28th March 2017 Important Daily Current Affairs

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Dear Great Ambitionists, here are today's (28th March 2017) Important Current Affairs updates. Happy Reading :)

Daily Current Affairs of 28th March 2017

International Current Affairs

• Canada is going to host the 9th edition of World Environmental Education Congress (WEEC) in Vancouver from 9th to 15th September 2017. 
• The World Environmental Education Congress (WEEC) is an international event that seeks to addresses issues related education for environment and sustainability.
• Theme of the year 2017 : “Culture/Environment: Weaving New Connections”.

National Current Affairs

• Parliament today passed the Mental Healthcare Bill, 2016, which provides for healthcare and services to people with mental illness and also decriminalises suicide.
  
• The bill aims to provide for the right to better healthcare for mentally-ill patients.
• The bill also allows a mentally ill person to have the right to restrict release of information with respect to the illness and make a complaint about deficiencies in provision of services
• This bill decriminalises attempt to suicide by separating it from the Indian Penal Code. 
• Health Minister : J P Nadda
• The 3rd edition of ‘World Conference on Environment’ was recently held in New Delhi.
• This conference was organized by the National Green Tribunal (NGT) and inaugurated by the President Pranab Mukherjee. 
• The 2-day conference discussed various issues like air pollution, water pollution, economics and clean technology, and the role of courts and tribunals for environmental protection. 
• The Union government today launched 'e-CinePramaan', the Online Film Certification System of the Central Board of Film Certification. 
• This will make the process for films to obtain a certificate fully digital and will include QR Codes to check fraudulent certificates.
• Osmania University (OU) in Hyderabad (Telagana) is going to host the 105th Indian Science Congress (ISC) from 3rd to 7th January 2018. 
• Around 25 Nobel laureates are going to participate in the conference.
• Theme of the year 2017 : ‘Science and Technology–Reaching the Unreached’. 
• It will be the 7th time Hyderabad hosting ISC.

MOUs & Agreements

• India and Nepal have signed an agreement to renew supply of petroleum to Nepal for a period of five years i.e. till 2022. 
• The renewed agreement, which was overseen by the Petroleum Ministers of both countries, was signed even as both sides pledged to build a new pipeline for LPG. 

New Appointments

• Indian-American Vanita Gupta, who headed civil rights division in the Department of Justice in the Obama Administration, has been appointed as President and CEO of ‘The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights’.
• She will replace Wade Henderson who is stepping down after more than two decades.
• With this, she became the first woman to head the prestigious organisation.
• Hong Kong's electoral committee has chosen Carrie Lam, former deputy chief and China's favoured candidate, as the autonomous territory's new Chief Executive.
• With 777 out of 1,194 votes, Lam will become the first female leader of Hong Kong. 
• Important Note : Hong Kong's Chief Executive is not chosen by a public vote but by an electoral committee dominated by pro-China electors.
• Pakistan has allowed former army chief General Raheel Sharif to head a Saudi Arabia-led Islamic military alliance, which has been formed to combat terrorism especially the Islamic State.
• Raheel is expected to work on the structure of the 39-nation alliance.
• Dr.Randeep Guleria was appointed as the new Director of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS, Delhi. 
• He is going to replace Dr. M C Mishra, who had retired in January 2017 from the post of AIIMS director. 
• Note : Guleria is the first Indian to get a Doctorate of Medicine (DM) in Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine.

Banking & Economic Affairs

• The government today announced that the use of virtual currencies like Bitcoin is not authorised by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and could result in breach of anti-money laundering laws. 
• The RBI earlier warned that any user and trader dealing with virtual currencies would be doing so at his/her own risk and could face potential financial, and security risks.
• The Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority today approved a budget of nearly ₹800 crore for its various projects. 
• The decision was taken during a meeting chaired by Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. 
• A statement said that the allocation will benefit the Shivajinagar-Hinjawadi metro and Pune-Daund suburban railway projects, among others.

Science & Technology

• The Indian Navy has de-inducted TU142M Long Range Maritime Patrol aircraft after 29 years of dedicated service to the nation and 30,000 hours of accident-free flying. 
• The aircraft was formally de-inducted at a ceremony held at INS Rajali naval air station in Arakkonam, Tamil Nadu. 
• Now its role will be taken on by the newly inducted Boeing P-8I aircraft.
• A heavily modified Ford GT sports car today became the world's fastest car by hitting a top speed of 472.5 kmph in just one mile. 
• The previous world record was of 455.7 kmph, set back in 2012 by a 1,700 horsepower Ford GT. 

Deaths

• South African anti-apartheid leader Ahmed Kathrada (87) passed away.
• Kathrada spent 26 years in jail, many of them alongside former President Nelson Mandela for acts of sabotage against South Africa's white minority government. 
• He was also one of the most senior leaders to criticise President Jacob Zuma's presidency.

Awards & Honors

• Indian-origin British director Gurinder Chadha was honoured with the 2017 Sikh Jewel Award for her contribution to British cinema. 
• Some of her noted films include Bend It Like Beckham, Bhaji on the Beach and Bride and Prejudice. 
• Her latest film, “Viceroy’s House” is based on true events of the final five months of British rule in India and partition of India.

Sports Current Affairs

• India defeated Australia by 8 wickets in the fourth Test at Dharamsala today to reclaim the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2-1. 
• Note : Dharamsala Test is the first win for Ajinkya Rahane as India's captain, who was leading India for the first time in Virat Kohli's absence.
• Team India was given the ICC Test mace and a $1 million cheque (₹6.5 crore) by former cricketer Sunil Gavaskar for being the number one Test team. 
• Note : ICC awards the annual cash prize to the team holding the number one rank on April 1. 
• Indian off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin received the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy from former Indian cricketer Kapil Dev for being named the ICC Cricketer of the Year as well as the ICC Test Cricketer of the Year.
• Ashwin, who became the first Test cricketer to claim over 80 wickets in a single season of Test cricket, is the second-ranked bowler in Tests.
• Australian Cricketer and world’s fastest bowlers in his prime Shaun Tait announced his retirement from all forms of cricket. 
• In his 15-year career, he had featured in 35 ODIs, 12 T20 Internationals and only three Tests. 
• He was an integral part of Australia’s victorious campaign in the 2007 World Cup in the West Indies.

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