Synopsis

National

Mallikarjun Kharge to be Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha

New Delhi: Senior Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge will be the leader of opposition in Rajya Sabha, succeeding Ghulam Nabi Azad whose tenure comes to an end on Monday.

Party was unaware if Trivedi had issues, his resignation not a setback: TMC spokesperson

TMC MP Dinesh Trivedi did not discuss the issues plaguing him with West Bengal Chief Minister and party chief Mamata Banerjee before his resignation in the Rajya Sabha on Friday, the party''s official spokesperson and former RS MP Vivek Gupta said.

Tikait to address Kisan Mahapanchayat in Yavatmal on Feb 20

Farmer leader Rakesh Tikait will hold ''Kisan Mahapanchayat'' and a public rallyin Yavatmal district of Maharashtra on February 20, an office-bearer of Sanyukt Kisan Morcha has said.

Assembly polls in Pondy, TN will be held simultaneously: CEC

Puducherry: Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora said here on Friday the Assembly polls due in the next few months would be held simultaneously in Puducherry and Tamil Nadu.

TMC MP Dinesh Trivedi announces resignation from Rajya Sabha

New Delhi: TMC MP Dinesh Trivedi announced his resignation from the Rajya Sabha, saying he feels suffocated in the House as he is unable to do anything for the violence going on in his state, West Bengal.

International

Russia says it's ready for split if EU imposes new sanctions

Moscow: Russia is prepared for a split with the European Union if the EU imposes new crippling sanctions amid a dispute over the treatment of opposition leader Alexei Navalny, the nation''s top diplomat warned.

UK economy shrinks 9.9%, biggest annual decline on record

Britain''s economy suffered its biggest decline on record last year as the coronavirus pandemic closed shops and restaurants and and devastated the travel industry.

Turkmenistan's president appoints his son deputy PM

Turkmenistan''s autocratic president has promoted his only son to be a deputy prime minister in a move seen as laying the basis for a political dynasty in the energy-rich Central Asian nation.

China bans BBC from broadcasting

China has banned BBC World News from broadcasting in the country for seriously violating its guidelines for reporting, its television and radio regulator has announced.

Kim lays blame at officials for N Korea's economic failures

Seoul: North Korean leader Kim Jong Un ripped into the performance of his Cabinet and fired a senior economic official he appointed a month ago, saying they''d failed to come up with new ideas to salvage an economy in deca

US welcomes efforts by India and China to de-escalate situation in eastern Ladakh

The US has welcomed the ongoing efforts by India and China to de-escalate the situation in eastern Ladakh and said it would continue to monitor the situation closely as both sides work toward a peaceful resolution.

Russia clashes with US and West over conflict in Ukraine

United Nations, Russia clashed with the United States and its Western allies Thursday over the nearly seven-year conflict in eastern Ukraine, and the U.N. warned that the current fragile cease-fire risks being reversed if peace negotiations become deadlocked.

Biden talked with Xi about concerns over China's coercive, unfair economic practices: WH official

US President Joe Biden in his maiden phone call with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping talked about the fundamental concerns he has with Beijing''s coercive and unfair economic practices, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said on Thursday, a day after the two-hour-long conversation between the two leaders.

President Biden very clear about restoring compassion, order to immigration system: White House

US President Joe Biden has been very clear about "restoring compassion and order" to the country''s immigration system, the White House said on Thursday and noted that a series of executive actions signed by him in the last few weeks are just the beginning.

Business

Markets end flat after choppy trade; post weekly gains

Mumbai: Domestic equity benchmarks Sensex and Nifty ended flat after choppy trade, tracking weak cues from global markets. Participants also remained on the sidelines ahead of key macroeconomic data releases amid lack of fresh buying triggers, traders said.

Inflation eases to 4.06 pc in Jan: Govt data

Retail inflation eased to 4.06 per cent in January, mainly on account of a decline in vegetable prices, as per government data released on Friday.

Forex reserves down by USD 6.24 bn to USD 583.945 bn

The country''s foreign exchange reserves declined by a massive USD 6.24 billion to reach USD 583.945 billion in the week ended February 5, RBI data showed on Friday.

Twitter to add more labels to identify accounts of govt leaders, institutions

Twitter has said it will add labels to identify more government leaders and associated institutions from the next week to provide people with context to what they see and have a "more informed experience" on the microblogging platform.

Petrol price crosses Rs 88-mark in Delhi, diesel breaches Rs 85 in Mumbai

New Delhi: Petrol and diesel prices soared to record highs after rates were hiked for the fourth day in a row.

Ashok Leyland tanks 8 pc after Q3 net loss

Shares of Ashok Leyland on Friday tumbled 8 per cent after the company reported a net loss of Rs 19 crore for the third quarter ended December 31, 2020.

Rupee gains 10 paise to 72.77 against US dollar in early trade

The rupee appreciated by 10 paise to 72.77 against the US dollar in opening trade on Friday supported by positive domestic equities and sustained foreign fund inflows.

Biocon Biologics, Viatris receive EC approval for biosimilar insulin aspart Kixelle

Biocon Biologics Ltd.,a subsidiary ofBengaluru-headquartered Biocon Ltd.,has announced thatKixelle, a biosimilar insulin aspart co-developed with NASDAQ-listed Viatris Inc., has received marketing authorisation approval from the European Commission.

Legal

SC seeks AP's reply on Odisha's contempt plea for notifying Panchayat polls in its villages

New Delhi: The SC asked Andhra Pradesh to file its response on a plea filed by Odisha seeking contempt action against senior officials of the southern state, for notifying panchayat polls in three ''disputed area'' villages of the petitioner state.

President is seized of Balwant S Rajoana's plea for commutation of death penalty, Centre to SC

The Centre Friday told the Supreme Court that President Ram Nath Kovind is seized of the matter pertaining to Balwant S Rajoana''s plea seeking commutation of the death penalty awarded to him in former Punjab chief minister Beant Singh''s assassination case, and a decision will be taken on it.

Cal HC stays single-judge order on coal mining probe, rejects interim prayer relief of accused

A division bench of the Calcutta High Court on Friday stayed a single bench order that had restricted a CBI investigation into alleged illegal mining and transportation of coal to just railway areas in West Bengal.

SC upholds validity of e-voting for winding up of six mutual fund schemes of Franklin Templeton

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday upheld the validity of e-voting process for winding up of six mutual fund schemes of Franklin Templeton, and said disbursal of funds to unit holders will continue.

Centre, Twitter India get SC notice on plea seeking mechanism to regulate content spreading hate

The Supreme Court on Friday sought responses from the Centre and Twitter India on a plea seeking a mechanism for regulating content and advertisements spreading hatred through fake news and instigative messages via bogus accounts.

TRP scam: HC extends Goswami's interim relief till March 5

The Bombay High Court hearing the TRP scam case on Friday extended till March 5 the interim protection against coercive action granted to journalist Arnab Goswami and other employees of ARG Outlier Media that runs Republic TV channels.

Entertainment

Mira Nair to re-release 'Mississippi Masala' to mark 30th anniversary

Mumbai: Celebrated filmmaker Mira Nair has said that she will be releasing a remastered version of her acclaimed 1991 movie "Mississippi Masala" to celebrate the film''s 30th anniversary.

Emraan Hashmi to play antagonist in third part of 'Tiger' franchise

Actor Emraan Hashmi has been roped in to play the villain in the third installment of superstar Salman Khan-led "Tiger" franchise.

Anurag Kashyap, Taapsee Pannu to reunite for thriller 'Dobaaraa'

Filmmaker Anurag Kashyap and actor Taapsee Pannu will be reteaming for a new age thriller, titled "Dobaaraa", to be produced by Ekta Kapoor''s Cult Movies, a new division under her Balaji Telefilms banner.

HBO Max announces new comedy series from Issa Rae

HBO Max has handed an eight-episode order to a new half-hour series from actor-writer Issa Rae.

'Brooklyn Nine-Nine' to conclude with season eight

Popular sitcom "Brooklyn Nine-Nine" will end its run on NBC with upcoming eighth season, the network has announced.

MP cops provide security to Kangana after Cong leaders' threat

Madhya Pradesh police have put in place thick security cover around Bollywood actor Kangana Ranaut in the wake of a threat by some state Congress leaders that they would not allow her shoot for a film if she did not apologise to farmers over her tweets, an official said on Friday.

Jack Black joins cast of 'Borderlands' movie

Actor Jack Black is the latest addition to the cast of Lionsgate''s "Borderlands" movie.

Salman Khan thanks fans for support after receiving reprieve from Rajasthan court

Mumbai: Superstar Salman Khan has thanked his fans for their continued love and support, hours after a Jodhpur court dismissed Rajasthan government''s plea against him for submitting a false affidavit regarding his arms licence.

Disney still committed to release 'Black Widow' in theatres

Disney CEO Bob Chapek has insisted that Scarlett Johansson-front superhero movie "Black Widow" is still on course to make its debut in theatres worldwide.

Sports

Check my scores in last 15 Tests, won't give you masala on captaincy: Rahane bats on front-foot

Chennai: Ajinkya Rahane had a fair idea that a question about his indifferent form would pop up and he was ready to meet the challenging delivery head on with a never-seen-before aggression.

Thiem halts The Nick Kyrgios Experience at Australian Open

Melbourne, The Nick Kyrgios Experience was in full effect against Dominic Thiem, from the undearm ace that successfully closed the second set to the around-the-back, between-the-legs miss that ceded the third and so much more to the delight of the Australian Open''s last spectators for a while.

Tokyo Olympics: Mori to leave but gender issue remains

Tokyo: Yoshiro Mori was expected to resign Friday as the president of the Tokyo Olympic organizing committee following sexist comments implying women talk too much.

No crowds, but Australian Open will continue during lockdown

The Australian Open will be allowed to continue but without crowds for at least five days after the Victoria state government imposed a lockdown starting Saturday in response to a COVID-19 outbreak at a quarantine hotel.

American Platek family buys Italian Serie A club Spezia

Spezia became the fifth Serie A club under American ownership when it was bought by the Platek family on Thursday.

Chelsea, Southampton reach FA Cup quarterfinals

Tammy Abraham put Chelsea into the FA Cup quarterfinals by scoring the second-half winner in a 1-0 victory over second-tier club Barnsley, which missed several chances to stage an upset.

Pakistan working out rotation policy for pacers

Pakistan bowling coach Waqar Younis has said that the national team management is working out a rotation policy for the pace bowlers to properly manage their workload with growing international and league commitments.

News in Detail

Acceptance is the beginning of the solution: Prakash Javadekar

India is Walking the Talk on Paris Agreement. Replying to questions on the adverse effects of climate change in Lok Sabha, Union Minister Prakash Javadekar said that climate change has been the result of carbon emission for the last 150 years of which India’s contribution is only 3 pc.

Minister said, the government has launched National Clean Air Programme aimed to achieve 20 to 30 per cent reduction in pollutants by 2024 from the level of 2017. He added that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has announced to improve air quality in more than 100 cities. He informed that steps like BS-VI compliant vehicles, expansion of metro lines, shifting of industries to PNG, waste processing plants and city specific plans have been taken to curb the pollution level across the country. He urged the citizens to participate in the initiatives by adopting pollution mitigating measures. He said, India is mixing 5 percent ethanol in petrol at present which would be raised to 10 per cent.

In another reply Javadekar said, India is producing around 90 gigawatt energy from the renewable resources which is 37 per cent of the total energy generation capacity of the country. He said, various international bodies and studies have praised the efforts of India for its compliance with the provisions of Paris Agreement for Climate Change.

General Hlaing, export restrictions against Myanmar

The United States has announced a series of executive actions against the military government and people and organisations associated with Feb. 1 coup in Myanmar. The US department of the Treasury announced sanctions against 10 individuals and 3 entities connected to the military apparatus responsible for the coup in Myanmar.

The statement released by the US Department of the treasury said that six of these individuals including Commander in Chief (CIC) of the Myanmar military Min Aung Hlaing, Deputy CiC Soe Win, First Vice President Myint Swe are part of the National Defense and Security Council. All property owned directly or indirectly by these individuals and entities in the US has been blocked.

The US government also announced a series of export restrictions on sensitive items to Myanmar. The US Department of Commerce said that in response to the overthrow of the democratically elected civilian government it is implementing restrictions on the exports of sensitive items to Myanmar ministry of defense, home affairs, armed forces and security forces.

Facebook announced that it will reduce the distribution of all content and profiles run by Myanmar military as they ‘continue to spread misinformation’. The measures don’t constitute a ban but limit the visibility of the content created by the Myanmar military.

Meanwhile, the Myanmar military has remitted the sentences of more than 23,000 prisoners including 55 foreigners.

Formula One eye Portugal GP to replace Vietnam

Formula One said on Thursday it plans to hold a race in Portugal to complete this season’s schedule, after the May 2 window was left empty by the cancellation of the Hanoi race.

The race in the Vietnamese capital was scrapped for a second straight year due to the coronavirus pandemic and there are doubts it will ever take place.

Holding the event in Portugal was in doubt as the country is on Britain’s red list of Covid-19 destinations, with the majority of Formula One manufacturers based in England.

A 10-day quarantine is obligatory for all arrivals from Portugal to the UK.

“It is the intention of Formula One to fill the position with a race in Portugal on the dates already held in the calendar,” Formula One said.