Indian Express Daily Quiz 18 August 2026: Test Your Current Affairs Knowledge
Preparing for UPSC, SSC, Banking or State PSC? The Indian Express Daily Quiz 18 August 2026 converts today's key stories — pending criminal cases against MPs and MLAs, MQ-9B Sea Guardian drones for the Navy, ISRO's GISAT-1A launch, NASA's Moon Base and Artemis Accords, Mines and Minerals Bill Centre-State tussle, Taliban's fifth anniversary, US-Iran stalemate, Hamas disarmament proposal, CERC renewable-energy connectivity rules, KABIL critical minerals, rupee FCNR(B) inflows and surrogate advertising — into ten exam-standard MCQs across English, Hindi and Tamil.
What You Will Learn from Indian Express Quiz 18 August 2026
The Indian Express Daily Quiz for 18 August 2026 covers ten important current affairs topics from today's newspaper that are directly relevant for UPSC Prelims, SSC and Banking examinations. Today's questions test your understanding of the more than 4,000 criminal cases pending against sitting and former MPs and MLAs before the Supreme Court, the Indian Navy's leasing of two MQ-9B Sea Guardian HALE drones to boost Indian Ocean maritime surveillance, ISRO's plan to launch GISAT-1A after a seven-month operational hiatus and the role of NavIC in India's navigation ecosystem, India's evolving relationship with the Taliban government five years after Kabul's fall, the constitutional tussle between the Centre and mineral-rich States over the Mines and Minerals Amendment Bill 2026, the Board of Peace proposal on Hamas disarmament and Gaza's future governance, CERC's compensation-based framework preserving renewable-energy grid connectivity, the rupee's temporary support from FCNR(B) inflows and its balance-of-payments implications, KABIL's difficulty in acquiring overseas lithium and critical mineral assets, and India's regulatory push against surrogate advertising through the CCPA framework.
People Also Ask About Today's Current Affairs
Q1. How many criminal cases are currently pending against MPs and MLAs in India?
A report submitted to the Supreme Court has identified 4,192 criminal cases pending against sitting and former MPs and MLAs across India. Around 700 cases are still under investigation, 754 have been pending for 5-10 years and 360 have remained stagnant for more than three years without a chargesheet being filed, raising concerns about the criminalisation of politics.
Q2. What is the MQ-9B Sea Guardian and why has India leased it?
The MQ-9B Sea Guardian is a High-Altitude Long-Endurance (HALE) remotely piloted aircraft made by General Atomics, designed for long-duration maritime surveillance. India has signed a Rs 1,943-crore contract to lease two Sea Guardians for the Indian Navy for 30 months to strengthen intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities across the Indian Ocean Region.
Q3. What is GISAT-1A and why is its September launch important for ISRO?
GISAT-1A is a Geo Imaging Satellite designed to provide frequent, wide-area Earth observation imagery for disaster monitoring, agriculture and environmental applications. Its September 2026 launch is significant because it will end a seven-month operational hiatus caused by earlier launch failures such as the PSLV-C62/EOS-N1 mission, restoring momentum to India's Earth-observation programme.
Q4. What are the Artemis Accords and how could India benefit from NASA's Moon Base programme?
The Artemis Accords are a set of principles establishing peaceful, transparent and sustainable exploration of the Moon and other celestial bodies, which India has already joined. Participation in NASA's Moon Base programme could give ISRO access to advanced lunar technologies, deep-space communication, life-support systems, in-situ resource utilisation and long-duration human spaceflight experience.
Q5. Why are mineral-rich States opposing the Mines and Minerals Amendment Bill 2026?
Several mineral-rich States argue that the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Bill 2026 restricts their power to impose levies on mineral rights and mineral-bearing land, reducing their non-tax revenue and fiscal autonomy. This conflicts with the July 2025 Supreme Court judgment in Mineral Area Development Authority v. Steel Authority of India, which recognised States' taxation competence over mineral rights.
Q6. How is India engaging with the Taliban after five years of their rule in Afghanistan?
India has adopted a policy of calibrated and conditional engagement with the Taliban, combining humanitarian assistance and diplomatic contacts with firm expectations on counter-terrorism, women's rights and inclusive governance. Diplomats from India, Iran, Russia and China recently attended the Taliban's fifth "Victory Day" anniversary at the Afghan embassy in New Delhi, reflecting a pragmatic regional approach.
Q7. What does the Board of Peace framework propose for Hamas and Gaza?
The proposed Board of Peace framework envisages the disarmament of Hamas alongside Israeli military withdrawal from Gaza and new governance arrangements for the territory. While Hamas has signalled willingness to consider disarmament, disagreements over withdrawal timelines, security guarantees and Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu's political objectives continue to delay a durable settlement.
Q8. What are FCNR(B) deposits and how are they helping the rupee?
FCNR(B) or Foreign Currency Non-Resident (Bank) deposits are foreign-currency deposits held by eligible non-residents in Indian banks. Recent RBI measures allowed banks to mobilise substantial foreign-currency resources through FCNR(B), easing rupee pressure and boosting short-term forex liquidity, but creating future repayment and rollover obligations that may not permanently improve India's balance of payments.
Q9. What is KABIL and why is India finding it difficult to buy critical mineral assets abroad?
KABIL, or Khanij Bidesh India Ltd, is a joint venture of Indian public-sector companies set up to acquire strategic mineral assets overseas. It has struggled to expand its footprint in countries such as Argentina, Australia and Chile due to high valuations, uncertain resource estimates, competition from state-backed global firms and geopolitical risks in mineral-rich regions.
Q10. What is surrogate advertising and how does Indian law regulate it?
Surrogate advertising is the indirect promotion of a prohibited or restricted product by advertising a look-alike product under the same brand name. In India, it is regulated through the CCPA Guidelines for Prevention of Misleading Advertisements and Endorsements, 2022, which impose accountability on manufacturers, advertisers and celebrity endorsers, and by product-specific laws under statutes such as the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006.
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