Daily News (In Short)-13-May-2015

#* China newspaper hits out at PM, accuses Modi of 'playing little tricks' over border
Ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to China, a Chinese columnist in a state-run newspaper said that Modi is “playing little tricks” over border disputes and security issues, hoping to boost his domestic prestige and increase his leverage in negotiations with China.[INTERACTIVE TIMELINE: One year of Narendra Modi government: Many hits, some misses]
Writing in the Chinese Communist party-run Global Times, Hu Zhiyong — a research fellow with the Institute of International Relations at the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences — said that Modi’s diplomatic moves last year have proven that he is a pragmatist, rather than a visionary.

#* 41 killed, 20 injured after gunmen open fire on bus in Karachi
At least 41 people, including women, were killed and 20 more injured when gunmen riding motorcycles fired indiscriminately at a bus carrying members of the Ismaili Shia community in the Pakistani port city of Karachi on Wednesday.Around eight gunmen carried out the attack near Safoora Chowk area of Karachi, an eyewitness was quoted as saying by Dawn.com. The gunmen escaped after the attack.The dead included 25 men and 16 women, Dawn.com reported.A rescue official said around 50 to 60 people were travelling in the bus.Several people succumbed to their injuries while being taken to hospital, Pakistani media reports said. The condition of several of the wounded was described as critical.

#* Second Nepal earthquake kills dozens - as it happened
New earthquake hit on Tuesday with shockwaves felt as far away as New Delhi. US military helicopter helping in the recovery effort went missing with eight people on board
• At least 60 people have been reportedly killed in India, Nepal and Tibet
• More than 1,100 injured in the disaster, reports say
• Nepal hit by a 7.3 magnitude earthquake, US Geological Survey says
• New Nepal earthquake - What we know so far 
• Shockwaves were felt as far as New Delhi and Dhaka
• The epicentre is to the east of Kathmandu, close to China border

#* Only PM, President, Chief Justice Can Feature in Government Ads, Says Supreme Court
NEW DELHI:  The Supreme Court has banned the use of photos of any politicians other than the Prime Minister in print ads placed by the government. The top court allowed the use of images of the President and the Chief Justice of India, but said, "Even these three personalities will have to approve whether their photos will be there."The verdict applies to the frequent ads that are placed by the centre and state governments to publicise schemes.Australia PM Tony Abbott Rules Out Early Election as Budget Sell Begins PMO asks Coal Ministry to Speed Up Mines Auction: Report
China Likely to Nudge PM Modi About Bullet Train Project for India "Photos have the potential of developing personality cult," said the top court, exempting photos of deceased leaders from its new rules. 

#* Black Money Bill to be tabled in Rajya Sabha on the last day of Budget session today
New Delhi: On the last day of the Budget session on Wednesday, the government is likely to table the Black Money Bill in Rajya Sabha. The Bill was passed by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley in Lok Sabha on Monday. While tabling the Bill, he had said that there would be short compliance window for persons having undisclosed income abroad to come clean by paying 30 per cent tax and 30 per cent penalty. Meanwhile, with the Land Bill stuck in both Houses of Parliament, the government has finally blinked and has decided to send it to a Joint Committee with 20 members from Lok Sabha and 10 from Rajya Sabha. The committee will give its report in the next session of Parliament.

#* Govt tells SC, collegium can never be revived: Bench may be forced to rethink
The government’s aggressive stand during hearings in the Supreme Court on the constitutional validity of the National Judicial Appointments Commission (NJAC) will effectively ensure that even if the bench strikes down the law, the old collegium system will not be revived. The NJAC law, passed in 2014 by both Houses of Parliament almost with dissent, and by 20 states assemblies subsequently, clearly represents the overwhelming will of the people of India. This does not mean the court can’t strike it down on grounds of unconstitutionality, but it will certainly make the collegium system of appointing judges impossible to defend or revive.

#* Absolute disastrous mess': 5 dead, at least 50 injured after Amtrak train derails
Philadelphia (CNN)Armed with flashlights, firefighters went from car to car early Wednesday morning, looking for passengers inside an Amtrak train that derailed and tipped over in Philadelphia -- killing at least five. Another 50 were hospitalized, including six in critical condition, authorities said. "It is an absolute, disastrous mess," Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter of the crash site. "I've never seen anything like this in my life."

#* Nepali troops search for U.S. Marines chopper in rivers | Reuters
CHARIKOT, Nepal The Nepali army has been told a missing U.S. Marines helicopter with eight on board may have come down in a river in the Charikot area hit hard by an earthquake and 400 soldiers are engaged in the hunt, a senior officer said on Wednesday. "The info we have is that it is down in one of the rivers, but none of the choppers has seen it yet," Major Rajan Dahal, second-in-command of the Barda Bahadur Batallion, told Reuters in Charikot.

#* Google Maps add Indian Railways to its Transit feature
New Delhi : An American multinational technology company and world's largest search engine Google on, May 12, 2015 announced the addition of Indian Railways schedules as well as updated public transport information for eight Indian cities to Google Transit, which will allow users to check schedules and routes across eight cities in India. Google Transit, a feature in Google Maps which helps you plan your public transport trips quickly and easily, is available on Google Maps on your Android or iOS device, as well as on desktop. 

Labels