Daily Current Affairs of 18th August 2017
International Current Affairs
- Lebanon today abolished a law that allowed rapists to escape punishment by marrying their victims.
- Note : Jordan and Tunisia banned similar laws earlier this year.
- The United States today designated ISIS leaders Ahmad Alkhald and Abu Yahya al-Iraqi as Specially Designated Global Terrorists.
- These designations seek to deny them the resources they need to plan and carry out further terrorist attacks.
- Note : The US has so far designated over 30 ISIS leaders and operatives.
- Pakistani Nobel Prize winner Malala Yousafzai has gained a place to study Politics, Philosophy and Economics at the University of Oxford.
- Note : The human rights and education advocate was nearly killed by the Taliban in Pakistan for campaigning for girls' rights to education in 2012.
- European Union citizens will not need visas to visit the UK after Brexit.
- This comes after the UK government announced to end free movement of workers between the country and EU.
National Current Affairs
- Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Dr. Harsh Vardhan today launched a new campaign titled “Harit Diwali, Swasth Diwali”.
- Aim of this campaign : To reduce adverse environmental conditions especially pollution in the country after post Diwali celebrations due to excessive bursting of crackers which contributes significantly to air and noise pollution.
- This campaign enlightens children about harmful fire crackers and motivates them to not to buy fire crackers, instead buy a gift, food items, or sweets for poor and underprivileged children living in their locality.
- The Odisha government has doubled the cash incentive it offers for inter-caste marriages from ₹50,000 to ₹1 lakh, in order to encourage more such marriages.
- The couples need to refund the amount if their marriage ends in divorce within five years.
