Important Current Affairs of March 4, 2016

IMPORTANT CURRENT AFFAIRS OF MARCH 4, 2016

• On March 3, 2016 World Wildlife Day was observed.
• All UN Member States observe this day to celebrate and raise awareness of the world’s wild fauna and flora.
• On 20 December 2013, at its 68th session, the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) decided to proclaim 3 March, the day of the adoption of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), as World Wildlife Day.
• This day was proposed by Thailand.
• Theme for World Wildlife Day 2016 : The future of wildlife is in our hands.
• South Korea's parliament has passed the country's first anti-terror bill, with opposition lawmakers leaving the plenary chamber after ending the nine-day marathon speeches.
• The bill, which was first brought up in South Korea in 2001 after the 9/11 terrorist attacks in the US, had repeatedly failed to be enacted due to worries about abuse of power by the country's spy agency.
• According to a study by real estate consultant Savills, London has topped the list of world's 20 most expensive cities to base an employee. 
• Note : The only Indian city on the list is Mumbai at rank 17.
• According to reports, Pope Francis will embark on his first-ever visit to Pakistan this year, after having been invited by Pakistan's Ports and Shipping Minister Kamran Michael on behalf of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. 
• The Pope reportedly accepted the invitation and will interact with Pakistan's minority Christian community and visit a church, besides meeting Sharif and the President of Pakistan.
• The Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley introduced a new Aadhaar Bill - theAadhaar Targeted Delivery of Financial and Other Subsidies, Benefits and Services Bill 2016 - in the Lok Sabha.
• The bill will provide a legal basis to the the unique identification number.
• The CBI has set up a working group to coordinate with various financial institutions to help curb financial frauds. 
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi On March 3, 2016 proposed that only women members should address the Parliament on March 8, in an effort to mark the International Women's Day. 
• Important Points to Note : 
• The Lok Sabha currently has 62 women MPs – over 11% of the total house strength of 545. 
• This marks the highest ever representation of women in the Lower House.
• The Government has decided to set up '1033' as a toll free national helpline number to report road accidents. 
• The helpline would also cater to other issues relating to the National Highways.
• TISS and the ICRW have come together to introduce the Gender Equity Movement in Schools (GEMS) program in public schools across Maharashtra. 
• This program is going to be implemented in 25,000 schools as a part of the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan. 
• The program aims to inculcate gender-equitable values among children between the ages of 12 and 14.
• TISS - Tata Institute of Social Sciences
• ICRW - International Center for Research on Women
• Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy On March 3, 2016 inaugurated an Air Ambulance facility catering to patients with urgent medical requirements, including organ transplant. 
• The Kerala government will bear the expenses for the transport of organs through the facility, for which ₹5 crore has been earmarked. 
• The service is expected to begin in two months, after the required aircraft is acquired.
• The Andhra Pradesh Cabinet On March 3, 2016 approved a first-of-its-kind policy on Internet of Things (IoT). 
• The state government aims to set up 10 IoT hubs with private players' participation and create 50,000 jobs.
• Google On March 3, 2016 announced that it is working with the UNICEF to analyze data for mapping and predicting the spread of the Zika virus, linked to birth defects among children. 
• The company announced a $1 million grant to UNICEF to support the development of the vaccines. 
• Google has also started prominently providing information about the virus in its search engine.
• E-commerce major Flipkart On March 3, 2016 launched its own wallet and payment method called ‘Flipkart Money’. 
• Currently available on Android devices, users can recharge the wallet with ₹10,000 at a time and a total of ₹25,000 can be added in a month.
• Note: The development comes after Flipkart’s acquisition of payments services start-up FX Mart in 2015.
• Multi-Commodity Exchange On March 3, 2016 announced appointment of Mrugank Paranjape as MD & CEO of the exchange.
• Note : Since May 2014, the exchange was functioning without an MD. P K Singhal was handling the affairs of the exchange as joint MD.
• The government is going to replace the existing Five-year plan system with a medium-term fiscal framework that will project fiscal allocations for the next three years beginning 2017-18, Niti Aayog Vice-chairman Arvind Panagariya said. 
• This comes in the backdrop of the 12th Plan period ending in 2016-17. 
• The last two years of the current plan will be used as transition, he added.
• An Emirates Airbus A380 completed the world's longest direct commercial flight after landing in Auckland On March 3, 2016, having started the journey 14,201 kilometers away in Dubai. 
• The previous record was held by Qantas’ Sydney-to-Dallas flight for a journey of around 13,798 kilometers.
• Note : It was also the longest direct journey by flight time, at about 17 hours and 15 minutes.
• US Defense Secretary Ash Carter On March 3, 2016 announced that former Google CEOEric Schmidt will head Pentagon's recently unveiled Defense Innovation Advisory Board. 
• The new board will help the Pentagon in becoming more innovative and adaptive in developing technology by bringing in Silicon Valley innovations. 
• Lieutenant Colonel Sofia Qureshi became the first woman to lead an Indian Army contingent at the largest-ever foreign military training exercise 'Force 18', being held in Pune.
• A Ream of Refugees will compete at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Brazil. 
• Athletes will be selected for the Team of Refugee Olympic Athletes based on their sporting qualifications and a United Nations-verified refugee status. 
• The move is aimed at sending a message of hope to all the refugees of the world.
• Eminent poet Dr Bhagwati Lal Vyas has been selected for the 2015 Bihari Puraskar for his anthology of Rajasthani poems ‘Katha Sun Aawe Hai Sabad’ published in 2010. 
• Whitfield Diffie and Martin Hellman, the two men who created the famousDiffie-Helman public-key exchange protocol, are conferred with the prestigious Turing Award.
• Important Note : Turing Award is also known as Oscars of computer science and technology.
• Former New Zealand captain Martin Crowe has died of cancer at the age of 53 On March 3, 2016.
• Auckland-born Crowe is widely regarded as one of New Zealand's best ever batsman, having scored 17 centuries and 5,444 runs in 77 tests at an average of 45.36. 
• Crowe captained the Kiwis in 16 Test matches and his highest score was 299 against Sri Lanka in Wellington in 1991.
• He was named one of Wisden's Cricketers of the Year in 1985 and was player of the tournament in the 1992 World Cup after scoring 456 runs in nine matches.
• Tony Warren (79), creator of television’s longest-running soap operaCoronation Street, passed away.
• Nike On March 3, 2016 unveiled new kits for Indian men's and women's cricket teams for the upcoming ICC World T20. 
• Showcasing the country’s signature blue, the jersey features a new collar design and four-way stretch pants with articulated patterning to withstand aggressive play.