Daily Current Affairs — 21 October 2026
Daily Current Affairs · 21 October 2026
10 fully-analysed topics · 30 bilingual MCQs · 3 embedded videos · built for UPSC Prelims & Mains
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Indian Geography MCQ Quiz · भारतीय भूगोल प्रश्नोत्तरी
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Economy
India to Host 61st International Committee of Legal Metrology Meeting
India will host the 61st Meeting of the International Committee of Legal Metrology (CIML) for the first time in New Delhi, with participation from over 100 international delegates and legal metrology experts.
- Significance for India: Provides an opportunity to showcase India's legal metrology reforms
- About: An intergovernmental organisation established in 1955 to promote the global harmonisation of legal metrology procedures
- The 60th CIML Meeting (2025) was held in Paris, France.
Which of the following statements about India to Host 61st International Committee of Legal is correct?
Correct. The three wrong options each change one thing from the source: a figure, the institution involved, the direction of change, or a qualifier turned into an absolute.
Not quite. The three wrong options each change one thing from the source: a figure, the institution involved, the direction of change, or a qualifier turned into an absolute. The green option is the correct one.
Economy
International Organization of Legal Metrology
Recently, India has become the 13th country that can issue OIML (International Organization of Legal Metrology) Certificates.
- The Legal Metrology Division, Department of Consumer Affairs, is now authorised to issue OIML certificates.
- Legal Metrology refers to a branch of metrology that focuses on the regulation and legislation concerning measurements
- The CSIR-National Physical Laboratory (NPL-India) is India's National Metrology Institute' (NMI) that maintains standards of SI units in India
- About: The OIML was established in 1955 and headquartered in Paris.
Show 6 more facts
- It is an international standard-setting body that develops model regulations
- It plays a crucial role in harmonising national laws and regulations on the performance of measuring instruments like clinical thermometers
- India became a member of the OIML in 1956. In the same year, India signed the Metric Convention
- The OIML-CS is a system for issuing, registering and using OIML certificates
- To sell a weight or measure in the international market an OIML Pattern Approval certificate is mandatory
- With the addition of India, the number of countries authorised to issue OIML certificates has increased to 13.
Which of the following statements about International Organization of Legal Metrology is correct?
Correct. The three wrong options each change one thing from the source: a figure, the institution involved, the direction of change, or a qualifier turned into an absolute.
Not quite. The three wrong options each change one thing from the source: a figure, the institution involved, the direction of change, or a qualifier turned into an absolute. The green option is the correct one.
Geography
Nationwide Protests and Unrest in France
France witnessed nationwide demonstrations against rising living costs, deteriorating public services and poor conditions in schools, with incidents of violent clashes, looting and arson reported in several cities.
- Rivers: The Seine flows through Paris; the Loire is France's longest river, while the Rhne and Garonne are other major rivers.
- Coastline: France has coastlines along the Atlantic Ocean, English Channel and Mediterranean Sea.
Environment
Atlantic Ocean Current System: AMOC
According to the recently released IPCC's Report, Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) is losing its stability and is very likely to decline over the 21st century.
- The ocean has an interconnected current, or circulation, system powered by wind, tides, the Earth's rotation (Coriolis effect), the sun (solar
- About AMOC: It is a large system of ocean currents.
- It is the Atlantic branch of the ocean conveyor belt or ThermoHaline Circulation (THC)
- It then returns to the tropics and then to the South Atlantic as a bottom current
Show 6 more facts
- Without a proper AMOC and Gulf Stream, Europe will be very cold
- El Nino is a climate pattern that describes the unusual warming of surface waters in the eastern tropical Pacific Ocean.
- Climate models have long predicted that global warming can cause a weakening of the major ocean systems of the world.
- Freshwater inflow from the melting of the Greenland ice sheet
- Now, the water is unable to sink as it used to and weakens the AMOC flow.
- The AMOC decline is not just a fluctuation or a linear response to increasing temperatures but likely means the approaching of a critical threshold
IR
Significance of Indo-Pacific
The General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam and the U.S. President met in Vietnam during the visit of the US President, marking a new phase in the bilateral relationship between the two countries.
- Both nations elevated their cooperation to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership from a Comprehensive Partnership forged in 2013.
- The United States and Vietnam have a complex history marked by the Vietnam War, which lasted from 1955 to 1975
- About: Indo-Pacific is a recent concept. It was about a decade ago that the world started talking about the Indo-Pacific
- One of the reasons behind the popularity of this term is an understanding that the Indian and the Pacific Oceans are a linked strategic theater.
Show 6 more facts
- Each and every nation perceives the concept of the Indo-Pacific with its own benefits and concerns and there are no absolute concepts
- The Indo-Pacific region is one of the most populous and economically active regions of the world which includes four continents: Asia
- The dynamism and vitality of the region are self-evident
- Cooperate with Others for Security Architecture: A lot of India's special partners
- This is the same as what the country expects from the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP).
- Unified ASEAN: Unlike China, India seeks a unified ASEAN, not a divided one
Which of the following statements about Significance of Indo-Pacific is correct?
Correct. The three wrong options each change one thing from the source: a figure, the institution involved, the direction of change, or a qualifier turned into an absolute.
Not quite. The three wrong options each change one thing from the source: a figure, the institution involved, the direction of change, or a qualifier turned into an absolute. The green option is the correct one.
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Geography
Changing Landscape of Alps: Europe
A recent study by the ETH technical university in Zurich, Switzerland shows that climate change has dramatically altered the Swiss Alp landscape.
- Important Findings: Melting glaciers have created more than 1,000 new lakes across the mountains
- The Paris Agreement is a legally binding international treaty on climate change. It was adopted by 196 Parties at COP 21 in Paris, in December 2015.
- About: The Alps emerged during the Alpine orogeny (mountain-building event)
- Alps are young fold mountains with rugged relief and high conical peaks.
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- They are the most prominent of western Europe's physiographic regions
- Only Switzerland and Austria can be considered true Alpine countries.
- Mont Blanc is the highest peak in the Alps and in Europe, reaching a lofty 4,804 meters above sea level
- Monte Rosa is a massif (a compact group of mountains) consisting of several peaks
- Dom, which is located near Monte Rosa, Dom stands at 4,545 meters
- Other major peaks are Liskamm, Weisshorn, Matterhorn, Dent Blanche, Grand Combin etc.
With reference to Changing Landscape of Alps: Europe, consider the following statements:
- Important Findings: Melting glaciers have created more than 1,000 new lakes across the mountains
- The Paris Agreement is a legally binding international treaty on climate change. It was adopted by 98 Parties at COP 21 in Paris, in December 2015
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Correct. Check each statement on its own before looking at the options. One of the two alters a figure, an institution or the direction of change stated in the source.
Not quite. Check each statement on its own before looking at the options. One of the two alters a figure, an institution or the direction of change stated in the source. The green option is the correct one.
History
Mediterranean Sea
- To the west it is connected to the Atlantic Ocean through the Strait of Gibraltar
Economy
India- European Union Relations
As democracies, India and the European Union face increasing pressure from authoritarian regimes, making their cooperation crucial.
- Economic Synergy: India provides the EU access to a growing market and acts as a strategic partner in the Indo-Pacific
- Bilateral Trade: In 2023-24, India's trade in goods with the EU stood at USD 137.41 billion, making the EU India's largest trading partner in goods
- Foreign Direct Investment (FDI): The EU is a major investor in India
- Current Member States: 27 countries (Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Republic of Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France
Show 6 more facts
- Four non-EU countries (Iceland, Norway, Switzerland, and Liechtenstein) are also part of Schengen.
- Geopolitical Differences: The EU envisions a comprehensive partnership
- Despite projects like submarine collaborations with France and C-295 Aircraft with Spain
- Countering Authoritarianism: As democracies, India and the EU face increasing pressure from authoritarian regimes, particularly China for India
- Strengthening collaboration through the EU-India Trade and Technology Council (TTC) can align strategies on emerging technologies
- India and the EU can jointly invest in green technologies like solar power
With reference to India- European Union Relations, consider the following statements:
- Economic Synergy: India provides the EU access to a growing market and acts as a strategic partner in the Indo-Pacific
- Bilateral Trade: In 2023-24, India's trade in goods with the EU stood at USD 82.4 billion, making the EU India's largest trading partner in goods
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Correct. Check each statement on its own before looking at the options. One of the two alters a figure, an institution or the direction of change stated in the source.
Not quite. Check each statement on its own before looking at the options. One of the two alters a figure, an institution or the direction of change stated in the source. The green option is the correct one.
Economy
Schengen Zone
Recently, Kosovo achieved a significant milestone after facing delays in Schengen approval. It has secured visa-free access to the Schengen zone, the world's largest area of free movement.
- About: The Schengen Agreement is a treaty signed in 1985 by five member states (Belgium
- Non-EU countries like Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Iceland are part of Schengen through special association agreements.
- Schengen enables seamless travel for over 400 million individuals across member states without border checks.
- Facilitates approximately 1.25 billion journeys annually, fostering tourism, cultural exchange, and economic prosperity.
Show 6 more facts
- Kosovo, which has a majority Albanian population and a minority of Serbs, is a landlocked region bordered by Albania, Macedonia, Serbia
- According to the World Bank, Kosovo is a parliamentary republic and upper-middle-income country
- However, Serbia does not recognize Kosovo as an independent state and continues to claim it as the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija.
- Kivu and Ituri are related to the Republic of Congo
- Nagorno-Karabakh is a region of southwestern Azerbaijan
- Kherson and Zaporizhzhia are related to Ukraine and they are related to the dispute between Ukraine and Russia
Which of the following statements about Schengen Zone is correct?
Correct. The three wrong options each change one thing from the source: a figure, the institution involved, the direction of change, or a qualifier turned into an absolute.
Not quite. The three wrong options each change one thing from the source: a figure, the institution involved, the direction of change, or a qualifier turned into an absolute. The green option is the correct one.
IR
India at the G7 Summit 2026
The Prime Minister of India attended the 52nd G7 Summit Outreach Session (2026) at vian, France, held under the theme "Forging New Partnerships and Rebuilding International Solidarity.".
- The summit brought together G7 nations, and provided India a key platform to champion the priorities of the Global South, address the global trust
- Addressing the Global Trust Deficit: India emphasized that mutual trust is the world's most critical strategic asset
- Amplifying the Voice of the Global South: India reiterated that developing
- CEPA: Both sides are expediting negotiations to conclude the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) by the end of 2026 to double two-way
Show 6 more facts
- Raisina Americas: Announced the establishment of "Raisina Americas," a new geopolitical platform (mimicking the Raisina Dialogue model) designed to
- The Nuclear Energy Partnership: Recognizing Canada as an essential energy exporter
- Vision 2035: The leaders reviewed the progress of bilateral relations under the India-UK Vision 2035 framework.
- BRICS Summit 2026: The Indian PM formally invited the UAE President to attend the 18th BRICS Summit, which India will host later in 2026.
- Genesis and Evolution: Formed in 1975 in response to the 1973 oil crisis
- It is an initiative endorsed by the G20 together with the Paris Club.
1. What is the significance of the G7 Outreach Session? The Outreach Session enables engagement between G7 nations and key developing countries
With reference to India at the G7 Summit 2026, consider the following statements:
- The summit brought together ASEAN nations, and provided India a key platform to champion the priorities of the Global South, address the global trust
- Addressing the Global Trust Deficit: India emphasized that mutual trust is the world's most critical strategic asset
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Correct. Check each statement on its own before looking at the options. One of the two alters a figure, an institution or the direction of change stated in the source.
Not quite. Check each statement on its own before looking at the options. One of the two alters a figure, an institution or the direction of change stated in the source. The green option is the correct one.
Indian Economy MCQ Quiz · भारतीय अर्थव्यवस्था प्रश्नोत्तरी
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Current affairs alone will not clear Prelims. Close the day on the static syllabus with this members-only quiz.
