News Highlights: Mehrauli murder case remanded to sessions court, trial to begin on Feb 24

Leeds on Tuesday announced the appointment of former Watford boss Javi Gracia as the new manager of the relegation-threatened Premier League club.

The Spaniard, who led the Hornets to the 2019 FA Cup final, has signed what Leeds described as a "flexible" contract to replace Jesse Marsch, who was sacked on February 6. (AFP)

. The secretary of Russia's powerful Security Council told China's top diplomat Wang Yi on Tuesday that Beijing was a top priority for Russian foreign policy and that the two countries must stick together against the West, Russian state news agencies reported.

Nikolai Patrushev, a close ally of President Vladimir Putin, also told Wang that Moscow backed China's position over Taiwan, Hong Kong and Xinjiang, according to a statement cited by the RIA Novosti news agency. (Reuters)

. The trial in the sensational Shraddha Walkar murder case is set to begin against her live-in partner and main accused Aaftab Amin Poonawala on February 24 as a magisterial court Monday remanded the judicial records to a sessions court.

Poonawala will now have to appear before a principal district and sessions judge at Saket here on Friday. (PTI)

. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on Tuesday dismissed Russian President Vladimir Putin's speech as "propaganda" as she pledged continued support to Kyiv ahead of her talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

"A part of my heart hoped for some different words, for a step ahead. It was propaganda," Meloni said during a visit to Irpin, a town in the outskirts of Kyiv where mass graves were found after Russian troops left. (Reuters)

. Chamoli's District Magistrate Himanshu Khurana has ordered the evacuation of people living in "unsafe" houses in subsidence-hit areas of Karnaprayag to safer locations.

Khurana, who visited the affected parts of the town, including Bahuguna Nagar, Subhash Nagar and Upper Bazar on Sunday, said some of the buildings have become quite uninhabitable. (PTI)

. NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg slammed Russia for suspending a nuclear weapons limitation treaty with the US, saying it marked the end of Europe's post-Cold War arms control architecture.

"I regret today's decision by Russia to suspend its participation in the New START treaty,"Stoltenberg said. (AFP)

. Our relationship with Russia has been extraordinarily steady and it has been steady through all the turbulence in global politics. The opposition's job is to criticise but I think today we are in a good position: EAM Dr S Jaishankar (ANI)

. "A PCR call regarding a firing incident in HDFC Bank was received in PS Model Town at about 2:40 pm. Police reached the spot & overpowered an armed robber & controlled him. On enquiry, he was identified as Raja"Delhi Police said, adding, "One semi-automatic pistol along with 2 magazines, 7 live cartridges & 5 empty cartridges recovered from his possession. Further, it was revealed that accused fired 5 rounds, aiming towards roof of the bank, in order to commit robbery. Further investigation underway." (ANI)

. Pakistan’s future is largely determined by its own actions & choices. Nobody reaches a difficult situation suddenly without cause. It is for them to find out. Today, our relationship is not one where we can be relevant directly to that process: EAM Dr S Jaishankar (ANI)

. "They must have some problem understanding words beginning with ‘C’. It’s not true. I think they are deliberately misrepresenting the situation…This govt is serious about border infra,"Jaishankar on Congress saying neither PM nor EAM mentions the word China.

He added, "They (China) were building a bridge in Pangong Tso. When did that area come under China? The Chinese first came there in '58 & captured it in '62. Modi govt being blamed in 2023 for constructing a bridge that was captured in '62?You don’t have honesty to say when it happened?" (ANI)

. Putin says that Russia must stand ready to resume nuclear weapons tests if the US does so. Suspending Russian participation in the Strategic Arms Treaty, Putin also said that some nuclear weapons in the US are nearing the expiration date. (Reuters)

. Taiwan will boost military exchanges with the United States to curb "authoritarian expansionism", President Tsai Ing-wen said Tuesday after meeting with visiting US lawmakers.

The five-day US congressional visit comes after a top US defence official reportedly made a rare stopover to the self-ruled island while Washington-Beijing tensions flared over alleged Chinese spy balloons. (AFP)

. Former Barcelona and Brazil star Dani Alves will remain in custody pending his trial for allegedly raping a woman as he is considered a high flight risk, the Provincial Court of Barcelona decided Tuesday.

"There is an elevated risk of absconding, linked on the one hand to the high sentence that could be imposed because of the present case, the serious evidence of criminality against him and large financial resources that would allow him to leave Spain at any time," the court said in a statement. (AFP)

. Shah Rukh Khan-starrer Pathaan has created history by becoming the first Hindi movie to cross the Rs 1,000 crore mark at the worldwide box office in phase one of its release, Yash Raj Films (YRF) said on Tuesday.

According to the studio, the Siddharth Anand directorial raised Rs 1.25 crore nett in India (Hindi - Rs 1.20 crore, dubbed versions - Rs 0.05 crore) on its fourth Monday yesterday. (PTI)

. Russian President Vladimir Putin, who frequently decries Western gender and sexual freedoms as an existential danger, said Tuesday paedophilia had become the norm in the West.

"Look at what they do to their own people: the destruction of families, of cultural and national identities and the perversion that is child abuse all the way up to paedophilia are advertised as the norm... and priests are forced to bless same-sex marriages," Putin said. (AFP)

. British companies trialling a four-day working week have mostly decided to stick with it after a six-month pilot in what campaigners for better work-life balance view as a breakthrough.

Employees at 61 companies across Britain worked an average of 34 hours across four days between June and December 2022, while earning their existing salary. (Reuters)

. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni arrived in Kyiv on Tuesday, her spokesman said, where she is expected to hold talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Meloni, who took office in October, has repeatedly expressed a desire to visit Ukraine to demonstrate her government's support following Russia's invasion almost exactly one year ago. (AFP)

. President Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday that Russia wanted to solve the conflict in Ukraine peacefully but that Western countries had prepared a "different scenario" behind its back.

He added that "West had let the genie out of the bottle."

. A family watches a TV broadcast of Russian President Vladimir Putin's annual state of the nation address in Moscow on February 21, 2023. Credit: AFP Photo

. Russian state media websites broadcasting President Vladimir Putin's address to the country's two houses of parliaments on Tuesday suffered an outage during his speech.

Reuters journalists in multiple locations were unable to access the All-Russia State Television and Radio Broadcasting Company (VGTRK) website or the Smotrim live-streaming platform for periods during the speech.

A message on the VGTRK website said that "technical works were being carried out" while the Smotrim website was not loading.

Shortly before the speech started, state TV channels had broadcast a segment on the technical preparations that go into broadcasting the speech, saying the live stream would be carried across all major Russian TV channels.( Reuters )

. President Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday that he understood how difficult it was for relatives of Russian soldiers who had died fighting in Ukraine, and said he would provide them "targeted support" with a new special fund.

"We all understand, I understand how unbearably hard it is now for the wives, sons, daughters of fallen soldiers, their parents, who raised worthy defenders of the Fatherland," Putin told lawmakers in Russia's parliament.( Reuters )

. Putinaccuses the West of wanting 'to be done with Russia'.

Meanwhile, he proposedto set up special state fund to support veterans and fallen soldiers.

. President Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday that Russia would never yield to Western attempts to divide its society, using a major speech before the country's two houses of parliament to say the majority of Russians support his military campaign in Ukraine.

He said the West was supporting "traitors" who opposed Russia's actions, and thanked Russians for their "courage and resolution" in supporting what Moscow calls a "special military operation" in Ukraine.( Reuters )

. The existence of our country is at stake, says Putin. He adds that it is impossible to defeat Russia on battlefield. "The responsibility for escalation in Ukraine lies with Western Elites," he says.

New Ukranian territories made their choice to be with Russia despite threats of Nazis, says Putin. He adds, "We will increase social support programmes for new territories."

"We will do everything for the peace to return to our land," says Putin.

. "Step by step, carefully and consistently, we will resolve the tasks facing us. Since 2014, the (people of the) Donbas had been fighting, defending their right to live on their own land, to speak their native language. They fought and did not give up in the conditions of blockade and constant shelling, undisguised hatred on the part of the Kyiv regime. They believed and expected that Russia would come to their rescue. Meanwhile, we did our best to solve this problem by peaceful means. We patiently tried to negotiate a peaceful way out of this most difficult conflict, but a completely different scenario was being prepared behind our backs."

. Putin says that Moscow was defying the West's attempts to ruin Russia's economy through an unprecedented package of sanctions, saying trillions of dollars were at stake for the West, but Russia's income flows had not dried up."Step by step, we will carefully and systematically solve the aims that face us,"Putinsaid ahead of the first anniversary of the military intervention. He addsthat the West is 'completely' responsible for escalation of Ukraine conflict.

. The existence of our country is at stake, says Putin. He adds that it is impossible to defeat Russia on battlefield. "The responsibility for escalation in Ukraine lies with Western Elites," he says.

. Attendees wait for the start of Russian President Vladimir Putin's annual address to the Federal Assembly in Moscow, Russia February 21, 2023. Credit: Reuters Photo

News Highlights: Mehrauli murder case remanded to sessions court, trial to begin on Feb 24

Leeds name Javi Gracia as new manager

Putin ally tells top Chinese diplomat: We back Beijing against West

Mehrauli murder case remanded to sessions court, trial to begin on Feb 24

Italy's Meloni criticises Putin's speech ahead of Zelenskyy talks

Russia arms treaty suspension 'deeply unfortunate and irresponsible': US

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