाफ FIR दर्ज की गई है। आज अधिकतर इलाकों में तनावपूर्ण शांति है। पुलिसबल तैनात है और हिंसा की खबर नहीं है। हिंसा में अब तक 38 जानें गई हैं। घायलों की तादाद 200 के पार है। दिल्ली के तनावग्रस्त इलाकों में आज क्या चल रहा है, जानिए हर अपडेट...

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3 बार आए दंगाई, हिंदू-मुस्लिमों ने मिलकर खदेड़ा

न्यू जाफराबाद में लोगों की एकता ने सुलगने नहीं दी दंगाइयों की 'आग'। तीन बार दंगाई यहां पहुंचे, लेकिन लोगों ने एक होकर उन्हें खदेड़ दिया। स्थानीय लोगों की सजगता की वजह से यहां की शांति भंग नहीं हो सकी।

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New coronavirus case sends US health officials retracing steps of Californian woman believed to be first confirmed case in America

Vacaville: Public health officials were retracing the steps of a Northern California woman on Thursday believed to be the first person in the US to contract the highly contagious coronavirus without travelling internationally or being in close contact with anyone who had it.

The diagnosis, confirmed on Wednesday, marks an escalation of the worldwide outbreak in the US because it means the virus could now spread beyond the reach of quarantines and other preventative measures. But state health officials were quick to reassure the public on Thursday that such a scenario was inevitable and the risk of widespread transmission remained low.

Solano County Public Health Officer Dr Bela Matyas said public health officials have identified dozens of people — but less than 100 — who had close contact with the woman. Those people are quarantined in their homes. A few have shown symptoms and are in isolation, Matyas said.

The case raised questions about how quickly public health officials are moving to diagnose and treat new cases. State and federal health officials disagreed about when doctors first requested the woman be tested.

Donald Trump speaks to reporters about the coronavirus, at the White House. By Gabriella Demczuk © 2020 The New York Times

Doctors at the UC Davis Medical Center said they asked the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to test the woman for the virus on 19 February. But they said the CDC did not approve the testing until Sunday “since the patient did not fit the existing CDC criteria” for the virus, according to a memo posted to the hospital's website.

CDC spokesman Richard Quartarone said a preliminary review of agency records indicates the agency did not know about the woman until Sunday, the same day the woman was first tested.

Quartarone said the agency is concerned about reports of delayed testing and is “investigating this carefully.” He said the CDC can test about 400 specimens per day.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom said the state was limited in how many people it could test because it only had 200 testing kits. But he said federal officials have promised to send many more in the coming days.

“I’m not going to politicize this moment And I’m not going to point fingers," Newsom said. “We have had a very strong working relationship with the (Trump) administration.”

Investigators were focused on tracing the woman's movements to figure out how she got the virus and who else she may have unwittingly infected. The woman first sought treatment at NorthBay VacaValley Hospital in Vacaville, a city of more than 100,000 people about 95 kilometres from San Francisco.

Ten experts from the CDC arrived Thursday and were heading to Vacaville to help with the search, said Dr James Watt, interim state epidemiologist at the California Department of Public Health.

With the patient as ground zero, they are interviewing immediate family members. Then, as with any similar case, they are expanding the net to include more distant family members who may have been in contact, social gatherings like a church that the patient may have attended, and any possible time spent at work or events like a concert.

They are not too worried, for now, about casual contact, because federal officials think the coronavirus is spread only through “close contact, being within six feet of somebody for what they’re calling a prolonged period of time,” said Watt, who was the state’s deputy epidemiologist for 10 years before he took the interim post two months ago.

“That’s more than casual contact at a grocery store,” Watt said. “That’s where our focus is going to be. ... What was the pattern of disease transmission?”

All of the 59 other cases in the US have been for people who had travelled abroad or had close contact with others who travelled.

Earlier US cases included 14 in people who returned from outbreak areas in China, or their spouses; three people who were evacuated from the central China city of Wuhan; and 42 American passengers on the Diamond Princess cruise ship who were evacuated by the federal government to the US from where the ship was docked in Japan.

Some of those people have been treated at Travis Air Force Base, located in Solano County where the Northern California woman lives. But there is no evidence the woman has any connection to the base, said Sonia Angell, director of the California Department of Public Health.

The global count of those sickened by the virus hovered Thursday around 82,000, with 433 new cases reported in China and another 505 in South Korea.

The new virus is a member of the coronavirus family that can cause colds or more serious illnesses such as SARS and MERS.

The virus can cause fever, coughing, wheezing and pneumonia. Health officials think it spreads mainly from droplets when an infected person coughs or sneezes, similar to how the flu spreads.

Officials are advising people to take steps to avoid infection with coronavirus or other respiratory infections like colds or the flu, including washing hands with soap and water and avoiding close contact with people who are sick.

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180 चैनल, 4.6 करोड़ लोग और मोदी-ट्रंप दोस्ती

भारत ने अमेरिकी राष्ट्रपति डोनाल्ड ट्रंप की जमकर खातिरदारी की। अहमदाबाद में दुनिया के सबसे बड़े क्रिकेट स्टेडियम मोटेरा में उनके स्वागत के लिए 'नमस्ते ट्रंप' कार्यक्रम में करीब 1 लाख लोग मौजूद थे। इसके अलावा 4.6 करोड़ लोगों ने कार्यक्रम के टीवी पर लाइव प्रसारण को देखा।

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टॉप न्यूज: आज इन अहम खबरों पर रहेगी नजर

28 फरवरी 2020 को देश का जीडीपी जारी किया जाएगा। भीमा-कोरेगांव मामले की सुनवाई NIA की अदालत में होगी।

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हिंसा वाले इलाकों की ग्राउंड रिपोर्ट: गुस्सा, दर्द, आंखों में खौफ

नॉर्थ ईस्ट दिल्ली में बीते दिनों हुई हिंसा में मरने वालों की संख्या 38 तक पहुंच गई है। वे इलाके जो हिंसा से प्रभावित थे, वहां मरघट जैसा सन्नाटा पसरा है। रात में सड़कों पर रैपिड ऐक्शन फोर्स के अलावा कोई नजर नहीं आ रहा है। जहां हिंसा चरम पर थी, उन इलाकों में मीडिया अभी पहुंच भी नहीं पा रहा।

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आतंकवाद की घातक पोषण स्थली है पाक: भारत

जम्मू-कश्मीर में कथित मानवाधिकार उल्लंघन को लेकर यूएनएचआरसी में पाकिस्तान द्वारा चिंता जताने पर भारत ने उसे करारा जवाब दिया है। भारत ने उसे आईना दिखाते हुए कहा कि आतंकवाद सबसे बड़ा मानवाधिकार उल्लंघन है।

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प्रसाद में ₹2000 के नकली नोट देता था पुजारी

नकली नोटों को बांटने के ग‍िरोह का खुलासा उस समय हुआ जब सूरत पुलिस के क्राइम ब्रांच ने खेड़ा जिले के अंबाव गांव में स्थित स्‍वामी नारायण मंदिर में छापा मारा। राधारमण स्‍वामी वर्ष 2004 से 2007 तक वीरसाद स्‍वामी नारायण मंदिर में मुख्‍य पुजारी रह चुका है।

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As women in Arab Gulf fight for their rights, rulers need support from conservative citizens, religious leaders

By Alainna Liloia

Arab women, long relegated to the private sphere by law and social custom, are gaining new access to public life.

All countries of the Arab Gulf now have workforce “nationalization policies” that aim to reduce dependency on migrant labor by getting more women into the workforce. Saudi Arabia set a goal of 30 percent female labor participation by 2030. In Kuwait, female citizens outnumber male citizens in the workforce. And across the Gulf, women outnumber men in higher education enrollment.

Women are making political inroads in the region, too. In Qatar, four women have been appointed to ministerial positions since 2003. Eleven women have held cabinet positions in Kuwait since 2005, including health minister, transportation minister and finance minister.

Even Saudi Arabia, which notoriously restricts women’s rights, reformed the guardianship system that grants authority over women to their male relatives. Since August 2019, women may obtain passports, travel abroad and register marriages and births on their own.

These changes have real world benefits for Arab women, giving them greater economic independence and a voice in domestic and international affairs.

But Arab Muslim women in the Middle East still face substantial social and legal inequalities. Even as governments in the region tout female advancement abroad, my research on women in the Arab Gulf finds, at home they still enforce traditional gender roles.

Women as symbols of Islam

The discovery of oil in the Arab Gulf in the 1930s turned these Islamic monarchies into global players. One result of this globalization was that Western leaders put pressure on the region to “modernize” their laws and customs.

Championing women’s advancement is one way Gulf rulers can present a positive international image. This helps maintain good political, military and trade relationships with Europe and the United States and allays criticisms of human rights violations.

In recent years, Arab Gulf women have also fought hard for their rights. Saudi women successfully campaigned for the right to drive, which was granted in 2018. In Kuwait, activists are now pushing for better protections against domestic violence.

But Gulf rulers still need the support of conservative citizens and influential religious leaders, too. And these sectors of the population have repeatedly raised fears of Westernization threatening local language, dress styles, food and cultural traditions.

One way Gulf rulers manage this tension, I’ve found, is by promoting Quranic interpretations that relegate women to traditional roles like bearing and raising children and caring for their families. Celebrating women’s domesticity is an easy way to signal their government’s commitment to what they consider Islamic values.

In Qatar, for example, the National Vision 2030 – an economic and social development blueprint – states that “Qatar has maintained its cultural and traditional values as an Arab and Islamic nation that considers the family to be the main pillar of society.”

And the Qataris propping up this pillar are women.

“Through their nurturing of language, codes of ethics, behavioural patterns, value systems and religious beliefs, women play an indispensable role in upholding traditional familial and cultural values,” reads a government document building on the proposals laid out in the National Vision 2030.

Religion and gender

There are, of course, more gender-equal interpretations of the Quran. Islam itself does not require repressing women.

But throughout history male leaders in the Gulf have associated patriarchal gender roles with religious purity. And clerics, who have significant social and political influence in the region, enforce conservative readings of Islamic law that subordinate women.

For example, women in all of the Gulf states must receive the approval of a male guardian to marry. In Qatar, single women under 25 require permission to travel abroad, and Qatari men can argue in court to stop their wives from traveling. In Saudi Arabia, men can file a “disobedience” complaint against female relatives for leaving the house without permission.

In Qatar, Kuwait and Bahrain, a man can stop his wife from working if he feels her employment interferes with her domestic responsibilities or religious conduct.

As a result, women in Gulf countries find themselves caught between two contradictory agendas for the 21st century.

What women want

Many Qatari women I’ve interviewed say they struggle to balance the conflicting expectations between domestic responsibilities and emerging professional opportunities.
Sheikha, an unmarried Qatari in her late 20s who works as an academic adviser, told me she often wonders: “I have a job and future plans. Why should I marry?”

“I don’t want to say that marriage erases the dreams,” she said, “but sometimes with the family commitment you can’t do it.”

Qatari women like Sheikha tend to face significant social pressure to settle down and have children by a certain age and to make sure their education and career goals do not get in the way of domestic responsibilities.

Not all the pressure is external. Many women I met hold conservative views on marriage and the family, too.

“I started work when my last daughter got married,” Amina Al-Ansari, an associate professor at Qatar University, told me. “Before that, I took care of the house and kids.”

Al-Ansari, like all 15 Qatari women I interviewed, believes caring for the family is a woman’s religious duty.

Still can't have it all

Conservative Qataris also view women working or studying in a gender-mixed environment as a violation of Islamic values and a sign of Westernization.

That’s why Amal Al-Shammari, a 32-year-old Qatari who now runs a cultural association for expatriates and tourists called Embrace Doha, attended Qatar University – the country’s only gender-segregated university.

“My parents wanted me to go there to keep a good reputation. Guys assume you have lots of relationships if you go to gender-mixed universities,” she told me. “My parents wanted me to stay with the conservative way.”

As political and religious leaders in the Gulf push their national agendas, women must find their own ways to balance newfound freedoms with existing social and religious pressures.

“There is always development, improvement, but always tradition, religion, and culture,” the professor, Al-Ansari, told me, summing up these tensions.

“We are living under the umbrella of religion.”

Alainna Liloia, Ph.D. Student, University of Arizona

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

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First US COVID-19 case confirmed with unknown connection; no recent foreign travel or contact with traveler

A new coronavirus case in California could be the first in the U.S. that has no known connection to travel abroad or another known case, a possible sign the virus is spreading in a U.S. community, health officials said.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported the case Wednesday.

California officials said the person is a resident of Solano County, northeast of San Francisco, and is getting medical care in Sacramento County. They said they have begun the process of tracking down people who the patient has been in contact with, a process known as contact tracing.

Officials did not immediately release any other details.

All of the 59 other cases in the U.S. had travelled from abroad or had been in close contact with those who travelled. Health officials have been on high alert for so-called community spread.

Earlier U.S. cases included 14 in people who travelled back from outbreak areas in China, or their spouses; three people who were evacuated from the central China city of Wuhan; and 42 American passengers on the Diamond Princess cruise ship who were evacuated by the federal government to the U.S. from where the ship was docked in Japan.

Some of those evacuated were taken to Travis Air Force Base, which is in Solano County. A number of the earlier cases have been in California, including among some of the people taken to Travis and one in which a traveller who returned to San Benito County spread it to a spouse.

California officials have been preparing for the possibility that community spread of the virus might first surface there.

“We have been anticipating the potential for such a case in the U.S., and given our close familial, social and business relationships with China, it is not unexpected that the first case in the U.S. would be in California,” said Dr. Sonia Angell, Director of the California Department of Public Health and State Public Health Officer, in a statement.

The outbreak, which began in China, has infected tends of thousands of people in more than three dozen countries, with the vast majority in mainland China.

The new virus is a member of the coronavirus family that can cause colds or more serious illnesses such as SARS and MERS.

The virus can cause fever, coughing, wheezing and pneumonia. Health officials think it spreads mainly from droplets when an infected person coughs or sneezes, similar to how the flu spreads.

Officials are advising people to take steps to avoid infection with coronavirus or other respiratory infections like a cold or the flu, including washing hands with soap and water and avoiding close contact with people who are sick.

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उन्हें अकेले कैसे छोड़ते.. जब मुस्लिमों के लिए खुले दरवाजे

उत्तर-पूर्वी दिल्ली के अशोक नगर में करीब 40 मुस्लिमों के लिए उनके हिंदू पड़ोसी सहारा बने हैं। उपद्रवियों ने अशोक नगर में मंगलवार को जला दिए मुसलमानों के छह मकान। उनकी दुकानें भी फूंक डालीं।

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अजन्मे बच्चे के 'कत्ल' पर सजा, 3.5 साल जेल

मुंबई में एक युवक को उसकी बहन के अजन्मे बच्चे की मौत का जिम्मेदार मानते हुए अदालत ने साढ़े तीन साल की सजा सुनाई है। आरोपी ने गर्भवती बहन के पेट पर लात मार दी थी जिससे उसके भ्रूण की मौत हो गई थी।

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ऑस्ट्रेलिया में बीफ बेच रहे हैं ब्राह्मण? जानें सच

बाबासाहब भीमराव आंबेडकर के परपोते राजरत्न आंबेडकर ने अपने ऑफिशल फेसबुक पेज पर एक विडियो पोस्ट करते हुए यह दावा किया कि ऑस्ट्रेलिया में ब्राह्मण गाय का मांस यानी बीफ बेच रहे हैं।

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Brazil reports first case of coronavirus in Latin America; 61-year-old tested positive after travelling to Italy

Rio De Janeiro: Brazil's government confirmed on Wednesday that a 61-year-old Brazilian man who travelled to Italy in January has Latin America's first confirmed case of the new coronavirus spreading worldwide.

"We will now see how this virus behaves in a tropical country in the middle of summer, how its behaviour pattern will be," Brazil's Health Minister Luiz Henrique Mandetta said in a press conference.

The Brazilian man spent two weeks in northern Italy's Lombardy region on a work trip, where he contracted the contagious virus, the Health Ministry said.

Authorities had already said Tuesday evening that a first laboratory test for the COVID-19 virus had a positive result, and were waiting for a second test to confirm it. Since the virus began to spread throughout the world from China, Brazil and other countries in the region have registered dozens of suspected cases, all of which previously had been discarded following tests.

Travellers wear face masks at the West Kowloon train station in Hong Kong on Wednesday. By Lam Yik Fei © 2020 The New York Times

According to the Health Ministry, the man began to show symptoms compatible with the illness, such as a dry cough, throat pain and flu symptoms.

Lombardy is the epicenter of the outbreak in Italy, and there have been hundreds of confirmed cases there as well as several deaths.

Sao Paulo's Albert Einstein Institute, where the man received medical attention, carried out respiratory tests, and the Adolfo Lutz Institute in the same city carried out the subsequent test confirming the virus. The man was in stable condition and in isolation at home in Sao Paulo.

Brazil's national health agency Anvisa has been working to map all contact the man had with others, and on Tuesday requested the manifest of the flight he took to investigate other possible cases.

The Health Ministry said that the man received some 30 family members at his home after returning to Sao Paulo on 21 February. Those people are under observation, as are with passengers from the plane.

"Our healthcare system has already undergone grave respiratory epidemics before," Mandetta said, adding, "We will get through this situation, investing in science, research and clear information."

Residents of the biggest city in Latin America were beginning to acknowledging the risks of an epidemic.

Thiago Alves, the manager of drugstore in central Sao Paulo, said he had sold more than 3,000 masks on Wednesday. "We are already short and it isn't even the beginning of the afternoon," he said.

Attendance was light at many schools in downtown Sao Paulo and there were few customers in Chinese shops and restaurants.

Sao Paulo's stock exchange, which had been closed since Friday due to the Carnival holiday, was down 5 percent shortly after 2 pm, which economist André Perfeito attributed to "the global outbreak of coronavirus, not necessarily its arrival here."

Global stock markets had dipped sharply while the Brazilian exchange was closed.

Four years ago, Latin America's largest country found itself under the microscope as the spreading Zika virus was linked to cases of microcephaly in babies just ahead of the summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.

Brazil's response was deemed adequate by international organizations and its public health care system handled most cases, though medicine was in short supply in many isolated areas of the Northeast region.

Some foreign sports fans and competitors still cancelled their plans to attend South America's first Olympics.

As of Wednesday, there were 20 suspected cases of the new coronavirus in Brazil, 12 of which in people who returned from Italy. Authorities have so far ruled out 59 cases that were suspected since the outbreak began.

Due to the spread of the new virus worldwide, Brazil on Monday broadened its criteria for analysis of suspected cases. The Health Ministry determined that people with fever and flu symptoms returning from Italy and six other countries should be considered suspected cases. Those countries are Germany, France, Australia, Malaysia, the United Arab Emirates, and the Philippines.

The news of the virus reaching Brazilian soil comes as the nation emerges from its annual Carnival revelry.

Amanda Pereira, who joined a street party on Wednesday with her young daughter, said, "I worry a lot because my daughters have breathing problems, so we will stay alert."

Asked whether Brazilians should cancel plans to visit Europe, Mandetta said this is "just another reason for domestic tourism" and said that people should use "good sense".

"If it's not necessary, why are you going to book? Wait for us to see if this starts to behave better," he said, adding, "Now, we also can't stop our lives because there is a respiratory syndrome."

The countries already on Brazil's watch list were China, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, North Korea, Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia.

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Brewery employee kills five in Milwaukee's Molson Coors complex before taking own life; Donald Trump expresses condolences

Milwaukee: An employee opened fire Wednesday at one of the nation's largest breweries in Milwaukee, killing five fellow workers before taking his own life, police said.

The assailant who attacked the Molson Coors complex was identified as a 51-year-old Milwaukee man who died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, police said.

“There were five individuals who went to work today, just like everybody goes to work, and they thought they were going to go to work, finish their day and return to their families. They didn’t — and tragically they never will,” Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett said.

Authorities offered no immediate motive for the attack and did not release details about the shooter or how the shooting unfolded.

None of the victims was identified. Police said they were still contacting relatives as of early evening. No one was wounded beyond those who were killed, authorities said.

Officers were working to clear the more than 20 buildings in the complex where more than 1,000 people work. Police Chief Alfonso Morales said authorities believe the shooter operated alone and that the threat was over.

President Donald Trump addressed the shooting before speaking at the White House about steps his administration is taking to combat the coronavirus.

“Our hearts break for them and their loved ones,” the president said. "We send our condolences. We’ll be with them, and it’s a terrible thing, a terrible thing.”

"I'd like to extend my deepest condolences to the victims and families in Milwaukee, Wisconsin." — President @realDonaldTrump pic.twitter.com/S7JYIVByyT

— The White House (@WhiteHouse) February 27, 2020

The attack occurred at a sprawling complex that includes a mix of corporate offices and brewing facilities. The complex is widely known in the Milwaukee area as “Miller Valley," a reference to the Miller Brewing Co that is now part of Molson Coors.

Molson Coors CEO Gavin Hattersley called the shooter “an active brewery employee.”

Milwaukee Police and Milwaukee Fire Dept. personnel respond to reports of an active shooting in Milwaukee. AP

“Unfortunately, I am devastated to share that we lost five other members of our family in this tragic incident,” he said in an email sent to employees. “There are no words to express the deep sadness many of us are feeling right now.”

He said the office would be closed the rest of the week and the brewery shuttered “for the time being” to give people time to cope.

A group of brewery employees gathered at a nearby bar to talk about what had happened.

“We are all a family. We work a lot of hours together, so we’re all very sad,” said Selena Curka, a brewery employee who was about to start her shift when the complex went on lockdown and she was turned away.

“It’s just weird because nine times out of 10 you’re going to know the shooter," said another employee Thomas Milner. "It’s a tight-knit family. Within the brewery, we all interact with each other.”

Milner was also on his way to work when the shooting happened, and he was turned away too.

James Boyles told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that his wife, Lasonya Ragdales, works at Molson Coors in the claims department. She was texting from inside the facility and told her husband that there was an active shooter and she was locked in a room with a bunch of co-workers, the Journal Sentinel reported.

“Miller Valley” features a 160-year-old brewery, with a packaging centre that fills thousands of cans and bottles every minute and a distribution centre the size of five football fields. A massive red Miller sign towers over the complex and is a well-known symbol in Milwaukee, where beer and brewing are intertwined in the city's history.

The facility is also home to corporate customer service, finance, human resources and engineering. Tours take people to underground caves where beer was once stored, a saloon with intricate woodwork, a stein hall with stained-glass windows, a champagne room meeting hall with leaded-glass windows, and an outdoor beer garden that can hold 300 people.

Molson Coors announced in October that it planned to close a Denver office as part of a restructuring to eliminate 400 to 500 jobs. The reorganization was to benefit Milwaukee, which was expected to see hundreds of corporate and support jobs relocated there.

Before Wednesday's shooting, there had been three mass killings nationwide in 2020, with 12 total victims. All have been shootings. In 2019, there were 44 mass killings, with 224 total victims. The Associated Press/USA TODAY/Northeastern University Mass Killings database tracks all US homicides since 2006 involving four or more people killed, not including the offender, over 24 hours regardless of weapon, location, victim-offender relationship or motive.

The last mass shooting in the Milwaukee area was in August 2012, when white supremacist Wade Michael Page fatally shot six people and wounded four others at a Sikh temple in suburban Oak Creek. Page killed himself after being wounded in a shootout with police. The worst mass shooting in the area in the past 20 years was in 2005 when seven people were killed and four wounded at a church service in Brookfield, a Milwaukee suburb. The shooter killed himself.

Shortly before word of the brewery shooting broke, the Journal Sentinel reported that Republican Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald told reporters in suburban Franklin that state gun laws would not be changing despite a push by Governor Tony Evers, a Democrat, to do so.

Evers called lawmakers into special session late last year to consider expanding background checks and allowing guns to be taken from people deemed a threat. But the Republican-controlled Legislature adjourned without action. Fitzgerald later called the shootings “an act of evil,” according to the Journal Sentinel.

At a news conference outside Molson Coors, Lieutenant governor Mandela Barnes said, “We shouldn’t accept this.” He took up the issue later on social media, tweeting: “Another avoidable uniquely American tragedy. It’s not normal, we should never accept it, and we should never relent when 'leaders' offer hollow thoughts and prayers but choose inaction."

Another avoidable uniquely American tragedy. It’s not normal, we should never accept it, and we should never relent when “leaders” offer hollow thoughts and prayers but choose inaction.

— Mandela Barnes (@TheOtherMandela) February 27, 2020

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