Tunisian National Dialogue Quartet wins Nobel Peace Prize for 2015

National Dialogue Quartet (NDQ) in Tunisia has won prestigious 2015 Nobel Peace Prize. Norwegian Nobel Committee has selected NDQ for its decisive contribution in building pluralistic democracy in Tunisia in the wake of the 2011 Jasmine Revolution. NDQ was established in 2013 as an alternative, the peaceful political process at a time when Tunisia was on the brink of civil war aftermath of the revolution.

NDQ consists following 4 organisations in Tunisian civil society

  • Tunisian General Labour Union.
  • Tunisian Confederation of Industry, Trade and Handicrafts.
  • Tunisian Human Rights League.
  • Tunisian Order of Lawyers.

Svetlana Alexievich Wins Nobel Prize in Literature

Belarusian author Svetlana Alexievich, known for chronicling the Chernobyl nuclear disaster, was awarded the 2015 Nobel Prize in literature “for her polyphonic writings, a monument to suffering and courage in our time.”

  • With this, she became 14th women Literature Laureate and she is also the first writer from Belarus to receive this award.
  • Her best-known works in English translation include Voices From Chernobyl, an oral history of the 1986 nuclear catastrophe; and Boys In Zinc, a collection of first-hand accounts from the Soviet-Afghan war. The title refers to the zinc coffins in which the dead came home.

Nobel Prize in Chemistry: Lindahl, Modrich and Sancar win for DNA repair

Tomas Lindahl (United Kingdom), Paul Modrich (US) and Aziz Sancar (US) have jointly won 2015 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences has chosen them for their research on mechanistic studies of DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) repair.

Their work has provided fundamental knowledge of the functioning of living cell functions and its application for the development of new cancer treatments.

Hoesung Lee elected as Chairman of IPCC

Hoesung Lee of South Korea has been elected Chairman of Inter-governmental Panel for Climate Change (IPCC). Prof Lee, an expert on climate economics and sustainable development, was elected to chair the panel at its ongoing meeting in Dubrovnik, Croatia. He is the fourth person to lead the IPCC in its 27-year history. He succeeds Rajendra Pachauri, who resigned amid a scandal (sexual harassment) in February.

Note: In December 2007, the IPCC was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

Headquarters: Geneva, Switzerland.

Shekhar Basu appointed as Chairman of Atomic Energy Commission

Renowned scientist Shekhar Basu has been appointed as the Chairman of Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) and Secretary of Department of Atomic Energy (DAE). He will replace R K Sinha who superannuates on 23 October 2015. He will have tenure till September 19, 2016, i.e. till he attains the age of 64 years. Prior to this appointment Mr. Basu was Director of Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) and Chief executive of the Nuclear Recycle Board (NRB).

Current Affair One Liners:

  • Indian Air Force (IAF) on 8 October 2015 celebrated its 83rd foundation day at the Hindon Air Force Station in Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh.
  • The Union Cabinet cleared proposals to set up three new All India Institutes of Medical Sciences (AllMS) at Nagpur in Maharashtra, Manglagiri in Andhra Pradesh and Kalyani in West Bengal under the Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojna (PMSSY) at a cost of Rs 4,949 crore.
  • The Seychelles Ministry of Tourism and Culture proudly names A.R. Rahman Cultural Ambassador for Seychelles in appreciation for the invaluable services contributed to enhancing Seychelles’s Art and Cultural development
  • Veteran music director and lyricist Ravindra Jain passed away in Mumbai, Maharashtra. He was 71. His famous songs are ‘Geet Gaata Chal’, ‘Chor Machaye Shor’, ‘Chitchor’, ‘Nadiya ke Paar’, ‘Ram Teri Ganga Maili’, ‘Ankhiyon Ke Jharokhon Se’, ‘Do Jasoos’ and ‘Henna’.
  • FIFA has suspended its President Sepp Blatter and UEFA President Michel Platini for 90 days.