Current Affairs 20 August 2026 — Full notes
Published:
Current Affairs 20 August 2026 — 6 news items
At a glance
the top events
The most important events of this page, and how many news items each topic holds.
Top events
- 20 Aug — Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir of the BNP was elected the 23rd President of Bangladesh by Parliament, receiving 255 votes against 88 for Oli Ahmed. It was the first contested presidential election there in 35 years.
- 20 Aug — Former ISRO chairman S. Somanath was appointed, and industrialist Anand Mahindra reappointed, as part-time non-official directors on the RBI Central Board for four years from 20 August 2026.
- 20 Aug — The Union Cabinet approved a permanent bench of the Jammu and Kashmir High Court in Ladakh. It will be the court's third seat after Srinagar and Jammu, sparing people of Leh and Kargil long journeys.
- 20 Aug — Japan's Defence Minister Shinjiro Koizumi paid his first visit to India on 19-20 August and held talks with Rajnath Singh in New Delhi on maritime security and defence equipment cooperation.
News by topic
- Government & States
- 1 one-liners
- International & Agreements
- 1 one-liners
- Sports, Days & Culture
- 1 one-liners
- Awards, Appointments & Books
- 3 one-liners
Government & States
1 one-liners
Policy · laws · schemes · states.
National
- 20 Aug — The Union Cabinet approved a permanent bench of the Jammu and Kashmir High Court in Ladakh. It will be the court's third seat after Srinagar and Jammu, sparing people of Leh and Kargil long journeys.
International & Agreements
1 one-liners
World · summits · MoUs · exercises.
Summits, Agreements & Exercises
- 20 Aug — Japan's Defence Minister Shinjiro Koizumi paid his first visit to India on 19-20 August and held talks with Rajnath Singh in New Delhi on maritime security and defence equipment cooperation.
Sports, Days & Culture
1 one-liners
Results · important days · heritage.
Important Days
- 20 Aug — Sadbhavana Diwas was observed on 20 August, the 82nd birth anniversary of Rajiv Gandhi, to promote harmony and national integration. World Mosquito Day also fell on 20 August, marking Ronald Ross's 1897 malaria discovery.
Awards, Appointments & Books
3 one-liners
Honours · new posts · books · obituaries.
Appointments
| Date | Name | Appointed as |
|---|---|---|
| 20 Aug | Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir | 23rd President of Bangladesh (elected 255-88) |
| 20 Aug | S. Somanath; Anand Mahindra | Non-official directors, RBI Central Board (four years from 20 August 2026) |
Obituaries
- 20 Aug — Former Congress MP Sajjan Kumar, who was serving life terms for the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, died at Safdarjung Hospital in Delhi after being taken ill in Tihar Jail.
Quick quiz
test yourself
Practice questions on this period. Tap an option to check your answer.
Fill in the blank: one-liner flashcards
- _____ of the BNP was elected the 23rd President of Bangladesh by Parliament, receiving 255 votes against 88 for Oli Ahmed. It was the first contested presidential election there in 35 years.
- Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir
- Former ISRO chairman _____ was appointed, and industrialist Anand Mahindra reappointed, as part-time non-official directors on the RBI Central Board for four years from 20 August 2026.
- S. Somanath
- Japan's Defence Minister _____ paid his first visit to India on 19-20 August and held talks with Rajnath Singh in New Delhi on maritime security and defence equipment cooperation.
- Shinjiro Koizumi
- Former Congress MP _____, who was serving life terms for the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, died at Safdarjung Hospital in Delhi after being taken ill in Tihar Jail.
- Sajjan Kumar
- _____ was observed on 20 August, the 82nd birth anniversary of Rajiv Gandhi, to promote harmony and national integration. World Mosquito Day also fell on 20 August, marking Ronald Ross's 1897 malaria discovery.
- Sadbhavana Diwas
MCQs
Which country's Defence Minister Shinjiro Koizumi visited India on 19-20 August 2026?
- South Korea
- Australia
- Japan
- Vietnam
Show answer
Answer: Japan — Koizumi made his first visit to India as Japan's Defence Minister and met Rajnath Singh.
Who was elected the 23rd President of Bangladesh on 20 August 2026?
- Mohammed Shahabuddin
- Oli Ahmed
- Tarique Rahman
- Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir
Show answer
Answer: Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir — He received 255 votes against 88 for Oli Ahmed.
Who was elected President of Hungary by parliament on 11 August 2026?
- Tamás Sulyok
- Péter Magyar
- András Baka
- Viktor Orbán
Show answer
Answer: András Baka — Baka, a former Supreme Court head, won 140 votes to 6.
India signed Terms of Reference for a Preferential Trade Agreement with which bloc on 12 August 2026?
- ECOWAS
- East African Community
- Southern African Customs Union
- ASEAN
Show answer
Answer: Southern African Customs Union — SACU has five members: Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Namibia and South Africa.
Which book by former President Ram Nath Kovind was released by PM Modi on 12 August 2026?
- The Dramatic Decade
- Triumph of the Indian Republic
- Courage and Commitment
- My Presidential Years
Show answer
Answer: Triumph of the Indian Republic — The book is subtitled 'My Life, My Struggles'.
The 80th Independence Day on 15 August 2026 also marked how many years of the national song Vande Mataram?
- 150 years
- 100 years
- 125 years
- 175 years
Show answer
Answer: 150 years — The celebrations carried the theme of 150 years of Vande Mataram.
Who was re-elected President of Zambia in the August 2026 election?
- Brian Mundubile
- Hakainde Hichilema
- Edgar Lungu
- Kenneth Kaunda
Show answer
Answer: Hakainde Hichilema — Hichilema won a second five-year term, with results announced on 18 August.
Who chaired the 16th BRICS Trade Ministers' Meeting in Jaipur?
- S. Jaishankar
- Piyush Goyal
- Nirmala Sitharaman
- Amit Shah
Show answer
Answer: Piyush Goyal — The meeting was chaired by Union Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal under India's 2026 BRICS chairship.
At what level did the RBI's Monetary Policy Committee keep the repo rate on 5 August 2026?
- 5.00%
- 5.50%
- 6.00%
- 5.25%
Show answer
Answer: 5.25% — The MPC held the repo rate at 5.25% with a neutral stance and raised the growth forecast to 6.7%.
The GOBARdhan scheme approved by the Cabinet in August 2026 mainly promotes which fuel?
- Compressed biogas
- Green hydrogen
- Ethanol
- Biodiesel
Show answer
Answer: Compressed biogas — The Rs 23,731 crore scheme aims to raise compressed biogas production about tenfold.