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.

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Current Affairs Quiz Questions: 03 & 04 May 2014

1) President presented the National Film Awards 2014. This was the ........ film awards?

(A) 59th

(B) 60th

(C) 61st

(D) 62nd

2) Which film was given award for the Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment in National Film Awards 2014?

(A) Jolly LLB

(B) Dhoom 3

(C) Shahid

(D) Bhaag Milkha Bhaag

3) Geetanjali Thapa was given best actress award in 61st National Film Awards for which film?

(A) Liar's Dice

(B) Perariyathavar

(C) Ship Of Theseus

(D) Madras Cafe

4) Who had received the Dadasaheb Phalke Award, the highest honour in cinema given annually by the Government of India for lifetime contribution to Indian cinema at the 61st National Awards ceremony in New Delhi on 3 May 2014?

(A) Rajkummar Rao

(B) Suraj Venjaramoodu

(C) Gulzar

(D) Saeed Akhtar Mirza

5) Name the former world double sprint champion who has been recently suspended for one year after testing positive in 2013 for a banned anabolic steroid?

(A) Tyson Gay

(B) Ussain Bolt

(C) Edwin Mosses

(D) Michael Johnson

6) Nme India's first indigenously-developed air-to-air missile recently test fired on 3 May 2014?

(A) Akash

(B) Agini

(C) Prithvi

(D) Astra

7) Kedarnath temple was reopened to devotees on 4 May 2014 about a year after the Himalayan shrine was marred by flash floods. Kedarnath temple is situated in which state?

(A) Uttar Pradesh

(B) Jharkhand

(C) Uttarakhand

(D) Sikkim

8) Name the Veteran trap shooter from India who jumped to third spot in the world rankings released recently?

(A) Gagan Narag

(B) Manavjit Sandhu

(C) Ronjan Sodhi

(D) Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore

9) Missed Call Banking Facility was recently launced by which among the following Banks?

(A) Karnataka Bank Limited

(C) Kerala Grameen Bank

(C) SBI

(D) Dena Bank

10) Which Indian badminton player got bronze medal in Asian Badminton Championship recently?

(A) P V Sindhu

(B) Ashwani Ponappa

(C) Saina Nehwal

(D) Jwala Gutta

Answers

1) Ans. (C) 61st

2) Ans. (D) Bhaag Milkha Bhaag

3) Ans. (A) Liar's Dice

4) Ans. (C) Gulzar

5) Ans. (A) Tyson Gay

6) Ans. (D) Astra

7) Ans. (C) Uttarakhand

8) Ans. (B) Manavjit Sandhu

9) Ans. (A) Karnataka Bank Limited

10) Ans. (A) P V Sindhu

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PA/SA Exam Update: Jammu & Kashmir and Punjab Circle Exam on 18 May 2014

Latest Update in website read as follows: 

Schedule of Examination (Paper I) for the following Postal Circles is as follows:

Postal Circles	Exam Date	Exam Time
Jammu & Kashmir (19), Punjab (27)	18-May 2014	10:00AM to 12:00 NOON

Candidates may download the Admit Cards for above stated Postal Circles by Logging into the website.Please keep visiting the website for exam schedules for other Postal Circles & updates.

Click Here to download admit Card

Click Here for Question Papers of PA/SA Exam 2014 held so far!!!!

Answer Keys-Click Here

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Civil Services Examination (Prelims) to be held on 24 August 2014

>> The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) will conduct its most coveted Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination for this year on 24 August 2014.

>> The prestigious Civil Services Examination is conducted annually to select officers for Indian Administrative Service (IAS), Indian Foreign Service (IFS) and Indian Police Service (IPS), among others.

>> The UPSC has sought various ministries assistance to spare some officers under them who can be deputed as Assistant Supervisors and Invigilators for the exam.

>> "The Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination, 2014 will be conducted by the Commission on August 24, 2014. Out of over ten lakh candidates expected to apply for this examination, more than one lakh candidates are anticipated to opt for Delhi as their centre of examination," the UPSC said in a letter to the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT).

>> For this purpose, about 250 sub-centres will be required.

>> "The Commission would be requesting various ministries or departments of Government of India, including their attached and subordinate offices in Delhi, to spare the services of the requisite number of Group 'A' and Group 'B' officers, for performing the duties of Assistant Supervisors and Invigilators, in the aforesaid exam," it said.

>> The officers thus deputed to the Commission will be paid honorarium by the UPSC for their services, the letter added.

>> The Civil Services Examination is conducted in three stages--preliminary, mains and interview. According to a tentative time table, the Civil Services (mains) Examination, 2014 are slated to be held on December 14.

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Daily Current Affairs Updates 06 May 2014

1)BCCI Suspended Rajasthan Cricket Association After Lalit Modi Elected its President: Within hours of Lalit Modi being declared as the president of the Rajasthan Cricket Association in Jaipur on Tuesday, the Board of Control for Cricket in India has decided to indefinitely suspend RCA and appoint an ad-hoc body to run its cricket affairs. This is likely to trigger a new round of legal battle between the Board and the banned former Indian Premier League chairman, Modi.

2) RBI allowed minors above 10 years to open, operate bank accounts:  The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has allowed children above 10 years “to open and operate savings bank accounts independently if they so desire.” In a notification on Tuesday, RBI also said banks are now free to set their own limits on amounts upto which minors can be allowed to operate in their accounts. So far, only individuals above the legal voting age of 18 years were allowed to operate their accounts. The latest change has been done “with a view to promote the objective of financial inclusion and also to bring uniformity among banks in opening and operating minors’ accounts,” RBI said.

3) Mark Selby stuns Ronnie O'Sullivan to win World Snooker Championship: English pro Mark Selby played the match of his career to stun defending champion Ronnie O'Sullivan and pocket his maiden World Snooker Championship title on Tuesday. The Leicester-based cueist, who trailed 7-10 overnight, triumphed 18-14 on a dramatic final day at the Crucible to become the new World No.1. Getting past Neil Robertson in a gruelling semi-final and and then stopping O'Sullivan from bagging his third successive World Snooker crown, Selby, 30, is on cloud nine.

4) Scientists Confirm The Existence Of Element with atomic number 117: The official Periodic Table of the Elements is one step closer to adding element 117 to its ranks. That’s thanks to an international team of scientists that was able to successfully create several atoms of element 117, which is currently known as Ununseptium until it’s given an official name. The paper for this experiment has been published in Physical Review Letters. Element 117 was first created in a joint collaboration between American and Russian scientists back in 2010. However, before an element can be officially added to the Periodic Table of Elements, its discovery must be independently confirmed.Prepared by:www.currentaffairs4examz.com

5) SC upholds constitutional validity of RTE Act: The Supreme Court on Tuesday upheld the constitutional validity of Articles 15(5) and 21-A of the Constitution in so far as it relates to unaided educational institutions to provide compulsory education for children in the age group of 6 to 14 years.

6) Sunil Mittal to co-chair World Economic Forum on Africa: Bharti Enterprises founder and Chairman Sunil Bharti Mittal will co-chair this year’s edition of the World Economic Forum on Africa. The group’s flagship company Bharti Airtel is the largest mobile operator in Africa in terms of geographical footprint and provides services in 17 African countries with close to 70 million customers, the company said in a statement. The event, will be held in Abuja (Nigeria) from May 7-9, 2014 under the theme ‘Forging Inclusive Growth, Creating Jobs’ and is expected to be attended by over 900 leaders from business, government, civil society and academia.

7) No penalty if minimum balance not kept in dormant bank account: The Reserve Bank of India has asked banks not to penalise account holders for not maintaining minimum balance in their inoperative accounts. The banking regulator had announced its intention in a recent policy statement. "It is advised that henceforth banks are not permitted to levy penal charges for non-maintenance of minimum balances in any inoperative account," RBI said in a circular issued to all commercial banks.

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Rajasthan Circle English Section Answer Key: PA/SA Exam 2014

Friends..Here is the answer key to English Section of PA/SA Exam held in Rajasthan Postal Circle. These answers have been prepared by us based on the feedback and discussion had with our friends via e-mail & facebook page. This may not be treated as the final answer key and we are not stating that the answers given below are completely correct. If anybody feels thatthe answers to any question are different, you are welcome to comment your part below as comment with valid points.  

Before going to answer key refer question paper to see the questions. Click Here to see question paper. 

51) (A) Verb, adverb

52) (C) To rise early

53) B, 2 only

54) (B) in

55) (A) by

56) (B) at

57) (C) in, for

58) B

59) C

60)

61) B, on condition that

62) D, All the above

63) D

64) A, Cammandos

65) D, Maids-Servant

66) A, I told him that his brother was a brave boy.

67) B. It should have been girl

68) A, Manish said, "I am busy now"

69) B, I shall/will have been speaking

70) C, Correct is Fortune favours the brave

71) A, Had done

72) B, Revengeful

73) C, Flatterer

74) D, Humble

75) A, Inhumanity

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Current Affairs Questions 2 May 2014

1) World's highest railway tunnel was opened in which country on 2 May 2014?

(A) Japan

(B) China

(C) South Korea

(D) Russia

2) Which former captain was recently appointed as the coach of Pakistan Cricket team?

(A) Inzamam ul haq

(B) Rashid Latif

(C) Wasim Akram

(D) Waqar Younis

3)  Election Queue Management System, a first of its kind initiative was introduced in India recently in which state? (Note: Election queue management system helped voters to find out the level of crowd in the polling booths)

(A) Kerala

(B) Karnataka

(C) West Bengal

(D) Haryana

4) What was India's rank in the global rankings for freedom of the press released on 2 May 2014?

(A) 35

(B) 78

(C) 104

(D) 7

5) Deadline for switching to new format bank cheques under CTS ended on 30 April 2014. Expand CTS?

(A) Cheque Truncation System

(B) Cheque Time System

(C) Cheque Tearing System

(D) Cheque Transaction System

6) Which Airline from India is all set to join the world's largest airline grouping company— Star Alliance in July 2014?

(A) Indian Airlines

(B) Spcie Jet

(C) Indigo Airlines

(D) Air India

7) Who was recently sworn in as the 41st Chief Justice of India?

(A) P Sathasivam

(B0 K G Balakrishnan

(C) Ashok Kumar Mathur

(D) R M Lodha

8) Viktor Orban was recently re-elected as Prime Minister of which country?

(A) Cuba

(B) Yemen

(C) Hungary

(D) Egypt

9) Actor Bob Hoskins, whose varied career ranged from “Mona Lisa” to “Who Framed Roger Rabbit, who died recently was from which country?

(A) USA

(B) Britain

(C) Japan

(D) China

10) Nokia appointed India born .............as its new President and CEO of the company recently?

(A) Rajeev Suri

(B) Satya Nadella

(C) Satyedranath

(D) Sundar Pichai

Answers

1) Ans. (B) China

2) Ans. (D) Waqar Younis

3) Ans. (C) West Bengal

4) Ans. (B) 78

5) Ans. (A) Cheque Truncation System

6) Ans.  (D) Air India

7) Ans. (D) R M Lodha

8) Ans. (C) Hungary

9) Ans. (B) Britain

10) Ans. (A) Rajeev Suri

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Latest Current Affairs Questions: 01 May 2014 for Exams

Friends..after a short gap due to the requests from many, we are starting the Daily Current Affairs Quiz Question series which will be helpful for all competitive Exams. 

1) May 1 was celebrated every year as?

(A) World Diabetes Day

(B) International Labour Day

(C) International Children's Day

(D) World Heart Day

2) Which IIT from India was ranked at the 87th position among the top 100 world universities, under 50 years of age, published by London-based Times Higher Eductaion (THE) magazine recently?

(A) IIT Madras

(B) IIT Bhubaneswar

(C) IIT Indore

(D) IIT Guwahati

3) Who has quit as MD and CEO of MCX on 1 May 2014?

(A) Thomas Mathew T

(B) Saurabh Sarkar

(C) Manoj Vaish

(D) Ashima Goyal

4) What was the ranking of India in the ICC Test rankings annual updated list issued on 1 May 2014?

(A) 2nd

(B) 6th

(C) 4th

(D) 5th

5) Which team is at No.1 position in the latest T20 rankings released by ICC?

(A) Srilanka

(B) India

(C) Pakistan

(D) Australia

6) Mahatma Gandhi Pravasi Suraksha Yojana scheme was launched on 1 May 2014 in which foreign country?

(A) UAE

(B) Oman

(C) Britain

(D) USA

7)  A woman was killed and at least 14 people were injured in two "low-intensity" explosions that took place on which railway station on 1 May 2014?

(A) Hyderabad

(B) Bengaluru

(C) Chennai

(D) Pune

8) UAE leg of IPL 2014 ended on 30 April 2014 with which IPL team winning all of its matches played at UAE?

(A) Bangalore Royal Challengers

(B) Rajasthan Royals

(C) Chennai Super Kings

(D) Kings XI Punjab

9) Which player has broken Lionel Messi's all-time record for the most goals in a single Champions League season after notching his 15th score recently?

(A) Luis Suarez

(B) David Villa

(C) Cristiano Ronaldo

(D) Frank Ribery

10) Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd. (BHEL) has signed an agreement with which country for setting up solar photovoltaic (PV)-based power plants in that country?

(A) Yemen

(B) Libya

(C) Cuba

(D) Brazil

Answers

1) Ans. (B) International Labour Day

2) Ans. (D) IIT Guwahati

3) Ans. (C) Manoj Vaish

4) Ans. (D) 5th

5) Ans. (B) India

6) Ans. (A) UAE

7) Ans. (C) Chennai

8) Ans. (D) Kings XI Punjab

9) Ans. (C) Cristiano Ronaldo

10) Ans. (A) Yemen

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Daily Current Affairs 05 May 2014

1) Government appointed R V Verma as Whole-Time Member (Finance) in Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority: The government has appointed R V Verma as a member of the Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA). Verma has been appointed as Whole-Time Member (Finance) in the PFRDA, the Finance Ministry said in a notification. He at present is Chairman and Managing Director of National Housing Bank, the regulator for housing finance companies. Verma is the first Whole-Time Member to be appointed by the government after PFRDA Act was notified last year. The government is yet to decide on the appointment of PFRDA Chairman, a post which has been lying vacant since November last year. The PFRDA consists of a chairperson and at least three whole-time members.

2) Dipika Pallikal back in top-10 after Texas Open high:  A final appearance at the Texas Open last month has pushed India's top squash player Dipika Pallikal back to the top-10 of the world rankings. Pallikal gained two places to be number 10 in the Women's Squash Association (WSA) rankings, the spot she has reached for the first time in December 2012.

3) China won Table Tennis World Championships: This year's world champion titles in table tennis have gone to both China men's and women's teams. Germany's men made it to the final round, but were unable to make strong gains on the defending champions. Both the men's and women's teams from China swept the World Team Table Tennis Championships on Monday. Germany's men lost out in the final to the favorites China at the event being held in Tokyo, with the record champions proving formidable opponents. China won 3-1 against Germany.

4) Vodafone, Airtel, Idea resume 3G services: Telecom operators Vodafone and Idea Cellular on Monday said they will resume 3G services in circles where they don't have spectrum through intra-circle roaming (ICR) pacts with other operators. Bharti Airtel has also announced resumption of its 3G services in circles where it don't have spectrum. This announcement by the operators comes post the Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT) ruling last week. The TDSAT bench headed by Justice Aftab Alam has said 3G ICR agreement signed by Airtel, Vodafone and Idea Cellular was not violative of licence agreement.

5) Honda recalls 31,226 Amaze, Brio cars to check faulty brake:  Honda Cars India Ltd (HCIL) on Monday recalled 31,226 units of select variants of the Amaze compact sedan and Brio hatchback to inspect them for a possible defect in the brake system. Prepared by:www.currentaffairs4examz.com

6) Ratan Tata awarded Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire: Ratan Tata on Monday became the first Indian to be awarded the Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire (GBE) since India became a Republic in 1950. British high commissioner to India, Sir James Bevan conducted the honours for Ratan Tata, Chairman Emeritus of Tata Sons. The high commissioner presented Tata with the Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire (GBE) on behalf of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.

7) Ahmed Maiteeg elected New PM of Libya: Businessman Ahmed Maiteeg was elected on Sunday as Libya’s new prime minister after receiving 121 votes in parliament.

8) Juan Carlos Varela to be new President of  Panama: The opposition leader Juan Carlos Varela has won the Presidential election in Panama with almost 40 percent of the votes.

9) ING Vysya Life renamed as Exide Life Insurance: More than a year after the ING Group exited the life insurance business in India by selling its 26 per cent stake to Exide Industries, the name of ING Vysya Life Insurance Company Limited has been changed to Exide Life Insurance Company Limited (Exide Life Insurance) with immediate effect. The company received approvals from Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority (Irda) and the Ministry of Corporate Affairs last week.

10) Ahmet Sik won UNESCO Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize 2014: Turkish investigative journalist Ahmet Sik won 2014 UNESCO Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize.

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