Today's Event – 8th December 2021

• 1432 – The first battle between the forces of Švitrigaila and Sigismund Kęstutaitis is fought near the town of Oszmiana (Ashmyany),launching the most active phase of the Lithuanian Civil War.

• 1504 – Ahmad ibn Abi Jum'ah writes his Oran fatwa, arguing for the relaxation of Islamic law requirements for the forcibly converted Muslims in Spain.

• 1660 – A woman (either Margaret Hughes or Anne Marshall) appears on an English public stage for the first time, in the role of Desdemona in a production of Shakespeare's play Othello.

• 1851 – Conservative Santiago-based government troops defeat rebels at the Battle of Loncomilla, signaling the end of the 1851 Chilean Revolution.

• 1854 – In his Apostolic constitution Ineffabilis Deus, Pope Pius IX proclaims the dogmatic definition of Immaculate Conception, which holds that the Blessed Virgin Mary was conceived free of Original Sin.

• 1864 – Pope Pius IX promulgates the encyclical Quanta cura and its appendix, the Syllabus of Errors, outlining the authority of the Catholic Church and condemning various liberal ideas.

• 1907 – King Gustaf V of Sweden accedes to the Swedish throne.

• 1912 – Leaders of the German Empire hold an Imperial War Council to discuss the possibility that war might break out

• 1953 – U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower delivers his "Atoms for Peace" speech, which leads to an American program to supply equipment and information on nuclear power to schools, hospitals, and research institutions around the world.

• 1955 – The Flag of Europe is adopted by Council of Europe.

• 1962 – Workers at four New York City newspapers (this later increases to nine) go on strike for 114 days.

• 1963 – Pan Am Flight 214, a Boeing 707, is struck by lightning and crashes near Elkton, Maryland, killing all 81 people on board.

• 1966 – The Greek ship SS Heraklion sinks in a storm in the Aegean Sea, killing over 200.

• 1969 – Olympic Airways Flight 954 strikes a mountain outside of Keratea, Greece, killing 90 people in the worst crash of a Douglas DC-6 in history.

• 1971 – Indo-Pakistani War: The Indian Navy launches an attack on West Pakistan's port city of Karachi.

• 1972 – United Airlines Flight 553, a Boeing 737, crashes after aborting its landing attempt at Chicago Midway International Airport, killing 45. This is the first-ever loss of a Boeing 737.

• 1974 – A plebiscite results in the abolition of monarchy in Greece.

• 1980 – John Lennon is murdered by Mark David Chapman in front of The Dakota in New York City.

• 1985 – The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation, the regional intergovernmental organization and geopolitical union in South Asia, is established.

• 1987 – Cold War: The Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty is signed by U.S. President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev in the White House.

• 1987 – An Israeli army tank transporter kills four Palestinian refugees and injures seven others during a traffic accident at the Erez Crossing on the Israel–Gaza Strip border, which has been cited as one of the events which sparked the First Intifada.

• 1988 – A United States Air Force A-10 Thunderbolt II crashes into an apartment complex in Remscheid, Germany, killing 5 people and injuring 50 others.

• 1990 – The Galileo spacecraft flies past Earth for the first time.

• 1991 – The leaders of Russia, Belarus and Ukraine sign an agreement dissolving the Soviet Union and establishing the Commonwealth of Independent States.

• 1992 – The Galileo spacecraft flies past Earth for the second time.

• 1998 – Eighty-one people are killed by armed groups in Algeria.

• 2004 – The Cusco Declaration is signed in Cusco, Peru, establishing the South American Community of Nations.

• 2004 – Columbus nightclub shooting: Nathan Gale opens fire at the Alrosa Villa nightclub in Columbus, Ohio, killing former Pantera guitarist Dimebag Darrell and 3 others before being shot dead by a police officer

• 2009 – Bombings in Baghdad, Iraq, kill 127 people and injure 448 others.

• 2010 – With the second launch of the Falcon 9 and the first launch of the Dragon, SpaceX becomes the first private company to successfully launch, orbit and recover a spacecraft

• 2010 – The Japanese solar-sail spacecraft IKAROS passes the planet Venus at a distance of about 80,800 km.

• 2013 – Riots break out in Singapore after a fatal accident in Little India.

• 2013 – Metallica performs a show in Antarctica, making them the first band to perform on all seven continents.

• 2019 – First confirmed case of COVID-19 in China.

National Events- 

•  Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Wednesday launched a scathing attack on the Centre, accusing it of refusing to allow a discussion in Parliament on the border situation, among others. She also questioned the government’s Covid-19 vaccination strategy.

•  Biju Janata Dal MP Bhartruhari Mahtab Tuesday argued in Lok Sabha that it was time to implement the Uniform Civil Code in the country. He spoke to Deeptiman Tiwary on the issue.

•  Sonia Gandhi on Wednesday raised issues of farmers, border security and the suspended MPs at the Congress Parliamentary Party meet. She said that the Modi government is insensitive towards farmers and common people, ANI reported. “The rise in prices of essential commodities is burning the monthly budget of every family,” she added.

•  India stands out as a “poor and very unequal country, with an affluent elite”, where the top 10 per cent holds 57 per cent of the total national income while the bottom 50 per cent’s share is just 13 per cent in 2021, according to the latest World Inequality Report 2022.

• According to data obtained by The Indian Express from the Department of Tourism, Art, Culture, Sports and Youth Affairs under the Right to Information (RTI) Act, these bills remain “under process”. A senior official told The Indian Express that the set of bills was not cleared twice earlier — once at the Departmental level and then at the Cabinet level.

International Events- 

•  The growing inability of the international community to restore peace in countries like Yemen, Libya and Ethiopia is forcing humanitarian and refugee organizations to work increasingly during conflicts which they can’t solve despite the expectations of many people caught up in these crises, the U.N. refugee chief warned Tuesday

•  Over the past 18 months or so, experts have been closely tracking the multitrillion-dollar increase in what economists call “excess savings,” generally defined as the amount by which people’s cash reserves during the COVID-19 crisis exceeded what they would have normally saved.

•  The lobby of the Fleuve Congo Hotel was a swirl of double-breasted suits and tailored dresses one April morning. Shiny gold watches dangled from wrists. Stilettos clacked across marble floors. Smooth jazz played as men in designer loafers sipped espressos.

• A federal judge on Tuesday blocked President US Joe Biden’s administration from enforcing a Covid-19 vaccine mandate for employees of federal contractors, the latest in a string of victories for Republican-led states pushing back against Biden’s pandemic policies. 

• House and Senate negotiators reached a landmark agreement Tuesday that would strip military commanders of most of their authority to prosecute sexual assaults and myriad other criminal cases, a move that Pentagon leaders, lawmakers and presidents have resisted for nearly a generation.

Job alerts-

• Sainik School Nagrota Jobs for Ward Boys and other posts. Last date 18/12/2021

• 762 TPT ASC (Civil GT) Jobs for Civil Motor Driver and other posts. Last date 17/12/2021

• PPSC (Punjab) Jobs for Inspector and other posts. Last date 22/12/2021

• RPSC (Rajasthan) Jobs for Assistant Statistical Officer, Assistant Professors, Chemist, Agriculture Officer and other posts. Last date 22/12/2021

• GPSC Jobs for Various Officers and other posts. Last date 10/12/2021

Sports-

•  After five weeks of concern about the safety of tennis player Peng Shuai in China, the International Olympic Committee said Tuesday it cannot give any certainties about her case.

•  Magnus Carlsen had an incredulous look on his face when it dawned on him what had happened. These World Chess championships have been dictated by a solitary factor — Ian Nepomniachtchi’s one crucial blunder in two of his three loses. Game 9, a decisive encounter for the Russian, was no different. Carlsen took advantage of a brain fade from Nepomniachtchi to win and essentially seal his victory in the 14 game series. The scores currently are 6-3 in favour of the champion and a mathematical possibility is all that remains with the challenger.

•  Liverpool’s second-string side fought back to knock AC Milan out of Europe with a 2-1 victory at San Siro as goals from Mohamed Salah and Divock Origi helped the Reds become the first English team to win all six games in a Champions League group stage.

•  England captain Joe Root won the toss, opted to bat and lost opener Rory Burns on the very first delivery of the Ashes series, a late swinging yorker from Australia paceman Mitchell Starc.

• A piece of cricketing history, the bat used by the legendary Donald Bradman in the 1934 Ashes series with which he scored two triple-centuries is up for auction.

Technology-

• OnePlus will reportedly host a physical launch event in early January in Las Vegas. The event coincides with the first day of the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2022. However, it is not confirmed which devices the Chinese tech giant will launch during the event, but it is being speculated that the OnePlus 10 series may get unveiled. The OnePlus 10 series has surfaced on the rumour mill several times in the past and is said to be powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 SoC. 

•  Infinix InBook X1 series was launched in India on Wednesday. The series consists of three models that are available under two distinct titles, namely the InBook X1 and InBook X1 Pro. While the Infinix InBook X1 comes in Intel Core i3 and Core i5 processor options, the InBook X1 Pro has a single Intel Core i7 processor variant. All three Infinix laptops run on Windows 11 out-of-the-box and feature a 14-inch full-HD IPS display. The laptops also have up to 512GB of SSD storage and are equipped with 10th Gen Intel Core processors.

•  Oppo Reno 7 Pro League of Legends Edition has debuted as a limited-edition smartphone — developed in partnership between Oppo and Riot Games. The Oppo phone comes in a rocket cannon-shaped box. It also includes preloaded content including a theme with icons and animation effects inspired by League of Legends champion character Jinx. The Oppo Reno 7 Pro League of Legends Edition is bundled with a special case carrying Jinx' theme, two lanyards, and stickers. In terms of specifications, the new smartphone is identical to the regular Oppo Reno 7 Pro.

•  Razer Phone Cooler Chroma has been launched as a MagSafe-compatible active cooler for smartphones. It features 12 customisable RGB LED lights which are powered by the Razer Chroma technology. This technology is claimed to offer up to 16.8 million colours, dynamic in-game lighting, and more. The cooling fan can be controlled through a smartphone app via Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) connectivity. This app lets users adjust the cooling fan's properties and customise the RGB lighting. In addition, the LED lighting is programmed to indicate pairing and power status.

• Entering into the middle of December's second week, Bitcoin opened Wednesday with a minor loss of 0.90 percent. The world's most-valued cryptocurrency is currently trading at $53, 619 (roughly Rs. 40 lakh) as per Indian exchange CoinSwitch Kuber. On international exchanges such as CoinMarketCap and Binance, the world's oldest cryptocurrency is being traded for around $50,000 (roughly Rs. 38 lakh) per token. While the overall status of Bitcoin is improving gradually, its daily position remains not-too-loud in terms of gains or losses. Bitcoin fell from its all-time high of $68,327.99 (roughly Rs. 50.5 lakh) recently after India's plans of banning cryptocurrencies emerged online

Economy – 

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday said the world is looking towards India for affordable and sustainable technology-enabled solutions across all streams of emerging domains, including 5G, artificial intelligence and robotics. 

•  Billionaire Mukesh Ambani on Wednesday pitched for India making the rollout of 5G or the fifth-generation technology standard for broadband cellular networks as a national priority to support the digital revolution.

•  The Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) kept the repo rate unchanged at 4 per cent for the ninth consecutive time while maintaining an ‘accommodative stance’ as long as necessary, RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das announced on Wednesday.

•  At 11:04 am, the S&P BSE Sensex was trading 856.34 points (1.49 per cent) at 58,489.99 while the Nifty 50 surged 246.65 points (1.44 per cent) to 17,423.35.

• Even as the government and operators are focused on expanding the infrastructure at airports to deal with the increasing crowds from international flights, an analysis of schedules at the country’s top two international airports — Delhi and Mumbai — points to a bunching of international flight arrivals during one part of the day.

Local –

•  A Delhi court has framed charges related to rioting and attempt to murder against Shahrukh Pathan, the man who had allegedly pointed a gun at a police officer during the Northeast Delhi riots.

•  Lawyer and activist Sudha Bharadwaj, arrested over three years and three months ago in the Elgar Parishad case, is likely to be released soon. On Wednesday, Bharadwaj was produced before the special court, a day after the Supreme Court dismissed an appeal by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) against her default bail granted by Bombay High Court last week. The High Court had directed the special court to set conditions for her release.

•  Invoking the Nagaland incident in which an ambush by the Army’s elite 21 Special Para Commandos went awry resulting in the death of 14 civilians and a soldier, at Tuesday’s administrative review meeting in North Dinajpur, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee directed the district and the state police to keep an eye on the state’s international borders as well as the BSF.

•  In a relief for international passengers, the Chennai International Airport has slashed the rates of Rapid PCR tests from Rs 3,400 to Rs 2,900, and RT-PCR tests from Rs 700 to Rs 600.

• With Covid-19 testing measures enhanced in Karnataka airports, including Kempegowda International Airport in Bengaluru, for international arrivals in the wake of Omicron cases being diagnosed in the city, the state government on Tuesday capped the prices for various testing methods.

GK – 

What is the theme of the ‘International Volunteer Day’ in 2021?

[A] Volunteer now for our common future
[B] World needs Volunteers
[C] Volunteering during Pandemic
[D] Welcoming Volunteers

When is the ‘World Soil Day’ observed every year?

[A] December 3
[B] December 5
[C] December 7
[D] December 9

‘Ciprian Foias Prize’ is associated with which field?

[A] Space Science
[B] Mathematics
[C] Virology
[D] Business

Which city played host to the first-ever ‘India-Russia ‘2+2’ dialogue’?

[A] Moscow
[B] New Delhi
[C] Ahmadabad
[D] St Petersburg

Ajaz Patel, who recently clinched 10 wickets in an innings, is a cricketer from  which country?

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