Ukraine summit agrees ceasefire, withdrawal of weapons: Putin 

The crucial summit to secure a deal in the ongoing Ukraine conflict was held on 11 February 2015 in which Russian President Vladimir Putin and the Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko met face to face. An important agreement was struck to start the ceasefire in eastern Ukraine from 15 February 2015. The summit was held at Minsk, the capital of Belarus. President of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko hosted these talks which was led by German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Francois Hollande.

US announced new cyber security agency CTIIC to respond to enhanced cyber threats

The US on 11 February 2015 have announced the formation of a new cyber security agency, The new Cyber Threat Intelligence Integration Center (CTIIC), to respond to enhanced cyber threats. The CTIIC will foil cyber attacks by sharing intelligence across agencies during a crisis. The CTIIC will be created as part of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence and will be structured like the National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC). Initially, the agency will comprise a staff of about 50 people and have a budget of $ 35 million.

Himachal Pradesh government launches Crime and Criminal Tracking Network System Project

In Himachal Pradesh, Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh has launched the Crime and Criminal Tracking Network System Project. This will enable the State Police to further raise the benchmark of professional efficiency besides catching interstate criminals more quickly. This 19 Crore Rupee project funded by the Union government will help in connecting 114 police stations in the state besides 13 district headquarters, 26 sub-divisional police officers and three police ranges.

Cricket World Cup launches with opening ceremony

Opening ceremonies of ICC World Cup 2015 took place in both countries – first in Christchurch and then in Melbourne. Christchurch’s Hagley Park was the venue of the opening ceremony of the ICC World Cup 2015 in New Zealand while Melbourne’s Myer Music Bowl was the venue for the same in Australia. 14 nations to compete for the coveted trophy across 6 weeks and 49 matches.

McCullum named NZ sportsman of the year

Brendon McCullum has been named the New Zealand sportsman of the year, the first cricketer to win the title since Martin Crowe in 1991. New Zealand enjoyed unprecedented success under McCullum in 2014, winning five Tests from nine matches, a national record. Individually, McCullum scored 1164 Test runs – the most by a New Zealand batsman in a calendar year – at an average of 72.75 and he is the first New Zealander to score a Test triple century.