Today's Event – 10th December 2021

• 1508 – The League of Cambrai is formed by Pope Julius II, Louis XII of France, Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor and Ferdinand II of Aragon as an alliance against Venice.

• 1520 – Martin Luther burns his copy of the papal bull Exsurge Domine outside Wittenberg's Elster Gate.

• 1541 – Thomas Culpeper and Francis Dereham are executed for having affairs with Catherine Howard, Queen of England and wife of Henry VIII.

• 1652 – Defeat at the Battle of Dungeness causes the Commonwealth of England to reform its navy.

• 1665 – The Royal Netherlands Marine Corps is founded by Michiel de Ruyter.

• 1684 – Isaac Newton's derivation of Kepler's laws from his theory of gravity, contained in the paper De motu corporum in gyrum, is read to the Royal Society by Edmond Halley.

• 1768 – The first edition of the Encyclopædia Britannica is published.

• 1799 – France adopts the metre as its official unit of length.

• 1817 – Mississippi becomes the 20th U.S. state.

• 1861 – American Civil War: The Confederate States of America accept a rival state government's pronouncement that declares Kentucky to be the 13th state of the Confederacy.

• 1861 – Forces led by Nguyễn Trung Trá»±c, an anti-colonial guerrilla leader in southern Vietnam, sink the French lorcha L'Esperance.

• 1864 – American Civil War: Sherman's March to the Sea: Major General William Tecumseh Sherman's Union Army troops reach the outer Confederate defenses of Savannah, Georgia.

• 1877 – Russo-Turkish War: The Russian Army captures Plevna after a 5-month siege. The garrison of 25,000 surviving Turks surrenders. The Russian victory is decisive for the outcome of the war and the Liberation of Bulgaria.

• 1896 – Alfred Jarry's Ubu Roi premieres in Paris. A riot breaks out at the end of the performance.

• 1898 – Spanish–American War: The Treaty of Paris is signed, officially ending the conflict. Spain cedes administration of Cuba to the United States, and the United States agrees to pay Spain $20 million for the Philippines.

• 1901 – The first Nobel Prize ceremony is held in Stockholm on the fifth anniversary of Alfred Nobel's death.

• 1902 – The opening of the reservoir of the Aswan Dam in Egypt.

• 1906 – U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt is awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his role in the mediation of the Russo-Japanese War, becoming the first American to win a Nobel Prize in any field.

• 1907 – The worst night of the Brown Dog riots in London, when 1,000 medical students, protesting against the existence of a memorial for animals that have been vivisected, clash with 400 police officers

• 1909 – Selma Lagerlöf becomes the first female writer to receive the Nobel Prize in Literature

• 1932 – Thailand becomes a constitutional monarchy.

• 1936 – Abdication Crisis: Edward VIII signs the Instrument of Abdication.

• 1948 – The Human Rights Convention is signed by the United Nations.

• 1949 – Chinese Civil War: The People's Liberation Army begins its siege of Chengdu, the last Kuomintang-held city in mainland China, forcing President of the Republic of China Chiang Kai-shek and his government to retreat to Taiwan.

• 1953 – British Prime Minister Winston Churchill receives the Nobel Prize in Literature.

• 1963 – Zanzibar gains independence from the United Kingdom as a constitutional monarchy, under Sultan Jamshid bin Abdullah.

• 1963 – An assassination attempt on the British High Commissioner in Aden kills two people and wounds dozens more.

• 1968 – Japan's biggest heist, the still-unsolved "300 million yen robbery", is carried out in Tokyo.

• 1978 – Arab–Israeli conflict: Prime Minister of Israel Menachem Begin and President of Egypt Anwar Sadat are jointly awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

• 1979 – Kaohsiung Incident: Taiwanese pro-democracy demonstrations are suppressed by the KMT dictatorship, and organizers are arrested.

• 1983 – Democracy is restored in Argentina with the inauguration of President Raúl Alfonsín.

• 1984 – United Nations General Assembly recognizes the Convention against Torture.

• 1989 – Mongolian Revolution: At the country's first open pro-democracy public demonstration, Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj announces the establishment of the Mongolian Democratic Union.

• 1993 – The last shift leaves Wearmouth Colliery in Sunderland. The closure of the 156-year-old pit marks the end of the old County Durham coalfield, which had been in operation since the Middle Ages.

• 1994 – Rwandan genocide: Maurice Baril, military advisor to the U.N. Secretary-General and head of the Military Division of the Department of Peacekeeping Operations, recommends that UNAMIR stand down.

• 1995 – The Israeli army withdraws from Nablus pursuant to the terms of Oslo Accord.

• 1996 – The new Constitution of South Africa is promulgated by Nelson Mandela.

• 1999 – Helen Clark is sworn in as Prime Minister of New Zealand, the second woman to hold the post and the first following an election.

• 2014 – Palestinian minister Ziad Abu Ein is killed after the suppression of a demonstration by Israeli forces in the village (Turmus'ayya) in Ramallah.

• 2015 – Rojava conflict: The Syrian Democratic Council is established in Dêrik, forming the political wing of the Syrian Democratic Forces in northeast Syria.

• 2016 – Two explosions outside a football stadium in Istanbul, Turkey, kill 38 people and injure 166 others.

• 2017 – ISIL is defeated in Iraq.

• 2019 – The Ostrava hospital attack in the Czech Republic results in eight deaths, including the perpetrator-

National Events- 

•  A combination of vaccination and naturally acquired infection appears to boost the production of maximally potent antibodies against the Covid-19 virus,  said researchers from University of California - Los Angeles Health Sciences in a study published in peer-reviewed journal mBio. 

•  Two Bills were passed by the Lok Sabha on Thursday to extend the tenures of directors of the Central Bureau of Investigation and the Enforcement Directorate up to a maximum of five years from the present two years. 

•  The Rajya Sabha on Thursday passed a Bill that seeks to accord the status of institute of national importance to six more institutes of pharmaceutical education and research, and also set up an advisory council for them.

•  Residential buildings make up 75 per cent of India’s construction market, still it is yet to become a priority for energy efficiency policy for India, a study by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) has noted. 

• Thirteen passengers who arrived from 'at risk' and 'non-risk' countries to Tamil Nadu  till date have tested Covid-19 positive and their RTPCR Samples have been sent to Bengaluru for genomic sequencing analysis, Tamil Nadu Minister Ma Subramanian said on Thursday.

International Events- 

•  The United States won an appeal in London’s High Court to have Wikileaks founder Julian Assange extradited to face criminal charges, including breaking a spying law and conspiring to hack government computers.

•  A man who fell and suffered an injury while moving from his bedroom to home office can claim accident insurance benefits as he was technically commuting to work, ruled a German court, according to a report in The Guardian.

•  Australian children aged five-11 will start to receive the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine from January 10, after it cleared the final regulatory step and was recommended for use in this age group by the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI)

•  The al-Qaeda extremist group has grown slightly inside Afghanistan since US forces left in late August, and the country’s new Taliban leaders are divided over whether to fulfill their 2020 pledge to break ties with the group, the top US commander in the region said Thursday

• The Pakistani Taliban said Thursday they will not extend a cease-fire agreed to last month, accusing the government in Islamabad of not honoring the truce and failing to release 102 of their fighters.

Job alerts-

• THDC India Limited Jobs for ITI Trade Apprentices and other posts. Last date 29/12/2021

• ECIL Jobs for Junior Artisan and other posts. Last date 12th & 13th Dec 2021

• NISER Jobs for Technician-B, Technician-C and other posts. Last date 03/01/2022

• CWPRS Pune Jobs for Craftsman and other posts. Last date 28/12/2021

• Naval Ship Repair Yard Jobs for Apprentice Training in various Trades and other posts. Last date 20/12/2021

Sports-

• “We (BCCI) had requested Virat not to step down as T20I captain. There was no plan to change captaincy. But he stepped down as T20I captain and the selectors decided not to split limited-overs captaincy, opting for a complete separation,” Ganguly told The Indian Express. 

•  As China’s capital decks itself up to host the Winter Olympics in February 2022 – making it the only city in the world to host both the Summer and Winter Games – the US, earlier this week, announced a diplomatic boycott of the event. The United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand and Canada have followed their lead and made a similar decision.

•  Three-time champion shuttler Carolina Marin’s much-awaited return to competitive action got further delayed as she pulled out of the World Championship after failing to regain fitness following a knee injury.

•  Red Bull’s Max Verstappen set the early pace ahead of his Formula 1 title showdown with Mercedes rival Lewis Hamilton by going fastest in Friday’s (Dec 10) opening practice for the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

• Former world number one Divyansh Singh Panwar shot an impressive 250 in the final to bag back-to-back men’s 10m air rifle national championship crowns at the MP Shooting academy range here on Friday

Technology-

• Samsung is believed to working on two sets of tablets – Galaxy Tab S8 and Galaxy Tab A8. These tablets are expected to be officially announced anytime during this month. A recent leak by a tipster has suggested the memory, storage, and colour options that might be available when the Galaxy Tab S8 series is eventually launched. Alongside, the tipster has also shared leaked renders of the Galaxy Tab A8 (2021). Previously, renders of the Galaxy Tab S8 series had surfaced, showcasing the Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra featuring two selfie cameras and a symmetrical bezel design. 

•  Facebook has rolled out a 'Year Together' card feature on the company's Android and iOS apps, allowing users to share the highlights and top moments of the year gone by. The company, which was recently rebranded to Meta, has launched a similar feature on Instagram allowing users to share their top ten stories of the year. Users will be able to see friends, photos, locations, and other experiences they shared on the platform as part of the Year Together card. Facebook has begun rolling out the feature, which can be used until the end of the year.

•  Xiaomi 12 series is expected to be announced as a successor to the Xiaomi 11 lineup of smartphones later this month. Various leaks and reports have hinted that the upcoming Xiaomi 12 series will comprise of four models. These rumoured handsets include Xiaomi 12, Xiaomi 12X, Xiaomi 12 Pro, and Xiaomi 12 Ultra. The launch timeline of these smartphones has not been officially confirmed. Now, a new leak suggests that Xiaomi 12 Ultra may come with a major overhaul in its camera setup when compared to Xiaomi 11 Ultra.

•  OnePlus 9RT (or OnePlus RT) and OnePlus Buds Z2's India launch seems imminent. OnePlus's smartphone and true wireless stereo (TWS) earphones' India support pages have been spotted on the company. The OnePlus 9RT was listed under the 'Phone' category while the OnePlus Buds Z2 was listed under 'Accessories.' The OnePlus Buds Z2 TWS earphones launched in China in October along with the OnePlus 9RT. The phone, however, is expected to launch in India simply as OnePlus RT.

• Duolingo, a popular language-learning platform, has released its annual language report for the year 2021 revealing the shift in the language-learning patterns in the country. As per the report, Korean is the fastest-growing language in India and people between the age group of 17 and 2, are more interested in learning Korean. The release of Squid Games and interest in Korean pop music (K-pop) has lifted the popularity of Korean among youth, notes the report. The company has also selected ‘I'm mentally exhausted' as the ‘Most 2021 Phrase'.

Economy – 

•  The S&P BSE Sensex slipped by 20.46 points (0.03 per cent) to end at 58,786.67, while the broader Nifty 50 dipped 5.55 points (0.03 per cent) to 17,511.30.

•  Tesla Inc Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk is “thinking of” leaving his jobs and becoming an influencer, the world’s richest man tweeted on Thursday.

•  The initial public offering (IPO) of footwear retailer Metro Brands opened for subscription on Friday, December 10, 2021. The offer got 27 per cent subscribed by the end of the first day of bidding.

•  The initial public offering (IPO) of Shriram Properties, which was launched on Wednesday was met with an overwhelming response by the investors as it got subscribed 4.60 times on the final day, according to the data available on the BSE.

• The country’s index of industrial production (IIP) grew 3.2 per cent to 133.7 in the month of October, according to the data released by the Ministry of Statistics & Programme Implementation (MoSPI).

Local –

•  Days after a Gurgaon court pulled up investigators for not probing allegations against IPS officer Dheeraj Setia in connection with a multi-crore theft case, the Haryana government Friday suspended the officer. Authorities in Haryana have also asked the Enforcement Directorate and Income Tax department to look into the case.

•  Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan’s son Aryan Khan Thursday moved the Bombay High Court seeking modification of one of his bail conditions in the cruise ship drug bust case.

•  Accusing the Trinamool Congress of human rights violations in the state, West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar said on Friday that “human rights violations in West Bengal are at an all-time high”.

• The Tamil Nadu government Friday made it mandatory for all college students to be fully vaccinated in order to be allowed to attend offline classes. The direction comes days after a report showed only 46 per cent engineering students above 18 years have taken their first dose of Covid-19 vaccines, adding, only 12% have taken both the doses.

• Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai Friday said the police chief has been asked to take legal action against those making derogatory and celebratory social media posts on the death of Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Bipin Rawat.

GK – 

Which Union Ministry is implementing the umbrella scheme named ‘Atal Vayo Abhyudaya Yojana (AVYAY)?

[A] Ministry of Women and Child Development
[B] Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment
[C] Ministry of Rural Development
[D] Ministry of Minority Affairs

What is the name of the portal launched by Ministry of Civil Aviation for seamless air travel during Covid?

[A] Air Suvidha
[B] Bharat Travel
[C] Pradhan Mantri Aviation
[D] Welcome India

Which space agency launched its ‘Laser Communications Relay Demonstration (LCRD)’?

[A] ISRO
[B] NASA
[C] Blue Origin
[D] SpaceX

Which Indian bureaucrat was invited to join the board of advisers of International ‘IDEA’?

[A] Sunil Arora
[B] P. Rawat
[C] A K Joti
[D] Nasim Zaidi

As per the ‘World Malaria Report 2021’, what is the number of estimated malaria deaths in 2020?

[A] 1.27 lakhs
[B] 2.27 lakhs
[C] 4.27 lakhs
[D] 6.27 lakhs