1. Former German Chancellor Angela Merkel wins UNESCO Peace Prize 2022
Tags: Awards National News
Former German Chancellor Angela Merkel has been awarded the 2022 UNESCO Peace Prize for her efforts to welcome refugees.
IMPORTANT FACTS -
- All jurors, including jury chairman and 2018 Nobel Peace Prize winner Denis Mukwege, have been impressed by Merkel's courageous decision to welcome more than 1.2 million refugees from Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan and Eritrea in 2015.
Additionally, the jury awarded an honorable mention to Julian Lusanz for his commitment to women victims of sexual violence.
Angela Merkel :
Angela Merkel was born on 17 July 1954 in Hamburg, West Germany.
In the 2005 national elections, Merkel became the first female chancellor of Germany, and is one of the leading figures in the European Union.
She became the Chancellor of Germany for the fourth and last time on 14 March 2014.
Before joining politics, she was working as a research scientist.
About UNESCO Peace Prize :
Officially it is called the Felix Houphouet-Bougain-UNESCO Peace Prize.
The honour is named after the former President of Ivory Coast.
UNESCO's Felix Houphouet-Bogen Peace Prize was created in 1989 to honour living individuals and active public or private bodies or institutions that have made significant contributions to peace.
The award was established by a resolution supported by 120 countries
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION -
About UNESCO :
Establishment of UNESCO - 16 November 1945
UNESCO Headquarters - Paris, France
UNESCO members - 193 countries
UNESCO chief - Audrey Azoulay
2. World Organ Donation Day
Tags: Important Days
Every year 13 August is celebrated as World Organ Donation Day across the world with an aim to raise awareness about organ donation.
Important facts
Apart from this, “National Organ Donation Day” is celebrated on 27 November every year in India.
This year's theme is “let’s pledge to donate organs and save lives”.
Importance
This day is celebrated to dispel the myths of organ donation.
It wants to encourage people to donate their healthy organs after death as it will save more lives.
Its aim is to help people realise that many people lose their lives due to unavailability of healthy organs. Thus, voluntarily donating your healthy organs can change the lives of many people.
History of world organ donation
The first temporarily successful transplant of a human kidney was performed by Jean Hamburger in Paris in 1953.
A kidney was transplanted from the mother to a 16-year-old child.
However, the first long-term successful kidney transplant was performed in the US in 1954.
This successful transplant was performed by Dr. Joseph Murray.
For this, Dr. Joseph Murray received the "Nobel Prize for Physiology and Medicine" in the year 1990.
3. Global Energy Prize for the year 2022
Tags: Awards
Kaushik Rajasekhar, an Indian-origin professor at the University of Houston, has won the prestigious Global Energy Prize for the year 2022.
Important facts
He has won the award for his outstanding contribution to transportation electrification and energy efficiency technologies while reducing energy generation emissions.
Out of a record 119 nominations from 43 countries, only three people were selected for the honour, presented by the Global Energy Association.
Rajashekhar has been announced as the 2022 prize winner by Viktor Orlov, chief expert at the Centre for Innovative Technologies (Rosatom in Russia) and a pioneer in thermonuclear physics.
The award ceremony will be held during the Russian Energy Week in Moscow on 12-14 October 2022.
About Global Energy Prize
It was founded in 2002 at the initiative of a Nobel Prize in Physics laureate Zhores Alferov.
The media and the professional community consider it "the biggest Russian award" and "one of the biggest in the world".
The prize is awarded by the President of Russia or "a person authorised by the president".
This award was given for the first time in the year 2003.
4. International Nelson Mandela Day
Tags: Important Days International News
International Nelson Mandela Day is celebrated across the world on 18 July every year to mark the birth anniversary of Nelson Mandela, the Nobel Peace Prize laureate and former President of South Africa.
Important facts
The observance of this day seeks to celebrate the idea that every individual has the power to change the world, the ability to make an impact.
It aims to inspire individuals to take action to help change the world for the better.
In November 2009, the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) officially declared 18 July as "International Nelson Mandela Day" in honour of the former President of South Africa's contribution to a culture of peace and freedom.
It also reflects the anti-apartheid icon's commitment to promoting the values of democracy, racial justice and human rights in the field of racial relations, and his dedication to serving humanity.
About Nelson Mandela
Nelson Mandela was born on 18 July 1918 in Mvezo, Eastern Cape, South Africa.
On 5 August 1962, he was arrested for inciting the workers to strike and leaving the country without permission.
He was tried and sentenced to life imprisonment on 12 July 1964.
He was released on 11 February 1990 after spending 27 years in prison.
On 10 May 1994, Mandela became the first black president of South Africa.
Nelson Mandela is called the Gandhi of South Africa.
Prize
Nobel Peace Prize in 1993 jointly with Frederick Willem de Klerk, former President of South Africa
order of lenin
Bharat Ratna (1990)
Nishan-e-Pakistan
Gandhi Peace Prize (2008)
5. United Nations Malala Day
Tags: Important Days
Malala Day is celebrated by the United Nations on 12 July to honour the rights of women and children around the world.
About Malala Yousafzai
Malala Yousafzai is a Pakistani activist.
Malala Yousafzai was born on 12 July 1997 in Swat district of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan.
In 2012, Malala was shot in the head by Taliban gunmen after advocating for girls' education.
She soon recovered and continued her advocacy for girls' rights despite the attack.
Malala began writing for the BBC in 2009.
She was 11 when she shared her regular school life during an era when girls were banned from school.
Malala founded the Malala Fund. It is an NGO that helps young girls to go to school.
He has also co-authored the book "I Am Malala".
Prize
She was awarded the International Children's Peace Prize (2013), Mexico's Equality Award (2013), United Nations Human Rights Award (2013), Pakistan's National Youth Peace Prize (2011) etc.
Malala became the youngest recipient of the Nobel Prize in 2014 at the age of 17.
Time magazine also named Malala one of the 100 most influential people.
6. Ukrainian mathematician becomes second woman to win Fields Medal
Tags: Science and Technology International News
On July 5, a jury of the International Mathematical Union awarded the prestigious Fields Medal to four mathematicians, including Ukraine's Marya Vyazovska.
Marya Vyazovska
Wiazowska is the head of number theory at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne.
Wiazowska is the second woman to win the award in its 80-year history.
She is known to be an expert in solving spherical packing problems.
She was awarded the prize for solving a version of a centuries-old mathematical problem where she proved the densest packing of equal regions in eight dimensions.
Wiazowska was born in 1984 in Ukraine, which was part of the Soviet Union, and has been a professor at the cole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne in Switzerland since 2017.
The other three winners are -
James Maynard - number theorist at the University of Oxford, UK
June Huh - specialist in combinatorics at Princeton University in New Jersey
Hugo Duminil Copin - studies statistical physics at the Institute of Advanced Scientific Studies (IHES) near Paris.
35-year-old James Maynard was presented this award for his contribution to "analytical number theory".
June Huh, 39, was awarded the prize for "changing" the field of geometric combinatorics.
Duminil-Coppin was awarded for solving "long-standing problems in the probabilistic theory of phase transitions".
First women winner
The first woman to win the prize was Mariam Mirzakhani in 2014, an Iranian-born mathematician who died of cancer three years later in 2017.
Indian-origin winners
Two of the winners are of Indian origin.
Akshay Venkatesh of the Institute for Advanced Study at Princeton – was awarded the award in 2018.
Manjul Bhargava of the Department of Mathematics at Princeton University was honored in 2014.
About Fields Medal
Fields Medal is often described as the Nobel Prize in mathematics.
This highest honours in mathematics is conventionally awarded to people aged under 40.
The medal, along with $15,000 Canadian dollars ($11,600), is awarded every four years to between two to four candidates for “outstanding mathematical achievement”.
Of the 60 mathematicians who won the Fields Medal earlier this year, 59 were men.
The prizes are normally announced at the opening of the International Congress of Mathematicians (ICM).
This year’s congress was scheduled to begin on 6 July in St. Petersburg, Russia, but the plan was scrapped following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The award ceremony was held in Helsinki and the Congress concluded as a virtual event.
International Mathematical Union
It is an international non-governmental and non-profit scientific organization.
Its purpose is to promote international cooperation in mathematics.
It is a member of the International Science Council (ISC).
founded - in 1920 and has existed in its current form since 1951
Location - Berlin, Germany
President - Carlos E. Kenig
7. Royal Gold Medal awarded to architect Balkrishna Doshi
Tags: Awards
Famous architect Balkrishna Doshi was conferred the prestigious Royal Gold Medal 2022, one of the world’s highest honours for architecture.
The Gold Medal was presented by the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA).
Doshi is the only Indian to have been awarded both the Royal Gold Medal and the Pritzker Architecture Prize, which is often referred to as the Nobel Prize of architecture.
He is credited with designing some of the most iconic structures in Ahmedabad.
Some of his major projects include Shreyas Comprehensive School Campus, Ahmedabad, Atira Guest House, Ahmedabad, The Institute of Indology, Ahmedabad, Ahmedabad School of Architecture, Tagore Hall and Memorial Theatre, Ahmedabad, Premabhai Hall, Ahmedabad, IIM Bangalore, Kanoria Centre.
In 2020, he was also awarded the Padma Bhushan, the third-highest civilian award in India, for his contribution to the field of architecture.
He is also the recipient of the French ‘Global Award for Lifetime Achievement for Sustainable Architecture' by the Institut Francais d’architecture, Paris.
About Royal Gold Medal
The Royal Gold Medal for architecture is awarded annually by the Royal Institute of British Architects on behalf of the British monarch for contribution to international architecture.
The medal was first awarded in 1848 to Charles Robert Cockerell.
Its second recipient was the Italian Luigi Canina in 1849.
8. On Birth Anniversary, PM Pays Tribute To Rabindranath Tagore
Tags: Person in news Important Days
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 9th May paid tributes to Rabindranath Tagore on his birth anniversary.
About Rabindranath Tagore
He was born on 7 May 1861 in Calcutta.
He is also known as 'Gurudev', 'Kabiguru' and 'Biswakabi'.
Rabindranath Tagore was a Bengali poet, novelist, and painter.
He was a good friend of Mahatma Gandhi and is said to have bestowed upon him the title of Mahatma.
He had always emphasised that unity in diversity is the only possible way for the national unity of India.
He spoke at the World Parliament of Religions in the years 1929 and 1937.
His notable works include Gitanjali, Ghare-Bair, Gora, Mansi, Balak, Sonar Tori.
He is also remembered for his song ‘Ekla Chalo Re’.
He published his first poems at the age of 16 under the name 'Bhanusimha'.
He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1913 for his work Gitanjali.
He was the first non-European person to receive the Nobel Prize.
He died on 7 August 1941 in Calcutta.
9. World Red Cross Day
Tags: Important Days
World Red Cross Day also known as Red Crescent Day is celebrated on May 8 every year.
The day marks the birth anniversary of Henry Dunant, the founder of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).
He is also a Nobel Peace Prize winner. He was born on May 8, 1828.
This day is celebrated by the Red Cross Society in all countries.
It works for the welfare of people.
The World Red Cross Society provides food and other aid to people in natural disasters, wars, as well as diseases and epidemics.
Theme : 2022 - ‘BeHumanKind’
History of the day
The first Red Cross Day was celebrated on 8 May 1948.
In 1946, during the Second World War, the Tokyo Resolution was implemented.
The resolution to celebrate World Red Cross Day annually was adopted on 8 May 1948, the birth anniversary of Henry Dunant, the founder of the Red Cross.
In 1984 it was officially named "World Red Cross and Red Crescent Day".
Principles of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement
To stop and end suffering for every human being
Impartiality
Neutrality
Independence
Voluntary Service
Unity and Universality
10. NASA Climate Research Scientist Cynthia Rosenzweig Wins World Food Prize 2022
Recently the World Food Prize Foundation announced the name of Dr. Cynthia Rosenzweig from the United States of America as the winner of the World Food Prize 2022.
Rosenzweig was awarded this prize for his research 'Understanding the relationship between climate and food systems and how both will change and forecast in the future'.
The purpose of the World Food Prize is to recognize the achievements of individuals who have advanced human development by improving the quality, quantity or availability of food in the world.
In the year 2021, the award was won by Dr. Shakuntala Harak Singh Thilstad, a leading nutritionist and in the year 2020, the award was won by Dr. Ratan Lal, an Indian American soil scientist.
About World Food Prize
The World Food Prize Prize was conceived in 1970 by Nobel Peace Prize winner Dr. Norman E. Borlaug for his work in global agriculture.
The World Food Prize was instituted in 1986.
It is also known as the "Nobel Prize for Food and Agriculture".
Dr. M.S. Swaminathan who is known as the father of Green Revolution in India was the first person to receive this award in the year 1987.
The award is presented each year in October on or around United Nations World Food Day (16 October).
The prize winner is presented with a sculpture designed by renowned artist and designer, Saul Bass, in addition to a cash prize of US$ 250,000.
The World Food Prize Foundation is located in Des Moines, USA.
