1. SC sentences Navjot Singh Sidhu to one-year rigorous imprisonment in road rage case
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The Supreme Court sentenced former Punjab Congress president Navjot Singh Sidhu to one year's rigorous imprisonment in the 1988 road rage case in which Patiala resident Gurnam Singh died.
The order was pronounced by a bench of Justice AM Khanwilkar and Justice SK Kaul.
The Supreme Court had earlier allowed review of its May 2018 order acquitting former Punjab Congress president Navjot Singh Sidhu in the 34-year-old road rage case.
Sidhu was earlier let off with a fine of Rs 1,000.
Now he has been given the maximum possible punishment under section 323 of the IPC.
What was the case?
On 27 December 1988, Sidhu got into an argument with Patiala resident Gurnam Singh over parking.
Sidhu and his associate Rupinder Singh Sandhu allegedly dragged Gurnam Singh out of their car and hit him.
He later died in hospital.
In 1999, a sessions court in Patiala acquitted Sidhu and his associate for lack of evidence and benefit of doubt.
The Punjab and Haryana High Court convicted Sidhu of culpable homicide not amounting to murder in 2006 and sentenced him to three years in prison.
In 2018, Sidhu approached the Supreme Court, which quashed the High Court order and convicted Sidhu of causing hurt to a senior citizen.
2. Naveen Srivastava appointed as the new Ambassador of India to Nepal
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The Government of India has appointed Naveen Srivastava as India's ambassador to Nepal on 17 May 2022.
The Ministry of External Affairs announced the appointment a day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid a visit to Lumbini in Nepal.
Mr. Srivastava is a 1993 batch Indian Foreign Service officer, currently serving as additional secretary in the Ministry of External Affairs.
Vinay Mohan Kwatra, who became foreign secretary over two weeks ago, was serving as India's envoy to Nepal before Mr Srivastava's appointment.
Nepal shares a border of over 1,850 km with five Indian states - Sikkim, West Bengal, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand.
The land-locked country relies heavily on India for the transportation of goods and services.
About Nepal -
It is officially called as Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal
President: Bidhya Devi Bhandari
Prime Minister: Sher Bahadur Deuba
Currency: Nepali Rupee
Capital: Kathmandu
3. Village Unnati appointed former Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora as chairman
Tags: National Person in news
Former Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora has been named as the new non-executive chairman of the Village Unnati Board.
About Sunil Arora
He is a 1980 batch retired Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer of Rajasthan cadre.
He has served as the secretary of two important ministries, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship.
He was also the 23rd Chief Election Commissioner of India.
About Gram unnati
Gram Unnati is a social enterprise that helps farmers to increase their net income by realising value, increasing agricultural productivity and reducing the cost of cultivation.
Gram Unnati provides physical and technical infrastructure support to agri-processors, banks, agri-input manufacturers, research institutes and others.
Gram Unnati also provides institutional buyers with consultancy services, low cost high quality inputs and market connections to marginal farmers, as well as tailored production, logistics, and end-to-end quality control of agricultural products.
Gram unnati is headquartered in Gurgaon with operations across 6 states currently.
4. Hassan Sheikh Mahmood appointed as the new President of Somalia
Tags: Person in news International News
After a long-pending election in the troubled Horn of Africa nation, Somali legislators have elected former leader Hassan Sheikh Mahmoud as the country's next president.
Hassan Sheikh Mohamed, who served as Somalia's president between 2012 and 2017, won in the capital Mogadishu amid a security lockdown imposed by authorities to prevent deadly rebel attacks.
He defeated Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed in this election.
Mahmoud secured 214 votes against 110 votes in favour of the incumbent President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed Farmajo in the final third round.
Mahmood, 66, is the leader of the Union for Peace and Development party, which has a majority in both legislative chambers.
About somalia
Somalia is a country located on the eastern edge of Africa.
Capital- Mogadishu
Capital- Mogadishu
Prime Minister- Mohamed Hussein Roble
Currency- Somali Shilling (SOS)
5. Elisabeth Bourne appointed new Prime Minister of France
Tags: Person in news International News
French President Emmanuel Macron has named Elisabeth Born as the country's new prime minister.
She is the second woman to become prime minister in France. Prior to this, Edith Cresson took the responsibility of the post of Prime Minister in 1991-1992.
French Prime Minister Jean-Casteux resigned in a move expected after Emmanuel Macron was re-elected, with 61-year-old Elisabeth Born as the new prime minister.
Born was Labor Minister in Macron's previous government since 2020. Earlier she had also been the Transport Minister.
In France, Macron and Bourne are likely to appoint a full government in the coming days.
About France -
France is a country located in Western Europe
It is the largest country in the continent of Europe in terms of area.
Capital- Paris
President- Emmanuel Macron
currency - euro
6. Former Australia cricketer Andrew Symonds dies in road accident
Tags: Person in news Sports News
46-year-old former Australia all-rounder Andrew Symonds has died in a car accident.
The Symonds car accident happened in Townsville, Queensland.
Symonds, who was the best all-rounder player in world cricket, played the first international match of his career against Pakistan in November 1998.
Symonds made his Test debut in March 2004 against Sri Lanka.
Andrew Symonds was a key part of Australia's 50-over World Cup victories in 2003 and 2007.
Symonds is also remembered for the infamous "Monkeygate" scandal.
Symonds cricket career
He has scored 5088 runs in 198 matches in ODIs and has also taken 133 wickets during this period.
Symonds played 26 matches in his Test career in which he scored 1462 runs and also took 24 wickets.
Symonds scored 11099 runs in 424 List A matches and also took 282 wickets.
7. Devasahayam Pillai becomes first Indian layman to be declared saint by Pope Francis
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Devasahayam Pillai, who embraced Christianity in the 18th century, on May 15 became the first Indian layman to be declared a saint by Pope Francis at the Vatican.
His name was recommended for this in 2004.
Pope Francis announces canonization of Devasayam Pillai as saint along with 9 others including four women.
About Devasahayam Pillai
Devasahyam was born as Nilakanta Pillai on April 23, 1712, in a Hindu family at Nattalam in Kanyakumari district, which was then part of the Kingdom of Travancore.
He was an official in the court of Travancore’s Maharaja Marthanda Varma.
After meeting a Dutch naval commander at the court, Devasahayam was baptised in 1745, and assumed the name ‘Lazarus’, meaning ‘God is my help’.
His conversion did not go well with the heads of his native religion.
False charges of treason and espionage were brought against him and he was divested of his post in the royal administration.
He was arrested in 1749.
On January 14, 1752, Devasahayam was shot dead in the Aralvaimozhi forest.
Since then, he is considered a martyr, and his mortal remains were interred inside what is now Saint Francis Xavier’s Cathedral in Kottar, Nagercoil.
8. Sheikh Mohammed named UAE President
Tags: Person in news International News
On May 14, the rulers of the United Arab Emirates unanimously appointed Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan as the nation's president.
The country's seven sheikhs, who are the rulers of the UAE, took the decision at a meeting held at the Al Mushrif Palace in Abu Dhabi.
The post fell vacant after the country's president and ruler of Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, 73, died on 13 May.
The transition of power marks only the third time this U.S.-allied nation of seven sheikhdoms has selected a President since becoming an independent nation in 1971.
The UAE has had a presidential system since it emerged as an independent nation in 1971.
Important facts about UAE
There are no rivers in the UAE
The UAE was the first country in the world to appoint a minister for artificial intelligence
The Arabian Oryx is the national animal of the UAE
Six of the world’s tallest hotels are in the UAE
It is located on the southeast end of the Arabian Peninsula.
The country's form of government is an absolute monarchy.
Each emirate of the UAE is ruled by a separate royal family.
The falcon is the UAE's national symbol
Capital city - Abu Dhabi
7 Emirates of the UAE - Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, Fujairah, Ajman, Ras Al Khaimah, Umm Al Quwain.
Religion - Muslims 76%, Christians 19%
Language - Arabic
Currency - Dirhams
National Day - 2 December
9. Manik Saha takes oath as 11th chief minister of Tripura
Tags: Person in news State News
Tripura BJP chief and Rajya Sabha MP Manik Saha took oath as the 11th Chief Minister of the state at the Raj Bhavan in Agartala on May 15, a day after Biplab Kumar Deb resigned from the post.
The 69-year-old Saha (A professor of dental surgery) was named as the leader of the BJP legislature party hours after the resignation of Deb.
Saha left the Congress and joined the BJP in 2016.
During his early days in the party, he was in charge of urban areas in the Booth Management Committee in the 2018 assembly elections.
After BJP's thumping victory in the assembly elections, he was given the responsibility of in-charge of the booth management committee for the 2019 parliamentary elections.
Deb was sworn in as the first CM of Tripura in 2018, ending the 25-year rule of the Communist Party of India in the state.
About Tripura
Capital - Agartala
Governor - Satyadeo Narain Arya
State Bird - Green Imperial Pigeon (Ducula aenea)
State Tree Agar (Aquilaria malaccensis)
State Flower - Nageswar (Mesua Ferrea)
State Flower - Nageswar (Mesua Ferrea)
Borders - Bangladesh, Mizoram and Assam.
connected with the rest of India - by NH-44 that runs through Assam, Meghalaya, North Bengal, Kolkata and other parts of India.
No. of Districts - 08
10. UAE President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed passes away
Tags: Person in news International News
Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan (73 years), the President of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Ruler of Abu Dhabi, passed away on May 13, 2022.
Expressing his deepest condolences on the passing away of Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the Indian Prime Minister said that India-UAE relations have prospered under his guidance.
The Government of India has declared a day of national mourning on his death. During this time no public festival will be celebrated in any government offices.
The UAE government has declared 40 days of national mourning in the country on the death of Sheikh Khalifa. During this, the national flag will remain at half-mast. All government offices and private institutions including ministries will also remain closed for three days.
The world's tallest building 'Dubai's Burj Khalifa' was also named after the late President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al-Maktoum to be Acting President :
According to the UAE's constitution, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al-Maktoum, the ruling Vice President and Premier of Dubai, will take over as acting president until the country's Federal Council meets within 30 days to elect a new president.
Born in 1948, Sheikh Khalifa became the President of the UAE in 2004 after the death of his father. He was the country's second president and the 16th leader of Abu Dhabi.
About UAE -
Capital- Abu Dhabi
Prime Minister- Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum
Currency- UAE Dirham
