Indian Current Affairs, February 2012

Hello viewers. This time I bring the current affairs of the last month that is February 2012 which is totally India related. I hope visitors may like it. This is the set of Indian Current Affairs, February 2012.

• Reserve Bank of India has said that all private sector banks will now be considered eligible to handle any Central or State Government business at par with public sector banks. Till now, only three private banks, namely ICICI Bank Ltd, HDFC Bank Ltd and Axis Bank Ltd were appointed by RBI as its agents to carry out limited general banking business. In a notification issued from Mumbai yesterday, RBI said that this move would improve customer convenience by increasing the number of customer service outlets.(February 1)
• India and Sri Lanka held the first defence dialogue that focused on regional security situation and maritime security in the Indian Ocean region. The inaugural defence dialogue, to be an annual feature, was led by the Defence Secretaries of both the countries in New Delhi.(February 2)
• The Enforcement Directorate, ED has filed a charge sheet against the sacked Chairman of the Commonwealth Games Organising Commission or OC, Suresh Kalmadi alongwith five of his colleagues for alleged financial irregularities in the Queens Baton Relay event held in 2009 in London. Our correspondent reports that the chargesheet was filed in New Delhi under the Foreign Exchange Management Act for violating Reserve bank of India Guidelines while making payments in the conduct of the Queens Baton Relay.(February 3)
• The economic growth is likely to fall to a three-year low of 6.9 per cent in 2011-12, mainly due to sharp slowdown in manufacturing, agriculture and mining sectors, against 8.4 per cent expansion in the last fiscal.(February 5)
• S&P cautioned India that its sovereign credit rating could tilt slightly towards ‘negative’ if effective action was not taken to counter “the balance of risk factors” emanating from economic uncertainties at home and abroad.(February 6)
• Facebook India today filed its compliance report before the Delhi court, which had ordered it along with 21 other websites, to remove objectionable content from their websites. Google India also told the court that it has removed certain web pages from the Internet on which objections were raised by the petitioners.(February 7)
• The Union Railway minister Mr. Dinesh Trivedy will hold discussion with the Chhattisgarh government today in Raipur regarding the extension of railway services in the state. The Railway Minister will take stock of several projects which include setting up of a railway freight corridor in this mineral-rich state.(February 8)
• The Madhya Pradesh government has transferred eight IAS officers including three district collectors in the state.(February 9)
• Prime Minister Manmohan Singh directs Central Ministries to give top priority to the Dedicated Freight Corridor Project; PMO to directly monitor progress of the project.(February 10)
• Corporate Affairs Minister M Veerappa Moily has said that the National Competition Policy would be in place by next month-end. Speaking at ‘India Corporate and Investor Meet’, organised by his Ministry and CII in Bangalore yesterday, Mr. Moily said, he would soon move the Cabinet and will have the National Competition Policy by March 31. Mr. Moily said, he expects this policy to trigger the second generation of reforms after 1991.(February 11)
• Election Commission seeks President’s intervention in alleged defiance of its orders by Law Minister Salman Khurshid over sub-quota for minorities.(February 12)
• Campaigning for the third phase of assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh ends this evening; Polling on Wednesday.(February 13)
• Law Minister Salman Khurshid has written a letter to the Election Commission of India saying that the controversy created by his remarks on Minority subquota was unintentional.(February 14)
• India has got support of China, Brazil and South Africa, together called Basic, to counter European Union’s carbon tax on airlines flying into Europe.(February 15)
• Third phase of Uttar Pradesh Assembly Polls in 56 constituencies begins amidst tight security.(February 16)
• BJP-Shiv Sena alliance set to retain its hold over Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation.(February 17)
• West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee stayed away from the inauguration programme of the NSG hub in Kolkata by P Chidambaram today, reemphasizing her protest against the proposed NCTC that she argued, violates the spirit of federalism.(February 18)
• A nationwide immunization campaign for Polio is on today; More than 17 crore children being administered polio drops.(February 19)
• The Delhi Police have prepared a list of more than two dozen markets, which deal in the sale of magnet, to trace the bomber who had placed the ‘sticky bomb’ on the Innova car of an Israeli embassy diplomat last Monday.(February 20)
• On Tuesday, Meira Kumar will become the first Lok Sabha speaker to visit Pakistan in an official delegation. She told Saubhadra Chatterji how this parliamentary diplomacy will strengthen Indo-Pak people-to-people ties.(February 21)
• The bridge over river Yamuna near Kalpi town is considered the gateway to Bundelkhand. Rajesh Kumar Singh reports.(February 22)
• Sensex swings between green and red in afternoon trade; Rupee appreciates 9 paise to 49.21 rupees against dollar.(February 23)
• Coming down heavily on the Centre and Delhi Police, the SC on Thursday ordered the prosecution of police personnel involved in the crackdown on Ramdev and his supporters at Ramlila Maidan on June 5 last year.(February 24)
• Home Minister writes to ten Chief Ministers on National Counter Terrorism Centre issue; says countering terrorism is a shared responsibility.(February 25)
• India to take on Australia in the tri-series one day international cricket match at Sydney today.(February 26)
• Indian men’s Hockey Team qualifies for Olympics after eight years defeating France 8-1 in the qualifying final.(February 27)
• Supreme Court directs the Centre to implement the interlinking of rivers project in a time-bound manner.(February 28)
• In a major operation, Delhi Police has arrested two suspected LeT terrorists who were allegedly planning to carry out terror strikes in the capital targeting vital installations and VVIPs.(February 29)

BAFTA Awards 2012

The BAFTAs are Britain’s top movie honours and the most prestigious industry awards outside of the United States. Following is a list of winners of the main awards in 2012.

Catagory	Winner
Best Film	The Artist
Outstanding British Film:	Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
Director	Michel Hazanavicius for "The Artist"
Leading Actor	Jean Dujardin in "The Artist"
Leading Actress	Meryl Streep in “The Iron Lady”
Supporting Actor	Christopher Plummer in “Beginners”
Supporting Actress	Octavia Spencer in “The Help”
Outstanding British Debut	“Tyrannosaur”
Film Not In The English Language	The Skin I Live In
Original Screenplay	Michel Hazanavicius for "The Artist"
Adapted Screenplay	Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
Documentary	Senna
Animated Film	Rango

54th Annual GRAMMY Awards 2012

Hello visitors. This time I am giving you the 54th Annual GRAMMY Awards 2012. I hope you may like it.

54th Grammy Awards Winners List:

Record of the year: “Rolling in the Deep,” Adele

Album of the year: “21,” Adele

Song of the year: “Rolling in the Deep,” Adele Adkins and Paul Epworth, songwriters (Adele)

Best new artist: Bon Iver

Pop vocal album:“21,” Adele

Pop solo performance:“Someone Like You,” Adele

Pop duo/group performance:“Body and Soul,” Tony Bennett and Amy Winehouse

Pop instrumental album:“The Road From Memphis,” Booker T. Jones

Traditional pop vocal album:“Duets II,” Tony Bennett and various artists

Electronica/dance album:“Scary Monsters And Nice Sprites,” Skrillex

Dance recording:“Scary Monsters And Nice Sprites,” Skrillex

Rock album:“Wasting Light,” Foo Fighters

Rock performance:“Walk,” Foo Fighters

Hard rock/metal performance:“White Limo,” Foo Fighters

Rock song:“Walk,” Foo Fighters

Rap album:“My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy,” Kanye West

Rap performance:“Otis,” Jay-Z and Kanye West

Rap/sung collaboration:“All Of The Lights,” Kanye West, Rihanna, Kid Cudi & Fergie

Rap song:“All Of The Lights,” Jeff Bhasker, Stacy Ferguson, Malik Jones, Warren Trotter & Kanye West, songwriters (Kanye West, Rihanna, Kid Cudi & Fergie)

Alternative music album:“Bon Iver,” Bon Iver

R&B album:Chris Brown, “F.A.M.E.”

R&B performance:“Is This Love,” Corinne Bailey Rae

Traditional R&B performance:“Fool For You,” Cee Lo Green and Melanie Fiona

R&B song:“Fool For You,” Cee Lo Green and Melanie Fiona

Country album:“Own the Night,” Lady Antebellum

Country solo performance:“Mean,” Taylor Swift

Country duo/group performance:“Barton Hollow,” The Civil Wars

Country song:“Mean,” Taylor Swift

New age album:“What’s It All About,” Pat Metheny

Jazz vocal album:“The Mosaic Project,” Terri Lyne Carrington and various artists

Improvised jazz solo:“500 Miles High,” Chick Corea, soloist

Jazz instrumental album:“Forever,” Corea, Clarke and White

Large jazz ensemble album:“The Good Feeling,” Christian McBride Big Band

Gospel/Contemporary Christian music performance:“Jesus,” Le’Andria Johnson

Gospel song:“Hello Fear,” Kirk Franklin

Contemporary Christian music song:“Blessings,” Laura Story

Gospel album:“Hello Fear,” Kirk Franklin

Contemporary Christian music album:“And If Our God Is For Us…,” Chris Tomlin

Latin pop, rock or urban album:“Drama Y Luz,” Mana

Regional Mexican or Tejano album:”Bicentenario,” Pepe Aguilar

Banda or Norteño album:“Los Tigres Del Norte and Friends,” Los Tigres Del Norte

Tropical Latin album:“The Last Mambo,” Cachao

Americana album:“Ramble at the Ryman,” Levon Helm

Bluegrass album:“Paper Airplane,” Alison Krauss and Union Station

Blues album:“Revelator,” Tedeschi Trucks Band

Folk album:“Barton Hollow,” The Civil Wars

Regional roots album:“Rebirth of New Orleans,” Rebirth Brass Band

Reggae album:“Revelation Pt. 1: The Root of Life,” Stephen Marley

World music album:“Tassili,” Tinariwen

Children’s album:“All About Bullies…Big and Small,” Various artists

Spoken word album:“If You Ask Me (And Of Course You Won’t),” Betty White

Comedy album:“Hilarious,” Louis C.K.

Musical theater album:“The Book of Mormon,” Josh Gad & Andrew Rannells, artists; Anne Garefino, Robert Lopez, Stephen Oremus, Trey Parker, Scott Rudin & Matt Stone, producers; Robert Lopez, Trey Parker & Matt Stone, composers/lyricists (Original Broadway Cast)

Compilation soundtrack for visual media:“Boardwalk Empire: Volume 1,” Various artists, Stewart Lerman, Randall Poster & Kevin Weaver, producers

Score soundtrack for visual media:“The King’s Speech,” Alexandre Desplat, composer

Song written for visual media:“I See The Light,” Alan Menken & Glenn Slater, songwriters (Mandy Moore & Zachary Levi) (From “Tangled”)

Instrumental composition:“Life In Eleven,” Béla Fleck & Howard Levy, composers (Béla Fleck & The Flecktones)

Instrumental arrangement:“Rhapsody In Blue,” Gordon Goodwin, arranger (Gordon Goodwin’s Big Phat Band)

Instrumental arrangement accompanying vocalist(s):“Who Can I Turn To (When Nobody Needs Me),” Jorge Calandrelli, arranger (Tony Bennett & Queen Latifah)

Recording package:“Scenes From The Suburbs,” Caroline Robert, art director (Arcade Fire)

Boxed or special limited edition package:“The Promise: The Darkness On The Edge Of Town Story,” Dave Bett & Michelle Holme, art directors (Bruce Springsteen)

Album notes:“Hear Me Howling!: Blues, Ballads & Beyond As Recorded By The San Francisco Bay By Chris Strachwitz In The 1960s,” Adam Machado, album notes writer (Various Artists)

Historical album:“Band On The Run (Paul McCartney Archive Collection – Deluxe Edition),” Paul McCartney, compilation producer; Sam Okell & Steve Rooke, mastering engineers (Paul McCartney & Wings)

Producer of the year, non-classical:Paul Epworth

Engineered album, non-classical:“Paper Airplane,” Neal Cappellino & Mike Shipley, engineers; Brad Blackwood, mastering engineer (Alison Krauss & Union Station)

Remixed recording, non-classical:“Cinema (Skrillex Remix),” Sonny Moore, remixer (Benny Benassi)

Surround sound album:“Layla And Other Assorted Love Songs (Super Deluxe Edition),” Elliot Scheiner, surround mix engineer; Bob Ludwig, surround mastering engineer; Bill Levenson & Elliot Scheiner, surround producers (Derek & The Dominos)

Engineered album, classical:“Aldridge: Elmer Gantry,” Byeong-Joon Hwang & John Newton, engineers; Jesse Lewis, mastering engineer (William Boggs, Keith Phares, Patricia Risley, Vale Rideout, Frank Kelley, Heather Buck, Florentine Opera Chorus & Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra)

Producer of the year, classical:Judith Sherman

Orchestral performance:“Brahms: Symphony No. 4,” Gustavo Dudamel, conductor (Los Angeles Philharmonic)

Opera recording:“Adams: Doctor Atomic,” Alan Gilbert, conductor; Meredith Arwady, Sasha Cooke, Richard Paul Fink, Gerald Finley, Thomas Glenn & Eric Owens; Jay David Saks, producer (Metropolitan Opera Orchestra; Metropolitan Opera Chorus)

Choral performance:“Light & Gold,” Eric Whitacre, conductor

Small ensemble performance:“Mackey: Lonely Motel – Music From Slide,” Rinde Eckert & Steven Mackey; Eighth Blackbird

Classical instrumental solo:“Schwantner: Concerto For Percussion & Orchestra,” Giancarlo Guerrero, conductor; Christopher Lamb (Nashville Symphony)

Classical vocal solo:“Diva Divo,” Joyce DiDonato

Contemporary classical composition:“Aldridge, Robert: Elmer Gantry,” Robert Aldridge & Herschel Garfein

Short form music video:“Rolling in the Deep,” Adele

Long form music video:“Foo Fighters: Back And Forth,” Foo Fighters

Sahitya Akademi Yuva Puraskar-2011

Sahitya Akademi announced its first annual Yuva Puraskar in 16 languages February13,2012 ; the rest of the languages will be declared at a later date except Dogri and Sindhi. Six books of poetry,one of novel, five of short stories, one of biography, one of essay and two of plays have won the Sahitya Akademi Yuva uraskar.

Language	Title and Genre	Author
Assamese	ANUSILON (ESSAYS)	ARINDAM BORKATAKI
Bengali	DANAOWLA MANUS (SHORT STORIES)	BINOD GHOSHAL
English	MY NAME IS GAUHAR JAAN! - THE LIFE AND TIMES OF A MUSICIAN (BIOGRAPHY)	VIKRAM SAMPATH
Gujarati	ANTIM YUDDHA (PLAY)	DHWANIL PAREKH
Hindi	KAHTE HAIN TAB SHANSHAAH SO RAHE THE (POETRY)	UMA SHANKAR CHOUDHARY
Kannada	NELADA KARUNEYA DANI (POETRY)	VEERANNA MADIWALARA
Kashmiri	PATTE LEJI ZOON DARAS(POETRY)	NISAR AZAM
Konkani	NIRNAY (SHORT STORIES)	JOFA GONSALVES
Maithili	HATHAT PARIVARTAN (PLAY)	ANAND KUMAR JHA
Malayalam	MARANA VIDYALAYAM (SHORT STORIES)	SUSMESH CHANDROTH
Marathi	BHUISHASTRA (POETRY)	AISHWARYA PATEKAR
Odia	GAAN (POETRY)	GAYATRIBALA PANDA
Punjabi	AMRIT VELA (POETRY)	PARAMVEER SINGH
Rajasthani	PEER (SHORT STORIES)	DULA RAM SAHARAN
Tamil	SEVALKATTU (NOVEL)	M. THAVASI
Telugu	MOLOKALAPUNNAMI (SHORT STORIES)	VEMPALLI GANGADHAR

World Current Affairs, February 2012 (Part - 2)

This time I am loading the current affairs of the world for the month of February 2012. I hope viewes may like it and express their feelings. This is the second set of World Current Affairs, february 2012.

• The Portrait of Henrietta Moraes, a painting by Francis Bacon, sells at Christie's for £21.3 million, the second most valuable work of post-war contemporary art sold at the London auction house.(15th february)
• Sony admits it increased the price of two Whitney Houston albums hours after she was found in the bathtub of her hotel room last Saturday. Fans react with outrage.(15th february)
• 358 people perish in a fire at a Honduran prison in the city of Comayagua. Many others are injured.(15th february)
• A United States drone attack kills five militants in the Pakistani town of Spalga in north Waziristan.(16th February)
• Two time Pulitzer Prize winner Anthony Shadid dies suddenly at age 43 of an acute asthma attack.(16th February)
• Four World Trade Center's construction crane snaps while lifting a steel.(16th February)
• South Korean silicon chip maker Hynix Semiconductor claims that a US court has rejected an antitrust claim against it by Rambus Inc.(16th February)
• Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, the so-called "underwear bomber", is sentenced to life imprisonment for attempting to detonate a bomb on Northwest Airlines Flight 253 in the US city of Detroit, Michigan.(16th February)
• Libya celebrates the first anniversary of the start of the uprising against Muammar Gaddafi.(17yh february)
• Dozens are killed and wounded as fighting intensifies between the Russian forces and the local Muslim insurgents in Chechnya and Dagestan.(17yh february)
• Thieves break into the Archaeological Museum of Olympia in Greece. stealing between 60 and 70 artifacts of the ancient Olympic Games.(17yh february)
• The World Bank announces plans to select a new President to replace Robert Zoellick when his term expires in June.(17yh february)
• The United Kingdom and France sign a deal to improve cooperation on nuclear energy.(17yh february)
• Christian Wulff, the President of Germany, resigns over a corruption scandal.(17yh february)
• Violence breaks out in Dakar, Senegal, during an anti-government protest.(18th february)
• The Russian Army loses 17 soldiers while fighting in a day long battle with insurgents in the North Caucasus region.(18th february)
• The funeral of American entertainer Whitney Houston is held at the New Hope Baptist Church in Newark, New Jersey.(18th february)
• The Italian film Caesar Must Die wins the Golden Bear at the 62nd Berlin International Film Festival.(18th february)
• Former International Monetary Fund Managing Director Dominique Strauss-Kahn is summoned by French police to face questions about alleged involvement in a prostitution ring in the city of Lille.(18th february)
• A suicide bomber kills at least 19 officers and cadets and injures 26 outside an Iraqi police academy in northeastern Baghdad.(19th february)
• Australians commemorate the 70th anniversary of the Bombing of Darwin by Japan during World War II.(19th february)
• A record 2.2 million people attend the Bola Preta street party during the Rio de Janeiro carnival.(19th february)
• Iran ceases oil exports to France and the United Kingdom, in a retaliatory move against European Union sanctions.(19th february)
• India's Kingfisher Airlines cancels 16 flights from Mumbai and stops operations in Kolkata over the next four days.(19th february)
• President of France Nicolas Sarkozy has the first big rally of his re-election campaign in Marseille.(19th february)
• Samsung Electronics announces plans to spin off its LCD business.(20th february)
• The price of oil reaches an eight month high following Iran banning sales to Britain and France on Sunday.(20th february)
• Narendra Modi, the Chief Minister of the Indian state of Gujarat, orders an inquiry into the death of six people at a stampede at the Bhavnath Hindu temple in the Junagadh district over the weekend.(20th february)
• International Atomic Energy Agency nuclear inspectors arrive in Tehran to hold discussions about Iran's nuclear program.(20th february)
• Scientists report regenerating specimens of Silene stenophylla from a 31,800 year old piece of fruit, greatly surpassing the previous record for oldest plant sucessfully regenerated.(20th february)
• Thailand sends an extradition request to Malaysia for one of the five Iranian nationals suspected of involvement in the bombings in Bangkok earlier this month.(21st february)
• The 2012 BRIT Awards for British popular music are held in O2 Arena in London with Adele, One Direction, Ed Sheeran and Coldplay among the winners.(21st february)
• Celebrations of Losar, the Tibetan Buddhist New Year, are cancelled in the People's Republic of China due to a wave of immolations.(21st february)
• The President of Venezuela Hugo Chávez confirms that doctors in Cuba have found a lesion and he will have to undergo an operation.(21st february)
• Hundreds of Afghans hold violent protests against the alleged burning of Qurans at the Bagram Airbase north of Kabul.(22nd february)
• The International Atomic Energy Agency states that Iran has denied inspectors access to the Parchin military site where it believes that suspicious nuclear activities may be taking place.(22nd february)
• Kevin Rudd resigns as Foreign Minister of Australia after alleged "attacks on credibility" by supporters of Prime Minister Julia Gillard.(22nd february)
• Wikileaks suspect United States Army Private Bradley Manning is formally charged ahead of a court martial.(23rd february)
• Tens of thousands rally at Moscow's Luzhniki Stadium in support of the Prime Minister Vladimir Putin's candidacy for President of Russia in the upcoming election on March 4th.(23rd february)
• Representatives of more than seventy countries meet in Tunisia to discuss supporting the opposition in the Syrian uprising.(24th february)
• The Taliban attacks a Pakistani police station in Peshawar killing four officers.(24th february)
• Air Zimbabwe suspends all of its flights indefinitely.(24th february)
• Haiti's prime minister Garry Conille resigns after a power struggle within the government.(24th february)
• Two U.S. officers are killed inside the Ministry of Interior in the Afghan capital Kabul.(25th february)
• Treasure from the Spanish Navy frigate Nuestra Señora de las Mercedes returns to Spain after being recovered by Odyssey Marine Exploration in 2007.(25th february)
• The Artist wins four awards including best film at the Independent Spirit Awards 2011 held in Santa Monica.(25th february)
• A G-20 finance ministers meeting is held in Mexico City to discuss progress in the Eurozone bailout.(25th february)
• A bribery case against former Prime Minister of Italy Silvio Berlusconi is dismissed due to the statute of limitations having expired.(25th february)
• The World Health Organisation removes India from the list of polio endemic countries with only Pakistan, Afghanistan and Nigeria remaining.(25th february)
• France and Germany follow the United States and United Kingdom in withdrawing civilian staff from Afghan government facilities following the killing of two senior NATO officers.(26th february)
• Chandra Bahadur Dangi is verified by Guinness World Records to be the world's shortest person ever, beating the record long held by Gul Mohammed.(26th february)
• Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation launches the The Sun on Sunday to replace the News of the World, which closed due to a phone hacking controversy.(26th february)
• Two members of the Italian Marines accused of killing two Indian fishermen will be prosecuted under Indian law. (26th february)
• Jailed U.S. serviceman Bradley Manning, U.S. political scientist Gene Sharp and news network Al Jazeera are among those known to have been nominated for the 2012 Nobel Peace Prize.(27th february)
• Internet portal company Yahoo warns social network company Facebook that it believes Facebook has infringed on several Yahoo patents, between 10 and 20.(27th february)
• WikiLeaks begins disclosing 5 million e-mails from the private intelligence company Stratfor.(27th february)
• Singer Charlotte Church and her parents agree damages and costs of £600,000 (US$950,000) with Rupert Murdoch's News Group, publishers of the defunct News of the World.(27th february)
• A United States Department of Defense report finds that the partial remains of the victims of the September 11 attacks ended up at a military landfill site.(28th february)
• Millions of workers in India go on strike to demand improved rights and express anger at rising prices.(28th february)
• European Union Foreign Ministers support Serbia's candidacy to join the European Union despite opposition from Romania.(28th february)
• Two new species of prehistoric penguin are discovered - Kairuku grebneffi and Kairuku waitaki. Standing nearly 5ft tall, Kairuku grebneffi is the largest penguin ever discovered.(28th february)
• IBM claims to be on the verge of creating the world's first quantum computer.(28th february)
• James Murdoch resigns from News International to focus on running News Limited's television business with the News International phone hacking scandal as a factor in the decision.(29th february)
• North Korea agrees to suspend uranium enrichment and nuclear and long-range missile tests in return for food aid.(29th february)
• The President of Venezuela Hugo Chavez is recovering from the removal of a tumour from his pelvis in a Cuban hospital.(29th february)
• Egypt announces that a presidential election will held on May 23-24.(29th february)

World Current Affairs, February 2012 (Part - 1)

This time I am loading the current affairs of the world for the month of February 2012. I hope viewes may like it and express their feelings. This is the first set of World Current Affairs, february 2012.

• The London Times reports that a secret NATO report claims that the Taliban, backed by Pakistan, is set to regain control over Afghanistan after international forces withdraw from the country.(1st February)
• Pakistan Air Force jets bomb militant positions in the Orakzai and Kurram Agency areas near the border with Afghanistan with claims that 31 alleged insurgents were killed.(1st February)
• American television host and producer Don Cornelius, creator of Soul Train is found dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.(1st February)
• The social network Facebook files for an initial public offering.(1st February)
• At least 73 people are killed as a result of clashes between fans of Egyptian football teams Al-Masry and Al-Ahly in the city of Port Said.(1st February)
• The Zimbabwe Football Association suspends 80 players including members of the Zimbabwe national football team on suspicion of participation in match-fixing.(1st February)
• The Mexican Army sends 4,000 soldiers to Michoacán state as a result of recent violence.(2nd February)
• The ferry MV Rabaul Queen sinks off the coast of Papua New Guinea near the Finschhafen District, with an estimated 350 people on board. Nearby commercial ships rescue 238 people from the sea.(2nd February)
• More than 110 people are killed across Europe as a result of a recent cold snap.(2nd February)
• The People's Republic of China asks for assistance from South Sudan to obtain the release of 29 Chinese workers held captive in Sudan for five days.(2nd February)
• The Supreme Court of India cancels 122 telecom licences granted in the 2008 sale at the centre of a corruption scandal involving former minister A. Raja.(2nd February)
• Egyptian comedian Adel Imam is sentenced to three months in prison for insulting Islam.(2nd February)
• Prince William arrives in the Falkland Islands for a tour of duty as a Royal Air Force search and rescue pilot. His deployment comes at a time of high tension between the United Kingdom and Argentina over the sovereignty of the islands.(2nd February)
• Seven Pakistan Army soldiers are killed and three others wounded following a Taliban attack in the Kurram Agency.(3rd february)
• Hungarian airline Malév ceases operation as its aircraft are grounded due to unpaid debts.(3rd february)
• At least three people die and 50 are injured after a passenger train derails in the Kamrup district in India's Assam state.(3rd february)
• Thousands of Australians are evacuated in northern New South Wales and Queensland due to rising floodwaters with parts of Queensland declared as a disaster area.(3rd february)
• The Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia increases the sentence of Kang Kek Iew, or Duch, to life for running the Tuol Sleng prison camp under the Khmer Rouge.(3rd february)
• Major General Michael Linnington orders a court martial for US Private Bradley Manning responsible for leaking hundreds of thousands of documents to Wikileaks.(3rd february)
• The Football Association removes John Terry as captain of the England national football team over allegations of racial abuse of Anton Ferdinand during a match.(3rd february)
• The United Nations Security Council votes on an Arab League proposal to resolve problems in Syria with reports of hundreds of people dead in the past couple of days as a result of shelling in Homs - the People's Republic of China and Russia veto the resolution.(4th february)
• The Arab Parliament calls for Arab countries to sever relations with Syria.(4th february)
• Iran starts new military exercises as tensions rise over its nuclear program.(4th february)
• Florence Green, the last known veteran from World War I, dies at the age of 110 in the United Kingdom.(4th february)
• Over 100,000 people protest for and against Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin in Moscow.(4th february)
• An explosion hits the gas pipeline between Egypt, Israel and Jordan in the North Sinai Governorate west of Arish.(5th february)
• More than 250 people have died of the cold weather in Europe, with Russia forced to reduce supplies of natural gas.(5th february)
• A Libyan starts court proceedings against 41 people accused of helping Muammar Gaddafi to attempt to suppress the opposition in the Libyan civil war.(5th february)
• Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah resigns as the Prime Minister of Kuwait following a strong performance by the Opposition in a recent parliamentary election.(5th february)
• In darts, England win the 2012 PDC World Cup of Darts defeating Australia 4-3 in the final.(5th february)
• Hacker group Anonymous publishes hundreds of emails from President Bashar al-Assad's office.(6th february)
• The United States closes its embassy in Damascus, while the United Kingdom recalls its ambassador.(6th february)
• Spanish artist Antoni Tàpies, a pioneer of abstract art, dies in Barcelona at the age of 88.(6th february)
• The government of Greece fails to reach agreement over the terms of a new bailout from the European Union, but retracts the deadline they had given themselves to do so, 30 minutes before the deadline would have passed.(6th february)
• A 6.9 magnitude earthquake hits near the central Philippines off the coast of Negros Island causing at least 13 deaths and 29 people missing with houses buried in a landslide in Guihulngan.(6th february)
• Queen Elizabeth II marks the 60th anniversary of her becoming the monarch of the United Kingdom and seven other sovereign states in the Commonwealth of Nations with events to celebrate her Diamond Jubilee set for later in the year.(6th february)
• Romanian Prime Minister Emil Boc and his entire cabinet resign after major social and political unrest in the country.(6th february)
• Maldives National Defence Force soldiers fire rubber bullets at police officers demonstrating in the capital Malé who are defying an order by President Mohamed Nasheed to crack down on protests.(7th february)
• Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, the President of Argentina, states that Argentina will lodge a complaint with the United Nations Security Council and the United Nations General Assembly about the alleged "militarisation" of the area around the Falkland Islands by the United Kingdom.(7th february)
• An anti-gay bill is reintroduced in the Ugandan parliament after it was previously withdrawn.(7th february)
• Pakistani officials claim that US drone missiles have killed ten people in Spalga village in North Waziristan.(8th february)
• Air France cancels long-haul flights due to a strike by staff.(8th february)
• Airbus announces that it will inspect the wings of all Airbus 380 aircraft for cracks.(8th february)
• The New Zealand Royal Commission on the Pike River Mine disaster hears that a collapse in the coal extraction area was the most likely cause of the fatal blast in the mine on November 19, 2010 that claimed 29 lives.(8th february)
• The death toll throughout Europe rises to over 400 with the Danube River freezing over for 170 km.(8th february)
• Three Bharatiya Janata Party Ministers in the Indian state of Karnataka – Laxman Savadi, C C Patil and J. Krishna Palemar – are forced to resign after footage is shown of them watching a pornographic video in the Legislative Assembly.(8th february)
• Fabio Capello resigns as the manager of England over continuing clashes with The Football Association (FA) following the sacking of John Terry as team captain, with Terry facing charges of racist abuse.(8th february)
• The United States Department of Defense issues new guidelines removing restrictions on use of women in combat.(9th february)
• Eastman Kodak Co. announces that it will no longer make digital cameras, pocket video cameras and digital picture frames in an effort to save money during bankruptcy.(9th february)
• Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper goes on an official visit to China, meeting with President Hu Jintao, Premier Wen Jiabao, and Vice-Premier Li Keqiang. The two countries sign trade deals worth over $3 billion.(9th february)
• Analyst Roland S. Martin is suspended from CNN over numerous offensive comments he made about gay men on Twitter during the broadcast of Super Bowl XLVI.(9th february)
• Egypt's military rulers warn of conspiracies that seek to topple the state and spread chaos one day before the one-year anniversary of the toppling of former President Hosni Mubarak.(10th february)
• A new book of poetry by President of Ireland Michael D. Higgins is negatively reviewed by leading critic Professor Kevin Kiely, who says the President "can be accused of crimes against literature".(10th february)
• The Guard wins The Guardian's annual First Film award.(10th february)
• The death toll of a boat sunk with more than 70 people from Samaná, Dominican Republic, trying to illegally enter Puerto Rico, reaches 47.(10th february)
• A group of South Korean lawmakers make a rare visit to North Korea's Kaesong Industrial Region.(10th february)
• Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao pledges greater freedoms in Tibet, hours after two protesters are killed demanding the end of Chinese rule in the region; seven officials are also sacked for "neglecting state duties".(10th february)
• A Saudi blogger is detained by Malaysian police after fleeing Saudi Arabia for allegedly insulting the Prophet Muhammad.(10th february)
• Human rights activist Nabeel Rajab says two Americans have been detained by Bahraini security forces and US Embassy is looking into the reports.(11th february)
• Activists in Egypt mark the first anniversary of the overthrow of former President Hosni Mubarak in the 2011 Egyptian revolution with a strike and a day of civil disobedience.(11th february)
• American singer and actress Whitney Houston dies suddenly at the age of 48 at the Beverly Hills Hilton Hotel.(11th february)
• Thousands of people march in Japan against the resumption of nuclear reactors that were closed after the Fukushima disaster last year.(11th february)
• The Arab League meets in Cairo to discuss sending a joint mission to Syria with the United Nations.(12th february)
• The historic Attikon cinema in Athens is set on fire following demonstrations over the latest round of economic austerity measures proposed by the government.(12th february)
• The 54th Grammy Awards for music are held at the Staples Center in the U.S. city of Los Angeles, with some of the show being re-worked to commemorate the late Whitney Houston.(12th february)
• The British Academy of Film and Television Arts Film Awards is held in London with The Artist winning the Award for best film.(12th february)
• A senior aide to the President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Joseph Kabila, is killed, and the Finance Minister Matata Ponyo Mapon is injured in a plane crash near the town of Bukavu.(12th february)
• A teenage Tibetan Buddhist nun Tenzin Choedon dies after setting herself on fire in protest against Chinese rule of Tibet in Sichuan province.(12th february)
• In football, the final of the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations played at Libreville, Gabon, between Zambia and Ivory Coast, with Zambia winning 8-7 on penalties in a shock result.(12th february)
• An explosion tears through an Israeli diplomat's car in the vicinity of the Israeli Embassy in New Delhi, India; one woman is injured.(13th february)
• Explosives are found near the Israeli Embassy building in the Georgian capital of Tbilisi; the device is neutralized safely.(13th february)
• Beverly Hills police confirm Whitney Houston was underwater and unconscious when found in a bath in her Los Angeles hotel room last Saturday.(13th february)
• Barack Obama, the President of the United States, presents 16 people with the National Medal of Arts at the White House including actor Al Pacino, country music singer Mel Tillis and former United States Poet Laureate Rita Dove.(13th february)
• The Australia and New Zealand Banking Group announces plans to cut 1000 jobs in Australia.(13th february)
• The European Union and United States approve Google's $12.5 billion acquisition of smartphone maker Motorola.(13th february)
• The Prime Minister of Pakistan Yousuf Raza Gilani appears before the Supreme Court of Pakistan to face contempt of court charges.(13th february)
• The president of Turkmenistan, Gurbanguli Berdymukhamedov, wins a new five-year term with 97% of the vote, according to election officials.(13th february)
• The U.S. aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln, accompanied by the cruiser Cape St. George and the destroyer Sterett, sails through the Strait of Hormuz, close to the coast of Iran, for the second time in recent weeks.(14th february)
• A new statue of late North Korean leader Kim Jong-il is unveiled in the capital Pyongyang.(14th february)
• China issues new regulations on foreign television programmes being aired in the country - banning all imported programmes during prime time.(14th february)
• The World Bank announces that its President, Robert Zoellick, is stepping down when his term ends in June.(14th february)
• FIFA warns the Argentine Football Association (AFA) against renaming their top league after the ARA General Belgrano cruiser on which hundreds of people were killed after it was sunk by a British nuclear submarine in 1982. FIFA says such a move might breach rules on mixing politics with football.(14th february)