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  Los Angeles : Hollywood’s award season kicks off on Sunday at a very different Golden Globes, with a mainly virtual ceremony set to boost or dash the Oscars hopes of early frontrunners like   Nomadland   and   The Trial of the Chicago 7 . Usually a star-packed, laid-back party that draws Tinseltown’s biggest names to a Beverly Hills hotel ballroom, this pandemic edition will be broadcast from two scaled-down venues, with essential workers among the few in attendance. Deprived of its usual glamour, the Globes remain a coveted prize, and a high-profile source of momentum in the run-up to the season-crowning Oscars, which were pushed back this year to April. Nomadland , Chloe Zhao’s paean to a marginalised, older generation of Americans roaming the West in rundown vans, has long been viewed as a frontrunner for the Globes’s top prize. But it will face stiff competition from Aaron Sorkin’s  Chicago 7 , a courtroom drama about the city’s anti-war riots in 1968 with...

  New Delhi : The secretary in the ministry of information and broadcasting, Amit Khare, said on Saturday that the country was for the first time moving from censorship to self-regulation, even as critics have taken on the government for being “authoritarian” with new online media guidelines. “There will be no authoritarian process,” Khare told Hindustan Times. “The regulation system is accountable to the courts. Any misuse of power can be checked.” The new rules that will cover over-the-top (OTT) platforms such as Netflix and Hotstar, social media intermediaries such as Facebook and Twitter, and digital news media, were notified by the government on Thursday. The guidelines mandate a three-tier self-regulation system with an authorised official from the I&B ministry at the apex. The official can check non-compliance with the rules and even issue take-down orders under Section 69A of the Information Technology Act, which so far only applied to social media intermediaries and go...

  New Delhi : Antigua and Barbuda has cancelled the citizenship of Mehul Choksi granted under the Caribbean nation’s Citizenship by Investment Programme (CIP) in November 2017 even as his partner-in-crime in the ₹13,500-crore fraud case, Nirav Modi, suffered a legal setback after a UK court ordered his extradition last week, people familiar with the matter said. The development was confirmed to HT by at least two officers in the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and Enforcement Directorate (ED), who added that the fugitive businessman is currently fighting revocation of his citizenship in an Antiguan civil court. “Antigua cancelled his citizenship sometime last year after which he has approached a civil court in St John’s. We believe he will lose his appeal as he is fighting the Antiguan government on a well-established investment scheme, which he misused to take refuge in the island nation after cheating Indian banks,” said the CBI officer cited above. They added that as soon ...

  Spacewalking astronauts ventured out on Sunday to install support frames for new, high-efficiency solar panels arriving at the International Space Station later this year. Nasa’s Kate Rubins and Victor Glover put the mounting brackets and struts together, then bolted them into place next to the station’s oldest and most degraded solar wings. They had to lug out the hundreds of pounds of mounting brackets and struts in 2.5 metre duffle-style bags. The equipment was so big and awkward that it had to be taken apart like furniture, just to get through the hatch. With more people and experiments flying on the space station, more power will be needed to keep everything running, according to US space agency Nasa. The six new solar panels — to be delivered in pairs by SpaceX over the coming year or so — should boost the station’s electrical capability by as much as 30%. 

  Bitcoin dropped 5.84% to $43,418.02 on Sunday, losing $2,691.96 from its previous close. Bitcoin, the world’s biggest and best-known cryptocurrency, has fallen 25.6% from the year’s high of $58,354.14 on February 21. Bitcoin’s price soared this year as major firms including BNY Mellon, asset manager BlackRock Inc, and credit card giant Mastercard Inc backed cryptocurrencies, while others such as Tesla Inc Square Inc and MicroStrategy Inc invested in Bitcoin. Its weakness in the face of market gyrations raises questions about its efficacy as a store of value and hedge against inflation, a key argument among proponents of its stunning rally over the past year. Detractors have maintained the digital asset’s surge is a speculative bubble and it’s destined for a repeat of the 2017 boom and bust. agencies

  The UN rights office said it had credible information that at least 18 people had been killed in Sunday’s crackdown on protesters in Myanmar as it strongly condemned the violence. Myanmar security forces opened fire on protesters, in the bloodiest action so far to smother opposition to the military coup four weeks ago. “We strongly condemn the escalating violence against protests in Myanmar and call on the military to immediately halt the use of force against peaceful protesters,” Ravina Shamdasani, spokesperson for the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, said in a statement. “Throughout the day, in several locations throughout the country, police and military forces have confronted peaceful demonstrations, using lethal force and less-than-lethal force that -- according to credible information received by the UN Human Rights Office -- has left at least 18 people dead and over 30 wounded,” the body said. 

  An estimated 50.86% electorate voted on Sunday in the bypolls to five municipal wards that were touted as a precursor to the civic polls scheduled next year. Of the five wards, Kalyanpuri (under East Delhi Municipal Corporation) recorded the highest voter turnout at 59.72% and Shalimar Bagh (under North corporation) the lowest, at 42.36%. Though the outcome of the bypolls will not alter the composition of the two municipal corporations, those who came out to vote said that they have voted for change and development. The BJP rules the three municipal corporations with a comfortable majority. By-elections were also held in Chauhan Banger (041E) and Trilokpuri (02E) and Rohini-C wards. This was the first election in the Capital to be held during the pandemic. 

  A second former aide said she was sexually harassed by New York governor Andrew Cuomo, who responded with a statement on Saturday saying he never made advances toward her and never intended to be inappropriate. Charlotte Bennett, a health policy adviser in the Democratic governor’s administration until November, told The New York Times Cuomo asked her inappropriate questions about her sex life, including whether she ever had sex with older men. Another former aide, Lindsey Boylan, a former deputy secretary for economic development and special adviser to the governor, recently accused Cuomo of subjecting her to an unwanted kiss and inappropriate comments. Cuomo denied the allegations. Cuomo’s office has asked the state attorney general and the chief judge of the Court of Appeals to choose a lawyer to conduct an independent review of the allegations. 

  New Delhi : After the success of camera-based prosecutions through last year when Covid-induced curbs were in place, the Delhi traffic department will install additional speed detection and red-light violation cameras in around new 31 locations across the Capital by March 31, said senior traffic police officials. “We are maintaining the balance between technology and human intervention in policing,” said joint commissioner of police (traffic), Manish Agarwal. “Cameras are very effective for violations such as speeding, because traffic officials on the roads cannot screen all the cars that travel beyond the speed limit,” he added. He added that during and after the Covid-19 lockdown — which was imposed from March 25 and began being lifted in phases in the first week of May — the department relied heavily on camera-based fines to ensure the safety of commuters and its own staff. By March 31, the traffic police department is looking to increase the number of speed-detection cameras ...

  Meerut : Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday described farmers as true patriots and alleged that fake cases were being lodged against them in the context of the agitation against the three new agriculture reform laws. Speaking at a Kisan Mahapanchayat in Meerut, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader termed the new laws as “a death warrant” for farmers. He said the farmers were in a “do or die” battle because they felt the government would hand over their land to corporates and they would become labourers on their own land. He said that all the governments in the past 70 years cheated farmers on their demand for an appropriate price for their crops, adding, “but nothing happens after elections”. He also indicated farmers had nothing to do with the violence that took place on Republic Day at the Red Fort during the farmers’ tractor rally. “What happened at Red Fort on January 26 was organised by them (he didn’t mention any names),” he said. Kejriwal ended his speech with the ...

  NEW DELHI : The pace of vaccination in India will increase in coming days, Union health minister Harsh Vardhan has said. Speaking to HT, Vardhan said a lot of effort went from the government’s side to ensure that the prices of vaccine shots remained nominal even for those who wanted to take them at private health care facilities. 

Washington : The US drugs regulator has granted emergency use authorisation to Johnson & Johnson’s single-dose Covid-19 jab, making it the third vaccine in the country’s fight against the pandemic. The other vaccines already in use are from Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna, both needing two doses. J&J’s vaccine is also easier to store and transport as it doesn’t need to be kept frozen. “The authorisation of this vaccine expands the availability of vaccines, the best medical prevention method for Covid-19, to help us in the fight against this pandemic,” said Janet Woodcock of the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The FDA said the vaccine is about 67% effective in preventing moderate to severe/critical Covid-19 occurring at least 14 days after vaccination. 

New Delhi : A 25-year-old woman was stabbed to death by a chain snatcher she had fought back in north-west Delhi’s Adarsh Nagar on Saturday night. CCTV footage of the incident, widely shared on social media on Sunday, showed the attacker first lunging at the chain of the woman, Simran Kaur, returning home from a local market with her mother and two-year-old daughter. The footage showed Simran fighting back her attacker who, before fleeing with his accomplice, stabbed Simran multiple times. According to police, the incident took place between 9pm and 9.15pm when Simran — who lives with her husband in Patiala and was visiting her parents — was returning from a local flea market. Witnesses said when Simran and her mother Mamta entered lane number seven from Rajan Babu Road to reach their home, the snatcher approached them from behind. A police officer, who did not wish to be named, said the man extended his arm to grab Simran’s chain, immediately alerting her and making her turn around. “...

Pune : The Pune district administration on Sunday extended the night curfew and closure of education institutes as the region continued to register an increase in coronavirus disease (Covid-19) cases. Pune district has recorded an average of 1,600 cases in the last five days, prompting authorities to shut all schools, colleges and private coaching classes and restrict the movement of people between 11pm to 6 am till March 14. “COVID-19 restrictions imposed in the Pune city till February 28 have been extended to 14 March. As per the new order issued today, schools, colleges and private coaching classes in the city have to remain closed till March 14. No public movement except essential services will be allowed between 11 pm and 6 am,” said Pune Mayor Murlidhar Mohol.  

March 2 last year marked the day when the first wave of Covid-19 cases began in India. There had been cases in January but they were isolated and didn’t start a chain. In a special series, HT looks back at the year of Covid-19 to explore how the country fought the outbreak, how our lives changed, and how the economy can be brought back on track.  

  New Delhi : The second phase of India’s vaccination drive against the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) will begin on Monday, with the Union health ministry saying that those eligible for immunisation can register and book appointments from 9am to 3pm on March 1, as the country ramps up its battle against the infectious disease almost a year after the first cluster of cases in Delhi. From Monday, people eligible for the next phase can walk up to a vaccination centre to be registered for a dose. The decision will allow anyone above the age of 60 and those older than 45 but with comorbidities that make them more vulnerable to Covid-19 to approach government and private hospitals for shots. While the doses will be administered for free at government facilities, private hospitals can charge up to Rs 250 per dose. “A lot of hard work has gone into reaching this phase wherein the government is beginning to vaccinate the general population. The vaccines are absolutely safe to use and are i...

  NEW DELHI : Invoking his government’s Atmanirbhar Bharat initiative, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said self-reliance is not just a government policy but a national spirit. “When every countryman takes pride, every countryman connects; self-reliant India doesn’t remain just an economic campaign but becomes a national spirit,” said Modi as he mentioned a series of Made in India achievements — from fighter plane Tejas to vaccines — in his monthly radio address Mann ki Baat. Making a pitch for rainwater harvesting, Modi announced the “Catch The Rain” campaign as part of which he urged the citizens to conserve rainwater for 100 days during monsoons. With most areas of the country expected to start receiving rain in May-June, the PM asked the people to start preparations for rainwater harvesting. “We shall have to understand our collective responsibilities with regard to water. Can we right away start a 100-day campaign for the sake of cleaning up water sources around us and ...

The ruling All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) on Saturday sealed the deal with Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK), allotting the latter 23 seats out of the 234-assembly constituencies in Tamil Nadu where elections are slated for April 6. A day after the Election Commission announced dates for poll-bound states, the AIADMK-led alliance began seat-sharing talks on Saturday morning, first with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and then wi th the PMK. 

  Mumbai Police have spotted on CCTV surveillance the Innova car used by two suspects to escape after parking a vehicle laden with explosives near the residence of Reliance Industries’s chairman Mukesh Ambani. Police officials in the crime branch said the car was last seen on the Bhiwandi-Nashik highway. The police are now scouring nearby villages for clues and more details. On February 25, a Scorpio car was found 600 metres away from the Ambani residence. htc

  The US House of Representatives passed an enormous, $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package on Saturday, hailed by Democrats as a critical step in funnelling new funding toward vaccinations, overburdened governments, and millions of families devastated by the pandemic. No Republicans voted for the bill. The package cleared the House despite a major setback for Democrats, when a key Senate official ruled that the final version of the bill cannot include a minimum wage hike.  

  Another spell of snowfall Kashmiri men row their makeshift raft made of plastic pipes on the waters of Dal Lake after a brief spell of fresh snowfall in Srinagar on Saturday AP

A new Kapoor-Khan baby, more Kangana comments, and a croissant vada pao. See what else you recall from the week gone by We have the world’s largest cricket stadium, and soon, the world’s highest rail bridge. Taller than the Eiffel Tower, the Chenab bridge will connect the Kashmir valley with India. It is being built by which coastal rail corporation, which is headquartered in Navi Mumbai? For the moment, he’s been remanded at Wandsworth Prison, UK. But jeweller Nirav Modi’s extradition to India is all but cleared. He’s set to face charges of fraudulent loan agreements worth $2 billion. Where will he be held when he’s transferred to Mumbai? A driver at which state’s civil aviation department was suspended after photos from a pre-wedding shoot, featuring his friend and wife posing against a state chopper, went viral? Tank up, and tell us what costs under Rs 30 in these nations: Venezuela, Iran, Angola Algeria, Kuwait, Sudan, Kazakhstan and Qatar? Yusuf Pathan announced his retirement fro...

  Ahmedabad : India will be without pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah in the final Test against England after the 27-year-old was released from the squad for personal reasons, the BCCI said on Saturday. The right-arm seamer took four wickets in the opening Test in Chennai but was rested for the second match, which India won to level the series. Bumrah returned to play his first test at his home ground in Ahmedabad, where India triumphed inside two days to go 2-1 up in the four-match series. “Jasprit Bumrah made a request to BCCI to be released from India’s squad ahead of the fourth Test owing to personal reasons,” the board said. “Accordingly, the fast bowler has been released and he will not be available for selection for the fourth test,” it added. India have decided not to add any player to cover for his absence for the final Test, also in Ahmedabad from Thursday. Bumrah had a limited role in the third Test, where spinners Axar Patel and Ravichandran Ashwin wreaked havoc. The bowle...

NEW DELHI : Indian Air Force chief Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria on Saturday flew in a multi-aircraft formation from a premier air base in Madhya Pradesh’s Gwalior to mark the second anniversary of the Balakot operations — India’s unprecedented, peacetime cross-border strikes on the back of the February 2019 Pulwama terror attack, people familiar with the developments said. Bhadauria flew a Mirage 2000, the aircraft used for bombing JeM targets in Pakistan’s Balakot in February 2019, said one of the officials. “The IAF chief flew with pilots from the squadrons that were part of the operations,” he said. The five-aircraft formation consisted of Mirage 2000s and Sukhoi-30 jets. 

  United Nations/Yangon : Myanmar’s UN ambassador strongly opposed the military coup in his country and appealed for the “strongest possible action from the international community” to immediately restore democracy, in a dramatic speech to the UN General Assembly on Friday that drew loud applause from many diplomats in the global body. He was fired soon after. Ambassador Kyaw Moe Tun began his statement saying he represented Aung San Suu Kyi’s “civilian government elected by the people” in November, and supported their fight for the end of military rule. He urged all countries to issue statements strongly condemning the February 1 coup, and to refuse to recognise the military regime. “It is time for the military to immediately relinquish power and release those detained,” Tun said, adding: “We will continue to fight for a government which is of the people, by the people, for the people,” he vowed. Tun’s statement not only drew applause but commendations, with speaker after speaker ...

NEW DELHI : Oil companies on Saturday raised petrol prices by 24 paise per litre and diesel by 15 paise a litre, making the two fuels costlier by Rs 4.87 per litre and Rs 4.99 in just one month. With the 16th price hike in the current month, petrol was sold at record Rs 91.17 per litre in Delhi on Saturday and diesel at Rs 81.47 a litre, just 50 paise short of touching an all-time high level. Diesel was sold at record Rs 81.94 per litre on July 30, 2020 in Delhi. Domestic fuel retailers raised petrol and diesel rates on Saturday, even as international crude oil prices fell on Friday because of the firming dollar. Benchmark Brent crude on Friday closed at $66.13 per barrel, down by 1.12%. However, Brent crude surged by over 18% in February on supply disruptions in the US and a rapid demand recovery with the launch of Covid-19 vaccination programmes. According to the latest data released on Friday, the Indian economy has come out of contraction zone after the ease of lockdown restriction...

  New Delhi : Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on Saturday said the onus is on India to create an “enabling environment for further progress” in bilateral ties following Thursday’s surprise announcement about both countries recommitting themselves to the 2003 ceasefire on the Line of Control (LoC), a remark that came two days after India asked Islamabad to take demonstrable steps against terrorist organisations. On Thursday, India and Pakistan jointly announced that they agreed to strictly observe all agreements on the ceasefire along the Line of Control (LoC) . India told Pakistan “talks and terror” cannot go together and said it desired normal neighbourly relations. In a set of tweets marking two years of Pakistan’s action after the Indian Air Force (IAF) targeted a Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) camp at Balakot in 2019, Khan said Pakistan was ready to move forward to resolve “all outstanding issues through dialogue”. He also said India must take steps to meet the Kashmiri people...

Sensex dips 1,940 points amid global rout over bond worries mumbai : Indian shares plunged nearly 4%, the sharpest drop in 10 months, on Friday amid a global stocks rout triggered by rising US government bond yields. On Friday, the benchmark Sensex fell 1,939 points, or 3.78%, to 49,099.99, the biggest daily drop since May 4, 2020. The 50-share Nifty index declined 3.78% to 14,529, led by banks and financial services stocks. The impact on the broader market was less severe, with both Nifty Midcap and Nifty Smallcap falling by 1.6% and 1.2%, respectively. Indian shares fell in line with Thursday’s rout in the US after Treasury yields rose to their highest level in a year. Adding to investors concerns, US President Joe Biden on Thursday ordered airstrikes against the Iranian-backed militia in eastern Syria. In India, the 10-year government bond yields closed at 6.20% on Friday, rising 30 basis points this month. The rupee weakened 1.4%, the biggest drop since March, to 73.4650 a dollar. ...