Current Affairs 18th March 2017

Current Affairs 18th March 2017 - Important Points

• World’s oldest red algae fossils found in - India
• Japan launched satellite to - Monitor North Korea
• India and Brazil signed agreement to protect - Rights of detached workers
• Who has sworn-in as Uttarakhand Chief Minister ? - Trivendra Singh Rawat
• Who has been elected as Leader of UP BJP State Legislature Party? - Yogi Adityanath

Current Affairs 18th March 2017 - Details

World’s oldest red algae fossils found in - India

• A group of scientists in India unearthed a pair of 1.6 billion-year-old fossils that appear to contain red algae. 
• It is estimated that it may be the oldest plant-like life discovered on Earth so far.
• The study was published in the journal PLOS Biology in March 2017.

 Japan launched satellite to - Monitor North Korea

Japan launched a new satellite to track land and maritime movements in North Korea on 17th March 2017. The satellite will also be able to conduct surveys on the weapons programme of the secretive nuclear-armed state. The project was conducted by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, the aerospace manufacturer. 

Interesting Highlights

• The Radar 5 unit was launched into space on Japan’s H-2A rocket from Tanegashima base, a site located towards the south-east of Japan. 
• The launch was initially scheduled for 15th March but it got delayed due to poor weather conditions at the base.
• The satellite is going to replace an existing satellite, which is coming to the end of its mission.
•  The threat of unprecedented missile firing by North Korea has only accelerated after that, especially recently after three of the four ballistic missiles launched by N Korea landed extremely close to Japan.

Do you know?

Japan initiated the process of launching spy satellites in 2003 into the orbit, after North Korea’s testing of a mid-range ballistic missile over the Japanese mainland and into the western Pacific in 1998. 

India and Brazil signed agreement to protect - Rights of detached workers

India and Brazil signed a social security agreement on 16th March 2017 in Brazil's capital Brasilia, exempting detached workers of the two countries from making social security contribution in either of the country, as long as they were making such contributions in their own respective nations. The text was signed between the Indian delegate led by Joint Secretary of the External Affairs Ministry, K Nagaraj Naidu and Brazilian delegate led by Benedito A Brunca, Secretary, Ministry of Finance, Government of Brazil. The same was confirmed via a statement from the Ministry of External Affairs.

Things to know

• The agreement establishes the rights and obligations of nationals belonging to both the countries and provides equal treatment and unrestricted payment of pensions even in the case of residence in the other contracting state. 
• The requirements to be raised for pension can be met by aggregating the periods of insurance completed in India and Brazil, whereby each country pays only the pension for the insurance periods covered by its laws.
• India has signed such Social Security Agreements (SSAs) with 18 countries so far including Finland, France, Germany,Australia, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Sweden,Austria, Belgium, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, Hungary, Japan, Switzerland, and South Korea.
• The agreement will come into force in the first half of 2018. It will have a positive impact on the profitability and competitive  position of companies of both Brazil and India that are operating in either’s territory. 
• The agreement will also help to promote more investment flow between the two countries. 
• It will be the first such agreement between the BRICS nations, Once the text comes into force.

Who has sworn-in as Uttarakhand Chief Minister ? - Trivendra Singh Rawat

Trivendra Singh Rawat sworn-in as the Chief Minister of Uttarakhand by the State Governor Krishna Kant Paul at the Parade Ground in Dehrandun on 18th March 2017. TS Rawat succeeded Harish Rawat of the Indian National Congress (INC) after the recent general elections to the State Legislative Assembly held in the February 2017 elections.

More about new Uttarakhand CM

• He is 56 years old and completed a post-graduate degree in history and a diploma in journalism from the Hemwati Nandan Bahuguna Garhwal University.
• Rawat joined the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh in 1979 before becoming its pracharak for the Dehradun region in 1985.
• He was the organizing secretary of the RSS in the Uttarakhand region.
• He was elected as a Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) of the Uttarakhand from Doiwala constituency in 2002 for the first time.

Do you know?

He was appointed as a National Secretary of the BJP in 2013 and as the Jharkhand incharge in 2014.

Who has been elected as Leader of UP BJP State Legislature Party? - Yogi Adityanath

 Gorakhpur Member of Parliament (MP) Yogi Adityanath was elected as the Leader of UP BJP State Legislature Party on 18th March 2017. He is set to become the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh. He is swearing on 19th March 2017 at a ceremony in Lucknow, which is expected to be attended by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Important Highlights

• He was born on 15th June 1972 in Panchur, Uttarakhand.
• He is Science Graduate from H.N.B. Garhwal University, Srinagar (Garhwal), Uttarakhand.
• He was elected to the Lok Sabha for 5 times.
• Adityanath became the Gorakhnath Mutt Mahant following the death of Mahant Avaidyanath in September 2014.