Daily Current Affairs: 07 May 2014

1) SC quashed Kerala law, allows TN for raising of water level in Mullaperiyar dam: In a victory for Tamil Nadu, the Supreme Court on Wednesday allowed the raising of water level in Mullaperiyar dam up to 142 feet. The apex court quashed the law passed by the Kerala assembly on the Mullaperiyar dam. The SC restrained the Kerala government from implementing the legislation and obstructing Tamil Nadu from increasing water level. The SC also set up a 3-member committee headed by a Central Water Commission member to ensure proper repair of the Mullaperiyar dam. There had been differences between the two states over the safety of the dam.

2) Supreme Court banned jallikattu in Tamil Nadu: Even bulls have rights against torture, the Supreme Court observed on Wednesday as it banned ‘jallikattu’ (bull fighting) and bullock cart racing in Tamil Nadu. The court also banned bullock cart racing in Maharashtra. A Bench of Justices K.S. Radhakrishnan and Pinaki Chandra Misra said, “Forcing a bull and keeping it in the waiting area for hours and subjecting it to the scorching sun is not for the animal’s well-being. Forcing and pulling the bull by a nose rope into the narrow, closed enclosure or ‘vadi vassal’ (entry point), subjecting it to all forms of torture, fear, pain and suffering by forcing it to go the arena and also over-powering it in the arena by bull tamers, are not for the well-being of the animal.”

3) Virat Kohli is Most Searched IPL Player this Season: Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) skipper Virat Kohli takes the top spot as the most searched Indian Premier League player this season, closely followed by Chennai Super Kings (CSK) captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni. Prepared by: www.currentaffairs4examz.com

4) Kolkata franchise of Indian Super League launched, christened Atletico de Kolkata: The Kolkata franchise of the much awaited Indian Super League was finally inaugurated as Atletico De Kolkata in the state of West Bengal. Emphasizing on the importance of providing the right football education to youngsters in India, Atletico De Madrid expressed its anticipation and dreams towards the Indian team. Taking the prompt from Spanish co-owners and UEFA Champions League finalist Atletico De Madrid, owner and CEO of the latter Miguel Angel Gil Marin along with city based co-owners former Indian cricket captain Sourav Ganguly, industrialists Harsh Neotia, Sanjiv Goenka and Utsav Parekh unveiled the team.

5) AirAsia India granted flying licence by DGCA: Malaysia-based AirAsia came a step closer to launching its low-cost airline in India on Wednesday as it secured a key permit from the aviation regulator. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has issued an air operators’ permit (AOP), a move that is likely to bring cheers to passengers, potentially setting the stage for a fare war with budget carriers such as IndiGo and SpiceJet. AirAsia’s Group CEO Tony Fernandes has promised “nano fares” and has said that the revenue management of Indian carriers was “very poor” and air fares were "just too high". It has taken more than a year for AirAsia India, a joint venture between AirAsia, Tata Group and Arun Bhatia of Telestra Tradeplace to get the AOP. 

6) President to dedicate indigenous card payment network 'RuPay': President Pranab Mukherjee will dedicate India's own card payment network 'RuPay' to the nation here Thursday. The RuPay card is accepted at all ATMs (1.6 lakh plus), 95 per cent of PoS terminals (9.45 lakh plus) and most of the eCom merchants (about 10,000) in the country, an official statement said. A variant of the card called 'Kisan Card' is now being issued by all the public sector banks in addition to the mainstream debit card which has been issued by 43 banks. 'RuPay' is developed by National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) - a 'not-for-profit' company envisioned by the Reserve Bank and created by the banking industry.

7) Thai PM Yingluck Shinawatra dismissed from office by court: Thailand's Constitutional Court has dismissed caretaker Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra from office, ruling that she is guilty of violating the country's constitution for reassigning a senior security official in 2011. Niwatthamrong Boonsongpaisan will assume that role until the next government comes to power post July elections.

8) Phase 8 of LS polls sees record voter turnout in all 7 states: Voters turned up in large numbers in the eighth phase of polling on Wednesday to keep up a trend that has seen a high 66.27% turnout for 502 Lok Sabha seats so far in the general election—beating the 57.94% turnout notched up in 2009 for the same seats. Seven states—Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and West Bengal—went to polls on Wednesday. All seven registered a higher turnout than in the 2009 Lok Sabha elections, Election Commission (EC) director general Akshay Raut said. Last phase is scheduled for 12 May.

9) Country’s first voter Negi casts his vote: India’s first voter Shyam Saran Negi on Wednesday cast his vote at a polling booth at his native place in Himachal Pradesh. Mr. Shyam Saran Negi became the first voter of the country when elections were held for the first time in the country on October 25, 1951 in Kinnaur. The State Election Commission recently appointed him as its brand ambassador for the poll campaign in the tribal region.