1. Karnataka govt launches "Apthamitra" helpline number and app to fight COVID-19

• “Apthamitra” app and exclusive toll-free helpline number 14410 has been launched by the Karnataka government to empower the people of the state in the fight against COVID-19. 
• The application aims at providing medical guidance and advice on COVID-19 while the helpline has been dedicated to deal with only COVID-19-related queries including telemedicine, counselling and facilitating testing and treatment for those in need. 

Foot Notes: About Karnataka
Governor :Vajubhai Vala.
Chief Minister: B. S. Yediyurappa.

2. PV Sindhu named as an ambassador of  BWF’s “I am badminton” awareness campaign 

• The Badminton World Federation (BWF) named Indian shuttler PV Sindhu as one of the ambassadors for its “I am badminton” awareness campaign. 
• The "I am badminton campaign" provides a platform for the players to express their love and respect for badminton by advocating and committing to clean and honest play. BWF's Integrity Unit was established in 2016. The campaign has been at the forefront of BWF's efforts to communicate its approach to integrity. The unit promotes sports integrity which is about keeping the sport free of corruption, doping, and match manipulation.
• Other players who are included in the campaign are Germany's Marc Zwiebler, Canada's Michelle Li, the Chinese duo of Zheng Si Wei and Huang YaQiong, England's Jack Shephard, Germany's Valeska Knoblauch, and Hong Kong's Chan Ho Yuen.

Foot Notes: About BWF
Formed on: 1934
Headquarters: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
President: Poul-Erik Høyer Larsen
Membership: 194 member associations

3. Bajaj Auto's Rakesh Sharma takes over as IMMA President

• The International Motorcycle Manufacturers Association (IMMA) has appointed Bajaj Auto Executive Director (ED) Rakesh Sharma as its president.
• Sharma had been previously holding office as vice-president in IMMA, elected in May 2019.
• The election of the new president took place through a General Assembly by correspondence on April 21, 2020 due to the COVID-19 crisis.
• Sharma joined Bajaj Auto in October 2007 as President (International Business) and is currently the executive director.

Foot Notes: About IMMA
IMMA Founded: 1947.
IMMA Headquarters: Geneva, Switzerland.

4. English Language Day observed globally on 23 April

• English Language Day is observed globally on 23 April every year. It marks the birthday and date of death of famed writer William Shakespeare. 
• This Initiative was established by the UN’s Department of Public Information in 2010 “to celebrate multilingualism and cultural diversity as well as to promote equal use of all six official languages throughout the Organization”.
• The days for different languages are: Arabic (18 December);Chinese (20 April);English (23 April);French (20 March);Russian (6 June);Spanish (23 April) 

Foot Notes: About UNESCO
Director-General : Audrey Azoulay.
Formation: 4 November 1946
Headquarters: Paris, France.

5. Facebook acquires a 9.99% stake in Reliance Jio for Rs 43,574 crore

• Reliance Jio, the telecom unit of Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL), has sold a 9.99 percent stake to US tech giant Facebook for $5.7 billion, or Rs 43,574 crore.
• The multibillion-dollar deal will make Facebook the largest minority shareholder in Jio Platforms Limited. This is the largest investment for a minority stake by a technology company anywhere in the world and the largest FDI in the technology sector in India.
• Facebook would focus on collaborating its messaging platform WhatsApp with Reliance's e-commerce venture JioMart to enable people to connect with small businesses.

Foot Notes: About Facebook
Founded: February 2004, Massachusetts, United States
Headquarters: California, United State 
Founder: Mark Zuckerberg
About Reliance Jio:
Founder: Mukesh Ambani
Founded: 2007
Headquarters: Mumbai

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6. Remittances likely to plunge 20 % amid Covid-19 pandemic: World Bank

• The World Bank said that the remittances are expected to plunge by about 20 percent globally this year due to Covid-19 pandemic. In its report, the Bank said the biggest decline in recent history, as closures cause a global recession and job losses that prevent workers from sending money to their families back home. 
• Developing countries are losing a key source of revenue as the coronavirus pandemic causes worldwide shutdowns, sharply reducing payments from workers living abroad.
• The report mentioned that total remittance, which comprise up to one-third of the economies of some poor countries, are expected to fall to 445 billion dollar from 554 billion dollar in 2019.

Foot notes: About World bank
Headquarters: Washington, D.C., United States
President: David Malpass
Membership: 189 countries (IBRD); 173 countries (IDA)
Founded: 1944

7. India slipped two places to 142nd on global press freedom index 2020; Norway tops

• The rank of India has decreased by two places to 142nd from 140th position with a score of 45.33 in the “The World Press Freedom Index 2020” which has analyzed 180 countries. This decline in rank is showing an improvement in the security of Indian media as in 2019 there was no murders of journalists were recorded as against six in 2018. However, constant press freedom violations still remain, including police violence against journalists, ambushes by political activists, and reprisals instigated by criminal groups or corrupt local officials.
• The World Press Freedom Index is compiled by Paris-based Reporters Sans Frontieres (RSF), or Reporters Without Borders.
• The index has been topped by Norway with a score of 7.84 while North Korea stood at last rank of 180 with a score of 85.82.

Foot Notes: About World Press Freedom Index
Since 2002 it is published annually by RSF to rank 180 countries according to the level of freedom available to journalists.

About RSF(Reporters Sans Frontieres)
It is a non-profit organisation that works to document and combat attacks on journalists around the world.
Secretary-General– Christophe Deloire
Headquarter– Paris, France

8. Adam Higginbotham’s "Midnight in Chernobyl" wins William E. Colby Award 2020

• Adam Higginbotham won the William E. Colby Award 2020 for his book “Midnight in Chernobyl: The Untold Story of the World’s Greatest Nuclear Disaster” published by Transworld Digital (February 14, 2019) won USD 5,000 prize.
• Earlier this year, this book won the American Library Association’s Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Nonfiction.
• Previous winners include Karl Marlantes’ novel “Matterhorn” and Dexter Filkins’ “The Forever War.”

Foot Notes: About the author
He is a british writer who lives in New York, his work has appeared in The New Yorker, The New York Times Magazine, Wired, GQ and Smithsonian.
About Colby award: 
The William E. Colby Military Writers' Award was established in 1999 by the William E. Colby Military Writers' Symposium at Norwich University in Vermont in order to recognize "a first work of fiction or non-fiction that has made a major contribution to the understanding of intelligence operations, military history, or international affairs." It is named in honor of William Egan Colby.

9. CSIR-IGIB scientists develop low-cost COVID-19 test 'Feluda'

• Scientists working at the, Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology (CSIR-IGIB) have developed a low-cost test which can detect the coronavirus within an hour.
• The report states that the test, named Feluda after a fictional sleuth created by filmmaker and writer Satyajit Ray, was developed by two scientists - Dr Souvik Maiti and Dr Debojyoti Chakraborty. 
• It is expected to cost around Rs 500 against the usual RT-PCR test that costs Rs 4,500 in private labs.

Foot notes: About CSIR
Director: Shekhar C. Mande
Headquarters: New Delhi
About IGIB:
Motto: Genomics Knowledge Partner
Established: 1977
Director: Anurag Agrawal
Parent organization: Council of Scientific and Industrial Research

10. World Books and Copyright  Day observed  every year on 23 April

• World Book and Copyright  Day is observed on 23 April. The day is celebrated by UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) and other related organizations. 
• The World Book and Copyright Day is observed in over 100 countries, where schools, private businesses, voluntary organisations and many more come together to pay a tribute to authors and books. In 1995, UNESCO decided that on this date the World Book and Copyright Day should be celebrated in reference to the Catalonian festival and also, as the date marks the anniversary of the birth and death of William Shakespeare and some other authors.