Current Affairs in Short: 8 December 2020

UK begins COVID-19 vaccination programme

•The most awaited moment of the year 2020 is here, as UK begins its COVID-19 vaccination programme from today, becoming the first nation in the world to administer the new coronavirus vaccine developed jointly by American drug giant Pfizer and Germany's BioNTech.
•As per reports, hundreds of thousands of vaccine vials were shipped to UK in special containers to keep them at ultra-low temperatures. The COVID vaccine has been found to be 95 percent effective and UK had become the first country to authorise the emergency use of the vaccine. 
•The frontline staff of the National Health Service (NHS) and those above the age of 80 years will be given priority for vaccination. It will be rolled out to other segments of the public subsequently depending on the age and vulnerability to contract the virus. 
•Those who receive the vaccine will be given a vaccination passport containing all the important details such as the date of vaccination and the date of the first dose so they remember when they have to receive the second dose. 
•The COVID-19 vaccine will be administered in two separate doses. The Pfizer vaccine was approved for emergency use after trials that lasted almost 10 months. Around 40,000 volunteers were involved in the trials and they reported only mild side effects. 

90-year-old Britisher becomes world’s first person to receive Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine

•Margaret Keenan, a 90-year-old grandmother from Britain, has become the world’s first person to receive the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine outside of a trial following its rapid clinical approval. 
•Keenan received the first dose at her local hospital in Coventry, central England, today morning. Britain has begun its emergency COVID vaccination programme. 
•The mass vaccination fuels new hope in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, which has led to the death of almost 1.5 million people across the world. 

Breakdancing to make its Olympic debut in Paris Olympics 2024

•Breakdance, also popularly known as breaking, is set to make its Olympic debut at the Paris 2024 Games. The official announcement for the same was made on December 8, 2020. 
•Breakdancing will be the first DanceSport event to appear at the Olympic Games. The sport was staged at the Youth Olympics in Buenos Aires two years ago.
•Breakdancing typically involves running, jumping and climbing over obstacles. Besides this, the executive board of the International Olympics Committee (IOC) also announced that skateboarding, sport climbing and surfing will also feature in the Paris edition. The sports will make their Olympic debut at the postponed Tokyo Games in 2021.

India, Qatar to create special Task-Force to facilitate investments by Qatar Investment Authority 

•India and Qatar on December 8, 2020 decided to create a special Task-Force to further facilitate investments by Qatar Investment Authority into India.
•Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to Amir of Qatar Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani over the phone and resolved to explore Qatari investments in the entire energy value-chain in India.
•During the phone call, the two leaders discussed the robust cooperation between both countries in the fields of investment flows and energy security.

Sheikh Sabah Al-Khalid reappointed as Kuwait’s Prime Minister

•Kuwait’s Emir Sheikh Nawaf al-Ahmad al-Sabah reappointed Sheikh Sabah al-Khalid al-Sabah as the Prime Minister on December 8, 2020. 
•The appointment was made following the parliamentary polls in the Arab state, which faces its worst economic crisis in decades.
•Kuwait’s Emir has asked Sheikh Sabah to nominate members of his new cabinet for approval. 
•Sheikh Sabah had been the foreign minister of Kuwait since 2011 and was elevated to the post of premier in late 2019.