DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS: 17 FEB 2018

DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS: 17 FEB 2018

(DAILY NEWS INDIA)

SHARED BY: WWW.DAILYGK.IN

1.      IRANIAN PRESIDENT HASSAN ROUHANI VISITS INDIA

i. PM Narendra Modi will hold bilateral talks with visiting Iranian President Hassan Rouhani in New Delhi,  during which discussions on the issues of regional, international and mutual interest will be held. This is the first visit by Iranian President to India in 10 years.

ii. In may 2016, PM Modi had visited Iran and 12 agreements were signed between the two nations.

2.      CANADIAN PM ARRIVES ON A 7-DAY VISIT TO INDIA

i. PM of Canada, Justin Trudeau will arrive in India on a 7-day State visit. According to the Ministry of External Affairs, his visit is aimed at further strengthening bilateral relations between the two countries in key areas of mutual interest including trade and investment, energy, science and innovation, higher education, infrastructure development, skill development and space.

ii. PM Narendra Modi had paid a bilateral visit to Canada in April 2015. The last visit of a Canadian Prime Minister to India was in November 2012.

3.      PRIME MINISTER INAUGURATES WORLD SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT SUMMIT 2018

i. Indian PM Narendra Modi inaugurated the World Sustainable Development Summit 2018 at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi.

ii. The summit is the flagship forum of The Energy and Resources Institute. The summit’s theme this year was ‘Partnerships for a Resilient Planet’.

4.      INDIA AND IRAN SIGNED AGREEMENT FOR THE AVOIDANCE OF DOUBLE TAXATION

i. India and Iran signed an Agreement for the Avoidance of Double Taxation and the Prevention of Fiscal Evasion with respect to taxes on income. The Agreement is on similar lines as entered into by India with other countries.

ii. The Agreement will stimulate the flow of investment, technology and personnel from India to Iran & vice versa, and will prevent double taxation. It will improve transparency in tax matters and will help curb tax evasion and tax avoidance.

5.      GOVERNMENT INKS $100 MILLION LOAN AGREEMENT WITH NDB FOR RAJASTHAN WATER PROJECT

i. The government has signed second Loan Agreement with New Development Bank for the financing of Rajasthan Water Sector Restructuring Project for the Desert Areas.

ii. This is the first tranche loan of $100 million was approved by the NDB under Multi-Tranche Financing Facility of $345 million for this project. The objective of the project is to rehabilitate 678 km long Indira Gandhi Nahar Project built during 1958-63 to prevent seepage.

6.      UNMANNED RUSSIAN CARGO SHIP PROGRESS MS-08 LAUNCHED

i. Russian space agency Roskosmos has successfully launched Progress MS-08, an unmanned cargo spacecraft for the International Space Station.

ii. It was launched onboard of Soyuz-2.1a rocket from Russian-leased Baikonur launch facility in Kazakhstan. Soyuz-2.1a has four strap-on boosters and core engine, all fueled by a mix of kerosene and liquid oxygen.

7.      K.P. SHARMA OLI APPOINTED AS NEPAL'S NEW PM

i. K.P. Sharma Oli was sworn in as Nepal’s Prime Minister for the second time, weeks after his Left alliance with the Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist swept the parliamentary polls. He has replaced Sher Bahadur Deuba.

ii. President Bidya Devi Bhandari administered the oath of office and secrecy to Mr Oli and two other Ministers, both from the Communist Party of Nepal-Unified Marxist-Leninist, at a function held at President’s Office.

8.      CHINA TO HOST 2018 SCO SUMMIT AT QINGDAO IN JUNE

i. China will host 2018 Shanghai Cooperation Organization Summit at Qingdao, eastern Shandong Province in June 2018. China had taken over rotating chair of SCO after 17th SCO summit concluded in Astana, capital of Kazakhstan in June 2017.

ii. SCO is a Eurasian economic, political and security organisation headquartered in Beijing, China. It was founded in 2001.

9.      INDIAN ENGINEER AWARDED SCI-TECH OSCAR AWARD

i. Vikas Sathaye, a Pune-born person has been honoured with the Scientific and Engineering Academy Award at the Oscars Scientific and Technical Awards 2018 at Beverly Hills in Los Angeles, California.

ii. Sathaye and his team received the award for his contribution towards conceptualisation, designing, engineering, and the implementation of the 'Shotover K1 Camera System' during his stint at Shotover Camera Systems in Queenstown, New Zealand.

OBJECTIVE QUESTIONS BASED ON TODAY’S NEWS

Q1. PRIME MINISTER OF CANADA IS ON SEVEN DAY VISIT TO INDIA FOR STRENGTHENING BILATERAL RELATIONS BETWEEN THE TWO COUNTRIES. WHO IS THE PRESENT PRIME MINISTER OF CANADA?

a)  Thomas Mulcair

b)  Nycole Turmel

c)  Justin Trudeau

d)  Andrew Scheer

Q2. IN WHICH OF THE FOLLOWING CITY, INDIAN PRIME MINISTER NARENDRA MODI HAS RECENTLY INAUGURATED THE WORLD SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT SUMMIT 2018?

a)  Mysore

b)  Bengaluru

c)  Chandigarh

d)  New Delhi

Q3. THE GOVERNMENT OF INDIA HAS RECENTLY SIGNED SECOND LOAN AGREEMENT WITH NEW DEVELOPMENT BANK FOR THE FINANCING OF RAJASTHAN WATER SECTOR RESTRUCTURING PROJECT. THE NDB HEADQUARTERS IN?

a)  Singapore

b)  Beijing

c)  Shanghai

d)  Geneva

Q4. PRIME MINISTER NARENDRA MODI HELD A BILATERAL TALK WITH VISITING IRANIAN PRESIDENT IN NEW DELHI. WHO IS THE PRESENT PRESIDENT OF IRAN?

a)  Hassan Rouhani

b)  Ali Khamenei

c) Hashemi Rafsanjanid

c)  Mohammad Khatami

Q5. WHO OF THE FOLLOWING IS NEWLY APPOINTED PRIME MINISTER OF NEPAL?

a)  Sher Bahadur Deuba

b)  K.P. Sharma Oli

c)  Pushpa Kamal Dahal

d)  Khil Raj Regmi

ANSWERS: 

1 - C    2 - D    3 - C    4 - A    5 - B