28 April current affairs in English

Current affairs: Current Affairs 28 April 2020  read current affairs in English, latest current affairs in English, current affairs in English today, latest current affairs questions and answers, current affairs in india, current affairs 2020, current affairs in india 2020 current affairs yearly 2020 current affairs in hindi current affairs 2020 in english for all competitive exams such as RRB, RRB NTPC, SSC CHSL,  SSC CGL, IPS, IAS ect.  also current affairs for banking exams like IBPS PO Clerk, SBI, RBI ect.

Current Affairs 28 April 2020

• Bharti Airtel has inked a $1 billion (nearly  Rs 7,636 crore), multi-year deal with Nokia  to deploy the 5G-ready solutions across  nine circles in the country.

• Nokia, which is the largest 4G vendor in the  Airtel network, will help lay the foundation  for providing 5G connectivity in the future  by deploying 300,000 radio units across  several spectrum bands in those circles  expected to be completed by 2022.

• Nokia's SRAN solution helps operators  manage their 2G, 3G and 4G networks from  one platform reducing network complexity,  increasing cost efficiencies and future- proofing investment.

UK Finance Minister unveils 100% state-backed 'Bounce Back Loan Scheme' for small businesses

● United Kingdom's Finance Minister Rishi Sunak has unveiled a 100 per cent state-backed 'Bounce Back Loan Scheme' for the small businesses to help them tide through the coronavirus pandemic lockdown.

● The Chancellor of the United Kingdom of Indian Descent told the House of Commons that the proposed fast-track finance system will help improve the current support program available to UK companies that have been affected by the crisis.

● In compliance with the program, eligible small businesses may apply online to borrow between 2,000 pounds and 50,000 pounds as interest-free loans for the first 12 months.

Narendra Singh Tomar launches SOP for e-Gram Swaraj Yojana platform and mobile App

• Union Minister of Rural Development and  Panchayati Raj, Narendra Singh Tomar issued a detailed guideline of the SVAMITVA Scheme aimed at providing people residing in Rural parts with the right to document their residential properties.

• Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) regarding the e-Gram Swaraj Yojana platform and mobile App, was launched on this occasion.

• This would also help in resolving property related disputes and would also enable creation of better-quality Gram Panchayat Development Plans .

• The pilot phase of the scheme will extend to six states namely Haryana, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand covering approximately one lakh villages.

• Mr. Tomar informed that it will ensure that the funds given to the panchayats are not misused and transparency can be established.

US President Donald Trump nominates Indian-American as US envoy to OECDUS President Donald Trump nominates Indian-American as US envoy to OECD

● Senior Indian-American diplomat Manisha Singh has been nominated by US President Donald Trump as America's next envoy to the OECD Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.

● Manisha Singh is currently Assistant Secretary of State for Economic and Business Affairs at the State Department.

● Headquartered in Paris, France, the OECD is an intergovernmental economic organisation with 36 member countries to stimulate economic progress and world trade.

● She previously served as the Acting Under-Secretary for Economic Development, Resources and the Environment, and as Deputy Assistant Secretary at the State Department's Bureau of Cultural, Resources and Business Affairs.

Indian Distance Runner Jhuma Khatun Gets 4-year Ban For Doping
● Middle distance runner Jhuma Khatun has been banned for four years by the Athletics Integrity Unit of the world governing body.

● He was banned for testing positive for a banned substance, steroid, in a nearly two-year-old doping case which the NDTL had failed to detect.

● The 31-year-old Khatun's dope sample obtained during the June 2018 National Inter-State Championships in Guwahati came back negative when it was tested by the Delhi National Dope Testing Laboratory (NDTL).

● Khatun had won a bronze each in 1500m and 5000m in that Guwahati meet.

UIDAI permits Aadhaar updation facility through CSC

● IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad has said that to make Aadhaar updating easier for citizens, Unique Identification Authority of India, UIDAI has permitted Common Service  Centre, CSCs, which are designated banking  correspondents of banks, to offer Aadhaar services.

● Around 20,000 such CSCs will now be able to offer this service to citizens.

● Mr Prasad urged CSC Village Level Entrepreneurs to start the Aadhaar work with responsibility and as per  instructions issued by UIDAI in this regard.

● UIDAI has set June deadline for the commencement of the work after CSCs with banking facilities upgrade their required infrastructure and get other necessary approvals.

● Commencement of Aadhaar updation services through CSC also comes across as a big relief during the lockdown restrictions imposed to prevent spread of COVID-19.

● With these 20 thousand additional centers available to Aadhaar, the users particularly in rural areas need not visit  Aadhaar centres in bank branches or Post Offices for this  work.

FATF gives Pakistan 4-month reprieve to meet deadline to stop financing  terror groups

● Pakistan got a four-month reprieve for meeting a deadline set by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) to counter terror financing as the multilateral watchdog announced a temporary suspension of its activities because of the COVID-19 crisis.

● There would be no let-up in its efforts to fight money laundering and terror financing, and that it would actively monitor the impact of the COVID-19 crisis on measures to counter illicit financing.

● The move had been widely anticipated as officials of FATF  and affiliated regional groups have been unable to make visits to countries such as Pakistan to monitor the implementation of action plans and other programmes because of travel restrictions imposed around the world to prevent the spread of the pandemic.

● Pakistan has been on FATF’s “grey list” of “monitored jurisdictions” since June 2018 for failing to counter terror financing, especially by groups such as Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), Taliban, al-Qaeda and Haqqani Network.

● A FATF plenary meeting in February had warned Pakistan that it had failed to meet all deadlines for a 27-point action plan, and given the country four more months to implement it.

North Pole’s largest-ever ozone hole finally closes

● Several feel-good stories about the earth recovering have gone viral since the coronavirus pandemic forced the world indoors.

● Amid this, scientists have confirmed that the largest hole in the ozone layer over the Arctic region has closed in.

● The ozone layer shields the earth from most of the sun’s ultraviolet radiation, which is a major cause of skin cancer.

● The ozone hole’s closing was because of a  phenomenon called the polar vortex, and not  because of reduced pollution levels due to Covid-19 lockdowns around the world.

🔶World Day For Safety And Health At Work 2020: April 28 

🔶World Veterinary Day 2020: April 25 

🔶KGMU becomes the 1st govt hospital in India to successfully launch CPT Treatment: COVID-19 

🔶G20 launches ‘Access to COVID-19 Tools Accelerator’ Initiative 

🔶India’s holding of US govt securities hits high record of USD 177.5 bn in Feb: US Treasury Dept 

🔶Ladakh’s Aksai Chin is part of China: WHO map 

🔶Asian Development Bank approves $1.5 billion USD to India to Combat COVID-19 

🔶APEC region to post 2.7% economic contraction in 2020 due to Covid-19: Report 

🔶Biocon’s Mazumdar-Shaw among world’s top 20 leaders in Biopharma:The Medicine Maker Power List 2020 

🔶Shiv Das Meena appointed as Chairman & Managing Director of HUDCO 

🔶First black hole merger of uneven massed observed by LIGO-VIRGO; indicated by GW190412 signal in April 2019 

🔶Low-cost mechanical ventilator Ruhdaar developed by team led by IIT Bombay 

🔶IIT Ropar designs ‘WardBot’ to deliver food, medicines to COVID-19 patients 

🔶Pakistan Cricket Board bans Umar Akmal for three-years for match fixing 

🔶Former Liverpool striker Michael Robinson passed away at 61 

🔶Gujarat govt launches unique initiative ‘Umbare Aanganwadi’ to help children during lockdown 

🔶AP launched ‘Covid Pharma’, a mobile application to trace people buying medicines for fever, cold 

🔶Former Rajya Sabha MP Basanta Das passed away at 80 years 

🔶‘Recharge Saathi’: Vodafone Idea ties up with Paytm launched 

🔶Axis Bank to buy 29% stake in Max Life Insurance for Rs 1,600 crore