Top 5 Current Affairs: 13 December 2021

India’s Harnaaz Sandhu crowned Miss Universe 2021

India’s Harnaaz Sandhu brought home the Miss Universe crown after a gap of 21 years. Lara Dutta had won the prestigious beauty pageant back in 2000. The 21 years Sandhu is from Punjab, she represented India at the 70th Miss Universe 2021. Sushmita Sen had won the first Miss Universe crown for India in 1994.

Kashi Vishwanath Corridor inaugurated by Prime Minister Modi

Prime Minister Modi inaugurated phase 1 of Kashi Vishwanath Dham. Kashi Vishwanath Corridor has been constructed at a cost of around Rs 339 crores. PM Modi also earlier offered prayers to Lord Shiva at Kashi Vishwanath temple. The Corridor project connects the Kashi Vishwanath temple to the banks of River Ganga in Varanasi.

Max Verstappen wins Formula One World Champion

Max Verstappen was crowned Formula One world champion. He overtook Lewis Hamilton who was heading for his 8th title, to win his first-ever Formula One title. Verstappen has become the first Dutch world champion. Hamilton's Mercedes team protested against Verstappen's win. 

Dubai becomes first in the world to go 100% paperless

Dubai has become the world’s first government to turn 100% paperless. Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Crown Prince of Emirates, shared the news while also pointing at the savings of 1.3 million Dirham (USD 350 Million) and 14-million-man-hours. All forms of transactions and the procedures in the Dubai Government are now 100% digital.

ICMR testing kit for detecting Omicron in 2 hours

ICMR in Dibrugarh, Assam has designed a new testing kit that will be able to detect the Omicron COVID variant in two hours. At least 33 cases of Omicron have been detected in the country so far. The testing kit will enable detection of the Omicron variant of Coronavirus in real-time.