Current Affairs 17th February 2018: Daily GK Update

Dear Aspirants,

The General Awareness Section of Banking Exams covers numerous sections in it like Banking Awareness, Static GK, and Current Affairs. But the most important thing that you might have noticed is that both the Banking Awareness and Static Awareness questions asked in the General Awareness Section are based on Current Affairs only. The questions on Static and Banking Awareness are related to the countries, events or anything that has been in news for a while. Apart from the GA Section, an excellent knowledge of current news also helps you deal with the PI (Personal Interview) more efficiently so you do not give a mumble jumble answer to the interviewee's simple questions. Here is the Daily GK Update to get you acquainted with the top events that made the headlines today!!

Current Affairs 17th February 2018: Daily GK Update

National News

1. Canadian PM Arrives on a 7-day Visit to India

i. Prime Minister of Canada, Justin Trudeau will arrive in India on a seven-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. Prime Minister 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.

Static/Current Takeaways Important for Canara Bank PO 2018 Exam-

Canada Capital- Ottawa, Currency- Canadian dollar.

2. Iranian President Hassan Rouhani Visits India

i. Prime Minister 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, Prime Minister Modi had visited Iran and 12 agreements were signed between the two nations.

Static/Current Takeaways Important for Canara Bank PO 2018 Exam-

Iran Capital- Tehran, Currency- Iranian rial.

3. India and Iran Signed Agreement for the Avoidance of Double Taxation

i. India and Iran signed an Agreement for the Avoidance of Double Taxation (DTAA) 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.

Static/Current Takeaways Important for Canara Bank PO 2018 Exam-

Iran Capital- Tehran, Currency- Iranian rial.

4. Prime Minister Inaugurates World Sustainable Development Summit 2018

i. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the World Sustainable Development Summit 2018 (WSDS 2018) at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi.

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

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 (NDB) 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 (IGNP) built during 1958-63 to prevent seepage.

Static/Current Takeaways Important for Syndicate Bank PO 2018 Exam-

During the sixth BRICS Summit in Fortaleza (2014), the leaders signed the Agreement for establishing the New Development Bank (NDB).
NDB Headquarters in Shanghai, China.

International News

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 (ISS).

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.

Static/Current Takeaways Important for Syndicate Bank PO 2018 Exam-

Russia Capital- Moscow, Currency- Russian ruble, President- Vladimir Putin.

7. China to Host 2018 SCO Summit at Qingdao in June

i. China will host 2018 Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) 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.

Static/Current Takeaways Important for Syndicate Bank PO 2018 Exam-

The full members of the SCO are China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, India and Pakistan.
Afghanistan, Belarus, Iran and Mongolia have observer status at present.
India and Pakistan were admitted as full members of the organisation at the summit in Astana 2017.

Appointments

8. 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 (CPN-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 (CPN-UML), at a function held at President’s Office.

Static/Current Takeaways Important for Syndicate Bank PO 2018 Exam-

Nepal Capital- Kathmandu, Currency- Nepalese rupee.

Awards

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.

Static/Current Takeaways Important for Syndicate Bank PO 2018 Exam-

The Scientific and Engineering Award is given for scientific achievements that produce a definite influence on the advancement of the motion picture industry.

Read GK Update in Hindi

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