The Loop: Prince Andrew and Virginia Giuffre reach settlement, Alec Baldwin sued over shooting, and 'cautious optimism' in Ukraine

Good morning, it's Wednesday, February 16. Here's what you need to get going today.

One thing to know right now: There's been a settlement in Prince Andrew's case 

Virginia Giuffre alleged she was trafficked for sex to Prince Andrew by Jeffrey Epstein — now both parties have reached a settlement. Here's the lowdown:

• Lawyers for Ms Giuffre and Andrew said the duke intended to make a substantial donation to Ms Giuffre's charity in support of victims' rights.
• It was not clear whether Ms Giuffre would personally receive any money as part of the settlement.
• Both parties are expected to file for the case to be dismissed within 30 days.
• Buckingham Palace has declined to comment on the settlement.
• The duke has repeatedly denied the allegations.

The statement said the duke "regrets his association with Epstein". He's pictured here with Virginia Giuffre and Ghislaine Maxwell in 2001. (Supplied)

One thing you’ll be hearing about today: Cautious optimism on Ukraine 

Let's break down what happened overnight:

• After withdrawing some troops following drills near Ukraine's border, President Vladimir Putin said Russia did not want war in Europe. He said:

• But NATO says it has yet to see any evidence of a de-escalation that could avert a military conflict.
• Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said the reported pullback needed to be seen to be believed:

• Commercial satellite images taken on Sunday and Monday showed a flurry of Russian military activity at several locations near Ukraine (according to the private US company that released the pictures).
• It pointed to the arrival of several large deployments of troops and attack helicopters as well as new deployments of ground-attack aircraft and fighter-bomber jets to forward locations.

A satellite image shows military equipment loaded on flatcars passing through a rail yard in Yelnya, Russia. (Reuters: 2022 Maxar Technologies)

News while you snoozed

Let's get you up to speed.

• Alec Baldwin is being sued by the family of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, who was shot and killed on the set of the film Rust last year. The lawsuit is in the name of Ms Hutchins's husband, Matthew Hutchins, and their son, Andros, and also sues the movie's producers for wrongful death. Lawyer Brian Pannish said "reckless conduct and cost-cutting measures" of Baldwin and the film's producers "led to the death of Halyna Hutchins." 

Alec Baldwin after he was questioned about a shooting on the set of the film Rust in October last year. (AP: Jim Weber/Santa Fe New Mexican )

• Kamila Valieva, the ROC's 15-year-old skating prodigy who was cleared to keep competing after a doping scandal, leads the rankings on a huge score of 82.16 going into the free skate at the Beijing Winter Olympics. Why is Valieva skating? The Court of Arbitration for Sport ruled she could, due to "untimely notification" of her positive test and being a minor (but the IOC has ordered an extra skater to compete in the event).

Kamila Valieva nearly fell on her opening triple axel in her short program but scored highly. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

• The families of nine victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in the US have agreed to a $73 million settlement of a lawsuit against the maker of the rifle used to kill 20 first-graders and six educators in 2012.
• Australia's T20 men's cricketers have beaten Sri Lanka by six wickets in Canberra to take an unassailable 3-0 lead in the five-match series.

The news Australia is searching for

• Adelaide United: That'll be their surprise 2-1 win against A-League men's soccer champs Melbourne City. Away from home, Mo Toure scored the winner in the 85th minute to complete a comeback after Jamie Maclaren had put City ahead early.
• Bonza airlines: That's the new Australian airline launched yesterday. Some of the routes the Sunshine Coast-based airline will offer include Mildura and Albury to the Sunshine Coast. But they still need regulatory approval — so the first flights won't be until June or July.

Bonza says it hopes to offer flights in Australia by the middle of the year. (Supplied: Bonza)

One more thing: It was a bad day at work for this Olympic skier...

Jarl Magnus Riiber has had a rough time of it at the Beijing Winter Olympics — first COVID on arrival, then only being allowed out a day before his race.

But things were looking up for the Norwegian, with a decent lead into the cross country leg of the gruelling large hill/10km Nordic combined race.

Until he took a wrong turn.

Norway's Jarl Magnus Riiber had to turn around after taking the wrong turn in the Nordic Combined event at the Beijing Winter Olympics. (AP: Aaron Favila)

How did it happen? Well after completing his first lap and holding that lead, Riiber went into the finishing chute instead of continuing around on the regular course.

He quickly turned around but had lost his lead and ended up in eighth.

That's it for now

We'll be back later on with more of the good stuff.

ABC/wires