The Latest: Economics Nobel winners are married couple

STOCKHOLM (AP) — The Latest on the Nobel prize in economics (all times local):

3:15 p.m.

A Nobel Prize romance? It turns out that economics laureates Esther Duflo and Abhijit Banerjee are a married couple.

Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where both have worked closely together for years, confirms they wed.

The couple won on Monday along with Michael Kremer of Harvard University for pioneering new ways to alleviate global poverty.

MIT spokeswoman Kimberley Allen is cautioning reporters not to refer to the pair as "Abhijit Banerjee and his wife." She suggests "Esther Duflo and her husband."

Which one will spring for the celebratory champagne? MIT isn't sure.

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3:00 p.m.

French President Emmanuel Macron welcomes "the magnificent Nobel prize" of French economist Esther Duflo, awarded Monday along with two other winners.

Macron tweeted that it "recalls that French economists currently are among the best in the world and shows that research in that field can have a concrete impact on human welfare."

France's Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said the prize recognizes "an exceptional career" and shows the "the excellence of French research."

Renowned French economist Thomas Piketty, whose work focuses on wealth and income inequality, congratulated Duflo and other winners. "Well deserved!" he said on Twitter.

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1:15 p.m.

Abhijit Banerjee, one of the three winners of this year's Nobel prize in economics, was consulted by India's opposition party, the Congress, ahead of national elections in May about offering financial aid to the poor.

News channel NDTV quoted Banerjee as saying in March: "At some broad level, we were sympathetic to the idea that India as a newly middle-income country should do something for its desperately poor."

Banerjee was also part of a group of 108 Indian and foreign economists and social scientists who raised concerns over "political interference" in statistical data by Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government.

Banerjee also criticized the Modi government for a 2016 program that took almost 90% of the country's cash out of circulation.

There was no immediate comment from Modi on Twitter, where he is an active user.

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12:30 p.m.

France's Esther Duflo says she is "incredibly humbled" to be the second woman to win the Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences.

Speaking by telephone to the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, the 46-year-old said the prize came "at an extremely opportune and important time."

Duflo said the award shows that "it is possible for a woman to succeed and be recognized for success."

She hoped her award is "going to inspire many, many other women to continue working and many other men to give them the respect that they deserve like every single human being."

Duflo, along with Abhijit Banerjee and Michael Kremer were awarded the prize for their "experimental approach to alleviating global poverty."

"Their experimental research methods now entirely dominate development economics," the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences said.

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11:50 a.m.

The Nobel prize in economics has been awarded to Abhijit Banerjee, Esther Duflo and Michael Kremer "for their experimental approach to alleviating global poverty."

The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences announced the prize on Monday.

The prize — officially known as the Bank of Sweden Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel — wasn't created by the prize founder, but it is considered to be part of the Nobel stable of awards.

The prize was created by Riksbanken, the Swedish central bank, in 1968, and the first winner was selected a year later.

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8:55 a.m.

The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences will announce the last Nobel winner later Monday, when it awards its prestigious economics prize.

The prize — officially known as the Bank of Sweden Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel — wasn't created by the prize founder, but it is considered to be part of the Nobel stable of awards.

The prize was created by Riksbanken, the Swedish central bank, in 1968, and the first winner was selected a year later.

With the glory comes a 9-million kronor ($918,000) cash award, a gold medal and a diploma.

The laureates receive them at elegant ceremonies on Dec. 10 — the anniversary of Nobel's death in 1896 — in Stockholm.

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Read more stories on the 2019 Nobel Prizes by The Associated Press at https://www.apnews.com/NobelPrizes