france24--2020-03-02--Real Madrid win 'Clasico' to reclaim La Liga lead from Barcelona

Real Madrid showed their character by beating Barcelona 2-0 in Sunday 's top-of-the-table 'Clasico ' , leapfrogging their rivals at the La Liga summit after a week in which their pride had taken a beating at home and in Europe .
Brazilian teenager Vinicius Jr scored the opener in the 71st minute with a strike that deflected off Gerard Pique , flummoxing goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen who had made some jaw-dropping saves , and substitute Mariano added the second in added time .
Real 's victory means they lead the standings on 56 points after 26 games , with Barca @ @ @ @ @ @ @ while Zinedine Zidane 's side also crucially have the better head-to-head record in the event both sides finish level on points .
Real swallowed chastening defeats by Levante in La Liga and Manchester City in their Champions League last 16 , first-leg tie in the past week but in the second half they overwhelmed Barca , threatening on numerous occasions before breaking the deadlock .
`` We deserve our victory for everything we did , in attack and defence , '' Zidane told reporters .
`` It has been a complicated week for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ turn things around and we did that .
`` But this win also does n't change anything .
We have a long way to go and we have to continue .
We 've got three important points but we 'll have more difficult games and we will be criticised again . ''
Barcelona had bossed the first period and twice could have taken the lead but were powerless to stop Real after the interval and their impotence was summed up when Lionel Messi raced towards goal but was easily tracked down by Marcelo @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a cheer as the goals from Madrid 's fans who had not been able to toast a league win over Barca at the Santiago Bernabeu since 2014 .
The long-awaited victory was confirmed by an unlikely source in forward Mariano , who had only just come off the bench to make his first league appearance of the season .
`` We played very well in the first half then in an unfortunate move they score thanks to a deflection .
We had a great chance to open up a big gap but it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said .
`` There 's a long way to go in the season and we have to remember the positive things and how well we played in the first half . ''
Barca coach Quique Setien had remarked before the game that Real were under greater pressure to win after they had surrendered a three-point advantage over Barca by drawing with Celta Vigo and losing to Levante .
They were left further frustrated by their 2-1 home defeat by Manchester City which has seriously jolted their hopes of remaining in the Champions League @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the second time this season .
The first half was end-to-end but lacked quality .
Barcelona created clear sights of goal for Messi and Arthur Melo , both of whose efforts were well saved by Thibaut Courtois .
Madrid 's main threat was the electric but raw Vinicius , who routinely got down the left but rarely knew what to do next .
Real looked far more determined in the second half , and Isco forced Ter Stegen into an outstanding flying save and then saw a downward header scrambled off the line @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the home fans , however , who could sense their team were close to an opening .
There was a touch of fortune to the deflected opening goal , but Real 's victory was thoroughly deserved .

Real Madrid showed their character by beating Barcelona 2-0 in Sunday's top-of-the-table 'Clasico', leapfrogging their rivals at the La Liga summit after a week in which their pride had taken a beating at home and in Europe.
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Brazilian teenager Vinicius Jr scored the opener in the 71st minute with a strike that deflected off Gerard Pique, flummoxing goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen who had made some jaw-dropping saves, and substitute Mariano added the second in added time.
Real's victory means they lead the standings on 56 points after 26 games, with Barca slipping to second spot on 55, while Zinedine Zidane's side also crucially have the better head-to-head record in the event both sides finish level on points.
Real swallowed chastening defeats by Levante in La Liga and Manchester City in their Champions League last 16, first-leg tie in the past week but in the second half they overwhelmed Barca, threatening on numerous occasions before breaking the deadlock.
"We deserve our victory for everything we did, in attack and defence," Zidane told reporters. "It has been a complicated week for us and we had the chance to turn things around and we did that.
"But this win also doesn't change anything. We have a long way to go and we have to continue. We've got three important points but we'll have more difficult games and we will be criticised again."
Barcelona had bossed the first period and twice could have taken the lead but were powerless to stop Real after the interval and their impotence was summed up when Lionel Messi raced towards goal but was easily tracked down by Marcelo.
Marcelo's tackle got as loud a cheer as the goals from Madrid's fans who had not been able to toast a league win over Barca at the Santiago Bernabeu since 2014.
The long-awaited victory was confirmed by an unlikely source in forward Mariano, who had only just come off the bench to make his first league appearance of the season.
Barca midfielder Sergio Busquets believed his side deserved better.
"We played very well in the first half then in an unfortunate move they score thanks to a deflection. We had a great chance to open up a big gap but it wasn't to be," he said.
"There's a long way to go in the season and we have to remember the positive things and how well we played in the first half."
Under pressure
Barca coach Quique Setien had remarked before the game that Real were under greater pressure to win after they had surrendered a three-point advantage over Barca by drawing with Celta Vigo and losing to Levante.
They were left further frustrated by their 2-1 home defeat by Manchester City which has seriously jolted their hopes of remaining in the Champions League and put Zidane back under pressure for the second time this season.
The first half was end-to-end but lacked quality.
Barcelona created clear sights of goal for Messi and Arthur Melo, both of whose efforts were well saved by Thibaut Courtois.
Madrid's main threat was the electric but raw Vinicius, who routinely got down the left but rarely knew what to do next.
Real looked far more determined in the second half, and Isco forced Ter Stegen into an outstanding flying save and then saw a downward header scrambled off the line by Pique.
The missed chances galvanised the home fans, however, who could sense their team were close to an opening.
There was a touch of fortune to the deflected opening goal, but Real's victory was thoroughly deserved.
(REUTERS)
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france24--2020-03-02--Ernesto Cardenal, Nicaraguan priest, poet and revolutionary icon, dies at 95

Poet and former Sandinista priest Ernesto Cardenal pictured at his home in Managua on August 29 , 2008 .
Ernesto Cardenal , the renowned poet and Roman Catholic cleric who became a symbol of revolutionary verse in Nicaragua and around Latin America , and whose suspension from the priesthood by St. John Paul II lasted over three decades , died Sunday .
He was 95 .
Known for his trademark black beret and loose white peasant shirts , the author of works such as “ Epigrams ” and “ Zero Hour ” was one of the most important and honored @ @ @ @ @ @ @ verse that went around the globe , and lived until his last days with a lucidity that inspired amazement and admiration in the literary world .
“ Our beloved poet has begun the process of integrating with the universe , with the greatest intimacy with God , ” his personal assistant , Luz Marina Acosta , said Sunday .
Bosco Centeno , a close friend of Cardenal , told The Associated Press the poet was hospitalized in Nicaragua 's capital of Managua a couple of days ago with a heart problem .
Cardenal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Reina Sofia poetry prize in 2012 , and the Peace Prize of the German Book Trade in 1980 .
Argentine poet Jorge Boccanera once said of Cardenal ’ s writing that he “ loses his life and at the same time discovers it in a profound delivery ; in consecrating and offering himself in that dialogue of soul and blood.
” Cardenal was also an essayist and sculptor , and the herons he fashioned from stone and metal are highly prized in Central American cultural circles .
Born Jan. 20 , 1925 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ colonial city of Granada southeast of the Nicaraguan capital , Cardenal became a priest in Colombia and later became enamored of the leftist Liberation Theology movement that swept through Latin America during the 1960s , centered on ministering to the poor and liberating the oppressed .
On the Solentiname Islands in Lake Nicaragua , he founded a community of peasants , poets and painters in 1966 that came to symbolize artistic opposition to the dictatorship of Anastasio Somoza , who was overthrown in 1979 by Sandinista rebels .
Cardenal actively supported the revolution @ @ @ @ @ @ @ first government of former Sandinista guerrilla Daniel Ortega - causing him to run afoul of then-Pope John Paul II , who firmly held that clerics should not hold political office .
The pontiff was also staunchly anti-communist and opposed some parts of Liberation Theology .
In 1983 , John Paul publicly upbraided Cardenal at Managua ’ s international airport at the beginning of a tense visit .
When Cardenal knelt in front of the pope and moved to kiss his hand , the pontiff withdrew it and pointed his finger at him in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ photograph .
“ You should regularize your situation , ” the pope scolded .
Later that year he suspended Cardenal from the priesthood along with his brother Fernando , who was then serving as minister of education .
Only late in life was Cardenal ’ s suspension lifted by Pope Francis : In February 2019 , as Cardenal was in the hospital , the Vatican noted that he had accepted the punishment , refrained from pastoral activity and long ago abandoned the political arena .
The Vatican ’ s ambassador to Nicaragua visited @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in celebrating Mass , a moment that Cardenal ’ s personal assistant described as “ very moving ” and said made him “ very happy.
” While Cardenal never held political office again , that didn ’ t mean he shied away from speaking his mind , and the erstwhile supporter of Ortega distanced himself from his former Sandinista sympathizers over his disagreement with the ex-guerrilla ’ s partisan leadership .
After Ortega returned to the presidency in 2007 , Cardenal denounced what he called the beginning of “ a family dictatorship.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ broke out that posed the biggest challenge to Ortega ’ s increasingly authoritarian hold on power , Cardenal quickly aligned himself with the opposition .
“ What we want is for there to be a different government , a democratic republic , ” he said in a handwritten message of support , adding that dialogue with the Ortega camp would be useless .
“ Now suddenly across the country the young people have risen up in protests , taking the streets , ” Cardenal said , “ something that was unexpected because the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or that a sepulchral slab had fallen on them.
” As he turned his back on Ortega , Sandinista officialdom turned its back on him .
Cardenal faced legal problems he attributed to “ political persecution ” for his criticisms of Ortega and Rosario Murillo , Ortega ’ s first lady and currently vice president .
And in 2015 , when Cardenal turned 90 , he was feted in Mexico - where he had lived and studied theology as a young man - as the Sandinista government had nothing but silence for a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Cardenal continued to hold a dim view of John Paul for decades after their run-in , calling his canonization in 2014 a “ monstrosity.
” He was more supportive of Francis and his calls to build a better world for those on the margins of society .
“ I try to live with the message of the gospel , ” Cardenal once said , “ which is a political message , which is changing the world so that there is a better world after 100,000 years of inequality .
”

Ernesto Cardenal, the renowned poet and Roman Catholic cleric who became a symbol of revolutionary verse in Nicaragua and around Latin America, and whose suspension from the priesthood by St. John Paul II lasted over three decades, died Sunday. He was 95.
Poet and former Sandinista priest Ernesto Cardenal pictured at his home in Managua on August 29, 2008.
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Known for his trademark black beret and loose white peasant shirts, the author of works such as “Epigrams” and “Zero Hour” was one of the most important and honored poets in Nicaraguan history. Cardenal penned verse that went around the globe, and lived until his last days with a lucidity that inspired amazement and admiration in the literary world.
“Our beloved poet has begun the process of integrating with the universe, with the greatest intimacy with God,” his personal assistant, Luz Marina Acosta, said Sunday.
Bosco Centeno, a close friend of Cardenal, told The Associated Press the poet was hospitalized in Nicaragua's capital of Managua a couple of days ago with a heart problem.
Cardenal received numerous awards during his lifetime including the Reina Sofia poetry prize in 2012, and the Peace Prize of the German Book Trade in 1980.
Argentine poet Jorge Boccanera once said of Cardenal’s writing that he “loses his life and at the same time discovers it in a profound delivery; in consecrating and offering himself in that dialogue of soul and blood.”
Cardenal was also an essayist and sculptor, and the herons he fashioned from stone and metal are highly prized in Central American cultural circles.
Today the 🌎 lost Ernesto Cardenal, a renowned poet,liberation theologist & former Nobel Peace prize nominee but 🇳🇮 lost an advocate,poet, anti-imperialist, revolutionary & a priest who defied the Cath. Church in the name of doing what he believed was necessary for his community. pic.twitter.com/aJnAXMypz9 — Gabriela Alemán (@smugmorenita) March 2, 2020
Born Jan. 20, 1925, to a wealthy family in the colonial city of Granada southeast of the Nicaraguan capital, Cardenal became a priest in Colombia and later became enamored of the leftist Liberation Theology movement that swept through Latin America during the 1960s, centered on ministering to the poor and liberating the oppressed.
On the Solentiname Islands in Lake Nicaragua, he founded a community of peasants, poets and painters in 1966 that came to symbolize artistic opposition to the dictatorship of Anastasio Somoza, who was overthrown in 1979 by Sandinista rebels.
Cardenal actively supported the revolution and served as culture minister during the first government of former Sandinista guerrilla Daniel Ortega - causing him to run afoul of then-Pope John Paul II, who firmly held that clerics should not hold political office. The pontiff was also staunchly anti-communist and opposed some parts of Liberation Theology.
In 1983, John Paul publicly upbraided Cardenal at Managua’s international airport at the beginning of a tense visit. When Cardenal knelt in front of the pope and moved to kiss his hand, the pontiff withdrew it and pointed his finger at him in a moment caught in a widely circulated photograph.
“You should regularize your situation,” the pope scolded. Later that year he suspended Cardenal from the priesthood along with his brother Fernando, who was then serving as minister of education.
Only late in life was Cardenal’s suspension lifted by Pope Francis: In February 2019, as Cardenal was in the hospital, the Vatican noted that he had accepted the punishment, refrained from pastoral activity and long ago abandoned the political arena.
The Vatican’s ambassador to Nicaragua visited him at the hospital and joined him in celebrating Mass, a moment that Cardenal’s personal assistant described as “very moving” and said made him “very happy.”
While Cardenal never held political office again, that didn’t mean he shied away from speaking his mind, and the erstwhile supporter of Ortega distanced himself from his former Sandinista sympathizers over his disagreement with the ex-guerrilla’s partisan leadership.
After Ortega returned to the presidency in 2007, Cardenal denounced what he called the beginning of “a family dictatorship.” And in 2018, when anti-government protests broke out that posed the biggest challenge to Ortega’s increasingly authoritarian hold on power, Cardenal quickly aligned himself with the opposition.
“What we want is for there to be a different government, a democratic republic,” he said in a handwritten message of support, adding that dialogue with the Ortega camp would be useless.
“Now suddenly across the country the young people have risen up in protests, taking the streets,” Cardenal said, “something that was unexpected because the youth had seemed to be sleeping, or that a sepulchral slab had fallen on them.”
As he turned his back on Ortega, Sandinista officialdom turned its back on him.
Cardenal faced legal problems he attributed to “political persecution” for his criticisms of Ortega and Rosario Murillo, Ortega’s first lady and currently vice president. And in 2015, when Cardenal turned 90, he was feted in Mexico - where he had lived and studied theology as a young man - as the Sandinista government had nothing but silence for a man it viewed as a turncoat.
Cardenal continued to hold a dim view of John Paul for decades after their run-in, calling his canonization in 2014 a “monstrosity.”
He was more supportive of Francis and his calls to build a better world for those on the margins of society.
“I try to live with the message of the gospel,” Cardenal once said, “which is a political message, which is changing the world so that there is a better world after 100,000 years of inequality.”
(AP)
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france24--2020-03-02--Global coronavirus death toll surpasses 3,000

People wearing face masks are seen at a subway station as the country is hit by an outbreak of the novel coronavirus , in Shanghai , China March 2 , 2020 .
The number of deaths globally in the new coronavirus outbreak passed 3,000 on Monday , as China reported another 42 deaths .
The new fatalities were all in the virus epicentre Hubei province , the National Health Commission said , bringing the overall toll in mainland China to 2,912 .
Health officials also reported the lowest daily tally of fresh infections since late January , with 202 new @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of reported new cases has gradually been declining , and there were only six confirmed new infections outside Hubei .
The virus emerged late last year in Hubei in central China , but has now spread to more than 60 countries around the world .
The United States and Australia reported their first fatalities over the weekend , while infections nearly doubled in the past 48 hours in Italy , Europe 's hardest-hit country .
The World Health Organization said Sunday that the virus appears to particularly hit those over the age of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ illness .
The agency noted that most people with the COVID-19 illness only experience mild symptoms , while around 14 percent suffer severe disease like pneumonia and five percent become critically ill .
It said the mortality rate in the outbreak appears to be between two and five percent .
The seasonal flu has an average mortality rate of about 0.1 percent but is highly infectious , with up to 400,000 people worldwide dying from it each year .
Other strains of coronavirus , such as Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome ( SARS ) @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ) , have established mortality rates of 9.5 percent and 34.5 percent , respectively .

The World Health Organization voiced concern Monday about the spread of the new coronavirus outside China as the global death toll topped 3,000.
People wearing face masks are seen at a subway station as the country is hit by an outbreak of the novel coronavirus, in Shanghai, China, March 2, 2020.
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More people have died in China, Iran and the United States from the virus, which has now infected nearly 90,000 people with cases in over 60 countries.
The epidemic threatens to cause a global economic slowdown, while airlines cancelled or reduced flights and stock markets swung wildly on Monday.
With fears of a pandemic on the rise after the virus first emerged in China late last year, the WHO urged all countries to stock up on critical care ventilators to treat patients with severe symptoms.
The UN’s health agency also announced on Monday that in the last 24 hours there had been almost nine times more COVID-19 cases reported outside China than inside.
Its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said a “window of opportunity” remained to contain the outbreak, noting that “more than 130 countries have not detected any cases yet”.
In the countries with cases, the situations in South Korea, Iran, Italy and Japan are currently “our greatest concern”, he said.
In Brussels, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) increased its risk assessment for Europeans to “moderate to high”. Hours later, Italy announced its deaths from the virus had jumped 18 to 52.
The virus has raised fears for the world economy, with the OECD lowering its global growth forecast by half a point to 2.4 percent, the worst performance since the 2008 crisis.
In China, the economy has ground to a halt with large swathes of the country under quarantine or subject to strict travel restrictions. Takings at Macau casinos fell a record 88 percent in February.
Other countries have started to enact their own containment measures, banning arrivals from virus-hit nations, locking in towns, urging citizens to stay home and suspending major events such as football matches and trade fairs.
The Louvre—the world’s most visited museum—closed on Sunday and Monday after staff refused to work because of fears about the virus, which has now claimed three lives in France.
And in Geneva, the UN headquarters said it was closing its doors to visitors and curbing some activities linked to the UN Human Rights Council, the world body’s top rights grouping.
In Italy, tourist hotpots including the Duomo in Milan opened their doors to visitors, but access was limited to avoid overcrowding in a bid to contain the virus.
Italy is Europe’s worst-affected country with around 1,700 infections and 52 dead, 18 of them since Sunday.
EU Health Commissioner Stella Kyriakides said there were more than 2,100 confirmed cases across 18 member states.
Elsewhere in Europe, Sweden barred flights from Iran—where cases have rapidly ballooned—while France Germany and the UK said they would send medical and financial aid to the Middle Eastern nation struggling to contain the outbreak.
Iran reported 12 more deaths on Monday, raising the country’s toll to 66, the second biggest after China.
South Korea sect
China reported 42 more deaths on Monday—all in central Hubei province. The pathogen is believed to have originated in a market that sold wild animals in Hubei’s capital Wuhan.
The death toll in China alone rose to 2,912, but it is also surging abroad.
The WHO says the virus appears to particularly hit those over the age of 60 and people already weakened by other illness. It has a mortality rate of between two and five percent.
Infections are now rising faster abroad than in China, as the country’s drastic measures, including quarantining some 56 million people in Hubei since late January, appear to be paying off.
South Korea, the biggest nest of infections outside China, reported nearly 500 new cases on Monday, raising its total past 4,000.
Half of South Korea’s cases are linked to a sect whose leader apologised Monday for the spread of the disease.
Seoul’s city government have asked prosecutors to press murder charges against him for failing to cooperate in efforts to contain the virus.
A second person died in the northwestern US state of Washington as President Donald Trump, who has downplayed the risk of a major outbreak, faced criticism over his administration’s preparedness.
He was due to hold talks with pharmaceutical executives on the response to outbreak.
New York reported its first case in a woman who had visited Iran, and the governor said he expected the virus to spread in the global financial hub.
After an increase on Sunday, China’s National Health Commission reported 202 new infections on Monday, the lowest daily rise since late January, bringing the nationwide total over 80,000.
In a sign of the improving situation, authorities in Wuhan closed on Sunday one of 16 makeshift hospitals built or repurposed from public buildings to treat the city’s huge number of patients.
By contrast, Iran reported more than 500 new cases, raising its total number of infections to 1,501.
Four more people died in South Korea, taking its toll to 22.
South Korea’s cases are expected to rise further as authorities test more than 260,000 people associated with the Shincheonji Church of Jesus, the religious group often condemned as a cult that is linked to more than half the infections.
(AFP)
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france24--2020-03-02--North Korea fires two projectiles off east coast, says Seoul

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un attends a drill by a unit of the Korean People 's Army ( KPA ) , North Korea in this image released by North Korea 's Korean Central News Agency ( KCNA ) on February 29 , 2020 .
North Korea fired two unidentified projectiles on Monday , the South 's military said , weeks after Pyongyang declared its moratorium on long-range missile tests over .
The two devices were fired eastwards over the sea from the Wonsan area on the east coast , the South 's Joint Chiefs of Staff said .
`` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and maintaining readiness , '' the statement added .
The North carried out a series of weapons tests late last year , the last of them in November , often describing them as multiple launch rocket systems , although others called them ballistic missiles .
It also carried out static engine tests , most recently in December .
At a party meeting at the end of that month , leader Kim Jong Un declared that Pyongyang no longer considered itself bound by its moratoriums on nuclear and intercontinental ballistic missile tests , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ strategic weapon '' soon .
The move came with nuclear negotiations with the US at a standstill and as a unilateral deadline Pyongyang set Washington to offer it fresh concessions on sanctions relief expired .
Pyongyang has previously fired missiles capable of reaching the entire US mainland and has carried out six nuclear tests , the last of them 16 times more powerful than the Hiroshima blast , according to the highest estimates .
It is under multiple sets of sanctions over its weapons programmes from the United Nations Security Council , US @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tensions in 2017 were followed by two years of nuclear diplomacy between Pyongyang and Washington , including three meetings between Kim and US President Donald Trump , but little tangible progress was made .

North Korea fired two unidentified projectiles on Monday, the South's military said, weeks after Pyongyang declared its moratorium on long-range missile tests over.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un attends a drill by a unit of the Korean People's Army (KPA), North Korea in this image released by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on February 29, 2020.
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The two devices were fired eastwards over the sea from the Wonsan area on the east coast, the South's Joint Chiefs of Staff said.
"The military is monitoring for additional launches and maintaining readiness," the statement added.
The North carried out a series of weapons tests late last year, the last of them in November, often describing them as multiple launch rocket systems, although others called them ballistic missiles.
It also carried out static engine tests, most recently in December.
At a party meeting at the end of that month, leader Kim Jong Un declared that Pyongyang no longer considered itself bound by its moratoriums on nuclear and intercontinental ballistic missile tests, and threatened a demonstration of a "new strategic weapon" soon.
The move came with nuclear negotiations with the US at a standstill and as a unilateral deadline Pyongyang set Washington to offer it fresh concessions on sanctions relief expired.
Pyongyang has previously fired missiles capable of reaching the entire US mainland and has carried out six nuclear tests, the last of them 16 times more powerful than the Hiroshima blast, according to the highest estimates.
It is under multiple sets of sanctions over its weapons programmes from the United Nations Security Council, US, South and other bodies.
Heightened tensions in 2017 were followed by two years of nuclear diplomacy between Pyongyang and Washington, including three meetings between Kim and US President Donald Trump, but little tangible progress was made.
(REUTERS)
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france24--2020-03-02--Iraq's Allawi withdraws his candidacy for prime minister as vacuum looms

Iraqi Prime Minister-designate Mohammed Allawi withdrew his candidacy for the post on Sunday , accusing political parties of obstructing him , deepening a domestic crisis and threatening an unprecedented power vacuum .
His move came hours after parliament failed for the second time in a week to approve his cabinet amid political infighting in the oil producer , where mass protests and deadlock between lawmakers are delaying Iraq 's recovery from years of war .
Allawi 's appointment was meant to ease a crisis as the Shi'ite-led country faces a mass protest movement that broke out in October and brought @ @ @ @ @ @ @ President Barham Salih will begin consultations to choose a new candidate for a new prime minister within 15 days , the state news agency said .
But Iraq could end up without a prime minister in the meantime if Abdul Mahdi , who stayed on in a caretaker capacity , also quits on Monday .
He issued a statement late on Sunday denying social media reports that he wanted to stay on , saying he would announce his intentions on Monday , which would have been the last day for Allawi to get @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Salih appointed Allawi after squabbling lawmakers from rival parties failed for two months to decide on a successor to Abdul Mahdi , who resigned in November during mass unrest .
Allawi had one month to form a government that was meant to organise early elections .
`` I tried by all possible means to save Iraq from drifting to the unknown and to solve the current crisis , but during negotiations I faced many matters , '' Allawi said in a statement , accusing politicians he did not identify of not being serious @ @ @ @ @ @ @ two blasts could be heard in central Baghdad early on Monday morning , with two Katyusha rockets hitting the heavily fortified Green Zone , which houses government buildings and embassies , security sources said .
One missile landed near the U.S. Embassy but caused no casualties , the sources said .
The protests , which initially demanded jobs and services , quickly turned into calls for the removal of Iraq ’ s entire ruling elite .
Protesters had opposed Allawi because they view him as part of the system they want to bring @ @ @ @ @ @ @ groups have fatally shot hundreds of mostly unarmed demonstrators .
Around 500 people have been killed in unrest since October , most of them protesters , according to a Reuters tally from medics and police .
On Sunday , security forces killed one person and wounded 24 at an anti-government protest in Baghdad , a police source said .
Government officials say Allawi ’ s Cabinet selection was heavily influenced by renegade Shi ’ ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr , who has gained from the general chaos in Iraq after the United States killed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ January .
Sadr said in a statement he supported Allawi for his decision to withdraw his candidacy and criticized the parties who obstructed him .
Sunni and Kurdish political groups that stood to lose portfolios in a Cabinet of ostensible independents have vehemently opposed Allawi ’ s choices .

Iraqi Prime Minister-designate Mohammed Allawi withdrew his candidacy for the post on Sunday, accusing political parties of obstructing him, deepening a domestic crisis and threatening an unprecedented power vacuum.
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His move came hours after parliament failed for the second time in a week to approve his cabinet amid political infighting in the oil producer, where mass protests and deadlock between lawmakers are delaying Iraq's recovery from years of war.
Allawi's appointment was meant to ease a crisis as the Shi'ite-led country faces a mass protest movement that broke out in October and brought down Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi.
President Barham Salih will begin consultations to choose a new candidate for a new prime minister within 15 days, the state news agency said. But Iraq could end up without a prime minister in the meantime if Abdul Mahdi, who stayed on in a caretaker capacity, also quits on Monday.
He issued a statement late on Sunday denying social media reports that he wanted to stay on, saying he would announce his intentions on Monday, which would have been the last day for Allawi to get his proposed Cabinet approved by parliament.
Salih appointed Allawi after squabbling lawmakers from rival parties failed for two months to decide on a successor to Abdul Mahdi, who resigned in November during mass unrest. Allawi had one month to form a government that was meant to organise early elections.
"I tried by all possible means to save Iraq from drifting to the unknown and to solve the current crisis, but during negotiations I faced many matters," Allawi said in a statement, accusing politicians he did not identify of not being serious about reforms.
Highlighting volatile security, two blasts could be heard in central Baghdad early on Monday morning, with two Katyusha rockets hitting the heavily fortified Green Zone, which houses government buildings and embassies, security sources said.
One missile landed near the U.S. Embassy but caused no casualties, the sources said.
The protests, which initially demanded jobs and services, quickly turned into calls for the removal of Iraq’s entire ruling elite. Protesters had opposed Allawi because they view him as part of the system they want to bring down.
Security forces and powerful militia groups have fatally shot hundreds of mostly unarmed demonstrators. Around 500 people have been killed in unrest since October, most of them protesters, according to a Reuters tally from medics and police.
On Sunday, security forces killed one person and wounded 24 at an anti-government protest in Baghdad, a police source said.
Government officials say Allawi’s Cabinet selection was heavily influenced by renegade Shi’ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, who has gained from the general chaos in Iraq after the United States killed a senior Iranian commander in Baghdad in January.
Sadr said in a statement he supported Allawi for his decision to withdraw his candidacy and criticized the parties who obstructed him.
Sunni and Kurdish political groups that stood to lose portfolios in a Cabinet of ostensible independents have vehemently opposed Allawi’s choices.
(REUTERS)
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france24--2020-03-02--Netanyahu claims victory in Israeli election on exit poll gains

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed victory in Monday 's Israeli election after exit polls predicted the strongest showing for his Likud party .
Netanyahu , Israel ’ s longest-serving leader , responded to the projections by tweeting that the results were `` a huge victory for Israel '' , also saying “ Thank you ” with a heart emoji .
`` We won thanks to our belief in our path and thanks to the people of Israel , '' he said in a Twitter posting early on Tuesday .
Netanyahu fought Israel ’ s third election in less than a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , which he denies .
The four-term prime minister , who heads the right-wing Likud party , had failed to secure a governing majority in the legislature in elections held in April and September .
Opinion polls in the final days of campaigning had predicted further deadlock .
But polls broadcast by Israel ’ s three main television channels after voting ended showed Likud pulling ahead of the centrist Blue and White party led by former general Benny Gantz .
All three exit polls gave Likud and like-minded parties 60 of parliament ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a majority .
During the campaign , right-wing and religious parties had pledged to join a Likud-led coalition government .
Actual results , which have differed in the past from exit polls , will be released on Tuesday .
A party spokesman said Netanyahu would deliver a `` victory speech '' at 21:45 GMT in Tel Aviv .
The premier , who is under criminal indictment for bribery , fraud and breach of trust , is not legally required to resign as he faces the charges in court unless he is convicted and @ @ @ @ @ @ @

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu emerged victorious Tuesday after Israel's third election in a year despite a looming corruption trial, dismaying the Palestinians who were angered by his hardline campaign pledges.
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On the basis of initial projections by Israel's three main television channels, Netanyahu, head of the right-wing Likud party, claimed victory in Monday's vote over his main challenger, former armed forces chief Benny Gantz of the centrist Blue and White.
The central election committee said it had counted 90 percent of the vote, with breakdowns of the result in the media showing Netanyahu's Likud party with 36 seats in Israel's 120-member parliament.
That would mark the party's best-ever result under Netanyahu, Israel's longest-serving prime minister and its first to be indicted in office.
Netanyahu's bloc, which includes ultra-Orthodox Jewish parties, is likely still one or two votes short of a majority, but his party spokesman said it was confident of luring defectors. Likud's main challenger, the centrist Blue and White party, was projected to win 32 seats.
Netanyahu's victory, after inconclusive ballots in April and September, is testimony to the political durability of Israel's longest-serving leader, who fought the latest campaign under the shadow of a looming corruption trial.
It would also pave the way for Netanyahu to make good on his pledge to annex, after the election, Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank, and the region's Jordan Valley, under a peace plan presented by US President Donald Trump.
Palestinians have rejected the proposal, saying it was killing their dream of establishing a viable state in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, territory Israel captured in the 1967 Middle East war.
During an acrimonious campaign which focused more on character than on policy, right-wing and religious parties had pledged to join a Likud-led government.
Netanyahu campaigned vigorously on his strongman "security-first" platform, familiar to Israeli voters over decades, and his loyal base of blue-collar voters has stood firmly behind him throughout, seemingly unfazed by his imminent trial.
"What a joyous night," a beaming Netanyahu told a cheering crowd in a speech at Likud's election headquarters in Tel Aviv. "This victory is especially sweet, because it is a victory against all odds ... We turned lemons into lemonade."
Gantz, in an address at his party's election headquarters, stopped short of conceding defeat, saying the election could result in another deadlock.
"I will tell you honestly, I understand and share the feeling of disappointment and pain because it is not the result we wanted," he said.
Criminal charges
Netanyahu's re-election bid has been complicated since the last election by his indictment on charges of bribery, breach of trust and fraud over allegations he granted state favours worth millions of dollars to Israeli media barons in return for favourable press coverage, and that he wrongfully received gifts.
The first trial of a sitting prime minister in Israel is due to begin on March 17. Netanyahu denies any wrongdoing.
During the campaign, Gantz termed Netanyahu "the defendant", accusing him of seeking to retain power to promote legislation that would bar authorities from putting a serving prime minister on trial.
Netanyahu has portrayed Gantz, 60, as a "coward", saying he would need Arab politicians' support in parliament to form a government and that they would tie his hands.
In the previous election, in September, Blue and White edged past Likud, taking 33 seats to its rival's 32, but Gantz, like Netanyahu, was unable to put together a ruling coalition.
"While we need to wait for the final results, there is no doubt that Prime Minister Netanyahu has won a significant political mandate from the Israeli people," said Yohanan Plesner, president of the Israel Democracy Institute. "Israelis voiced their support for the man they perceive to have brought them security and prosperity," he said.
Netanyahu, responded to the projections earlier on Monday evening by tweeting that the results were "a huge victory for Israel", also saying “Thank you” with a heart emoji.
תודה ❤ — Benjamin Netanyahu (@netanyahu) March 2, 2020
In the final days of the campaign, opinion polls had forecast further deadlock, but turnout was high, at 71 percent, despite concerns about the spread of the new coronavirus.
Voters under home-quarantine, such as those who have recently travelled back to Israel from coronavirus hot spots, voted at special polling stations wearing face masks and gloves.
(FRANCE 24 with REUTERS and AFP)
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france24--2020-03-02--Klobuchar, Buttigieg to back Joe Biden after dropping out of presidential race

Former Vice President Joe Biden ’ s Democratic presidential bid picked up steam on Monday as he was set to pick up the endorsements of two former 2020 rivals - Amy Klobuchar and Pete Buttigieg - on the eve of the crucial Super Tuesday primary elections .
Klobuchar , a U.S. senator from Minnesota , will become the third 2020 candidate in as many days to drop out of the race when she announces the suspension of her campaign in Dallas , where she will also publicly back Biden , a Klobuchar aide said .
Former South Bend , Indiana @ @ @ @ @ @ @ White House bid on Sunday , also plans to endorse Biden in Dallas , a top adviser said .
Biden is fresh off a resounding victory in Saturday ’ s South Carolina primary and is aiming for a strong showing on Super Tuesday against U.S .
Senator Bernie Sanders , the national front-runner and a democratic socialist from Vermont .
But Biden also faces a challenge from billionaire former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg among voters hoping the party will nominate a moderate .
The Super Tuesday contests offer the biggest one-day haul @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the party ’ s nomination at its national convention in July , with about 1,357 delegates , or nearly one-third of the total number , up for grabs .
Fourteen states - California , Texas , Virginia , Massachusetts , Tennessee , Alabama , Arkansas , Oklahoma , Minnesota , Vermont , Colorado , Utah , North Carolina and Maine - as well as American Samoa and Democrats living abroad cast ballots on Tuesday .
( The primary for expatriate Americans is scheduled to run through March 10 . )
Bloomberg , a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ make his ballot-box debut .
He is betting the $ 500 million of his own money he has poured into his campaign will allow him to make up for not competing in Iowa , New Hampshire , Nevada or South Carolina .
Five candidates - Biden , Bloomberg , Sanders , U.S .
Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and U.S. Representative Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii - remain in the running for the nomination to take on Republican President Donald Trump in November ’ s election , down from more than 20 earlier in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ emerged as the main contenders for the votes of moderate Democrats while Sanders is the progressive front-runner nationally , eclipsing Warren .
Biden ’ s high-stakes triumph in South Carolina , where his campaign had said his popularity with black voters would propel him to victory after early disappointing finishes in Iowa and New Hampshire , helped winnow the field .
In addition to Klobuchar and Buttigieg , billionaire environmental activist Tom Steyer also gave up his campaign on Saturday night after a third-place finish in the Southern state in which he had @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Buttigieg ’ s top fundraisers , who spoke on condition of anonymity , said some of the former mayor ’ s supporters planned to donate to Biden ’ s campaign .
However , Sanders ’ momentum might not be easily slowed .
On Monday , his campaign downplayed the efforts by moderates to present a united front .
“ The establishment is nervous , not because we can ’ t beat Trump , but because we will , ” said Sanders ’ campaign manager , Faiz Shakir .
“ And when we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be a party of the working class.
” Indeed , it was not immediately clear who would immediately benefit from departures by Buttigieg and Klobuchar .
A Morning Consult poll taken Feb. 23-27 , for example , before Buttigieg exited the race , showed that 21 % of his supporters named Sanders as their second choice , 19 % picked Biden , another 19 % chose Warren and 17 % favored Bloomberg .
Biden still lags his rivals in spending and organization in Super Tuesday states and beyond , but his campaign said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ $ 10 million over the preceding two days .
Biden ’ s campaign has also touted endorsements from more than 70 elected officials and community leaders since South Carolina ’ s primary that could lead to a boost in attention for Biden ahead of Super Tuesday .
In Virginia , U.S .
Senator Tim Kaine has endorsed him , along with state House Majority Leader Charniele Herring .
In Colorado , Denver Mayor Michael Hancock has backed Biden .
In California , U.S. Representative Gil Cisneros is supporting the former vice president .

Former Vice President Joe Biden’s Democratic presidential bid picked up steam on Monday as he was set to pick up the endorsements of two former 2020 rivals - Amy Klobuchar and Pete Buttigieg - on the eve of the crucial Super Tuesday primary elections.
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Buttigieg threw his support to Biden at an emotional appearance at a Dallas restaurant, while Klobuchar delivered a barnstorm of a speech at a rally, reminiscent of the types politicians give at their party conventions when anointing their presidential nominees.
"Joe Biden has dedicated his life to fighting for people," Klobuchar said, before introducing Biden at the rally in Dallas on Monday night.
"Not for the rich and powerful, but for the mom, for the farmer, for the dreamer, for the veteran. He can bring our country together."
03:01
Buttigieg, the former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, and the first openly gay presidential candidate, said earlier in Dallas that he was "delighted to endorse and support Joe Biden."
“He is somebody of such extraordinary grace and kindness and empathy.”
The only way we beat Trump is through a politics that reflects the decency of the American people. It’s what we sought to practice in my campaign—and it’s what @JoeBiden has practiced his whole life.
I'm proud to stand with the VP and help make him our next Commander-in-Chief. pic.twitter.com/Y9SqDLZS0g — Pete Buttigieg (@PeteButtigieg) March 3, 2020
Biden, 77, in turn, told reporters that Buttigieg, 38, "reminds me of my son Beau," who died in 2015, adding: "To me, it is the highest compliment you can give any man or woman.”
04:42
Former U.S. Representative Beto O'Rourke, another former candidate for the Democratic nomination, also endorsed Biden, appearing to cheers as a surprise guest at the rally in Dallas.
Biden is fresh off a resounding victory in Saturday's South Carolina primary and is aiming for a strong showing on Super Tuesday against Sanders, a self-described democratic socialist, who many centrist Democrats fear cannot win against Republican President Donald Trump in November.
But Biden still faces a challenge from billionaire former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg among voters hoping the party will nominate a moderate to face Trump.
Bloomberg, a late entrant to the race, will make his ballot-box debut when 14 states vote on Super Tuesday. He is betting the $500 million of his own money he has poured into his campaign will allow him to make up for not competing in the first nominating contests in Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina.
He said on Monday the most likely scenario was that no Democratic candidate would win a majority of delegates and that picking the nominee could come down to "horse trading" at the Democratic convention in Milwaukee in July.
Asked at a Fox News town hall if a contested convention lay in his path to the nomination, Bloomberg said: "That is the way that it would work I would guess."
02:08
The Super Tuesday contests offer the biggest one-day haul of the 1,991 delegates needed to win the party's nomination at its national convention in July, with about 1,357 delegates, or nearly one-third of the total number, up for grabs.
Fourteen states - California, Texas, Virginia, Massachusetts, Tennessee, Alabama, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Minnesota, Vermont, Colorado, Utah, North Carolina and Maine - as well as American Samoa and Democrats living abroad cast ballots on Tuesday. (The primary for expatriate Americans is scheduled to run through March 10.)
Five candidates - Biden, Bloomberg, Sanders, Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and U.S. Representative Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii - remain in the running for the Democratic nomination, down from more than 20 earlier in the campaign.
Bloomberg and Biden have emerged as the main contenders for the votes of moderate Democrats, while Sanders, a senator from Vermont, is the progressive front-runner nationally, eclipsing Warren.
Biden's momentum
Biden's high-stakes triumph in South Carolina, where his campaign had said his popularity with black voters would propel him to victory after early disappointing finishes in Iowa and New Hampshire, helped winnow the field.
Billionaire environmental activist Tom Steyer also gave up his campaign on Saturday after a third-place finish in the Southern state in which he had invested most heavily.
Sanders' momentum might not be easily slowed. On Monday, his campaign played down the efforts by moderates to present a united front.
"The establishment is nervous, not because we can't beat Trump, but because we will," said Sanders' campaign manager, Faiz Shakir. "And when we do, the Democratic Party will again be a party of the working class."
It was not immediately clear who would immediately benefit from the departures of Buttigieg and Klobuchar. A Morning Consult poll taken Feb. 23 to 27, for example, before Buttigieg exited the race, showed that 21% of his supporters named Sanders as their second choice, 19% picked Biden, another 19% chose Warren and 17% favored Bloomberg.
What’s missing from our politics right now? Empathy. Caring. A sacred trust between the citizens and their President.
That’s what @JoeBiden will restore.
Joe Biden knows you, and he’s going to fight for you. pic.twitter.com/eT4TI5Wwhi — Amy Klobuchar (@amyklobuchar) March 3, 2020
Biden still lags his rivals in spending and organization in Super Tuesday states and beyond, but his campaign said on Sunday it had raised more than $10 million over the preceding two days.
Endorsements of the former vice president from elected officials and community leaders poured in on Monday.
Backing from Ohio Democrats including Representative Marcia Fudge and former Cincinnati Mayor Mark Mallory added to endorsements from Senator Tim Kaine and state House of Delegates Majority Leader Charniele Herring of Virginia.
In Colorado, Denver Mayor Michael Hancock has backed Biden. In California, Representative Gil Cisneros is supporting the former vice president.
(REUTERS)
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france24--2020-03-02--Senator Amy Klobuchar drops presidential bid, plans to endorse Biden

Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar ended her Democratic presidential campaign on Monday and plans to endorse rival Joe Biden in an effort to unify moderate voters behind the former vice president ’ s White House bid .
She is flying to Dallas and plans to join Biden at his rally Monday night , according to her campaign .
Klobuchar was the third presidential candidate to drop out of the race in less than 49 hours , following Pete Buttigieg ’ s departure late Sunday and Tom Steyer ’ s exit late Saturday .
Their decisions reflect an urgent push among moderates @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to progressive rival Bernie Sanders .
Klobuchar outlasted several better-known and better-funded Democrats , thanks to a better-than-expected third-place finish in in New Hampshire .
But she couldn ’ t turn that into success elsewhere , as she struggled to build out a campaign that could compete across the country and had poor showings in the next contests .
The three-term senator had one of this cycle ’ s more memorable campaign launches , standing outside in a Minnesota snowstorm last February to tout her “ grit ” and Midwestern sensibilities .
Klobuchar @ @ @ @ @ @ @ done in Washington and winning even in Republican parts of her state would help her win traditionally Democratic heartland states like Wisconsin and Michigan that flipped in 2016 to give Donald Trump the presidency .
She was hoping to own the moderate lane of a Democratic field that grew to some two dozen candidates .
But that got much tougher when Biden joined the race in April , starting as a front-runner and remaining there .
Klobuchar also was quickly overshadowed by Buttigieg , a fellow Midwesterner who shot from being the largely @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , to a top contender on a mix of intelligence , strong oratory and youthful optimism .
Buttigieg dropped out on Sunday , saying he no longer had a viable path to the nomination .
He has not endorsed anyone .
Klobuchar entered the race with low name recognition compared with many of her rivals , a disadvantage she was still citing a year into her campaign .
Outside Minnesota , the lawyer and former prosecutor was best known for her questioning of Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh during a 2018 Senate Judiciary @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who was accused of sexually assaulting a fellow teenager when both were in high school , if he ever had so much to drink that he didn ’ t remember what happened .
Kavanaugh retorted , “ Have you ?
” Klobuchar continued , unruffled , and Kavanaugh later apologized to the senator , whose father is recovering from alcoholism .
Even before she got into the race , Klobuchar was hit with news stories claiming she mistreated her Senate staff , and she had a higher-than-usual turnover rate in her office .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ boss ” but countered that she has several longtime employees , including the manager of her presidential campaign .
She also faced questions over her prosecutor past .
In January , The Associated Press published a story about Klobuchar ’ s office in Minneapolis having prosecuted the case of a black teenager accused of the 2002 shooting death of an 11-year-old girl .
Klobuchar has cited the story to show her toughness on crime .
But an AP/APM Reports investigation uncovered new evidence and myriad inconsistencies , raising questions about whether Myon Burrell @ @ @ @ @ @ @ followed Klobuchar on the campaign trail , with protesters forcing her to cancel a rally in suburban Minneapolis days before Super Tuesday .
Klobuchar campaigned on her productivity in Washington , where she led more than 100 bills that were signed into law .
And she criticized the more liberal candidates in the field , Sens .
Elizabeth Warren and Sanders , for running on promises she said they couldn ’ t keep .
Rather than advocate for “ Medicare for All , ” for example , Klobuchar favored expanding the Affordable Care @ @ @ @ @ @ @ costs — changes she said had a chance of passing and would make a significant impact .
She supported making community colleges free but said she wouldn ’ t promise to do the same for four-year colleges and universities because the U.S. can not afford it .
“ I ’ ve got to tell the truth , ” she said during a CNN town hall at a college campus , where she acknowledged her position may be unpopular with younger voters .
Klobuchar was one of the first candidates to outline a plan @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an issue she described as personal because of her father ’ s longtime struggle .
Her accounts of growing up with a father suffering from alcoholism and watching him be forced to choose between prison or treatment were some of the most compelling moments of speeches , interviews and discussions with voters .
Klobuchar said that her father described getting help as being “ pursued by grace ” and that it ’ s an opportunity all people fighting addiction deserve .
But Klobuchar couldn ’ t match her top competitors in fundraising .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ the last quarter of 2019 — roughly half of what Sanders and Buttigieg received .
The lack of finances early on in the campaign meant Klobuchar wasn ’ t able to expand her operation on the ground in Iowa and New Hampshire until months after her rivals .
She then scrambled to put an operation in place in Nevada , South Carolina and the 14 states that will vote on Super Tuesday .
Still , there were bright spots , including strong debate performances that helped bring in new donors .
Her campaign @ @ @ @ @ @ @ debate days before the New Hampshire primary with helping her clinch a better-than-expected third place in the state ’ s primary , topping Warren and Biden .
Klobuchar said she raised $ 12 million in the next week .
During one debate she addressed sexism in the campaign , questioning whether a woman with Buttigieg ’ s experience would qualify for the stage .
She also pushed back at fears of a female candidacy , saying , “ If you think a woman can ’ t beat Donald Trump , ( House Speaker @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” In January , she earned endorsements from The New York Times , which also endorsed Warren , and the Quad-City Times , one of Iowa ’ s largest newspapers .
But Klobuchar was sidelined for much of the last few weeks before the Iowa caucuses when she — along with fellow candidates Warren , Sanders and Sen. Michael Bennet of Colorado — was stuck in Washington for the Senate impeachment trial .
She continued to rack up endorsements even as her campaign struggled , getting the backing of newspapers including the Houston @ @ @ @ @ @ @ New Hampshire Union Leader .

Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar ended her Democratic presidential campaign on Monday and endorsed rival Joe Biden in an effort to unify moderate voters behind the former vice president’s White House bid.
US Presidential Candidate Senator Amy Klobuchar speaking to a crowd at a town hall in Exeter, New Hampshire, on February 10, 2020.
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Klobuchar joined Vice President Joe Biden on stage at a rally Monday evening in Dallas, Texas.
She called for a return to "decency and dignity" in the White House.
"If we spend the next four months dividing our party and going at each other, we will spend the next four years watching Donald Trump tear apart this country," Klobuchar said.
"It is up to us, all of us, to put our country back together, to heal this country, and then build something even greater. I believe we can do this together. And that is why, today, I am endorsing Joe Biden for president," she added.
What’s missing from our politics right now? Empathy. Caring. A sacred trust between the citizens and their President.
That’s what @JoeBiden will restore.
Joe Biden knows you, and he’s going to fight for you. pic.twitter.com/eT4TI5Wwhi — Amy Klobuchar (@amyklobuchar) March 3, 2020
Klobuchar was the third presidential candidate to drop out of the race in less than 49 hours, following Pete Buttigieg’s departure late Sunday and Tom Steyer’s exit late Saturday. Their decisions reflect an urgent push among moderates to consolidate behind Biden as a counter to progressive rival Bernie Sanders.
Klobuchar outlasted several better-known and better-funded Democrats, thanks to a better-than-expected third-place finish in in New Hampshire. But she couldn’t turn that into success elsewhere, as she struggled to build out a campaign that could compete across the country and had poor showings in the next contests.
01:47
The three-term senator had one of this cycle’s more memorable campaign launches, standing outside in a Minnesota snowstorm last February to tout her “grit” and Midwestern sensibilities.
Klobuchar argued that her record of getting things done in Washington and winning even in Republican parts of her state would help her win traditionally Democratic heartland states like Wisconsin and Michigan that flipped in 2016 to give Donald Trump the presidency.
She was hoping to own the moderate lane of a Democratic field that grew to some two dozen candidates. But that got much tougher when Biden joined the race in April, starting as a front-runner and remaining there.
Klobuchar also was quickly overshadowed by Buttigieg, a fellow Midwesterner who shot from being the largely unknown mayor of South Bend, Indiana, to a top contender on a mix of intelligence, strong oratory and youthful optimism.
Buttigieg dropped out on Sunday, saying he no longer had a viable path to the nomination. He has not endorsed anyone.
Klobuchar entered the race with low name recognition compared with many of her rivals, a disadvantage she was still citing a year into her campaign.
Outside Minnesota, the lawyer and former prosecutor was best known for her questioning of Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh during a 2018 Senate Judiciary Committee hearing.
Klobuchar asked Kavanaugh, who was accused of sexually assaulting a fellow teenager when both were in high school, if he ever had so much to drink that he didn’t remember what happened. Kavanaugh retorted, “Have you?” Klobuchar continued, unruffled, and Kavanaugh later apologized to the senator, whose father is recovering from alcoholism.
Even before she got into the race, Klobuchar was hit with news stories claiming she mistreated her Senate staff, and she had a higher-than-usual turnover rate in her office.
Klobuchar said she is a “tough boss” but countered that she has several longtime employees, including the manager of her presidential campaign.
She also faced questions over her prosecutor past. In January, The Associated Press published a story about Klobuchar’s office in Minneapolis having prosecuted the case of a black teenager accused of the 2002 shooting death of an 11-year-old girl.
Klobuchar has cited the story to show her toughness on crime. But an AP/APM Reports investigation uncovered new evidence and myriad inconsistencies, raising questions about whether Myon Burrell was railroaded by police.
The issue followed Klobuchar on the campaign trail, with protesters forcing her to cancel a rally in suburban Minneapolis days before Super Tuesday.
Klobuchar campaigned on her productivity in Washington, where she led more than 100 bills that were signed into law. And she criticized the more liberal candidates in the field, Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Sanders, for running on promises she said they couldn’t keep.
Rather than advocate for “Medicare for All,” for example, Klobuchar favored expanding the Affordable Care Act and working to reduce prescription drug costs — changes she said had a chance of passing and would make a significant impact.
She supported making community colleges free but said she wouldn’t promise to do the same for four-year colleges and universities because the U.S. cannot afford it.
“I’ve got to tell the truth,” she said during a CNN town hall at a college campus, where she acknowledged her position may be unpopular with younger voters.
Klobuchar was one of the first candidates to outline a plan for addressing addiction and mental health, an issue she described as personal because of her father’s longtime struggle.
Her accounts of growing up with a father suffering from alcoholism and watching him be forced to choose between prison or treatment were some of the most compelling moments of speeches, interviews and discussions with voters.
Klobuchar said that her father described getting help as being “pursued by grace” and that it’s an opportunity all people fighting addiction deserve.
But Klobuchar couldn’t match her top competitors in fundraising. She raised about $11 million in the last quarter of 2019 — roughly half of what Sanders and Buttigieg received.
The lack of finances early on in the campaign meant Klobuchar wasn’t able to expand her operation on the ground in Iowa and New Hampshire until months after her rivals.
She then scrambled to put an operation in place in Nevada, South Carolina and the 14 states that will vote on Super Tuesday.
Still, there were bright spots, including strong debate performances that helped bring in new donors.
Her campaign credited Klobuchar’s showing in a debate days before the New Hampshire primary with helping her clinch a better-than-expected third place in the state’s primary, topping Warren and Biden. Klobuchar said she raised $12 million in the next week.
During one debate she addressed sexism in the campaign, questioning whether a woman with Buttigieg’s experience would qualify for the stage.
She also pushed back at fears of a female candidacy, saying, “If you think a woman can’t beat Donald Trump, (House Speaker) Nancy Pelosi does it every day.”
In January, she earned endorsements from The New York Times, which also endorsed Warren, and the Quad-City Times, one of Iowa’s largest newspapers. But Klobuchar was sidelined for much of the last few weeks before the Iowa caucuses when she — along with fellow candidates Warren, Sanders and Sen. Michael Bennet of Colorado — was stuck in Washington for the Senate impeachment trial.
She continued to rack up endorsements even as her campaign struggled, getting the backing of newspapers including the Houston Chronicle, The Seattle Times and the New Hampshire Union Leader.
(FRANCE 24 with AP)
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france24--2020-03-03--Haiti's president picks new prime minister to resolve socio-political crisis

Haiti 's President Jovenel Moise speaks during a news conference to provide information about the measures concerning coronavirus , at the National Palace in Port-au-Prince , Haiti March 2 , 2020 .
Haiti 's president Jovenel Moise on Monday named a new prime minister to tackle the country 's worsening socio-political and security crisis .
The decree naming Joseph Jouthe to the position was published in the official government gazette , after Moise made the announcement on Twitter -- albeit with a different spelling of Jouthe 's name .
`` Following consultations with different sectors , I have decided on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' Moise said on his official Twitter account .
`` He is tasked with forming , as soon as possible , a government of transparency and consensus , capable of rising to the challenges of the moment , '' he said .
Jouthe has been environment minister since September 2018 and was also appointed interim finance minister in September 2019 .
He replaced Jean-Michel Lapin , who had been acting prime minister .
Haiti has been in deep crisis since the resignation in March 2019 of prime minister Jean-Henry Ceant .
Jouthe is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the post since then .
Lawmakers have never approved any of his nominees , hampering the government 's ability to function : elections could not be held last autumn and parliament has not been in session since January .
That means Jouthe 's appointment can not be ratified , according to constitutional rules .
Political talks that began last summer to find a way to form a new government came to nothing and the opposition is demanding that Moise step down before any further discussion can even begin .
Popular anger has been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Accounts announced in May 2019 that he was suspected of involvement in a huge corruption scandal that stretches back a decade .
The ever-deepening crisis has slammed the brakes on domestic and international investment , leading to massive unemployment levels and an inflation rate topping 20 percent , which has made the impoverished nation even poorer .
A third of the population now faces severe food insecurity , the last stage before famine , according to the World Food Programme ( WFP ) .
The country has also faced a sudden surge @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , together with a rise in the usual gang-related violence in its poorer urban neighbourhoods .
A French employee of the WFP was freed last Thursday , two days after she was abducted in the Haitian capital Port-au-Prince .

Haiti's president Jovenel Moise on Monday named a new prime minister to tackle the country's worsening socio-political and security crisis.
Haiti's President Jovenel Moise speaks during a news conference to provide information about the measures concerning coronavirus, at the National Palace in Port-au-Prince, Haiti March 2, 2020.
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The decree naming Joseph Jouthe to the position was published in the official government gazette, after Moise made the announcement on Twitter -- albeit with a different spelling of Jouthe's name.
"Following consultations with different sectors, I have decided on Joute Joseph as new prime minister," Moise said on his official Twitter account.
"He is tasked with forming, as soon as possible, a government of transparency and consensus, capable of rising to the challenges of the moment," he said.
Jouthe has been environment minister since September 2018 and was also appointed interim finance minister in September 2019. He replaced Jean-Michel Lapin, who had been acting prime minister.
Haiti has been in deep crisis since the resignation in March 2019 of prime minister Jean-Henry Ceant. Jouthe is the third person Moise has appointed to the post since then.
Lawmakers have never approved any of his nominees, hampering the government's ability to function: elections could not be held last autumn and parliament has not been in session since January.
That means Jouthe's appointment cannot be ratified, according to constitutional rules.
Political talks that began last summer to find a way to form a new government came to nothing and the opposition is demanding that Moise step down before any further discussion can even begin.
Popular anger has been focused on Moise since the High Court of Accounts announced in May 2019 that he was suspected of involvement in a huge corruption scandal that stretches back a decade.
The ever-deepening crisis has slammed the brakes on domestic and international investment, leading to massive unemployment levels and an inflation rate topping 20 percent, which has made the impoverished nation even poorer.
A third of the population now faces severe food insecurity, the last stage before famine, according to the World Food Programme (WFP).
The country has also faced a sudden surge in the number of kidnappings for ransom, together with a rise in the usual gang-related violence in its poorer urban neighbourhoods.
A French employee of the WFP was freed last Thursday, two days after she was abducted in the Haitian capital Port-au-Prince.
(AFP)
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france24--2020-03-02--UN cuts women's conference over coronavirus fears

Curtailing a major United Nations meeting on gender equality over coronavirus fears could be a blow to progress in women 's rights and needs to be rescheduled to include diverse voices , participants and observers said on Monday .
The annual two-week U.N. Commission on the Status of Women ( CSW ) promoting equality and women 's empowerment was scaled back on Monday to just one-day next week due the global outbreak .
In its abbreviated version , the CSW will hold a procedural meeting on March 9 - the day after International Women 's Day - to adopt a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the historic women 's rights declaration signed in Beijing .
But there will be no general debate , and dozens of side events were canceled , leaving it New York-based and freezing out attendees and civil society groups from around the world .
A full two-week meeting needs to be rescheduled to include civil society groups and diverse voices to tackle such issues as the global gender pay gap and low political participation rates by women , participants and others said .
`` CSW without civil society is no CSW at all , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ United Nations in its official Twitter feed after Monday 's announcement .
`` We must ensure full & inclusive # CSW64 discussions take place later this year . ''
A full meeting of the commission would be held at a later date , U.N. officials said .
But rescheduling a two-week meeting for 12,000 civil society participants may be difficult , said Vanessa Jackson , the U.N. Representative for CARE , an anti-poverty and social justice organisation .
The CSW is key to building momentum ahead of two huge forums to advance women @ @ @ @ @ @ @ equality to be held by U.N. Women in Mexico in May and in Paris in July , she said .
The forums are seen as critical to meeting the U.N. 's global goal of achieving gender equality by 2030 .
`` The CSW is a critical milestone that was intended to help us get on track to achieve gender equality by 2030 , but today 's decision puts this in jeopardy , '' she told the Thomson Reuters Foundation .
On Twitter , We Effect , a Swedish development group , concurred , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 's movements across the globe We Effect joins the demand to # postponeCSW .
# CSW64 on # genderequality ca n't be held without safe , meaningful and informed participation of women . ''
The flu-like coronavirus that emerged from central China late last year has spread to about 60 countries and killed more than 3,000 , mostly in China .
So far 10 U.S. states , including California and New York , have confirmed or presumed cases .
The CSW joins untold numbers of events being postponed or canceled around the world @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hospitality , retail sales and global supply chains all hit .
The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development warned on Monday that the outbreak is seen plunging the world economy into its worst downturn since the global financial crisis .

Curtailing a major United Nations meeting on gender equality over coronavirus fears could be a blow to progress in women's rights and needs to be rescheduled to include diverse voices, participants and observers said on Monday.
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The annual two-week U.N. Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) promoting equality and women's empowerment was scaled back on Monday to just one-day next week due the global outbreak.
In its abbreviated version, the CSW will hold a procedural meeting on March 9 - the day after International Women's Day - to adopt a draft political declaration marking 25 years since the historic women's rights declaration signed in Beijing.
But there will be no general debate, and dozens of side events were canceled, leaving it New York-based and freezing out attendees and civil society groups from around the world.
A full two-week meeting needs to be rescheduled to include civil society groups and diverse voices to tackle such issues as the global gender pay gap and low political participation rates by women, participants and others said.
"CSW without civil society is no CSW at all," wrote the British Mission to the United Nations in its official Twitter feed after Monday's announcement. "We must ensure full & inclusive #CSW64 discussions take place later this year."
A full meeting of the commission would be held at a later date, U.N. officials said.
But rescheduling a two-week meeting for 12,000 civil society participants may be difficult, said Vanessa Jackson, the U.N. Representative for CARE, an anti-poverty and social justice organisation.
The CSW is key to building momentum ahead of two huge forums to advance women's rights and spur progress towards gender equality to be held by U.N. Women in Mexico in May and in Paris in July, she said. The forums are seen as critical to meeting the U.N.'s global goal of achieving gender equality by 2030.
"The CSW is a critical milestone that was intended to help us get on track to achieve gender equality by 2030, but today's decision puts this in jeopardy," she told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.
On Twitter, We Effect, a Swedish development group, concurred, saying: "In solidarity with women's movements across the globe We Effect joins the demand to #postponeCSW. #CSW64 on #genderequality can't be held without safe, meaningful and informed participation of women."
The flu-like coronavirus that emerged from central China late last year has spread to about 60 countries and killed more than 3,000, mostly in China. So far 10 U.S. states, including California and New York, have confirmed or presumed cases.
The CSW joins untold numbers of events being postponed or canceled around the world, with travel, air transport, hospitality, retail sales and global supply chains all hit.
The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development warned on Monday that the outbreak is seen plunging the world economy into its worst downturn since the global financial crisis.
(REUTERS)
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france24--2020-03-02--OECD lowers global growth forecast by 0.5% over coronavirus, lowest since 2008 crisis

File photo of the OECD logo outside its headquarters in Paris .
The OECD lowered its global GDP forecast by half a percentage point over coronavirus fears on Monday to 2.4 percent , the lowest since the 2008 financial crisis , as Italy said it had surpassed 50 deaths while the US toll reached six and France reported a third fatality .
The coronavirus outbreak will have a major impact on economic growth worldwide this year , the OECD warned Monday as it lowered its global GDP forecast by half a percentage point to 2.4 percent , the lowest rate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ forecast assumes the virus outbreak fades this year , but a more severe outbreak `` would weaken prospects considerably '' , the group of free-market economies said .
Already the global economy risks an outright contraction in the first quarter , the OECD said , in its first comprehensive study of the impact on the world 's major economies .
In China , where the virus dubbed COVID-19 emerged in December , annual GDP growth is expected to reach just 4.9 percent , a 0.8 point drop from the OECD 's original growth @ @ @ @ @ @ @ contractions in China are being felt around the world , '' the 36-member Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development said , as the outbreak continues to batter production , trade , tourism and business travel .
Efforts to contain the virus in China have entailed quarantines and work and travel restrictions that caused delays in restarting factories after the Lunar New Year holiday , as well as sharp cutbacks in service sector activities .
A virtual cessation of outbound tourism from China represented `` a sizeable near-term adverse demand shock , '' the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ been infected in over 60 countries , and more than 3,000 people have been killed as governments scramble to keep the outbreak from spiralling into a pandemic .

The OECD lowered its global GDP forecast by half a percentage point over coronavirus fears on Monday to 2.4 percent, the lowest since the 2008 financial crisis, as Italy said it had surpassed 50 deaths while the US toll reached six and France reported a third fatality.
File photo of the OECD logo outside its headquarters in Paris.
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The coronavirus outbreak will have a major impact on economic growth worldwide this year, the OECD warned Monday as it lowered its global GDP forecast by half a percentage point to 2.4 percent, the lowest rate since the 2008-09 financial crisis.
That forecast assumes the virus outbreak fades this year, but a more severe outbreak "would weaken prospects considerably", the group of free-market economies said.
Already the global economy risks an outright contraction in the first quarter, the OECD said, in its first comprehensive study of the impact on the world's major economies.
In China, where the virus dubbed COVID-19 emerged in December, annual GDP growth is expected to reach just 4.9 percent, a 0.8 point drop from the OECD's original growth forecasts announced last November.
"Output contractions in China are being felt around the world," the 36-member Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development said, as the outbreak continues to batter production, trade, tourism and business travel.
Efforts to contain the virus in China have entailed quarantines and work and travel restrictions that caused delays in restarting factories after the Lunar New Year holiday, as well as sharp cutbacks in service sector activities.
A virtual cessation of outbound tourism from China represented "a sizeable near-term adverse demand shock," the OECD added.
Nearly 90,000 people have been infected in over 60 countries, and more than 3,000 people have been killed as governments scramble to keep the outbreak from spiralling into a pandemic.
(AFP)
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france24--2020-03-02--Syrian migrant killed as thousands try to cross into Greece, Turkish authorities say

Migrants wait to cross the border from Turkey into Greece near the town of Kastanies on March 2 , 2020 .
A Syrian migrant seeking to cross from Turkey into Greece died after Greek security forces intervened to prevent the passage of migrants gathered on the border , Turkish security sources said Monday .
A Greek government spokesman denied the report , calling it Turkish propaganda .
The incident occurred after the Turkish government opened its border last week to let migrants reach Europe .
There was no immediate comment from Greek officials .
More than 10,000 migrants have attempted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , where guards from both sides have fired tear gas into crowds caught between the fences in no-man 's land .
At least 1,000 more have reached Greece 's Eastern Aegean islands by boat since Sunday morning , Greek police say .
Earlier on Monday , a child died after being pulled from the sea when a boat capsized off the Greek island of Lesbos , in the first confirmed fatality since Turkey opened its border .
Turkey , which is home to 3.7 million Syrian refugees and has another million on its @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , said last week it would stop enforcing a 2016 agreement that had prevented migrants from reaching the EU .
Greek officials accused Turkey of orchestrating a coordinated effort to drive migrants across the frontier .
`` This movement is guided and encouraged by Turkey , '' government spokesman Stelios Petsas told reporters after a national security meeting in Athens .
He called the surge of migrants at the border `` an active , serious , severe and asymmetrical threat to the national security of the country '' .
Turkey 's announcement last @ @ @ @ @ @ @ halted Western Europe 's biggest wave of migration since World War Two .
Some 4,000 people drowned in Aegean and more than a million reached Greece at the height of the crisis between 2015 and 2016 .
The Greek coast guard said the boat which capsized off Lesbos on Monday morning had been escorted there by a Turkish vessel .
Forty-six people were rescued and two children taken to hospital , one of whom could not be revived .
Another dinghy with about 30 Afghans arrived on Lesbos early in the morning , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Thirty-two others were rescued in the seas off Farmakonissi , a small island close to Turkey , the coast guard said .
`` This is an invasion , '' Development Minister Adonis Georgiadis told Skai TV on Monday .
Late on Sunday , Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis tweeted that Greece was determined to protect its borders and warned migrants not to attempt to cross as security was increased to the maximum .
He is expected to visit the border on Tuesday with Charles Michel , chairman of EU leadership summits .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ full support ” for Greece in a tweet on Sunday , saying France was “ ready to contribute to European efforts to lend assistance [ to Greece ] and protect the borders ” .
Under a 2016 EU agreement with Turkey , Ankara agreed to stop migrants from crossing into the EU and accept most of them back if they did cross , effectively ending a crisis which toppled several EU governments and fuelled the rise of the far right .
In return , the EU offered funds .
But Turkey says the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wave of Syrian refugees on its southern border , driven there by an escalation of fighting since December .
Last week , at least 33 Turkish troops sent to Syria to monitor a crumbling ceasefire were killed in the Turkish army 's worst attack in nearly 30 years .
The 2016 agreement halted most crossings between Greece and Turkey , although there are more than 40,000 migrants on the Aegean islands in severely overcrowded camps .
On Monday , a spokesman for German Chancellor Angela Merkel said the 2016 migrant deal between Turkey @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and should be adhered to .
`` We are convinced about the value of the agreement and we expect it to be upheld , '' Steffen Seibert told reporters in Berlin .
The EU 's chief executive , Ursula von der Leyen , expressed sympathy with Turkey over the conflict in Syria but said it was not possible for Ankara to let refugees and migrants on its territory cross into Europe .
`` I acknowledge that Turkey is in a difficult situation with regards to the refugees and the migrants .
But what @ @ @ @ @ @ @ answer or solution , '' she told a news conference .

A Syrian migrant seeking to cross from Turkey into Greece died after Greek security forces intervened to prevent the passage of migrants gathered on the border, Turkish security sources said Monday. A Greek government spokesman denied the report, calling it Turkish propaganda.
Migrants wait to cross the border from Turkey into Greece near the town of Kastanies on March 2, 2020.
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The incident occurred after the Turkish government opened its border last week to let migrants reach Europe. There was no immediate comment from Greek officials.
More than 10,000 migrants have attempted to cross by land at the border, where guards from both sides have fired tear gas into crowds caught between the fences in no-man's land. At least 1,000 more have reached Greece's Eastern Aegean islands by boat since Sunday morning, Greek police say.
Earlier on Monday, a child died after being pulled from the sea when a boat capsized off the Greek island of Lesbos, in the first confirmed fatality since Turkey opened its border.
Turkey, which is home to 3.7 million Syrian refugees and has another million on its doorstep from a new surge of fighting, said last week it would stop enforcing a 2016 agreement that had prevented migrants from reaching the EU.
Greek officials accused Turkey of orchestrating a coordinated effort to drive migrants across the frontier.
"This movement is guided and encouraged by Turkey," government spokesman Stelios Petsas told reporters after a national security meeting in Athens. He called the surge of migrants at the border "an active, serious, severe and asymmetrical threat to the national security of the country".
Turkey's announcement last week threatens to reverse an agreement that halted Western Europe's biggest wave of migration since World War Two. Some 4,000 people drowned in Aegean and more than a million reached Greece at the height of the crisis between 2015 and 2016.
The Greek coast guard said the boat which capsized off Lesbos on Monday morning had been escorted there by a Turkish vessel. Forty-six people were rescued and two children taken to hospital, one of whom could not be revived.
Another dinghy with about 30 Afghans arrived on Lesbos early in the morning, a Reuters journalist reported from the island. Thirty-two others were rescued in the seas off Farmakonissi, a small island close to Turkey, the coast guard said.
"This is an invasion," Development Minister Adonis Georgiadis told Skai TV on Monday.
02:06
Late on Sunday, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis tweeted that Greece was determined to protect its borders and warned migrants not to attempt to cross as security was increased to the maximum. He is expected to visit the border on Tuesday with Charles Michel, chairman of EU leadership summits.
French President Emmanuel Macron voiced his “full support” for Greece in a tweet on Sunday, saying France was “ready to contribute to European efforts to lend assistance [to Greece] and protect the borders”.
Under a 2016 EU agreement with Turkey, Ankara agreed to stop migrants from crossing into the EU and accept most of them back if they did cross, effectively ending a crisis which toppled several EU governments and fuelled the rise of the far right.
In return, the EU offered funds. But Turkey says the arrangement is in jeopardy with a new wave of Syrian refugees on its southern border, driven there by an escalation of fighting since December. Last week, at least 33 Turkish troops sent to Syria to monitor a crumbling ceasefire were killed in the Turkish army's worst attack in nearly 30 years.
The 2016 agreement halted most crossings between Greece and Turkey, although there are more than 40,000 migrants on the Aegean islands in severely overcrowded camps.
On Monday, a spokesman for German Chancellor Angela Merkel said the 2016 migrant deal between Turkey and the EU was still in place and should be adhered to.
"We are convinced about the value of the agreement and we expect it to be upheld," Steffen Seibert told reporters in Berlin.
The EU's chief executive, Ursula von der Leyen, expressed sympathy with Turkey over the conflict in Syria but said it was not possible for Ankara to let refugees and migrants on its territory cross into Europe.
"I acknowledge that Turkey is in a difficult situation with regards to the refugees and the migrants. But what we see now cannot be an answer or solution," she told a news conference.
(FRANCE 24 with REUTERS)
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france24--2020-03-02--Taliban reject talks until 5,000 prisoners released in accordance with US deal

Afghan Taliban militants and villagers attend a gathering in Alingar district of Laghman Province , Afghanistan on March 2 , 2020 .
The Taliban will not take part in intra-Afghan talks until 5,000 of their prisoners are released in accordance with a deal struck with Washington , a spokesman said on Monday , with the militants also warning of new attacks on Afghan forces as a partial truce agreement expired .
Under an accord between the United States and the Islamist Taliban signed on Saturday , the two sides are committed to working towards the release of combat and political @ @ @ @ @ @ @ agreement calls for up to 5,000 jailed Taliban prisoners to be released in exchange for up to 1,000 Afghan government captives by March 10 .
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani , not involved in the talks , has rejected that demand .
“ We are fully ready for the intra-Afghan talks , but we are waiting for the release of our 5,000 prisoners , ” Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid told Reuters by phone .
“ If our 5,000 prisoners – 100 or 200 more or less does not matter – do not get released @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The United States has said it hopes negotiations towards a permanent political settlement and ceasefire can start in the coming days , but Western diplomats and analysts see stark challenges ahead .
Ghani said on Sunday that US President Donald Trump had not asked for the release of the prisoners and that the issue of prisoner releases should be discussed as part of a comprehensive peace deal .
“ The Afghan government has not made any commitment to release 5,000 Taliban prisoners before the start of any potential negotiation , ” Sediq Sediqqi @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in response to the Taliban ’ s statements on Monday .
He added that the prisoner release “ can not be a requisite for talks ” , and instead should be part of the negotiations .
A joint statement from the United States and the Afghan government says that the government would take part in discussions on the “ feasibility of releasing significant numbers of prisoners on both sides ” but does not mention the specific number or timeframe .
Zabihullah said the majority of prisoners on the list of 5,000 had been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Afghan government prisons and that they had prioritised sick and older prisoners .
'People are enjoying the reduction in violence' US-led forces ousted the hardline militants from power in 2001 .
Zabihullah said that an agreement of a reduction in violence in the seven days leading up to Saturday ’ s pact in Doha had formally ended .
“ As we are receiving reports that people are enjoying the reduction in violence , we don ’ t want to spoil their happiness , but it does not mean that we will not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the level that we were before , ” he said .
“ It could be any time , it could be after an hour , tonight , tomorrow or the day after.
” The Afghan war has been in stalemate for more than 18 years , with Taliban forces controlling or contesting more territory yet unable to capture and hold major urban centres .
Under the agreement , the United States is committed to reducing the number of its troops in Afghanistan from 13,000 to 8,600 within 135 days of signing .
It @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to proportionally reduce the number of coalition forces in Afghanistan over that period , if the Taliban adhere to their security guarantees and ceasefire .
A full withdrawal of all US and coalition forces would occur within 14 months , a joint statement said .
The withdrawal depends on security guarantees by the Taliban .

The Taliban will not take part in intra-Afghan talks until 5,000 of their prisoners are released in accordance with a deal struck with Washington, a spokesman said on Monday, with the militants also warning of new attacks on Afghan forces as a partial truce agreement expired.
Afghan Taliban militants and villagers attend a gathering in Alingar district of Laghman Province, Afghanistan on March 2, 2020.
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Under an accord between the United States and the Islamist Taliban signed on Saturday, the two sides are committed to working towards the release of combat and political prisoners as a confidence-building measure.
The agreement calls for up to 5,000 jailed Taliban prisoners to be released in exchange for up to 1,000 Afghan government captives by March 10.
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, not involved in the talks, has rejected that demand.
“We are fully ready for the intra-Afghan talks, but we are waiting for the release of our 5,000 prisoners,” Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid told Reuters by phone.
“If our 5,000 prisoners – 100 or 200 more or less does not matter – do not get released there will be no intra-Afghan talks.”
The United States has said it hopes negotiations towards a permanent political settlement and ceasefire can start in the coming days, but Western diplomats and analysts see stark challenges ahead.
Ghani said on Sunday that US President Donald Trump had not asked for the release of the prisoners and that the issue of prisoner releases should be discussed as part of a comprehensive peace deal.
“The Afghan government has not made any commitment to release 5,000 Taliban prisoners before the start of any potential negotiation,” Sediq Sediqqi, a spokesman for Ghani, said in response to the Taliban’s statements on Monday.
He added that the prisoner release “cannot be a requisite for talks”, and instead should be part of the negotiations.
A joint statement from the United States and the Afghan government says that the government would take part in discussions on the “feasibility of releasing significant numbers of prisoners on both sides” but does not mention the specific number or timeframe.
Zabihullah said the majority of prisoners on the list of 5,000 had been captured by American forces and were held in Afghan government prisons and that they had prioritised sick and older prisoners.
'People are enjoying the reduction in violence'
US-led forces ousted the hardline militants from power in 2001.
Zabihullah said that an agreement of a reduction in violence in the seven days leading up to Saturday’s pact in Doha had formally ended.
“As we are receiving reports that people are enjoying the reduction in violence, we don’t want to spoil their happiness, but it does not mean that we will not take our normal military activities back to the level that we were before,” he said.
“It could be any time, it could be after an hour, tonight, tomorrow or the day after.”
The Afghan war has been in stalemate for more than 18 years, with Taliban forces controlling or contesting more territory yet unable to capture and hold major urban centres.
Under the agreement, the United States is committed to reducing the number of its troops in Afghanistan from 13,000 to 8,600 within 135 days of signing.
It also is committed to work with allies to proportionally reduce the number of coalition forces in Afghanistan over that period, if the Taliban adhere to their security guarantees and ceasefire.
A full withdrawal of all US and coalition forces would occur within 14 months, a joint statement said. The withdrawal depends on security guarantees by the Taliban.
(FRANCE 24 with REUTERS)
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