February 16,2010

1.Lashkar-e-Taiba-al-Almi, an unknown Pakistan-based Jihadist group claimed responsibility for Pune bomb blast.
Reason - India's "refusal" to discuss Kashmir issue in the coming talks with Pakistan.

2.The Council of Boards of Secondary Education (COBSE) to adopt a core curriculum for Physics, Chemistry,Biology and Mathematics at the senior secondary levels, according to Kapil Sibal, Union HRD Minister.

3.4000-MW greenfield thermal power by NTPC is coming up at KUDGI, Bijapur district, Karnataka.

4.Viktor Yanukovych won in the Ukraine's Presidential elections by 3.48% margin. The outgoing President is Viktor Yushenko.

5.Erythroxylum coca, a plant, which is the raw ingredient of Cocaine has been a catastrophe for Columbia. "Plan Columbia"- the military-heavy US Aid Programme is fighting against FARC (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Columbia)Guerrillas and a smaller left rebel group - ELN.

6.Lu Di is an animal protection activist of China. The China Small Animal Protection Association (CSAPA) was launched by Lu Di in 1992.

7.India has offered $250 million line of credit and a massive 80,000 tonnes of essentials, mainly food grains, to Nepal. Nepal's President Ram Baran Yadav has interacted with the Indian PM and Minister of External affairs on February 15, 2010 at New Delhi.

8.The European Union temporarily withdrew preferential tariff benefits known as GSP+ to Sri Lanka on the ground that there are 'significant shortcomings' in the implementation of suggestions of 3 UN Human Rights Conventions. As a result Sri Lanka would lose aid to the tune of 100 million dollars meant for the textile and apparel industry, directly affecting nearly one lakh workers.

9.Giuseppe Orsi, CEO of Augusta Westland, an Italian Defence major signed an agreement with TATA Sons for formation of a joint venture company, which will establish a final assembly line for AW-119 helicopters for Indian Army and also for the global market.

10.Anand G Mahindra, Vice Chairman and MD of Mahindra Group has been named the Ernst & Young Entreprenuer 2009.
Lifetime achievement award of E & Y goes to N.Vaghul, Ex-Chairman of ICICI Bank Ltd.
Manager Entreprenuer award -OP Bhatt, CMD, SBI
Start-up Entreprenuer Award -Amit Mittal,Managing Director,A2Z Maintenance & Engineering Services Pvt. Ltd
Healthcare and Life sciences -Pankaj R. Patel,Chairman & Managing Director,Zydus Cadila Healthcare Ltd.

11.Tata Power Company and Korea East West Power Company (EWP), one of the largest generation utilities of Korea, on 16.02.2010 signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to identify and execute O&M (operation and maintenance) opportunities relating to third party generation assets in Asia, West Asia and Africa.

12.India Rejuvenation Initiative (IRI) a forum for probity in public life is demanding removal of lacunae in the Public Interest Disclosure (Protection of Informers) Bill 2009, for protection of honest whistleblowers (those who expose wrong doing and corruption but unfortunately called 'informers')