![Nowruz celebrations in Kyrgyzstan Nowruz celebrations in Kyrgyzstan](https://api.time.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/nowruz1.jpg?quality=85&w=2400)
Good morning. These are today’s top stories:
Paul Manafort has Russian ties, new docs allege
Paul Manafort, who chaired President Donald Trump’s campaign early last summer, is under scrutiny after documents obtained by the Associated Press reportedly show he worked indirectly in secret to benefit Russia a decade ago. Manafort has previously denied ever working to advance Russian interests.
2 children dead in China school stampede
At least two children were killed and another 20 were injured after a stampede of students broke out at an elementary school in central China’s Henan province this morning, state media reported. It’s unclear what caused the panic.
Nowruz festivities begin around the world
People of Persian ancestry across the globe are celebrating Nowruz, the Persian New Year, which marks spring’s arrival. In Persian, now means new and ruz means day. Many people traditionally celebrate by holding feasts, cleaning their houses or visiting loved ones.
Also:
Game show creator Chuck Barris, who was behind The Gong Show and The Newlywed Game, has died at 87.
North Korea has conducted another missile test, but it failed.
The infant mortality rate in the U.S. has reached a new low.
Apple is launching a cheaper new iPad, a special edition red iPhone 7 and a free video editing app.
Consumer Watchdog says Amazon’s list prices are “entirely bogus.”
Former U.S. District Attorney Preet Bharara has landed a new job at NYU School of Law after Trump fired him.
The Labrador Retriever is the most popular dog breed in America for the 26th consecutive year.
The Morning Brief is published Mondays through Fridays. Email Morning Brief writer Melissa Chan at melissa.chan@time.com.
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