National:

Madanjeet Singh passes away Former diplomat, artist, writer and freedom fighter, Madanjeet Singh, a UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador since 2000, passed away in Beaulieu sur Mer in France.Born in on April 16, 1924, he was passionate in his commitment to South Asian regional cooperation and solidarity on a secular, democratic, and progressive basis. This commitment was backed by an extraordinary financial contribution to the South Asia Foundation (SAF), a regional youth movement that now has chapters in eight countries. SAF has offered scholarships to South Asian students under various disciplines in its 12 UNESCO Madanjeet Singh Institutions of Excellence. These institutions are located in all eight countries of South Asia. He sponsored the bi-annual UNESCO-Madanjeet Singh Award for the promotion of tolerance and non-violence.

MoEF-Rural Ministry pact for green villages In a new initiative, the Ministry of Environment and Forests has joined hands with Rural Development Ministry for greening the agenda of rural development schemes. The report, ‘Greening Rural Development in India’, prepared by the Rural Development Ministry with the help of Development Programme. The report presents strategies for inclusive rural development embodying the principles of environmental sustainability. It outlines novel strategies to enable environmental-friendly objectives through various schemes in villages as National Rural Employment Scheme (MGNREGS), National Rural Livelihood Mission (NRLM); Integrated Watershed Development Programme (IWDP) amongst others as vehicles to promote green agenda. The report notes that these rural development schemes have immense potentials to promote green agenda.

Female foeticide, gender equality to be part of CBSE curriculum The new course on human rights and gender studies, to be included in the academic year 2013-14 by the Central Board of Secondary Education, is intended to make students aware of the ways in which gender is “taken for granted,” the implication of gender in our lives and the prospects for change. The course will look at gender within the context of different social institutions including family, educational institutions and workplace. Infanticide and female foeticide resulting in lopsided sex ratio in the country will form part of the case studies. Rehabilitation of children caught in war zone, women traumatized in war and child terrorists are some other issues on which students will be sensitized.

International:

Using Facebook during office hours 'form of corruption in Malaysia' Civil servants and staff of government-linked companies (GLCs) surfing social media or engaging in personal matters during working hours may be categorised as having committed corruption, the Malaysian Anti- Corruption Commission (MACC) has said. If a person spends three hours during his or her stipulated working hours for personal tasks, it can be deemed a form of corruption as the Government trusts and pays its employees to fully utilise the working period to complete tasks relating to the respective jobscope. Kumpulan Melaka Berhad (KMB) is the first state government agency to sign the pledge aimed at creating a business environment free from corruption and upholding anti-graft principles.

Technology:

'Robotic sandal' for women to tackle crimes Four students of class VII and IX have made a ladies sandal by fitting certain devices at the bottom of the normal footwear used by women. The device consists of a metallic rivet having a voltage of 5V. If the sandal is hit twice on the ground, it gets activated, triggering a wireless alarm connected to the instrument, which can be ideally kept in a bag or purse. The moment the alarm is set off, the device sends alert SMSes to already specified numbers and the location of the woman in distress can easily be detected. Also, it was claimed that if a woman hits the assaulter with the sandal, it gives a shock to him as the rivet is activated.

Page 1 of 2 7th January 2012 Business & Economy:

Economy may grow by 6-7.5% in 2013-14 Over a third of corporates expect Indian economy to grow at a rate of 6 per cent to 7.5 per cent in 2013-14, a survey by industry body PHDCCI has said. Of the 277 corporates, who participated in the survey, 34 per cent said India's GDP growth may range between 6 per cent and 7.5 per cent in 2013-14. About 75 per cent respondents said that agriculture sector would grow by 2 per cent to 4 per cent, while the industry sector would grow by below 6 per cent.

Airbus bags deal to supply six refuelling aircraft European Airbus A 330 MRTT aircraft has emerged as the lowest bidder for the `8,000-crore contract for six mid-air refueling tanker aircraft for the IAF edging out its Russian rival IL-78. The Defence Ministry will now start commercial negotiations with the Airbus manufacturers, this aircraft was the lowest bidder on the basis of life-time cost of operating over its Russian competitor. As per the defence procurement procedure, the firm offering the lowest price and meeting all tender requirements is awarded the contract. The new aircraft will join the fleet of six IL-78 mid-air refuellers now in IAF service and enhance the reach of fighter jets

IOC loses 50 lakh litres petrol in Hazira depot fire A major fire broke out at state-owned Indian Oil Corporation's fuel storage depot at Hazira in Gujarat. IndianOil chairman R S Butola told the fire broke out in one of the petrol storage tanks and destroyed about 50 lakh litres of petrol which was in stock at the time. The tank has a capacity to store about 90-100 lakh litres of fuel. This is the second major fire at an IOC storage depot since 2009. On October 29, 2009, a fire broke out at its Jaipur terminal and raged for 11 days. Some 11 lives were lost and property worth Rs 280 crore was destroyed.

Lenovo to release giant 27-inch 'coffee table PC' Lenovo Group Ltd., one of the world's largest PC makers, is calling the IdeaCentre Horizon Table PC the first "interpersonal computer'' – as opposed to a “personal computer.'' At first glance, it looks like a regular all-in- one machine in the vein of the iMac: It's a 27-inch (685.8-millimeter) screen with the innards of a Windows 8 computer built into it, and it can stand up on a table. The screen is the size of eight iPads stitched together, and it weighs 15 pounds (6.8 kilograms). It's almost as homebound as a flat-panel TV. The Table PC will include plastic “strikers'' for “Air Hockey,'' and joysticks that attach to the screen with suction cups for other games, including multiplayer shooter “Raiding Company.''

Sport:

Former SA bowler Adcock passes away Former South Africa fast bowler Neil Adcock passed away after a long battle with cancer. He was 81. Cricket South Africa (CSA) said that Adcock passed away after contracting pneumonia. He played 26 tests for South Africa between 1953 and 1962 and was chosen by Wisden as one of its five Cricketers of the Year in 1961 following his 26 wickets at 22.52 during South Africa’s series in England in 1960.

Andy Murray beats Grigor Dimitrov to win Brisbane title Scotland's Andy Murray called on all his experience to defeat rising Bulgarian star Grigor Dimitrov 7-6 (7/0), 6-4 and retain his Brisbane International title. The victory gave Murray his 25th ATP career title and was the perfect preparation for the Australian Open.

Tipsarevic beats Agut to win Chennai Open World number nine Janko Tipsarevic won the ATP Chennai Open with a masterful fightback to defeat young Spaniard Roberto Bautista Agut in the final. The second-seeded Serb came back strongly after losing the first set to beat the 80th-ranked Agut 3-6, 6-1, 6-3. Tipsarevic conceded just four games in the last two sets to end the giant-killing run by the 24-year-old Spaniard, who defeated top-seed Tomas Berdych in the quarter- finals. Tipsarevic won the Chennai title for the first time after four unsuccessful attempts, including a loss to big-serving Canadian Milos Raonic in 2012 in final.

Page 2 of 2 7th January 2012