1. Renowned Bollywood actor Irfan Khan passed away at Kokilaben Hospital in Mumbai on April 29, 2020. The actor was reportedly battling a rare cancer. He was one of India’s most prominent faces in the West. He had acted in Hollywood films including the A Mighty Heart, Amazing Spider-Man, Jurassic World, Life of Pi and Inferno.
2. Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh announced the extension of curfew in the state on April 29, 2020 for two more weeks till May 17, 2020. The state has allowed limited lifting of restrictions in non-containment zones between 7-11 am.
3. The BRICS nations have agreed to allocate $ 15 billion to the New Development Bank (NDB) so that it could set up a special loan instrument to support the revival of economies and help meet the emergency expenses incurred for responding to the coronavirus pandemic.
4. The 11th session of “Petersburg Climate Dialogue” was conducted on April 28, 2020. The dialogue was hosted by Germany and co-chaired by the United Kingdom. Union Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate change Prakash Javadekar attended the virtual conference on behalf of India.
5. Union Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate change Prakash Javadekar attended the 11th session of “Petersburg Climate Dialogue” on behalf of India on April 28, 2020. The dialogue was hosted by Germany and co-chaired by the United Kingdom.
6. India has lost the hosting rights of the 2021 Men’s World Boxing Championship after the Boxing Federation of India (BFI) failed to pay the host fee to International Boxing Association (AIBA).
7. The Kerala Government on April 29, 2020 decided to issue an ordinance allowing it to cut salaries of its employees to mobilise funds for the state to tackle the COVID-19 crisis.
8. Russia, the current chair of BRICS, chaired the BRICS Foreign Ministers’ video conference on April 28, 2020. Russian Foreign Affairs Minister Sergey Lavrov hosted the meeting, which was held to discuss the COVID-19 crisis, its impact on international relations and response of the BRICS nations.
