National:

Supreme Court refuses to stay conduct of jallikattu The Supreme Court refused to stay the conduct of jallikattu in Tamil Nadu during Pongal festival in January next year in accordance with the law enacted by it for regulation of the event. ADB loan in the offing for Jaipur Metro The Jaipur Metro Rail Corporation shortly has to obtain loan worth Rs.969 crore from the Asian Development Bank for completion of work on a portion of its corridor in the Walled City. The first phase connecting the Mansarovar residential colony with Chandpole is likely to start by July, 2013. Indias Consulate among missions hit by China counterfeit scam Indias Consulate General in the southern port city of Guangzhou was among several foreign missions that received counterfeit notes in a fund-raising drive that has stirred a controversy in China over the role of overseas organisations in charity events. Thirty foreign consulates in Guangzhou held a charity event over the weekend to raise money for a home for local children with disabilities. The event was supported by the provincial Guangdong Foreign Affairs Office, one of the first such events that involved both the Chinese government and overseas missions working together for local charities, which are usually tightly controlled by the authorities. Kochi Biennale, Indias first, begins Biennale, like a portmanteau film, sports several disparate narratives in chaotic harmony. It is the antithesis of gallery art and seeks to conjure up a carnival world, in Mikhail Bhaktins lingo, where the sublime, the ordinary, the kitschy and the profane jostle for space. While India boasts a robust history of hosting triennales beginning 1968 when the legendary Mulk Raj Anand leveraged his clout to bring the whos who of global art to India, the Kochi-Muziris Biennale that opens at the culturally-rich Fort Kochi on Wednesday (12/12/12) is the first of its kind for more than one reason, placing equal thrust on contemporary art and traditional folk and classical arts from various parts of India. Centre intervenes to help Indians in UAE facing deportation The Centre has decided to urge the UAE to reconsider its decision ordering about 18,000 Indians working there without proper papers to return to India within three months or face imprisonment. Instead it would ask the government to grant them visa and allow them to continue in their jobs.

International:
Hawking confronts an earthly problem Stephen Hawking, the former Lucasian professor of mathematics at Cambridge University, must ponder how to spend the three million dollars that has landed in his bank account after winning the most lucrative science prize ever established. The renowned physicist has won the Special Fundamental Physics Prize for a lifetime of achievements, including the discovery that black holes emit radiation and his deep contributions to quantum gravity and aspects of the early universe. The award is one of several set up in July by Yuri Milner, a Russian Internet mogul, who quit his PhD in physics and made a billion dollars from investments in social media and other companies, such as Twitter, Facebook and Groupon.

Business and economy:

Sutherland pips Genpact to buy Apollo Health Street The U.S.-headquartered Sutherland Global Services, an international provider of business process and technology management services, has piped Genpact and others to the post to ink a Rs.1,000-crore all-cash deal to acquire Apollo Health Street Limited (AHS). An associate company of Apollo Hospitals Enterprises Ltd., AHS is a leading provider of healthcare business services and world-class health information technology (HIT)-based solutions. Page 1 of 2 12th December 2012

Motorola Mobility to suspend work at Chennai centre Google-owned Motorola Mobility has decided to suspend operations indefinitely at its packaging and phone assembly unit at Chennai, as part of a move to streamline the companys global supply chain. Virgin to strengthen connectivity for Indians Focussing on the Indian market, premier British airline Virgin Atlantic outlined plans to launch a domestic flying programme within Britain from spring 2013 providing enhanced connectivity for Indian passengers from Delhi, Mumbai, Pune and Punjab.

Science and technology:

CSIR, HP develop new system for better healthcare The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and IT major Hewlett Packard announced the development of a system that would provide affordable healthcare to the rural poor and simultaneously facilitate better medicines for various ailments. The system is based on a combination of the latest in IT, cloud computing, and standard shipping containers, which have become unusable for normal freight movement. While the containers would be used for setting up basic health centres in remote areas at a much faster pace and at much lesser cost than a conventional brick and mortar centre, cloud computing would help scientists working in distant laboratories access physiological data required to make new medicines for different ailments. The system would also feature a telemedicine studio, a laboratory and a pharmacy. Award for RGIA Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA) at Shamshabad (Hyderabad) won the best cargo airport and best cargo terminal of the year award. The Air Cargo Agents Association of India (ACAAI) announced the award at its 39th annual convention held at Istanbul from November 22 to 25. In a press release CEO of RGIA Vikram Jaisinghani said the award was recognition of their efforts and progressive initiatives as part of their vision of transforming RGIA into logistics hub of India.

Sports:
AFI elections set aside The Union Sports Ministry set aside the elections to the post of president, secretary and treasurer of the Athletics Federation of India and told it to conduct fresh elections to these posts. The AFI, which had held its elections on April 14 last, was asked to hold elections afresh within 60 days, or February 28, 2013, whichever is earlier, failing which the recognition granted to the federation would be considered as withdrawn.

Page 2 of 2 12th December 2012