Newsmakers: Narendra Modi's China visit, Takata airbag recall and more

Newsmakers and events to know of this fortnight -

>> "Due to the Indian elites' blind arrogance and confidence in their democracy, and the inferiority of its ordinary people, very few Indians are able to treat Sino-Indian relations accurately, objectively and rationally"

This was one of the benign things in an article in Global Times, an English language newspaper run by the Communist Party of China's People's Daily. Published two days before Prime Minister Narendra Modi was to arrive in Beijing, the article, as reported by various newspapers in India, said Modi had been playing "little tricks" to boost his "domestic prestige". It advised him not to visit Arunachal Pradesh, stop supporting the Dalai Lama, and admit that India's widening trade gap with China was India's "own fault".

>> 25 MILLION: The number of cars recalled worldwide since 2008 over Takata airbag inflators that have erupted with too much force, spraying shrapnel inside the car, says Reuters. Six deaths have so far been linked to the defective Takata airbags, all on cars made by Honda Motor Co.

>> "If I'm asked"

Former United States President Bill Clinton said on CBS's The Late Show with David Letterman that he will be open to moving back into the White House should wife Hillary win the presidential election next year.

>> 9: The number of news publishers Facebook has tied up with to launch "Instant Articles" that will let them publish directly to the social network's mobile news feeds. Instant Articles will let stories load more than 10 times faster than standard mobile web articles and will include content from publishers such as The New York Times, BuzzFeed and National Geographic, reports Reuters, quoting a blog post on Facebook's website.

>> "How much time does a woman want a week? Maybe 10 hours?"

Elon Musk, the celebrity industrialist behind Tesla Motors, SpaceX and SolarCity, wonders what it will take to fit a new relationship into his schedule, in a new biography for which he agreed to be interviewed, reports The New York Times. Musk, 43, has been married three times, twice to the same woman.

Pitch Report

What: IPL final match
Where: Eden Gardens, Kolkata
When: May 24
What to look for: Multiscreen Media, the official broadcaster of the eighth edition of the Indian Premier League, is raking in the moolah, with online retailers taking the lead. The top two advertisers remain the same as last year, Vodafone and Amazon, respectively.

Celebration time

What: The Modi government's first anniversary
When: May 26
What to look for: Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to write an open letter to the nation on completion of one year in office. Various programmes are being finalised to mark the anniversary celebrations.

Easing the burden

What: Simplified income-tax return forms
When: By May-end
What to look for: The finance ministry may exclude disclosure of dormant bank accounts as also those which do not have a minimum specified balance in the simplified form. The government is also set to launch a mega programmeto expeditiously provide permanent account number (PAN) cards to all. An online facility to issue PAN is on the agenda.

A matter of interest

What: Monetary policy review
When: June 2
What to look for: Reserve Bank of India Governor Raghuram Rajan may cut interest rates by 25 basis points even before its monetary policy review on June 2 as inflation is easing and the US Fed tightening is expected by the year-end, State Bank of India said in a research note. Bank of America Merrill Lynch said it is now 'more confident' of a 25-basis-point rate cut in the monetary policy review as most conditions set by the central bank for a rate cut have already been met. The bank's expectation comes in the backdrop of rising oil prices and the possibility of a sub-par monsoon that could push up prices.