Find the current affairs of 21 August 2026. Stay updated with the most important news and events that have occurred on this day. Our daily current affairs updates are carefully curated by GK and Current Affairs experts, ensuring that you receive accurate and relevant information to enhance your competitive exam preparation.
Each update is designed to provide you with a comprehensive overview of the day’s key happenings, including political developments, economic news, technological advancements, and significant social events.
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Highlights of Current Affairs 21 August 2026
- The Supreme Court has sought the Union Government’s response to a PIL on banning polygamy among Muslims and considering a uniform prohibition across communities, reviving debate on personal laws, gender equality and the UCC.
- Uttarakhand became the first Indian state to implement a Uniform Civil Code, prohibiting polygamy and bigamy while exempting Scheduled Tribes; NFHS-5 data shows polygamy prevalence is actually slightly higher among Christians (2.1%) than Muslims (1.9%) or Hindus (1.3%).
- UNESCO’s report finds every $1 invested in investigative journalism can generate over $100 in public savings, and press-freedom decline correlates with a 1–2% dip in real GDP growth; it recommends allocating ~0.1% of global GDP to public-interest media.
- India and Malaysia held their 2nd Joint Working Group Meeting, launching a three-year (2027–2029) Governance Partnership Action Plan covering digital transformation, AI, and civil-servant training under India’s ITEC/NCGG programmes; bilateral trade stood at ~$19.86 billion in FY2024–25.
- A Parliamentary Standing Committee flagged major gaps in India’s Arctic Policy, 2022 — no indigenous ice-class polar research vessel, fragmented diplomacy, limited funding, and no dedicated Arctic legislation — recommending a Special Envoy for Arctic Affairs and an interim leased vessel.
- The US sanctioned ICC President Tomoko Akane and prosecutor Abdoulaye Seye under Executive Order 14203, reigniting debate over ICC jurisdiction over nationals of non-member states like the US, India, China, Russia, and Israel.
- India approved an Incentive Scheme for Domestic PNG Connections effective 1 September 2026, offering CGD companies 200 SCM of extra low-cost APM gas per new billed connection, cutting the household payback period from ~10 years to nearly 3.
- China achieved its first successful land-based recovery of a Zhuque-3 rocket stage, following an earlier sea-platform recovery, advancing its reusable launch-vehicle capabilities alongside examples like SpaceX’s Falcon 9 and ISRO’s RLV-TD.
- The Supreme Court directed the NCDRC to report on case pendency and vacancies amid roughly 5.7 lakh pending consumer cases across India’s three-tier consumer redressal system (District, State, and National Commissions).
- 210 Indian peacekeepers with UNMISS in South Sudan received the UN Medal for distinguished service, with India remaining the largest troop contributor (~1,775 personnel) to the mission established in 2011.
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