Daily News (In Short)-15-May-2015

#* Full text: Joint statement of India-China bilateral talks
NEW DELHI/ BEIJING: India and China held bilateral talks in Beijing on Friday in presence of PM Modi and Chinese Premier Li Keqiang.Here is the full text of joint statement issued after the bilateral talks.1. H.E. Mr. Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of the Republic of India, is currently paying an official visit to China at the invitation of H.E. Mr. Li Keqiang, Premier of the State Council of the People's Republic of China. Prime Minister Modi called on H.E. Mr. Xi Jinping, President of the People's Republic of China and held talks with H.E. Mr. Li Keqiang, Premier of the State Council. He also met with H.E. Mr. Zhang Dejiang, Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress of China. Prime Minister Modi expressed his deep appreciation for the special gestures extended by President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang during the visit and thanked the Chinese people for the warm welcome accorded to him. 

#* On Padyatra in Telangana, Rahul Gandhi Meets Drought-Hit Farmers
ADILABAD:  Rahul Gandhi had to conduct his 'padyatra' in Telangana this morning by car for some part of his 15-kilometre route, as the Congress vice-president simply could not get out of his vehicle with thousands of enthusiastic party workers surrounding it. So Mr Gandhi drove to Korutkal, the first of five villages he is visiting today to meet families of farmers who committed suicide in the last year in Telangana's drought-struck Adilabad district.Haryana Government Names Judge to Probe Robert Vadra's Deals In His Second Padyatra, Rahul Gandhi to Meet Drought-Hit Farmers in Telangana Telangana Minister Rushes to Meet Families Shortlisted for Rahul Gandhi Visit He drove some distance out of Korutkal and when the crowds cleared, set off on foot for the next village at a brisk pace. "Very difficult to keep pace with him. He walks so briskly," said a villager admiringly.At the home of V Rajendra, a farmer who allegedly killed himself earlier this month because of crop loss, Mr Gandhi met his wife Gangavva, who fell at his feet. Mr Gandhi consoled her and handed a cheque for Rs. one lakh.

#* Is the government feeding false hope? Lone escapee claims IS has massacred all 39 kidnapped Indians
Harjeet Masih, the lone hostage freed so far of a group of Indians abducted by the Islamic State in Iraq in July last year, has raised serious questions about the government's claim about the fate of his fellow hostages.
In a press conference on Thursday, the 26-year old employee of a construction company claimed that he had personally witnessed the gunning down of 39 other Indians who were kidnapped along with him.
Reuters Reuters "I witnessed the killings of all my Indian co-workers. ISIS militants kidnapped us and took us to another place. We were 40 Indians and about 50 Bangladeshis. They assured us that our passports would come and we will be allowed to leave for India," Masih said.

#* Questioning the Hype About Artificial Intelligence
Artificial Intelligence has always been hyped by its often-charismatic enthusiasts; lately it seems that the hype may be coming true. Media pundits, technologists, and increasingly the broader public see the rise of artificial intelligence as inevitable. Companies with mass data fed into AI systems—like Google, Facebook, Yahoo, and others—make headlines with technological successes that were science fiction even a decade ago: We can talk to our phones, get recommendations that are personalized to our interests, and may even ride around in cars driven by computers soon. The world has changed, and AI is a big part of why.  

#* FDI in e-commerce: It’s Flipkart, Snapdeal vs Amazon, eBay
NEW DELHI: The government on Thursday began consultations on FDI in B2C e-commerce amid a sharp divide between Indian and foreign players. While domestic companies such as Flipkart and Snapdeal opposed FDI during a meeting by commerce and industry minister Nirmala Sitharaman, foreign players such as Amazon and eBay made a strong case for it."We have always maintained that opening up this sector to FDI will be good for consumers and Indian businesses as it will allow us to partner with local manufacturers to source products not carried by other sellers on the marketplace, and support the Make in India vision," said an Amazon India spokesperson. 

#* Ab ki baar, UPA sarkar: A year later, the Modi govt looks very familiar
Almost a year after he won the Lok Sabha election, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has achieved the impossible: he has given us another year of UPA. From Congress mukt (free) Bharat in 2014, we now have a Congress yukt (containing) government.
Spot the difference between MMS (Manmohan Sarkar) and NMS (Narendra Modi Sarkar). Foreign Direct Investment in Retail: approved by UPA-2, opposed by the BJP, cleared by the Modi government. Goods and Services Tax (GST) Bill, favoured by UPA, blocked by BJP-led states, now being steered by Modi. Nuclear Power Treaty: Midwifed by MMS, delivered by NMS...
Narendra Modi. PTINarendra Modi. PTI Add to these the decision to raise FDI in private insurance (UPA), the land swap treaty with Bangladesh, promise of increased allocation to MNREGA and we have a pretty picture of a government that has been loyal to the UPA past.

#* Supreme Court says ex-CBI chief Ranjit Sinha's meetings with Coalgate, 2G accused needs to be probed
New Delhi: Terming as "inappropriate" the alleged meetings of former CBI Director Ranjit Kumar Sinha with the accused in coalgate and 2G cases, the Supreme Court today said the matter "needs to be investigated" and asked the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) to assist it. A bench headed by Justice Madan B Lokur said there is merit in the allegations that Sinha met persons in the absence of investigating officers of the cases and asked the CVC to file a report on the entire issue on or before 6 July. PTI imagePTI image"We see merits in the submission. It is inappropriate on the part of CBI Director to meet persons in the absence of IOs," said the bench, also comprising Justices Kurian Joseph and A K Sikri. It also dismissed Sinha's plea seeking prosecution of lawyer Prashant Bhushan for alleged perjury.

#* Jayalalithaa calls AIADMK MLAs' meet on May 22
Ruling AIADMK supremo Jayalalithaa, who is expected to return as Tamil Nadu chief minister following her acquittal in the disproportionate assets case, has convened a meeting of her party MLAs on May 22. The meeting will be held at party headquarters in Chennai at 7am, 67-year old Jayalalithaa said. "All MLAs should participate in the meeting without fail," she said in a brief press release. Though the release did not state the meeting's purpose, it is likely to elect Jayalalithaa as the AIADMK legislature party leader, paving the way for her return at the helm of the government. Decks were cleared for Jayalalithaa's return as Tamil Nadu chief minister after the Karnataka high court on May 11 acquitted her in the 19-year-old disproportionate assets case. The court had set aside her conviction by the trial court and the four-year jail sentence awarded to her and three others, which has led to her automatic disqualification as MLA and exit as chief minister in September last year.

#* Cuba says talks with U.S. to resume next week in Washington
Cuba says it will hold a new round of talks with the U.S. on May 21 in an attempt to remove barriers to the reopening of embassies in Washington and Havana. The talks will be held in Washington, Cuba's Foreign Ministry announced Thursday. The two sides have been negotiating for nearly five months over the conditions for re-establishing diplomatic relations under a deal announced by Presidents Raul Castro and Barack Obama on Dec. 17. The talks have been hung up on disagreements over U.S. diplomats' ability to import uninspected embassy supplies and travel in Cuba without restrictions and meet citizens including dissidents. Castro said this week he expects ambassadors to be named after Cuba is taken off the U.S. list of state sponsors of terrorism at month's end.

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