1. A Belarussian political dissident and civil rights organisation of Ukraine and Russia wins Nobel Peace Prize 2022
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Jailed Belarusian political dissident Ales Byalyatski, banned Russian civil rights organisation Memorial and Ukrainian group Center for Civil Liberties were named the winners of the Nobel Peace Prize 2022 announced on 7 October 2022.
The Norwegian Nobel Committee in a statement said that it “wishes to honour three outstanding champions of human rights, democracy and peaceful co-existence in the neighbour countries Belarus, Russia and Ukraine."
The Nobel Prize in Physics, Chemistry, Medicine, Literature and Economics are announced by the Swedish Nobel Committee while the Peace prize is announced by the Norwegian Nobel Committee.
The award is seen as a return to the cold war era when the critic and dissident of the Soviet Union were given Nobel Prize by Norwegian committee so as to embarrass the Soviet Union. Russia which is the successor state of the Soviet Union is currently in a conflict with Ukraine and the Belorussian President Alexander Lukashenko is a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Award Winners 2022
Ales Byalyatski, is a human right activist ,an opponent of Lukashenko and he was detained last year. by the government.
Memorial is a Russian organisation which works for human rights and civil liberties. It was a fierce critic of Vladimir Putin and it has been banned in Russia.
Center for Civil Liberties is an independent Ukrainian human rights organisation, which is also focused on fighting corruption.
2021 Nobel Peace prize winners
In 2021 the Nobel Peace prize was given to Maria Ressa of Philippines and Dmitry Muratov of Russia.
India’s who have won the Nobel Peace Prize
- Mother Teresa (original name; Mary Teresa Bojaxhiu) won the peace prize in 1979.
- Kailash Satyarthi won the prize with Malala Yousafzai of Pakistan in 2014.
The Nobel Peace Prize which is worth 10 million Swedish crowns, or about $900,000, will be presented in Oslo, Norway on 10 December. 10 December is the death anniversary of the Swedish industrialist Alfred Nobel, who founded the awards in his 1895 will.
2. Annie Ernaux becomes the first French women to win Nobel Prize for Literature
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82 year old, Annie Ernaux became the first French woman to win the Nobel Prize for literature . The Swedish Academy which announced the Nobel Prize for literature 2022 on 6 October 2022, cited the French author for "the courage and clinical acuity" in her largely autobiographical books examining personal memory and social inequality.
Annie Ernaux's first novel was Les Armoires Vides, published in 1974 but she gained international recognition following the publication of Les Années in 2008, translated into The Years in 2017.
The Nobel prize for literature is normally given to established authors but some prizes have gone to writers from outside mainstream literary genres, including French philosopher Henri Bergson in 1927, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill in 1953 and American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan in 2016.
In 2021 the prize was won by Tanzanian novelist Abdulrazak Gurnah.
The prizes for achievements in science, literature and peace were established in the will of Swedish chemist and engineer Alfred Nobel, who invented dynamite made and the prize have been awarded since 1901.
The prize is worth 10 million Swedish crowns ($915,000) and it will be conferred on 10 December in the Swedish capital city of Stockholm.
3. Karl Barry Sharpless, Carolyn R. Bertozzi and Morten Meldal wins the Nobel Prize for Chemistry 2022
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The Royal Swedish Academy of Science on 5 October 2022 announced the winner of the2022 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. Karl Barry Sharpless and Carolyn R. Bertozzi of America and Morten Meldal of Denmark were chosen "for the development of click chemistry and bioorthogonal chemistry."
While Carolyn R. Bertozzi and Morten Meldal are the first-time recipients of the Nobel, Karl Barry Sharpless won the top science award for the second time in his career.
Karl Barry Sharpless is the second person to get Nobel in Chemistry twice after the British scientist Frederick Sanger who won it in 1958 and 1980.
Karl Barry Sharpless last won the Nobel in Chemistry in 2001 for his work around chirally catalyzed oxidation reactions.
The 2022 Chemistry prize was given to the three chemists for laying the foundation for a functional form of chemistry, click chemistry, and utilising it in living organisms. “
What is Click Chemistry?
Click chemistry is the special process of joining molecules together to form new molecules. The term “click chemistry'' was introduced by Barry Sharpless.
Morten Meldal and Barry Sharpless discovered chemical agents that could bind to molecules, and then add other molecules one after the other to form complex clusters of molecules which can be modified by the scientist according to the needs. At present, through this click chemistry, large and complex structures are being created by connecting molecules. They are being used from making medicines to making polymers and new substances.
The Nobel Prize will be conferred on 10 December 2022 in Stockholm, Sweden.
Persons/Institutions who has won the Nobel prize more than once
- American Physicist John Bardeen won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1956 and in 1972.
- Marie Curie was a Polish/ French scientist. In 1903 she got the Nobel Prize in Physics along with her husband Pierre Curie and Henri Becquerel. She won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1911. She is the first woman to get a Nobel Prize. She and Linus Pauling are the only two people to win Nobel prizes in two different fields.
- Linus Pauling of America. He won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1954 and Peace Prize in 1962.
- Frederick Sanger. He was a British scientist who won the Chemistry Nobel prize in 1958 and 1980.
- Karl Barry Sharpless. He is an American scientist who won Chemistry Nobel prize in 2001 and 2022.
- International Committee of Red Cross: It won Nobel peace prize in 1917, 1944 and in 1963.
- United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees: It won the Nobel peace prize in 1954 and 1981.
4. Alain Aspect, John Clauser, Anton Zeilinger chosen for the Nobel Prize for Physics 2022
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The Royal Swedish Academy of Science has announced the winners of the 2022 Nobel Prize in Physics on 4 October 2022. Three scientists; Alain Aspect of France, John Clauser of USA and Anton Zeilinger of Austria were honoured for their work in Quantum physics.
According to the Academy the awards were given for their "experiments with entangled photons, and pioneering quantum information science",
Quantum physics is a field of science that aims to study matter and energy at the most fundamental level. Each of the three winners conducted ground breaking experiments using entangled quantum states, where two particles behave like a single unit even when they are separated.
The Academy said that as a result of their work, development was underway to use the "special properties of individual particle systems to construct quantum computers, improve measurements, build quantum networks and establish secure quantum encrypted communication."
On 3 October 2022, Svante Paabo of Sweden was announced the winner of the Nobel Prize for Medicine.
The Nobel Prize will be conferred on 10 December 2022 in Stockholm, Sweden.
List of Nobel Prize winners from India -
- Rabindranath Tagore (1913) - Literature. First Asian to get a Nobel Prize.
- CV Raman (1930) - Physics
- Har Gobind Khurana (1968) - Medicine. He was an Indian born American citizen.
- Mother Teresa (1979) - Peace
- Subhramanyan Chandrashekhar (1983) - Physics. He was an Indian born American citizen.
- Amartya Sen (1998) - Economics.
- Venkatraman Ramakrishnan (2009) - Chemistry. He is an Indian born British and American citizen.
- Kailash Satyarthi (2014) - Peace
- Abhijit Banerjee (2019) - Economics. He is an Indian born American citizen.
5. Svante Paabo, the scientist who discovered the genome of primitive humans, won the Nobel Prize for Medicine
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Swedish geneticist Svante Paabo won the 2022 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine on 3 October 2022 for discoveries that help in our understanding of how modern day humans evolved from extinct ancestors.
According to the Nobel Committee, Svante Paabo won the prize for "discoveries concerning the genomes of extinct hominins and human evolution.”
Svante Paabo is currently the director at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, Germany.
Svante Paabo is the son of the Swedish biochemist Karl Sune Detlof Bergström who won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1982.
His pioneering work
He discovered a new human species called the Denisovans, from a 40,000-year-old fragment of a finger bone discovered in Siberia.
During the discovery of the genome of an extinct species of human named Neanderthal, he developed a technique by which the genome of any fossil could be accessed.
Dr. Pebo's more than 40 years of hard work discovered such a technique, which can be used to analyse the genome of millions of years old. Through this technique, factors such as bacteria, fungus, dust, seasonal changes and external chemical changes are cleaned from DNA. In the last 20 years, this technology has gone so far that now millions of DNA can be analysed simultaneously.
What is Genome
Genome is the set of information about genes within a cell. Within the genome, the complete information of that organism is kept in the form of DNA. This information, called the genome, is made up of DNA molecules. Whenever a cell divides or copies, this information is also copied together.
Nobel Prize
The Nobel Prize, which is considered to be the most prestigious prize in the world, was created in the will of Swedish dynamite inventor and wealthy businessman Alfred Nobel. The prizes for achievements in science, literature and peace have been awarded since 1901 and the economics prize was first given in 1969.
The prizes carry a cash award of 10 million Swedish kronor (nearly $900,000) and will be handed out on 10 December 2022. 10 December is the death anniversary of Alfred Nobel.
6. 2023 Breakthrough Prize winners announced
Tags: Science and Technology Awards International News
On September 22, the winners of the 2023 Breakthrough Prize, called the Oscars of Science, totaling more than $15 million, were announced.
IMPORTANT FACTS -
- This year three awards were given in the Life Science category while one award each for Mathematics and Physics.
Daniel Spielman of Yale University was awarded the Breakthrough Prize in Mathematics for his many discoveries in theoretical computer science and mathematics.
Clifford Brangwyn and Anthony Hyman (British scientist) won the Life Science Prize for their discovery of a new mechanism of cellular organisation.
Other life science prizes were awarded to Demis Hassabis (British scientist) and John Jumper (USA) for developing AlphaFold, which predicts the structure of proteins, and Emmanuel Mignot (France) and Masashi Yanagisawa (USA) for discovering the causes of narcolepsy.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION -
About Breakthrough Prizes :
The Breakthrough Prizes were started in 2010 by a group of Silicon Valley entrepreneurs.
These Prizes were founded by Sergey Brin, Priscilla Chan and Mark Zuckerberg, Yuri and Julia Milner, and Anne Wojcicki.
These prizes are the most richly endowed prizes in science, the prize money of which exceeds that of the Nobel Prizes.
Breakthrough has an amount of $3 million in each prize, which is more than $1 million in prizes awarded to the winner of the Nobel Prize.
The awards are presented in the fields of life sciences, fundamental physics and mathematics.
7. UN warns 345 million people at risk of starvation
Tags: International News
The United Nations World Food Program warned on 16 September that the world is facing a global emergency, because 345 million people are marching toward starvation.
IMPORTANT FACTS -
- David Beasley, executive director of the UN World Food Program, said 345 million people in 82 countries are facing acute food insecurity.
He said that 50 million people in 45 countries suffer from acute malnutrition.
This widespread and growing food insecurity is the result of direct and indirect effects of conflict and violence.
Rising food, fuel and fertilizer prices have driven 70 million people near starvation since Russia invaded neighbouring Ukraine on February 24.
United Nations World Food Program :
It is the food-assistance branch of the United Nations.
It is the world's largest humanitarian organization focused on hunger and food security and the largest provider of school meals.
It aims to fulfil the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), with a priority on achieving SDG 2 for "zero hunger" by 2030.
It was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2020 for its efforts to provide food assistance in areas of conflict.
Founded - 1961
Headquartered - Rome
8. 64th Ramon Magsaysay award 2022 announced
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The Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation (RMAF), Manila, Philippines has announced the winners of the 64th Ramon Magsaysay award 2022 on 31 August 2022.
It is given to Individuals and organisation for providing solutions to some of the most challenging problems of human development in Asia or the world.
The award which is considered to be equivalent to the ‘Asian Nobel Prize’ will be given to Tadashi Hattori, Gary Bencheghib, Sotheara Chhim, and Bernadette J. Madrid on 30 November 2022.
Awardee of 2022
Sotheara Chhim
He is from Cambodia. He has been honoured for his role as an Psychiatrist and mental health advocate who has played a key role in providing treatment of thousands of traumatized survivors of the Khmer Rouge's brutal rule and other patients in his country
Tadashi Hattori
He is from Japan. He is an ophthalmologist and humanitarian who has been honoured for his commitment in providing free eye surgeries in Vietnam.
Bernadette J.Madrid
She is a paediatrician from the Philippines. She has been honoured for her work as championing the Filipino child’s right to protection by creating safe spaces for abused children nationwide.
Gary Bencheghib
He is from France. He has been honoured for his work in eradicating marine plastic pollution in Bali, Indonesia.
Ramon Magsaysay Award
- The Ramon Magsaysay Award was founded in 1957 in memory of the Philippines President Ramon Magsaysay who died in a plane crash in 1957.
- The award was established by the American philanthropist Rockfellers Brothers fund.
- The first award was given on 31 August 1958 and Vinoba Bhave of India was amongst the first five awardee.
- It was till 2008 given in 6 categories annually. They were Community Leadership,Public Service, Government Service, Journalism, Literature, and Creative Communication Arts,Peace and International Understanding,Emergent Leadership.
- Starting in 2009, the Ramon Magsaysay Award is no longer being given in fixed Award categories, except for Emergent Leadership.
9. Barack Obama : President, Nobel laureate, and now an Emmy winner
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The Television Academy on September 3 honoured Hollywood newcomer Barack Obama with an Emmy Award for his narration of his Netflix documentary series "Our Great National Parks".
IMPORTANT FACTS -
- Former US President Obama has already won Grammy Awards for audio versions of his memoirs "The Audacity of Hope" and "Dreams from My Father".
Barack Obama, one of the world's popular leaders, who has been two-time President of America, has also received the Nobel Peace Prize.
He has also received the Grammy, the biggest award in the music world, twice.
This time he has also got an Emmy, the most prestigious award in the television world.
Out of the four prestigious awards in the world of entertainment, two awards Oscar and Tony are yet to be received.
These four awards are called EGOT, which means achievement of having won all four of the major American entertainment awards.
If he wins two more awards, he will join the EGOT club.
Before this, another US President, D. Eisenhower, received an Emmy in 1956.
10. Former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev dies at the age of 91
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Former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev died on 30 August at the age of 91.
IMPORTANT FACTS -
- In June, he was taken to the hospital after suffering from a serious kidney ailment.
He played an important role in ending the Cold War.
About Mikhail Gorbachev :
He was born in 1931 in southern Russia.
Gorbachev was the last leader of the former Soviet Union from 1985 until 1991, he pushed for stronger Soviet-India ties.
During his tenure, he visited India twice in 1986 and 1988.
He became general secretary of the Soviet Communist Party in 1985.
He wanted to reform the communist regime on the lines of democratic principles by giving freedom to the citizens.
Gorbachev's policies helped to open up the Soviet economy and liberalize society in the late 1980s.
He played a major role in the withdrawal of Soviet troops from a nearly decade-long military operation in Afghanistan.
He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1990 "for his role in the radical change in East-West relations".
Cold War :
The Cold War was an ongoing political rivalry between the United States and the Soviet Union and its allies that developed after World War II.
This enmity between the two superpowers was first named the Cold War by George Orwell in an article published in 1945.
Its period is considered to be between 1945 to 1991.
The term "cold" is used because there was no direct large-scale war between the two sides.
