Correct Answer :   3rd May 2023

---

Three-time Olympic medalist Tori Bowie, a Mississippi native who sprinted to gold at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games, was found dead in a Florida home, officials said Wednesday (3rd May 2023).

She was 32.

Her management company and USA Track & Field announced her death. No cause of death was shared.

* "We’ve lost a client, dear friend, daughter and sister," Icon Management Inc. said in a statement. "Tori was a champion…a beacon of light that shined so bright! We’re truly heartbroken and our prayers are with the family, friends and everyone that loved her."

* Orange County sheriff's deputies were asked Tuesday afternoon "to conduct a well-being check of a woman in her 30s who had not been seen or heard from in several days," an agency spokesperson said.

* The woman found dead in the Winter Garden home was identified as Frentorish “Tori” Bowie, and there "were no signs of foul play," the agency said.

* The cause and manner of death are pending, Orange County Chief Medical Examiner Joshua Stephany said.

* Bowie is best known for having anchored America's 4x100-meter relay team to gold in Brazil, leading a legendary squad of Tianna Bartoletta, Allyson Felix and English Gardner.

* Even though she was tasked with running the most important 100 meters of the race, Bowie insisted her duty that night in Rio was a breeze thanks to Bartoletta, Felix and Gardner.

* Bowie, a native of Sand Hill, Mississippi, also won the 100-meter silver and the 200-meter bronze in the 2016 Games.

* Bowie went on to win the 100-meter gold at the 2017 World Athletics Championships in London..

Source : NCB News

Correct Answer :   6.97%

---

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has announced interest rate of 6.97 percent on Floating Rate Bond (FRB) 2024, for the half year starting from May 7 to November 6.

The rate of interest on the FRB 2024 shall be reset at the average rate (rounded off up to two decimal places) of the implicit yields, at the cut-off prices of the last three auctions of 182-days treasury bills, held up to the period preceding the coupon reset date, which is May 07, 2023, the RBI said in a release.

"The implicit yields will be computed by reckoning 365 days in a year, " it added.

Decoding floating rate bonds : Floating Rate Bonds are securities that do not have a fixed coupon rate. They have a variable coupon rate which is re-set at preannounced intervals. In other words, the interest rate of a floating rate bond keeps fluctuating throughout its tenure.

How is interest rate determined : Floating rate bonds have a variable interest rate linked to a predetermined benchmark rate and that can be anything ranging from the repo rate, the reverse repo, the average T-Bill rate or small savings schemes. It is reset at regular intervals.

These bonds carry a coupon with a base rate equivalent to a weighted average yield of the last three auctions of 182-day Treasury Bills (T-Bill) plus a fixed spread decided by way of auction.

Investment strategy : According to IIFL Securities, floating rate bonds are preferred by some investors because of their flexibility to reflect current interest rate of the market. If the interest rate of the benchmark rises, the interest rate payable for the floating rate bond rises too..

Source : CNBC

Correct Answer :   USFDA

---

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved GSK’s vaccine against respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) for use in people aged 60 years and older. This is the first RSV vaccine to gain approval anywhere in the world, and researchers are celebrating.

* “It’s a very big deal to have options available to prevent RSV disease,” says Barney Graham, senior adviser for global-health-equity trials at Morehouse School of Medicine in Atlanta, Georgia.

* RSV usually causes mild symptoms similar to those that arise during a common cold. But for older people, it can be deadly. According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), each year RSV kills approximately 6,000 to 10,000 adults in the United States who are 65 years or older, and sends 60,000 to 160,000 to hospital. People in this age group with comorbidities such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, asthma or congestive heart failure are especially at risk.

* The FDA approved GSK’s RSV vaccine, to be sold as Arexvy, on the basis of phase III clinical-trial data submitted by the pharmaceutical company, which is based in London.

* Those data showed that the shot reduced the risk of people aged 60 and older developing lower respiratory tract disease from RSV by 82.6% and that of developing severe disease by 94.1%...

Source : Nature

Correct Answer :   UAE

---

The UAE government launched the ‘Machines Can See 2023’ Summit, one of the international conferences in Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the whole region, taking place at the Museum of the Future in Dubai, in partnership between Artificial Intelligence, Digital Economy, and Remote Work Applications Office and ‘Machines Can See’ company.

* The conference aims to bring together experts from around the world to discuss the future of AI and its potential in contributing to the UAE’s vision of creating the next Silicon Valley.

* The summit was held at the Museum of the Future in Dubai and explored the current advancements of AI, its applications, and its future in the UAE and the rest of the world. The event was hosted in collaboration with Dubai’s Department of Economy and Tourism and the Dubai Future Foundation. The summit featured presentations and panel discussions from various experts in the field of AI.

* Speaking at a panel discussion titled ‘Government, Business and Science’ at the ‘Machines Can See 2023’ Summit, the experts conversed about the future of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the UAE and its potential to become the next Silicon Valley.

* Exploring the seamless possibilities of AI, policymakers from the public sector, businesses, and academia opined that the UAE is rapidly transforming its visions and solidifying its global status as a hub of advanced technologies, particularly in AI.

* The one-day summit has been hosted in collaboration with Dubai’s Department of Economy and Tourism, and Dubai Future Foundation, exploring current advancements of AI, its applications, and its future in the UAE and the rest of the world.

* The UAE is the only country with a state-level AI programme, which is a testament to its commitment to supporting the progress of AI technology..

Source : AIR

Correct Answer :   Bank for International Settlements (BIS)

---

Reserve Bank of India(RBI) and Bank for International Settlements (BIS) have launched G20 TechSprint, a global technology competition. RBI and the BIS Innovation Hub have jointly announced the fourth edition of the G20 TechSprint.

* RBI said that the 2023 TechSprint will focus on developing innovative technology solutions for cross-border payments. The competition is open for developers around the world for submitting application from today to 4th June 2023.

* The results will be announced at a final event in August or September this year.
 
* Shortlisted teams will be invited to develop their solutions over a six-week period and each team will be eligible for a stipend of eight lakh rupees approximately 10,000 US dollar.

* An independent panel of experts will select the most promising solution to each problem statement from the shortlisted solutions. The winners for each problem statement will receive an award of forty lakh rupees approximately 50,000 US dollar..

Source : AIR

Correct Answer :   India and Israel

---

India and Israel have signed an MoU on Industrial Research and Development Cooperation.

Aim : To collaborate in high technology areas such as Artificial Intelligence, Quantum, and semiconductors, synthetic biology, etc.,

* The MoU was signed between CSIR and the DDR&D, Ministry of Defense of Israel.

* Acknowledging the ongoing cooperation efforts of CSIR, Daniel Gold, Head, DDR&D, said, “DDR&D welcomes collaboration not only with R&D organizations but also with start-ups and companies, venture capitals on both sides.”

* He also apprised that AI and photonics are strengths of Israel and welcomed cooperation with CSIR in High Technology sectors.

* The MoU shall enable cooperation in the industrial R&D programs in mutually agreeable industrial technology fields through implementation of specific projects, Ministry of Science and Technology said in a statement..

Source : Financial Express

Correct Answer :   4th May

---

International Firefighters' Day (IFFD) is observed every year on 4 May to honour and pay tribute to the great work done by the firefighters while protecting the life and property of people.

* Firefighters put their lives at risk, work tirelessly, and volunteer anytime to prevent the damages caused by fire accidents.

* International Firefighters’ Day is celebrated to acknowledge the hard work of past and present firefighters for their selfless contributions in the society.

Source : The Quint

Correct Answer :   Polavarapu Mallikharjuna Prasad

---

The Public Enterprises Selection Board (PESB) has recommended the name of P M Prasad for the post of Chairman and Managing Director of Coal India Limited, an official said on Wednesday (3rd May 2023).

* Prasad is currently the chairman cum managing director of the Ranchi-based CIL arm - Central Coalfields Ltd (CCL).

* The PESB on Wednesday (3rd May 2023) recommended Polavarapu Mallikharjuna Prasad's name for the post of CIL chairman and managing director.

* Prasad was among seven officials interviewed for the post, as per minutes of the PESB meeting.

* Those interviewed for the post included Ambika Prasad Panda, CMD Eastern Coalfields Ltd (ECL), Manoj Prasad, CMD, Central Mine Planning and Design Institute (CMPDIL), Amitava Mukherjee, Director (Finance), NMDC, Prabhu Dayal Chirania, Senior GM, BSNL, Ashok Burnwal, IAS and Alok Singh, IRS..

Source : India Times

Correct Answer :   Manipur University

---

Manipur University will host the Y20 Seminar on May 4, 2023, on "Shared Future: Youth in Democracy and Governance", one of the five themes of the Y20 India Summit.

* The seminar will focus on youth to make the G20 summit participative, cutting across all ranks.

* The Government of India aims to reach out to all 16 districts of Manipur through this seminar.

* The University will host around 550 participants – 26 foreign panellists and delegates, 38 delegates and panellists from outside Manipur and 69 within Manipur.

* About 70 students from colleges affiliated with Manipur University will participate in the seminar.

* Manipur University Vice-Chancellor Prof. N. Lokendra Singh said that although Manipur is a small state, it has immensely contributed to sports and culture. The youth have been performing considerably well in every aspect of their activities. "It's because of such noble achievements of our students, the Govt. of India is very kind enough to give us this assignment," the V-C said.

* He added that in the last one or two decades, there had been a tremendous expansion of India's youth and student population in quantity and quality. India is a young country with a potent youth force and has been taking up youth-centric policies.

* Chairman of the Y20 Summit Prof. RK Hemakumar Singh said the youth of the state are very talented in sports and culture, so they should be talented in democracy and governance. The chairman added the program will be streamed live on social media platforms to reach students residing in remote areas of the state.

* Convener of the Summit Prof. W. Chandbabu Singh said India is holding the 18th presidency of the G20, and since G20 countries control 85% of the global trade, decisions taken by G20 countries will have global acceptance in general.

* He added that there are 11 engagement groups during India's Presidency, including the Y20. And within Y20, there are five sub-themes, of which "Shared Future: Youth in Democracy and Governance" is one of them...

Source : PIB

Correct Answer :   Pine Labs

---