Daily Current Affairs, 17th February 2018

1)  Prime Minister Inaugurates World Sustainable Development Summit 2018

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

•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’. The summit seeks to serve as a common platform for global leaders and thinkers from the fields of sustainable development, energy and environment.

2)  China To Host 2018 SCO Summit At Qingdao In June

•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.

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

3)  K.P. Sharma Oli Appointed As Nepal's New PM

•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.

•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.

4)  Iranian President Hassan Rouhani Visits India

•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.

•In may 2016, Prime Minister Modi had visited Iran and 12 agreements were signed between the two nations.

5)  Unmanned Russian Cargo Ship Progress MS-08 Launched

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

•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.

6)  India And Iran Signed Agreement For The Avoidance Of Double Taxation

•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.

•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.