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APPOINTED; ELECTED Etc.
Joachim Gauck: Former east German civil rights activist, he has been appointed as the President of Germany.
Abed Rabbo Mansour: He has been elected as the President of Yemen.
Rahul Khullar: He has been appointed as India’s Ambassador to Belgium.
RESIGNED
Mohamed Nasheed: President of Maldives.
Christian Wulff: President of Germany, following a scandal over political favours by him.
DISTINGUISHED VISITORS
Navinchandra Ramgoolam: Prime Minister of Mauritius.
Rigmor Aasrud: Telecom Minister of Norway.
Vice Admiral Axel Schimpf: Chief of Staff of German Navy.
Yang Jiech: Foreign Minister of China.
DIED
Whitney Houston: Pop
music queen from mid 1980s until her voice was ravaged by drug use in
late 1990s. She was 48. Her debut album was released in 1985 and it sold
millions of copies. She also sang the theme song for Seoul Olympics in
1988. In 1992 she starred in the Hollywood film “The Bodyguard”. The
song in the film, “I will always love you”, is the best-selling single
by a female artist of all time.
Akhlaq Mohammed Khan:
Better known as Shahryar, he was noted Urdu poet. He was 76. Often
called “Ghalib of our times”, his popularity rests more on the lyrics he
penned for films like “Umrao Jaan”, “Faasle”, “Anjuman” and “Gaman”. He
was also a Jnanpith awardee.
EVENTS
FEBRUARY
2—In a
huge embarrassment to the government and a jolt to the telecom sector,
the Supreme Court today cancels 122 2G licences granted during the
tenure of former Telecom Minister A Raja declaring it as “illegal” and
blamed the government's flawed first-come-first-served policy.
4—Russia and China veto UN’s resolution backing an Arab League plan for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to step aside.
4—Demonstrators
storm five Syrian embassies in Europe and the Middle East after Syrian
forces kill more than 200 people in the city of Homs.
7—Mutiny in Maldives forces President Mohamed Nasheed to resign.
8—More
than 62 per cent voting is recorded the 10 districts of Awadh region of
Uttar Pradesh for the first time since independence, in the first phase
of elections.
13—Israeli
embassy staff targeted in New Delhi and Tbilisi (Georgia). Four people
are hurt in car blast in Delhi. Israel accuses Iran and its Lebanese
ally Hezbollah of involvement in the incidents.
13—Prime
Minister of Pakistan, Yousaf Raza Gilani is indicted by the Supreme
Court for contempt of court by refusing to write to Swiss authorities
seeking reopening of money-laundering case against President Zardari.
15—Iran
loads first domestically made fuel rods into Tehran nuclear reactor, a
move that may hasten a drift towards confrontation with the West over
suspicions that it is seeking the means to make atomic bombs.
15—Syrian
President Bashar al-Assad, fighting an 11-month-old uprising against
his rule, orders a referendum on a draft Constitution, to be held on
February 26, which limits the presidency to two 7-year terms and allows
for multiple parties.
21—Yemen votes out Ali Abdullah Saleh out of power after 33 years of rule.
24—Greece
formally launches a bond swap offer to private holders of its bonds,
setting in motion the largest-ever sovereign debt restructuring in the
hope of getting its messy finances back on track.
26—Syria votes on new constitution amid unrest.
27—The
Union Home Ministry announces the decision to defer operationalisation
of National Counter Terrorism Center (NCTC) from its scheduled date of
March 1, following opposition by non-Congress Chief Ministers.
MILESTONES
Preet Bharara:
Indian-American attorney, who is “busting Wall Street” and taking down
some of the financial world’s prominent figures, has made it to the
cover page of Time magazine for his anti-corruption crusade.
Amartya Sen:
India-born Nobel laureate, he has been felicitated with the prestigious
National Medals of Arts and Humanities award by US President Barack
Obama, for his efforts to increase the understanding of fighting hunger
and poverty. |
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