Current Affairs in Short: 18 February 2021

Australian users blocked on Facebook

• Australian users have been blocked on Facebook from sharing or viewing any form of news content on the platform. The sudden move caused alarm over the public access to the key information.

• All the local and global news sites became unavailable as well as government health, emergency, and other pages were also blocked. However, later Facebook asserted that it was a mistake.

• The step by Facebook was in a response to Australia’s proposed law which aims at making tech giants pay for the news content. Companies such as Facebook and Google have argued that the law doesn’t reflect how the internet works and also unfairly penalizes the platforms.

• The Communications Minister of Australia Paul Fletcher warned Facebook on this move and mentioned that it needs to think very carefully about what this means for its standing and reputation.

Union Minister Piyush Goyal invites US firms to manufacture in India

• The Union Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal on February 17, 2021, invited the companies of the United States to India and to look at the country as a manufacturing base. He also asserted the need to promote bilateral trade and economic engagement.

• While speaking at the annual US-India business summit, Goyal mentioned that India has a modest target of half a trillion-dollar and that it can be achieved through continuous engagement between the two countries.

•The Union Minister also talked about various reforms in the mining, defence, labour, and agriculture sector and how they will open up new opportunities for US companies. He further added that the US has finance, technology, and innovation while India has a large market that needs to be served.

• In order to help Insurance companies in the country, India will now have 74% Foreign Direct Investment permitted through the automatic route in Insurance, which was also specifically asked by the United States.

Home Ministry denies permission to Sikh group to visit Pakistan

• The Home Ministry in response to a proposal has denied the permission of visiting Pakistan to a Sikh Jatha which was planning to go on the 100th anniversary of Saka Nankana Sahib.

• The Sikh Jatha group consisted of 600 people who were planning on visiting Pakistan from February 18 to February 25, 2021.

• In its reply, the MHA explained that the traffic on the border of India and Pakistan has been suspended from March 2020 due to the pandemic. Considering the poor capacity of Pakistan’s health infrastructure, a large group of citizens will not be advised to visit the neighbouring country amid the pandemic.

• Permission from the Home Ministry is mandatory because of the ongoing suspension of cross-border traffic due to the Coronavirus pandemic.

Prince Philip of UK hospitalized after feeling unwell:

• The Duke of Edinburgh, UK’s Prince Philip, and husband of Queen Elizabeth II was admitted to a hospital on February 17, 2021, as a precautionary measure after feeling unwell.

• The Statement by Buckingham Palace mentioned that the duke’s admission to the hospital is precautionary and is on the advice of the doctor of His Royal Highness, after feeling unwell.

• The Duke is expected to stay in the hospital for few days of rest and observation. The Duke of Edinburgh who has been staying at Windsor Castle with Queen since the third lockdown in England does not have a Covid-19 related illness and had walked into the hospital unaided.

• In 2017, Prince Philip had stepped back from public life. Both the Queen and the Duke had received the first dose of the Coronavirus vaccine in January 2021.

IFFCO donates Rs. 2.51 crores for the construction of Ram Temple at Ayodhya

• The World’s No. 1 Cooperative Organisation IFFCO on February 17, 2021, contributed Rs. 2.51 crores for the Ram Temple’s construction at Ram Janambhoomi at Ayodhya.

• The contribution has been made by the IFFCO family in a good faith and the cheque of Rs. 251 lakh was handed over to the International Working President of VHP.

• The amount by the Indian Famers Fertiliser Cooperative- IFFCO has been donated in a favour of Ram Janambhoomi Teerth Trust. It is a body in charge of the Ram temple construction. The MD of IFFCO, Dr. US Awasthi had also personally donated Rs. 1.51 lakh for the construction.

• On August 5, 2020, Prime Minister Modi did the Bhumi Pujan for the construction of the Ram Janambhoomi Temple.