A Hyderabad-based video jockey was kidnapped by a businesswoman, who was determined to marry him after she came across an impersonator using his photo on a matrimonial website. The woman used a tracking device on his car to keep a watch on him and hired kidnappers to carry out the job, said police. She was arrested after the video jockey filed a complaint.

The woman, 31, ran a digital marketing business while the man worked as an anchor at a music channel.

Two years ago, she came across a profile on Bharat Matrimony that used the VJ’s photos and started chatting with him. On realizing it was not a genuine account, she reached out to the VJ separately via an instant messaging app.

He told her it was a fake account that someone had created using his photo and that he had lodged a police complaint. She, however, continued messaging him, which led him to block her number, police said.

The saga could have ended her, but the woman was determined to marry the video jockey.

Believing she could sort it out, she planned to kidnap him and hired four men for this job, police said. She also fitted an AirTag to his car to monitor his movements.

The VJ was kidnapped on February 11. They thrashed him and took him to the woman’s office. She let him go only after he agreed to respond to her calls, police said.

Once freed, he went straight to the Uppal police station and filed a complaint, leading to the arrest of the woman and the four kidnappers.

As Ukraine marks the grim milestone of two years in a devastating conflict with Russia, the prospects for peace appear bleak. The war-torn landscape, depicted vividly in satellite images, tells a tale of widespread destruction inflicted by Russia’s relentless bombing campaign. 

Despite initial setbacks for Russian President Vladimir Putin in the winter of 2022, recent developments indicate a resurgence of Moscow’s military ambitions. The once-hopeful signs of negotiation seem distant, with Putin’s recent remarks suggesting that any talks would be on Moscow’s own terms, leaving little room for compromise.

The relentless bombardment was a single terrorising event in a Russian offensive that recently resulted in the capture of the war-torn industrial center of Avdiivka by Vladimir Putin’s forces, situated 30 kilometers (20 miles) to the east.

Russia declared complete control over Avdiivka following Ukraine’s withdrawal. Moscow acknowledged the presence of Ukrainian troops still entrenched in a sprawling Soviet-era coke plant, marking the aftermath of one of the war’s most intense battles.

“Measures are being taken to completely clear the town of militants and to block Ukrainian units that have left the town and are entrenched at the Avdiivka Coke and Chemical Plant,” Russian Defence Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said recently.

In the vicinity of Avdiivka, specifically near the village of Progres, Ukrainian troops are actively constructing new defensive lines. These fortified positions will serve as the latest obstacle for Russian forces as they attempt to breach the Ukrainian defenses. 

Analysts and diplomats agree that 2024 will likely witness another year of conflict, with Ukraine’s determination to reclaim lost territories colliding with Putin’s insistence on Kyiv’s unconditional surrender. Fyodor Lukyanov, head of the Kremlin-linked Council on Foreign and Defense Policy think tank, dismisses the possibility of negotiations in the near future, asserting that there is nothing for Moscow and Kyiv to negotiate about.

While the first year of the invasion saw Ukraine successfully repelling a much larger adversary, cracks are beginning to emerge in Kyiv’s resolve. The exhaustion of Ukrainian troops, delays in military aid from the US, and political tensions within Kyiv raise concerns about the sustainability of their resistance.

Satellite images vividly depict the extensive devastation in the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut, where the majority of the conflict has unfolded since the commencement of the war.

Bakhmut, with a population of approximately 70,000 before Russia’s invasion, is viewed by Moscow as a strategic foothold in its pursuit of gaining control over the broader industrial Donbas region in the east, which shares a border with Russia.

The images released by Maxar reveal significant damage to schools, university buildings, apartment buildings, and a radio tower in the city.

The Kremlin in December last year officially recognised that a Ukrainian assault had inflicted damage on a warship docked in the occupied Crimean port of Feodosiya, a development labeled as a significant setback for the Russian navy by Ukraine and its Western allies. Ukraine reported that its air force successfully obliterated the Novocherkassk landing ship. 

In a light-hearted remark on social media, President Volodymyr Zelensky quipped that the vessel had now become part of the “Russian underwater Black Sea fleet.”

Putin’s recent interview with right-wing US talk show host Tucker Carlson revealed Moscow’s intentions. While signaling a willingness to negotiate, Putin’s terms seem non-negotiable for Kyiv, making any meaningful dialogue elusive. The Russian president’s strategic calculations are influenced by the erosion of Western support for Ukraine, the failure of US policy to deliver swift aid, and the rise of far-right sentiments in Europe.

The delay in US military aid due to political disputes and Europe’s struggles to provide sufficient weaponry contribute to Ukraine’s sense of uncertainty. On the other hand, Russia has weathered Western sanctions, mobilised its economy for war, and silenced internal opposition, exemplified by the sudden death of Alexei Navalny.

As the US election looms, the outcome could further shape the trajectory of the conflict.

At least 15 pilgrims – including children and women – died in Uttar Pradesh after the vehicle they were travelling in fell in a pond, the police said.

The pilgrims were headed to Kadarganj to take a holy dip in the river Ganga when the accident occurred in Uttar Pradesh’s Kasganj.

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath expressed anguish over the incident and announced a compensation of Rs 2 lakh each for the family of those who have died, and Rs 50,000 each for the injured.

The Chief Minister has also instructed the authorities to ensure that the injured pilgrims receive proper treatment.