Lok Sabha passes Telangana Bill
1.A historic bill to carve out Telangana state out of Andhra Pradesh was today passed by the Lok Sabha amid din and strong protests by members from the Seemandhra region, including Ministers.
2.The Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Bill, 2014 was adopted by voice vote along with several official amendments, with the main Opposition BJP coming on board.
3.Moving the Bill for consideration and passage, Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde said the Centre will give a special financial package to Seemandhra, residual part of Andhra Pradesh, to address the grievances of the people of that region.
4.A number of amendments moved by AIMIM member Asaduddin Owaisi and Trinamool Congress member Sougata Roy were negated.
5.Significantly, there was no live telecast by Lok Sabha TV for 90 minutes during a clause by clause consideration of the bill before its passage.
6.Many members protested at the way the bill was passed in the din, saying it was against the democratic norms and a “black day” in the country’s democracy.
7.The Bill was passed after a very brief discussion in which only Leader of the Opposition Sushma Swaraj and Minister Jaipal Reddy, a pro-Telangana leader from Andhra Pradesh, spoke.
Bhagat Singh’s house and school in Pakistan got 80-million for restoration
1.80-million rupees has been sanctioned for restoration of Bhagat Singh’s ancestral house, school and village on 17 February 2014. The legendary freedom fighter, Bhagat Singh ancestral house, school and village are in Faisalabad District of Punjab Province in Pakistan.
2.In part of development of village of the independence war hero, the plan says that the money will be spent in bringing in clean drinking water, which is not available in the village and to make the drainage system finer that is in bad shape at present.
3.Apart from this, the Faisalabad District government has also planned to shift Singh's belongings from Faisalabad Museum and Library to his house.
Killa, a Marathi film bagged Crystal Bear award at 64th Berlin International Film Festival
1.Killa, a Marathi film on 17 February 2014 won the Crystal Bear (Glasernen Bar) for the best film award by the Children’s jury in Generation Kplus section at the 64th Berlin International Film Festival. The film has been directed by Avinash Arun.
2.The jury in its citation for the award to the film said that the film deals with the universal conflict of migration and how it impacts the lives of people, especially children made them want to discover India. The film Killa convinced the jury in all respects with good camera work and the great actors.
3.In the entire history in Berlinale, Killa is the third Marathi film to be selected and is the first Indian film to win this award.
• Film Killa has been produced by Madhukar R Musle, Ajay G Rai and Alan McAlex
• It has been made under the banner, Jar Pictures and has been presented by M R Filmworks. Another film of Jar Films that was selected in the Sundance Film Festival 2014 in World Dramatics Competition Section was Liar’s Dice starring Nawazuddin Siddiqui
• This film is a part of NFDC Film Bazaar's Work-in-Progress (WIP) Lab in 2013
• Amruta Subash of Vihir fame, Archit Deodhar, Parth Bhalerao of Vhootnath Returns and Shrikant Yadav are some actors of the film
4.At present Avinash is working as the director of photography for Nishikant Kamat’s next starring Irrfan Khan.
5.Killa is a film that deals with the universal conflict of migration and the process, how this migration impacts the lives of people, mainly children. The story of the film revolves around a young boy named Chinu who finds it difficult to adjust to the new surroundings after he migrated following death of his father.
The 67th BAFTA Awards
The 67th British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) Awards were given in London on 16 February 2014. The Awards were conferred for the outstanding performances in films and documentaries screened at British Cinemas in 2013.
The Awards are:
| Category | Names |
| Best Film | 12 Years a Slave |
| Best Director | Alfonso Cuar’on (Gravity) |
| Best Actor | Chiwetel Ejofor (12 years a Slave) |
| Best Actress | Cate Blanchett (Blue Jasmine) |
| Best Supporting Actor | Barkhad Abdi (Capitan) |
| Best Supporting Actress | Jennifer Lawrence (American Hustle) |
| Best British Film | Gravity |
| Best Debut By a British Writer, Director or Producer | Kieran Evans |
| Best Original Screenplay | American Hustle |
| Best Adapted Screenplay | Philomena |
| Best Film Not In The English Language | The Great Beauty |
| Best Documentary | The Act of Killing |
| Best Original Film Score | Gravity |
| Best Cinematography | Gravity |
| Best Editing | Rush |
| Best Sound | Gravity |
| Best Animated Film | Frozen |
| Best Visual Effects | Gravity |
| Best Makeup and Hair | American Hustle |
| Best Production Design | The Great Gatsby |
| Best Costumes | The Great Gatsby |
| Best Short Film | Room 8 |
| Best Animated Short | Sleeping With The Fishes |
| BAFTA Rising Star Award | Will Poulter |
About BAFTA
The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) supports, promotes and develops the art forms of moving image like film, Television and Video games.
BAFTA Identifies, rewards and celebrates excellence at it’s internationally- renowned, annual awards inspiring the practitioner and benefiting the public.
Tom Finney, the former Preston and England footballer died at the age of 91
Tom Finney, the great footballer died at the age of 91 on 14 February 2014. In the English game, he was rivaled by Bobby Charlton and Staneley Matthews. He is nicknamed as the Preston Plumber. Between 1946 and 1960, Finney made appearance in more than 400 leagues for Preston North End and won 76 caps for England.
About Tom Finney
• For England he scored 30 goals, which placed him joint sixth on all-time list with Alan Shearer and Nat Lofthouse
• Finney played his last game in 1963
• He was born on 5 April 1922 in Preston in the street next to the club’s Deepdale stadium
• In 1953-54 and 1956-57, he won the footballer of the year title
• He was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 1961
• He became a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 1992
• In 1998 Queen's New Year Honours, he was knitted
• Finney was a one-club man and is considered to be one of the most talented players of his generation.
• Tom Finney, was an English footballer, famous for his loyalty to his league club, Preston North End for which he made 569 first-class appearances,
• He was President of Kendal Town
Arun Jaitley launched a book entitled ModiNomics in Delhi
1.Arun Jaitely, a BJP leader on 16 February 2014 unveiled a book entitled ModiNomics: Inclusive Economics, Inclusive Governance at the Indian Habitat Centre, Lodhi Road in New Delhi. The book has been authored by Sameer Kochhar.
2.The book presents an insight of Modi’s idea of both Inclusive Economics as well as Inclusive Governance. It also speaks about the vision of Narendra Modi about economic and development strategies. The programme of book launch was skipped by the BJPs Prime Ministerial candidate Narendra Modi.
3.Till date, Sameer Kochhar has edited books that praises the reform initiatives of finance minister, P Chidambaram, the Vice-Chairman of Planning Commission Montek Singh Ahluwalia and economist Vijay Kelkar. Earlier 2013, Manmohan Singh, the Prime Minister of India launched a book edited by Kochchar entitled An Agenda for Growth: Essays in honour of P. Chidambaram.
Li Na of China ranked World No. 2 in WTA Singles Ranking
1.Li Na of China was ranked World Number 2 in the latest Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) singles ranking released on 17 February 2014. Li Na became the first Asian player, Male or Female, to hold the WTA World No. 2 singles ranking.
2.She moved to second spot with 6690 points behind the American great Serena Williams, the 17-time Grand Slam title-winner, on 12380 points. She was ranked World No. 3 in WTA singles ranking in 2013.
3.The previous Asian record was No.4 for Kimiko Date-Krumm of Japan.
4.Li Na, 32, won the Australian Open 2014 adding to her only Grand Slam title French Open which she won in 2011. In all she has won nine WTA titles in her career including Australian Open and Shenzhen Open in 2014 and two WTA doubles titles.
5.In another break through for the Asian tennis and especially Chinese tennis, Peng Shuai of China was rated the top women's doubles player in the latest released WTA doubles rankings.
The Women’s Tennis Association singles ranking
| Rank | Player | Country |
| 1 | Serena Williams | USA |
| 2 | Li Na | China |
| 3 | Agnieska Radwanska | Poland |
| 4 | Victoria Azarenaka | Belarus |
| 5 | Maria Sharapova | Russia |
| 6 | Petra Kvitova | CZE |
| 7 | Jelena Jankovic | Serbia |
| 8 | Angelique Kerber | Germany |
| 9 | Simona Halep | Romania |
| 10 | Sara Erranil | Italy |
About Women Tennis Association (WTA)
The WTA is the global leader in women’s professional sport with more than 2500 players representing 92 nations competing for a record 118 million dollar in prize money at the WTA’s 54 events and four Grand Slams in 33 countries.
It was founded in 1973 by tennis great Billie Jean King of the US uniting all of women's professional tennis in one tour. It is headquartered in St. Petersburg, USA.
Current WTA Chairman and CEO is Stacey Allaster
Peng Shuai of China ranked World No. 1 in WTA Doubles Ranking
1.Peng Shuai of China was ranked World Number 1 in the latest Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) Doubles ranking released on 17 February 2014. Peng Shuai is the first Chinese player to ascend to the top of the WTA's doubles ranking.
2.Hsieh Su-Wei of Chinese Taipei was ranked No.2 in WTA Doubles ranking which is the highest ranking ever for a player from Chinese Taipei.
3.The year 2013 was a break-through for the pair Peng Shuai and Hsieh Su-Wei. The pair won the five doubles titles including the first major Championship at the Wimbledon. Hsieh became the first player from Chinese Taipei and Peng Shuai the fifth Chinese player to win a Grand Slam title of any kind.
4.The pair is also the first team from Asia to win the TEB BNP Paribas WTA Championships held in Istanbul in 2013. The pair Hsieh and Peng also raised the champion’s trophy at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia (Rome), Western & Southern Open (Cincinnati) and Guangzhou Open.
5.With their win in Qatar Total Open (Doha) in February 2014, the pair has a perfect 10-0 record in doubles finals.
New Zealand won two-Cricket Test series against India 1-0
New Zealand on 18 February 2014 won the two match Test Series against India 1-0 as the second match played in Wellington ended in a draw. Brendon McCullum, the skipper of the team of New Zealand in the second test match created a history by becoming first Kiwi player to score triple hundred. He scored 302 runs in the second innings.
Score of second test match
New Zealand batting first scored
1st Inning: 192 runs
2nd Inning: 680 for 8 wickets
India batting second scored
1st Inning: 438
2nd Inning: 166 for 3 at stumps on the final day
• McCullum was adjudged man of the match of the second test
India ended this tour to New Zealand winless as earlier, India lost the five matches ODI series 0-4 with one tie and in the 2 matches test series it lost the first match with 40-run played at Auckland. and tied the second one.
HCL Infosystems appoints 2 new board members
1.Information technology services and solutions company HCL Infosystems on Tuesday said it has appointed two new independent non-executive directors — Sangeeta Talwar and Kaushik Dutta on its board.
2.Talwar is a business leader with career spanning over 30 years. She has served on the board of directors of Tata Tea, Tata Coffee, Eight O’clock Coffee (US), Oriental Hotels and Mother Dairy Fruit and Vegetable, HCL Infosystems said in a statement.
3.The company said Talwar started her career in Nestle and had also held leading positions such as CEO and MD of Mattel India, Executive Director for Tata Tea, President-South Asia for Tata Beverages Group, and Managing Director of NDDB Dairy Services.
4.Similarly, Dutta has over 25 years of experience and is a Fellow Member of the Institute of Chartered Accountant of India. He retired from PricewaterhouseCoopers after spending over 22 years in the practice out of which 17 years have been as a partner.
Canara Bank launches e-infobook app
1.Canara Bank has launched its canara e-infobook app for android/windows smartphones.
2.E-infobook app has customer friendly features like electronic passbook, balance enquiry, mail your banking statement to mail id, branch locater, atm locater, account summary, cheque status & product information.
Line Corporation ties up with Groupon
1.Line Corporation, the owner and operator of the free call and messaging app LINE, has tied up with online deals site Groupon.
2.The deal will enable Line users bag exclusive ‘LINE only’ deals such as ‘Manic Monday’, where the users get a chance to take home freebies, among others.
3."We have seen a fantastic uptake of LINE in the last few months and have recently hit a 16 million mark. With this partnership we are aiming to create an exciting market place for young consumers on the application. The idea is to build an unending ‘surprise’ element on the app," said Damandeep Singh Soni, Head of India Business Development, LINE.
4.Ankur Warikoo, CEO, Groupon, said that the aim has always been to provide unique and irresistible experience to the customers and the portal focuses on exploring this even through relevant associations and unique partnerships.
5."We are confident that Groupon users across the country will now enjoy exclusive deals on their smartphones through the LINE app,” Warikoo said.
Govt launches Vikaspedia, local content development tools
1.Government on Tuesday announced launch of an online information guide, Vikaspedia, for social sectors, and software tools to develop internet based content in local languages.
2.“Vikaspedia is part of democratisation of information. Earlier, for some information people had to pay but now most of it will be made available for which they don’t have to pay,” J Satyanarayana, Secretary, Department of Electronics and Information Technology (DEITY), said while launching the portal.
3.The Vikaspedia portal at present has initial information on health, agriculture, education, social welfare, energy and e-governance and in coming days it will keep adding more information.
4.“The portal at present can be accessed in five Indian languages. There is plan to make it accessible in all 22 Indian languages as we move forward,” DEITY Joint Secretary Rajendra Kumar said.
5.The government also announced launch of software tools. “We have used localisation.gov.in tools for converting content of 7 e-governance mission mode projects initially, which include content of health , e-district programme, public distribution system, pension, educations and agriculture,” Kumar said.
6.Government also awarded application developer for making mobile application using information and tools provided by DEITY under its e-governance programme.
7.“The open data app challenge was started in August and completed in October which is remarkable for any of government,” NASSCOM President R Chandrashekhar said.
China overtakes India as top gold consumer
1.China overtook India as the world’s largest consumer market for gold with a jump of 32 per cent last year, the World Gold Council said on Tuesday.
2.Chinese consumers bought 1,066 tonnes of gold products in 2013, while their Indian counterparts bought 975 tonnes, up 13 per cent from 2012, the London-based council reported.
3.Despite a 21 per cent rise in global consumer demand, total gold demand dropped by 15 per cent to 3,756 tonnes as exchange-traded funds (ETFs) reduced net gold holdings by 881 tonnes, it said.
4.“2013 has been a strong year for gold demand across sectors and geographies, with the exception of Western ETF markets,” said Marcus Grubb, the council’s head of investment strategy.
5.“Although demand has continued its shift from West to East, the growing demand for gold bars, coins and jewellery is a global phenomenon,” Grubb said.
6.China’s retail sales of gold jewellery were worth some 400 billion yuan ($67 billion) in 2013, state broadcaster China Central Television said on Tuesday.
7.“Judging from the quality of growth and the market potential for gold in China for the past few years, there is no surprise that China should become a leading country for gold,” Song Xin, president of China Gold Association, told the broadcaster.
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