Today's Event – 18th November 2021

• 1626 – The new St Peter's Basilica is consecrated.

• 1730 – The future Frederick the Great of Prussia is granted a pardon by his father and is released from confinement.

• 1760 – The rebuilt debtors' prison, at the Castellania in Valletta, receives the first prisoners.

• 1803 – The Battle of Vertières, the last major battle of the Haitian Revolution, is fought, leading to the establishment of the Republic of Haiti, the first black republic in the Western Hemisphere.

• 1809 – In a naval action during the Napoleonic Wars, French frigates defeat British East Indiamen in the Bay of Bengal.

• 1812 – Napoleonic Wars: The Battle of Krasnoi ends in French defeat, but Marshal of France Michel Ney's leadership leads to him becoming known as "the bravest of the brave".

• 1863 – King Christian IX of Denmark signs the November constitution that declares Schleswig to be part of Denmark. This is seen by the German Confederation as a violation of the London Protocol and leads to the German–Danish war of 1864.

• 1872 – Susan B. Anthony and 14 other women are arrested for voting illegally in the United States presidential election of 1872.

• 1883 – American and Canadian railroads institute five standard continental time zones, ending the confusion of thousands of local times.

• 1901 – Britain and the United States sign the Hay–Pauncefote Treaty, which nullifies the Clayton–Bulwer Treaty and withdraws British objections to an American-controlled canal in Panama.

• 1903 – The Hay–Bunau-Varilla Treaty is signed by the United States and Panama, giving the United States exclusive rights over the Panama Canal Zone.

• 1905 – Prince Carl of Denmark becomes King Haakon VII of Norway.

• 1909 – Two United States warships are sent to Nicaragua after 500 revolutionaries (including two Americans) are executed by order of José Santos Zelaya.

• 1910 – In their campaign for women's voting rights, hundreds of suffragettes march to the British Parliament in London. Several are beaten by police, newspaper attention embarrasses the authorities, and the march is dubbed Black Friday.

• 1928 – Release of the animated short Steamboat Willie, the first fully synchronized sound cartoon, directed by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks, featuring the third appearances of cartoon characters Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse. This is considered by the Disney corporation to be Mickey's birthday.

• 1944 – The Popular Socialist Youth is founded in Cuba.

• 1947 – The Ballantyne's Department Store fire in Christchurch, New Zealand, kills 41; it is the worst fire disaster in the history of New Zealand.

• 1949 – The Iva Valley Shooting occurs after the coal miners of Enugu in Nigeria go on strike over withheld wages; 21 miners are shot dead and 51 are wounded by police under the supervision of the British colonial administration of Nigeria.

• 1961 – United States President John F. Kennedy sends 18,000 military advisors to South Vietnam.

• 1963 – The first push-button telephone goes into service.

• 1970 – U.S. President Richard Nixon asks the U.S. Congress for $155 million in supplemental aid for the Cambodian government.

• 1971 – Oman declares its independence from United Kingdom.

• 1978 – The McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet makes its first flight, at the Naval Air Test Center in Maryland, United States.

• 1978 – In Jonestown, Guyana, Jim Jones led his Peoples Temple to a mass murder–suicide that claimed 918 lives in all, 909 of them in Jonestown itself, including over 270 children. Congressman Leo Ryan is murdered by members of the Peoples Temple hours earlier.

• 1987 – King's Cross fire: In London, 31 people die in a fire at the city's busiest underground station, King's Cross St Pancras.

• 1988 – War on Drugs: U.S. President Ronald Reagan signs a bill into law allowing the death penalty for drug traffickers.

• 1991 – Shiite Muslim kidnappers in Lebanon release Anglican Church envoys Terry Waite and Thomas Sutherland.

• 1991 – After an 87-day siege, the Croatian city of Vukovar capitulates to the besieging Yugoslav People's Army and allied Serb paramilitary forces.

• 1993 – In the United States, the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) is approved by the House of Representatives.

• 1993 – In South Africa, 21 political parties approve a new constitution, expanding voting rights and ending white minority rule.

• 1996 – A fire occurs on a train traveling through the Channel Tunnel from France to England causing several injuries and damaging approximately 500 metres (1,600 ft) of tunnel.

• 1999 – At Texas A&M University, the Aggie Bonfire collapses killing 12 students and injuring 27 others.

• 2002 – Iraq disarmament crisis: United Nations weapons inspectors led by Hans Blix arrive in Iraq.

• 2003 – The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court rules 4–3 in Goodridge v. Department of Public Health that the state's ban on same-sex marriage is unconstitutional and gives the state legislature 180 days to change the law making Massachusetts the first state in the United States to grant marriage rights to same-sex couples.

• 2012 – Pope Tawadros II of Alexandria becomes the 118th Pope of the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria.

• 2013 – NASA launches the MAVEN probe to Mars.

• 2020 – The Utah monolith, built sometime in 2016 is discovered by state biologists of the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources.

National Events- 

•  Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said his government is resorting to all channels, including diplomatic, to bring back fugitive economic offenders.

•  More than a month since India and China hardened their positions after making no headway in the 13th round of Corps Commander-level talks, diplomats from the two countries agreed Thursday on the “need to find an early resolution to the remaining issues along the LAC in Eastern Ladakh while fully abiding by bilateral agreements and protocols so as to restore peace and tranquility”.

•  Bodies of two civilians, who were killed during the encounter in Srinagar’s Hyderpora, were exhumed by authorities on Thursday evening.

•  Tirumala, the abode of Lord Venkateswara, was caught in a massive flood of unprecedented scale on Thursday, leaving hundreds of pilgrims stranded even as a heavy downpour under the influence of a depression in Bay of Bengal battered the temple-town Tirupati and many parts of Chittoor district in Andhra Pradesh.

• The Supreme Court on Thursday allowed the Centre to disinvest its remaining 29.5 stakes in Hindustan Zinc Limited (HZL) and directed the CBI to register a regular case into its 2002 disinvestment.

International Events- 

• President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday that the West was taking Russia’s warnings not to cross its “red lines” too lightly and that Moscow needed serious security guarantees from the West. 

•  A Chinese professor at the University of Copenhagen conducted genetic research with the Chinese military without disclosing the connection, the university told Reuters, in the latest example of how China’s pursuit of military-civilian technology is tapping into Western academia in the strategically sensitive area of biotechnology.

•  An estimated 100,000 Americans died of drug overdoses in one year, a never-before-seen milestone that health officials say is tied to the Covid-19 pandemic and a more dangerous drug supply.

•  An Israeli couple held in Turkey on suspicion of espionage for the past week were released on Thursday, the Israeli government said.

• In a major shift for a country long closed to immigrants, Japan is looking to allow foreigners in certain blue-collar jobs to stay indefinitely starting as early as the 2022 fiscal year, a justice ministry official said on Thursday.

Job alerts-

• Tamil Nadu Civil Supplies Corporation Thoothukudi Jobs for Assistant, Record Clerk and other posts. Last date 04 December 2021

• NEIGRIHMS Jobs for Junior Resident Doctor and other posts. Last date 26 November 2021

• Fazilka District Court Jobs for Clerk and other posts. Last date 02 December 2021

• GGSIPU Jobs for Non-Teaching, Teaching and other posts. Last date 30 November 2021

• NIFT Jobs for Director, Engineer, Officer, Librarian and other posts. Last date 07 December 2021

Sports-

• Olympic gold medalist Oxana Slivenko of Russia is one of 13 European weightlifters facing new charges over doping in the run-up to the London Games in 2012, the International Testing Agency said Thursday. 

•  Azeem Rafiq, the former cricketer whose revelations about the racism he suffered at Yorkshire has sparked a crisis in the English game, apologized Thursday after admitting to sending antisemitic messages 10 years ago.

• Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting has revealed that he was approached by the BCCI to coach India before Rahul Dravid was chosen for the coveted job. 

• Red Bull’s Formula One championship leader Max Verstappen said he did not expect to be punished retrospectively for a defensive move against Lewis Hamilton at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix, and would do it again. 

• Alexander Zverev booked his place in the last four of the ATP Finals where he will face world number one Novak Djokovic after a 6-2 6-4 win over Hubert Hurkacz in Turin on Thursday.

Technology-

•  Adobe Inc on Thursday said it was partnering with San Francisco-based startup Bolt to add one-click checkouts for retailers that use Adobe's e-commerce software tools.

•  Currently, SpaceX has around 1,500 of the Starlink internet satellites orbiting the Earth, with their numbers only set to increase.

•  Instagram is testing a new feature that allows users to add music to their feed posts, something similar to Reels and Instagram Stories.

•  Instagram has also introduced a new feature called Rage Shake. The feature will let users report an issue with the app by shaking the screen.

• Qualcomm has already confirmed that it will launch its new flagship chipset on November 30. Rumours suggest that the company may change its naming.

Economy – 

•  The shares of One 97 Communications, the parent entity of digital payments firm Paytm, had a disastrous start in the stock market today.

•  Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said that the government has supported the banking sector in every way and added that this sector is very strong now. He said that the reforms in the last 6-7 years have led to the banking sector in a strong position today.

•  Elon Musk is selling more Tesla shares than he needs to pay current tax obligations, and experts say he’s either converting part of his fortune from stock to cash, or he’s saving for bigger tax bills that will come due next year.

•  Shares of Sapphire Foods India, which operates KFC and Pizza Hut outlets, made a firm debut and got listed at a premium of 14 per cent above their issue price in the stock exchanges today.

• At 12:40 pm, the S&P BSE Sensex was down 603.69 points (1.01 per cent) at 59,404.64 while the broader Nifty 50 was trading at 17,703.85, down 194.80 points (1.09 per cent).

Local –

• The Delhi Traffic on Thursday issued an advisory prohibiting entry of trucks, except those carrying essential items, in the city till November 21 after the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) issued guidelines to combat deteriorating air quality in Delhi-NCR. Police said they have deployed teams at all pickets and 15 border areas. 

•  The Bombay High Court Thursday said that it will pronounce Monday, November 22, an order in an ad-interim plea by NCB Zonal Director Sameer Wankhede’s father seeking injunction against state Cabinet minister and NCP leader Nawab Malik from posting or publishing defamatory content or material against him or his family on any form of media.

•  THE CALCUTTA High Court on Wednesday directed West Bengal School Service Commission to file an affidavit by 2 pm on Thursday on irregularities in the recruitment process of 25 Group D staff and asked the commission to stop the salary of the said persons.

•  As more than 40,000 young Tamil Brahmin men are finding it difficult to find brides within the state, the Tamil Nadu based association for Brahmins has launched a special drive to look for suitable matches belonging to the same community in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.

• Artificial Intelligence (AI) has become the most exciting and fondly discussed topic around the world, according to N T Arunkumar, MD and Country Head and Head of Innovation, Telstra India.

GK – 

‘Bhagwan Birsa Munda Smriti Udyan cum Freedom Fighters Museum’ has been recently inaugurated in which Indian state?

[A] Odisha
[B] Jharkhand
[C] West Bengal
[D] Chhattisgarh

Babasaheb Purandare, who passed away recently, was associated with which profession?

[A] Sportsperson
[B] Historian
[C] Businessperson
[D] Politician

Which country won the T20 World Cup trophy in 2021?

[A] New Zealand
[B] Australia
[C] England
[D] South Africa

Which country is set to host the first tribal nations’ summit since 2016?

[A] India
[B] USA
[C] Japan
[D] Russia

Which state has approved ‘Kaiser-i-Hind’ as the State butterfly?

[A] Assam
[B] Sikkim
[C] Arunachal Pradesh
[D] Odisha