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  • These Are the Winners of the 2024 Nobel Prizes

    These Are the Winners of the 2024 Nobel Prizes

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    The 2024 Nobel Prize announcements began on Oct. 7, recognizing groundbreaking contributions to humanity. 

    The first prize, in the category of physiology or medicine, went to a pair of American scientists for their work in discovering microRNAs. Recipients of the Nobel Prize in physics, chemistry, literature, peace, and economic sciences will be announced over the coming week. Winners are given a medal, a personal diploma, and a cash award of about $1.1 million. Established by Alfred Nobel in 1901, past laureates have included Albert Einstein, Marie Curie, and the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. 

    Below is a list of all of this year’s winners as they are announced.

    Physiology or medicine

    Victor Ambros and Gary Ruvkun were awarded the 2024 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for their discovery of microRNAs, a class of small molecules essential for gene regulation. Their research has uncovered how these microRNAs influence cellular behavior and contribute to various health challenges, including cancer and heart disease. As the understanding of these tiny regulators expands, so does the potential for innovative therapeutic approaches to complex medical conditions.

    Read More: What to Know About MicroRNA, the Nobel-Prizewinning Discovery

    Ambros and Ruvkun’s work began in the 1990s when they studied roundworms, uncovering the intricate relationship between specific genes and the regulatory role of microRNAs. This discovery revealed that microRNAs can bind to messenger RNA, influencing the production of proteins critical for cellular functions. Their findings, published in Cell in 1993, opened new avenues for understanding genetic communication within cells. Thomas Perlmann, secretary general of the Nobel Committee for Physiology or Medicine, called their work “truly fundamental for all physiology.”

    Physics

    The recipient will be announced on Tuesday.

    Chemistry

    The recipient will be announced on Wednesday.

    Literature

    The recipient will be announced on Thursday.

    Peace

    The recipient will be announced on Friday.

    Economic sciences

    The recipient will be announced on Oct. 14.

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    Nik Popli

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  • Tens of Thousands of Women Protest on India’s Independence Day After Murder of Medic

    Tens of Thousands of Women Protest on India’s Independence Day After Murder of Medic

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    The march began with a call on social media that soon went viral: “For women’s independence on the midnight of Independence,” a Facebook post by 29-year-old student Rimjhim Sinha read. As India celebrated 77 years of independence from British colonial rule on Aug. 15, women around the country took to the streets in anger over a brutal case of alleged rape and murder that occurred in the city of Kolkata last week.

    Tens of thousands of women and men marched for a ‘Reclaim the Night’ event at midnight on Thursday in Kolkata and other cities, holding candles, signs, and flaming torches in the rain as they demanded speedy justice for the victim. In interviews and on social media, many women have expressed frustration for having to fear for their safety in public

    The victim was a 31-year-old woman training to be a doctor at RG Kar Medical College, a government-run hospital, who fell asleep in a seminar room after a 36-hour shift. The next morning on Aug. 9, colleagues discovered her severely injured body on the podium. Local police arrested a hospital volunteer worker as a key suspect, but not before facing accusations that it had botched the case, which led Kolkata’s High Court to transfer it to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Tuesday. 

    Read More: The Rape and Murder of a Medic Leads to Nationwide Physician Strike Across India

    In response, thousands of doctors and healthcare providers went on strike to demand better protections for women in the medical workplace this week, with the Reclaim the Night march seen as an additional way to mobilize women across the country to demand that authorities do more to protect them. To many, the timing of the march coinciding with India’s Independence Day was a stark reminder that the country’s women were still fighting for their freedoms and liberation. 

    “A doctor was raped and killed in her workplace—it could have been any of us,” one marcher wrote in Scroll, an Indian digital news outlet. “The streets, homes, and public spaces were already spaces of brutalization. We did not expect the rot to find us at our offices too.”

    The case has brought renewed attention to the country’s longstanding problem with sexual violence. In 2012, a 23-year-old student named Jyoti Singh Pandey was raped and killed on a public bus in a case that received widespread global coverage and became known as “Nirbhaya,” meaning fearless. Since then, India has made headlines for rapes that occurred in Unnao in 2017, Kathua in 2018, and Hathras in 2020. Sexually violent crimes against women in India are now so common that a report by the National Crime Records Bureau revealed that the country recorded 1 rape case every 16 minutes in 2022. 

    During Independence Day celebrations at New Delhi’s Red Fort, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi told crowds that crimes against women “should be investigated expeditiously” to create better faith in society. “There’s outrage against the atrocities being committed against our mothers, sisters, and daughters,” Modi said in his speech. 

    Read More: ‘Nothing Has Changed.’ 7 Years After a Gang Rape That Shocked a Nation, Brutal Attacks Against Women Continue

    The Kolkata case has also raised alarms in the medical community. A 2015 survey conducted by the Indian Medical Association found that 75% of doctors had experienced some form of violence while on the job, with women accounting for nearly 30% of India’s doctors and 80% of its nursing staff. The safety concerns for medical workers aren’t new: The BBC notes that one of the most shocking cases involved a nurse in a Mumbai hospital named Aruna Shanbaug, who was raped and strangled by a ward attendant in 1973 which left her in a vegetative state. She died in 2015 from severe damage and paralysis. 

    Since the most recent incident, medical associations have called for an overhaul of security measures at hospitals after several female doctors and nurses reported worrying about their safety at work. “When I was in college, we would not go to the restroom alone during night duty… because it was often in an area which was isolated and we were scared.” one doctor based in Bengaluru told local outlet Scroll on Aug. 14.

    In an open letter penned on Tuesday, the Indian Medical Association told Health Minister Jagat Prakash Nadda that doctors “are abused, trolled, sued and even beaten to death” because of “violence unleashed on them” in the medical profession. It warned that the Kolkata case would not be the first or the last if “corrective measures are not taken.”

    As the Independence Day gatherings grew in numbers in various locations across Kolkata, and then spilled into neighboring towns like Siliguri in the north and Canning in the south, the marchers chanted about justice, safety, and respect, undeterred by the rain. “From time to time, women’s individual anger, fear, and hope coalesce with one another,” says women’s rights lawyer Karuna Nundy. “Reclaiming the night is a reclaiming of freedom and of women as a whole.” 

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    Astha Rajvanshi

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  • How to Help Papua New Guinea’s Landslide Relief Efforts

    How to Help Papua New Guinea’s Landslide Relief Efforts

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    Thousands of villagers in Papua New Guinea (PNG) may be evacuated over fears that a second landslide could take place following Friday’s deadly disaster in the Enga province.

    Serhan Aktoprak, chief of the U.N. International Organization for Migration (IOM) mission in PNG, said Tuesday that another landslide is possible, and some 8,000 people may require evacuation. 

    “This is a major concern,” Aktoprak told the Associated Press. “The movement of the land and the debris is causing a serious risk, and overall, the total number of people that may be affected might be 6,000 or more.”

    “If this debris mass is not stopped, if it continues moving, it can gain speed and further wipe out other communities and villages further down,” he added. Friday’s landslides devastated the Yambali village after a limestone mountainside sheared away at 3 a.m. local time.

    The government fears that more than 2,000 people have been buried alive in the country’s highlands, while the U.N. has estimated 670 deaths. Aktoprak previously said these figures will “remain fluid.” The remains of five people have been recovered by emergency responders so far.

    On Sunday, acting director of the country’s National Disaster Center, Luseta Laso Mana, sent a letter to the U.N. resident coordinator calling for international help. So far, Australia has pledged an initial $2.5 million in humanitarian assistance for PNG, its closest neighbor.

    China has also said it will provide assistance for disaster relief, as well as future reconstruction efforts. “We believe that the people of Papua New Guinea will be able to overcome difficulties and rebuild their homeland at an early date,” foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said during a daily news briefing.

    As the international community rallies to provide assistance, here are some ways you can help.

    U.N.’s International Organization for Migration’s mission in Papua New Guinea

    The IOM is working closely with the government to steer international response efforts and report key figures. IOM has operated in PNG since 2001, working with governments across the globe to support displaced peoples and vulnerable migrants. The U.N. body provides humanitarian assistance and responds to demanding emergencies such as Friday’s landslide. To learn more, you can visit their website here.

    CARE International

    The humanitarian organization has had an operational presence in PNG since 1989. CARE provides community development, sanitation, education, and natural resource management services. Since Friday’s disaster, CARE had been a direct responder on the ground, providing food and facilitating basic hygiene. The charity will also support with shelter, facilities, and agriculture as the local community recovers from the landslide. CARE has launched a donation appeal specifically for the landslide relief. 

    Papua New Guinea’s Red Cross Society

    The PNG Red Cross Society is also coordinating vital first response efforts. Officials from the provincial governor’s office, police, defense forces, and local NGOs have formed an emergency response team. The charity provides first aid training and support during catastrophic events or accidents and is a key resource in reporting death tolls.

    Water Aid

    The landslides have increased concerns that underground water flowing down the mountain could contaminate local water sources and give rise to contagious diseases. The charity reports that half the population already lacks access to nearby pure water sources, while 8.2 million people, or four in five citizens, do not have access to their own toilet.

    Caritas Australia

    Caritas Australia, an aid agency of the Australian Catholic Church, is working with partners on the ground to assess and provide the most urgently required aid to affected communities. The charity is seeking online donations to provide food, shelter, and clean water for those who have lost their homes during the landslide.

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    Armani Syed

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  • 5 Takeaways from the New Campaign Finance Filings

    5 Takeaways from the New Campaign Finance Filings

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    Former President Donald Trump may be closing in on the Republican presidential nomination. But his campaign is bleeding millions in donor money to cover his mounting legal expenses stemming from multiple lawsuits and four criminal cases.

    New campaign finance records filed Wednesday with the Federal Election Commission revealed that the main super PAC supporting Trump’s campaign spent more than it raised in the last six months of 2023—in large part to pay for his lawyers and other investigation-related expenses. The legal bills are likely to increase President Joe Biden’s cash advantage over Trump in a general election rematch if both candidates secure their party’s nominations.

    Meanwhile, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley continued to raise substantial money for her campaign despite early losses to Trump in Iowa and New Hampshire, even as he threatens to blacklist her donors. 

    Here are five takeaways from the new filings.

    Biden‘s cash advantage

    The Biden for President committee raised $33 million in the third quarter and had about $46 million in cash on hand at the end of 2023, giving him a slight edge over the Trump campaign’s $33 million in cash on hand, according to the reports.

    While Biden’s fundraising advantage is notable, it’s not overwhelming for an incumbent. In 2019, then-President Trump and the Republican National Committee raised a whopping $154 million during the fourth quarter.

    Biden has been ramping up his campaign operation in recent months, spending nearly $19.3 million in the final quarter of 2023 after spending roughly $14 million over the previous nine months. Payroll more than doubled as his campaign staff had grown to more than 70, the campaign disclosures showed, while advertising and media production grew to roughly $12 million in the final quarter.

    However, Trump has faced more robust primary challengers than Biden, likely contributing to the President’s reelection campaign’s slow spending. Biden only faces opposition from Democratic candidates Rep. Dean Phillips and self-care author Marianne Williamson, both of whom are polling in single digits.

    Trump’s fundraising and mounting legal expenses

    The Trump campaign raised more than $19 million in the fourth quarter, which is less than Biden’s $33 million raised in the same quarter. Trump had more than $33 million in cash on hand at the end of last year, though his Trump Save America joint fundraising committee brought in a whopping $75 million in the second half of the year, once again showcasing the former President’s strong fundraising ability. His strength continues to be among small-donor donors, who accounted for more than one third of that total.

    But at the same time, Trump’s campaign has been burning through cash at an even faster rate. Two of his political committees spent a combined $50 million on legal expenses in 2023—more than he’s spending on advertising, payroll, and other typical campaign expenses. Trump’s legal woes have also required him to take time off the campaign trail and into courtrooms after he became the first former President of the United States to be criminally indicted—and has since broken that record three more times. Trump, who has turned his legal troubles into a fundraising tool, is currently battling four separate criminal cases that carry a total of 91 felony counts, as well as other lawsuits.

    Haley’s big donors keep her in the race

    Haley’s long-shot bid for the GOP nomination continues to bring in enough money for her to stay in the race against Trump. Her campaign raised more than $17 million in the fourth quarter of 2023, and had $14.5 million in cash on hand at the end of the year. Trump’s available cash was more than double the amount she held.

    Haley has also spent conservatively in recent months, spending just $14.3 million in the final quarter of last year. That has likely helped her campaign stay afloat, especially as she faces calls from MAGA Republicans to drop out of the race. Haley has centered herself as the Republican best positioned to unseat Biden in the fall.

    Read More: Nikki Haley’s Slow Burn Was No Accident

    Her campaign has so far attracted big donors, including billionaire hedge-fund manager Paul Singer and Citadel CEO Ken Griffin, both of whom donated $5 million to her allied super PAC. Haley has also drawn support from prominent Jewish donors given her support for Israel, including WhatsApp Founder Jan Koum, who contributed $5 million last year.

    DeSantis’ spending spree

    Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis dropped out of the Republican primary race in January after he failed to close the gap with Trump’s campaign despite the initial hype surrounding his presidential bid. DeSantis’s failed campaign wound up costing more than $160 million in total, an enormous sum considering he ended his bid before the New Hampshire primary. 

    According to campaign finance reports, the Never Back Down super PAC amassed $130 million in the first half of 2023 compared to just $14.5 million in the second half of the year.

    The Kennedy factor

    Robert F. Kennedy, an independent candidate mounting a bid for the presidency, spent more money than his campaign raised last year and had just $5.4 million in the bank at the end of 2023.

    Read More: Inside the Very Online Campaign of RFK Jr.

    Wednesday’s fundraising reports show that Kennedy’s campaign committee raised an impressive $7 million over the last three months of 2023, more than DeSantis raised over that same period while he was an active candidate. But Kennedy’s cash reserves are sinking as he spent $7.7 million in the final quarter.

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    Nik Popli

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