17th April 2017 Important Daily Current Affairs

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Dear Great Ambitionists, here are today's (17th April 2017) Important Current Affairs updates. Happy Reading :)

Daily Current Affairs of 17th April 2017

International Current Affairs

• Today (17th April) is World Hemophilia Day.
• This day is observed every year on this day to raise awareness about various issues that the global community suffering from bleeding disorder faces as a whole.
• Theme of World Hemophilia Day 2017 : Hear Their Voices
• Nepal President Bidhya Devi Bhandari arrives in New Delhi today on a five-day India visit.
• This is her first state visit abroad after assuming the office in October 2015.
• She is visiting at the invitation of President Pranab Mukherjee.
  
• During this visit, she will meet the senior leadership here besides visiting temples in Gujarat and Odisha.
• Turkish President Recep Erdoğan has declared victory in Sunday's referendum on transforming the country's governance from a parliamentary system to an executive presidency.
• Erdoğan claimed there were 1.3 million more votes cast in his favour. 
• Apart from extending the term, the changes proposed allow Turkey's President to dissolve the parliament and impose emergencies.
• A Sikh organisation, National Sikh Campaign (NSC), has launched a $1.5 million (₹9.6 crore) TV campaign to educate Americans about Sikhism. 
• The campaign will explain how Sikhism's values of tolerance and equality reflect those of the nation, according to its promoters.

National Current Affairs

• Union Minister Nitin Gadkari has today announced that his ministry is planning to construct a "Historic landmark bigger than Burj Khalifa" in Mumbai and a green, smart road three times bigger than the Marine Drive in the city. 
• The plans are ready and awaiting Centre's nod, he added. 
• The plan also includes the creation of spaces for engagement, maritime museum and marinas.
• Important Points to Note :
• The present tallest building in the city is 254-metre tall Imperial Towers in Tardeo. 
• The 60-floor residential buildings are followed by Ahuja towers in Prabhadevi (250-metre), Nirvana Towers, Borivli (250-metre), Indiabulls Sky in Lower Parel (240-metre) and Lodha Fiorenza 1 in Goregaon (225-metre).
• IIT Kharagpur has decided to introduce Vastu Shastra courses for undergraduate and post-graduate students.
• The faculty members reportedly believe Vastu studies aren't rooted in religion but instead have a scientific basis and its introduction will open up new avenues. "
• PM Narendra Modi today inaugurated Kiran Multi Super Speciality Hospital and Research Center which has been built by a private trust in Surat. 
• The poor must have access to quality and affordable healthcare, Modi said.
• Note : This is his first visit to Surat ever since he assumed the office in 2014.

Books & Authors

• The government of Japan has approved using Adolf Hitler's autobiography 'Mein Kampf' (My Struggle), as teaching material in schools for educational purposes.
• However, the government has said that if the book will be used in a way that promotes racial discrimination then that would be considered inappropriate and will lead to a strict response from regulators.

Science & Technology

• China will launch its first cargo spacecraft Tianzhou-1 between April 20 & 24 to provide supplies for the country's future space station

Awards & Honors

• Indian gymnast Dipa Karmakar and wrestler Sakshi Malik have been included in Forbes' '30 Under 30' Asia 2017 list. 
• Karmakar is India's only female Olympic gymnast while Sakshi won a bronze medal at the Rio Olympic Games. 
• The list also features 25-year-old Sharath Gayakwad, India's first Paralympic swimmer and Arjuna award winner, who has 96 medals to his name.
• 22-year-old Horcelie Sinda Wa Mbongo, born with HIV, was crowned Miss Congo UK 2017.

Banking, Business & Economic Affairs

• Compensation of bank management will soon be based on the performance of their banks, according to the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). 
• In RBI's revised prompt corrective action norms, restriction on compensation has been recommended towards banks that breach the third-level risk threshold of either capital, bad loans, or profitability. 
• This framework would apply to all banks operating in India.
• Government-owned Union Bank of India, which lost $171 million (₹1,100 crore at today's rates) because of a hack last year, worked with the RBI and government to track and retrieve the amount within six days.
• The heist had taken place through a phishing email that appeared to be from the RBI, causing the transfer of funds to four different countries.
• Chinese oil imports surged to an all-time high last month, overtaking the United States as the world's biggest buyer of crude. 
• March imports stood at 9.17 million barrels per day compared to 8.286 million barrels per day in February. 
• The increase in oil imports is being attributed to purchases by independent domestic refiners, who received new import quotas in January.

Sports Current Affairs

• Ferrari's Formula One racer Sebastian Vettel pipped British rival, Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton to win the Bahrain Grand Prix today. 
• With the win, Vettel has taken a seven-point lead in the drivers' world championship.

Read more Daily Current Affairs updates from here

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