Front Page
The aftermath of the Karnataka elections continues to unfold. The CM candidate of the JD(S)-Congress coalition, H.D. Kumaraswamy, says he will prove his majority within 24 hours of taking oath Wednesday. Congress heavyweight D.K. Shivakumar, who was most vocal against the alliance, told The Indian Express in an interview that “both parties would work together to keep the BJP at bay”, and that he “swallowed some bitterness” to unite with the JD(S).
Behind the scenes, the two parties have started hard bargaining on portfolios and power distribution, Hindustan Times reports. Kumaraswamy is to visit New Delhi Monday to hold consultations with the Congress high command, The Hindu adds. Not only that, Karnataka may have not one, but two deputy chief ministers in a bid to strike a balance between the two parties, NDTV reports.
Seven policemen were killed as Maoists allegedly targeted their vehicle with an improvised explosive device (IED) in Dantewada, south Chhattisgarh, Sunday, The Hindu reports front page. The attack comes two days before CM Raman Singh’s visit to an area nearby.
The Pakistan Rangers ‘pleaded’ Sunday for a ceasefire following three days of heavy retaliatory firing by the BSF against unprovoked shelling, The Times of India reports.
At least 25 of India’s 50 busiest airports are operating beyond their capacity, Hindustan Times reports, adding that the remaining “will reach optimal capacity in 2018-19 with the aviation industry growing at an unanticipated 18-20 per cent every year”.
Cow vigilantes strike again? A 45-year-old man was reportedly beaten to death and his friend severely injured Thursday for allegedly slaughtering a cow in Madhya Pradesh. The four arrested in the case are said to have “travelled 70 km from Satna on receiving information that two people were slaughtering a cow in a forest area in Anjar village”, The Hindu reports.
The death of three people from a rare virus, Nipah, in Kerala during the last fortnight has spread panic and put the health department on high alert, The Times of India reports. Read more about the virus here.
In ThePrint
The Modi government wants to change how civil service entrants are allocated IAS, IPS, IFS, IRS, Amrita Nayak Dutta reports. According to a proposal moved by the PMO, aspiring bureaucrats who pass the UPSC exam should have to wait until after they complete their three-month foundation course to find out the cadre and service they have been allocated.
Higher compensation for victims of sexual assault: Sanya Dhingra reports that “following the SC order earlier this month to increase the compensation given to victims of sexual assault by up to 80 per cent”, the Modi government has written to all states to implement the scheme with immediate effect.
Business Class
A new player likely in the e-bus market: The Gautam Adani-led Adani group is “set to make a big-ticket entry” into the manufacture of electric buses, according to “at least three people in know of the development”, reports The Economic Times. The group reportedly plans to set up a manufacturing unit at Mundra in Gujarat.
Jury to decide the fair compensation Samsung owes Apple for copying a patented iPhone design. While Apple Inc has demanded of $1 billion, Samsung wants to settle the dispute for about $28 million, reports The Economic Times. .
News it’s just kinda cool to know
It was World Bee Day Sunday, May 20. The UN tells us that this date “coincides with the birthday of Anton Janša, who in the 18th century pioneered modern beekeeping techniques in his native Slovenia and praised the bees for their ability to work so hard, while needing so little attention”.
China wants some space from the US, literally. OneSpace, the Beijing-based company behind the launch of a suborbital rocket Thursday, is one of the many private companies jostling for a slice of the global space industry, which is estimated to be worth about 339 billion, News.com.au reports.The industry is currently dominated by US firms SpaceX and Blue Origin.
Robots ‘may replace humans on the battlefield’. Over the next few years, Pentagon is set to spend close to $1 billion on a range of robots designed to assist combat troops on the field, The Times of India reports.
Point of View
H.D. Kumaraswamy is all set to take oath as the chief minister of Karnataka. The Indian Express, in its editorial, writes, “When numbers don’t add up for anyone, institutions win. This is the sobering message from Karnataka for all players.”
PM Modi visited J&K over the weekend with an appeal for peace. In its editorial, The Times of India writes, “With Modi evoking his belief in Kashmiriyat again, the onus is now on the Valley to reciprocate. BJP too can help by dialling down on Hindutva in the rest of the country.”
Dealing with China has always been a challenge. Former union minister Kapil Sibal, in his column in The Times of India, writes, “First, the Chinese will never give up on their all-weather friend Pakistan. The Chinese will not support our candidature at the UN high table, nor will they agree for us to be a part of the Nuclear Suppliers Group.” He adds, however, that engagement, not confrontation, is the way forward.
COMMENTS