Nobel Laureate Downplays 9/11

Martin McGuinness was Irish Republican Army commander

(NEWSER) - Sinn Fein's Martin McGuinness has announced his candidacy for president of Ireland ; now come the inevitable questions over his former role in the IRA. Reporters this weekend asked about his stance on issues like the IRA murder of an Irish police officer in 1996; officials are also calling on McGuinness to open up about his history. "I have answered all these questions in the past,” he notes, saying people keep voting him into office “knowing that I am absolutely dedicated to a new way forward." More»

Labour sources drop bomb ahead of Blair memoir

(NEWSER) - Tony Blair and George Bush plotted to have Blair stay on as prime minister because Bush wasn't sold on Gordon Brown, claims the Sunday Telegraph . Labour Party sources tell the Telegraph that Bush's team expressed doubts about Brown after he "harangued" Condi Rice in a private meeting. Rice subsequently “complained to the White House about the way he behaved," an unnamed source says. The revelation comes ahead of Blair's hotly anticipated memoir, A Journey, which is out this week. More»

He's now the fourth recipient

(NEWSER) - The Nobel Peace Prize President Obama won today is nothing more or less than the “fourth Nobel Prize for Not Being George W. Bush,” writes Michael Grunwald. The other beneficiaries of the NPNBGWB were Jimmy Carter in 2002, for criticizing the Iraq war buildup; Mohamed ElBaradei of the IAEA in 2005, for refusing to kowtow on WMDs; and Al Gore in 2007, as a contrast to Bush's climate-change denials. More»

What do Sarkozy, Clinton and the Taliban have in common?

(NEWSER) - The decision to award President Obama the Nobel Peace Prize has clearly made some people unhappy, writes Katie Connolly for Newsweek. Here are six of the most peeved:

1. Nicolas Sarkozy: The French president was also up for the honor but was passed over for someone he’s described as “naïve and inexperienced.”
2. Michelle Obama: If you thought controlling “the one’s” ego was hard before…

(NEWSER) - With Herta Mueller joining the ranks of Nobel laureates today, it seems like a good time to look back at some of the other literary giants that have been honored since the turn of the century. For a full list of all the winners since 1960, check the AP source. View photos at left. More»