Moscow police detained dozens of people at a protest against "political repressions" near the headquarters of the Russian security service, including a well-known human rights activist.
The protest demanding to free political prisoners was called by supporters of men convicted this year on terrorism charges, many of whom said in court they had been tortured by the FSB security service.
Mostly young protesters turned up to participate in picketing near the FSB building, with some unfurling signs calling the security service the "Federal Service of Lawlessness" while others shouted "Shame!" The OVD Info website, which tracks detentions at political protests, listed 49 people as detained by police, adding that some were hurt in the altercations.
An AFP correspondent at the scene saw about 30 detentions.  Some at the protest spoke out against the planned constitutional reforms currently in process of being adopted, which will give President Vladimir Putin a chance to run for two more ...

Dozens detained at Russian opposition protest

PTI Automatic

Two pairs of Russian military reconnaissance aircraft have been intercepted near Alaska, the North American Aerospace Defense Command said Saturday.
The Russian aircraft entered and remained in the air defense identification zone, a security perimeter in international airspace, for about four hours, the joint US-Canadian command said.
NORAD's "F-22s, supported by KC-135 Stratotankers and E-3 Sentry Airborne Warning and Control System aircraft, intercepted two pairs of Russian Tu-142s entering the Alaskan Air Defense Identification Zone on Saturday, March 14th," the command reported.
The Russian aircraft never entered sovereign US or Canadian airspace, the command said.
But they "loitered in the vicinity of the US Navy's ICEX where they are conducting submarine exercises," NORAD said.
ICEX is a naval exercise in the Arctic Ocean.
It was the second time in as many weeks that Russian jets acted similarly.
NORAD is a joint US-Canadian command focused on the defense of the North American ..

US-Canada command says it intercepted Russian jets near Alaska

The number of coronavirus cases worldwide passed 150,000 on Saturday driven by a spike in infections in Italy, according to an AFP tally compiled from official sources.
Italy announced 3,497 new cases on Saturday, bringing the global total to 151,797, with 5,764 deaths across 137 countries and territories.
Italy, the worst-hit country outside of China where the outbreak began in December, has now registered a total of 21,157 cases and 1,441 deaths.

Number of coronavirus cases worldwide passes 150,000

President Donald Trump said Saturday he had taken a coronavirus test, as the White House began protectively checking the temperature of anyone coming into close contact with him or Vice President Mike Pence.
Appearing at a White House news conference where he attempted again to provide guidance and assurance to worried Americans, Trump said he had yet to receive the results of his own test.
Contrary to medical advice, the president was seen Friday shaking hands all round as he gathered his coronavirus response team at the White House -- a practice he said Saturday owed to long-time habit as a politician but which he said would have to change.
Trump said Friday he'd "most likely" get tested for the novel coronavirus, as he was grilled on his recent contacts with several members of a visiting Brazilian presidential delegation who have since tested positive.
But a White House doctor later walked that back, saying he "remains without symptoms" and did not need to be tested.
Briefing ...

Trump says he has taken coronavirus test, no result yet

Vice President Mike Pence announced Saturday that a travel ban imposed on European nations over the coronavirus pandemic would be extended to the United Kingdom and Ireland starting at 0400 GMT Tuesday.
"Americans in the UK or Ireland can come home. Legal residents can come home," Pence told a White House news conference, adding that such people would be "funneled through specific airports and processed." A 30-day US ban on travel from the EU's Schengen border-free zone took effect on Saturday, but notably excludes Britain and Ireland.
Trump had earlier confirmed the ban would be extended to those countries as the pandemic progresses, saying: "They've had a little bit of activity, unfortunately.

US extends travel ban to UK, Ireland starting Tuesday

A prisoner has tested positive for coronavirus in France, where many jails are overstretched, as well as a senator, officials said Saturday, describing them as the first such cases.
Hundreds of anti-government "yellow vest" protesters meanwhile ignored official warnings against gatherings of more than 100 people and massed in central Paris for their 70th weekly protest, traditionally held on Saturdays.
A 74-year-old man tested positive in a jail in Fresnes, east of Paris. He has been placed in a solitary cell on March 8 and was taken to hospital on Friday, Justice Minister Nicole Belloubet's spokeswoman said.
"When he arrived (in prison), he already had respiratory problems," said Jean-Christophe Petit, from the Fresnes prison.
A nurse had already tested positive at the prison but the justice ministry stressed there was no link between the two infections.
The Fresnes jail houses 2,159 prisoners despite a capacity of 1,320. It has been feared that the virus could spread quickly through 

First French prisoner, senator test positive for coronavirus

The White House said Saturday it is now checking the temperature of anyone coming into close contact with President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence, as a precaution amid the coronavirus pandemic.
"Out of an abundance of caution, temperature checks are now being performed on any individuals who are in close contact with the President and Vice President," Deputy Press Secretary Judd Deere said in a statement.
Trump said Friday he would "most likely" get a coronavirus test after coming into contact with several people who have tested positive.
A White House doctor reversed that statement later, however, saying Trump "remains without symptoms" and did not need to be tested.

Temperature checks for all in close contact with Trump

Jordan said Saturday it would halt flights, close its land borders and shut down schools, places of worship and public gatherings to stop the spread of novel coronavirus.
Prime Minister Omar al-Razzaz told official news agency Petra that "all flights into and out of the kingdom will be suspended from Tuesday until further notice".
He said exceptions would be made for cargo flights and those carrying diplomats and staff of international organisations, providing they follow health ministry guidelines -- including a two-week quarantine.
"All land and sea crossings and airports are closed except for cargo," he added, saying Jordanians in neighbouring countries who needed to return could do so but would also face quarantine.
He also announced that the country's mosques and churches would be closed and that hospital and prison visits would be suspended.
Razzaz also announced a two-week closure of all educational institutions from Sunday, the start of the working week.
He said all public ...

Jordan suspends all flights, closes mosques over virus

The Afghan government has postponed its plan to release Taliban prisoners, a senior official said Saturday, throwing a precarious peace process between the insurgents and Kabul into deeper crisis.
President Ashraf Ghani earlier this week announced that the authorities would free 1,500 insurgents as a "gesture of goodwill" before negotiations begin, in an attempt to resolve one of the long-running disputes that had roiled talks.
The insurgents had earlier rejected the offer and demanded that up to 5,000 captives are released ahead of talks, citing the US-Taliban deal signed last month that excluded Kabul.
On Saturday Javid Faisal, spokesman for the National Security Council, told AFP that "the prisoners' release has been delayed" to allow more time to review their identities.
"We have received the lists of the prisoners to be released. We are checking and verifying the lists, this will take time", he said.
Ghani's decree said the government would release 1,500 captives starting ...

Afghan government delays Taliban prisoner release plan

Bruno Fernandes says his stellar form since he arrived at Manchester United in January is not the only reason why the club's fortunes have improved on the pitch.
After an inconsistent first half of the season, United are unbeaten in the nine games Fernandes has featured in since his ?47 million ($58 million) move from Sporting Lisbon.
In the Premier League, United are unbeaten in five games and up to fifth place, firmly in the battle for Champions League places.
The midfielder has scored three goals and made four assists.
"I see the same team from one month ago," the Portugal international told Sky Sports.
"I think we are the same and have a lot of hunger to win, to give a lot, to do better and better in every game.
"In the last month, we've had a lot of really good games and I think we can talk about a new start after Bruno, but it's not about Bruno, it's about the team." The 25-year-old said he was a different player from his team-mates.
"Everyone has a different mould to play," he .

Fernandes says Man Utd revival not just down to him

Jean-Michel Aulas president of Lyon on Saturday repeated his belief that the French football season should be scrubbed out because of coronavirus, a position critics implied was self-serving.
"The most logical thing would be to say: we'll cancel everything and go back to the situation at the start of the season," Auslas told French newspaper Le Monde in an interview published on Friday.
On Saturday, Aulas tweeted that "Karren Brady, vice-chairman of West Ham, foresees that the Premier League will be cancelled." He added a tag to French Sports
Minister Roxana Maracineanu and said "all countries are affected by this pandemic and must provide an answer." In his Le Monde interview, Aulas called for a "blank season", with no title at the end.
Lyon's great rivals Paris Saint-Germain are on course for another title. They are 12 points ahead of second-placed Marseille.
There would be no relegation, said Aulas, who represents Ligue 1 clubs on the French league (LFP) committee and  is a member .

Hostile response after Aulas urges scrubbing France's Ligue 1 season

Newly-appointed Bangladesh one-day international cricket captain Tamim Iqbal on Saturday pleaded for time in order to make a difference in his role.
Tamim was appointed last week replacing Mashrafe Mortaza, who stepped down following a three-match series against Zimbabwe.
"You have to keep patient. Our fans also have to keep patient. I will try to do whatever it takes for the best interest of the team," Tamim told reporters in Dhaka in his first public interaction following the appointment.
"I am taking over from someone -- it's tough to go to his level straight away. I know it very well. He led us for so many years. We achieved many things under him. It will be unfair if you expect me to go to his level," he said.
Mashrafe has a cult status in Bangladesh for his role taking the team from being international underachievers to a respected limited-overs side.
He led Bangladesh to 50 wins in 88 matches, making him the country's most successful one-day captain.
Tamim captained Bangladesh .

New Bangladesh ODI cricket captain Tamim pleads for time

Views of empty streets, shuttered shops and a heavy silence greeted Italians from their windows on Saturday morning as the country spends its first weekend under lockdown in a bid to contain its coronavirus outbreak.
Since Monday the country, which has recorded 17,660 infections and 1,266 deaths from the virus, has enacted a set of sweeping measures which have left millions virtually confined to their homes and shut down large parts of the economy.
However, late on Friday Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte insisted that "Italy is not stopping" after a meeting with unions and businesses where security procedures were agreed to protect those Italians still going to work.
Italian media report that the government is expected this weekend to announce details of further measures to soften the shock to the economy, including moratoriums on loan payments, extending tax deadlines and making sure self-isolation is covered under sick leave.
The spate of measures curbing almost every aspect of daily ..

Italy starts first weekend under shutdown

At least 384,000 people have died in Syria, including more than 116,000 civilians, since the war began in March 2011, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said on Saturday.
Sparked by deadly repression of peaceful pro-democracy protests, the conflict has drawn in outside powers in a complex war involving rebel factions, jihadist groups and foreign interests.
As the war enters its 10th year, the government of President Bashar al-Assad now controls more than 70 percent of Syrian territory, thanks to the military support of its allies Russia, Iran and Lebanese militant group Hezbollah.
The conflict is the "worst man-made disaster since World War II," the United Nations human rights chief declared in 2017.
The war has destroyed the economy and caused more than 11 million Syrians to flee their homes.
According to the Observatory, which relies on a network of sources in Syria, the latest death toll includes about 22,000 children and 13,000 women.
At least 129,476 Syrian soldiers, allied .

Syria death toll 384,000 after nine years of war: monitor

Football Association chairman Greg Clarke has reportedly told the Premier League he does not believe the domestic football season will be completed because of the coronavirus pandemic.
The Premier League suspended all fixtures at an emergency meeting on Friday. Matches in the English Football League, FA Women's Super League and Women's Championship are also on hold.
"It was unanimously decided to suspend the Premier League with the intention of returning on 4 April, subject to medical advice and conditions at the time," the Premier League said in a statement.
Clarke said at the meeting that he did not think it was feasible for the season to be completed, according to a report in the Times.
The virus is not expected to peak in Britain for many weeks, raising doubts over an early April re-start for the Premier League.
The Times said it is understood that Brighton and Hove Albion chief executive Paul Barber also questioned the brevity of the suspension.
Richard Masters, the Premier ...

Premier League 'may not finish', says FA chief

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Saturday resisted pressure for changes to the Tokyo Olympics schedule even as sporting events worldwide fall victim to the coronavirus pandemic.
Abe pledged Japan would host the Games as planned in July and said he had no immediate intention to declare a state of emergency over the virus outbreak, which has now seen more than 140,000 people infected across the globe and over 5,400 killed.
His comments come two days after US President Donald Trump suggested the Japanese capital postpone the Games for a year as the spread of the virus wreaks havoc on the sporting calendar.
"We will respond by closely coordinating with officials concerned, including the IOC (International Olympic Committee). There is no change in this," Abe told a news conference.
"We want to hold the Olympics as planned without any trouble by overcoming the spread of infections," he said.
Organisers, Japanese government officials and the IOC have insisted preparations are on track ..

Japan's Abe pledges Olympics to go ahead despite virus havoc

England Test captain Joe Root has backed the decision to abandon the Test tour of Sri Lanka over the coronavirus pandemic, saying the players' minds were "elsewhere".
A practice match in Colombo was halted on Friday and the team announced they would be flying back to London.
The two-Test series, which was due to start in Galle on March 19, has been postponed.
The England and Wales Cricket Board said the physical and mental well-being of the players and support staff was paramount.
"There was an element of relief. The right decision has been made," Root told the BBC.
"You could see looking at the players that their minds were elsewhere thinking about people back home. Now that we can go and look after families and be with loved ones, that's put a lot of guys at ease."
The skipper said there had been a lot of talk about the virus in the dressing room and it had started to overshadow the cricket.
"Looking at how quickly things have happened at home, you're thinking about family and ...

England's Root backs decision to scrap Sri Lanka tour over virus fears

At least 384,000 people have died in Syria, including more than 116,000 civilians, since the war began in March 2011, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor said Saturday.
Sparked by deadly repression of peaceful pro-democracy protests, the conflict has since turned into a complicated war involving rebel factions, jihadist groups and foreign powers.

Syria death toll 384,0000 after 9 years of war: monitor

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday signed the package of constitutional reforms he had proposed, including a clause giving him an option to run for two more terms.
The Kremlin has published the 68-page law spelling out the constitutional reforms on the official website. Putin's signature triggers a special procedure for the package, which differs from the way laws usually go into effect.
The reforms will be sent to the Russian Constitutional Court which has a week to rule on whether to approve the law, which would reset Putin's constitutional limit on terms in power.
The law will then be voted on by the Russian public.
The Kremlin has named April 22 as the day of the vote, and Russia's Senate Speaker Valentina Matvienko on Saturday told journalists that the voting "must take place despite various worries about coronavirus." Some speculated in recent weeks that the Kremlin will initiate voting over the internet, which the opposition has slammed as a sure way to falsify the ...

Putin signs Russia's constitutional reform law

A player from the Bundesliga team Paderborn has become the first footballer in Germany to be diagnosed with coronavirus.
Luca Kilian, 20, came down with COVID-19 and all of his teammates are among 45 people put into partial quarantine.
"Every person here who came into close contact with Kilian since March 5 will be tested," the club said in a statement.
"Quarantine at home means staying in one's apartment and keeping two metres away from anyone," the club said.
"For those who had no contact with Kilian life goes on as normal," Paderborn said.
Paderborn were promoted to the German top flight last season and currently rock bottom of the league with 16 points from 25 matches.
The Bundesliga on Friday halted first division games with immediate effect over the coronavirus pandemic, the first such suspension since World War II.
All five of Europe's top leagues have now been suspended.

Bundesliga's Paderborn in quarantine as player tests positive

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who has faced criticism for his country's light touch approach to tackling the coronavirus outbreak, is preparing to review its approach and ban mass gatherings, according to government sources Saturday.
Emergency legislation is due to be passed next week in parliament and the ban would come into force from next weekend.
The legislation could see the cancellation of events such as the Wimbledon tennis tournament and the Glastonbury music festival, due to begin at the end of June, as well as major horse races including Royal Ascot and Grand National.
The government's current plan is to delay the peak of the outbreak until the weather becomes warmer to cushion the blow on the health services, and the advice so far is for people who show symptoms to self isolate for a week.
The health officials advising the government argue that taking drastic measures too early would have only limited benefit and would risk tiring a population before the peak of the 

AFP

AFP

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