Svitolina beats Gauff in epic to reach Dubai final

Ukraine's Elina Svitolina beats world number four Coco Gauff to set up a final against American Jessica Pegula at the Dubai Tennis Championships.

from BBC News https://ift.tt/xbyM7GS

Read More

UK Ex-Royal Andrew Released Hours After Arrest Amid Epstein Files Probe

Britain's royal family was thrown into crisis Thursday after former prince Andrew was arrested by police and held for hours, in an unprecedented move against the monarchy in modern British history.

The disgraced royal was detained early Thursday on suspicion of misconduct for his links to late US sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, with some analysts pointing back centuries to find another such example.

As Andrew marked his 66th birthday on Thursday, police swooped on his new home on the remote royal eastern Sandringham estate around 8:00 am (0800 GMT). 

King Charles III, who has promised police the full support of Buckingham Palace, swiftly issued a rare personally signed statement insisting "the law must take its course".

It was a humiliating new blow for Andrew who was last year stripped of his titles, and ousted from his Windsor residence of more than two decades.

Thames Valley Police said in a statement late Thursday that "the arrested man has now been released under investigation".

A photograph published by media showed Andrew slumped in the back of a car, staring wild-eyed ahead.

While the earlier police searches in Norfolk "have now concluded," they were still searching a property in Berkshire, police added. It is believed that is Andrew's former residence, Royal Lodge.

"It's a hugely significant moment for the British monarchy, and indeed the nation," royal expert Ed Owens told AFP.

"We are witnessing a monarchy, I think, shaken by recent events."

In the sleepy village of Sandringham near the royal estate, an off-duty police officer said he was "very satisfied some formal action was taken".

"It shows that we are taking steps... I think it's very reassuring to the members of the public," the officer, who did not want to be named, told AFP.

Thames Valley police said it had arrested "a man in his sixties from Norfolk on suspicion of misconduct in public office," without naming the suspect, as is common UK practice.

Moment of crisis

Andrew's arrest follows new revelations last week that the ex-prince appeared to have sent Epstein potentially confidential documents while serving as a UK trade envoy.

In a November 2010 email seen by AFP, Andrew appeared to share with the US financier reports on his visit to several Asian countries.

Epstein had been convicted in the United States in 2008 of procuring a child for prostitution.

Charles last year stripped his brother of his titles and ordered him to leave his Windsor mansion -- though he does remain eighth in the line of succession.

"Let me state clearly: the law must take its course," the king said in his statement.

In an apparent bid to project an air of business-as-usual, Charles carried out several public duties Thursday, including opening London Fashion Week.

In the Norfolk village of Dersingham, local pub owner John Higginson said he hoped the issue would be "resolved".

"I just feel sorry, to be quite honest, for people like William and Kate," he added, referring to the heir-to-the-throne and his wife.

Royal commentator Katie Nicholl told Sky News: "Let's make no bones about it. This is a moment of crisis for the monarchy, possibly the greatest crisis since the (1936) abdication. No one quite knows how this is going to pan out."

The scandal has been gathering pace since one of Epstein's accusers, Virginia Giuffre, last year claimed in her posthumous memoirs that she had been trafficked three times to have sex with Andrew when she was a teenager.

The Giuffre family welcomed Andrew's arrest Thursday, saying: "Our broken hearts have been lifted at the news," adding that he was "never a prince".

 Wide probe

Andrew has previously denied any wrongdoing in his associations with Epstein.

He settled a US civil lawsuit in 2022 brought by Giuffre while not admitting liability.

The ex-prince served as a British trade envoy for a decade from 2001.

Official guidance stipulates trade envoys have a duty of confidentiality over sensitive commercial or political information related to their official visits, the BBC has said.

Misconduct in public office carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment, according to the Crown Prosecution Service.

At least nine UK police forces have confirmed they are assessing claims stemming from the Epstein files, many related to Andrew.

It follows the US justice department's latest release of millions of files from its investigation into the US financier.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

from NDTV News- Special https://ift.tt/6tlgSUD

Read More

Tripura Woman, 19, Brutally Assaulted By Live-In Partner In Gurugram

A 19-year-old man has been arrested by Gurugram Police after a biotechnology student was allegedly brutally assaulted by her live-in partner at a paying guest accommodation in the city.

The accused, identified as Shivam, a resident of Delhi, was taken into custody following a complaint received by the Badshahpur police station.

According to police, the case came to light after the victim's mother called the police, alleging that her 19-year-old daughter had been severely assaulted by her live-in partner, who had reportedly become suspicious about her character.

Police teams rushed to the Great PG, a rental accommodation in Sector 69, Gurugram, where the incident took place, and detained the accused before beginning an investigation.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (South) Hitesh Yadav said the victim, a resident of North Tripura and a biotechnology student at GD Goenka University, was admitted to a government hospital in Gurugram late at night in critical condition.

Due to the seriousness of her injuries, doctors later referred her to AIIMS in Delhi for advanced treatment.

Hospital authorities confirmed that the victim had multiple serious injuries on her body.

Police said the victim and the accused had met in September 2025 and were living together. Discussions regarding their marriage had reportedly taken place between the two families.

Officials said an argument broke out between the couple late at night, which escalated into a violent altercation. During the dispute, Shivam allegedly assaulted the victim.

The police have registered a case and arrested the accused. Further investigation is underway to determine the exact sequence of circumstances leading to the assault.

from NDTV News- Special https://ift.tt/h6gXSys

Read More

Single nasal spray vaccine could protect against all colds and flus, researchers say

A Stanford University team have tested their nasal spray vaccine in animals but still need to do human clinical trials.

from BBC News https://ift.tt/U3jC10N

Read More

Former Ukraine Army Chief Opens Up About Rift With Zelensky

Ever since he was ousted as the head of Ukraine's army in 2024 and appointed as the country's ambassador to Britain, Valerii Zaluzhnyi has widely been seen as the top political rival to President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Zaluzhnyi, 52, refuses to discuss his political ambitions, saying he doesn't want to risk harming national unity during a war with Russia that is approaching its fourth anniversary. Yet in a sign of his possible desire to run for the presidency - after the war is over - Zaluzhnyi spoke publicly for the first time about a deep rift between himself and Zelensky in a recent interview with The Associated Press.

Tensions emerged soon after Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022, and tempers often flared between the two men over how best to defend the country, Zaluzhnyi said. The strained relationship reached a boiling point later that year, when dozens of agents from Ukraine's domestic intelligence service raided Zaluzhnyi's office, he told the AP.

Zaluzhnyi alleges that the previously unreported incident was an act of intimidation.

Ukraine's security service, known as the SBU, said that no search was ever carried out at Zaluzhnyi's office, though it acknowledged that the address was part of an investigation unrelated to him. Zelensky's office declined to comment for this story. The AP could not independently confirm Zaluzhnyi's account of the raid.

The revelation threatens to polarize public opinion in Ukraine at a critical moment in the war. Russian forces are making slow, steady gains across Ukraine's eastern front, and both sides are clinging to incompatible demands as the U.S. presses them to reach a peace deal.

Zaluzhnyi said that during the 2022 raid on his office he called Zelensky's chief of staff warning him he was prepared to call in the military to stop it and protect the command center: "I will fight with you and have already called in reinforcements to the center of Kyiv for support."

While that near crisis early in the war passed, disagreements between Zaluzhnyi and Zelensky over how to defend their country persisted, according to Zaluzhnyi.

A dispute over a counteroffensive in 2023 that ultimately failed was particularly contentious, the former general said. Zelensky dismissed him as army chief in February 2024, and later announced he would be headed to London.

The move was widely seen by political analysts as an effort by Zelensky to limit Zaluzhnyi's potential as a political rival.

While a deal to end the war remains elusive, Zelensky has agreed in principle to a plan laid out by U.S. President Donald Trump that calls for elections once the war is over and security guarantees are in place.

One evening in mid-September 2022, Zaluzhnyi emerged from a tense meeting at Zelensky's headquarters and headed back to his office in Kyiv.

Hours later, dozens of agents from Ukraine's security service showed up at Zaluzhnyi's office to search the premises, Zaluzhnyi said. He says he prevented them from rifling through documents and computers.

The raid was clearly a threat, Zaluzhnyi said.

Later, he learned that Ukraine's security service had sought a search warrant from a district court in Kyiv two days earlier to inspect the address where Zaluzhnyi's office is located. The agency was seeking to search a strip club allegedly run by a criminal organization, according to a court document obtained by AP.

But the strip club named in the filing had been closed at that location since before Russia's full-scale invasion, two employees who work at the club's new location told the AP.

The SBU said it was looking into several addresses as part of an investigation into organized crime - unconnected to Zaluzhnyi.

Zaluzhnyi believes the agency could not plausibly have mistaken the location of the country's main war command center.

The 2023 counteroffensive drew widespread criticism from military experts for being too ambitious and coming too late, giving Russian forces time to fortify positions.

Zaluzhnyi says the plan he had crafted with help from NATO partners failed because Zelensky and other officials wouldn't commit the resources it required.

The original plan was to concentrate enough forces into a "single fist" to retake the partially occupied region of Zaporizhzhia - home to a vital nuclear power plant - and then have them advance south to the Sea of Azov. This would sever a corridor of land the Russian army had been using to resupply Crimea, which it illegally annexed in 2014. Success required a large, concentrated buildup and tactical surprise, Zaluzhnyi said.

What happened instead, he said, was that forces were dispersed over a wide area, diluting their striking power.

His account of how the counteroffensive diverged from the original plan was corroborated by two Western defense officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because they aren't authorized to speak publicly to the media.

Zaluzhnyi's key criticisms of Ukraine's war strategy are that it depends on an unrealistic number of troops and is not organized well in how it develops and deploys new technologies to the battlefield. He watches developments closely, but says he has not been involved with military decision-making since Zelensky pushed him out. Zaluzhnyi said he and Zelensky had "absolutely friendly" conversations on the two occasions they met since then.

Some analysts say Zaluzhnyi's lack of involvement in Ukraine's day-to-day political affairs could weaken his popularity.

Still, an Ipsos poll published last month showed support for Zaluzhnyi in a hypothetical future election at 23%, compared with Zelensky's 20%, making him the president's top competitor.

Many Ukrainians see him as a figure capable of changing the system, said Volodymyr Fesenko, a political analyst based in Kyiv. "People will vote not only for Zaluzhnyi but also against Zelensky - blaming him for the failures of his presidency," he explained.

Zaluzhnyi avoids discussing politics, he says, for fear of fomenting division among Ukrainians. "Until the war is over or martial law ends, I am not discussing this and have done nothing toward that," he said.

from NDTV News- Special https://ift.tt/JdGlHQ1

Read More

GB curlers on brink of early exit after Canada defeat

Team GB's Winter Olympics curling medal hopes are now in serious jeopardy after Bruce Mouat's world champions were beaten 9-5 by Canada in Cortina.

from BBC News https://ift.tt/tT9EH81

Read More

Tarique Rahman To Take Oath As Bangladesh's Prime Minister Today

Tarique Rahman will take the oath as the new Prime Minister of Bangladesh on Tuesday after leading his party to a forceful victory in the crucial general elections.

Rahman's Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) has bagged 209 out of 297 seats, while right-wing Jamaat-e-Islami secured 68 seats in the 13th Parliamentary elections. Deposed premier Sheikh Hasina's Awami League was barred from contesting polls.

Breaking with a long-standing tradition, the swearing-in ceremony of the 60-year-old BNP chairman would be held at the South Plaza of the Parliament Complex instead of Bangabhaban.  President Mohammed Shahabuddin will administer the oath to the new cabinet members at the South Plaza of the Jatiya Sangsad on Tuesday afternoon, state-run BSS news agency reported on Monday.

"The Parliament Secretariat is set to hold the oath-taking ceremony of the new cabinet members at 4:00 pm tomorrow," Secretary of the Jatiya Sangsad Secretariat Kaniz Maula said.

Earlier Tuesday, Chief Election Commissioner AMM Nasir Uddin would administer the oath to all newly elected members of the parliament.

All 297 newly elected lawmakers of the 13th Jatiya Sangsad (JS) will "first take oath as the members of parliament (MPs) and then as the members of the Constitutional Reform Council," said a press release of JS Secretariat.  BNP has called a parliamentary party meeting at the Parliament Building at 11:30 am to elect the parliamentary party leader.

"As the leader of the majority party, our party chairman, Tarique Rahman, will be the Prime Minister," said Salah Uddin Ahmed, a member of the standing committee of the BNP.

The Constitutional dictates - immediately after their swearing-in, the BNP MPs will elect their leader who will be invited by the President to form the government, a Bangabhaban presidential palace official said on Monday.

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla will represent India at the swearing-in ceremony of Rahman. Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri and Secretary-General of Lok Sabha Utpal Kumar Singh are also likely to accompany Birla.

Rahman would become the prime minister for the first time. He will replace the interim government chief Muhammad Yunus, under whose tenure Dhaka's relations with New Delhi witnessed a significant downturn.

Yunus took charge in August 2024 after the collapse of Hasina's Awami League regime following the massive anti-government protests.

After his party's victory, Rahman visited the homes of his political rivals, including Jamaat-e-Islami chief Shafiqur Rahman and National Citizen Party (NCP) Convener Nahid Islam, where he exchanged greetings and held cordial discussions.

In a post-election press conference, Rahman called for “national unity” and “peace” in the national interest, warning that divisiveness would undermine democracy. He said the country faces a fragile economy, weakened institutions, and a deteriorating law and order situation.

“Our paths and opinions may differ, but in the interest of the country, we must remain united. I firmly believe that national unity is our collective strength, while division is our weakness,” he said.

  He said the new government faces two major challenges - tackling the economy and ensuring good governance.

Rahman, the son of former prime minister Khaleda Zia and BNP's founder, late President Ziaur Rahman, returned home two months ago after 17 years of self-exiled life in London. His principal credentials are dynastic, but he has not held any public office so far. Analysts say the family background earned him a sort of political acumen.

When a journalist asked how he would reconcile with the millions of Awami League supporters, Rahman answered, "By ensuring the rule of law".

In response to a related question, he said there was "no room for politics of vengeance", warning that attacks based on political affiliation or differing opinions would not be tolerated.

The BNP has invited about 1,200 domestic and foreign guests to the event.

Maldives President Mohammed Muizzoo, Turkish Undersecretary Beris Ekinci and Sri Lanka's Minister of Health and Mass Media Dr Nalinda Jayatissa would be among those attending Rahman's oath ceremony.

Bangladesh held the significant 13th parliamentary election on February 12 after a period of tumultuous political vacuum, instability and fragile security situation, including widespread attacks on minorities after the fall of the 15-year rule of Hasina.

Four candidates from minority communities, including two Hindus, all from the BNP, won in the elections.

Goyeshwar Chandra Roy, a member of the BNP's highest policy-making standing committee, and Nitai Roy Chowdhury, one of the vice presidents of the party, won their seats.

The third minority MP-elect is Saching Pru, a senior BNP leader and follower of the Buddhist faith, while the fourth minority candidate, Dipen Dewan, belongs to the Buddhist majority Chakma ethnic minority group.

Hindus comprise approximately eight per cent of the population in the Muslim-majority country of 170 million people.

Jamaat-e-Islami Assistant Secretary General and coordinator of the liaison committee of the 11-party alliance, AHM Hamidur Rahman Azad, has said that they want to play a constructive role as an opposition party.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

from NDTV News- Special https://ift.tt/gFkVQO8

Read More