Today's Event – 22nd October 2021

• 1633 – The Ming dynasty defeats the Dutch East India Company.

• 1707 – Four British naval vessels run aground on the Isles of Scilly because of faulty navigation. In response, the first Longitude Act is enacted in 1714.

• 1721 – Russian Empire is proclaimed by Tsar Peter I after the Swedish defeat in the Great Northern War.

• 1730 – Construction of the Ladoga Canal is completed.

• 1746 – The College of New Jersey (later renamed Princeton University) receives its charter.

• 1797 – André-Jacques Garnerin makes the first recorded parachute jump, from one thousand meters (3,200 feet) above Paris.

• 1836 – Sam Houston is inaugurated as the first President of the Republic of Texas.

• 1844 – Millerites, followers of Baptist preacher William Miller anticipate the end of the world in conjunction with the Second Advent of Christ. The following day became known as the Great Disappointment.

• 1859 – Spain declares war on Morocco.

• 1866 – A plebiscite ratifies the annexion of Veneto and Mantua to Italy, which had occurred three days before, on October 19.

• 1875 – First telegraphic connection in Argentina.

• 1878 – The Bramall Lane stadium sees the first rugby match played under floodlights.

• 1879 – Using a filament of carbonized thread, Thomas Edison tests the first practical electric incandescent light bulb (it lasts 131⁄2 hours before burning out).

• 1883 – The Metropolitan Opera House in New York City opens with a performance of Gounod's Faust

• 1884 – The International Meridian Conference designates the Royal Observatory, Greenwich as the world's prime meridian.

• 1895 – In Paris an express train derails after overrunning the buffer stop, crossing almost 30 metres (100 ft) of concourse before crashing through a wall and falling 10 metres (33 ft) to the road below.

• 1907 – A run on the stock of the Knickerbocker Trust Company sets events in motion that will spark the Panic of 1907.

• 1910 – Hawley Harvey Crippen (the first felon to be arrested with the help of radio) is convicted of poisoning his wife.

• 1923 – The royalist Leonardopoulos–Gargalidis coup d'état attempt fails in Greece, discrediting the monarchy and paving the way for the establishment of the Second Hellenic Republic.

• 1934 – In East Liverpool, Ohio, FBI agents shoot and kill notorious bank robber Pretty Boy Floyd.

• 1946 – Over twenty-two hundred engineers and technicians from eastern Germany are forced to relocate to the Soviet Union, along with their families and equipment.

• 1947 – The Kashmir conflict between India and Pakistan begins, having started just after the partition of India.

• 1964 – Jean-Paul Sartre is awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature, but turns down the honor.

• 1964 – An all-party Parliamentary Committee selects the design which will become the new official flag of Canada.

• 1975 – The Soviet unmanned space mission Venera 9 lands on Venus.

• 1981 – The United States Federal Labor Relations Authority votes to decertify the Professional Air Traffic Controllers Organization (PATCO) for its strike the previous August.

• 1999 – Maurice Papon, an official in the Vichy France government during World War II, is jailed for crimes against humanity.

• 2005 – Tropical Storm Alpha forms in the Atlantic Basin, making the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season the most active Atlantic hurricane season until surpassed by the 2020 season.

• 2008 – India launches its first unmanned lunar mission Chandrayaan-1.

• 2013 – The Australian Capital Territory becomes the first Australian jurisdiction to legalize same-sex marriage with the Marriage Equality (Same Sex) Act 2013.

• 2019 – Same-sex marriage is legalised, and abortion is decriminalised in Northern Ireland as a result of the Northern Ireland Assembly not being restored.

National Events- 

• With almost all of its 3.25 lakh personnel fully vaccinated against Covid-19, the CRPF has done away with the mandatory quarantine, as per the Covid protocols in vogue till now, for inbound personnel resuming duties after leave and reporting to various formations. 

•  The maiden seven-day India-United Kingdom Tri-Service exercise “Konkan Shakti” commenced on Thursday to derive mutual benefits and showcase the continuing co-operation between the two countries. The maritime component of the exercise, to be conducted off the west coast of India, is scheduled to be held in two phases. 

•  The Election Commission (EC) on Thursday asked parties not to hold any political activity directly related to the by-polls in areas adjoining the poll-going districts or constituencies against the backdrop of “certain political parties” doing so.

•  Tension at the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Ladakh has “seriously disturbed the peace and tranquility” in border areas and an impact on broader relationship too, Foreign Secretary Harsh Shringla said on Thursday.

• The BJP is always engrossed in "festival-like celebrations", even during a calamity like the coronavirus pandemic that has claimed several lives, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav said on Thursday, as events were organised to mark the administering of 100-crore Covid doses in the country.

International Events- 

• NATO Defense Ministers are weighing Thursday what lessons to draw from the almost two-decade-long military mission in Afghanistan, including whether the world’s biggest security organization should even undertake major operations outside Europe and North America. 

•  US President Joe Biden’s pick for ambassador to Beijing has told lawmakers considering his nomination that Americans should “have confidence in our strength when dealing with the rise of China, a nation he said the US and its allies could manage.

•  Coronavirus infections and deaths in Ukraine surged to all-time highs Thursday amid a laggard pace of vaccination, with overall inoculations among the lowest in Europe. Ukrainian authorities reported 22,415 new confirmed infections and 546 deaths in the past 24 hours, the highest numbers since the start of the pandemic.

•  Australia and Britain on Thursday defended their nuclear submarine deal with the US amid concerns it could escalate tensions in the region and spark an arms race.

• Panchthar, a district in eastern Nepal, recorded the highest number of deaths at 27, followed by 13 each in Ilam and Doti districts. Fatalities were also reported from 15 other districts, including Kalikot, Baitadi, Dadeldhura, Bajhang, Humla, Solukhumbu, Pyuthan, Dhankuta, Morang, Sunsari and Udayapur.  At least 88 people lost their lives in the recent incidents of flood, landslides and inundation that hit different parts of the country, following incessant rains over the past three days, health ministry officials said.

Job alerts-

• Staff Selection Commission Jobs for Lab Attendant, Binder, Sanitary Inspector, Senior Projectionist, Field cum Laboratory Attendant, MTS, Clerk and other posts. Last date 25/10/2021

• Allahabad University Jobs for Attendants, Assistants, Driver, DEO and other posts. Last date 27/10/2021

• DAE AMD Jobs for Security Guard, Driver and other posts. Last date 24/10/2021

• Jammu Kashmir Postal Circle Jobs for Gramin Dak Sevaks (GDS) and other posts. Last date 29/10/2021

• Delhi Postal Circle Jobs for Postal Assistant, Sorting Assistant, Postman , MTS and other posts. Last date 12/11/2021

Sports-

•  Jeff Winther shot an 8-under 62 to take a one-shot lead after the first round of the Mallorca Open. The Danish player had 10 birdies and two bogeys at the Santa Ponsa course. 

•  India vice-captain Rohit Sharma on Wednesday said that all-rounder Hardik Pandya is expected to be “ready” to bowl when the team starts its T20 World Cup campaign here on Sunday.

•  India fine-tuned their T20 World Cup preparations with a convincing nine-wicket win over Australia in their final warm-up game here on Wednesday but the sixth bowler’s slot remained a worry as even Virat Kohli rolled his arm over going into the tournament proper.

• Lionel Messi scored twice in quick succession, including an exquisite Panenka-style penalty, to rescue Paris Saint-Germain as it rallied to beat Leipzig 3-2 in the Champions League after being dominated for long spells. 

• The Olympic flame arrived in Beijing on Wednesday amid calls from overseas critics for a boycott of the Feb. 4-20 Winter Games.

Technology-

•  Micro-blogging site Twitter has announced that its audio chatroom Spaces is now open to anyone who wants to host. The Spaces team in a tweet said that the users on both Android and iOS will now be able to host Spaces.

•  South Korean game developer Krafton on Friday announced that its upcoming game ' New State' will officially launch on iOS and Android

•  Popular instant messaging app WhatsApp has announced that it will stop working on some smartphones from November 1.

• An arbitration court in Moscow has banned Samsung from selling select models of its smartphones.  

• Many users demanded that the voice message be previewed before sending it. WhatsApp has finally fulfilled the longing of the users.

Economy – 

•  With half of the 15 high-frequency indicators recovering to the pre-pandemic levels in the second quarter, the economy finally looks nearly out of the pandemic woods, helping the Q2 GDP print at 7.7 per cent, according to a report.

•  Coal shortage at thermal power plants is lingering on, with 59 non-pit head projects having the dry fuel stocks for less than four days as on Wednesday, according to official data.

•  The 30-share index was trading 207.09 points or 0.34 per cent higher at 61,130.59 in initial deals. Similarly, the Nifty advanced 65.65 points or 0.36 per cent to 18,243.75.

•  Tata Motors, India’s largest commercial vehicle manufacturer, will celebrate ‘National Customer Care Day’ on 23rd October to commemorate the day when the first truck was rolled out from Tata Motors Jamshedpur plant in 1954. 

• After successfully indigenizing and delivering the first lot of Corsets for Air Launched BrahMos Cruise Missile, Combustion Research Associates (CRA) recently successfully qualified the Transportation and Storage Corset for the Land Launched Version of BrahMos Missile.

Local –

•  Rajnath Singh visited ADE facility in Bangalore

•  Schools in West Bengal start repairs for reopening

•  Madurai district in Tamil Nadu has recorded 24 active covid cases

•  Migratory birds started arriving in Odisha indicating early winter arrival

• 3k litres of adulterated diesel seized in Coimbatore

GK – 

Which country is reported to have conducted a hypersonic weapon test using ‘Fractional orbital bombardment system (FOBS)?

[A] USA
[B] Russia
[C] China
[D] Israel

Ayush Van, a dedicated forest for Ayurvedic plants, has been inaugurated in which state/UT?

[A] Rajasthan
[B] Gujarat
[C] Punjab
[D] Chandigarh

Talpiot Cemetery, which was seen in the news recently, is located in which country?

[A] Russia
[B] Israel
[C] Italy
[D] USA

Which firm has emerged as the lowest bidder for construction of Common Central Secretariat?

[A] Tata Projects
[B] NCC Ltd
[C] Larsen & Toubro Limited
[D] GMR Infrastructure

Which Indian cricketer, also an ICC Elite Panel Match Referee, has been awarded life membership of the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC)?

[A] Harbhajan Singh
[B] Javagal Srinath
[C] Rahul Dravid
[D] VVS Lakshman