Biden and Irish poets: 'Hope and history,' a lifelong love
When President Joe Biden visits Ireland this week, you can expect him to visit an ancient castle, honor some of his ancestors and mark the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday agreement among Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland and the United Kingdom.
EXPLAINER: How Nobel Peace Prize nominations come about
Belarusian opposition figures, Hong Kong-pro-democracy activists, the Black Lives Matter movement, a jailed Russian opposition leader and two former White House senior advisers are among this years nominations for the Nobel Peace Prize. There is no shortage of causes or candidates for the Norwegian Nobel Committee to consider for what arguably remains the worldโs most prestigious prize. Here's a look at the Nobel nomination process:WHO CAN NOMINATE CANDIDATES FOR THE NOBEL PEACE PRIZE? The U.N. World Food Program won the 2020 Nobel Peace Prize. The peace prize and other Nobel awards are presented to the winners on Dec. 10, the anniversary of founder Alfred Nobelโs death.
The Latest: Biden announces Buttigieg as transportation pick
President-elect Joe Biden speaks at a drive-in rally for Georgia Democratic candidates for U.S. Senate Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff, Tuesday, Dec. 15, 2020, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)WASHINGTON โ The Latest on President-elect Joe Biden (all times local):7:55 p.m.President-elect Joe Biden has formally announced former rival Pete Buttigieg as his pick to be secretary of transportation. ___1:30 p.m.President-elect Joe Biden says heโs spoken with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell after the Electoral College affirmed his victory Monday. ___8:40 a.m.Two foreign leaders who had not congratulated President-elect Joe Biden have now done so. ___7:30 a.m.Top U.S. infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci says President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris should be vaccinated for COVID-19 as soon as possible.
A Nobel science first: More than one woman winner, no man
Wednesday's Nobel Prize in chemistry was a historic first for women. It was the first time a Nobel science prize was given to more than one woman, but no men, in a specific category. In the 120 years of Nobel prizes in medicine, physics and chemistry, prizes were awarded 599 times to men and 23 times to women. Three other times, a woman won one of the sciences by herself. This year, Emmanuelle Charpentier and Jennifer Doudna won the chemistry prize for developing the CRISPR method of genome editing.
2 scientists win Nobel chemistry prize for gene-editing tool
French scientist Emmanuelle Charpentier and American Jennifer A. Doudna have won the Nobel Prize 2020 in chemistry for developing a method of genome editing likened to 'molecular scissors' that offer the promise of one day curing genetic diseases. โThere is enormous power in this genetic tool,โ said Claes Gustafsson, chair of the Nobel Committee for Chemistry. In 1911, Marie Curie was the sole recipient of the chemistry award, as was Dorothy Crowfoot Hodgkin in 1964. ___Read more stories about Nobel Prizes past and present by The Associated Press at https://www.apnews.com/NobelPrizes___This story was first published Oct. 7, 2020. It was updated on Oct. 8, 2020, to correct the aim of clinical trials that are underway with the gene-editing tool CRISPR.
Nobel laureate refuses local honor over Poland's LGBT 'rift'
Tokarczuk said in a tweet Friday that while she appreciated being considered, she โsadlyโ couldn't accept Lower Silesiaโs honorary citizenship. She said that receiving it at the same time as Bishop Ignacy Dec would highlight the โpainful riftโ in Poland over LGBT rights. Dec has repeatedly described the LGBT rights movement as a threat to the Catholic Church and to Poland, which is predominantly Catholic. โInstead of being a joyous celebration of a sense of community, it is a vivid illustration of the painful rift in our society,โ she said. Poland has produced heated debates over LGBT rights in recent months, including after right-wing President Andrzej Duda described the movement as worse than communism as part of his reelection campaign.