News Dabba for 18 May 2023: Five stories for a balanced news diet

Indie Journal brings you the daily updates that the internet is talking about through various news websites. Here's a glance through some of the National and International news updates, from Siddaramaiah announced as the next Karnataka CM, Move Forward Party forming a coalition government in Thailand, to South Africa's power crisis.

The Straits Times: Thailand’s winning Move Forward Party announces 8-party

Thailand’s Move Forward Party (MFP) on Thursday announced it has formed a coalition of eight political parties with a majority in the Lower House, The Straits Times reported. The MFP-led coalition has 313 of the 500 seats in the Lower House, based on preliminary poll results. While MFP has 152 seats, the other seven political parties have a combined 161 seats. They have agreed to support MFP leader Pita Limjaroenrat’s bid for premiership, the report adds. Read the full report here.

Siddaramaiah Chief Minister, DK Shivakumar Deputy: NDTV

Siddaramaiah will be the next Chief Minister of Karnataka and DK Shivakumar his deputy, the Congress announced on Thursday. NDTV reports this has ended five days of suspense after the party's emphatic election win. They will take oath on Saturday. The report adds that Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala dodged a question about whether the five-year term will be split among them. Read the full report here.

SC stays West Bengal's ban on The Kerala Story, The Quint

The Supreme Court of India on Thursday, 18 May, stayed the ban imposed by the West Bengal government on The Kerala Story. The Quint reports that Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud saying that "Prohibition by West Bengal is not tenable. The order of the additional secretary of WB shall remain stayed." CJI Chandrachud also directed the makers of The Kerala Story to give a proper disclaimer regarding the unsubstantiated figure of '32,000' mentioned in the film, by 5 pm on 20 May. The report is about the top court hearing a plea filed by the producers of the contentious film, challenging its ban in West Bengal and its 'de-facto ban' in Tamil Nadu. Read the full report here.

South Africa power cuts warns of longer power cuts: A Jazeera report

Al Jazeera reports that South Africa’s struggling state power utility Eskom has predicted a “very difficult winter” starting in June. It has warned that it may have to increase electricity cuts to an unprecedented level amid the country’s worst-ever power crisis. Many households and businesses in Africa’s most industrialised economy are already facing scheduled electricity outages – or load shedding – of more than 10 hours a day. This is largely due to breakdowns in Eskom’s ailing fleet of coal power stations. The gap between supply and demand is expected to increase in the coming winter months, the report said. Read the full report here.

Supreme Court upholds laws allowing Jallikattu, Kambala, The Hindu

The Supreme Court on Thursday upheld the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Tamil Nadu Amendment) Act of 2017 and the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Conduct of Jallikattu) Rules of 2017. The Hindu reports that the Court said that the traditional bull-taming sport ‘Jallikattu’ has been going on in Tamil Nadu for the last century. The five-judge Constitution Bench headed by Justice K. M. Joseph, however, did not deliver into the question whether Jallikattu was an “integral” part of the culture of Tamil Nadu. The report adds that the judgment holds that the 2017 Amendment Act and Rules on Jallikattu are in time with Entry 17 (prevention of cruelty to animals) of the Concurrent List, Article 51A(g) (compassion to loving creatures) of the Constitution. Read the full report here.