26th April
National & International Appointments
1. Emmanuel Macron re-elected as President of France
- Emmanuel Macron (Party: La République En Marche!) has won a second term as president of France with 58.2% of the vote.
- He set to become the first president after Chirac who secured a second term in office.
- He defeated Marine Le Pen (Party: Rassemblement national) who secured 41.8% of the vote in an election.
- In the 2017 election, La pen has secured 34% and got defeated by Macron who secured 66% of the vote.
- France Capital: Paris; Currency: Euro
National Affairs
2. Asia’s biggest international food and hospitality fair begins
- Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) in alliance with the India Trade Promotion Organization (ITPO) is organizing Asia’s biggest international food and hospitality fair AAHAR 2022 in New Delhi.
- APEDA has also created stalls for exporters from the NorthEast Region, Himalayan states, women entrepreneurs, Start-Ups, and exporters of millets.
- More than 80 exporters will participate in the fair from different segments.
International Affairs
3. Elon Musk acquires Twitter in the USD 44 billion deal
- Twitter's board has accepted an offer to sell its social media company to the world’s richest man Elon Musk for 44 billion dollars.
- Under the terms of the deal, shareholders will receive 54.20 dollars in cash for each share of Twitter stock they own.
- The acquisition deal goes through regulatory and other approvals then the social media giant will be taken private.
- Earlier, Musk had acquired a 9.2% stake in Twitter.
- Twitter CEO: Parag Aggarwal
Sports
4. Max Verstappen wins Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix
- Formula One champion Max Verstappen (Red Bull, Netherland) has won the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix 2022 in Imola, Italy.
- This was his second win this season after Saudi Arabia 2022.
- In Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix 2022, Sergio Perez (Red Bull, Mexico) has finished second and Lando Norris (McLaren, UK) finished third.
- Bahrain Grand Prix 2022: Charles Leclerc (Ferrari, Monaco)
- Australian Grand Prix 2022: Charles Leclerc (Ferrari, Monaco)
Sports
5. Indian GM Gukesh wins Menorca Open Chess Tourney
- Indian Grandmaster D Gukesh has won the Menorca Open chess tournament 2022 which was held in Spain, followed by Aryan Chopra who finished as runner-up.
- Gukesh defeated fellow Indian B Adhiban (placed at tenth) in the seventh and final round to win the title.
- This is D Gukesh's second title win after the La Roda Open.
- P. Sethuraman (fifth), Raunak Sadhwani (seventh) and Nihal Sarin (eighth) have finished.
State Affairs
6. Mumbai bus gets Unique 'Tap-In Tap-Out' Feature
- Maharashtra government has inaugurated the city's first completely digital bus from the Gateway of India to the Churchgate route with a unique 'Tap-in Tap-out' feature.
- Brihanmumbai Electricity Supply and Transport (BEST) is the nation's first bus service that is completely digital.
- At the initial stage, the 'Tap-in Tap-out' feature will be available in two buses only.
- Maharashtra CM: Uddhav Thackeray
Honours & Awards
7. Meghalaya e-proposal system wins prestigious UN award
- The Meghalaya planning department’s key initiative of an e-proposal system has won a coveted UN Award - World Summit on the Information Society Forum (WSIS) Prizes, 2022 in the category of the role of governments and all stakeholders in the promotion of Information and Communication Technologies for development.
- The e-proposal system is a part of Meghalaya Enterprise Architecture (MeghEA) which helped to eliminate 75% physical work of files.
Banking & Finance
8. Sebi Reconstituted its Advisory Committee on Market Data
- SEBI has restructured the advisory committee on market data that recommends policy measures pertaining to areas like securities market data access and privacy.
- The committee is headed by M S Sahoo (Professor at National Law University, Delhi and former chairperson, Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India (IBBI)).
- The panel will now have 21 members.
- Nithin Kamath; Ranjit Pawar; Sreekanth Nadella; Suhas Tuljapurkar are also included in the committee.
International Affairs
9. India designated as Guest of honour at the Paris Book Festival 2022
- India has been designated as Guest of Honour Country at the Paris Book Festival 2022 which was organized from 21st to 24th April 2022.
- The National Institute of Design (NID) has designed the India Pavilion.
- Digital and physical exhibitions displayed in various Indian languages representing the works of 65 Indian publishers.
- Indian presentations were sold/exhibition of 10 illustrated children’s books in French translation published by National Book Trust, India (NBT).
Agreement
10. IIT Delhi joins hands with POSOCO to Conduct Research on India Power
- The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Power System Operation Corporation Limited (POSOCO)-NRLDC.
- Aim: To encourage research on issues related to India’s power sector as well as strengthen academia and industry interaction with the goal of sharing knowledge.
- POSOCO is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Government of India enterprise under the Union Ministry of Power.
Important Dates
11. World Intellectual Property Day observed on April 26
- World Intellectual Property Day is observed every year on April 26 to raise awareness of the impact of how patents, copyright, trademarks and design affect our daily life.
- The role of intellectual property (IP) rights is used for encouraging, innovation and creativity in societies across the globe.
- The theme for World Intellectual Property Day 2022 is focused on ‘IP and Youth innovating for a better future'.
Honours & Awards
12. Max Verstappen named Laureus Sportsman of the Year 2022
- F1 champion Max Verstappen has been named the 2022 Laureus Sportsman of the Year while Olympic sprinter Elaine Thompson-Herah (Jamaica) has been named Sportswoman of the Year.
- Breakthrough of the Year prize: Emma Raducanu (British)
- Laureus Sporting Icon Award: Valtentino Rossi
- Exceptional Achievement Award: Robert Lewandowski
- World Team of the Year Award: Italy Men’s Football Team
- World Comeback of the Year Award: Sky Brown (Skateboard)
National & International Organizations
13. World Economic Forum’s Young Global Leaders list 2022
- Raghav Chadha (AAP leader), Mykhailo Fedorov (Ukrainian Vice PM and Minister of Digital Transformation), and Radhika Gupta (Edelweiss MF CEO) were named by the WEF 2022 list of Young Global Leaders who are under 40.
- Other Indians: Manasi Joshi (Athlete), Ritesh Malik (founder of Innov8 Coworking), Suhail Sameer (Bharat Pe, CEO), Vineeta Singh (Sugar Cosmetics CEO), and Jaideep Bansal(Global Himalayan Expedition CEO).
27th April
Sports
1. Khelo India Youth Games 2021 to be held from 4th June in Haryana
- Youth Affairs and Sports Minister Anurag Thakur have announced the official dates (from 4th to 13th June 2022) of the Khelo India Youth Games 2021 in a virtual interaction with Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal.
- The mascot and logo of the Khelo India Youth Games will be launched on the 8th of May in Panchkula, Haryana.
- The games will be held in Shahbad, Ambala, Chandigarh and Delhi apart from Panchkula.
National & International Appointments
2. AP Abdullahkutty elected as chairperson of Haj Committee of India
- A P Abdullahkutty has been elected as the chairperson of the Haj Committee of India. He is the national vice president of the BJP and a former Member of Parliament.
- The committee also includes two women named Munnawari Begum from Tamil Nadu and Mafuja Khatun from West Bengal who have been selected as its vice-chairpersons.
- The Haj pilgrimage in India is conducted by the Ministry of Minority Affairs(nodal ministry).
Agreement
3. Himachal Pradesh govt signs MoU for development of seven ropeway projects
- Himachal Pradesh government has signed an MoU for the development of seven ropeway projects in Kangra, Kullu, Chamba, Sirmour and Bilaspur districts.
- The MoU was signed between Ropeways and Rapid Transport System Development Corporation (RTDC) HP Limited and National Highways Logistic Management Limited (NHLML).
- The MoU was signed in the presence of road transport and highways minister Nitin Gadkari and chief minister Jai Ram Thakur in New Delhi.
Obituaries
4. Structural biologist Vijayan passes away
- Molecular biophysicist and structural biologist professor Mamannamana Vijayan passed away at 80 in Bengaluru.
- He was a former president of the Indian National Science Academy (INSA) from 2008 to 2010.
- He has been honoured with SS Bhatnagar Award, Ranbaxy Award, OP Bhasin Award, and also the first GN Ramachandran Medal by Indian Science Congress Association and was also awarded Padma Shri in 2004.
- Autobiography: A Life among Men, Women and Molecules
Defense
5. Defence Acquisition Procedure 2020 amended to promote Make in India
- To promote Make in India initiative in defence the Defence Acquisition Procedure (DAP) 2020 has been amended based on the approvals accorded by Defence Acquisition Council (DAC).
- Import of defence equipment has to be undertaken with specific approval of DAC/Raksha Mantri.
- The defence ministry also cut the waiting time for projects under the iDEX framework.
- The timelines in the Make-II procedure will be reduced to 101-109 weeks from 122-180 weeks.
National & International Organizations
6. India spends third highest in the world on military
- According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), India's military expenditure is the third highest in the world behind the US and China.
- Top Five: The United States, China, India, the United Kingdom, and Russia
- Military spending in India is amounting to $76.6 billion in 2021 which grew by 0.9% from 2020.
- Russia has also increased its military expenditure for the third consecutive year.
- SIPRI Headquarters: Solna, Sweden
National Affairs
7. NITI Aayog organises National Workshop on Innovative Agriculture
- NITI Aayog has organized a National Level Workshop on Innovative Agriculture under the Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav celebrations in New Delhi.
- The first session was chaired by Dr. Ravi Kumar (Vice Chairman of NITI Aayog).
- Yogi Adityanath (CM of Uttar Pradesh), CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan (MP), CM Y. S. Jagan Mohan Reddy (Andhra Pradesh), and CM Pushkar Singh Dhami (Uttarakhand) have joined the first technical session of the workshop virtually.
Banking & Finance
8. SBI Cards partnership with TCS to boost digital transformation
- Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) has expanded its strategic partnership with SBI Cards to power digital transformation.
- TCS had helped the SBI cards to transform its core cards sourcing platform and digitized a significant portion of the process.
- TCS will digitalize and transform the online onboarding processes to enable a faster turnaround and frictionless experience.
- SBI Card CEO: Rama Mohan Rao Amara; TCS CEO CEO: Rajesh Gopinathan
Banking & Finance
9. Airtel Payments Bank offers FD Facility with IndusInd Bank
- Airtel Payments Bank has partnered with IndusInd Bank to offer fixed deposit (FD) facilities to its customers.
- A customer can open FD of Rs 500 up to Rs 190,000 on the Airtel Thanks app.
- With this partnership, customers of Airtel Payments Bank savings account will get an interest rate of up to 6.5 %p.a. and senior citizens will get an additional 0.5% on all fixed deposits.
- Customers can book multiple FDs for a fixed duration of either 1, 2 or 3 years.
Agreement
10. I&B Ministry & Netflix launch videos on women changemakers
- Netflix joins hands with the I&B ministry to launch some short films on women changemakers named 'Azadi Ki Amrit Kahaniya'.
- The videos are narrated by actor Neena Gupta and produced by Netflix.
- It would be shared on social media and broadcast on Doordarshan.
- Aims: To bring out inspiring stories of Indians which empower more people to achieve their goals
- I&B Minister: Anurag Thakur; I&B secretary: Apurva Chandra
- Netflix CEO: Ted Sarandos
International Affairs
11. World Bank provides USD 600 million in financial assistance to Sri Lanka
- The World Bank will provide financial assistance to Sri Lanka of USD 600 dollars to meet the payment requirements for essential imports.
- Sri Lanka has also talked with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for financial assistance, but the country needs 3 to 4 billion dollars in bridge financing to help meet its essential expenses.
- India has helped Sri Lanka by assisting with USD 1.9 billion.
- Sri Lanka President: Gotabaya Rajapaksa; Prime minister: Mahinda Rajapaksa
Obituaries
12. Former women's hockey team captain Elvera Britto dies
- Former Indian women's hockey team captain, Elvera Britto has passed away at 81 due to old-age-related problems.
- Elvera led Karnataka's domestic team to win seven national titles. She ruled the domestic circuit from 1960 to 1967.
- She also represented India against Japan, Sri Lanka, and Australia.
- She is the second women hockey player to be conferred with the Arjuna Award(1965) after Anne Lumsden.
Obituaries
13. Former Meghalaya CM Rymbai dies
- The former chief minister of Meghalaya James Dringwell Rymbai died at 88.
- He had entered into electoral politics in 1982 and contested elections to the legislative assembly from the Jirang constituency successfully.
- He was elected the speaker of the Meghalaya Assembly in 1993 and became the CM in 2006 till March 2007.
- The State government has declared a three-day state mourning as a mark of respect for James Dringwell Rymbai.
==========================================
Comments
write a comment