Correct Answer :   Samia Suluhu Hassan

Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan was conferred with an Honorary Doctorate (Honoris Causa) degree by Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) at a ceremony held on Tuesday (10th Oct 2023). The event was attended by External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar and Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.

President Hassan became the first woman to receive this esteemed honour from JNU.

The Tanzanian President, who is on a four-day visit to India, took the audience on a heartfelt journey through her life, sharing her remarkable story from a humble upbringing in an African village to becoming the first woman president of Tanzania, according to PTI.

Her acceptance speech resonated with deep affection for India, as she reminisced about her first visit in 1998 when she came to study in Hyderabad.

“The world says there is no midway in falling in love with India, be it an Indian song, an Indian movie or Indian cuisine, it is very difficult to resist an Indian charm,” she said.

“To us Tanzanians, India is not simply a country but an extended family member separated by a crossline, a strategic ally, a dependable partner, and a friend,” President Hassan added, underscoring the profound bond between the two nations.

She further added that she stood there, no longer a visiting guest but as a cherished member of the Jawaharlal Nehru University family..

Source : CNBC

Correct Answer :   Claudia Goldin

The 2023 Nobel Prize in Economics has been awarded to US labour economist "Claudia Goldin", a professor at Harvard University, for having advanced our understanding of women's labor market outcomes, Hans Ellegren, Secretary-General, Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, announced the award on Monday (October 9, 2023) in Stockholm.  Goldin is only the third woman to win the prize.

Claudia Goldin is the Henry Lee Professor of Economics at Harvard University and was the director of the NBER’s Development of the American Economy program from 1989 to 2017.

She is a co-director of the NBER's Gender in the Economy group. An economic historian and a labor economist, Goldin's research covers a wide range of topics, including the female labor force, the gender gap in earnings, income inequality, technological change, education, and immigration.

Most of her research interprets the present through the lens of the past and explores the origins of current issues of concern. Her most recent book is Career & Family: Women's Century-Long Journey toward Equity, published by Princeton University Press in 2021.

The Nobel Prize in Economics in 2022 was given to US economists Douglas Diamond and Philip Dybvig together with former Federal Reserve chief Ben Bernanke for research on banks in times of turmoil..

Source : CNBC

Correct Answer :   Narges Mohammadi

The Norwegian Nobel Committee has awarded Iranian activist Narges Mohammadi the 2023 Nobel Prize for Peace, “For her fight against the oppression of women in Iran and her fight to promote human rights and freedom for all” according to its citation.

In their announcement, the Committee also referred to last year’s protests in Iran against the killing of a young woman named Mahsa Amini while she was in the custody of Iran’s morality police. It said the protests’ motto, ‘Zan – Zendegi – Azadi (Woman – Life – Freedom)’, “suitably expresses the dedication and work of Narges Mohammadi.”

Who is Narges Mohammadi?

Born in 1972 in Iran, Mohammadi is currently living in a detention facility there under the charges of “spreading anti-state propaganda” and defamation. Mohammadi and her family have long been involved in political protests – beginning with the Iranian Revolution. The monarchy fell at the end of the movement in 1979, leading to Iran becoming an Islamic republic.

Mohammadi told The New York Times in an interview this year that two childhood memories “set her on the path to activism”, her mother’s prison visits to her brother and seeing her watch announcements on TV for the names of prisoners executed each day.

She went on to study nuclear physics in the city of Qazvin. Here, she also met her future husband Taghi Rahmani, who is also politically active. He was jailed for 14 years in Iran and currently lives in exile in France with the couple’s two children.

Her family said in a statement that it wished to “express their profound gratitude to the Nobel Peace Committee for bestowing upon her this highly esteemed honor.” “We also want to extend our sincere congratulations to all Iranians, especially the courageous women and girls of Iran who have captivated the world with their bravery in fighting for freedom and equality… As Narges always says: Victory is not easy, but it’s certain,” the statement said..

Source : Indian Express

Correct Answer :   Dr. Joyita Gupta

Indian-origin professor Dr Joyeeta Gupta has received the Spinoza Prize, the highest distinction in Dutch science for her work in the field of climate change at a ceremony in the Netherlands.

The prize was presented to her by the Netherlands' Minister for Education, Science, and Culture, Robert Dijkgraaf at The Hague on Wednesday (4th Oct 2023).

The Dutch Research Council (NWO) prize is worth 1.5 million euros which Gupta intends to spend on scientific research and activities related to knowledge utilisation.

Joyeeta Gupta is a Dutch environmental scientist who is professor of Environment and Development in the Global South at the University of Amsterdam..

Source : AIR

Correct Answer :   Jon Fosse

Norwegian author Jon Fosse has been awarded the 2023 Nobel Prize in Literature for his innovative plays and prose which give voice to the unsayable, said the Swedish Academy.

It added that Fosse is today one of the most widely performed playwrights in the world and has become increasingly recognized for his prose.

The human condition is the central theme of Fosse’s body of work, irrespective of genre, it said.

The Nobel Prize committee said that Jon Fosse presents everyday situations that are instantly recognizable in people's lives. Fosse's radical reduction of language and dramatic action expresses the most powerful human emotions of anxiety and powerlessness in the simplest terms, it said praising the author. Fosse has now joined an illustrious list of past winners that ranges from Toni Morrison to Ernest Hemingway...

Source : AIR

Correct Answer :   3

The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences has decided to award the Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2023 to

Moungi G. Bawendi : Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, MA, USA

Louis E. Brus : Columbia University, New York, NY, USA

Alexei I. Ekimov : Nanocrystals Technology Inc., New York, NY, USA

Two American scientists and a Russian have been awarded the 2023 Nobel prize in chemistry for the discovery and synthesis of quantum dots, which helped drive a revolution in nanotechnology.

The Nobel Prize is given every year for outstanding contributions in the fields of Physics, Chemistry, Medicine, Literature, Peace and Economics..

Correct Answer :   3

The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences has announced the 2023 Nobel Prize in Physics jointly awarded to Pierre Agostini, Ferenc Cruz and Anne L'Huillier.

He has been given this award for his studies related to Attosecond Pulses of light in matter.

The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences announces the Nobel Prize winners in Physics, Chemistry and Economics every year.

The 2023 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine has been awarded to Katalin Karikó and Drew Weissman.   

Correct Answer :   Sudha Murty

Renowned author and philanthropist Sudha Murty, wife of Infosys co-founder N. R. Narayana Murty, was honored with the Global Indian Award by the Canada India Foundation.

The Global Indian Award, worth $50,000, is given annually to prominent Indians who have excelled in their respective fields.

Sudha Murty was conferred by the Canada India Foundation at the Toronto gala event on Saturday (30th Sep 2023) night, where she was accompanied by the parents of her son-in-law and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to the event.

Murty expressed her gratitude for the recognition and commended the Indo-Canadian diaspora for bridging the cultural gap between the two countries. She also humorously noted that both she and her husband had received the same award in different years, making them the first couple to achieve this distinction.

Sudha Murty generously donated the award money to The Field Institute at the University of Toronto, known for its contributions to mathematics and various other disciplines..

Source : Freepress Journal

Correct Answer :   Ruixiang Zhang

Ruixiang Zhang, Assistant Professor, University of California, Berkeley, USA  awarded with the 2023 SASTRA Ramanujan Prize for his outstanding contributions to mathematics.

The annual cash prize of USD 10,000 will be given at an international conference in Number Theory on December 20 and December 22 at SASTRA University in Kumbakonam

He has made contributions to the Generalization of Vinogradov’s Mean Value Theorem and Breakthroughs in Restriction Theory.

Source : The Hindu

Correct Answer :   Odisha

Odisha Scientist Swati Nayak wins Norman Borlaug Field Award 2023

Fondly called “Bihana Didi” (Seed Lady) by local communities in Odisha, Indian agricultural scientist "Swati Nayak" became the third Indian agriculture scientist to win the prestigious Norman Borlaug Field Award 2023.

The Norman Borlaug Field Award 2023 is presented by the World Food Prize Foundation in memory of the Nobel awardee Dr. Norman Borlaug, for outstanding achievements in international agriculture and food production by individuals under 40.

Nayak speaks to businessline about the importance of the award, her work with the agricultural community and more..

Source : The Hindu Businessline