·       External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said  that the reconstruction of 50,000 houses in Nepal's Gorkha and Nuwakot districts under Indian-assistance has been completed as he applauded the spirit and resilience of the Himalayan nation that emerged from the ashes of destruction to undertake the task of rebuilding after the 2015 earthquake.

·       Addressing the International Conference on Nepal's Reconstruction virtually, Jaishankar underscored that India will always unhesitatingly step up to support the people of Nepal whenever called to do so.

·       Jaishankar also said that the projects in the health, education and culture sectors are under progress.

·       Noting that India had pledged USD 1 billion as support for reconstruction after the 2015 earthquake, Jaishankar said that one-fourth of it was committed as grant assistance to be utilised for health, culture heritage, housing and education sectors.

·       Government of India is funding reconstruction of 70 schools and a library, 132 health facilities and 28 cultural heritage sector projects in various earthquake-affected districts of Nepal.

·       India's Ambassador to Nepal Vinay Mohan Kwatra also attended the event.

·       Since President Xi Jinping came to power in early 2013, a wave of arrests unprecedented since the end of the Maoist era has hit journalists and political commentators across China, abruptly ending a decade of experimentation with pluralism and debate in Chinese media, said a major report released by Reporters Without Borders (RSF) on Dec 8 .

·       The 2021 RSF World Press Freedom Index ranks the People's Republic of China 177 out of 180 countries, only two spots above North Korea, with at least 127 journalists and press defenders under detention. India ranks 142 and Pakistan 145 while North Korea and Eritrea are ranked 179 and 180.

·       As the RBI moves ahead for the launch of the central bank digital currency (CBDC), Governor Shaktikanta Das on Dec 8  marked out cyber security and digital frauds as the main challenges in the new system.

·       Deputy Governor T Rabi Sankar said there are two types of CBDCs - wholesale and retail - and a lot of work has happened in the former while the latter was termed as a "complicated" aspect which will take time.

·       The RBI had earlier this year announced that it has started work on the CBDC, in line with other major central banks of the world which are looking at a fiat digital currency.

·    According to a report, the RBI is looking to start with pilot exercises on the same front by early next year.

·       Infosys BPM, the business process management arm of Infosys, on Dec 8  announced that it is expanding its presence in Ireland, creating 250 jobs locally with the development of a new delivery center in Waterford.

·       Infosys BPM started its Ireland operations in Dublin in 2014, delivering service offerings across telecommunications, manufacturing, social media, healthcare, edtech, and fintech sectors. The company has since then further expanded in Ireland through its offices in Waterford, Wexford, Clonmel, and Craigavon.

·       The new center in Waterford will provide voice support, customer service and technical support operations for large global enterprises. 

·       Meta (formerly Facebook) on Dec 8  said it aims to skill 1 crore small businesses and 2,50,000 creators over the next three years in the country through its Centre for Fuelling India's New Economy (CFINE) in Delhi-NCR.

·       CFINE is housed in one of Meta's largest offices in Asia that has been set up in the city.

·       The new office will house various teams from Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp.

·       Michael Dowse is resigning as CEO of the US Tennis Association after about two years in the position, during which the coronavirus pandemic led to a zero-spectators US Open in 2020 and an increase in participation in the sport.

·    The USTA announced that Dowse is stepping down effective March 1. He was hired to lead the governing body of tennis in the United States in October 2019 and his tenure began the following January.

·       India's Jhilli Dalabehera won a silver in women's 49kg category in the Commonwealth Weightlifting Championships  . Dalabehera lifted a total of 167kg (73 + 94) to finish behind Peter Stella Kingsley of Nigera who had a total effort of 168kg (72+96).

·       Jhilli was competing in the weight category of Olympic silver medallist Mirabai Chanu who had pulled out of the Commonwealth Championships as well as the World Championships which are being held simultaneously in Tashkent.

·       TVS Racing team's Harith Noah is all set to represent India at the Dakar 2022, the toughest cross country rally in the world, scheduled to be held in Saudi Arabia from January 1 to 14.

·       Noah, who is currently training in Spain to fine-tune his navigation skills after training with Sherco star Michael Metge in France, will be leaving for Jeddah about a week before the event.

·       Noah, who finished his maiden Dakar in the experience class in 2020, became the fourth rider from India to take part in prestigious rally after CS Santosh, Ashish Roarane and Aravind KP.

·       He excelled with a stunning effort in 2021 to become the first top-20 rider representing India.

·       This year will be his third at the Dakar.

·    The Dakar this year will be part of the FIA and FIM World Rally Championships for cross-country rallying.