Current Affairs 17th February 2017 | General Awareness 17th February 2017

1. Agreement between India and Rwanda

⦁ Cabinet has approved the signing of Air Services Agreement between India and Rwanda.
⦁ The Agreement has the potential to spur greater trade, investment, tourism and cultural exchange between India and Rwanda, bringing it in tune with developments in the civil aviation sector.
⦁ It will provide enabling the environment for enhanced and seamless connectivity while providing commercial opportunities.

2. Karnataka Cabinet clears Mekadatu project

⦁ Karnataka has decided to implement the Rs. 5,912 crore Mekedatu multi-purpose (drinking and power) project that involves building a balancing reservoir across the Cauvery near Kanakapura in Ramanagaram district.
⦁ However, the project has been opposed by Tamil Nadu on the grounds that it violates the Cauvery tribunal order. But, Karnataka has said that it aims to utilise excess water after releasing 192 tmcft to Tamil Nadu.

3. Tamil Nadu Governor appoints Edappadi K Palaniswami as chief minister

⦁ Ending the political impasse in Tamil Nadu, Governor Ch. Vidyasagar Rao on 16th Feb 2017 evening administered the oath of office to Edappadi K. Palaniswami as the 13th Chief Minister along with a Council of 30 Ministers.
⦁ Mr. Palaniswami said he would take a floor test in the Assembly at 11.a.m. on 18th Feb 2017 to prove his majority, ostensibly to ensure that there is no room for horse trading by the rebel camp headed by former Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam.

4. Sandeep Singh Indian International Hockey Player Receives Honorary Doctorate

⦁ Indian professional hockey player Sandeep Singh has been honored with an Honorary Doctorate Degree by Desh Bhagat University, a private educational institution in Amloh, Fatehgarh Sahib District of Punjab.
⦁ He is the second Indian hockey player to receive this award. The only first player was Dileep Tirkey, former captain and sitting Member of Parliament, to receive an honorary degree for sporting excellence from Sambalpur University in 2010.

5. Vikas Swarup appointed India’s next envoy to Canada

⦁ The Indian Foreign Service (IFS) Vikas Swarup was appointed as India’s High Commissioner to Canada on February 16, 2017. He will replace Syed Akabarudddin who is who is moved as serving as India’s Permanent representativessioner to Canada on February 16, 2017. He will replace Syed Akabarudddin who is who is moved as serving as India’s Permanent representative in the United Nations

⦁ Vikas is currently working as the spokesperson of Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).He had served the country’s in several embassies including US and Turkey.

6. International Conference on NexGen Technologies

⦁ Union Minister for Science & Technology and Earth Science Dr. Harsh Vardhan has inaugurated the three-day International Conference on “NexGen Technologies for Mining and Fuel Industries” (NxGnMiFu-2017) in New Delhi on February 15, 2017
⦁ To innovate new techniques, technologies and applications for clean, safe, symbiotic sustenance of society, environment and industries in the post-2020 era.

7.India, Afghanistan take a hard line on Taliban at Moscow conference

⦁ India and Afghanistan took a hard line at the six-nation talks in Moscow on Wednesday, opposing the dominant view from Russia, China and Pakistan to involve the Taliban in reconciliation efforts.
⦁ Briefing the media about the outcome of the talks that were held between senior officials of all the countries, that also included Iran, External Affairs spokesperson Vikas Swarup said that denying “safe havens or sanctuaries to any terrorist group or individual in countries of our region,” was essential to stabilising the situation in Afghanistan.

8. January 2017 is third warmest month in 137 years: NASA

A group of scientists at Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS) of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) conducted a monthly analysis of global temperatures. The analysis marked January 2017 as the third-warmest January in 137 years of modern record-keeping.The result of the analysis was announced on 15 February 2017.

9. Government appoints 5 new judges to Supreme Court

Five new judges are appointed to the Supreme Court by the President Pranab Mukherjee. Now the total number of judges in the Supreme Court raised to 28 from 23
1.Madras High Court Chief Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul
2.Rajasthan HC Chief Justice Naveen Sinha
3.Kerala HC Chief Justice Mohan M Shantanagouder
4.Chhattisgarh HC Chief Justice Dipak Gupta
5.Karnataka HC judge S Abdul Nazeer.

The post Current Affairs 17th February 2017 | General Awareness 17th February 2017 appeared first on Exambin | Social Competitive Learning.