0815 HRS
10th May, 2013 

THE HEADLINES:

• India and China review the fallout of recent border stand-off in Ladakh; The two countries sign a new protocol to enhance cooperation for providing timely information to the media.

• Newly elected Congress MLAs in Karnataka meet today to elect their leader.

• Cabinet approves amendments to Multi-State Co-operative Society bill 2010 to revive sick co-operative societies.

• Government decides to declare 2013 as water conservation year.

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India and China reviewed the fallout of the recent stand-off in the Depsang Valleyin Ladakh in the talks between External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi in Beijing last night. Mr. Khurshid sought to makeexisting mechanisms more effective to respond with greater urgency in dealing with border violations. The three-week stand-off figured prominently in the talks with both sides expressing satisfaction on its resolution while skirting a detailed discussion on why the Chinese troops intruded 19 kms into Indian territory. Mr. Khurshid told the Indian media in Beijing after his talks that China has not yet given any reason for the recent intrusion in Ladakh, an episode that has cast a shadow on bilateral ties. He said that both leaders also discussed the recent episode on the border on the Line of Actual Control, LAC. He said, it is very refreshing to get fromthe Chinese a very positive and meaningful response.

Mr. Khurshid termed the meeting as extremely balanced, satisfying and friendly during which the two sides finalised the visit of the Chinese Premier Li Keqiang's visit to India. Both countries regard the forthcoming visit of the Chinese Premier toIndia as very important.

Meanwhile, both countries signed a new protocol to enhance cooperation between their foreign ministries while working on a mechanism to step up coordination for providing timely information to the media. The protocol signed by Salman Khurshid and his Chinese counterpart last night was essentially an upgradation of a similar protocol signed in 2006 in which the two countries listed various new dialogue mechanisms taking place between them.

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Newly elected Congress MLAs in Karnataka will meet in Bangalore today to elect their leader. Four AICC observers led by senior party leader AK Antony will reachBangalore today to elicit the views of newly elected MLAs on the issue of Chief Minister. The other observers are Madhusudan Mistri, Luizinho Faleiro and Jitender Singh. Senior Party leaders Siddaramaiah and DK Shivakumar and Union Minister Mallikarjuna Kharge are among the front runners for the Chief Minister's post. More from our Correspondent:

The sources in the Congress party say that the observers will submit a report to AICC President Sonia Gandhi after taking the legislators’ opinion today. If the legislature party is found to be divided in its opinion, the observers may go in for passing a resolution in the legislature party meeting, authorising the Party President to take the final call and then the new Chief Minister of Karnataka will be known. Sudhindra AIR News, Bangalore.

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A Delhi court has awarded life imprisonment to three of the five convicts in a 1984 anti-Sikh riots case. District and Sessions Judge JR Aryan pronounced the punishment to Balwan Khokkar, Girdhari Lal and Captain Bhagmal who were held guilty of murdering five Sikhs during the riots that had broken out after the assassination of then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi on October the 31st, 1984.

Two other convicts -- an ex-councillor Mahender Yadav and ex-MLA Kishan Khokkar, who were held guilty of rioting, were awarded three-year imprisonment. Both Yadav and Khokkar were, however, granted bail by the court.

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The Central Vigilance Commission has sought a detailed report from the CBI over the Centre's interference in its investigation into the coal blocks allocation scam. The CBI has also been asked to submit its latest status report on the case to the Commission. Official sources said in New Delhi that the CVC has taken cognizance of reports citing interference in CBI's probe in the coal blocks allocation case. The move came after it came to light that certain changes were made in the agency's draft status report on the case submitted to the Supreme Court.

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The Union Cabinet has approved amendments to the Multi-State Co-operative Society Bill 2010 to bring the bill in conformity with the 97th Constitution Amendment Act. Briefing media persons in New Delhi last evening, Information and Broadcasting Minister Manish Tewari said the objective of the amendments is to revive sick co-operative societies.

The Union Cabinet gave its approval to move official amendment to the Multi-State Co-operative Society Bill 2010 pending in the Lok Sabha. The objective of these amendments is to bring the Bill in conformity with the provisions of the Constitution.

The Cabinet has decided to declare 2013 as Water Conservation Year under which awareness programmes will be launched for conservation of the scarce natural resource. Mr Tewari said, under the proposal, the Water Resources Ministry will launch a series of programmes among the masses, especially children, on waterconservation.

There would be a number of mass awareness activities that would be undertaken during the water conservation year 2013 with emphasis on sensitizing people on water related issues encouraging them to use it judiciously and conserve it. The initiative would be led by the Ministry for Water Resource.

While India has more than 18 per cent of the world's population, it has only 4 per cent of the world's renewable water resources.

Water Conservation is the key objective of the National Water Mission which is one of the eight National Missions under the National Action Plan for Climate Change.

The Cabinet also cleared a policy for developing aviation hubs in the country. An Inter-Ministerial Committee will work out the modalities for the policy and refine its details.

The Cabinet has also given its approval for the setting up of an autonomous body named the National Skill Development Authority which will co-ordinate and harmonise skill development efforts of the government and the private sector to achieve skilling targets of the 12th plan and beyond.

The Cabinet approved amendments in the Parliament (Prevention of Disqualification) Act, 1959 by introducing a Bill in Parliament. The amendment was necessitated following bifurcation of the National Commission for the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes into two independent Commissions. This will protect the Chairpersons of the National Commission for the Scheduled Castes and National Commission for the Scheduled Tribes from any disqualification for being chosen as or for being a Member of Parliament.

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The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, CCEA, has approved the setting up of two major ports in the country. While one port will be set up in West Bengal, the other will be in Andhra Pradesh through the Public Private Partnership mode.

The CCEA also approved the proposal for revival of five closed units of the Fertilizer Corporation of India. The units are located at Sindri, Talcher, Ramagundam,Gorakhpur and Korba. Under the revival scheme, the government loan and interest on it amounting to 10,644 crore rupees will be waived.

The Cabinet Committee on the Unique Identification Authority of India approved cost estimates of Phase IV of the UID Scheme. It involves an estimated cost of about 3,436 crore rupees. The project will commence immediately and enrollment for additional 40 crore residents will be completed by March 2014. 31 crore residents have been given UID numbers since the launch of the project on the 29th of September 2010.

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An Inter-ministerial Group, IMG, has approved 10 per cent equity sale in Coal Indiawhich is expected to fetch over 17,000 crore rupees to the government. The government holds 90 per cent stake in Coal India Ltd, CIL at present. The IMG, headed by Disinvestment Secretary Ravi Mathur, is guiding the process of disinvestment of the government's equity in CIL. Coal India, which has a cash balance of about 60,000 crore rupees, will be the biggest disinvestment for the government in the 2013-14 fiscal.

The government plans to raise 40,000 crore rupees by way of PSU stake sale this fiscal.

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The government says it has no intention of intervening in the decision of the DelhiUniversity to introduce the four-year undergraduate programme from its coming academic session starting July this year. Minister of State for Human ResourceDevelopment Shashi Tharoor said it is not healthy for the country's education system to tell a vice-chancellor what to do and what not to do. The Minister said, the proposal to introduce the new undergraduate programme is not his ministry'sdecision. It was taken by the university and it is within its prerogative.

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In Madhya Pradesh, a special court in Datia has admitted a prayer by the prosecution lawyer to record the statement of a Swiss woman rape case victim before a court appointed commission in the Swiss Embassy in Delhi. The court allowed time till the 13th of this month to inform about victim's availability in Indiaas she had gone back to Switzerland. More from our correspondent:

The defence lawyer insisted in the court that victim’s statement should be recorded in Datia. But the court rejected his request. Now victim’s statement will be recorded at Swiss Embassy in Delhi. Earlier, Swiss Embassy had expressed unwillingness and inability on behalf of the victim to make her physical appearance in Datia court for recording of her statement. Victim had left India on 27th March. The police have arrested six accused in the case. Shariq Noor, AIR News, Bhopal.

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AND NOW SPORTS NEWS:

In the IPL Cricket, defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders, KKR scored a convincing 46-run win over Pune Warriors in Pune last night. Opting to bat first, KKRposted a challenging 152 for six, and then bowled out Pune for 106 in 19.3 overs.

In another match last evening, Rajasthan Royals beat Kings Eleven Punjab by 8 wickets in Mohali.

In today's fixture, Delhi Daredevils will clash with Royal Challengers Bangalore at 8 pm in Delhi.

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NEWSPAPERS HEADLINES

Intense speculation about the political fate of Law Minister Ashwani Kumar and Railway Minister P K Bansal, in the wake of the recent controversies surrounding them, dominates the front pages of many papers. "Under fire Bansal may be axed, Ashwani shifted out" reports the Hindustan Times. In the backdrop of allegations of top Railway jobs being sold for a price, The Statesman writes "CBI likely to quiz railway minister soon".

The death of Pakistani prisoner Sanaullah who was brutally assaulted in a jail inJammu is widely noticed on the front pages. "Sanaullah dies, body sent back toPakistan" writes the Indian Express. The Tribune reports that the Indian government has ruled out an international probe into Sanaullah's death.

Who will be the new Chief Minister of Karnataka? There is much speculation in the press regarding this issue. "Karnataka CM race hots up: Kharge, Siddharamiah claim majority support" reports the Hindustan Times. The Indian Express says "Siddaramiah seen ahead in Karnataka CM race".

In the midst of a great deal of media analysis of the border standoff between India and China in Ladakh, the Times of India reports that it was National Security Advisor Shiv Shankar Menon's phone call to China's special representative for boundary talks Yang Jeichi that helped resolve the border standoff.

In a front page exclusive, the Mail Today reports that the CBI director Ranjit Sinha in an interview to the paper said that he plans to put in place a "roadmap to unshackle the agency from five government entities that hamper it".

In international news, the kidnapping of former Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani's son from an election rally is prominently noticed. "Former PM's son abducted filmi style by Pak Taliban" reports the Pioneer.

And finally, if you want to fly cheap, fly light. Most papers report that from next week all major airlines will charge 250 rupees for every additional kilo of baggage that you carry over the prescribed limit of 15 kilograms