Current affairs : March 13th, 2017 for all competitive exams
The Admiralty
(Jurisdiction and Settlement of Maritime Claims) Bill, 2016 was recently passed
by the Lok Sabha. Admiralty laws deal with cases of accidents in navigable
waters or involve contracts related to commerce on such waters.
- The
Bill repeals laws such as the Admiralty Court Act, 1861, the Colonial
Courts of Admiralty Act, 1890.
- The
Bill aims to establish a legal framework to consolidate the existing laws
relating to admiralty jurisdiction of courts, admiralty proceedings on
maritime claims, arrest of vessels and related issues.
Chennai
team taps AI to read Indus Script
The Indus
script has long challenged epigraphists because of the difficulty in reading
and classifying text and symbols on the artefacts. Now, a Chennai-based team of
scientists has built a programme which eases the process.
- Researchers
have developed a “deep-learning” algorithm that can read the Indus script from
images of artefacts such as a seal or pottery that contain Indus writing.
Women Safety app ‘Ammavin Aran’ launched by AIADMK
The AIADMK IT Wing has launched the
first-of-its-kind women safety application in Tamil Nadu.
The app is called 'Ammavin Aran' meaning 'mother's fortress'.
- The
app will give the user details about the nearest police station and
hospital along with map details and phone number.
- There is an in-built whistle, which can manipulate the phone speaker to create a loud noise when pressed by anyone in distress.Also the app carries an in-built call recorder and and 'Tips' icon to provide life saving information.
India
to lose presence on U.N. scientific panel
India will —
for the first time in two decades — not have a member in a prestigious, U.N.
scientific body that decides what portions of the seabed can be exclusively
mined for natural resources such as oil, precious metals and minerals.
- India’s
current member to the 21-person body, called Commission on Legal
Continental Shelf (CLCS) and part of the United Nations Convention on the
Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). But, this year India has decided not to field a
candidate for the upcoming election.
- Instead,
the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), which formally nominates Indian candidates,
chose to nominate a person to another U.N. body, called the International
Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS).
Bangladesh declares March 25
as ‘Genocide Day’
Bangladesh’s unanimously adopted a resolution
declaring March 25 as Genocide Day, in remembrance of the atrocities carried
out by the Pakistani Army in the night of March 25, 1971.
- The
Pakistan Army swooped on unarmed civilians on the night of March 25, 1971,
to crush the Bengali rebellion following refusal by the military
leadership to accept the election results of 1970 in which the Awami
League got thumping majority .
- ‘Operation Searchlight’ began in the first hours
of March 25 in Dhaka.
Pakistan set to conduct its first census in 19
years
Pakistan is set to conduct its first national
census in 19 years which will begin on Wednesday with the assistance of over
200,000 troops.
- Army
spokesman Major General Asif Ghafoor and Minister of State for Information
Marriyum Aurangzeb addressed a joint conference about preparation for the
sixth census, which will be conducted in two phases and will be completed
on May 25, 2017.
- Islamabad last
conducted a census in 1998, which recorded a national population of
approximately 180 million at that time.
Brahmos
missile
India has
successfully test-fired the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile, which is capable
of carrying a warhead of 300 kg, from a test range along the Odisha coast. The
cruise missile was test fired from a mobile launcher.
- BrahMos
has been developed as part of a joint venture between India and Russia,
and the missile had an initial range of 290 km. India has been able to
work on increasing the range of the BrahMos missile from its current 290
km after it became a member of the prestigious Missile Technology Control
Regime (MTCR).
ICICI Bank, SBI top bank frauds list: RBI
As per RBI data, ICICI Bank topped the list of
banks that witnessed most number of frauds during April to December period of
2016 with state-owned SBI taking the second spot.
- During
the first nine months of the current fiscal, as many as 455 fraud cases,
involving 1 lakh rupees and above, were detected in ICICI Bank, closely
followed by SBI with 429, Standard Chartered with 244 and HDFC Bank with
237.
Over 1 lakh SB accounts opened in TN: Airtel
Payments Bank
Airtel Payments Bank, offered by telecom major
Bharti Airtel, announced that over one lakh savings accounts were opened in 100
villages across Tamil Nadu.
- By
launching the service, Airtel Payments Bank will not charge any processing
fee from its customers and merchant partners for digital transactions.
Payment Banks accept deposits from individuals and small businesses
up to a maximum of Rs 1 lakh per account.
Manohar Parrikar appointed Goa chief minister
Defence minister Manohar Parrikar appointed as
the Goa chief minister after BJP concluded hectic negotiations with regional
parties and independents to stitch up the numbers to form a government.
- He
was made the Defence Minister at the Centre in 2014 and was succeeded by
Laxmikant Parsekar as the Chief Minister.
Sena's Vishwanath Mahadeshwar elected as Mumbai
Mayor
Shiv Sena's Vishwanath Mahadeshwar elected as the
Mayor of Mumbai with the support of the BJP, marking a coming together of the
two parties after contesting the civic polls separately.
- Mahadeshwar
defeated Congress nominee Vitthal Lokare by 171-31 margin. He is the 76th
mayor of the city.
All England Open badminton: Lee Chong Wei of
Malaysia lifts Men's Singles crown
Lee Chong Wei of Malaysia has lifted the Men's
Singles crown at the All England Open badminton championships.In the final in
Birmingham, the 34-year-old world number one defeated Shi Yuqi of China in
straight games 21-12, 21-10.
- For the Malaysian, it is his fifth Singles Title in seven finals in the prestigeous championships.
