Today's Event – 17th December 2021

• 1718 – War of the Quadruple Alliance: Great Britain declares war on Spain.

• 1777 – American Revolution: France formally recognizes the United States.

• 1790 – The Aztec calendar stone is discovered at El Zócalo, Mexico City.

• 1807 – Napoleonic Wars: France issues the Milan Decree, which confirms the Continental System.

• 1819 – Simón Bolívar declares the independence of Gran Colombia in Angostura (now Ciudad Bolívar in Venezuela).

• 1835 – The second Great Fire of New York destroys 53,000 square metres (13 acres) of New York City's Financial District.

• 1837 – A fire in the Winter Palace of Saint Petersburg kills 30 guards.

• 1862 – American Civil War: General Ulysses S. Grant issues General Order No. 11, expelling Jews from parts of Tennessee, Mississippi, and Kentucky.

• 1865 – First performance of the Unfinished Symphony by Franz Schubert.

• 1892 – First issue of Vogue is published.

• 1896 – Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania's Schenley Park Casino, which was the first multi-purpose arena with the technology to create an artificial ice surface in North America, is destroyed in a fire.

• 1903 – The Wright brothers make the first controlled powered, heavier-than-air flight in the Wright Flyer at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. 

• 1907 – Ugyen Wangchuck is crowned first King of Bhutan.

• 1918 – Darwin Rebellion: Up to 1,000 demonstrators march on Government House in Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia.

• 1919 – Uruguay becomes a signatory to the Buenos Aires copyright treaty.

• 1926 – Antanas Smetona assumes power in Lithuania as the 1926 coup d'état is successful.

• 1927 – Indian revolutionary Rajendra Lahiri is hanged in Gonda jail, Uttar Pradesh, India, two days before the scheduled date.

• 1928 – Indian revolutionaries Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev Thapar and Shivaram Rajguru assassinate British police officer James Saunders in Lahore, Punjab, to avenge the death of Lala Lajpat Rai at the hands of the police. The three were executed in 1931.

• 1933 – The first NFL Championship Game is played at Wrigley Field in Chicago between the New York Giants and Chicago Bears. The Bears won 23–21. 

• 1935 – First flight of the Douglas DC-3.

• 1938 – Otto Hahn discovers the nuclear fission of the heavy element uranium, the scientific and technological basis of nuclear energy.

• 1943 – All Chinese are again permitted to become citizens of the United States upon the repeal of the Act of 1882 and the introduction of the Magnuson Act.

• 1946 – Kurdistan flag day, the flag of Kurdistan was raised for the first time in Mahabad in eastern Kurdistan (Iran).

• 1947 – First flight of the Boeing B-47 Stratojet strategic bomber.

• 1948 – The Finnish Security Police is established to remove communist leadership from its predecessor, the State Police.

• 1950 – The F-86 Sabre's first mission over Korea.

• 1951 – The American Civil Rights Congress delivers "We Charge Genocide" to the United Nations.

• 1957 – The United States successfully launches the first Atlas intercontinental ballistic missile at Cape Canaveral, Florida.

• 1960 – Troops loyal to Emperor Haile Selassie in Ethiopia crush the coup that began December 13, returning power to their leader upon his return from Brazil. Haile Selassie absolves his son of any guilt.

• 1960 – Munich C-131 crash: Twenty passengers and crew on board as well as 32 people on the ground are killed.

• 1961 – Niterói circus fire: Fire breaks out during a performance by the Gran Circus Norte-Americano in the city of Niterói, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, killing more than 500.

• 1967 – Harold Holt, Prime Minister of Australia, disappears while swimming near Portsea, Victoria, and is presumed drowned.

• 1969 – Project Blue Book: The United States Air Force closes its study of UFOs.

• 1970 – Polish protests: In Gdynia, soldiers fire at workers emerging from trains, killing dozens.

• 1973 – Thirty passengers are killed in an attack by Palestinian terrorists on Rome's Leonardo da Vinci–Fiumicino Airport.

• 1981 – American Brigadier General James L. Dozier is abducted by the Red Brigades in Verona, Italy.

• 1983 – Provisional IRA members detonate a car bomb at Harrods Department Store in London. Three police officers and three civilians are killed.

• 1989 – Romanian Revolution: Protests continue in Timișoara, Romania, with rioters breaking into the Romanian Communist Party's District Committee building and attempting to set it on fire.

• 1989 – Fernando Collor de Mello defeats Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in the second round of the Brazilian presidential election, becoming the first democratically elected President in almost 30 years.

• 1989 – The Simpsons premieres on television with the episode "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire"

• 2003 – The Soham murder trial ends at the Old Bailey in London, with Ian Huntley found guilty of two counts of murder. His girlfriend, Maxine Carr, is found guilty of perverting the course of justice.

• 2003 – SpaceShipOne, piloted by Brian Binnie, makes its first powered and first supersonic flight.

• 2003 – Sex work rights activists establish December 17 (or "D17") as International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers to memorialize victims of a serial killer who targeted prostitutes, and highlight State violence against sex workers by police and others.

• 2005 – Anti-World Trade Organization protesters riot in Wan Chai, Hong Kong.

• 2005 – Jigme Singye Wangchuck abdicates the throne as King of Bhutan.

• 2009 – MV Danny F II sinks off the coast of Lebanon, resulting in the deaths of 44 people and over 28,000 animals.

• 2010 – Mohamed Bouazizi sets himself on fire. This act became the catalyst for the Tunisian Revolution and the wider Arab Spring.

• 2014 – The United States and Cuba re-establish diplomatic relations after severing them in 1961.

National Events- 

• The Congress on Friday ‘disapproved’ of the “exchange of highly objectionable and insensitive banter” between senior  leader K R Ramesh Kumar and Karnataka Assembly Speaker Vishweshwar Hegde Kageri. During the ongoing session on Thursday, Kumar had told Kageri, “There’s a saying… when rape is inevitable, lie down and enjoy it. That’s exactly the position into which you are.” Kageri laughed in response.

•  At least three former Chief Election Commissioners (CECs) told The Indian Express Friday that the government’s letter expecting the incumbent poll panel chief to attend a meeting was “unacceptable” and the subsequent informal discussion between the full Commission and the principal secretary to the PM could “erode” the EC’s image of independence.

•  Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday called for healthy competition between cities for cleanliness. He added that new categories can be created for recognising cities making the best efforts to achieve cleanliness, along with the best-performing ones while ranking.

• The Samajwadi Party (SP) and BSP, the two main challengers of the BJP in poll-bound Uttar Pradesh, on Friday attacked the Modi government over The Indian Express that Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sushil Chandra and the two Election Commissioners, Rajiv Kumar and Anup Chandra Pandey, joined an “interaction” called by the Prime Minister’s Office on November 16 despite reservations. 

• Both India and France promote multilateralism and defence of a rules-based international order, and it is important to ensure that the Indo-Pacific region must be free from coercion by any player. France’s Minister for Armed Forces Florence Parly said on Friday morning during her day-long India visit.

International Events- 

•  Researchers at one University of Washington lab have reported that the share of viral samples seeming to contain omicron’s telltale pattern of mutations has jumped to 20 per cent from 3 per cent in a matter of days.

•  The European Union is ready to impose sanctions with a “massive cost” for Russia if the Russian military invades Ukraine, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Friday.

• The US government put investment and export restrictions on dozens of Chinese companies on Thursday, including top drone maker DJI, accusing them of complicity in the oppression of China’s Uyghur minority or helping the military, further ratcheting up tensions between the world’s top two economies. 

• Educators announced plans to increase security in response to TikTok posts warning of shooting and bomb threats at schools around the country Friday as officials assured parents the viral posts were not considered credible. 

• US President Joe Biden warned on Thursday that the Omicron variant of the coronavirus is going to spread more rapidly in the United States and that a winter of severe illness and death awaits the unvaccinated.

Job alerts-

• NBCC (India) Limited Jobs for  Dy. Project Manager, Management Trainee, Project Manager, Sr. Stenographer, Office Assistant and other posts. Last date 08 January 2022

• Nuclear Power Corporation of India (NPCIL) Jobs for Nurse, Stipendiary Trainee, Scientific Assistant, Pharmacist B, Operation Theatre Assistant, Operator, Maintainer, Assistant Grade 1, Steno Grade and other posts. Last date 27 December 2021

• Indian Coast Guard (ICG) Jobs for Engine Driver, Sarang Lascar, Fire Engine Driver, Fireman, Civilian Motor Transport Fitter, Store Keeper, Lascar and other posts. Last date 1 Jan, 2022

Sports-

• The speed at which Sindhu brought Chochuwong down to her knees – the Thai whacking her racquet against the court in sheer frustration looking like a MMA fighter tapping out – might well be one gear tad too slow against the Taiwanese ace and her fistful of magic tricks. Tai Tzu will return the shuttle a second quicker, and with hexing spins on it, that will demand quicker reactions. Sindhu ofcourse has inbuilt speedometers in her mind and toes and at the elbow-snaps which crank up pace accordingly. But unbeknownst to the untrained eye, a speed upgrade will be called for against the Olympic silver medalist from Chinese Taipei. 

•  Srikanth is bonafide world-class. He showed as much to Lu Guang Zu with a 21-10, 21-15 dismissal in the pre quarters. He was even World No.1 for a week, and a Super Series superstar of yore. Circa 2017. But more than his win-percentage, his title counts, a calculation of his umpteen missed opportunities, and a blinding hole of the 2021 Olympic qualification, it was the caged Srikanth game that needed an enabling platform, a push of luck, a validation of success.

•  For the past six months, Smriti Mandhana, Jemimah Rodrigues, and Shafali Verma have gone from one bio-bubble to another. They departed with the national team to England on June 3 and returned home at the end of November. In between, they have played full-fledged series against England and Australia, but the biggest takeaway for the trio was playing in ‘The Hundred’ in England and the Women’s Big Bash League (WBBL) in Australia.

• A day after India Test captain Virat Kohli triggered a storm by publicly contradicting him, BCCI president Sourav Ganguly refused to comment on the matter, saying the Board will deal with it. 

• HS Prannoy on late Thursday pulled off a heist to make it to the quarterfinals of the BWF World Championships 2021. He now joins PV Sindhu, Kidambi Srikanth and Lakshya Sen in the Round of eight of the season-ending tournament taking place in Huelva, Spain.

Awards and honours-

• TBA 

Technology-

•  Epic Games has announced its Holiday Sale that brings discounts on popular titles including Far Cry 6 and Battlefield 2042. The company is offering discounts of up to 95 percent on games, editions, and add-ons. The sale will also give PC gamers one free game every day for the next 15 days. Epic Games has also reintroduced its Epic Coupon that will give customers $10 (roughly Rs. 760) off on every game they purchase that costs more than $14.99 (roughly Rs. 1,150). On the first day of its Holiday Sale, Epic Games is offering Shenmue III free of cost to gamers.

•  Spotify has announced that it is bringing a rating feature for podcasts, as part of the company's efforts to improve podcast discovery on the platform. Users will be able to assign up to five stars to a podcast after they have listened to it. The new rating feature will join the company's Podcast Charts recommendations feature. Spotify says that a podcast's average rating will be displayed on the show's page on Spotify, along with the total number of ratings received by the show. Apple similarly lets users rate podcasts on the Apple Podcasts platform.

•  Instagram is getting a new feature that allows users to embed a miniature version of their profiles on websites. With the latest Profile Embed functionality, users can showcase their Instagram content on third-party sites or link to someone else's profile. Alongside the Profile Embed, the social media company has highlighted the recently launched Playback feature for Instagram Stories and Reels Visual Replies. With the Playback feature, users can create an end-of-year collection of up to 10 Stories to share with their followers. The Reels Visual Replies lets to respond to comment with a Reels video of up to 60 seconds.

• Battlegrounds Mobile India has teased an upcoming partnership with Spider-Man: No Way Home. But developer Krafton has not announced when the partnership will begin or what rewards players will receive as a part of the collaboration. Spider-Man: No Way Home hit cinemas on December 16 and stars Tom Holland in the titular role for the third time. The last partnership that Battlegrounds Mobile India announced was with Riot Games' Arcane series — based on League of Legends — that was released with the BGMI update 1.7. 

• James Webb Space Telescope, the largest space telescope ever and the most noteworthy after Hubble, has been placed atop the Ariane 5, the rocket which will launch it to space from Europe's Spaceport in French Guiana. The James Webb Space Telescope has been designed to find answers to outstanding questions about the universe and for other breakthrough discoveries in the field of astronomy. It is set to be launched on December 24, but not earlier than that, as per NASA.

Economy – 

• Country’s largest lender State Bank of India (SBI) has increased benchmark lending rate or base rate by 0.1 per cent, a move that may be followed by other lenders.

• Shares of RateGain Travel Technologies debuted on a weaker note and got listed at a discount of over 15 per cent from their issue price in the stock exchanges today. 

•  The 30-share index declined 319.82 points or 0.55 per cent to 57,581.32 in the opening trade. Similarly, the Nifty fell 91 points or 0.53 per cent to 17,157.40.

•  Meta Platforms Inc said Thursday that its platforms had been used by seven surveillance-for-hire companies based out of China, Israel, India and North Macedonia to spy on or track as many as 50,000 people in 100 countries. The internal investigation — which started earlier this year — zeroed in on seven different entities from these four countries, which includes BellTrox, a hacker for hire based out of India.

•  As many as 13 states/Union Territories have finalised draft notifications for rules for all the four proposed labour codes, the government said in Parliament.

Environment –

• TBA 

Local –

• With 10 more cases of the Omicron variant confirmed in the city, Delhi’s tally has gone up to 20. 

•  AN ANALYSIS by an external forensics firm has claimed that the phone of activist Rona Wilson, arrested in 2018 in the Elgaar Parishad case, was “infiltrated” with Pegasus spyware before his arrest.

• A seven-year-old boy, who was infected with the Omicron variant of coronavirus, on tested negative for the virus on Thursday. This was the state’s first reported case of omicron. The boy, who arrived in Kolkata via Hyderabad from Abu Dhabi a few days ago with his parents, was tested twice. Covid samples of his parents had earlier returned negative. 

•  The Tamil Nadu government on Friday announced ‘Tamil Thaai Vazhthu,’ an invocation sung in praise of Mother Tamil, as the State Song and directed that all present during its rendition should remain standing, indicating it was being given an Anthem status.

• With increasing concern over the new variant Omicron, the Karnataka Covid-19 Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) has recommended subdued New Year celebrations so as to ensure that the current daily reporting of about 300 cases and the Total Positivity Rate (TPR) of 0.4 per cent remain stable.

Person in News – 

•  TBA

GK – 

Which country hosted the eighth Indian Ocean Dialogue recently?

[A] Sri Lanka
[B] India
[C] Myanmar
[D] Philippines

Which Indian journalist has been named by Columbia Journalism School as the 2022 alumni award winners?

[A] N Ram
[B] Malini Parthasarathy
[C] Raja Mohan 
[D] Soli J. Sorabjee

Cabinet approved a treaty on mutual legal assistance in criminal matters, with which country?

[A] Switzerland
[B] Poland
[C] USA
[D] Russia

World Trade Organization (WTO) panel asked which country to withdraw its subsidies in the sugar sector?

[A] Australia
[B] India
[C] USA
[D] China

Manohari Gold Tea, which was seen in the news, is associated with which state/UT?

[A] Kerala
[B] Tamil Nadu
[C] Assam
[D] West Bengal