Newspaper Must Read Articles of The Day– 14 May 2015

The Hindu

National

• Deals for U.S. howitzers, Russian copters approved – The Defence Acquisition Council has cleared pending defence deals, including an Avro replacement programme, M-777 howitzers and Kamov-228 helicopters from Russia.

• India way behind on WHO health targets – India has met only four of ten health targets under the Millenium Development Goals and has made little progress on another four, according to WHO.

• Centre, Assam delaying border fencing: SC –  Union and the State Govts have been dragging its feet in implementing our orders on fencing along the Bangladesh border in Assam, says SC.

• ‘It is a Buddhist renaissance in China’ – PM Narendra Modi’s emphasis on soft power dovetails completely with China’s remarkable ongoing cultural renaissance, says Dana Schuppert.

• Politicians lose space in govt. ads –  Taxpayers’ money cannot be spent on advertisements that build the “personality cults” of political leaders, says  SC.

• Cultural parks planned to lift Hindi Chini Bhai Bhai spirit – China and India are establishing two sister cultural parks to boost the  rapidly evolving relationship.

• SC directs appointment of 3-member ombudsman – The SC has  directed the govt to appoint an ombudsman  to monitor and redress violations of the guidelines on govt advertisements.

International

• ‘China’s supply of n-reactors against NSG’ – China’s move to build nuclear power plants in Pakistan is not consistent with the rules of the Nuclear Suppliers Group, says  U.S.

• NATO calls for Ukraine truce implementation – NATO has asked President Putin to implement a fragile peace deal to end the fighting in Ukraine.

• Vatican recognises state of Palestine – The Vatican has officially recognised the state of Palestine in a new treaty,  sparking Israeli ire and accusations that the move hurt peace prospects.

Business

• RBI nudges states to beef up revenue – States’ efforts towards fiscal consolidation need to be motivated by sustained efforts to increase their own revenues, advices Reserve Bank.

SCI-TECH & AGRI

• Why the May 12 quake is called an aftershock – The article explains the rationale behind calling the May 12 quake an aftershock.

• India, a victim of e-waste crime –  Exporting e-waste to Asia is 10 times cheaper than processing it within the generating countries.

• Seismic network’s efficacy proved during Nepal earthquake – The Nepal earthquake  has proved the effectiveness of Indian Seismic and GNSS Network (ISGN).

• Trees: high CO {-2} boosts water-use efficiency – Increased atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations have boosted the efficiency of water-use of trees.

Opinion-Editorial

• Preparedness as the key – There should be a systematic resort to “disaster drills” to educate the public on what to do during an earthquake, suggests the editorial.

• Partners in conservation – Testimonies from Gir and elsewhere demonstrate that making local communities active partners can create a win-win situation on the conservation front.

• A long march to a new relationship – The India-China relationship is  low on trust and lacks knowledge of the other. PM’s test will be to introduce more rationality to the relationship and to convince the Chinese about this, writes Nirupama Rao.

Indian Express

Editorials & Columns

• Child can work in family, entertainment trade – Govt justifies exceptions in Child Labour Bill; says it would strike a ‘balance between the need for education, socio-economic reality’.

• Whom do you trust? – Judiciary or the executive — that’s the key question. Perhaps the NJAC’s compositon, rules need tweaking, argues Pratap Bhanu Mehta.

• The Nagas of India and Myanmar – Delhi will not succeed in dealing with Khaplang if it fails to understand Naypyidaw’s new priorities, writes Sanjib Baruah.

• To Beijing, Softly – Hard bargaining could be helped along by India – China cooperation in climate diplomacy, suggests Balakrishna Pisupati.

• Hearing Aid – Govt monitoring of social media needs greater oversight, says the editorial.

LiveMint

• Modi govt manages to push through black money bill – Govt gets black money bill passed, along with changes in Companies Act.

• Public debt management: back to school – Optimal debt management is inextricably linked with fiscal policy and it should be tackled by finance ministry, argues Tarun Ramadorai.