Current Affairs – February 12, 2021 [Today’s News Headlines]

Here are Today’s News Headlines by GK Today for February 12, 2021

INDIA

India, China reach pact to pull back troops in Pangong lake areas in Ladakh

India and China have agreed on disengagement in the North and South bank of Pangong lake in eastern Ladakh. The agreement mandates both sides to cease forward deployment of troops in a “phased, coordinated and verifiable” manner.

PM Modi, Canadian counterpart Justin Trudeau discuss vaccine, farmers’ protest

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Canadian counterpart Justin Trudeau spoke on February 10, 2021. The discussion dealt with bilateral and global efforts to contain the COVID-19 pandemic through vaccine production, multilateral cooperation, and the “recent protests” by farmers in India.

‘Respect Indian laws if you want to do business in India’: Centre tells Twitter

The Central government has conveyed to Twitter officials that the manner in which the platform allows fake, unverified, and automated bot accounts to be operated on its platform, raises doubts about its commitment to transparency and healthy conversation on the platform. This meeting took place in view of the order issued by the Centre directing Twitter to remove tweets and accounts using hashtag related to “farmer genocide” and accounts supported by Khalistan sympathisers and backed by Pakistan.

Centre for Land Warfare Studies organises webinar Divya-Drishti 2021

Indian Army National Seminar-cum-Webinar, named as Divya-Drishti 2021 on Multi-Domain Operations: Future of Conflicts was organised by Centre for Land Warfare Studies (CLAWS) on February 11, 2021. Participants included Chief of the Army Staff (COAS), General MM Naravane.

Unani Day celebrated on February 11

The Unani Day was celebrated on February 11, 2021. Unani day marks the birth anniversary of Hakim Ajmal Khan (11 February 1868-29 December 1927) of Delhi. The Central Council for Research in Unani Medicine (CCRUM), Ministry of AYUSH, Government of India organized a hybrid virtual National Conference on Unani Medicine. The conference was themed on ‘Unani Medicine: Opportunities and Challenges in times of COVID-19’.

TIFAC launches job portal SAKSHAM (Shramik Shakti Manch)

Two new initiatives of Technology Information, Forecasting and Assessment Council (TIFAC) —SAKSHAM (Shramik Shakti Manch)- a dynamic job portal for mapping the skills of workers & facilitate placement of 10 lakh blue-collar jobs and a Seaweed Mission for commercial farming of seaweeds and its processing for value addition towards boosting national economy were launched on February 10, 2021.

Rajnath Singh inaugurates water structures in MP under ‘Jalabhishekam’ campaign

Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on February 11, 2021 virtually inaugurated more than 57,000 water structures constructed in Madhya Pradesh under ‘Jalabhishekam’ water conservation campaign from New Delhi.

Economy & Corporate

Will support 62,000 e-cars, buses, e-bikes through subsidies: Nitin Gadkari

To boost electric mobility, the government aims to support through subsidies about 62,000 electric passenger cars and buses, besides 15 lakhs electric three- and two-wheelers. The focus is also on creating electric charging infrastructure, Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari told the Lok Sabha in a written reply. Phase-II of Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of (Hybrid &) Electric Vehicles in India (FAME India) Scheme is being implemented with a total budgetary support of Rs 10,000 crore.

Airfares raised, to be in force till March 31

Air travel has become costlier, with the Union government on February 11, 2021 increasing the minimum and maximum fares an airline can levy on a given route. The minimum fare on a route has gone up by 10% and the maximum by nearly 30%. The government has been regulating airfares from May 25, 2020, when domestic flights resumed after the nationwide lockdown. The fare for the shortest flight (40 minutes) will now vary from ₹2,200 to ₹7,800, and the longest flight (nearly four hour 40 minutes) will cost between ₹7,200 and ₹24,200.

Shanghai-based NDB to invest USD 100 million in NIIF FoF

National Investment and Infrastructure Fund (NIIF) on February 11, 2021 said that Shanghai-based New Development Bank has committed to invest USD 100 million (around Rs 728 crore) in NIIF Fund of Funds (FoF). NDB joins the Government of India (GoI), Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) and Asian Development Bank (ADB) as an investor in the FoF. The FoF was established in 2018 with the objective of providing homegrown Indian private equity fund managers access to an India-focused institutional investor that operates at scale.

‘The India Toy Fair-2021’ website inaugurated

Union Ministers Smriti Irani, Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank and Piyush Goyal jointly inaugurated the website of ‘The India Toy Fair-2021’on February 11. The Toy fair will be held from February 27 to March 02 in a virtual mode.

India’s first diesel Tractor, converted to CNG, to be launched on Feb 12

India’s first-ever diesel Tractor, converted to CNG, will be formally launched by the Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari on February 12, 2021. The conversion has been carried out jointly by Rawmatt Techno Solutions and Tomasetto Achille India.

World

Pakistan Navy organising Exercise Aman off the coast of Karachi

Pakistan Navy is organising Exercise Aman off the coast of Karachi from February 11 to 16, 2021. A total of 46 countries including US, China, Russia, UK, Turkey, Iran, Indonesia are participating. The exercise seeks to develop and practice Response Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures (RTTP) for maritime infrastructure, assets and forces against traditional and non-traditional threats.

Pakistan test fires surface-to-surface cruise missile Babar of 450-km range

Pakistan on February 11, 2021 said it had conducted a successful training launch of ‘Babar’ surface-to-surface cruise missile which can strike targets up to 450 kilometres.

Saudi Arabia: Yemen’s Houthi rebels targeted Abha International Airport

Yemen’s Houthi rebels targeted the Abha International Airport in southwestern Saudi Arabia on February 10, 2021, causing a civilian plane on the tarmac to catch fire. The kingdom’s state television reported that the group used four bomb-laden drones to target the airport.

Steven Spielberg wins Israel’s Genesis Prize for films, philanthropy

Steven Spielberg has been awarded Israel’s prestigious 2021 Genesis Prize in recognition of his contribution to cinema, his philanthropic works and his efforts to preserve the memory of the Holocaust, organizers announced on February 9, 2021. The USD 1 million award is granted each year to a person for their professional achievements, contributions to humanity and commitment to Jewish values.

Myanmar coup: New Zealand severs diplomatic, military ties with Naypyidaw

New Zealand has officially suspended all diplomatic ties with Myanmar as it does not recognise the legitimacy of the new military-led government. These ties include aid and funds that were intended for the country.

Tsunami watch for New Zealand, Fiji issued after massive undersea earthquake

A tsunami warning was issued after a massive undersea earthquake measuring 7.7 on the Richter scale struck a region between Australia and Fiji and north of New Zealand.

International Day of Women and Girls in Science observed on Feb 11

International Day of Women and Girls in Science was observed on February 11, 2021 with its theme as ‘Women Scientists at the forefront of the fight against COVID-19’. According to UNESCO data (2014 – 2016), only around 30% of all female students select STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) fields in higher education.

China celebrating Lunar New Year on Feb 12

China is celebrating Lunar New Year on February 12, 2021 as it ushered into the Year of the Ox. It is one of the most important Chinese festivals, also known as the Chinese New Year or Spring Festival.

Sports

Asian Games gold medallist athlete Hima Das appointed DSP in Assam

Athlete Hima Das has been appointed as a Deputy Superintendent of Police by the Assam government. She won a silver in women’s 400m in the 2018 Asian Games, was also part of the gold-winning women’s 400m relay and mixed 400m relay quartets in the quadrennial event in Jakarta.

Month: Current Affairs - February, 2021