News Broadcasting
Annual Academy Awards will be aired live on STAR MOVIES on february 26th at 6:30 a.m. with a repeat at 8:30 p.m.
MUMBAI: It’s that time of the year again! It is the biggest celebrity event in showbiz … the most important night of the year for the Hollywood stars … the most awaited event of the year that is attended by the movers and shakers of the entertainment industry worldwide – The OSCARS! It’s time to roll out the red carpet and be awed by all the glitz and glamour, once again. And as always they are LIVE and EXCLUSIVE on Star Movies! Hollywood’s biggest event of the year, The 79th ANNUAL ACADEMY AWARDS will be aired LIVE on STAR MOVIES on February 26th at 6:30 a.m. with a prime time repeat on the same day at 8. 30 p.m., giving viewers in India a chance to watch the event, along with millions of viewers, worldwide!
The event kicks off with a Star Movies Special Event ‘LIVE From The Red Carpet’ offering a first glimpse at what the stars are wearing as they arrive in their limousines and parade down the red carpet. Look for celebrity interviews, fashion statements by Hollywood’s glam brigade dressed to the nines in designer creations and jewelry! Then it’s off to the famed Los Angeles Kodak Theatre for the main event. This year’s host is comedienne-turned-US talk show host Ellen DeGeneres, voted one of the funniest people in America by Entertainment Weekly, and she’ll be joined by Hollywood’s finest presenters on this night to be remembered!
Star Movies has been broadcasting the Oscars since 1999. This year Hollywood’s most important and glamorous awards will again have a big parade of movie stars and other Hollywood types gracing the red carpet in front of Hollywood’s Kodak Theater, dressed to the nines in designer duds and jewelry.
Having bagged the rights for telecasting The Oscars until 2010, Star Movies has once again lived up to its promise of giving its viewers a wholesome Hollywood experience over and above the freshest and the best of the movies that they bring to the viewers. Star Movies has also been showcasing the ‘Oscar Fever’ to set the mood for its viewers, wherein some of the popular Oscar winning and nominated movies of the recent past have been aired.
So prepare yourself for the BIGGEST and the most popular night LIVE and exclusive on Star Movies, on Monday, February 26th 2006 at 6.30 a.m. (red carpet followed by LIVE presentation) and repeat at primetime 8.30 pm. Root for your favorite nominees and get to know who will receive the highest honor in filmmaking this year!
Come Home to Hollywood. Come Home to Star Movies.
About Star
STAR is a leading media and entertainment company in Asia. STAR broadcasts over 50 television services in nine languages to more than 300 million viewers across 53 Asian countries. STAR channels cover all genres including general entertainment (Star Plus, Xing Kong, Star Chinese Channel, Star One, Star Utsav, Star World, Vijay, Phoenix Chinese), sports (ESPN, Star Sports), movies (Star Chinese Movies, Star Gold, Star Movies), music (Channel [V]), and news and current affairs (Star News, Star Ananda, Phoenix InfoNews Channel). STAR controls over 20,000 hours of Indian and Chinese programming and also owns the world’s largest contemporary Chinese film library, with more than 600 titles, featuring superstars including Jackie Chan, Chow Yun Fat and Bruce Lee. In partnership with leading companies in Asia, STAR businesses extend to filmed entertainment, television production, cable systems, direct-to-home services, terrestrial TV broadcasting, wireless and digital services. STAR is a wholly owned subsidiary of News Corporation. www.startv.com
For further information please contact:
In Mumbai:
Zeenat Khan Shiraz Bhavnani / Aditi Chada
Asst. Vice President – Publicity Vaishnavi Corporate Communications
Star India Pvt. Ltd. Tel: 91-22-5656 8787
Tel No. 91-22-56305555 Fax: 91-22-5656 8788
Email:sbhavnani@vccpl.com / achada@vccpl.com
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Some nominations for the 79th Annual Academy Awards
Best motion picture of the year
” Babel
” The Departed
” Letters From Iwo Jima
” Little Miss Sunshine
” The Queen
Achievement in directing
” Babel
” The Departed
” Letters From Iwo Jima
” The Queen
” United 93
Performance by an actor in a leading role
” Leonardo Dicaprio – Blood Diamond
” Ryan Gosling – Half Nelson
” Peter O’Toole – Venus
” Will Smith – The Pursuit Of Happyness
” Forest Whitaker – The Last King Of Scotland
Performance by an actor in a supporting role
” Alan Arkin – Little Miss Sunshine
” Jackie Earle Haley – Little Children
” Djimon Hounsou – Blood Diamond
” Eddie Murphy – Dreamgirls
” Mark Wahlberg – The Departed
Performance by an actress in a leading role
” Penélope Cruz – Volver
” Judi Dench – Notes On A Scandal
” Helen Mirren – The Queen
” Meryl Streep – The Devil Wears Prada
” Kate Winslet – Little Children
Performance by an actress in a supporting role
” Adriana Barraza – Babel
” Cate Blanchett – Notes On A Scandal
” Abigail Breslin – Little Miss Sunshine
” Jennifer Hudson – Dreamgirls
” Rinko Kikuchi – Babel
Best animated feature film of the year
” Cars
” Happy Feet
” Monster House
Achievement in art direction
” Dreamgirls
” The Good Shepherd
” Pan’s Labyrinth
” Pirates Of The Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest
” The Prestige
Achievement in cinematography
” The Black Dahlia
” Children Of Men
” The Illusionist
” Pan’s Labyrinth
” The Prestige
Achievement in costume design
” Curse Of The Golden Flower
” The Devil Wears Prada
” Dreamgirls
” Marie Antoinette
” The Queen
Best documentary feature
” Deliver Us From Evil
” An Inconvenient Truth
” Iraq In Fragments
” Jesus Camp
” My Country, My Country
Best documentary short subject
” The Blood Of Yingzhou District
” Recycled Life
” Rehearsing A Dream
” Two Hands
Achievement in film editing
” Babel
” Blood Diamond
” Children Of Men
” The Departed
” United 93
Best foreign language film of the year
” After The Wedding
” Days Of Glory (Indig?nes)
” The Lives Of Others
” Pan’s Labyrinth
” Water
News Broadcasting
Induction cooktop demand spikes 30× amid LPG supply concerns
Supply worries linked to West Asia tensions push households and restaurants to turn to electric cooking alternatives
MUMBAI: As geopolitical tensions in West Asia ripple through global energy supply chains, the familiar blue flame in Indian kitchens is facing an unexpected challenger: electricity.
What began as concerns over the availability of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) has quickly evolved into a technology-driven shift in cooking habits. Households across India are increasingly turning to induction cooktops and other electric appliances, initially as a backup but now, for many, a necessity.
A sudden surge in demand
Recent data from quick-commerce and grocery platform BigBasket highlights the scale of the shift. According to Seshu Kumar Tirumala, the company’s chief buying and merchandising officer, demand for induction cooktops has risen dramatically.
“Induction cooktops have seen a significant surge in demand, recording a fivefold jump on 10 March and a thirtyfold spike on 11 March,” Tirumala said.
The increase stands out sharply when compared with broader kitchen appliance trends. Most appliance categories are growing within 10 per cent of their typical demand levels, while induction cooktops have witnessed explosive growth as households rush to secure an alternative cooking option.
Major e-commerce platforms including Amazon and Flipkart have reported rising searches and orders for induction stoves. Quick-commerce apps such as Blinkit and Zepto have also witnessed stock shortages in major metropolitan areas including Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru.
What was once considered a convenient appliance for hostels, small kitchens or occasional use has suddenly become an essential addition in many homes.
A crisis thousands of miles away
The trigger for this shift lies far beyond India’s kitchens.
Escalating conflict in the Middle East has disrupted shipping routes through the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most critical energy corridors. Nearly 85 to 90 per cent of India’s LPG imports pass through this narrow waterway, making the country particularly vulnerable to supply disruptions.
The ripple effects have been swift.
India currently meets roughly 60 per cent of its LPG demand through imports, and tightening global supply has already begun to affect domestic availability and prices.
Earlier this month, the price of domestic LPG cylinders increased by Rs 60, while commercial cylinders rose by more than Rs 114.
To discourage panic buying and hoarding, the government has also extended the mandatory waiting period between domestic refill bookings from 21 days to 25 days.
Restaurants feel the pressure
The strain is not limited to households. Restaurants, hotels and roadside eateries are also grappling with supply constraints as commercial LPG availability tightens under restrictions imposed through the Essential Commodities Act.
In cities such as Bengaluru and Chennai, restaurant associations report that commercial LPG availability has dropped by as much as 75 per cent, forcing many establishments to rethink their kitchen operations.
Some restaurants have reduced menu offerings, while others are rapidly installing high-efficiency induction systems, creating hybrid kitchens where electricity now shares the workload with gas.
For smaller eateries and roadside dhabas, the shift is less about sustainability and more about survival.
A potential structural shift
The government has maintained that there is no nationwide LPG crisis and has directed refineries to increase production to stabilise supply.
Nevertheless, the developments of March 2026 may already be triggering a longer-term behavioural shift.
For decades, LPG has been the backbone of cooking in Indian households. However, recent disruptions have highlighted the risks of relying on a single fuel source.
Increasingly, households appear to be hedging against uncertainty by adopting electric cooking options to guard against price volatility and delivery delays.
If the current trend continues, the induction cooktop, once viewed as a niche appliance, could emerge as a quiet symbol of India’s evolving kitchen economy.
