·       Coimbatore veteran Arjun Balu (Race Concepts) and Chirag Ghorpade, the schoolboy from Bengaluru lit up the track in the second round of the MRF MMSC FMSCI Indian National Racing Championship 2021 with dominating performances in their respective categories.

·       Chirag topped the third of the triple-header on Dec 12  after local teenager Dillon Zacharaiah took the honours in the second outing for his maiden win in this class.

·       China’s treatment of its Uyghur minority could come before the courts in Argentina at about the same time that the Winter Olympics open on Feb. 4 in Beijing.

·       Michael Polak, a British lawyer representing the World Uyghur Congress and the Uyghur Human Rights Project, is preparing a “universal jurisdiction criminal complaint” to submit to the criminal courts of Argentina in February.

·       Last week, an unofficial body set up in Britain to assess evidence on China’s alleged rights abuses against the Uyghur people concluded that the Chinese government committed genocide and crimes against humanity.

·       Additionally, the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights is expected to soon release a report on human rights in the Xinjiang region of northwestern China. In a statement, the U.N. said it had “similarly identified patterns of arbitrary detention, coercive labor practices and an erosion of social and cultural rights.” It also said it had been unable to gain “unfettered access” to the region.

·       Argentina agreed last month to hear a case against the Myanmar military involving the treatment of the minority Rohingya under the principle of “universal jurisdiction.” This principle holds that severe crimes can be tried in any jurisdiction.

The Union Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment Dr. Virendra Kumar launched a National Helpline Against Atrocities on SCs/STs (NHAA).

The objective of the helpline, reportedly, is to build awareness about the provisions of the Act that are aimed at ending discrimination and providing protection to all.

The helpline is said to be available round the clock on the toll-free number “14566” across the country in Hindi, English, and other regional languages of the State/UTs.

It can be accessed by making a voice call /VOIP either from a mobile or landline number of any telecom operator across the country.

All registered complaints will be investigated and all chargesheets filed are prosecuted in the Courts for decision within the given timelines in the Act.

·       United Nations has granted Observer status to International Solar Alliance, an alliance of 124 counties initiated by India.

·       The UN said this is going to give impetus to One Sun One World One Grid and will help in bringing equitable energy solutions to the world. Most of these countries are sunshine countries, which lie completely or partly between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn.

·       The Prime Minister Narender Modi launched Green Grids Initiative (GGI)-OSOWOG at the World Leaders Summit that aims to connect 140 countries to round-the-clock solar power.

·    As per the alliance, three pilot interconnection corridors have been shortlisted for detailed technical and financial viability under OSOWOG. They are-- South Asia (India)- Southeast Asia (Myanmar to Thailand), South Asia (India)-West Asia and West Asia-Africa.

·       Aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has launched an investigation into  Dec 9 incident wherein SpiceJet’s Max aircraft made an emergency landing at the Mumbai airport after one of its engines faced a technical issue.

·       The plane —which has registration number VT-MXE — will remain grounded till it is cleared by the DGCA.

·       DGCA has asked the airline, aircraft manufacturer Boeing, and engine maker CFM to join the probe and provide all information regarding the snag that happened.

·       This probe and technical snags comes less than a month after SpiceJet restarted operations of its Boeing 737 MAX aircraft after a gap of around two-and-a-half years. 

·       Boeing as well as SpiceJet faced a major setback in March 2019 when aviation regulators around the world, including India, started grounding 737 MAX aircraft following its involvement in two fatal crashes that killed 346 people.

·       The loss-making carrier had recently said that return of the Max will be a game-changer for them as it is 20% more ‘fuel efficient’.

·       As for the US-based aerospace company Boeing, which made necessary software rectifications in Max planes to get green signal from regulators worldwide, any hindrances in the aircraft may jeopardize its aggressive sales pitch to airline companies.

·       While at present SpiceJet is the only Indian carrier that uses the Max planes, billionaire investor Rakesh Jhunjhunwala’s Akasa recently ordered 72 such planes.

·    The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has issued an order to re-verify the SIM of subscribers holding beyond nine connections across India, six connections in the case of Jammu and Kashmir, North East and Assam, and to disconnect in case of non-verification.

·       The subscribers will be given the option to choose the connection they want to retain and deactivate the rest of the connections.

·       The order comes from DoT to check incidence of financial crimes, pesky calls, automated calls and fraudulent activities.

·       The DoT has asked telecom operators to remove all the flagged mobile connections from the database that are not in use as per the rule.

·       Max Verstappen passes Lewis Hamilton on controversial final lap, wins F1 championship

·       The most dramatic Formula One season in years should have ended with Max Verstappen's championship-deciding pass of Lewis Hamilton on the final lap of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

·       The conclusion instead came nearly five hours after Verstappen became the first Dutch champion in F1 history, when the FIA denied a pair of protests lodged by Mercedes over the controversial finish of Dec 13 's race.

·       The  actor-model Harnaaz Sandhu made history on Dec 13 as she was crowned Miss Universe 2021 -- beating contestants from 80 countries -- 21 years after India last brought home the title.

·       Only two Indians before Sandhu have won the title of Miss Universe - actors Sushmita Sen in 1994 and Lara Dutta in 2000.

·       The 70th edition of the event was held in Eilat, Israel, where the 21-year-old bagged the coveted pageant.

·       The Chandigarh-based model, who is pursuing her master's degree in public administration, was crowned by her predecessor Andrea Meza of Mexico, who won the pageant in 2020.

·       While Paraguay's Nadia Ferreira, 22, finished second, South Africa's Lalela Mswane, 24, came third.

·       Sandhu started her journey in pageantry when she won Times Fresh Face in 2017, representing Chandigarh at the age of 17. She later won the LIVA Miss Diva Universe 2021 title.

Sandhu has also worked in a few Punjabi films, including "Yaara Diyan Poo Baran" and "Bai Ji Kuttange".