Feb 1 – Feb 10

� Union Water Resources Minister Harish Rawat was sworn in as the eighth Chief Minister of Uttarakhand.

Mr Rawat succeeded Congress leader Vijay Bahuguna who stepped down from his position of

Uttarakhand’s Chief Minister after 22 months of holding the office.

� China expelled foreign military planes from its airspace, the first such incident after Beijing unilaterally

declared an air defence zone over islands disputed with Japan in the East China Sea.

� When Karnataka won the Ranji Trophy the last time in 1998-99 by beating Madhya Pradesh in Bangalore,

it had a distinct “local” flavour to it. This time things were quite different as Karnataka regained the trophy

with an emphatic seven-wicket win over Maharashtra at the Rajiv Gandhi Stadium in Hyderabad. After

bowling out Maharashtra for 366 in their second innings, Karnataka hit the required 157 runs needed with

ease to register their seventh title triumph.

� China has unveiled a new set of rules aimed at improving transparency in governance and directed

officials not to label information as "state secrets" that could be put in the public domain. Premier Li

Keqiang signed the new regulations that define limits to secrecy. The regulation defines secrecy levels and

authority limits, and clarifies time limits for differing levels of confidentiality and conditions for

declassification.

� Syrian President Bashar Assad regime air raids using explosives-packed barrels on the northern Syrian

city of Aleppo killed at least 85 people (including 65 civilians, 10 of whom were children).

� The Delhi Cabinet cleared the ‘Delhi Lokpal Bill, 2014’ that aims to bring all public servants– from the

Chief Minister to all Group D employees – under its ambit with no safeguards or “special privileges”

extended even to the Chief Minister’s Office.

� Inaugurating the 101st session of the Indian Science Congress at the Raj Bhawan, Jammu, Prime Minister

Manmohan Singh favoured genetically modified crops, urging the people not to be swayed by “unscientific

prejudices” against them.

� Janet Yellen has been sworn in as the first woman to chair the US central bank, the Federal Reserve. Her

appointment comes at a time when the US economy appears to be improving.

� Legendary cricketer Sachin Tendulkar and eminent scientist CNR Rao were conferred with the Bharat

Ratna, India's highest civilian award, by President Pranab Mukherjee in a glittering ceremony in the

Durbar Hall of the Rashtrapati Bhavan on 3rd February, 2014.

� Microsoft Corp named Satya Nadella its CEO. Nadella, 46, will replace Steve Ballmer immediately after a

five-month search. Bill Gates, the company's first CEO, will step aside as chairman.

� China has canceled a deal to buy 1.2 million tonnes of Thai rice after Thailand's anti-corruption agency

launched investigations into a state rice-buying scheme.

� Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa slammed a US decision to table a resolution criticising Colombo’s

post-war reconciliation at the UN Human Rights Council, saying such actions undermine his country’s hard

won peace.

� In a significant step towards liberalization of the visa regime, the Indian government cleared two

initiatives: visa on arrival and electronic travel authorization for all countries barring eight "prior

reference'' countries including Pakistan, Iran, Sri Lanka and China.

SNIPPETS

ETA will allow foreign travelers to apply for a visa from home and receive an online confirmation in five

working days.

� Expelled AAP MLA Vinod Kumar Binny decided to withdraw support to the Delhi Government, while

terming Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal of being "more dangerous" than a corrupt person.

� North and South Korea have agreed to hold reunions for families separated after the Korean War,

following calls from Pyongyang to improve ties. The reunions are scheduled to take place in February. If

held, they would be the first reunions since 2010.

� England will be providing no details of any of the rumoured breaches of team discipline or ethics by Kevin

Pietersen in Australia this winter, despite widespread demands for further explanation of the decision to

sack him. Instead they are insisting that Pietersen’s departure – after 104 Tests, 32 centuries and a

record 13,797 runs – was purely down to the conclusion, “unanimous” among the England management,

that at 33, and with a recent history of knee problems, they were better off rebuilding without him.

� The Delhi Anti-Corruption Branch lodged an FIR against the former Chief Minister, Sheila Dikshit, in a

streetlight project scam that occurred ahead of the 2010 Commonwealth Games.

� The Delhi Cabinet decided to set up a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the 1984 anti-Sikh riots

and sent a note to Lieutenant-Governor Najeeb Jung for its notification.

� Peace talks between the Pakistani government and representatives of the Taliban began as the first test

for the government's controversial initiative of seeking a peaceful resolution to the country's bloody

insurgency.

� Shimon Peres, Israel's 90-year-old president, is a former prime minister, defense minister, finance

minister and foreign minister, and has a Nobel Peace Prize. Now, he has added another title to his

extensive repertoire: holder of a Guinness world record. Peres achieved the record when he taught the

largest online civics class in the world and reached out to 9,000 students nationwide.

� The Union Cabinet cleared the Bill for the creation of Telangana, paving the way for its introduction in

Parliament on February 11 or 12.

� India’s economy is set to grow at 4.9% during 2013-14, marginally higher than last year’s 4.5% crawl,

but not fast enough to suggest a sharp turnaround needed to combat a toxic mix of high prices and

crippling industrial deceleration in an election year.

� A consortium in charge of expanding the Panama Canal said that work on the $3.1 billion project has been

suspended, pending a response from the Panamanian authorities on its latest proposal to share cost

overruns.

� Winter Olympics kick off with grand opening on 6th Feb. 2014 at Sochi, Russia.

� After a 14-month suspension with Indian Olympic Association conducted its polls with N Ramachandran

being elected as the president. The election of 65-year-old Ramachandran, chief of World Squash

Federation and younger brother of BCCI boss N Srinivasan, as IOA president was a mere formality as he

was the lone candidate in the fray for the top post.

� Releasing a commemorative stamp in honour of late ghazal singer Jagjit Singh, Prime Minister Manmohan

Singh said he was a "unique artist" whose music will always continue to have an impact on people.

� Voters in Switzerland have narrowly approved a rightwing proposal to curb immigration. It imposes limits

on the number of foreigners allowed in and may signal an end to the country’s free movement accord with

the European Union. The initiative was approved by just 50.3% of votes cast and was passed by a

majority of cantons. The move by the Swiss People’s Party - known for its anti-foreigner and anti-EU

agenda - will see the reintroduction of quotas, as well as a national preference when filling job vacancies

and restrictions of immigrants’ rights to social benefits.

� Iran has agreed to take seven practical, preliminary measures on nuclear cooperation with the

International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) by May 15.

� The leader of Nepal's largest political party, Sushil Koirala, has been elected prime minister, promising to

draft a new constitution within a year.

� The presidents of the United States and France have called for a global pact to fight climate change.

French leader Francois Hollande and Barack Obama urged more clean energy partnerships to create jobs,

as well as support for developing countries as they shift to low-carbon energy.

Feb 11- Feb 20

� India returned to the Olympic fold after a 14-month absence with the International Olympic Committee’s

executive board lifting the ban in Sochi Winter Olympics.

� Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal ordered the state government’s Anti-Corruption Branch to register

FIRs against Petroleum Minister Veerappa Moily, Reliance Industries chairman Mukesh Ambani, former

minister Murli Deora and former DG of Hydrocarbons V K Sibal in a long-running controversy over alleged

irregularities in the pricing of natural gas from K G Basin.

� Italy has petitioned the U.N. over the trial of its two marines in India under a strict anti-piracy law for the

killing of two Indian fishermen, and said it would exercise “all options” to bring back the naval personnel.

� Yuvraj Singh and Dinesh Karthik topped the buy list on the opening day of the auction for the upcoming

Indian Premier League season with no shadow of the Mukul Mudgal Committee report hanging over the

venue in Bengaluru. On a day `212 crores and more was splashed out by the eight participating teams,

Yuvraj became (in rupee terms) the most expensive player, snapped up for a monstrous `14 crores by

Royal Challengers Bangalore.

� Belgium's second house of parliament is set to decide on legalizing active medically assisted suicide for

children. The planned expansion of the euthanasia law for adults has been hotly debated for months.

� A strong 6.8-magnitude earthquake has struck China's far western region of Xinjiang.

� Ending a nine-year boycott, US Ambassador Nancy Powell today met Narendra Modi and said her country

looks forward to working closely with the government India chooses after the Lok Sabha elections, an

indication that it has no reservations of doing business with him if he becomes Prime Minister.

� Italian Prime Minister Enrico Letta has submitted his resignation after his Democratic Party backed a call

for a new administration. Party leader Matteo Renzi, 39, had argued that a change of government was

needed to end "uncertainty".

� Russia’s President Vladimir Putin has made a startling intervention in Egypt’s political turmoil by backing

its defence minister, Field Marshal Abdulfattah el-Sisi, for the presidency, before an election has even

been declared.

� Only 49 days after his upstart Aam Aadmi (“Common Man”) Party took power in the capital, Kejriwal

resigned on 14 Feb., 2014 night, when the country's two main parties combined to thwart his efforts to

bring in a new anti-corruption bill.

� With an eye towards deepening economic relationship with India, Chinese President Xi Jinping has

proposed that India be part of the new Silk Route which will link up far East through separate land and

sea corridors in a bid to promote trade and commerce within and outside Asia through better connectivity.

� Anti-Terrorism Squad chief Rakesh Maria has been named new police commissioner of Mumbai. After the

voluntary retirement of Satyapal Singh, the post had become vacant.

� Peace talks between Syria's government and opposition were left in limbo after a top United Nations

mediator declined to set a date for the next round of negotiations, citing his frustration with the regime of

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

� Elated after the Indian Tricolour was hoisted at the Sochi Games Village, Indian luger Shiva Keshavan

hoped for a new beginning in sports governance in the country.

� One of the strongest Jat leaders of Rajasthan, 88-year-old Parasram Maderna(a veteran congress leader),

passed away at SMS Hospital here on Sunday at 6 am after a prolonged illness.

� Observing that formation of a government in Delhi “cannot be left in limbo” with Delhi Lt. Governor

Najeeb Jung not taking any decision on holding Assembly elections, the Supreme Court granted two

weeks time to the Congress and the BJP to file their response if they are willing to come together to form

a government.

� Union finance minister P. Chidambaram’s interim budget evoked a mixed reaction among the Delhiites,

many of whom welcomed the government’s announcement of “one-rank, one-pension” for ex-servicemen.

There is general discontent over high inflation, increasing fuel prices and about no major announcements

on employment.

� In a last-ditch gambit to woo the defence community of 14 lakh serving and over 25 lakh retired military

personnel, the government has yanked the long-demanded, much-promised but never-implemented one

rank, one pension (OROP) rabbit out of its hat in the run-up to general elections. Finance minister P

Chidambaram said the OROP decision will be "implemented prospectively" for armed forces from 2014-

2015, with the government transferring Rs 500 crore to the defence pension account in the current fiscal

to "close the gap for all retirees (pre-2006 and post-2006) in all ranks".

� Pakistan appointed career diplomat Abdul Basit as its new High Commissioner to India.

� The Congress and BJP came together in the Lok Sabha to pass the bill to carve out a separate Telangana,

that will become the 29th state of the Indian Union, by splitting Andhra Pradesh, amid din and chaos and

an unprecedented blackout of television coverage.

� Upping the ante over two of its marines facing trial in India, a furious Italian government on Tuesday

recalled its ambassador from New Delhi for consultations and also summoned India’s ambassador in that

country to its foreign ministry.

� The Supreme Court commuted death sentences for three killers of former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi to

life imprisonment, citing delays in the case, 23 years after he was assassinated by a Tamil suicide

bomber.

� A woman in Saudi Arabia has been appointed editor-in-chief of a national newspaper, the first female

journalist to be promoted to such a public position in a country with an appalling record on women's

rights. Somayya Jabarti, a former deputy editor, has become the new boss at the helm of the Jeddah-

based English daily Saudi Gazette.

� Tamil Nadu chief minister J. Jayalalithaa said that her government would set free all the seven convicts in

the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case, just a day after the Supreme Court commuted the death penalty of

three of them to life.

� N Kiran Kumar Reddy today resigned as Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister and quit Congress to protest

Centre's decision to carve out separate state of Telangana, giving jitters to the ruling party in coastal

Andhra and Rayalaseema.

� Pakistan and China signed five agreements for building a new airport and upgrading the Karakoram

Highway as part of efforts to develop an economic corridor through rugged mountains and regions torn by

insurgent violence. The signing of the accords in the fields of economy and trade, regional connectivity,

energy and people-to-people contacts followed a meeting between President Mamnoon Hussain and his

Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping.

� A seperate state of Telangana is finally a reality. With the BJP not insisting on a division on its

amendments, the Rajya Sabha passed the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Bill, 2014 to create India’s 29th

state by a voice vote, amid protests by regional parties led by the Trinamool Congress and Shiv Sena.

� The Supreme Court restrained the Jayalalithaa government from remitting life terms of Rajiv Gandhi

assassination convicts Murugan, Santhan and Perarivalan and releasing them while agreeing to hear the

Centre's application claiming it alone had powers to remit jail terms of convicts in this case.

� Violent clashes in Kyiv brought a veritable bloodbath to the streets of the Ukrainian capital with 60 people

dead. Thousands of anti-government protesters regained control of Independence Square, but beyond its

boundaries no-one is in control of the overall situation in the country at large.

Feb 21 onwards

� At the very fag end of the forgettable existence of the 15th Lok Sabha, Parliament passed the

Whistleblower Protection Bill. The Rajya Sabha cleared this crucial anti-corruption law a good two years

after it was passed by the Lok Sabha.

� The 15th Lok Sabha came to an ignominious end as the least productive House of all time, leaving a

legacy of unfinished business, unprecedented disruptions, a government and opposition constantly at

odds, all-round bad behavior by members and even a pepper spray attack.

� A breakthrough peace deal for Ukraine halted two days of violence that had turned the center of the

capital into a war zone and killed 77 people, bringing sweeping political change that met many demands

of the pro-European opposition.

� In an interesting development, the next round of Indo-US joint Army exercises — that were to take place

in April this year — has been postponed by a few months. The exercises were to take place at Chaubatia

in Uttarakhand in April this year, but have now been postponed to July or August this year, defence

sources have confirmed.

� Ukraine’s Parliament voted to remove President Viktor Yanukovich, who abandoned his Kiev office to

protesters and denounced what he described as a coup after a week of fighting in the streets of the

capital. Parliament also freed his arch-nemesis, former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, who walked free

from the hospital where she had been jailed, completing a radical transformation in the former Soviet

republic of 46 million people.

� Matteo Renzi, 39-year-old, took office as the country’s youngest ever prime minister, inheriting an

unenviable position as the country struggles to emerge from crippling public debts and its worst economic

slump since World War II.

� Pope Francis created 19 new cardinals in a ceremony in the Vatican's St. Peter's Basilica -- the first such

appointments since he was elected pontiff last March. The new cardinals come from countries around the

world, hailing from as far afield as Brazil, Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso, South Korea and Haiti.

� India's top singles star Somdev Devvarman lifted his third ATP Challenge title as he outclassed top seed

Aleksandr Nedovyesov 6-3 6-1 in the final of the USD 100,000 ONGC-GAIL Open.

� Ukraine crisis: Parliament appoints Oleksander Turchinov as interim president in place of missing Viktor

Yanukovych as it begins building new government.

� After nine days of impressive sporting performances on snow and ice, the Sochi 2014 Paralympic Winter

Games are officially over. The closing ceremony held on 23rd Feb night at the Fisht Olympic Stadium

marked the end of the competitions that were held in the Russian city and nearby mountains since the

opening ceremony on 7th Feb. The event was marked by the Paralympic values of determination, courage,

inspiration and equality. Now winter sport focus will turn to PyeongChang, in South Korea, which will host

the next Games.

� India has dropped a plan to prosecute two Italian marines accused of killing two Indian fishermen under a

tough anti-piracy law, offering a chance to end a diplomatic row between the two countries.

� In a move to curb cruelty against animals in educational institution, the University Grant Commission

(UGC) has notified the Delhi University to immediately discontinue the dissecting and experiments on “live

animals” in the zoology and life sciences department.

� Egypt’s military-installed government resigned en masse on 24th Feb. 2014 in a surprise move ahead of a

presidential poll likely to bring defence minister and army chief Abdel Fattah al-Sisi to power.

� To help control gender-based violence in college campuses, the University Grants Commission (UGC) has

asked all higher education institutions across the country to implement the Saksham report, in which it

has recommended a number of measures to ensure security of the women in particular and youth, in

general. UGC chairman, Prof. Ved Prakash, has asked all educational institutes to assign a senior faculty

from each college in order to implement the report.

� Validity of euthanasia in India will be decided by a Constitution Bench in view of the inconsistent opinions

expressed by the apex court in its previous judgments. The Supreme Court referred the issue of legalising

euthanasia to a Constitution Bench, noting that its previous judgement in the Aruna Shanbaug case was

delivered on a “wrong premise”.

� Nepal’s new coalition government was sworn in after weeks of squabbling over power sharing, potentially

paving the way to stability for the Himalayan nation. Ministers from the Nepali Congress and the Unified

Marxist-Leninist (UML) party, which swept the polls last November, took the oath before President Ram

Baran Yadav during a ceremony at his residence.

� President Barack Obama approved a civilian nuclear pact with Vietnam which could lead to the sale of US

reactors to Washington's energy-hungry former war foe.

� The Supreme Court issued a non bailable arrest warrant against Sahara chief, Subrata Roy, for his failure

to appear before it in connection with the case in which his two companies have been directed to refund

Rs 20,000 crore to investors.

� The Jammu and Kashmir government forbade the use of red beacons on the official vehicles of the chief

secretary, the director general of police and the state advocate general.

� Gunmen opened fire near several opposition protest sites in Bangkok, stoking tensions in the capital as

Thailand's embattled prime minister flew to her political stronghold in the north.

� The United States and Britain rejected suggestions that the ouster of Ukraine's pro-Russia president and

the politics around it are representative of a Cold War-era East-West divide. Secretary of state John Kerry

and British foreign secretary William Hague both disputed the idea that the situation in Ukraine is a "zero-

sum game" between Russia and the West, or one in which one sphere of influence wins at the expense of

the other. And, each urged Russia to work with the West in helping the Ukrainian people peacefully

achieve their democratic aspirations.

Abdul Basit

Pakistan appointed career diplomat Abdul Basit as the new High Commissioner to India. He will replace Salman

Bashir.

Archana Bhargava

United Bank of India (UBI) Chairperson Archana Bhargava quit after taking voluntary retirement, citing health

grounds, amid probes into misreported bad loans. Bhargava had taken charge on April 23, 2013, and her term was

due to end on February 28, 2015.Executive directors Deepak Narang and Sanjay Arya will be jointly in charge of

the Kolkata-based bank until the CMD's post is filled.

Archana Sundaram

Archana Sundaram, a 1980 batch IPS officer of the Tamil Nadu cadre, has been appointed special director in the

CBI. Sundaram is the first woman officer to have been appointed to the post.

Balu Mahendra

Balu Mahendra, one of Tamil cinema's best-known directors, died of heart attack .He was 74. His last film was

'Thalaimuraigal' (generations), released in 2013. For Mahendra it was his acting debut. His first film was 'Kokila' in

Kannada, and his most famous film 'Moondram Pirai' was remade in Hindi as 'Sadma.'

Enrico Letta

Italian Prime Minister Enrico Letta announced his resignation after the leadership of his centre-left Democratic

Party voted in favour of an urgent change of government to push through reform.

Fayyaz Sheheryar

Former station director of Radio Kashmir, Fayyaz Sheheryar has taken over the charge of Director General, All

India Radio (AIR).

Juthika Roy

Renowned bhajan singer and Padma Shri (1972) awardee whose illustrious list of admirers of her bhajans included

Mahatma Gandhi and the country’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, died on February 5 in Kolkata.

Lakshmi Swaminathan

Lakshmi Swaminathan, who hails from Chennai, has been elected as the President of the Administrative Tribunal

of the Asian Development Bank (ADB). She will be the first Indian to head the Tribunal, and her tenure will be for

three years.

Mavis Gallant

Mavis Gallant, the internationally celebrated Canadian short story writer who lived and worked for most of her life

in Paris, died at 91.

N. Kiran Kumar Reddy

Andhra Pradesh chief minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy has resigned, bringing down the curtain after months of

speculation. He cited his anguish at his inability to prevent the state’s division, and his anger at the passage of the

Andhra Reorganisation Bill in what he described as an “undemocratic” manner, as reasons for quitting office. Mr

Kiran Kumar Reddy also resigned from the Assembly and, most importantly, from the Congress.

PEOPLE IN NEWS

N. Ramachandran

The suspended Indian Olympic Association (IOA) amended its constitution and successfully held its elections,

taking the first steps to returning to the international fold. World Squash Federation president N. Ramachandran

was unanimously named as the new president of the IOA in the elections held in the presence of three observers

from the International Olympic Committee (IOC). The IOA was suspended in December 2012 after it went ahead

with elections despite IOC’s reservations, electing Abhay Singh Chautala and Lalit Bhanot as president and

secretary respectively. Both have been charged by a court of law.

Philip Seymour Hoffman

Actor Philip Seymour Hoffman died of an accidental overdose of drugs including heroin and cocaine.

Hoffman, a best actor Oscar winner for his role in the 2005 biographical film Capote, won accolades for his

versatility and mesmerising performances on the stage and screen. His screen roles included The Master, Doubt

and Charlie Wilson's War, for which he won best supporting actor Oscar nominations, and appearances in

blockbusters such as The Hunger Games series.

Shirley Temple Black

Shirley Temple Black, who rose to fame as arguably the most popular child star in Hollywood history died at

85.Temple Black, who also enjoyed a long career as a diplomat, died of natural causes at her California home. She

began acting at age 3 and became a massive box-office draw before turning 10, commanding a then-unheard of

salary of $50,000 per movie.

Silverine Swer

Meghalaya’s oldest voter and the first Padma Shri awardee from the State, Silverine Swer, passed away at the age

of 103.

Sushil Koirala

Sushil Koirala, president of the Nepali Congress, was elected Prime Minister of Nepal after he secured more than

two-thirds of the votes in the Legislature — Parliament. Mr. Koirala (75), known and admired for his simple

lifestyle, was the sole candidate. He secured 405 of the 553 votes cast, with 148 members voting against him.

Ustaad Ghulam Mohammad Saaznawaz

Kashmir’s Sufiana music maestro and Padma Shri awardee, who belonged to the famous Saaznawaz Gharana of

Kashmir and was a staff artist with Radio Kashmir, Srinagar and whose contribution was also acknowledged

through the Sangeet Natak Academy Award and the State Award, died on February 13 in Srinagar.

Vijay Bahuguna

Ending months of speculation about a change of guard, Vijay Bahuguna resigned as Uttarakhand Chief Minister

amidst indications that Union minister Harish Rawat has emerged as a strong contender to succeed him.

Yaduvendra Mathur

The Centre has appointed IAS officer Yaduvendra Mathur as the Chairman and Managing Director of the Export

Import Bank of India (Exim Bank). He succeeds T.C.A. Ranganathan.

BAFTA Awards

The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (Bafta) awards were presented in London on February 16.

� Best Picture: 12 Years A Slave

� Outstanding British Film: Gravity

� Best Actor: Chiwetel Ejiofor (12 Years A Slave)

� Best Actress: Cate Blanchett (Blue Jasmine)

� Supporting Actor: Barkhad Adbi (Captain Phillips)

� Supporting Actress: Jennifer Lawrence (American Hustle)

� Best Director: Alfonso Cuaron (Gravity)

� Original Screenplay: American Hustle

� Best Documentary: The Act of Killing

� Best Animated Film: Frozen

BERLIN Film Fest

The Chinese film 'Bai Ri Yan Huo' (Black Coal, Thin Ice) directed by Diao Yinan won the Golden Bear for best

picture at the 64th Berlin International Film Festival on February 15. Liao Fan won the prize for best actor in the

same film, while Haru Kuroki won best actress for her role in the Japanese movie 'Chiisai Ouchi' (The Little House).

BRTI Awards

British cultural giant David Bowie on February 19 in London became the oldest winner of a Brit Award, but the

annual awards ceremony belonged to history-making rockers Arctic Monkeys, who claimed top two awards.

Other winners are:

� British Female Solo Artist: Ellie Goulding

� British Breakthrough Act: Bastille

� British Group: Arctic Monkeys

� British Single: Rudimental Feat, Ella Eyre

� British Video: One Direction—Best Song Ever

� British Album of the Year: Arctic Monkeys

� International Male Solo Artist: Bruno Mars

� International Female Solo Artist: Lorde

� International Group: Daft Punk

French Oscar

Scarlett Johansson received an honorary French Oscar, despite calling the residents of her new home, Paris,

"terribly rude" on a TV show.

AWARDS & HONOURS

Infosys Prize 2013

The Infosys Prize 2013 was awarded in Bangalore on February 8 to seven scientists and social scientists in six

categories:

• V. Ramgopal Rao, IIT Mumbai (Engineering and Computer Science Category);

• Rajesh Gokhale (Life Sciences);

• Rahul Pandharipande (Mathematical Sciences);

• Shiraz Naval Minwalla (Physical Sciences);

• Aninhalli R. Vasavi (Social Sciences).

• In the humanities category the prize was shared by Nayanjot Lahiri (for archaeology); Ayesha Kidwai (for

linguistics).

The Infosys prize is awarded under the aegis of the Infosys Science Foundation and includes purse of Rs. 55 lakh

for each category, a medallion and a certificate.

International Wool-Mark Prize

Indian designer Rahul Mishra has won the coveted 2013/14 International Woolmark Prize at an event held at the

Triennale Museum, Milan. The annual prize, sponsored by the Australian wool industry, has a prize money of

AU$100,000.

National Media and Advertising Awards

Two reporters of the Hindu – S. Vijay Kumar and Ramya Kannan – won the prestigious “The National Laadli Media

and Advertising Awards for Gender Sensitivity 2012-13”. The awards were presented by TATA and supported by

the United National Population Fund (UNFPA).

National Tourism Award

Chhattisgarh Tourism Board has received the National Tourism Award for publication of informative tourism

literatures in seven different foreign languages other than English.

Rajiv Gandhi Excellence Awards

The Rajiv Gandhi Excellence Awards – 2014 were presented by Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways

Oscar Fernandes in New Delhi on February 18. The award for excellence in social work went to Kapil Nischol. The

annual award is presented to people who excel in different fields of work.

Rotary's Highest Honour

President Pranab Mukherjee has been conferred the Rotary movement's highest recognition, the Award of Honour,

in the context of India's victory over polio. Ron Burton, President of Rotary International, presented the award on

February 11 and greeted Mr Mukherjee on behalf of the 1.2 million Rotarians worldwide, for the leadership he

provided for the eradication of polio in India. Mr Mukherjee appreciated the Rotary movements service to

humanity world-wide especially its support for polio eradication.

UK’s Top Literary Award

The Shock of the Fall – the story of two brothers dealing with schizophrenia by first time author and mental health

nurse Nathan Filer has edged past some of the established names in modern day storytelling to win the 2013Costa

Book of the Year – one of UK’s most prestigious literary prizes.

Vyas Samman

Vishwanath Tripathi, the eminent Hindi writer has been selected for the prestigious Vyas Samman for the year

2013. He has been chosen for his memoir 'Vyomkesh Darvesh' that is a biography of the noted Hindi scholar

Acharya Hazari Prasad Dwivedi. Tripathi, who is 82-year-old has around 20 publications by his name that includes

memoirs, novel and poetry collection. Vyas Samman was instituted by the K.K. Birla Foundation in 1991 and is

awarded annually in recognition of the hindi literary work published in past 10 years in genres like plays, novels,

poetry, short stories, critiques and others. The award carries 2.5 lakh rupees and a citation and a plaque.

Bharti Airtel has become first telecom operator to cross the 200 million mobile subscribers mark in India. The

last 100 million were added in less than five years. Airtel is the largest telecom operator in India, both in terms of

customers and revenues.

Acceding to Rahul Gandhi’s demand to raise the annual cap on subsidized LPG cylinders, the Cabinet Committee

on Political Affairs on January 30 raised the quota from nine to 12.

India has overtaken Japan as the world's third biggest crude oil importer in 2013. India's imports were nearly

six per cent higher than Japan's customs-cleared imports of 3,648,372 barrels per day, which is equivalent to 211

million kilolitres.

The annual survey of the most expensive office locations released by global property consultant Cushman &

Wakefield has London's West End reclaiming its numero uno position. The report ranks locations across Americas,

Europe, Asia Pacific, and Middle East & Africa to compare the most expensive office destinations across the

world. Delhi's Connaught Place, which is the most expensive office location in India, has dropped four notches to

number eight on the global charts from last year. Mumbai's commercial business district of Bandra-Kurla Complex

(BKC) has emerged as the second most expensive office location in India and eighth in the Asia Pacific region.

The government approved a proposal to ensure Rs. 1,000 minimum monthly pension under a scheme of

retirement fund body Employees Provident Fund Organisation that would immediately benefit 28 lakh

pensioners. The decision to provide the entitlement under Employees Pension Scheme-95, run by the Employees

Provident Fund Organisation, was taken by the Union Cabinet in its meeting. The move will immediately benefit

about 28 lakh pensioners including five lakh widows. There are 44 lakh pensioners.

China emerged as the largest buyer of gold in the world in 2013 having bought 1,066 tonnes. In doing so, it

surpassed India as the largest gold consumer.

For the fifth consecutive year, Internet search giant Google has been named as the best American company to

work for by Fortune magazine. Google has topped the latest list of '100 Best American Companies to Work For'

followed by - software developer SAS and strategy consultants the Boston Consulting Group in the second and

third positions, respectively. Others in the top ten companies include, financial services firm Edward Jones ranked

fourth in the list, mortgage lender Quicken Loans, biotech giant Genentech, leader in cloud computing Salesforce,

software firm Intuit, financial services company Robert W Baird & Co and DPR Construction.

The Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) here has been awarded the airport service quality (ASQ)

award for 2013 announced by the Airports Council International (ACI).The IGIA has retained second position in

25-40 million passengers per annum (MPPA) category globally for the third consecutive year.

Naresh Goyal-led Jet Airways has got the government’s approval to buy 50 new, fuel-efficient Boeing 737 Max

planes. The 737 Max costs $103.7 million (about `640.87 crore at current exchange rates) at list prices making

this a $5-billion-plus deal at sticker prices. Jet, the country’s second largest airline by market share, will be the

first Indian carrier to induct the premium 737 Max, which is expected to result in big savings in fuel, in its fleet.

BUSINESS & ECONOMY

Maruti Suzuki India Ltd. (MSIL) has stopped production of the iconic Maruti 800 car, bringing down the

curtains on a car that has been immensely popular with millions of Indian middle class families.

McKinsey, a Global consultancy firm, pegged a new level for poverty or empowerment line — at Rs 1,336 per

month per person as against the poverty line prescribed by the government at around Rs 870 per month per

person. McKinsey, in a report, said the empowerment line determines the level of consumption required for an

individual to fulfill his/her basic need for food, energy, housing, drinking water, sanitation, health care, education

and social security at a level sufficient to achieve a modest standard of living.

Bringing to an end months of speculation, U.S software giant Microsoft, appointed Hyderabad native Satya

Nadella as its new CEO. Mr. Nadella who holds a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Manipal

University, a master’s in computer science from the University of Wisconsin, and an MBA from the University of

Chicago, joined Microsoft in 1992.

Manoj Vaish, a veteran of the financial markets who was till recently MD and CEO of NSDL Database Management,

on February 1 took over as MD and CEO of Multi Commodity Exchange.

National Commodity & Derivatives Exchange Ltd (NCDEX) on February 15 said its Chairman and Forward

Markets Commission Nominee Independent Director YSP Thorat has resigned.

Seeking to restrict gold imports, the Reserve Bank on February 14 said, nominated banks and agencies will not

be allowed to import the precious metal in excess of their entitlements in first or second lot under the 80:20

scheme.

U.K. Sinha, chairman of the Securities and Exchange Board of India, or Sebi, was given an extension for two

years by the finance ministry. The move makes Sinha the first person to serve as head of the market regulator for

more than three years since D.R. Mehta in 2002. Over the past three years, major reforms introduced by Sinha

include a change in policies for mutual funds and foreign investors; arming the market regulator with special

powers to recover money from capital market defaulters; and bringing deposit-taking firms under Sebi’s collective

investment scheme, or CIS, regulations to curb illegal pooling of public funds.

Low-cost airline SpiceJet appointed Kaneswaran Avili as its Chief Commercial Officer (CCO), who will be assuming

the post from April 1.

According to the Brand Finance Global 500 list, Tata Group's global' ranking has improved from 39th in 2013 to

34th now. The Tata Group was declared India's most valuable brand with a value of $21.1 billion, while iPhone-

maker Apple has retained its top position globally with about $105 billion.

TVS Automobile Solutions Ltd. (TASL) has formed a 51:49 joint venture (JV) with US based $2 billion, The

Warranty Group (TWG), a global specialist in offering extended warranty solutions to acquire and retain

customers. The objective is to provide comprehensive warranty solutions to automobiles in the Indian market.

According to Wealth-X, a global wealth intelligence and prospecting company, Facebook founder and CEO Mark

Zuckerberg's net worth has jumped by $3.1 billion to $29.7 billion after the social networking giant's shares

surged on strong fourth quarter performance.

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has permitted four non-bank entities to set up white label ATMs in India.The

RBI has issued Certificate of Authorisation to Tata Communications Payment Solutions Ltd., Prizm Payment

Services Pvt. Ltd., Muthoot Finance Ltd., and Vakrangee Ltd. for setting up and operating white label ATMs. Of

these, three have already launched their services. Vakrangee is likely to commence its service shortly.

Tech giant Yahoo! has appointed Gurmit Singh as managing director of its India operations. Singh will oversee the

web portal’s business in India and will be responsible for growth in the country.