1. Apple, Samsung Judge Mulls Damages

Apple Inc.  awaits a judge’s decision on its request for additional damages against Samsung Electronics Co for patent infringement after the iPhone maker lost its bid to block U.S. sales on 26 of the Galaxy maker’s devices.

Apple failed to establish that consumer demand for Samsung products was driven by technology it stole, U.S. District Judge Lucy H. Koh in San Jose, California, said in her Dec. 17 ruling. While a jury found Samsung infringed six Apple patents, it isn’t in the public interest to ban Samsung’s devices because the infringing elements constituted a limited part of Samsung’s phones, Koh said.

2. Drama as Mudavadi, Uhuru Reveal Secrets

The Jubilee Alliance’s guarded secret finally came out when Mr Musalia Mudavadi said he was lured into joining it by a deal signed with Mr Uhuru Kenyatta purportedly handing him the presidential ticket.

Both Deputy Prime Ministers washed dirty linen in public, conceding they had decided the ticket holder on their own in  boardroom style, even as Uhuru curiously claimed he was coerced to do so by ‘powerful forces’, which he did not specify.

3. The Sweet Nothings Of The Sugar Industry

This festive season will be welcomed by a sugar shortage. Its consumption during this period is often high. The elevated demand coupled with dwindling supply means that the morning and night-time glory may not be as sweet. The Agriculture PS blames the shortage on shut-down and repair of some sugar companies such as Sony Sugar and Chemelil. Deficiency in sugar cane production by farmers has only served to worsen the situation.

But are these the only reasons for the shortage?

4. KQ seeks orders to stop staff return

Kenya Airways has filed an application asking the Industrial Court to temporarily set aside a ruling that ordered the airline to reinstate 447 sacked workers. The firm wants the stay order granted pending the hearing and determination of another application it has lodged at the Court of Appeal under a certificate of urgency where it is challenging the Industrial Court judgement that reinstated the workers.

5. Media ejected from Saitoti probe testimony

MEDIA and members of the public were ejected from the commission of inquiry probing the helicopter crash that killed the Internal Security minister George his assistant Orwa Ojode and four others. Justice Kalpana Rawal, who is heading the probe team, told journalists and the public to leave when the investigator Clatus Mcowenga took to the stand to give his long awaited testimony yesterday.

6. Tanzania's exports to EAC member countries increase by 380 percent

Sales of Tanzanian products among East African member states have increased from USD96.4m in 2005 to USD462.7m in 2010, being an increase of 380 per cent. This was reported by the Deputy Minister for East African Cooperation, Dr Abdullah Abdulah, during an exclusive interview with The Guardian immediately after opening the East African Co-operation ministry workers’ council. Dr Abdullah said his ministry is the main coordinator to the regional bloc, ensuring that Tanzania benefits from the community and that the ministry ensures that the goal is attained.

7. Treasury Inks 600M Deal With MicroFinancers

The Treasury on Tuesday signed subsidiary KES 600 million loan agreements with four Deposit Taking Microfinance institutions (DTMs). The institutions are the Kenya Women Finance Trust (KWFT), Faulu Kenya, SMEP and Rafiki.

The funds made available to the Kenyan government by the International Fund for Agricultural Development are intended to reduce poverty in rural areas by making available credit facilities at competitive interest rates.

8. Instagram Faces User Backlash

 When it comes to policy changes, Instagram could have used a filter of its own.

Its usually devoted users threatened to delete their accounts en masse Tuesday if the popular photo-sharing app did not roll back new terms of service that appeared to give the company ownership of their images. Instagram users — about 100 million now — snap the photos on their smartphones, apply digital filters to enhance the photos and then instantly share them with friends.

"Dear @Instagram, why did you think we'd just be OK with your new terms? They are NOT COOL. Signed, The Entire Internet," Jason Pollock, a Los Angeles filmmaker and social media consultant, wrote on Twitter. Instagram founder Kevin Systrom tried to calm the uproar and reassure users in a blog post Tuesday afternoon.

"Instagram does not claim any ownership rights over your photos," he wrote. "We respect that your photos are your photos. Period."