Davide Frattesi fired Inter Milan one step closer to the Serie A title with his last-gasp winner in Monday's comeback 2-1 victory at struggling Udinese. Italy midfielder Frattesi poked home the decisive goal in the fifth minute of stoppage time in Udine to maintain Inter's 14-point lead at the top of the table with seven matches left in the season. Inter looked to be heading for a draw as they toiled to add to Hakan Calhanoglu's penalty, scored nine minutes after half-time, which levelled Lazar Samardzic's freak deflected opener for Udinese. "We absolutely don't think we've won it yet. We have other matches to play and we need to go out and get it," said Frattesi to Sky Sport. "I'm really happy, it's a really big win towards we need to do. You can't win every match 4-0, it's important that you also manage to win the tough matches." AC Milan are Inter's closest challengers and Monday's win ensured that the champions-elect could seal their 20th Scudetto in a hotly-anticipated derby with their local rivals in a fortnight's time. Claiming the league crown with a sixth straight derby win would be some revenge for Calhanoglu who is detested by Milan supporters after switching sides of the northern Italian city three years ago. "In all honesty I don't like talking about the other side from where I came," said Calhanoglu. "I respect them and I have a good relationship with the players. What happened in my first year here is history. "I'm concentrated on my teammates because they're fantastic... That's what matters." Udinese meanwhile are in a desperate fight for survival as they are two points above the relegation zone and have to face Napoli, Roma and Bologna before the end of the season. Inter near glory  Inter are not playing with the same flair as they did before being knocked out of the Champions League by Atletico Madrid but they gritted their teeth to come from behind at the Bluenergy Stadium. Simone Inzaghi's side not only have the chance to win the title in the Milan derby but can also beat the single-season points record of 102 set by Juventus in 2014. On 82 points, Inter need to win all of their remaining seven matches to take their total for this campaign to 103. Samardzic's goal came towards the end of a first half in which Inter went close to scoring three times only to be denied by super saves from Maduka Okoye. Nigeria goalkeeper Okoye twice denied Calhanoglu from opening the scoring with fine efforts from distance before Samardzic gave the hosts a shock lead. And Okoye pulled off another stunning stop two minutes after his team went ahead, stretching to his left to keep out Lautaro Martinez's thumping goal-bound header. Inter were further frustrated again right after the break when Carlos Augusto's close-range finish was ruled out for offside but not long afterwards Okoye was penalised for crashing into Marcus Thuram and gave away the spot-kick from which Calhanoglu levelled. The away side dominated the ball but barely threatened until deep into added time, when Frattesi struck the killer blow. Frattesi was in the right place at the right time after Lautaro Martinez's rasping shot was pushed onto the post by Okoye, forcing home his seventh and most important goal of the season.

Analysts say local elections this Sunday are crucial for Turkey's opposition parties, which are under threat of being utterly sidelined by an increasingly authoritarian regime. As millions of eligible voters headed to the polls to elect mayors in 81 Turkish cities and municipalities on March 31, it is a historic local election for one person in particular: President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who has spoken of his "last election" before handing over responsibility to the next generation. Turkey's constitution obliges Erdogan to step down in four years due to term limits. But an Erdogan loyalist in the Turkish parliament, former Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag, has long teased a constitutional amendment that would allow the head of state to run for another term. And the president's ultranationalist ally Devlet Bahceli has publicly pleaded with Erdogan, telling him: "You cannot leave the Turkish nation alone!" Erdogan's AKP takes on Ekrem Imamoglu Erdogan's political career gained momentum when he was elected mayor of Istanbul in 1994. But it was there, too, that the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) suffered a major defeat in 2019 local elections. This year, it hopes to erase that embarrassment. A few weeks ago, Erdogan spoke of "five wasted years." In 2019, a united opposition achieved a historic victory after 25 years and succeeded in taking back 11 cities, including Istanbul and the Turkish capital, Ankara, from the AKP. Many factors were responsible for the defeat of the ruling party, but one man in particular stood out: Ekrem Imamoglu from the Republican People's Party (CHP), who was elected mayor of Istanbul. His reelection or defeat on March 31 could determine the future of Turkey. If Imamoglu wins, his chances of running for president in 2028 will significantly increase, predicted Berk Esen, a political scientist at Istanbul's Sabanci University. "In my opinion, Imamoglu is the best possible opposition candidate if Erdogan's power machine is to be beaten," he said. Esen said Imamoglu has the necessary qualities to rally a majority. "He can win the votes of very different population groups. He has the potential to reach conservative, left-wing, Kurdish and even pro-Erdogan voters," he said. Esen also pointed out that Imamoglu was positioning himself as a direct rival to the president on the campaign trail. "Imamoglu is using these elections to attack Erdogan directly," he said. In Istanbul, AKP may benefit from divided opposition But it won't be easy for the anti-AKP camp this Sunday. According to a survey by the Turkish ORC research institute, there are only 1.2 percentage points between Imamoglu and AKP candidate Murat Kurum in Istanbul. The job of Istanbul mayor is of paramount importance for the country as a whole: one-fifth of the Turkish population lives in the metropolitan Istanbul region, and half of Turkey's exports as well as 56% of its imports pass through the megacity. In the 2023 presidential election, the opposition put forward a joint candidate to face Erdogan but fell short. This time, the three biggest opposition parties — the CHP, the nationalist Good Party (IYI) and the pro-Kurdish DEM — are all presenting their own candidates.  Esen explained that the united opposition front fell apart after Erdogan's victory in the 2023 presidential election, leading to a loss of trust among voters. "In view of this fragmentation and internal struggles among the opposition parties, there is a sense of hopelessness and disenchantment with politics," he said. When Erdogan was elected mayor of Istanbul in 1994, it was despite the fact that he had received only around 25% of the vote. His four opponents received 22, 20, 15 and 12%. Today, many fear his party's candidate for Istanbul, Kurum, could likewise benefit from such a divided opposition. Erdogan's opponents seem unmotivated, said Ulas Tol, director of the CORE Research Institute in Istanbul. "Until 2019, Erdogan's party ruled in the big cities and the opposition's ultimate goal was simply winning elections," he said. "Now, those who don't vote for Erdogan are either emotionally politicized to the extreme or turning away from politics altogether." Erdogan wants to 'get rid of potential 2028 rivals' These elections will show, "which direction the authoritarian system in Turkey could develop in the coming years," said political scientist Esen. "Erdogan wants to use these elections to weaken, or completely get rid of potential 2028 rivals," he said. "If he succeeds, the Turkish opposition will be even less able to compete than it is today. The situation is perhaps not comparable with Russia but with Venezuela: elections are held there regularly, but the opposition has no chance of winning. That's why this election is so important for the [Turkish] opposition."

Over 100 million people were eligible to vote, but the country is still reeling from a deadly bomb blast in Balochistan on the eve of the election. DW has the latest.   More than 128 million voters were registered  Key issues included the economic crisis, security issues and the power of the military The projected front-runner is former Premier Nawaz Sharif of the Pakistan Muslim League Former Prime Minister Imran Khan was barred from running At least 26 people were killed in a bomb blast in Balochistan on the eve of the election   Pakistan counts votes, electoral commission demands results Pakistan's vote count following their national election on Thursday was marred by delays, leading the Election Commission of Pakistan on Friday moring to order returning officers to speed up the release of results. By 3 a.m. local time (2200 GMT, Thursday), more than 10 hours after polls closed, only four provincial assembly results had been announced. The delay has been blamed on "internet problems" after the closure by authorities of internet and phone access during the day. The Interior Ministry said communications outages were "to maintain law and order" after two explosions on Wednesday by the "Islamic State" killed 28 people.  Polls predicted a low turnout from the country's 128 million eligible voters.   

Pyongyang fired another 60 artillery rounds following the more than 200 fired the day before. Tensions between north and south have been escalating for months. The North Korean military fired more than 60 rounds of artillery close to a disputed maritime border with its southern neighbor on Saturday. "North Korean forces conducted artillery fire with over 60 rounds from the northwest area of Yeonpyeong Island today between approximately 16:00 and 17:00 (0700 to 0800 GMT)," South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement. The barrage came a day after Pyongyang fired over 200 rounds of artillery in the same area. In both cases, the shells landed in a buffer zone set up between the two countries in 2018.   How did South Korea respond? Yeonpyeong and Baengyeong, which lie to the west of Seoul, have a joint population of less than 7,000 people. The islands' residents were ordered into shelters and ferries were suspended. The two consecutive days of artillery fire in the disputed region mark a further escalation on the Korean peninsula. South Korea's military said "the repeated artillery fire within the prohibited hostile act zone by North Korea poses a threat to the peace on the Korean Peninsula and escalates tensions." "In response, our military will take appropriate measures to safeguard our nation," it added. On Friday, the South Korean military responded to the artillery fire with its own rounds that were fired into the sea.   Increasing tensions Relations between Seoul and Pyongyang have reached their lowest point in decades, with the south pointing to provocations from the north. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has pushed for the testing of advanced intercontinental ballistic missiles and enshrined the country's status as a nuclear power into its constitution. The launching of a North Korean spy satellite in November also led Seoul to suspend part of a 2018 agreement that had aimed to reduce tensions. The north has also reportedly been increasing its production of missile launchers, with Kim being cited by the state news agency KCNA on Friday as saying it was necessary "given the prevailing grave situation that requires the country to be more firmly prepared for a military showdown with the enemy."    

A meeting between Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Chinese President Xi Jinping on the Apec sidelines in California last week has been dismissed by Japanese media and analysts as "pointless". It has also been suggested that Beijing pushed harder for the meeting - the first between the two leaders since November 2022 - to go ahead at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) summit because Xi had hoped to encourage more Japanese firms to do business in China to offset its weak domestic economy. In an editorial on Monday headlined "Kishida-Xi meeting did not achieve anything", the conservative Sankei Shimbun newspaper said while key issues were outlined in the 65-minute session on November 16, neither leader made any effort to move forward on "the top issues plaguing Japan-China relations". Do you have questions about the biggest topics and trends from around the world? Get the answers with SCMP Knowledge, our new platform of curated content with explainers, FAQs, analyses and infographics brought to you by our award-winning team. Jeff Kingston, director of Asian Studies at the Tokyo campus of Temple University, said he had low expectations ahead of the meeting. "The important part of the meeting was ... the optics of the two leaders meeting in person," he said. No one had "realistically expected" any joint statement on thorny issues, such as the territorial dispute over the Diaoyu Islands, known by Japan as the Senkakus, Kingston said. "There was never going to be a meeting of minds on Taiwan or freedom of navigation in the South China Sea," he added. "These things are closely choreographed, the ground rules are set well in advance, and it was the gesture of the meeting that was the important element." Yoichi Shimada, an international-relations professor at Fukui Prefectural University, said Kishida had failed to adopt a more forceful line with the Chinese leader. "Kishida said in his press conference after the meeting that he had raised all the important issues," Shimada said. "He may have raised them, but it does not appear that he pushed them very hard." The Japanese leader called on the mainland Chinese government to accept scientific evidence on the safety of treated water being released from the Fukushima nuclear power plant amid Beijing's ongoing ban on Japanese seafood, underlined the need for "peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait" and expressed concern about human rights in Xinjiang province and Hong Kong. Many Japanese had been "alarmed" at the arrest, detention and conviction of Japanese businesspeople in China in recent years but the issue was not decisively pushed at the meeting, Shimada said. In the most recent case, a Japanese businessman detained in Beijing in March had been charged with espionage, Tokyo confirmed on Sunday. The man is the 17th Japanese national to be detained since China's espionage law was first introduced in late 2014 while five other Japanese individuals are still being held pending investigations or after being sentenced to prison terms. "None of these people have been detained with proper cause and it is obvious that there is little point in Tokyo protesting any more, so the Japanese government should prepare a series of retaliatory measures or sanctions against China if Beijing still refuses to budge," he said. The dovish Kishida was a firm supporter of the "pro-peace constitution" and was "afraid of antagonising" China's Communist Party, according to Shimada. Japan's foreign ministry has also been adhering to a conciliatory approach to China and has resisted all efforts to bring pressure to bear against Beijing, he added. That has been further reinforced by US President Joe Biden taking a relatively soft line against China over the two countries' bilateral spats, he added. The Sankei Shimbun listed the top areas of concern for Japan as the "arbitrary detention of Japanese nationals", and the long-running dispute over territory in the East China Sea, most notably the sovereignty of the Japanese-controlled Diaoyu Islands. The third issue causing alarm in Tokyo is China's stepped-up military activities at sea and in the air close to Japan, including in cooperation with Russian forces, it said. Instead of progress, the Sankei Shimbun pointed out, the two leaders merely confirmed the "broad direction of building a constructive and stable Japan-China relationship". The conservative Yomiuri newspaper was also scathing of the outcome of the meeting, saying in a November 18 editorial that the summit had not "led to progress on a myriad of pending issues". It also appeared to lay the blame at Beijing's door, concluding: "Whether the Chinese government is willing to improve relations with Japan can only be determined by its specific actions from now on." In a separate article, the Yomiuri also claimed that China had called for the meeting in San Francisco and put closer economic cooperation with Japan high on its agenda. Xi was quoted as telling Kishida that a "high-level opening-up will bring unprecedented [business] opportunities to countries around the world, including Japan". The Chinese leader's "ulterior motive" is to convince the Japanese government and companies to restore trade with Chinese companies and ramp up investment across the country as one way of reversing China's slowing economy, according to the Yomiuri. The bad publicity generated by the arrest of Japanese businesspeople seems to be harming that ambition, however, with a report released on Tuesday by the Japan External Trade Organisation determining that just 27.7 per cent of Japanese firms intend to expand their operations in China in the future. Just 33 per cent of Japanese firms with operations in China in 2022 were optimistic about the Chinese economy's future direction, down from 41 per cent one year earlier, the report added. Other, more liberal Japanese media have tended to side with the position of good optics, with the centrist Mainichi stating in an editorial that "there is significance in the fact that they share a general direction" and that the meeting "should be treated as a step toward strengthening mutual understanding". Likewise, in an article headlined "Talking offers Japan, China the best hope of good rapport", the Asahi newspaper said the "face-to-face exchange of candid views made good sense". "As nations with a significant responsibility for regional stability, Japan and China must engage in continued and meaningful dialogue to explore avenues of effective and fruitful cooperation," it added. The editorial concluded with a call for more frequent direct talks between the two leaders, as well as mutual visits. Source: South China Morning Post

British foreign secretary James Cleverly said on Wednesday said that United Kingdom's police and security services are paying close attention to the attacks against Indians and assured that action against any illegal activity. "We take the security of people very seriously, our police and security services always pay close regard to such activities and if it is an illegal activity, we act upon it," Cleverly said while talking to ANI. He also made it clear to the Indians that the UK is a welcoming place for them. Pro-Khalistan groups have time and again resorted to violent protests outside the high commission of India in London. Recently, on February 18, anti-India slogans were raised outside Indian high commission in London. The Khalistani supporters not just raised Pro-Khalistani slogans but also chanted anti-India slogans outside the Indian high commission. Criticizing the Pro-Khjalistani group, former president of Andhra Pradesh Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) Vishnu Vardhan Reddy tweeted, "KhaIistanis raising anti-India-Modi slogans outside Indian high commission in London. They're still living in their fairyland they can benefit themselves with these sort of protests! They're doing harm to themselves only." Anti-India sloganeering by Khalistani supporters in London comes days after a Hindu Temple was targeted in Canada by some Khalistani elements. Meanwhile, in Delhi, in an interview with ANI, Cleverly said, "We want to see more connections with Indians and we want to strengthen the bilateral relations in the coming future." He further said that India's G20 presidency was quite exciting, it has fantastic opportunities. This is a great opportunity to talk about sustainable economic agenda and green agenda. Speaking on India-UK Free Trade Agreement (FTA), James Cleverly said that the UK does much business with India and is working extensively. He said that he would be meeting India's trade secretary to make sure this trade agreement really benefits both countries & unlocks billion of pounds of bilateral trade. British foreign secretary said that the issue of searches on BBC offices in India was raised with external affairs minister S Jaishankar during a bilateral meeting today. Cleverly brought up the issue of the BBC tax searches during his meeting with Jaishankar, sources told ANI. He was firmly told that all entities operating in India must comply fully with relevant laws and regulations," according to sources. In February this year Income Tax authorites had conducted searches at the offices of the British broadcaster in New Delhi and Mumbai. Speaking to ANI in an exclusive interview, Cleverly said that BBC is an independent organisation and is separate from the UK Government. "I didn't see the documentary but I've seen reactions in UK and India. BBC is an independent organisation and separate from government. I enjoy a strong personal relationship with Dr Jaishankar...relationship between UK-India growing stronger by the day," said Cleverly when asked about the BBC documentary on Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Speaking on the UK PM Rishi Sunak's priorities in terms of India, he said that he has launched the young professional scheme, whereby 3,000 young Indians can come to the UK, and vice-versa, to develop answers to the challenges of the future together. The living bridge, those connections are very well exemplified given the fact that the British PM is of Indian heritage.

Real Madrid beat 10-man Valencia to cut Barcelona's lead at the top of La Liga to five points. The 52nd minute, Los Blancos took the lead through a stunning left-footed strike from Marco Asensio. Brazilian forward Vinicius Jr celebrated his 200th Real appearance with his side's second goal two minutes later. Gabriel Paulista was shown a straight red card for the visitors in the 72nd minute for kicking out at Vinicius. Antonio Rudiger thought he had opened the scoring for the hosts in first-half stoppage time when he headed home from Luka Modric's cross. However, the goal was ruled out after a video assistant referee intervention for a Karim Benzema foul on Yunus Musah in the box. France forward Benzema, 35, was substituted on the hour mark and walked off the pitch holding the back of his thigh. Real travel to Liverpool on 21 February for the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie, but manager Carlo Ancelotti said Benzema's injury was "very light". Ancelotti told: "This is what happens when you play every three days and there is no time to recover." Source: BBC Sport

Chinese distant water fishing fleet (DWF) is deployed across every ocean. It is often found guilty of violating the domestic laws of the respective countries and the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), reported Investigative Journalism Reportika (IJR). It also indulges in targeting endangered species, falsifying licenses & documentation, espionage & reconnaissance activities, seizing territories, generating a lot of sea waste, and violating EEZs of other nations. Captains of Chinese DWF ships disable their transponders while engaging in illicit fishing to avoid being watched in sensitive areas. It has been observed that the automatic identification systems (AIS) aboard these ships suffer transmission pauses of at least eight hours near the EEZ of other countries. "Chinese ships disable their transponders close to EEZ of other countries to avoid being detected by the #AIS system; a practice called "marine radar evasion," tweeted Tibet Rights Collective. From 2019 to 2021, China fished in Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZs) of over 80 other countries for more than 3 million hours and spent nearly 10 million hours outside its own EEZ in the high-seas and the EEZs of other nations. China is the world's largest producer of aquaculture and captures fisheries. According to the United Nations, China consumes around 36 per cent of total global fish production and hauls in 15.2 million tonnes of marine life annually, a massive 20 per cent of the world's annual catch, reported IJR. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), China ranked top of the top ten global capture producers in 2020 from Marine sources. Having depleted fish stocks in domestic waters, including the South China Sea, the fleets of China are now traveling further afield to meet the rising demand for seafood. Beijing says its distant water fishing fleet numbers 2,500 ships, but multiple studies claim that it is more than 18,000 boats in the world's oceans, reported IJR. Just off the South China Sea, countries in Oceania are seriously concerned about Chinese fishing activities, which increased proportionally with PRC's investments in infrastructures like ports, and airports.  Between 2018 and 2019, Papua New Guinea, New Zealand, Salomon Islands, Vanuatu, Tonga, Fiji, Cook Islands, and Samoa joined the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). In 2020, Palau intercepted and detained Chinese DWF boats illegally fishing sea cucumber in its territorial waters. Australia, New Zealand, and Hawaii (under the USA) are the most developed countries in the region, and the presence of Chinese Trawlers in South Australia, Chinese Squid jiggers in New Zealand, and Long liners in Hawaii are a serious threat to their sovereignty, reported IJR. Source: ANI

The government has directed to close all madrasas (residential and non-residential) in the country including the qawmi madrasas except the orphanage. In this regard a gazette was issued by technical and madrasa education division under education ministry on Tuesday. The gazette said, Prime Minister’s Office issued gazette on March 29 regarding closure of educational institutions due to increased Covid-19 situation. Currently lockdown across the country is going on. Earlier the government decided to keep educational activities stop in all the institutions till May 22. But undermining government directions some residential and non-residential educational institutions are open which is very risky for health in this Covid-19 situation. The gazette also said, concerned are requested to close all madrasas (residential and non-residential) including the qawmi madrasas except the orphanage. No relaxation will be allowed for obeying the direction. It will be effective immediately. AH     

The head of the World Health Organization (WHO) warned nearly six months after the new coronavirus first emerged, that the Covid-19 pandemic is ‘not even close to being over.’   Speaking on the eve of the grim milestone, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on Monday called for renewed global commitment to save lives as cases surpass 10 million worldwide, with 500,000 deaths, as the virus continues to spread, reports UN News.   “We all want this to be over. We all want to get on with our lives. But the hard reality is: this is not even close to being over”, he told journalists. Although many countries have made some progress, globally the pandemic is actually speeding up, said Tedros adding that “We’re all in this together, and we’re all in this for the long haul.”   Five priorities to save lives Tedros underscored five priorities that countries must focus on now to save lives.   The five ways include- empowering people to protect themselves through physical distancing and other public health measures, but also through sharing reliable information about Covid-19. He urged the governments to continue working to suppress virus transmission, ensuring tracing and quarantining of contacts. Read This News In Bangla   The government must also prioritize early identification and clinical care, paying particular attention to high-risk groups such as the elderly and those living in long-term care facilities.   As there is still much to learn about the new coronavirus, Tedros emphasized the need for accelerated research.   Evaluate research priorities again WHO has been convening a meeting this week to assess progress and re-evaluate research priorities for the next stage of the pandemic.   Responding to a question, Tedros said the WHO plans to dispatch a team to China next week ahead of a meeting on the zoonotic source of the virus. The UN’s top health official, a former parliamentarian and Ethiopian Foreign Affairs minister, also underlined the role of political leadership during the pandemic.   “As we’ve said repeatedly, national unity and global solidarity are essential to implementing a comprehensive strategy to suppress transmission, save lives and minimize the social and economic impact of the virus”, he said.   WHO has published an updated timeline on its actions since 31 December 2019, which is when it first learned about a cluster of cases of “pneumonia of unknown cause” in Wuhan, China. That response includes educating health workers through online portals, transporting plane loads of tests and protective equipment to health workers in developing countries, and launching a “solidarity trial” to find medicines to defeat the virus.   Tedros said the UN agency will continue to serve countries with science, solidarity and solutions, repeating a phrase he has used throughout the pandemic. Source: UNB AH