London:

Two army horses that were seen galloping through central London at rush hour on Wednesday have been contained, police and media reports said.

Photos and video posted on social media and by British news outlets showed the horses running along busy roads, dodging buses, taxis and other traffic.

NEW: Runaway horses are currently on the loose in Central London

One horse is covered in blood after colliding with a bus

Police are working with the Army to locate them pic.twitter.com/yZ10SeiFV3

— Politics UK (@PolitlcsUK) April 24, 2024

Both were wearing saddles and bridles, with one apparently covered in blood on its chest and forelegs.

London’s Metropolitan Police said it was “working with colleagues in the army to locate them”. 

A number of prestigious army regiments have stables in the British capital and horses are a regular sight around government buildings on Whitehall, Buckingham Palace, The Mall and in nearby Hyde Park.

The City of London Police, which polices the Square Mile financial district, said they were called at about 8:40 am (0740 GMT) about the loose horses.

“Our officers have contained two horses on the Highway near Limehouse,” a statement read.

“We’re waiting for an Army horse box to collect the horses and transport them to veterinary care.”

The Daily Telegraph said up to five army horses had thrown their riders while they were being exercised and at least one soldier was injured.

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

Pro-Palestine encampments at Columbia University in the US are still going strong, despite 108 students being arrested and three suspended last week. Contrary to what the police’s sweep of the encampments had hoped to achieve, the crackdown has simply stoked the fires of dissent.

Students from several other universities in the US have followed suit, setting up their own encampments, occupying buildings, and holding rallies.

Amid growing demands of divesting from Israel and a ceasefire in Gaza, prestigious schools like Yale, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), and New York University (NYU) have been trying to suppress these protests, but have failed. 

Pro-Palestinian demonstrations have also been ongoing at universities like UC Berkeley and the University of Michigan.

Tensions at Columbia University continue to run high as students refuse to comply with demands to vacate their encampments. Negotiations to reach a deal between the administration and protesters have been unsuccessful.

As a result, authorities announced that classes will be switched to a hybrid learning mode till the end of the Spring semester, ending next week.

These protests have catalysed the eruption of student-led pro-Palestine movements nationwide.

At New York University, 133 protesters were taken into custody after they allegedly threw bottles at the police, who were tasked to clear the encampments. They have since been released with a summons to appear in court on charges of disorderly conduct.

Calling the arrests “outrageous”, Byul Yoon, an NYU law student exasperatedly asks, “Why are we not allowed to be here? Why are we not allowed to express ourselves?”.

Reiterating the protesters’ demands, she said, “We’re here to maintain a presence and to demand that the university divest from weapons corporations and from the Israeli occupation.”

MIT student Quinn Perian delved into the school’s involvement in the violence unfolding in Gaza, explaining, “They’ve [MIT] had over $11 million allocated in investments for projects directly relating to the Israeli Ministry of Defense in the past decade. MIT is building the weapons that Israel and the Israeli military are using to terrorise and to bomb the Palestinians in Gaza.” 

UC Berkeley Student and Protest Organizer Malak Afaneh echoed the resolve of protesters, claiming, “Quite frankly, we’re going to be here until we achieve divestment. We’re willing to risk suspension. We’re willing to risk expulsion. We’re willing to risk arrest.”

At Yale University, protesters declined negotiations with the administration, which asked them to end demonstrations, leave the encampments, and meet with the school’s trustees. After defying several warnings, the administration authorised police to clear encampments. About 60 protesters, of which 47 were students, were arrested. 

Harvard University also took preventive measures by locking most gates into its famed Harvard Yard and limiting access to those with school identification. Signs were also posted that warn against setting up tents or tables without permission. Despite these, encampments have been set up and protests are ongoing.

Following this, the student group ‘Harvard Undergraduate Palestine Solidarity Committee’ was suspended for violating university policies.

It is unlikely that the protests will be snubbed anytime soon. Resistance continues to soar as every attempt to suppress protesters is leading to more disillusioned individuals joining the pro-Palestinian cause. 

Indonesia’s electoral commission formally declared Prabowo Subianto president-elect in a ceremony on Wednesday, after the country’s highest court rejected challenges to his landslide victory lodged by two losing presidential candidates.

Mr. Subianto, who is currently defence minister, won the election with 58.6% of the votes, or more than 96 million ballots, more than twice the amount received by either of the other two candidates. But his rivals alleged that his victory had depended on large-scale fraud and widespread state interference.

Authorities blocked streets leading to the General Election Commission compound, where more than 4,200 police and soldiers were deployed.

Wearing matching long-sleeved white shirts, Mr. Subianto and vice president elect Gibran Rakabuming Raka waved to their supporters as they arrived at the building.

“The race has finished… the tough contest, with sometimes heated debates, is over,” Mr. Subianto said during the ceremony, attended by the country’s political elite, including rival candidate Anies Baswedan and his running mate Muhaimin Iskandar. “And now our people demand that political leaders must work together and collaborate for the people’s welfare and to eliminate poverty and corruption in Indonesia,” Mr. Subianto said.

Mr. Subianto will take office in October, succeeding the popular Joko Widodo, the country’s first president from outside the Jakarta elite.

The General Election Commission certified the election results on March 20, but the formal declaration ceremony was put on hold following legal challenges from rival candidates, former Jakarta Gov Anies Baswedan and former Central Java Gov Ganjar Pranowo, who sought to annul the result and demand a revote.

They also alleged nepotism, challenging the candidacy of outgoing President Joko Widodo’s eldest son, Raka, as Mr. Subianto’s running mate.

Mr. Baswedan and Mr. Pranowo argued that Raka, 37, should have been disqualified because the minimum age for candidates is 40, and they asked the court to bar him from a revote. Before the election, Raka was granted a controversial exception to that requirement by the Constitutional Court, which was then led by Anwar Usman, Widodo’s brother-in-law. Usman was later forced to resign as chief justice for failing to recuse himself.

In a 5-to-3 decision, the Constitutional Court rejected the arguments on Monday, saying the legal teams of the losing candidates had failed to prove allegations that Subianto’s victory was the result of widespread fraud. That verdict cannot be appealed.

The case was decided by eight justices instead of the full nine-member court because Usman, who is still on the court as an associate justice, was required to recuse himself.

Mr. Baswedan and Mr. Iskandar conceded and congratulated Subianto and Raka shortly after the Constitutional Court’s decision was read out on Monday, saying they are committed to maintaining the principle of peaceful transfer of power and that “we choose to be part of continuing to build the quality of Indonesian democracy.”

Mr. Pranowo and his running mate, Mohammad Mahfud, also congratulated Mr. Subianto.

“We accept and fully respect the decision of the Constitutional Court,” Mr. Pranowo said, “Like or dislike, we have to accept it because it’s final, legal and binding.”

A longtime commander in Indonesia’s Kopassus special forces, Mr. Subianto was discharged from the military in 1998 after Kopassus soldiers tortured activists who opposed dictator Suharto, his father-in-law. He never faced a trial and vehemently denies any involvement, although several of his men were tried and convicted.

He went into self-exile in Jordan before returning and founding the Gerindra Party in early 2008.

In the past, he worked closely with hard-line Islamists to undermine his opponents and previously made three bids for the presidency, twice unsuccessfully challenging his own losses to Widodo.

Mr. Subianto’s refusal to accept the results of the 2019 presidential election led to violence that left nine people dead in Jakarta, but he joined the cabinet after Mr. Widodo offered him the defense ministry in a bid for unity

New Delhi:

Congress veteran Shashi Tharoor on Wednesday backed his fellow MP and Rajya Sabha leader Harbhajan Singh after he heaped praise on Rajasthan Royals captain Sanju Samson.

Taking to his official X account, Mr Singh said that there shouldn’t be any debate about wicket-keeper batsman in India’s squad for the upcoming T20 World Cup and vouched for Mr Samson.

The cricketer-turned-politician also said that Mr Samson should be groomed as the next T20 captain for India after Rohit Sharma. Mr Singh also praised Yashasvi Jaiswal, who scored a hundred as Rajasthan Royals defeated Mumbai Indians by nine wickets in their IPL 2024 match on Monday.

Responding to Mr Singh’s post, Mr Tharoor said that he has been arguing for years that Sanju Samson has not had the selectorial breaks he deserved.

“Now he is the leading keeper-batsman in the IPL but is still not discussed when the team is debated. Justice for Sanju,” the Congress MP said.

Delighted to agree with my fellow MP @harbhajan_singh on both @ybj_19 and @IamSanjuSamson ! Have been arguing for years that Sanju has not had the selectoral breaks he deserved. Now he is the leading Keeper-batsman in the @IPL but is still not discussed when the team is debated.… https://t.co/ZaqVHMIpTT

— Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) April 24, 2024

This was not the first time when Mr Tharoor has backed the wicket-keeper batter’s selection in the Indian team, who has represented the country in 25 T20I and 16 One Day International (ODI) matches.

Earlier last year, Mr Tharoor had questioned the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) for not selecting Sanju Samson for the T20I series against Australia.

He even said that Mr Samson shouldn’t just have been picked but also made the captain of the team in the absence of senior players like Rohit Sharma, Hardik Pandya, KL Rahul, etc. Suryakumar Yadav was named the captain of the Indian team in that series, which took place days after India lost the final of the ODI World Cup 2023.

“This is truly inexplicable. Sanju Samson should have not just been selected, he should have led the side in the absence of all the seniors. His captaincy experience with Kerala and Rajasthan Royals is more current than SKY’s (Surya Kumar Yadav). Our selectors need to explain themselves to the cricket-loving public,” Mr Tharoor had said.

This is truly inexplicable. @IamSanjuSamson should have not just been selected, he should have led the side in the absence of all the seniors. His captaincy experience with Kerala and @rajasthanroyals is more current than SKY’s. Our selectors need to explain themselves to the… https://t.co/W251o89jzs

— Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) November 21, 2023

Shashi Tharoor is currently in the electoral fray against BJP’s Rajeev Chandrasekhar from Kerala’s Thiruvananthapuram seat in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.

All 20 Lok Sabha constituencies in Kerala will vote in a single phase on April 26 and the votes will be counted on June 4.

New Delhi:

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy has betrayed the people of the state and destroyed their future, his predecessor and Telugu Desam Party president N Chandrababu Naidu told NDTV in an exclusive interview on the campaign trail.

Andhra Pradesh is among the four states where Assembly polls are being held alongside the general election. Mr Naidu’s TDP has tied up with the BJP to take on Jagan Mohan Reddy’s YSCRP, which scored a thumping win in the 2019 state polls.

Speaking to NDTV at Srikakulam, Mr Naidu said TDP is doing “extremely well” and that he has no doubt about a good show. “It is only a matter of numbers. People have decided, people have realised what they have lost in the last five years. Now I am seeing the response. This is my 10th election. Today, there is an extraordinary response. Every section of people is annoyed, frustrated. They want to protect the state. It is not my election, it is the election of the five crore people of Andhra Pradesh, their future and the future of their children,” he said.

Before his government was voted out, Mr Naidu had started building Amaravati into the new capital of Andhra Pradesh after the state was bifurcated to create Telangana. Work, however, slowed down after Mr Reddy took over and decided to develop three capital cities — Amaravati as legislative capital, Visakhapatnam as executive capital and Kurnool as judicial capital. The proposal was challenged in court, and the High Court struck it down. The YSRCP government has now approached the Supreme Court.

The TDP chief said the uncertainty over a capital city is among the most important issues in this election. “A capital is very important. Tamil Nadu can proudly say Chennai, Telangana can say Hyderabad, Karnataka Bangalore. After 10 years, we don’t have an address, which is our capital? Jagan (Mohan Reddy) is saying three capitals. Has it been successful anywhere in the world?” he asked.

Mr Reddy, he said, has betrayed the people of Andhra Pradesh. “Bifurcation is a painful process. But, the five-year rule of Jagan Mohan reddy has done more damage than bifurcation. My duty is to protect the state and its future. I laid a very strong foundation for Hyderabad and wealth was created. Here, in Amarvati, I got everything done, but he destroyed the future of Andhra in the name of three capitals,” he said.

TDP’s return to the NDA comes six years after a bitter separation over Mr Naidu’s demand for a special status for Andhra Pradesh. Asked about his return to the NDA fold, he said, “I tried to get special status, but it didn’t happen. But I got so many things, 11 all-India institutes of education and health, IIT, IIM, IISER, NIT, AIIMS.

They (Centre) gave money, clearances for Amravati, capital gains exemption for farmers, all this I got, and today, we have lost everything. But with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision and my experience, we will make Andhra Pradesh the best,” he said.

The Prime Minister, he said, is planning for 2047. “He wants to make India and Indians no 1 globally. We want to coordinate with the central government and fulfil aspirations of the Telugu community, that is my dream. I am confident that we will do justice,” he said.

Mr Naidu, who is also the Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly, stressed that the state’s economy is in bad shape due to the YSRCP government’s policies. “Bluffing the poor is not the correct approach, creation of wealth is important, you have to balance welfare and development, only then will there will be a sustainable ecosystem. Now it’s corruption and looting the state. Opportunities have been destroyed. All institutions have been destabilised, this is chaos. Government properties have been mortgaged. He (Reddy) is thinking only about today, not tomorrow. He has borrowed 13 lakh crores,” he said.

On a question on the allegations of corruption against him, the TDP chief said, “Could they produce even one piece of evidence? Political victimisation is different. He (Reddy) has a vast track record. He wanted to throw mud at me, he is trying his best, but the nation knows my character. For 45 years, I have survived in politics for my credibility, honesty, integrity. No one can question it.”

Mr Naidu was also asked about the Congress’s claims that Prime Minister Modi is a no factor as far as elections in south India are concerned. “The situation has changed. Earlier, regional parties were dominant. People are thinking differently now. Local leadership with strong national leadership will help us,” he said.

On the recent incident in which a stone was thrown at Chief Minister Reddy, leaving him injured, Mr Naidu said, “The Chief Minister is a habitual liar. A small stone that is not visible or traceable, and he is claiming an assassination attempt. This is just drama, every election he needs drama. He is a good drama actor.”