General Knowledge & Current Affairs
April 2022 - 25th to 30th
- J&K: PM lays foundation stones for 850 MW Ratle Hydroelectric Project & 540 MW Kwar Hydroelectric Project on Chenab River in Kishtwar District
- PM inaugurates 8.45 kms Banihal Qazigund Road Tunnel which is 5,800 feet above sea level
- PM launches Amrit Sarovar initiative aimed at rejuvenating 75 water bodies in each district of the country
- Gujarat: PM inaugurates community radio station (CRS) ‘Dudh Vani’ dedicated to animal husbandry
- Raisina Dialogue being organised in New Delhi by Observer Research Foundation & External Affairs Ministry on April 25-27
- Covid-19 vaccines: Delhi, Haryana to provide free precaution/booster doses in 18–59 years age group
- PM Modi, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announce launch of EU-India Trade and Technology Council
- Lok Sabha Speaker seeks details of Amravati MP Navneet Rana’s arrest from Maharashtra government
- COVID-19 vaccines: DCGI grants EUA (emergency use authorization) to Biological E’s Corbevax for those aged 5-12, Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin for 6-12 age group and Cadila Healthcare’s ZyCoV-D for those above 12 years
- India enters Guinness Book for waving over 78,000 national flags at Bhojpur, Bihar on April 23
- Centre scraps MP (Member of Parliament), DM (District Magistrate) for admissions to Kendriya Vidyalaya schools
- Central govt., Netflix launch 2-minute films on 7 women changemakers, titled ‘Azadi ki Amrit Kahaniyan’
- 250 kg heroin seized, 9 Pakistani nationals and boat Al Haj held off the Gujarat coast
- Film and TV actor Salim Ghouse dies at 70; known for roles in Shyam Benegal’s TV Series ‘Bharat Ek Khoj’
- Reserved category candidates are entitled to general seats on the basis of merit: SC
- Lieutenant General B. S. Raju to take over as Vice Chief of Army Staff on May 1
- Govt reinstates IAS officer Shah Faesal in service 3 years after he resigned and joined politics in J&K
- Russia claims to have destroyed logistics terminal of foreign weapons near Odessa in Ukraine
- International Day of Multilateralism and Diplomacy for Peace celebrated on April 24
- World Immunization Week being celebrated from April 24 to 30 by WHO; theme: ‘Long Life for All’
- India (USD 76 billion) was 3rd largest military spender behind US (USD 801 billion) and China (USD 293 billion) in 2021: SIPRI (Stockholm International Peace Research Institute)
- Elon Musk strikes deal to buy Twitter for $44bn
- France: Emmanuel Macron re-elected President; defeats Marine Le Pen
- World Malaria Day observed on April 25
- International Delegate’s Day observed by UN on April 25
- Instagram launches Enhanced Tags on Reels to boost creator recognition
- Pakistan: 3 Chinese tutors among 4 killed in blast inside University of Karachi
- World Intellectual Property Day celebrated on April 26; theme: ‘IP and Youth innovating for a Better Future’
- International Chernobyl Disaster Remembrance Day observed on April 26
- Russia halts gas supplies to Poland and Bulgaria over their failure to pay in roubles
- Adani pips Buffett to become World’s 5th Richest worth $123.7 bn
- International Girls in ICT Day celebrated on April 28; theme: “Access and Safety”
- World Day for Safety and Health at Work observed on April 28
- Indonesia bans export of all forms of palm oil, both crude and refined
- Ukraine: Russia claims having destroyed production buildings at defence factory in Kyiv
- 2022 Whitley wildlife conservation award winners announced; Whitley gold award, worth £100,000, won by Dr Charudutt Mishra, an expert on snow leopards
- THE (Times Higher Education) Impact Rankings 2022 released; topped by Western Sydney University
- India’s crude oil import bill rises from USD 62.2 billion in 2020-21 to USD 119 billion in 2021-22
- Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman meets World Bank President David Malpass in Washington
- Flipkart signs MoU with West Bengal govt. to support local artisans, weavers and handicraft makers
- Cabinet clears Rs 2,426 cr to upgrade 2G mobile sites in naxal areas to 4G
- NASSCOM appoints Krishnan Ramanujam of TVCS as its chairperson for 2022-23; Debjani Ghosh is President
- Ola Electric recalls 1400 electric scooters over fire risks
- IP (intellectual property) protection: India among most challenging economies, says USTR (US Trade Representative)
- IndiGo becomes 1st airline to land aircraft using navigation system GAGAN (GPS-aided geo-augmented navigation)
- Govt. to sell 3.5% stake in LIC (Life Insurance Corporation of India) in IPO; listing on May 17
- WhatsApp confirms giving cashback for making digital payments in India
- Chennai-based Veranda Learning Solutions signs agreement to acquire test-prep institute T.I.M.E. (Advanced Educational Activities Pvt. Ltd.) for ₹287 crore
- Foreign exchange reserves down by USD 3.271 billion to USD 600.423 billion
- Global Patidar Business Summit (GPBS) being organized by Sardardham on April 29-May 1 at Surat
FRANCE
Emmanuel Macron was re-elected as president of France, again trouncing his nationalist-populist challenger Marine Le Pen. He won 58.5% of the vote to her 41.5%. However, Le Pen increased her vote share by eight percentage points since their previous contest, in 2017, and turnout was the lowest since 1969.UKRAINE
Fighting continued in eastern and southern Ukraine. The Russian invaders are trying to seize more territory, but have still not vanquished the last defenders of Mariupol, who are hunkered down in the vast Azovstal steelworks.BULGARIA & POLAND
Russia’s state energy giant, Gazprom, suspended gas supplies to Bulgaria and Poland because they have not made payments in roubles, a condition Russia has demanded to shore up its currency.PAKISTAN
Three Chinese academics and their driver were murdered by a suicide-bomber in Karachi, Pakistan’s commercial capital. The Baloch Liberation Army, a separatist group that opposes Chinese investment in Pakistan, said it carried out the atrocity.UNITED STATES
Harvard released a report into its historical links with slavery. It noted that scores of slaves toiled at the university until slavery was outlawed in Massachusetts in 1783. The university has created a $100 mn fund to support the direct descendants of the slaves.
- Russia’s Andrey Rublev wins men’s singles title at Serbia Open tennis
- Red Bull’s Max Verstappen wins Formula One Emilia Romagna Grand Prix in Italy
- Asian Wrestling Championships in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia: India’s Deepak Punia wins silver in men’s 86kg
- 10-day Khelo India University Games open in Bengaluru
- Former Indian women’s hockey team captain Elvera Britto dies at 81 in Bengaluru
- 2022 LAUREUS WORLD SPORTS AWARDS
– Sportsman of the Year Award: Max Verstappen (Formula One racing)
– Sportswoman of the Year Award: Elaine Thompson-Herah (Athletics)
– World Team of the Year Award: Italy Men’s Football Team
– Breakthrough of the Year Award: Emma Raducanu (Tennis)
– Comeback of the Year Award: Sky Brown (Skateboarding)
– World Sportsperson of the Year with a Disability Award: Marcel Hug (Wheelchair Athletics)
– World Action Sportsperson of the Year Award: Bethany Shriever (BMX)
– Lifetime Achievement Award: Tom Brady (American football)
– Academy Exceptional Achievement Award: Robert Lewandowski
– Sporting Icon Award: Valentino Rossi (Motorcycle Racing)
– Sport for Good Award: Lost Boyz Inc (Baseball)
– Sport for Good Society Award: Real Madrid Foundation
– Athlete Advocate of the Year Award: Gerald Asamoah and the Black Eagles (football)
