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AN IRISH MAN has today won the Nobel Prize for medicine.
Irish-born William Campbell, Satoshi Omura of Japan and China’s Youyou Tu have won the prize for their discoveries of treatments against parasites, the jury said.
Campbell and Omura shared one-half of the prize for “their discoveries concerning a novel therapy against infections caused by roundworm parasites”, while Tu won the other half “for discoveries concerning a novel therapy against malaria.”
The medicine award kicks off a week of announcements where the most closely-watched award, the Nobel Peace Prize, may well honour work to help refugees to a better life.
Sweden’s newspaper of reference, Dagens Nyheter (DN), said yesterday it believed the prize committees would this year be looking to even out the gender gap among laureates, the vast majority of whom have been men over the years.
“This year the Nobel committees in the science disciplines are headed by women. There are also an unusual number of women’s names circulating in the speculation,” DN wrote.
Guessing who will win the prizes is usually an exercise in futility, but nonetheless speculation runs rife every year just before the big announcements.
The Nobel prizes were created by Swedish philanthropist and scientist Alfred Nobel in his 1895 will, and were first handed out in 1901.
The physics prize will be announced tomorrow.
DN have predicted a woman laureate in that discipline, suggesting US researcher Deborah Jin for her work on ultracold gases. Swedish Radio meanwhile tipped US astronomist Vera Rubin for her pioneering work on galaxy rotation rates.
For the chemistry prize, to be announced on Wednesday, Swedish Radio suggested it could go to US electrochemist John Goodenough, whose research led to rechargeable batteries, or to organic chemist Per Siegbahn of Sweden.
Merkel peace prize?
For the literature prize, the exact date of the announcement is only revealed a few days in advance but it is traditionally announced on a Thursday, so it will likely fall on 8 October.
Last year, the award went to French author Patrick Modiano, and the year before that to Canadian short story writer Alice Munro.
Some of the names circulating this year include Belarussian author Svetlana Alexievich, US novelist Joyce Carol Oates, Japanese author Haruki Murakami, and Nuruddin Farah of Somalia.
On Friday, all eyes and ears will turn to Oslo for the Nobel Peace Prize announcement.
The committee may let itself be influenced by current events and give the nod to a person or organisation working to ease the suffering of those escaping war and authoritarian regimes.
“There is really a strong likelihood that it will go to someone helping people fleeing,” Anna Ek, the head of the Swedish pacifist organisation Svenska Freds, told news agency TT.
Here again, another woman has been tipped as the frontrunner: German Chancellor Angela Merkel, for opening her country to asylum seekers in Europe’s recent migrant crisis.
Others mentioned in the same breath include Eritrean Catholic priest Mussie Zerai, who has helped thousands of refugees cross the Mediterranean, as well as the UN High Commissioner for Refugees and the mayor of the Italian island of Lampedusa, Giusi Nicolini.
Congolese doctor Denis Mukwege, who has treated thousands of women brutalised by rape in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, has also been mentioned as a possibility, as has Japan’s pacifist Article 9 Association which opposed changes to the country’s defence laws.
The 2015 Nobel season winds up on 12 October with the announcement of the winners of the economics prize.
Only one woman has won the award since it was first handed out in 1969, when it was created by the Swedish Central Bank to celebrate its tricentenary.
If the committee were looking to improve those stats, it could select Americans Claudia Goldin, who has researched inequality, and Anne Krueger, a specialist in free trade and development.
This year’s Nobel laureates will receive eight million Swedish kronor (around $950,000 or €855,000) per award, to be shared if there are several winners in one discipline.
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Interesting language used in the article. Terrorists are called rebels. The Syrian government is called the Syrian regime. It’s always good to hear what the ‘independent’ British backed Syrian Observatory for Human Rights have to say. It would be interesting to see the reaction of the ‘West’ if the Russians/Chinese started labelling the protesters in Paris as ‘freedom fighters’, started supporting them directly/indirectly in order to disrupt/displace the Macron government, met with them on the streets shaking hands and spurring them on, protested aggressive government actions on ‘peaceful protests’, etc a la Maidan in Kiev.
@Conor Treacy: Nail on head,
But sure it is no wonder the language used in these articles when they are all copied and pasted from AFP which is a French Government controlled news association.
@Pixie McMullen: Oh look, someone else who thinks ‘state-owned’ and ‘state-controlled’ are the same thing. Just because the two are mutually inclusive where you’re concerted, it doesn’t mean the same applies everywhere else.
@Harry Whitehead: Leave Harry’s terrorists alone. Did u not read yesterday that the english don’t consider ISIS a major threat anymore. Russia is the big bad wolf now. Saudi Arabia having killed 48,000 children in Yemen year to date are considered Harry and englands ally.
@Cal Mooney: “The English”? There hasn’t been an English state since the 1700s. Try and keep up Wally. And I’m still waiting for your examples of my having defended the Saudo regime.
Who to believe??….the Russians or Al-Qaeda.
@Derek Durkin: Neither!
@Derek Durkin: Maybe if you and Charliegrl80 took your head out of the western media and read some other news sources you would both have a better understanding of what`s going on, but i won`t hold my breath on either of you bothering, keep drinking the Koolaid.
@Pixie McMullen: Bore off comrade. RT’s that way, you’re on the wrong site.
@Harry Whitehead: Ah, There you are Harry, throwing in your pearls of wisdom as always..
For a bloke with a bio saying he is interested in history, politics, linguistics and current affairs, It is pretty laughable when all your actions on this site are always just little wisecracks, insults or comments with no substance.
@Derek Durkin: President Assad used chlorine, bombing civilians. The Russians, Assad’s ally, then use this to justify attacking a rebel group.
@Pixie McMullen: “For a bloke with…” blah blah blah. Didn’t you say more or less exactly the same thing a while back, comrade?
@Ryan Dub: So you are telling me that the Syrian army moved into the terrorists positions, fired a load of chlorine filled missiles on their own civilians into an area they hold, then moved back out giving the positions back to the Jihadis who waited patiently for the Russian air force to show up?
Where do you buy your weed? It seems to be a lot better than anything i can get.
@Pixie McMullen: “read some other news sources”
Translation: read something which refuses to criticise our Glorious Leader or his Aliies under ANY circumstance.
@Harry Whitehead: You really should be put in between 2 fingers and squeezed………like any other whitehead
@Pixie McMullen: For a bloke who whines about “wisecracks, insults or comments with no substance” you sure have a funny knack for farting them out yourself. Making whitehead jokes though? That’s lame even by your pisspoor standards.
@Harry Whitehead: You triggered hon?
Not very nice when you slag someone off who turns out to be better at slagging than yourself, is it?
Go have a wee lie down and a good cry
@Pixie McMullen: “turns out to be better at slagging” no comrade, that’s kinda the whole point. Never mind though, you keep telling yourself you’re Oscar Wilde reborn. Attaboy.
@Harry Whitehead: Harry grow up and drop the comrade crap, you come across clueless
@Michael Eric Devine: “Sorry, this content isn’t available right now” Mighty fine coincidence there, wouldn’t you say?
@Harry Whitehead: He has the Idiot blocker activated on his Facebook profile, That`s why you can`t see it `arry
@Harry Whitehead: you are such a damn cliche. You have to be an especially arrogant and delusional person to believe Russian agents are being paid to argue against you (the hint is you don’t have an actual argument you’re just slinging shit)
The absolute neck on you telling someone who raised a valid point the ‘other side’ is that way. You may have picked your side and chosen to unquestionably swallow all it presents, that’s entirely on you.
You’re everything that’s wrong with debate in 2018
@Michael Eric Devine: “Cliche!” squawked someone from with a fake profile and a kneekerk defensive reaction to anyone dissing Uncle Vlad and his pet regimes. LOLz
@Harry Whitehead: Harry give up responding you really are just making a fool of yourself
@Ryan Dub: if chlorine was used why have loads of people moved back into east ghouta
when chlorine bombs are used it makes houses uninhabitable for years
Russia’s RT broadcast claims that French special forces were involved in the attact…
“French special forces on the ground from where the missiles were fired”
Now Russia, conviently, has Casus belli to begin it’s Idlib campaign.
@Ryan Dub: army of islam and hayat tahrir al sham
the media for some reason never mentions these terrorists groups names.
they also infight alot and regularly change their names
The last real legitimate rebel groups you could say, not the islamic jihad groups in idlib, surrendered under reconciliation agreements in june the only requirement was to hand over heavy weapons and ieds they were let keep their ak47s and mgs and most took the offer to integrate themselves in to a syrian army division as they weren’t active in fighting for 2 years.
@David Jordan: Conveniently???
They have held off for the last 2 months after a ceasefire was brokered, The headhackers haven`t lived up to their part of the ceasefire, firing indiscriminately and refusing to relinquish the heave weaponry and move out of the buffer zone Turkey helped set up.
Russia and the SAA have every right to go on the offensive, as they are the only 2 legitimate forces in this war, but of course, you know all this already
I can`t wait to see the French and US Tomahawk missiles to start raining down on these headhacking western backed terrorists over the use of chemical weapons…..
@Pixie McMullen: Russia’s RT broadcast claims that French special forces were involved in the attact. This is grade A conspiracy rubbish.
“French special forces on the ground from where the missiles were fired”
Now Russia the Syrian government, conviently, have Casus belli to begin it’s Idlib / West Aleppo campaign. Russia and Syrian government forces have started bombing West Aleppo, breaking a months long ceasefire.
https://youtu.be/ApIhgFVa6-A?t=78
https://twitter.com/dannymakkisyria/status/1066647370115571713?s=21
@David Jordan: And you know this to be rubbish because……
Russia warned of chemical weapon in the hands of jihadis time and again over the last few months, there are reports that one terrorist group attacked another and took 2 cannisters of Chlorine from them a few weeks back, there are reports of chemical weapons being smuggled in over the turkish border to be used…
It wouldn`t surprise me in the slightest if this report is true, UK, US and French ALL have special forces on the ground in Syria, and have done for quite a few years now
@Pixie McMullen: for what it’s worth, the syriancivilwar sub on reddit which is pro-Syrian government and pro-Russia, is very skeptical that an attack actually took place. West Aleppo has been bombed by Syrian government and Russia for the first time in 75 days in response.
@David Jordan: Odd then that “The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights”, which has been relentlessly on the side of the “rebels” are confirming the chlorine attack.
@brendan fitzsimons: They didn’t confirm a chlorine attack, they reported on claims of a chlorine attack. Anyway, here we are a few days later, and still no proof that a chlorine attack happened. No dead, no chlorine cannisters, no results of an independent investigation. 1the OPCW and UN have not been asked to investigate – Russia has gone quiet on the story, it’s now all forgotten about as if it didn’t happen. News later on suggests people panicked.
BBC and the Guardian still hold onto myth that these rebels are moderate and not Al Queada or IS….Within a few years of start of civil war the rebels became radical Sunni Jahadi backed by Saudi… Qatar and the US….
The Russian Federation is not the same as the Communist led USSR. Under Putin, Russia has reinvigorated her Christian soul. The Western democracies can’t handle that. Where we in the West are witnessing constant attacks on Christianity, the same cannot be said about Russia.
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