Informative Reading- 1

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 ofTime 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.