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Daily Current Affairs 18 August 2017: Your guide for daily General Knowledge Preparation

Dear Readers,

This post contains important current affairs of 18 August 2017. It includes all Major National, International, Business and Sports related current affairs of 18 August 2017. A brief explanation of every current affair is provided to further enhance your general knowledge. Once you have gone through these current affairs we would recommend to you to try 18August 2017 Current affairs test.

National News

1. Army to get 6 Apache choppers.

  • The Indian Army got a step closer to having its own dedicated fleet of attack helicopters, with the Defence Ministry approving the purchase of six AH-64 Apache attack helicopters from the U.S.
  • In another deal, the DAC gave approval for procuring two gas turbine engines from Ukraine, to be fitted on the two stealth frigates under construction in Russia. They will cost over Rs.490crore.

2. Activist Irom Sharmila marries British man Desmond Coutinho.

  • Activist Irom Sharmila married her longtime partner, British citizen Desmond Coutinho in Tamil Nadu.
  • The 45-year old ‘Iron Lady of Manipur’ ended her 16 year long fast in 2016 and contested and lost Manipur Assembly polls this year.

3. BJP receives highest share of corporate donations.

  • Between financial years 2012-13 and 2015-16, five national parties received a total of Rs. 1,070.68 crore via voluntary contributions above 20,000. Of this, 89% was from corporate and business houses.
  • The BJP received the highest share of the corporate donations, lapping up 705.81 crore from 2,987 corporate donors.

4. No one should try to change status quo by force: Japan on Doklam stand-off.

  • Japan said no country should use unilateral forces to alter the status of Doklam, in the India-Bhutan-Tibet tri-junction where the standoff between India and China entered the second month.
  • Japan is the first major power to talk openly in favor of India on Doklam standoff.

International News

1. US General pledges to defend Japan from N Korean attack.

  • America’s top military official has reiterated his country’s pledge to defend Japan against a North Korean missile attack.
  • North Korea has threatened to test-fire missiles that would fly over Japan and land in waters off the U.S. territory of Guam.
  • Interestingly, the U.S. is treaty-bound to defend Japan from outside attacks.

2. ISIS claims responsibility of terror attack in Spain.

  • Terror attack in which drivers ploughed into pedestrians in quick succession, in separate attacks in Barcelona and another popular Spanish seaside city, killing 14 people and injuring more than 100.
  • The Spanish police shot and killed five people carrying bomb belts who were connected to the Barcelona van attack. ISIS has claimed responsibility of terror attack in Spain.

3. Malala Yousafzai accepted to study at Oxford University.

  • Pakistan Nobel prize winner Malala Yousafzai has gained a place to study Politics, Philosophy and Economics at the university of Oxford.
  • The Human Rights and Education advocate was nearly killed by the Taliban in Pakistan for campaigning for girls rights to education in 2012.

4.Saudi to restart work on USD 26.6bn Grand Mosque expansion.

  • The Grand Mosque in Mecca is set to undergo a USD 26.6bn expansion, nearly two years after work stopped in the wake of crane collapse at site which left 107 people dead.
  • The development of Grand Mosque and its surrounding area will resume after the annual haj pilgrimage

Business News

1. Infosys MD and CEO Vishal Sikka resigns.

  • Infosysy MD and CEO Vishal Sikka has resigned from both the posts. He is now appointed as the Executive Vice chairman of the company.
  • Infosysy has appointed its COO UB Pravin Rao as a interim CEO.

2. Infosys looses around Rs.25,000 crore in value as Sikkka resigns as CEO.

  • After Vishal Sikka’s resignationas CEO and MD Infosys shares plunged by 13%, wiping out Rs.24,839 crore market capitalization.
  • The stock touched a low of Rs.884 a share and fell as much as 13%.
  • Rio Paralympics silver—medallist Deepa Malik and Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar have requested the Sports Ministry to reconsider her for this year’s Khelratna award.
  • The award selection panel has recommended javelin thrower Devendra Jhajharia, the gold medal winner at the 2016 Rio Paralympics, and former hockey captain Sardar Singh for Khel Ratna.

3. FM asks states to cut VAT on Natural Gas and other fuels.

  • Finance minister Arun Jaitley has written to state chief ministers seeking a cut in sales tax or VAT on fuels like natural gas that have been kept out of the GST but are used as inputs for goods that come under the new indirect tax regime.
  • Crude oil, petrol, diesel, natural gas and jet fuel (ATF) have been kept out of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) replacing over a dozen central and state levies like central excise, service tax and VAT with a single uniform levy.

Sports News

1. Deepa Malik gets backing by Haryana CM for Khelratna

2. Kohli continues to top ICC ODI batsman with 873 points.

  • India captain Virat Kohli continued to be the world’s top-ranked One-day batsman in the latest ICC ODI rankings.
  • Other Indian batsmen in the top-15 are former skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni (12th), Shikhar Dhawan (13th) and vice-captain Rohit Sharma (14th).

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