1) List of MoUs Signed During the Visit of Prime Minister of Italy to India
•Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni is on the 2-day visit to India. This is the first visit by an Italian premier in 10 years. Romano Prodi was the last Italian Prime Minister to visit India in February 2007.
•Here is the complete list of MoUs/Agreements signed between India and Italy during the visit of Prime Minister of Italy to India:
1. Joint Declaration of Intent of Cooperation for Safety in the Railway sector
2. MoU on 70 years of diplomatic relations between Indian Council of Cultural Relations and Ministry of Foreign Affairs & International Cooperation, Government of the Republic of Italy
3. MoU on cooperation In the field of Energy
4. Executive Protocol on Cultural Cooperation
5. MoU between the Training Unit of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation.
6. MoU for promoting mutual investments between Italian Trade Agency and Invest India
2) India, Japan Begin Three-Day Anti-Submarine Drill
•Navies of India and Japan began a three-day anti-submarine warfare exercise in the Indian Ocean region to deepen their operational coordination in the strategically important sea lanes around the two countries.
•Indian Navy's two P-8 I long-range maritime reconnaissance anti-submarine warfare aircraft and two P-3C Orion jets of the Japanese Navy will be part of the exercise. The short duration exercise is taking place amid concerns in India and Japan over China's growing presence in the Indo- Pacific region.
3) India Sends 1st Wheat Shipment to Afghanistan via Chabahar port
•Iran's key strategic port of Chabahar became operational with the maiden shipment of wheat from India to Afghanistan. It was flagged off from Kandla port in Gujarat.
•This is a major push for India's Afghan outreach bypassing Pakistan for the first time under the 2016 Indo-Afghan-Iran trilateral pact. Chabahar port is strategically located in Sistan-Balochistan province on energy-rich Iran’s southern coast in Gulf of Oman near its border with Pakistan and can be easily accessed from India’s western coast.
4) Saudi Arabia to Allow Women into Sports Stadiums from 2018
•Turki Al-Asheikh, Chairman of the General Sports Authority of Saudi Arabia has announced that Saudi women will now be able to attend sports events in stadiums starting from 2018.
•The move is aimed at empowering and engaging women in the society as an integral part of the development process. All these changes support Saudi Arabia's “Vision 2030” plan for economic and social reforms.
5) India and World Bank Signed $200 Million Loan Agreement for Assam
•The Government of India and the World Bank signed a $200 million Loan Agreement for the Assam Agribusiness and Rural Transformation Project. The Project will support Assam to facilitate agri-business investments, increase agricultural productivity and market access.
•The Project will be implemented in over 16 Districts of Assam. Over 500,000 farming households will directly benefit from the Project.
6) Heena Sidhu Wins Air Pistol Gold at Commonwealth Shooting Championships
•Ace Indian shooter Heena Sindhu has bagged gold in women's 10m Air Pistol event at Commonwealth Shooting Championships in Brisbane, Australia.
•Heena shot a score of 240.8 in the finals to beat Australia's Elena Galiabovitch, who has to settle for silver after posting 238.2. Kristy Gillman of Australia picked up the bronze medal with a score of 213.7. India also picked up their second medal through Deepak Kumar as he won bronze in men's 10m Air Rifle event.
