Top 5 Current Affairs: 8 December 2021

Army Helicopter carrying CDS Bipin Rawat crashes

An Indian Airforce Helicopter carrying CDS Bipin Rawat, his wife and senior defence personnel crashed in the Nilgiris district of Tamil Nadu. There were 14 people aboard, out of whom 13 have been confirmed dead. Defence Minister will make an official statement regarding the incident in the Parliament tomorrow.

Olaf Scholz to be sworn in as new Germany Chancellor

Olaf Scholz, a Social Democrat will take oath as the new Chancellor of Germany. Scholz will end the 16-year rule of Angela Merkel, who was also the first female chancellor of Germany. The Social Democrat Olaf Scholz was confirmed to be the next chancellor of Germany after the leaders of the three parties sealed a coalition deal.

BrahMos Supersonic Missile test-fired

An air version of BrahMos Supersonic Cruise Missile was successfully test-fired by India. The test-firing of the missile is also described as a major milestone in the development of BrahMos. The latest launch by the Defence Research and Development Organisation has cleared the system for the serial production of BrahMos missiles in India.

Jnanpith Award 2021 winners

Nilmani Phookan Jr., an Assamese Poet and a Konkani novelist Damodar Mauzo have won the 56th Jnanpith Award and 57th Jnanpith Award. The eminent poet and novelist have been awarded for their rich contribution to Indian literature. Jnanpith Award is the oldest and highest literary award in the country.

Indian-origin NASA astronaut Anil Menon selected for future space missions

An Indian-origin doctor, Anil Menon has been named among the 10 new astronaut recruits selected by NASA for its future space missions. Anil Menon is a lieutenant colonel at the US Air Force. The 45-years old has also served NASA previously as the crew flight surgeon for various expeditions on the International Space Station.