? Andhra Pradesh State government has set up “Mobile Hand-wash facilities” for the benefit of Slum Dwellers amidst lockdown in the state. This facility to help them protect themselves from COVID-19.
? NASA has launched SunRISE mission to study the giant solar particle storms that impact the solar system. The mission will include six CubeSats, which will operate as a large radio telescope.
? Apple has launched a new dedicated app and website for users across the US. The app provides accurate and credible information to users about the COVID-19 pandemic.
? The World Bank offered funds worth $1 billion to the Indian Government on April 1, 2020 for India’s COVID-19 emergency response and health systems preparedness project.
? Asian Development Bank (ADB) will invest 100 million US Dollars in India’s infrastructure sector through the government-promoted National Investment and Infrastructure Fund (NIIF) of India Fund of Funds (FoF).
? The World Athletics Championships have been postponed to 2022, to accommodate the re-scheduled Tokyo Olympics. The 2020 Tokyo Olympics have been postponed to July 23-August 8, 2021. The World Athletics Championship were supposed to be held in Eugene, Oregon from August 6-15, 2021.
? The government’s scientific advisor recently released a manual for homemade masks, which states that they are 70 percent effective in preventing the spread of Coronavirus infection.
? The Public Sector banks have announced a moratorium of three months for EMI loan payments in the wake of COVID-19 pandemic.
? Veteran Japanese comedian Ken Shimura passed away due to coronavirus. The actor was set to star in his first feature film “God of Cinema”, directed by Yoji Yamada.
? The Delhi Chief Minister CM Arvind Kejriwal announced Rs 1 crore for the families of healthcare personnel if they lose their lives while dealing with coronavirus patients.
? UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has termed the Coronavirus pandemic as the most challenging crisis since World War-II.
? National Investment and Infrastructure Fund (NIIF) is an Indian-government backed entity established to provide long-term capital. Mumbai is the headquarters of NIIF.
? ICCR (Indian Council for Cultural Relations) launches global painting competition “United against CORONA- Express through Art” open to both Indians and foreigners; submission deadline: May 1, 2020.
? IISc Bengaluru has developed an indigenous ventilator prototype amid COVID-19 outbreak. If the current scenario worsens then about 0.006 percent will reportedly require critical care with access to ventilators. This means almost 75,000 people will require ventilators in India, which is more than what the country currently has.
? East Asia and the Pacific could see up to 11 million people driven into poverty: World Bank warns in its report titled “East Asia and Pacific in the Time of Covid-19”.