Nobel Prize 2024

General Information

• Establishment:
  • 1901: Physics, Chemistry, Physiology or Medicine, Literature, Peace.
  • 1968: Economics prize established.
  • 1969: Economics prize first awarded.
• Awarding Body: Royal Swedish Academy of Science (except Peace Prize).
• Award Date: December 10 (death anniversary of Alfred Nobel).
• Locations:
  • Peace Prize: Norway.
  • All other prizes: Stockholm, Sweden.

Prize Winners

• Physiology or Medicine:

  • Winners: Gary Ruvkun, Victor Ambros.
  • For: Discovery of microRNA.
  • 1901 Winner: Emil Adolf von Behring.

• Physics:

  • Winners: Jeffrey E. Hinton, John Hopfield.
  • For: Neural networks.
  • 1901 Winner: Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen (for X-rays).

• Chemistry:

  • Winners: David Baker, Demis Hassabis, John Jumper.
  • For: Protein structure.
  • 1901 Winner: Jacobus Henricus van 't Hoff.

• Literature:

  • Winner: Han Kang (South Korea).
  • For: Literature exposing historical trauma and human fragility.
  • 1901 Winner: Sully Prudhomme.

• Peace:

  • Winner: Nihon Hidankyo (group of Hiroshima and Nagasaki atomic bomb survivors, Japan).
  • For: Preventing the future use of nuclear weapons.
  • 1901 Winners: Henry Dunant, Frédéric Passy.

• Economics:

  • Winners: Acemoglu, Simon Johnson, James Robinson.
  • For: Demonstrating the importance of social institutions for national prosperity.
  • First Awarded (1969): Ragnar Frisch (Norway), Jan Tinbergen.

Indian Nobel Laureates

• Rabindranath Tagore (Literature): 1913, for "Gitanjali."
• C.V. Raman (Physics): 1930, for "Raman Effect" (light scattering).
• Har Gobind Khorana (Physiology or Medicine): 1968, for genetic code.
• Mother Teresa (Peace): 1979, for aiding the poor and suffering.
• Subramanian Chandrasekhar (Physics): 1983, for structure and evolution of stars, including the "Chandrasekhar Limit."
• Amartya Sen (Economics): 1998, for welfare economics.
• V.S. Naipaul (Literature): 2001, for "In a Free State."
• Venkatraman Ramakrishnan (Chemistry): 2009, for ribosome structure.
• Kailash Satyarthi (Peace): 2014, for "Bachpan Bachao Andolan" and child rights (shared with Malala Yousafzai).
• Abhijit Banerjee (Economics): 2019, for approaches to poverty reduction.

Daily Current Affairs (7 August 2025)

Global AI City Index 2025

• Rankings: Bengaluru ranked 26th globally and 1st in India. Singapore topped the global index.
• Issuing Body: Counterpoint Research.
• Reason for Bengaluru's high rank: Strong startup ecosystem in Artificial Intelligence.
• AI Conferences:
  • 1st: Bletchley, England.
  • 2nd: Seoul, South Korea.
  • 3rd: Paris, France.

WHO Declares Hepatitis D as Carcinogenic

• Announcement: The World Health Organization (WHO) classified Hepatitis D as a "carcinogenic" (cancer-causing) agent.
• Impact: Can lead to severe liver disease or liver cancer.
• Condition: Hepatitis D infection occurs only in individuals previously infected with Hepatitis B.
• Transmission: Unsafe injections, unprotected sexual contact, unsafe blood transfusions.
• Treatment: No specific vaccine for Hepatitis D; the Hepatitis B vaccine is used to manage it.
• Goal: Raise awareness for urgent prevention due to its potential as a carcinogen.

Moldova Joins International Solar Alliance (ISA)

• New Member: Moldova became the 107th member of the International Solar Alliance (ISA).
• ISA Foundation: Established in 2015 at COP21 in Paris by India and France.
• ISA Headquarters: Gurugram, Haryana, India.
• Moldova's Geography: Located in Europe, capital Chișinău, landlocked.

Dhruva Space's Leap One Mission

• Mission Name: "Leap One" – the first commercial mission by Dhruva Space.
• Company: Dhruva Space is a Bengaluru-based space startup.
• Launch Vehicle: SpaceX's Falcon 9.
• Collaboration: Involves collaboration with Australia.
• Purpose: Earth observation.

India Electric Mobility Index (IEMI)

• Launch: Launched by NITI Aayog on August 4.
• Purpose: To promote the adoption of Electric Vehicles (EVs) in India's transportation system, aiming to reduce fossil fuel demand and pollution.
• Theme: "Unlocking opportunities for $200 billion."
• State Categories (based on score):
  • Leading States (score 65-99): Delhi, Maharashtra, Chandigarh.
  • Aspirational States (score 0-49): Rajasthan, Odisha, Uttar Pradesh.
• NITI Aayog:
  • Established: January 1, 2015, replacing the Planning Commission.
  • Principle: Operates on the principle of Cooperative Federalism.
  • Head: Prime Minister.
  • Vice-Chairman: Suman Berry.
  • CEO: B.V.R. Subrahmanyam.

Lok Sabha Passes Bill for ST Reservation in Goa Assembly

• Legislation: Lok Sabha passed a bill to provide Scheduled Tribe (ST) reservation in the Goa State Assembly.
• Goa Assembly Status: Goa Assembly has 40 seats, with 1 seat reserved for Scheduled Castes (SC) and 0 for STs based on the 2001 population census.
• Bill's Objective: To change the population base for reservation from the 2001 census to the 2011 census, aiming to increase ST representation.
• Presented by: Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal.
• Constitutional Provision: Article 332 of the Indian Constitution provides for reservation of seats for SCs and STs in State Legislative Assemblies.
• Related Amendment: The 104th Constitutional Amendment Act extended SC/ST reservation in legislatures for 10 years and abolished the reservation for Anglo-Indians.
• Assembly Seat Norms:
  • Minimum Assembly Seats (in states/UTs): Puducherry (30), Sikkim (32).
  • Maximum Assembly Seats (as per Constitution): 500.

Nilgiri Tahr Census

• Conducting Bodies: Joint census by Kerala and Tamil Nadu.
• Total Population: 2668 Nilgiri Tahrs counted.
• Distribution:
  • Kerala: 1365.
  • Tamil Nadu: 1303.
• Highest Concentration: Eravikulam National Park, Kerala.
• Conservation Initiative: Nilgiri Tahr Project was started in 2022 by both states.
• IUCN Status: Endangered (Luप्त प्राय).
• IUCN: International Union for Conservation of Nature, established in 1948 with headquarters in Gland, Switzerland.

International Seabed Authority (ISA) - 30th Session

• Venue: Kingston, Jamaica (also the ISA headquarters).
• Significance: Marks the 30th anniversary of ISA's recognition by the UN (1994).
• Purpose: To discuss the conservation and management of minerals and marine life in deep-sea oceans.
• Key Outcome: November 1 was declared as International Deep Seabed Day.

Initiatives for Girls' Higher Education (Assam & Other States)

• Mukhyamantri Nijut Moina Asoni 2.0 (Assam):
  • Launched by: CM Himanta Biswa Sarma from Guwahati.
  • Objective: To boost girls' enrollment in higher education.
  • Financial Aid:
    • High school (first year): ₹10,000 (over 10 months).
    • Undergraduate level: ₹12,500 per month.
    • Postgraduate level: ₹25,000 per month.
• Anndata Sukhi Bhava PM Kisan Yojana (Andhra Pradesh): Provides ₹6,000 financial assistance to farmers.
• Nalam Kaakum Stalin Yojana (Tamil Nadu): A health scheme.

National Handloom Day 2025

• Date: August 7.
• Significance: Commemorates the launch of the Swadeshi Movement on August 7, 1905, from Calcutta's Town Hall. This movement was initiated in protest against Lord Curzon's declaration of the Bengal Partition in 1905 (effective October 16, 1905).
• First Celebration: Started in 2015.
• Other Events on August 7: Javelin Throw Day (commemorating Neeraj Chopra's Olympic gold), Khela Hobe Divas (in West Bengal).
• Related Event: August 6, 1945, marks Hiroshima Day, when the US dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan.

Prime Minister Inaugurates Kartavya Bhawan

• The Prime Minister inaugurated Kartavya Bhawan. (Further details to be discussed).