Visual from Gulmarg, Kashmir. (Express photo: Shuaib Masoodi)After a tumultuous year wreaked by the Coronavirus pandemic, the world welcomed the year 2021 with cautioned celebrations. This year’s festivities were subdued due to the rising cases and the rapid spread of the new UK Covid-19 strain, whose first 6 cases were detected on December 29 in India.
From New York’s Times Square to Sydney Harbor, big public revelries have been turned into TV-only shows and digital events.. Germany has banned the sale of fireworks, which residents usually set off in on the streets, and a pyrotechnics show at Berlin’s Brandenburg Gate has been called off. Similar is the case of the fireworks show over the River Thames in locked-down London.
In India, Delhi has announced night curfew on New Year’s Eve, restricting more than five people to assemble at a public place. According to the order, no celebratory events, congregations and gatherings at public places are permitted from 11 pm of December 31 to 6 am of January 1, 2021.
In Maharashtra, while hotels, restaurants, pubs and bars will close at 11 pm and large gatherings were prohibited in public places, families were allowed to hold parties in residential places provided it is a small group and social distancing norms are maintained. In Ahmedabad, the restrictions will be effective between 10 pm, Thursday and 6 am Friday. The police restricted hotels from hosting any late-night parties on New Year Eve on Thursday.
“Mild fever and body ache for a day or two.” Four months after he, eight members of his family and six employees at his home and office became among the first volunteers in India for trials of the Covishield vaccine, Pune-based Arun Khanna says that his routine is back to pre-Covid days, but for that brief interlude when he received his first dose.
The 64-year-old takes his two dogs, Naughty and Angel, out for a walk, and then settles down to work from home, these days not going to his office, that is a five-minute drive from his sprawling bungalow. Khanna has also taken two outstation trips since — with family to Amby Valley near Pune and with his chartered accountant to Vaishno Devi.(Read Anuradha Mascarenhas's report here)
On November 2, when Himakshi Das saw Pinky at the temperature check queue at Guwahati’s Kamakhya Higher Secondary School, she almost rushed to give her best friend a hug — a pre-class, morning ritual for the last six years. But soon, the 11-year-old remembered her father’s words from the night before, and stuck to, “How are you?” through her new N-95 mask, from a safe distance. “Pinky did not hear me but I was happy,” says Himakshi. It had been, after all, eight months since the Class 6 student had last gone to school, met her teachers, or seen her best friend.
A week before her classes resumed, Himakshi’s father, who runs a hardware store in Guwahati, refused to sign the mandatory consent form allowing her to attend school. “He was worried. But I told him, life must go on, and if we want our daughter to be something, do something, she needs to go to school,” says Dipali Das, Himakshi’s mother. Eventually, he agreed. (Read Tora Agarwala's report here)
The year 2020 showcased women’s stories of resilience and strengthened their resolve to fight harder for their rights. It provided opportunities to break barriers like never before.The coronavirus pandemic shed light upon female leadership like never before. According to data, countries led by women suffered six times fewer Covid-19 fatalities as compared to countries led by men. Women led countries were also more effective and rapid in flattening the case curve.
From women leaders’ meticulous handling of Covid-19 in their countries, to legal wins for women rights and to some surprising firsts, take a look at the defining moments for women this year here.
President Donald Trump in a New Year's Eve message reflected on his accomplishments in office, calling them "historic victories," while his successor, President-elect Joe Biden, struck an upbeat tone in looking ahead to 2021.After weeks of vowing to win his fight to remain in office, Republican Trump said in a video posted on Twitter: "We have to be remembered for what's been done.While President Elect Joe Biden paid tribute to healthcare workers and encouraged people to get vaccinated in a brief appearance with his wife, Jill Biden, on ABC news.""I'm absolutely, positively confident - confident - we're going to come back and we're going to come back even stronger than before," said Biden, who takes office on Jan. 20.
The Covid-19 pandemic and the unprecedented lengths to which we had to go to keep its spread under check also resulted in never-before imagined dependence on technology. The entire world was suddenly stuck at home with real life getting an unnerving accent of virtual reality as we tried to get close to friends, family and colleagues without actually being there.
For a change, as everyone uncharacteristically trudges towards a new year with caution, there is a lot you can expect in the world of technology. What has happened in 2020 will have a significant impact in how technology shapes up in the coming year. This is very unusual, because technology is usually forward looking. But it all depends on things remaining at least the way they are — ceteris paribus as the economists would say. Here is our punt on what the tech world will be like in 2021. (Read Nandagopal Rajan's explainer here)
2020 began with people’s sit-ins against a discriminatory citizenship law in open spaces and mohallas across the country; it is ending with farmers’ dharnas on the borders of the national capital against laws that have stoked unaddressed anxieties.
The year of the coronavirus saw the very idea and reality of the public sphere become embattled and besieged in new and never-before ways. As people and institutions receded behind a mask, and swaddled themselves in PPEs, it also brought home the necessity in the new year of stepping out again — into shared spaces made more precious by being threatened, commons that must now be made larger and more encompassing.
This is the challenge of the new year and it will not be easy. It will require the vaccine but not just that. It will need the continuing efforts and innovations of the COVID warriors at the frontlines — the scientists, the doctors and the nurses, and other healthcare workers.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi Friday extended his greetings on the occasion of New Year and hoped that the year 2021 brings “good health, joy and prosperity.” In a tweet, Modi said, “Wishing you a happy 2021! May this year bring good health, joy and prosperity. May the spirit of hope and wellness prevail.” Modi is set to lay the foundation stone of Light House Projects (LHPs) under Global Housing Technology Challenge-India (GHTC-India) virtually at 6 sites across six States today.
It was the year when the people claimed the public space, when barriers were erected in their way, and when a powerful virus sought to push them back into private corners and places. 2020 began with people’s sit-ins against a discriminatory citizenship law in open spaces and mohallas across the country; it is ending with farmers’ dharnas on the borders of the national capital against laws that have stoked unaddressed anxieties. The anti-CAA protesters were dispersed by the onset of the pandemic but the farmers’ protests have seemed undeterred by the still raging public health emergency — the government sought to paint both as misguided and as a conspiracy but in the latter case has, belatedly but wisely, kept the door open for discussion. In between, the year of the coronavirus saw the very idea and reality of the public sphere become embattled and besieged in new and never-before ways. As people and institutions receded behind a mask, and swaddled themselves in PPEs, it also brought home the necessity in the new year of stepping out again — into shared spaces made more precious by being threatened, commons that must now be made larger and more encompassing. Read more here.
Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal extends wishes
Rahul Gandhi extends New Year wishes, tweets: "My heart is with the farmers and labourers fighting unjust forces with dignity and honour."
After a year of the pandemic, which brought with it deaths, lockdowns, economic insecurities and anxiety, the world is set for a new beginning in 2021. Earlier today, people across the globe bid adieu to 2020, and welcomed the new year with hopes of happiness and prosperity.
However, several countries are witnessing tepid New Year celebrations as the risk of Covid-19 is not over yet. From New York’s Times Square to Sydney Harbor, big public revelries have been turned into TV-only shows and digital events, reported The Associated Press.
In India, Delhi and many other cities have announced night curfew on New Year’s Eve, restricting gatherings at public places. Germany has banned the sale of fireworks, which residents usually set off in on the streets, and a pyrotechnics show at Berlin’s Brandenburg Gate has been called off. Similar is the case of the fireworks show over the River Thames in locked-down London.
Police tighten vigil across Bengaluru city
Heavy security deployed at Delhi's Connaught Place on New Year Eve. The city has announced a night curfew on New Year’s eve restricting more than five people to assemble at a public place.
On New Year's Eve, the British government is running ads imploring people not to celebrate with anyone outside their household.
The campaign is urging Britons to “see in the New Year safely at home.”
No parties, no hugging strangers, no mass choruses of “Auld Lang Syne.”
Stephen Powis, medical director of the National Health Service in England, says “COVID loves a crowd”.
Most of the country''s population is under lockdown measures to slow the spread of a new, easily transmissible coronavirus strain. Social gatherings involving multiple households are barred. Police will be patrolling to deter groups planning to celebrate or to mark Britain''s final economic split from the European Union. (AP)
The new year festivities in Bengaluru will be lacklustre this year following the prohibitory orders imposed by the city police to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and its new variant.
Chennai will also see virtually no public celebrations as the government has already banned such festivities in restaurants, hotels, clubs and resorts, including beach resorts, on Thursday and Friday.
The Bengaluru police have imposed prohibitory orders under section 144 of the CrPC from 6 pm on Thursday to 6 am Friday.
The city is known for its grand gala celebrations during the New Year and the major hub of activities used to be MG Road, Church Street, Brigade Road, Koramangala and Indiranagar.
Now, according to the order passed by the Bengaluru Police Commissioner Kamal Pant, these places are "No-Man Zones."
To prevent the unnecessary travelling in the night, the police closed major flyovers for traffic.
See more photos here
One million people would usually crowd the Sydney Harbor to watch the annual fireworks that center on the Sydney Harbour Bridge. But this year authorities advised revelers to watch the fireworks on television as the two most populous states, New South Wales and Victoria battle to curb new COVID-19 outbreaks.
The first time January 1 came to be considered as the beginning of the new year was back in 45 BCE. The Roman calendar before that began in the month of March and consisted of 355 days. An additional 27-day or 28-day intercalary month would sometimes be inserted between February and March.
It was Roman dictator Julius Caesar who reformed the calendar soon after coming to power in the late first century BCE. But even as the Julian calendar gained popularity, large parts of Europe did not accept it till well into the mid-16th century CE. With the advent of Christianity, January 1 as the beginning of a new year was seen as pagan, while December 25, with its religious connotations regarding the birth of Jesus, was considered more acceptable. Read more here
A four-day lockdown is set to begin in Turkey at 9 p.m. Thursday — New Year’s Eve — in a bid to stem the spread of COVID-19, and measures against New Year’s gatherings are to be enforced.
Turkey’s president has warned parties will not be allowed and law enforcement will monitor for any violations. The interior ministry said gathering would be banned “not as a preference but as a necessity” for public health.
Istanbul’s governor said Thursday some 34,000 law enforcement personnel would be on duty to enforce the rules in Turkey’s most populous city. The interior ministry announced more than 208,000 officers would be working across the country and have set up thousands of control points.
Tourists, who have so far been exempt from lockdowns, will also not be allowed to go to symbolic squares and avenues. (AP)
New York City police turned to familiar tactics ahead of Thursday's New Year's Eve celebrations, deploying bomb-sniffing dogs and sand-filled sanitation trucks intended to guard against explosions. But the department's playbook this year includes an unusual mandate: preventing crowds of any size from gathering in Times Square.
Citing concerns over the spread of COVID-19, police closed the Crossroads of the World to vehicles and pedestrians at midnight and said they would disperse any onlookers venturing into a so-called “frozen zone' — the blocks surrounding the ball that historically draw shoulder-to-shoulder crowds.
The coronavirus has upended public life for months, and New Year's Eve will be no different. This year, police said, revelers headed to Times Square won't be permitted past police lines. (AP)
Residents of Kolkata were seen thronging fine dining restaurants from Christmas to New Year's eve, shedding their COVID fears. Owners of several renowned restaurants in the metropolis have reported increased footfalls in the last one week. Nitin Kothari, owner of Park Street restaurants 'Peter Cat' and 'Mocambo', said the establishments have remained filled till late evening hours in the last few days.
"We have reduced the number of seats by half from 180 in each restaurant as per the COVID-19 norms but there has not been a decline in the number of patrons," Kothari told PTI. To supplement the reduced number of seats, home delivery has increased and now comprises a significant part of the day's sale in both the restaurants, he said. (PTI)
New Zealand is one of the first countries in the world to welcome in the New Year. Kiwis around the country are partying to farewell 2020 and welcome in the new year. New Zealand, which is two hours ahead of Sydney, and several of its South Pacific island neighbors have no COVID-19 cases, and New Year celebrations there are the same as ever.
The Indian Express spoke to Mumbai Joint Commissioner of Police (Law & Order) Vishwas Nangre-Patil to clear the air on what is allowed and what is restricted in Mumbai for New Years Eve. While the night curfew has been on since December 22 and police have been conducting nakabandis, it will be scaled up for the New Years Eve. Read more here
In Hyderabad, authorities have allowed New Year parties past midnight of December 31 till 1 am on Friday. The Telangana Prohibition and Excise department, in a letter dated December 29, sought the state government to accord permission to license holders of 2B (Bars), C1 (in-house), EP1 (event permits), and TD1 (in-house of Tourism Development Corporation) to serve liquor up to 1 am, on the intervening night of December 31. It also asked permission to keep A4 licensees (retail outlets) open up to midnight of December 31 on the eve of New Year’s Day celebrations in relaxation of the rules in vogue.
Such permission may be granted subject to observance of SOP for COVID-19, the director of the department wrote in the letter to the government. An official from the department, when contacted, said the permission as sought by it has been granted by the government.
2020 – A year to forget, but one that we will always remember. In January 2020, most of us had new year goals – be it at work, places we would like to visit, or people we would like to see. And within a few weeks, the virus changed everything.
At both the individual and collective level, this has been a time of so many losses, and such deep uncertainty and anxiety. And yet, there are silver linings. Silver linings – as in ‘new learnings’ – that could be golden opportunities as we enter 2021. Read more here
The new year is upon us. People around the world are gathering their spirits to embrace 2021 with welcoming arms, and Indian celebrities are no exception. 2020 was a tough year for everyone, but the world still kept moving, doing what needed to be done. And it is this spirit that actor Anupam Kher evoked in a poem shared on social media. Here's how other Bollywood and TV celebrities are welcoming 2021.
Actors Viggo Mortensen, Jonathan Van Ness, Daisy EdgarJones share hopes of new year.
After a year of pandemic, Asia tiptoes into 2021.
Thanks to the Covid-19 epidemic, 2020 brought rare attention on science, particularly on the health sciences. Not only did subjects like public health, the mechanism of spread of viral diseases, or the state of country’s scientific research become part of mainstream discussions, a large number of people even became aware of issues like the intricacies of vaccine development, or the difficulties in clinical trials of drugs and vaccines.
Science, and the tools it has gifted, was the primary weapon to be deployed in the fight against the pandemic, whether it related to carrying out of diagnostic tests, or clinical management of more serious patients to prevent deaths, or the search for effective drugs and vaccines.
Here's what health science has to offer in 2021
The Greater Chennai Police have asked the public to welcome the new year safely at homes. All the restaurants, bars, star hotels, resorts, including beach resorts, within the limit of the Greater Chennai Police have been ordered to shut by 10 pm. A couple of days ago, the Tamil Nadu government issued an order banning public celebrations on both New Year’s Eve (December 31) and on New Year (January 1).
According to the release from the government, public entry to the beaches has been restricted on both days. “On the occasion of New Year, there is a possibility of large gatherings from December 31 evening in beaches and on roads and this might lead to a spike in Covid-19 cases. In other countries, the second wave of new positive cases are being reported and due to this situation, there is a need to intensify Covid-19 containment measures,” the release read.
According to Greater Chennai Police Commissioner Mahesh Kumar Agarwal, 10,000 police personnel will be on duty to make sure there are no gatherings and unlawful incidents. Read more
The beginning of a year is associated with all things new. It is when you leave behind your previous year's troubles and challenges, and embrace the new energy of the very first day of the year. On the first day, most people chalk out new plans and come up with better ideas of what they would like to achieve that year. It is when resolutions are made and personal goals are set.
We understand that 2020 has been a challenging year, and some of it is going to spill over into the year, too. We are going to have to face the bitter truth that the pandemic is going to continue, and that even after the vaccine, it may take some time for people to get back to their regular routine. But, you can still take out time and invest your energies into meeting your personal goals and becoming a better person. Here's how you can have a motivational start to your new year.
New Year's Eve is a celebratory affair, wherein one breaks away from the challenges of the old year and looks optimistically at the new one. And we all know 2020 has been all about challenges and hardships: many countries were in lockdown, economies were down, travel was restricted, masks and social distancing were mandatory. People lost both lives and livelihoods. As such, it can be difficult to seek out joy.
But it is also important to hold on to hope -- that the new year may turn out to be better, even if slightly so. With this, we give you a listicle of 10 interesting and unique things you can do at home, with or without your loved ones. Say your goodbyes to 2020, but also stay safe and happy. Click to read on...
In Hyderabad, authorities have allowed New Year parties past midnight of December 31 till 1 am on Friday. The Telangana Prohibition and Excise department, in a letter dated December 29, sought the state government to accord permission to license holders of 2B (Bars), C1 (in-house), EP1 (event permits), and TD1 (in-house of Tourism Development Corporation) to serve liquor up to 1 am, on the intervening night of December 31. It also asked permission to keep A4 licensees (retail outlets) open up to midnight of December 31 on the eve of New Year’s Day celebrations in relaxation of the rules in vogue. Such permission may be granted subject to observance of SOP for COVID-19, the director of the department wrote in the letter to the government. An official from the department, when contacted, said the permission as sought by it has been granted by the government. On Thursday morning, the Hyderabad police tweeted: “So... What are your plans tonight. Will Meet you at Spl. Drive on Drunken Driving. #hyderabad #newyear2021 #HyderabadCityPolice” (sic). Read more
The Bengaluru City Police Thursday booked a real estate agent for allegedly storing 85 litres of alcohol—20 times above the permissible limit—inside his residence at Rajajinagar. According to the police, the accused, identified as Mani (61), had stored the alcohol in 114 bottles, all of 750 ml each.
"The accused residing at West of Chord Road in Rajajinagar said that he had bought the liqour from the Air Force Canteen in Mekhri Circle, with the help of a warrant officer. However, he was not able to provide any bill or records of procuring the same," an officer from Basaveshwaranagar police station said. Officers from Magadi Road police station was also part of the searches conducted at the accused's residence, the police added. Read more
Although, mostly muted celebrations are the norm this year, a breathtakingly beautiful drone display illuminated Scottish skies as part of new year celebrations.
The Indian Express spoke to Mumbai Joint Commissioner of Police (Law & Order) Vishwas Nangre-Patil to clear the air on what is allowed and what is restricted in Mumbai for New Years Eve. While the night curfew has been on since December 22 and police have been conducting nakabandis, it will be scaled up for the New Years Eve.
So, are house parties / terrace parties allowed on New Years Eve even after 11pm? Can people use their cars/bikes on New Years Eve for travelling after 11pm? Will restaurants, pubs, bars be allowed to remain open? Can you order in?
Here are the answers to all your questions
o bring in the New Year, Google has featured a ticking clock house waiting to strike midnight on its homepage. To add a bit of glitter, the word 'Google' is laced with a string of lights. Further, you're met with a stream of confetti when you click the doodle.
The year 2020 has been a year of pandemic, resulting in lockdowns in most of the countries, and global economic slowdown. People across the world have been seen eagerly waiting for the new year to bring with it new hope, happiness and prosperity. As Google's blog says, "It's been a cuckoo year, but 2020's clock is ticking. The countdown begins now, and when the clock strikes midnight a new year will spread its wings!" Read more
In most cities this New Year’s Eve, there will be no roaring crowds, no gatherings for fireworks shows and, let’s hope, no strangers kissing at midnight. But, after a year punctuated by disease, unemployment and racial unrest, people around the world, in different circumstances than usual, will still raise a glass and toast the start of 2021. New York Times reports on how the cities around the world will say goodbye, at long last, to 2020. Click to read
New Year’s Day or January 1 marks the beginning of a new calendar year. It is the first day of the year according to the modern Gregorian calendar and the Julian calendar.
New Year’s Day was celebrated on January 1 for the first time in 45 BC under the Julian calendar. Later, Pope Gregory acknowledged January 1 as the beginning of the new year as per his reform of the Catholic Liturgical Calendar.
In pre-Christian Rome, the day was dedicated to Janus, the god of gateways and beginnings. The month of January is also named after this god. Liturgically, it also signified the Feast of the Naming and Circumcision of Jesus, which continues to be observed in the Anglican and Lutheran Church. The Roman Catholic Church, on the other hand, celebrates the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God, on this day. To read more about the history and importance of the day, click here
All though reduced to a digital event now, The Times Square ball drop was tested ahead of New Year’s Eve.
The Delhi Disaster Management Authority Thursday announced a curfew in the city on New Year’s Eve, restricting more than five people to assemble at a public place. According to an order, no celebratory events, congregations and gatherings at public places are permitted from 11 pm of December 31 to 6 am of January 1, 2021. However, the order exempts licensed premises. Read more
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