Daily Current Affairs for 17th March 2017 ( English )

Prepared by D.Sarala, Viluppuram

1.     Three day International Buddhist conference was held at Nava Nalanda Mahavihara, Rajgir in Nalanda district of Bihar. Over one thousand delegates from 35 countries including Sri Lanka, Nepal, Singapore and Indonesia participated in it.

2.     India’s most successful Badminton Doubles specialist Jwala Gutta was appointed as a member of the governing body of Sports Authority of India (SAI).

3.     Two Indian companies Tata Steel Limited and Wipro Limited were named in the list of World’s Most Ethical Companies 2017 by US think tank Ethisphere Institute. Wipro was among the two IT category firm named in the list along with US based Xerox Corporation. Tata Steel was one of the two companies named in the metals, minerals and mining category along with US’s Schnitzer Steel Industries Inc.

4.     HDFC Bank launched digital Loan against Securities (LAS) allowing customers to avail loans in less than 3 minutes. It is first of its king initiative in Indian baking industry. Under this facility, customers can avail a minimum loan of Rs 1 lakh and maximum loan up to Rs 20 lakh at 10.5 % interest on the product.

5.     New Zealand Parliament by passing legislation has recognised Whanganui River revered by the Maori Tribe as a “legal person” status. It is believed to be first of its kind move in the world. In practical terms, this recognition means the river now has its own legal identity with all the corresponding rights, duties and liabilities of a legal person. The river is known as Te Awa Tupua by Maori tribe. It is the third longest in New Zealand. Maori tribe was fighting to assert their rights over the river since the 1870s. It was New Zealand’s longest-running legal dispute.

6.     Britain’s fertility regulator has granted first license to doctors in Newcastle, northern England to create babies using a three-parent IVF technique designed to prevent inherited genetic diseases. Britain’s was the first country to pass law to allow three-parent IVF. The world’s first and so-far only known three-parent IVF baby was born in 2016 in Mexico to a Jordanian couple.

7.     SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket successfully launched EchoStar 23 communications satellite into a high-altitude orbit. It was the 29th successful Falcon 9 flight out of 31 attempted missions since the rocket’s debut in June 2010. The EchoStar 23 satellite has been manufactured by SSL. It will provide broadcast satellite services alongside EchoStar’s 25 other satellites.

8.     Pakistan Navy successful tested new land-based anti-ship missile from the coastal region. 

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9.     The Congress’s floor leader in Lok Sabha, Mallikarjun Kharge will become next chairman of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC). He will succeed his party colleague KV Thomas.

10.  The Union Ministry of Environment has provided a six months window and one-time opportunity to the industrial projects functioning without environmental clearance (EC) to apply for a back-dated EC.

11.  India along with other countries in the South East Asian Region have signed World Health Organisation’s (WHO) Call To end Tuberculosis (TB) by 2030 in the region. It was signed by Health ministers from countries in WHO South-East Asia Region (WHO SEARO) during two-day ministerial meeting towards ending TB in the region held in New Delhi. 

12.  The material structurally resembles red algae was found in Chitrakoot region in Uttar Pradesh. Indian Scientists have uncovered a pair of 1.6 billion-year-old fossils that appear to contain red algae. It may be the oldest plant-like life discovered on Earth.

13.  Indian-American teenager Indrani Das (17) has won the top prize of $2,50,000 in the Regeneron Science Talent Search competition in the United States (US). It is nicknamed as the “Junior Nobel Prize”. She has won the award for her research on treating brain injury and disease. Her research showed a way for increasing the survival rate of neurons affected by brain injury or neurodegenerative disease.

14.  Scientists from US for first time have developed a blood test to accurately predict whether a child has autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

15.  The G20 meet of finance ministers and Central Bank Governors is going to held in Germany

16.  India signed a social security  agreement with Brazil

17.  Tamil Nadu government has launched a woman safety application “ Ammavin Aran “

18.  Bandhan bank has signed a pact with Avenues India to enhance Customer support

19.  Kansas ( The US state ) has recognized 16^th March as Indian –American Appreciation Day to honour an Indain Techie Srinivas Kuchibotla who was killed in a racially motivated crime there on Feb 2017