Hello and welcome to world news today. The United States and the taliban have signed an historic agreement which could see thousands of american troops withdraw from afghanistan in the next fourteen months. As part of the deal, signed in qatar, the taliban must begin peace talks with the Afghan Government and break with alqaeda. Our chief International Correspondent lyse doucet reports. Sworn enemies shake hands on a deal, a First Step Towards ending americas longest war. A glimpse of hope that afghanistan can finally move towards peace. But, today, the uss top diplomat warns it all depends on the taliban. First, keep your promises to cut ties with alqaeda and other terrorists. Keep up the fight to defeat isis. Welcome the profound relief of all afghan citizens, men and women, urban and rural, as a result of this past weeks massive reduction in violence and dedicate yourselves to continued reductions. History has been made in this moment. This is not a peace deal but it is a significant step forward. And for all the uncertainty and scepticism, afghans know this is their best chance to move towards peace in a very long time. For now, taliban are celebrating this moment on the world stage. Their message, we won the war and their confident step worries afghans who question their commitment to peace. We will Work Together to make afghanistan, stable afghanistan, peaceful afghanistan and to make more for ourselves. The taliban, which i understand, they are not interested in continuing fighting in afghanistan. In the afghan capital, kabul, under grey skies, the us also sent a message to the Afghan Government and people that their troops wont leave in haste and leave afghans on their own just yet. Lyse doucet, bbc news, doha. At a press conference a short while ago, President Trump said he hopes the agreement will mark the beginning of the end of afg hanistans longest war. In afghanistan 19 years going on 20 years, and there has not been a moment like this. We have had very successful negotiations we think they will be successful in the end. The other side is tired of war, everybody is tired of war. That has been particularly long and recent one. I congratulate president there and the people of afghanistan. I want to remember all of the people, all of the great, great men and women that have lost their lives in the warm. In the war. And to their parents, wives, husbands, families, brothers, and sisters. Michael kugelman is Deputy Director of the asia program at the Woodrow Wilson center in washington. He joins us now via webcam. Michael thank you so much for your time. Is this a plant might . Absolutely, as he said before this is the closest afghanistan has been of launching a formal peace process. So many false starts, unsuccessful effo rts so many false starts, unsuccessful efforts to launch sometime in the process to bring out a deal between you and taiwan, resulting in opportunity, to launch a formal peace process. At that has not happened until now. I think you this isa happened until now. I think you this is a milestone agreement. Imperfect, but historic and significant and certainly a milestone. He has been a i9 certainly a milestone. He has been a 19 year warm since he first went into thousand and one. Is this an acknowledgement by the us that it is lost . I do not think so i think the key you suggested objective is to say it is very different from a surrender. Plenty of people and stands think that this means the us effort is done. No more interest in staying there. Let it be an afghan data networking is out. It is important for the secretary of state pompeo with the us remaining committed to working with afghanistan, to be involved in this dialogue that is expected to start. Also the key aspect of the scale, is that us troops all United States cannot will be afghanistan in 14 months only if you are to uphold their candidates and agreements. The message is the us is not going to abandon afghanistan and afghan people. You talk about the too deep into uphold its commitments. Do you think that the number well because that will receive his troop withdrawal . This is the big question. But i think that they us is looking for from the taliban, is to centre all of its ties with international territories. The agreement lays out specifically what deal and not providing space, shelter, or space to terror groups. The question as it is not laid out in the agreement. How do you enforce and monitor, monitor and in the agreement. How do you enforce and monitor, monitorand post mechanisms to ensure that team is indeed cutting off all ties . I think is what many people want to know. Reportedly there are some secret aspects that had not been made public yet. Maybe they had been out there. That is the biggest question, how will these efforts on the part of the material to cut off ties with terrorists to be monitored . That is the key question. The deal that many questions remain. Thank you so much for your time. More countries have announced measures aimed at trying to hold back the tide of coronavirus cases. More countries have announced measures aimed at trying to hold back the tide of coronavirus cases. France has announced a ban on indoor gatherings of more than 5000 people, while italy has extended its closure of schools and universities. Health officials in Washington State have reported the first death from the coronavirus in the us. At a press conference earlier, President Trump said additional cases were likely, but Healthy People should not be badly affected. More countries have announced measures aimed at trying to hold opposition on that decision was a wise one and slowed the spread of the virus to the United States. It really gave us time to do some of the critical moves that we have done. We had taken the most aggressive actions to confront the coronavirus. They are the most aggressive taken by any country. Vice president mike pence, whos leading the administrations repsonse to coronavirus, outlined some new travel restrictions. We will be using section 212f and banning travel from iran. Iran is also under and a travel ban, but we are expanding existing travel restrictions to include any Foreign National who has visited iran within the last 14 days. In addition to moving iran, we are going to increase to the highest level advisory, which is level four, advising americans do not travel to specific regions in italy and south korea. I can talk now to Laurie Garrett in new york. Laurie is a the Pulitzer Prize winning author of, the coming plague newly emerging diseases in a world out of balance. She is also a columnist for Foreign Policy magazine. Thank you so much for your time. First about looking at big us response, since we havejust first about looking at big us response, since we have just heard from the president , and others. Do you think they are taking the right approach . Think this is the risk that we are still bringing a travel restriction things like that i was heartened by be very sober and careful nature todays press conference. A stark difference compared to earlier this week and to the president s prior statement appeared to be a hoax. From his political opponents. The problem is that we hadnt done any real testing in america. 0nly a50 people have had a coronavirus test since december and the United States. We did not have a basis for saying how widespread it may or may of country. Countries are facing. 0ther countries are suffering a lot more at the moment. Italy and south korea, of course china as well. Youve read about apocalyptic pandemics, and there have been reports about the sorts of circumstances. As coronavirus went up circumstances. As coronavirus went up and . I think it has that potential. 0ne up and . I think it has that potential. One group at Hong Kong University that is particularly good at modelling and forecasting epidemic says this will affect up to 65 of all humans on earth before the virus somehow buys out on National Immunity arises. I hope they are wrong, i noticed a desiccator has been on bbc, and know that you have heard about this before. There is no endgame insight when you say that it stops. There is not that they know that this particular imagine emergence of november 19. Its hard to protect where it is going. Some have tried to say that it will die out with warmer temperature. It is now all over the entire world, i felt warm temperature on one side and called on the other, they highlight the year is just depressed. On the other, they highlight the year isjust depressed. Briefly, what are governments doing wrong . What can they be better . Almost every government is reacting and taking an aggressive stance after already human to human transmission in communities inside the country. It is too late. You need to mobilise now. Get maybe now. It is coming. Thank you so much for your time. President erdogan of turkey says he has opened the door for refugees to travel to europe from turkey, as his country could no longer handle new waves of people fleeing syria. The decision has led to a rise in migrants and refugees trying to cross into greece. Greek police have fired teargas at crowds near its border with turkey. 0ur correspondent 0rla guerin is in greece on the kastanies border crossing. Greek Border Police are in position here with riot shields. They have been holding the line, preventing anyone from getting through. We are basically in no mans land here between greece and turkey. The crowd has been building in the last few hours from hundreds to more than a thousand. We have met iranians, afghans, syrians. There are many families here, many people with young children. There are women with babes in arms. The smell of tear gas is still heading in the air. People have been telling us there have been volley after volley today from the greek side, trying to keep the crowd back. People say they have no water, they have no food. Many slept outside overnight in the biting cold, exposed to the elements. We have seen them building fires today to keep warm. President erdogan engineered this situation. He wants to create pressure on europe, and the message from the turkish leader is there could be many more refugees to come. For the past few years, turkey has been sheltering almost a million syrians, and that is a huge burden for any economy, but the people here are also being used as leverage. They are being used as bargaining chips. With the opening of turkeys sea border, migrants have also been braving the perilous crossing across the mediterranean sea. Inflatable boats carrying people trying to reach europe have continued to arrive on the greek island of lesbos, the scene of recent clashes between locals and police over the construction of new migrant camps. Stay with us on bbc world news, still to come. Expecting at downing street, british Prime Minister borisjohnson and his partner Carrie Symonds announce they re having their first child together. This is bbc world news today. The latest headlines. The United States and the taliban have signed a historic agreement in doha which may eventually lead to the withdrawal of american troops from afghanistan. The us has recorded its first death from the coronavirus. Donald trump told a News ConferenceEverything Possible was being done and said there was no reason to panic. To the democratic race to take on donald trump in the 2020 election. Former Vice President joe biden has a lot riding on the critical primary in South Carolina. In order to stay competitive in this race he is counting on a resounding win, and particularly among the significant number of African American voters. Barbara plett usher reports from South Carolina. This is biden country, South Carolina. The Southern State he cant afford to lose. That is my neighbour. His loyal supporters are working overtime to make sure he wins. Bernice scott and her reckoning crew trustjoe biden. You all are supposed to walk with some pep. His history with barack 0bama carries weight with them and other African Americans, the critical vote he needs here to stay in the race. Hi, this is bernice scott, your neighbour. They think he is the best man to beat donald trump. We need everybody out forjoe biden. This country needs someone who knows whats going on. He knows where the bones are buried. I think that if we do not elect someone like joe biden, its going to be a lot more trouble than we think. Mr biden is getting a warm South Carolina embrace, but he has been the one in trouble. He has struggled for most of his campaign, outspent by his rivals, undone by his rambling rhetoric. The primary has become a make or break moment for him, so this was significant. I knowjoe. We knowjoe, but most importantly, joe knows us. An endorsement from the states godfather of democratic politics. But will the backing of the establishment be enough . 0ne ofjoe bidens serious challenges comes from bernie sanders, the left wing frontrunner. He has been packing venues and attracting black voters who think mr biden is no longer the man for the times. Ijust feel like bernie is someone who will actually put a change into the country instead of somebody here isjust going to go with anything that is happening in trends. He has always been on the same topics, and that is why i like bernie more than biden personally. Do you think bernie can do well in biden country . I think so. I think he stands his own. I think he can stand by his own, so yeah, i think so. I think a lot more people are on his side in this area than you think. Really . Especially younger people. Especially what . Especially younger people, yeah. Bernie beats trump. Bernie sanders is looking for a big boost in South Carolina. He is getting a lot of love at this rally, butjoe biden has had a big bounce back in the polls this week. He will need to win here to help him score victories on super tuesday, and he will need to win big if he is going to emerge as the moderate candidate to take on bernie sanders. British Prime Minister borisjohnson and his girlfriend Carrie Symonds are expecting their first child together. In a post on Carrie Symonds private instagram account, she wrote many of you already know but for my friends that still dont, we got engaged at the end of last year. And weve got a baby hatching early summer. Feel incredibly blessed. 0ur political correspondent, iain watson, has more details. For tonight, some good news for the Prime Minister to announce. He is going to become a father again, this time with Carrie Symonds. What had happened was his divorce to his second wife, marina wheeler, came through just last week, and now he is able to announce the couple are to be engaged. He was the first Prime Minister to have a partner in downing street who was unmarried, so now it looks as though they will get married, and if they do, i am told he will be the first Prime Minister to marry in office since 1769, for 250 years. In that occasion, it was earl of grafton who got divorced and then remarried and who had a very colourful private life. So the baby is expected in the summer, and it was interesting, i think, at westminster, there were rumours swirling in recent days and weeks because Carrie Symonds is a very well known environmental campaigner in her own right. She has also been a former conservative party staffer, and she hadnt been seen much very recently. The Prime Minister hadnt been making many foreign trips, so people assumed something may be on its way. She then appointed her own pr adviser so so we assumed there may be more of an interest in her role in coming weeks, and we now have the official confirmation. So they will have their baby this summer, and they have at least got plans to get married in the future. Holly has all the sport. Liverpools aa game unbeaten run in the English Premier League is over after being beaten 3 0 by watford. Its victory which moves Nigel Pearsons side out of the bottom three. But for the leaders, its their first league defeat since january last year. If you win either had the right manner. If you like a man. That is what we do like an ant. It is that we get to it. It is exceptionally average, so it is probably one entity that we have to accept that entity that we have to accept norm. And carry on. And carry on. Lazio went top of the serie a table for the first time in almost a decade thanks to victory over bologna. They beat them 2 0 earlier. Moving to the summit, helped by the factjuventus game against inter milan on sunday has been postponed because of coronavirus. Napoli are leading torino i 0. In germanys bundesliga, leaders Bayern Munich won 6 0 away at hoffenheim, and are four points clear at the top of the table but the game wasnt without incident. Deep into the second half, play had to be suspended for a while because some Bayern Munich fans held up an offensive banner about the hoffenheim owner, dietmar hopp. The bayern players and staff appealed to their own supporters to put it away. When play eventually restarted, both sides simply passed the ball to each other for the last quarter of an hour with neither trying to score, in response to what the fans had done. And in spains top flight, just one game ongoing, thats between granada and celta vigo, itc currently goaless. For all todays results head over the bbc sport website. There are some potential rule changes in football after a meeting of the sports law makers earlier. They discussed a number of issues including handball and var but perhaps most significantly, the introduction of substutues if a player appears to be concussed. Which could be implemented by this summers 0lympics. It gives an additional opportunity because of the health of course at the players is crucial. If there is any doubt, if there is any doubt you have to keep the player out in order for the coach and team to have one additional possibility and not to think i might have another player injured, because of the intensity of the game. He knows that there is additional substitution. He knows that there is additional substitution. World number one Novak Djokovic has won the dubai tennis championship for a fifth time. The serbian beat 2nd seed Stefanos Tsitsipas of greece in straight sets. It also extends djokovics winning run to 21 consecutive matches. World number two rafa nadal could win his third mexico 0pen title later, he faces the American Taylor fritz in acauplco and at the womens t20 world cup in australia, india secured top spot in group a after beating sri lanka. Sri lanka batted first, making just 113 for 9 with captain Chamari Atapattu making 33. Indias teenge opener Shafali Verma smashed a7 off 3a balls in reply as they sealed a comfortable seven wicket victory. Thats all the sport for now. Thank you. Imagine only having a birthday every four years. Well, on the 29th of february, about 5 Million People around the world celebrate their once every four years real birthday. The bbc spoke to so called leaplings all around the world. This year, well be celebrating jacobs very first birthday. This year, i get to celebrate my ninth birthday. I will be turning six this year. These people are part of a very exclusive group. They are called leaplings or leapers, and there are around 5 million of them in the world. I am turning with 12 this year. I am turning ten. 13 this coming leap day. Almost the big 10. It is my second official birthday. Being born on february 29 is rare. It is a one in ia6i chance. If you like statistics, well, you are more likely to be born with 11 fingers than be born a leapling. It is a magical day to be born. The best day. A lot of the time, people think my id is fake. The bouncers wouldnt let me in because there was no 29th of feb that year. Nobody knows how to do math. Tell them how many leap year birthdays it is, what your real ages. My 11 and my 14 year old daughter are officially older than me. They love that. They make fun and jokes like calling me big baby. In spanish. I wasnt allowed to date any boys until i was 16 in leap years. When i get there, watch out, guys. And beat the robins family in bristol. The bbc spoke to so called leaplings all around the world. Good evening we had some significant rain isa good evening we had some significant rain is a link to into saturday. The main rain cleared away through the Morning Hours but left in its wake lots of showers and longer sales of rain in the north. Wrapped around his deep area of low pressure which is storm jorge. Strong winds to come out the message this evening and overnight. Strong brands not debating until tomorrow afternoon andi debating until tomorrow afternoon and i know it. Many parts of the night pixie dust on wednesday 50 or 60 mph when exposed part saying even higher. Having problems for transport to rush this option. Wind speeds best that we are expecting as well as that you can see the band as schama remains stretching from Northern Ireland through much of northern england, north wales as well. Spacing vaginally and gradually into southern scotland. The following smell of the hills. It is like a blizzard if you are out and about. They will tend to ease just a little bit, but all of the cloud, chalets and way in preventing the response from those areas. The rain continues to be northern isles. That is how we start sunday. A line of wet weather across Northern Ireland. Scotland throughout the day. Northern scotland becoming drierfor day. Northern scotland becoming drier for 0rkney day. Northern scotland becoming drierfor 0rkney but day. Northern scotland becoming drier for 0rkney but saying quite wet the way. So the sunshine we see fewer showers sailed blustery with legs even planted the course on sunday. Guess they particularly in the north but not be accepted 60 or 70 that we will see through the evening overnight and first on sunday morning. As a result of this wednesday it stealthy field shortly. Question on how far into how much rain to come up from the bottom. Pushing much older than i, widespread fraud then backs for ice risk. He could see some snow. I think lazily on monday morning rush hour, that is certainly one to watch. It doesnt look like it will turn out to be not much but it could bea turn out to be not much but it could be a little low visibility and slippery. Sunshine and shallow most of us. A story for the week i had, nothing exceptionally warm. Cherry for the first week of march. Night time frost and some showers around. Better, more online. This is bbc world news, the headlines. The United States and the taliban have signed a Historic Deal that may lead to the complete withdrawal of us troops from afghanistan. The us secretary of state said serious work and sacrifice was required to build a lasting peace. The us has reported its first death from the coronavirus. President donald trump said more cases were likely but added the country was prepared for any circumstance and there was no reason to panic. The un said some 13,000 migrants have gathered along the turkish greek border after turkeys president threatened to allow some of the many refugees in the country cross into europe. Earlier, police fired tear gas to try to deter them. Borisjohnson and Carrie Symonds announce they re engaged