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National:
India pays more to U.N. budgetIndia, Brazil, China and other
emerging nations will pay more to the U.N. after the General
Assemblyapproved a five per cent increase to the budget for 2012-13
to $5.4 billion. Capping days of intense
negotiations, the Assembly adopted a range of Fifth Committee
(Administrative and Budgetary) resolutions,covering the scale of
assessing Member States dues, the U.N. pension system and the
proposed 2013budget for 33 political missions. In a consensus vote,
the 193-member forum increased the budget forregular operations by
about $ 243.3 million from the $5.15 billion agreed in December
2011. The income wasrevised upwards by $3.99 million to $511.74
million for the current biennium. It approved $566.48 million
tokeep the 33 special political missions running in 2013. These
missions include those for Syria, Yemen, Libyaand Sudan-South Sudan
and large operations in Afghanistan and Iraq.
International:
American mathematicians solve Ramanujans deathbed puzzleAmerican
researchers claim to have solved a cryptic formula that renowned
mathematician SrinivasaRamanujan believed came to him in dreams
while on his deathbed. The formula was contained in a letter he
wrote to his mentor, the English mathematician G.H. Hardy, from
his deathbed in 1920 outlining several newmathematical functions
that had never been heard of before, together with a theory about
how they worked.It had baffled mathematicians for more than 90
years, but new findings presented at a conference at theUniversity
of Florida last month reportedly show that Ramanujans hunch about
his formula was right that itcould explain the behaviour of black
holes. No one was talking about black holes back in the 1920s
whenRamanujan first came up with mock modular forms, and yet, his
work may unlock secrets about them.
No kidding with parentsChina legislature has amended its law on
the elderly to require that adult children visit their aged
parentsoften or risk being sued by them. The amendment does not
specify how frequently such visits should occur.The clause will
allow elderly parents who feel neglected by their children to take
them to court. The movecomes as reports abound of elderly parents
being abandoned or ignored by their children. A rapidlydeveloping
China is facing increasing difficulty in caring for its aging
population. Three decades of marketreforms have accelerated the
breakup of the traditional extended family, and there are few
affordable
alternatives, such as retirement or care homes, for the elderly
or others unable to live on their own.
US Congress approves wire-tapping of foreigners for 5 yearsThe
US Congress has approved a five year extension of sweeping
Surveillance laws to allow American spyagencies to wire-tap
suspicious foreign citizens without warrants. The classified George
Bush era ForeignIntelligence Surveillance Act was approved by the
Senate by a 73-23 vote after lawmakers shot downattempts to add
oversight and transparency safeguard clauses. The extension of the
act was cleared when itwas on the brink of expiry by year's end.
The House of representative has already passed the bill, which
nowgoes to President Barack Obama for signature. The warrantless
wire-tapping was brought as an emergencymeasure by then President
George Bush post 9/11, without Congressional authorisation. The law
alsoprovides for keeping tabs on Americans, if they are found to be
in communication abroad with foreignersdesignated as potential
terror suspects by agencies like the CIA and the National Security
Agency.
Business & Economy:Iran to relocate airport after oil found
under runwayIran plans to relocate an airport in the southwest of
the country after discovering oil deposits under itsrunway.
National Iranian Oil Company intends to buy Ahvaz airport due to
the existence of oil deposits underthe airports tarmac, the state
broadcasters website quoted Mohammad Rasoulinejad, Managing
Director ofthe Iranian Airports Company.
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Apple drops patent claim against Samsung Galaxy SIII MiniApple
has agreed to drop its patent claims against Samsung's Galaxy S III
Mini after the South Koreanmobile maker said it would not sell the
gadget in the United States. According to court documents,
theiPhone maker has agreed to withdraw the claims without
prejudice.
Technology:
Alien-like skulls found at 1,000 year old cemeteryA number of
alien-like skulls have been discovered in a 1,000 year old cemetery
in Mexico. The findinginitially stunned the researchers, however,
upon closer inspection the skulls were found to be human
skullswarped into strange, alien-like shapes. Scientists said the
practise of deforming skulls of children as theygrew was common in
Central America, and these findings suggest the tradition spread
farther north than hadbeen thought. The cemetery was discovered by
residents of the small Mexican village of Onavas in 1999 asthey
were building an irrigation canal. The site, referred to as El
Cementerio, contained the remains of 25human burials. Thirteen of
them had deformed skulls, which were elongate and pointy at the
back, and fivehad mutilated teeth. Dental mutilation involves
filing or grinding teeth into odd shapes, while cranialdeformation
involves distorting the normal growth of a child's skull by
applying force.
Sport:
Britain honours Olympic heroesCyclists Bradley Wiggins and Sarah
Storey, sailor Ben Ainslie and a host of Olympic and Paralympic
athleteshave received awards in a highly patriotic New Year honours
list, specially expanded to reflect Britainssporting success at
London 2012. Wiggins, who claimed his fourth Olympic gold days
after becoming thefirst British winner of the Tour de France,
receives a knighthood so he will be Sir Bradley as does Ainslie,
agold medallist at four consecutive Games. Storey becomes Dame
Sarah in recognition of her Paralympiccareer, in which she has won
a record equalling 11 gold medals in swimming and cycling.
Sebastian Coe,already a Lord, becomes a Companion of Honour in
recognition of his work as chair of the Olympicsorganising
committee, Locog, and the chief executive of the Games, Paul
Deighton, is knighted. Theunprecedented expansion in the number of
honours awarded to sporting figures 123 gongs compared to 44
in 2011 means every British gold medallist at London 2012 has
now been awarded an honour
Djokovic triumphsNovak Djokovic won World Tennis Championship
final against Spanish tennis player Nicolas Almagro.Novak Djokovic
got his season off to a perfect start by defeating Nicolas Almagro
6-7(4), 6-3, 6-4 in the finalof the Mubadala World Tennis
Championship exhibition tournament held in Dubai.
