Daily Current Affairs: 22 February 2014

1) Matteo Renzi Italy's youngest-ever PM sworn in: Matteo Renzi became Italy’s youngest premier on Saturday, promising a new era of stable government after using old-school politicking to engineer the ouster of a fellow Democrat he deemed too timid to get the nation back to work. Mr. Renzi, the 39-year-old is the leader of the Centre-Left Democratic Party. After formally accepting the mandate to form the government, Mr. Renzi said he will waste no time in enacting reform.

2)  Whistleblowers’ Protection Bill passed in Rajya Sabha: A Bill to set up a regular mechanism to encourage persons to disclose information on corruption or wilful misuse of power by public servants, including Ministers, was passed by the Rajya Sabha. The Bill was passed by the Lok Sabha in 2011 and was taken up by the Rajya Sabha in 2012.

3) Defending champions India crashed out of Under-19 World cup cricket: Defending champion India crashed out of the Under-19 World Cup cricket tournament after a three-wicket defeat to England in the quarterfinals in UAE on Saturday. Batting first, India managed 221 for eight, and then saw England chase down the target with five balls to spare.

4) G-20 meet began: G20 ministers on Saturday began their two-day deliberations to work out a "real and tangible framework" to push global growth amid clamour for a more transparent tapering programme by the US Fed Reserve with a view to reducing volatility in the global financial markets. This time G-20 meet is held in Sydney, Australia.

5) IRCTC launched E-wallet Scheme to make payment process fast: Indian Railways Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) launched E-Wallet Scheme to make payment process fast and to reduce transaction failures due to bank payment related problems.

6) Vadodara Municipal Corporation enters Guinness Book: Vadodara Municipal Corporation (VMC) has got its name registered in the Guinness Book of World Records for measuring the blood pressure of over 8,000 people in a matter of just eight hours. The civic body had achieved the feat on April 7, 2013 on the occasion of the World Health Day.

7) De Villiers scripts rare record; is first player to score 12 consecutive Test half-centuries: South Africa batsman AB de Villiers became the first player in the history of Test cricket to score a half-century in 12 consecutive Tests after he crossed 50 in the first innings on the opening day of the second Test against Australia, at St George's Park, on Thursday. De Villiers, South Africa's ODI team captain, is now the sole owner of a unique batting record in Test cricket that has stood for almost four decades.