Current Affairs 14th May 2014

Current Affairs 14th May 2014

Updated : 14-May-2014

Current Affairs 14th May 2014 - Important Points
Current Affairs 14th May 2014 - Details
Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert sentenced to six years in prison
Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert sentenced to six years in prison on charges of bribery by a court in Tel Aviv, thus he became the most senior Israeli politician to receive a criminal conviction.

Ehud Olmert and a number of codefendants were jailed after being found guilty of receiving millions of dollars from the Holyland Development Company – the developers behind the Holyland luxury real estate project in Jerusalem. These charges relate to 2006, when he was mayor of Jerusalem. The Court has ordered Olmert to report in a prison on 1 September 2014. The time gap has been given to Olmert to take the case to higher court.
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Olmert in 1973 became the youngest person ever elected to Israel's Parliament and served as Prime Minister from 2006 to 2009.
Lieutenant General Dalbir Singh Suhag appointed as 26th Cheif Of Army Staff
Among the National Current Affairs, Lieutenant General Dalbir Singh Suhag's name was cleared by government as next Army chief after General Bikram Singh retires on July 31st 2014. It is also considered to be last major appointment of UPA-II regime as Lok Sabha elections results are to be declared on May 16th. Lieutenant General Dalbir Singh Suhag's name was cleared by appointments committee of Cabinet (ACC) chaired by PM Manmohan Singh on Tuesday afternoon.
Though Govt took permission from Election Commission before making the appointment.
About Lieutenant General Dalbir Singh Suhag :

Lieutenant General Dalbir Singh Suhag is 59 years old. He was commissioned into 4/5 Gorkha Rifles in June 1974. He will be chief of Army till December 31, 2016 as he will serve 29-months as Army Chief.
Lieutenant General Dalbir Singh Suhag was made the Vice-Chief of Army Staff in December last year. He had taken over as the Eastern Army Commander on June 16, 2012.
Controversy:
"Discipline and Vigilance" ban was imposed on him by the then Army chief Gen V K Singh in connection with an intelligence operation in Assam earlier, however ban was lifted soon after Gen Bikram Singh took over in May 2012.
Kristin Lund of Norway became first-ever woman to head a UN Peacekeeping Force
Major General Kristin Lund of Norway became the first-ever woman to head a UN Peacekeeping Force. She was appointed as the Force Commander of UN Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP) on 12 May 2014 to mark its 50th anniversary in 2014.
Major General Kristin Lund will assume the charge of Force Commander of UNFICYP on 13 August 2014. She will succeed the outgoing Force Commander, Major General Chao Liu of China who will retire on 13 August 2014.
India to overtake Japan to become 3rd largest oil consumer by 2025: US EIA
As per US Energy Information Administration (EIA), India will overtake Japan to become the world’s third largest oil consumer behind the US and China by 2025.
EIA in its Annual Energy Outlook said India's oil consumption will rise from 3.68 million barrels per day (bpd), or 173.5 million tonnes, in 2012 to 5.19 million bpd in 2025, overtaking Japan's 4.38 million bpd consumption. Japan consumed 4.75 million bpd of oil in 2012. As of now India is on 4th number behind US, China and Japan.

President Pranab Mukherjee gives assent to the Whistleblowers Protection Bill, 2011
Among the National Current Affaris, On 12th May 2014, The President of India Shri Pranab Mukherjee gave his assent to the Whistleblowers Protection Bill 2011. With this assent, the Whistleblowers Bill, 2011 became Whistleblowers Protection Act, 2011. Whistleblowers Bill was passed by Lok Sabha on 11th December 2011 and in Rajya Sabha it was passed on 21st February 2014.
The Bill carries provisions for setting up regular mechanism to encourage persons to disclose information on corruption or willful misuse of power by public servants, which includes Ministers. The Bill also demands adequate protection to persons who reports corruption or willful misuse of discretion, which bring in a demonstrable loss to the government.
Odisha government signs MoU with TiE Silicon Valley to attract investment in IT sector
On 14th May 2014, The Odisha government has signed an agreement with the TiE Silicon Valley as part of its efforts to develop the state as an IT hub and attract US investment. The agreement was signed as a part of state's efforts to develop it an IT hub and attract US investment. Under the agreement, Odisha government would have a professional stationed at the headquarters of Silicon Valley in Santa Clara, California.
The TiE is a non-profit network of entrepreneurs and professionals, which was founded in 1992 in Silicon Valley, California, USA. TiE stands for Talent, Ideas and Enterprise.
The MoU was signed by a senior delegation from Odisha that included Vishal K Dev, the Odisha Industries Secretary, and G Mathi Vathanan, Chairman-cum-Managing Director of Industrial Promotion and Investment Corporation of Odisha Limited.
With this agreement, Odisha became the first Indian State in India to sign such an agreement.