A veteran who survived the D-Day landings has died at the age of 100.
Stan Ford “dedicated himself to keeping alive the memory of his fallen comrades”, according to the Normandy Memorial Trust.
Mr Ford, of Bath, suffered life-changing injuries onboard the HMS Fratton when it was sunk off the coast of Normandy on 18 August 1944.
It is believed the ship was sunk by a midget submarine.
Image:King Charles speaks with D-Day veterans Arnie Salter (centre) and Stan Ford (left) in 2024. File pic: PA
He became an ambassador for the British Normandy Memorial, helping to remember more than 22,442 servicemen and women who died on D-Day and during the Normandy campaign.
The Normandy Memorial Trust said in tribute that it was “deeply saddened” to share the news of Mr Ford’s death.
It extended “sincere condolences” to his daughters, Lorraine and Julie, and to Mr Ford’s family and friends.
“We were so fortunate that he visited the Memorial multiple times, all thanks to the support of Spirit of Normandy Trust.
“He dedicated himself to keeping alive the memory of his fallen comrades and was a true friend of the Memorial.
“Stan, we will miss you.”
Image: D-Day veterans (left to right) Stan Ford, Jack Quinn, Richard Aldred, Henry Rice, Reg Pye, Ken Hay and Alec Penstone. File pic: PA
The Taxi Charity For Military Veterans said Mr Ford was a “man who lived a life of profound service and courage”.
“A survivor of the sinking of HMS Fratton in 1944, Stan spent his life keeping the memory of his 31 fallen comrades alive.
“From being a British Normandy Memorial Ambassador to his involvement with the Bristol Normandy Veterans, Stan’s legacy is one of unwavering strength.”
It added: “Fair winds and following seas, Stan. You will never be forgotten.”
Thirty-one crew members died in the HMS Fratton attack on D-Day, with 38 surviving the explosion.
Mr Ford was blasted into the water along with the gun platform he was operating at the time.
He was pulled from the sea and taken to a field hospital on Gold Beach, but he had to walk with leg callipers ever since and fractured his spine due to the force of the explosion.
In 2024, after the Royal British Legion’s march past the Cenotaph, Mr Ford said: “It’s always a great honour to be back on occasions like this but I remember the guys that never came home on my ship when it was torpedoed.
“They never came home, and I always feel it’s my duty to put in an appearance and thank God for those that did survive, and to pray for the ones who didn’t.”
He added: “I thank God every day that on the day the boat was sinking, I wasn’t strapped in.”
Houston Rockets star Alperen Sengun was ejected from Wednesday night’s blowout loss to the Boston Celtics after he appeared to call a female referee a “b—-” during the game.
Sengun appeared to use the explicit words at Jenna Reneau after she said the ball went off him and out of bounds while he tried to establish position in the paint. He addressed the remarks after the Rockets’ win over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Saturday night.
Rockets center Alperen Sengun reacts after realizing he was being ejected from the game against Boston, in Houston, Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2026.(AP Photo/ Karen Warren)
He said he apologized to Reneau.
“Sometimes, you can’t control yourself, but I should have known better,” he said. “But I fixed it, and then I went to the locker room and I apologized. I shake (her) hand and said that would never happen again. It just happened in the heat of the moment and she understood, and it was good by both ends.”
Rockets center Alperen Sengun is ejected from the Boston game in Houston, Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2026.(AP Photo/ Karen Warren)
It’s unclear if Sengun will face discipline from the league. On Sunday, he was announced as an All-Star Game replacement. He and Kevin Durant were the Houston players selected for the game.
He’s started 44 games this season for Houston and is averaging 20.8 points, 9.4 rebounds, 1.4 steals and a block per game. It will be the second time in his career that he will be an All-Star.
Houston Rockets center Alperen Sengun shoots against Thunder center Chet Holmgren, Saturday, Feb. 7, 2026, in Oklahoma City.(AP Photo/Gerald Leong)
The Rockets are 32-19 this season after the 112-106 win over the Thunder. Houston is in fourth place in the Western Conference, trailing the Denver Nuggets by one game for third place and Oklahoma City by seven games.
Gautam Gambhir hosts special dinner for Team India: The Indian cricket team reached Delhi on Sunday for its second match of the T20 World Cup. Team India’s head coach Gautam Gambhir organized a special dinner for the players at his home. All the players reached their homes directly from Mumbai. The Indian team won its first match against USA while India will play the second match against Namibia on 12th February in Delhi.
Gautam Gambhir organized a special dinner for the Indian cricket team at his home in Delhi.
New Delhi. Indian cricket team head coach Gautam Gambhir organized a special dinner at his Delhi residence on Sunday. This dinner was organized before the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup match against Namibia on 12 February at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi. Vice President of the Board of Control for Cricket in India, Rajeev Shukla also reached Gambhir’s residence. Reigning champion India won its first group stage match against America by 29 runs at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on 7 February. Gambhir welcomed the Indian team with his wife Natasha and children.
The Indian team has started the T20 World Cup with a win. Team India defeated America in its first match. This match was played at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. India batted first in this match. India’s top order flopped in front of American bowlers. Later, Suryakumar Yadav played a brilliant inning and took Team India’s score to a respectable score.
The Indian team had scored 161 runs for 9 wickets in 20 overs in the match played on 8 February. Captain Suryakumar played a brilliant unbeaten inning of 84 runs on 49 balls. Wicketkeeper-batsman Ishan Kishan (20 runs from 16 balls, including one four and two sixes) and Tilak Verma (25 runs from 16 balls, including three fours and one six) also contributed with the bat. Shadley Van Schalkwyk (4/29) and Harmeet Singh (2/26) were among the wicket-taking bowlers from America.
#WATCH | Members of the Indian T20 cricket team arrive at the residence of Indian Cricket Team Head Coach Gautam Gambhir in Delhi.
Lokesh Bam’s late heroics with the bat are not enough as Nepal are beaten by two-time champions in their Group C match in Mumbai.
Published On 8 Feb 20268 Feb 2026
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Nepal were left heartbroken after they came agonisingly close to pulling off a massive T20 World Cup upset against England but fell short by four runs as the two-time champions won the Group C match in Mumbai.
Lokesh Bam’s heroics with the bat – 39 runs off 20 balls – were not enough to see Nepal over the line at the Wankhede Stadium, which was packed with Nepalese fans on Sunday.
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Nepal finished on 180-6, handing England a nervy win to kick off their campaign in the controversy-hit cricket tournament.
When England’s captain Harry Brook (53) and teammate Jacob Bethell (55) hit fifties to power England to 184-7, they seemingly did enough to take the match out of Nepal’s reach.
But Rohit Paudel produced a captain’s innings of his own as he, alongside star all-rounder Dipendra Singh Airee, put Nepal on course for a shock win.
The pair’s departure slowed down Nepal’s progress, but Lokesh resumed the big hitting against some wayward bowling by England’s seamers.
Needing 10 off the last over, the Rhinos were unable to get Sam Curran’s accurate bowling over the boundary and could only score six runs.
The Rhinos’ fans, hundreds of whom had travelled from across the border, were left disheartened.
Earlier, electing to bat at the Wankhede Stadium, England slumped to 57-3 in the seventh over to find themselves in a spot of bother.
Sher Malla struck with the first ball on his World Cup debut, dismissing Phil Salt for one, and the pressure mounted on England after Jos Buttler and Tom Banton fell in quick succession.
Bethell had no problem adjusting to the nature of the track, where other batters found shot-making difficult. He and Brook combined in a 71-run partnership during their 45-ball collaboration to rebuild their innings.
Airee (44) and skipper Paudel (39) kept Nepal in the hunt with a stand of 82 from 54 balls.
Curran brought relief to the English camp when he had Airee caught in the deep and Paudel also departed soon afterwards.
Bam hit Jofra Archer for back-to-back sixes to turn the match on its head.
With Nepal needing 10 runs off the last over from Curran, Bam needed to hit the last ball for a six, but he managed only one as England heaved a huge sigh of relief.
The festival, originally scheduled to be held in Anderson, South Carolina, on July 25 and July 26, was reportedly canceled due to “unforeseen circumstances,” according to Fox Carolina.
“Anderson County has been proud to host Rock the Country for the past two years,” the Anderson County administrator, Rusty Burns, said in a statement to Fox Carolina. “The event was a huge success drawing tens of thousands of visitors, making a multimillion-dollar economic impact on the Upstate. An event of this caliber proved what a great venue and exceptional hospitality we have here in Anderson County. Of course, we are disappointed that Rock the Country will not return to Anderson this year.”
Kid Rock’s Rock the Country has been canceled in Anderson, South Carolina.(Gary Miller/Getty Images)
“We are already planning additional major events and look forward to exciting announcements to come. Anderson County is committed to bringing high quality arts and entertainment to our community.”
According to the festival’s website, the lineups vary by city.
The Anderson, South Carolina, lineup had Kid Rock and Jason Aldean headlining and also featured Creed, Shinedown, Brantley Gilbert, Ludacris, Gretchen Wilson, Parmalee, Morgan Wade, Chase Matthew, Lakeview, Fox N’ Vead, and more, Fox Carolina reported.
On Friday, Shinedown took to X to announce their sudden exit from the festival, which is being touted as “a celebration of community, tradition, and the spirit that’s carried America through 250 years,” explaining that their mission as a band is to “unite, not divide.”
“Shinedown is everyone’s band. We feel that we have been given a platform to bring all people together through the power of music and song. We have one boss, and it is everyone in the audience.”
Shinedown pulled out of the Rock the Country event this summer.(Getty Images)
“Our band’s purpose is to unite, not divide. With that in mind, we have made the decision that we will not be playing the Rock the Country festival,” the statement read.
“We know this decision will create differences of opinion,” Shinedown continued. “But we do not want to participate in something we believe will create further division.”
The festival is a celebration of the 250th anniversary of America’s independence. According to its website, “It’s a chance to look around and appreciate the strength of our towns, the stories that shaped us, and the moments we’ll be talking about long after the lights go down.”
Viral Marriage Proposal: Marriage is one of the biggest decisions of life and in our country it often becomes even more difficult because it is rarely entirely one’s choice. The family is very involved in this. The opinion of elders matters and approval is usually an essential part of the process. If someone is thinking of getting married, introducing your partner to your parents often requires a lot of planning. Many people spend days thinking, rehearsing and planning the right moment and way to break the news to their parents and introduce their partner.
From choosing the right opportunity to carefully crafting each sentence, the process can seem a little nerve-wracking. But a woman adopted a very different method of introducing her partner to her mother for marriage. Its method was completely new era. This girl used technology properly for her marriage.
project damad ji
Prakriti (name changed), living in Noida, is an organizational psychologist by profession. She decided to present a PPT named ‘Project Damad Ji’ to present her boyfriend to her mother for marriage. Instead of a long conversation or an emotional appeal, he gave her a PowerPoint presentation to formally introduce her and seek her mother’s blessings for the marriage.
All information slide to slide
The presentation started with a title slide on which it was written Project Damad Ji. Next came clean slides with all the detail one could expect. Her boyfriend’s age, education, family background, profession, career prospects. Other information that parents often want to know about potential matches for their children. In many ways, it was as detailed as any professional pitch deck.
why did you do this
But why did she decide to introduce her boyfriend using PPT, instead of telling her parents in a direct conversation? It turned out that she did not want her mother to feel that she was taking the biggest decision of her life without thinking or blindly out of love. Instead, she wanted to convey that her decision was a wise and thoughtful one.
practical for wedding
Prakriti told, ‘At the age of 30, I want to be practical about marriage. I want to make it clear that I am taking this decision with full wisdom. I am not going crazy in love with this person (my boyfriend). To be honest, I didn’t know what kind of reactions might come, so I chose something that would also keep my sanity. He laughed and said, ‘Even my friends were surprised to hear this, but they also know my strange habits, so I think I got the right blessings.’
Mother has no questions left
As per presentation protocol, Prakriti also opened the floor for follow-up questions at the end. She says her mother didn’t have many questions because she had already given all the details a parent usually needs or asks. Recalling that moment, Mother Nature said that while the presentation seemed strange, it was not completely surprising. He said, ‘I thought she was going to show me some work-related presentation about which she needed some tips or maybe she wanted me to review it.’ Explaining the reason behind her daughter’s unique way of introducing her boyfriend, she says that Prakriti has always been very particular about announcements, and big gestures have always been her style.
I understood- mother
The mother said, ‘As soon as she started, I understood what she was trying to say and why she wanted to do the introduction in this way. He has liked big gestures and announcements since childhood. Even when she was elected house captain in school, she planned a small surprise party at the age of just 11. Although I must say, the presentation had all the right information a mother would want to know about her ‘son-in-law’ and it was very detailed,’
Tehran, Iran – Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian has called on the United States to respect his country as the two nations look ahead to another round of nuclear negotiations next week following mediated discussions in Oman.
“Our reasoning on the nuclear issue is based on rights stipulated in the Non-Proliferation Treaty,” he wrote in a post on X on Sunday. “The Iranian nation has always responded to respect with respect, but cannot withstand the language of force”.
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Pezeshkian described the indirect talks held in Oman on Friday as a “step forward” and said his administration favours dialogue.
Iranian officials are highlighting sovereignty and independence and are signalling eagerness for nuclear-only negotiations,while rejecting a military build-up in the region by the US.
Speaking at a forum hosted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Tehran, the country’s chief diplomat Abbas Araghchi pointed out that the Islamic Republic has always emphasised independence since overthrowing US-backed Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi in a 1979 revolution.
“Before the revolution, the people did not believe their establishment to have possessed true independence,” Araghchi said.
The messaging comes as the anniversary of the revolution approaches on Wednesday, when state-organised demonstrations have been planned across the country. Iranian authorities have in previous years exhibited military equipment, including ballistic missiles, during the rallies.
A man carries an anti-US placard upside down in front of the Iranian-made missiles displayed in the annual rally commemorating Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution in Tehran, February 11, 2024 [File: Vahid Salemi/AP]
Araghchi said during the event in the capital that Iran is unwilling to forego nuclear enrichment for civilian use even if it leads to more military attacks by the US and Israel, “because no one has the right to tell us what we must have and must not have”.
However, the diplomat added that he told US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner in Muscat on Friday that “there is no way but negotiations”. He said China and Russia have also been informed of the content of the talks.
“Being afraid is lethal poison in this situation,” Araghchi said about Washington amassing what US President Donald Trump has called a “beautiful armada” near Iran’s waters.
“While being prepared, we genuinely have no desire to see the outbreak of a regional war,” Major General Abdolrahim Mousavi told a gathering of air force and air defence commanders and personnel.
“Even though aggressors will be the target of the flames of regional war, this will push back the advancement and development of the region by years, and its repercussions will be borne by the warmongers in the US and the Zionist regime,” he said in reference to Israel.
According to Mousavi, Iran “has the necessary power and preparedness for a long-term war with the US”.
But many average Iranians are left in limbo without much hope that the talks with the US will lead to results, including for the country’s heavily declining economy.
“I was 20 when the first negotiations with the West over Iran’s nuclear programme were held about 23 years ago,” Saman, who works at a small private investment firm in Tehran, told Al Jazeera.
“Our best years are behind us. But it’s even more sad to think that some of the youth who were born at the start of the negotiations were killed on the streets during the protests last month with many hopes and dreams.”
‘They never returned’
Iran is witnessing tense time and threats of a massive US military strike. But the Islamic Republic has not overcome anti-government protests that shook the nation, denouncing the collapse of the national currency, soaring prices and economic hardship.
State television continues to broadcast confessions of Iranians arrested during the nationwide protests, many of whom are accused by the state of working in line with the interests of foreign powers.
In a report aired late on Saturday, a woman and multiple men with blurred-out faces and in handcuffs could be seen saying they were led by a man who allegedly received weapons and money from Mossad operatives in neighbouring Iraq’s Erbil.
“He only wanted more people to die; he shot at everyone,” one of the confessing men said about what allegedly transpired during unrest in the Tehranpars district in the eastern part of the capital, backing the state’s claim that “terrorists” are responsible for all deaths.
Iranian authorities have accused the US, Israel and European countries of instigating the protests.
But international human rights organisations and foreign-based opposition groups accuse state forces of being behind the unprecedented killings during the protests, which were carried out mostly on the nights of January 8 and 9.
The Iranian government claims 3,117 people were killed, but the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) says it has documented nearly 7,000 fatalities and is investigating more than 11,600 cases. The United Nations special rapporteur on Iran, Mati Sato, said more than 20,000 may have been killed as information trickles out despite heavy internet filtering.
Al Jazeera cannot independently verify these figures.
Amid numerous reports that dozens of medical staff were arrested for treating wounded protesters and remain incarcerated in harsh conditions, Iran’s judiciary issued a rejection of the allegations late Saturday. It claimed that only “a limited number of medical personnel were arrested for participating in riots and playing a role in the field”.
A large number of schoolchildren and university students were also reportedly among tens of thousands arrested during and in the aftermath of the nationwide protests. The Ministry of Education claimed last week that it did not know how many schoolchildren were arrested, but could confirm that all have since been released.
The Coordinating Council of Iranian Teachers’ Trade Associations on Sunday released the four-minute video below, titled “200 empty school desks”, which shows the schoolchildren and teenagers confirmed killed during the protests. Many were accompanied by their parents when killed.
One month after the killings, countless families are left grieving and continue to release videos commemorating their loved ones online.
A message on Instagram calling on the international community to keep talking about the people of Iran has now been shared more than 1.5 million times.
“One month ago today, thousands woke up and ate breakfast for the last time without knowing it, and kissed their mother for the last time without knowing it,” the message reads. “They lived for the last time and never returned.”
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A Russian citizen has been detained in Dubai over the shooting of a general in Moscow.
The Federal Security Service (FSB), the main successor to the Soviet-era KGB secret police, said in a statement that a Russian citizen named Lyubomir Korba was arrested on suspicion of shooting Lieutenant General Vladimir Alexeyev on Friday.
“With the assistance of partners from the United Arab Emirates… [he] was detained in Dubai and handed over to the Russian side,” the security service said. Korba has since been flown back to Russia, according to security officials.
Lt Gen Alexeyev was shot three times with a Makarov pistol equipped with a silencer in an apartment block on the Volokolamsk highway in northern Moscow, according to investigators. The perpetrator then fled the scene.
Image:Lieutenant General Vladimir Alexeyev
The 64-year-old was rushed to hospital and underwent surgery, Russian media said.
Russian investigators have accused Ukraine of planning the shooting, but Kyiv has denied involvement.
Investigators said Korba, born in the Ternopil region of Soviet Ukraine in 1960, was tasked by Ukrainian intelligence to carry out the shooting.
Image:A view of the apartment building where Lt Gen Alexeyev was shot and wounded. Pic: AP
The FSB said it had identified two accomplices, also Russian citizens.
One, Viktor Vasin, was detained in Moscow, while another, Zinaida Serebritskaya, escaped to Ukraine. Sky News was unable to immediately verify the details of the suspects.
The UAE did not give any details about how Korba was detained.
Russia claims suspect in shooting of military chief detained
Vladimir Putin called the UAE leader, Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, after the detention of Korba and thanked him for his country’s help in the operation, according to Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov.
Meanwhile, Russia launched an attack on several Ukrainian regions overnight.
Ukraine’s air force said 101 attack drones were fired towards the country, with the force repelling the majority.
Image:A damaged apartment building is seen in a residential neighbourhood following Russian strikes in the Donetsk region. Pic: AP
Apartments in the Donetsk region and nearby cars caught fire after a drone strike. One person died, and two others have been injured.
The overnight attack came almost 24 hours after Russia launched a large-scale attack on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.
400 drones, 40 missiles hit Ukraine overnight
More than 400 drones and 40 missiles were fired in that attack as the harshest winter in the near four-year war grips Ukraine.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy introduced new sanctions in response to the strikes on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.
“Producing this weaponry would be impossible without critical foreign components, which the Russians continue to obtain by circumventing sanctions,” the Ukrainian leader wrote in a social media post.
“We are introducing new sanctions precisely against such companies – component suppliers, as well as missile and drone manufacturers. I have signed the relevant decisions.”
