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Karikó and Weissman win Nobel Prize in medicine for work that enabled mRNA vaccines against COVID-19

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 16:54:25 GMT

By DAVID KEYTON, MIKE CORDER and MADDIE BURAKOFF (Associated Press)STOCKHOLM (AP) — Two scientists won the Nobel Prize in medicine on Monday for discoveries that enabled the creation of mRNA vaccines against COVID-19 that were critical in slowing the pandemic — technology that’s also being studied to fight cancer and other diseases. Hungarian-American Katalin Karikó and American Drew Weissman were cited for contributing “to the unprecedented rate of vaccine development during one of the greatest threats to human health,” according to the panel that awarded the prize in Stockholm.The panel said the pair’s “groundbreaking findings … fundamentally changed our understanding of how mRNA interacts with our immune system.”Traditionally, making vaccines required growing viruses or pieces of viruses and then purifying them before next steps. The messenger RNA approach starts with a snippet of genetic code carrying instructions f...

A riled Trump sounds off outside the New York fraud trial that accuses him of lying about his wealth

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 16:54:25 GMT

By MICHAEL R. SISAK, JAKE OFFENHARTZ and JENNIFER PELTZ (Associated Press)NEW YORK (AP) — Aggrieved and defiant, former President Donald Trump sat through hours of sometimes testy opening arguments Monday in a fraud lawsuit that could cost him control of some of his most prized properties. “Disgraceful trial,” he declared during a lunch break, after listening to lawyers for New York Attorney General Letitia James excoriate him as a habitual liar. The state’s lawsuit accuses the business-mogul-turned-politician and his company of deceiving banks, insurers and others by misstating his wealth for years in financial statements.“They were lying year after year after year,” Kevin Wallace, a lawyer in James’ office, said as Trump sat at the defense table. He looked straight ahead, arms crossed, facing away from a screen that showed details of Wallace’s presentation. Defense lawyers, in response, said the financial statements were legitim...

Melvin, Preller appear to be safe with the big-spending yet underwhelming Padres

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 16:54:25 GMT

SAN DIEGO (AP) — Manager Bob Melvin and general manager A.J. Preller appear to be safe in their jobs with the big-spending yet underwhelming San Diego Padres after owner Peter Seidler said in a statement Monday morning that the current leadership team “continues to have my full support.”The announcement came less than 24 hours after the Padres finished the most disappointing season in franchise history at 82-80. They were eliminated from playoff contention on Friday night, a bitter result for a team that came into the season with World Series expectations after making a stirring run to the NL Championship Series last fall and then increasing their payroll to around $250 million, the third highest in baseball.There have been reports of a fractured relationship between Melvin, who finished his second season with San Diego and 20th overall as a big league manager, and Preller, who has had just two winning records in a full season since being hired in August 2014. Additionally, multiple...

Man nears settlement with bars he says overserved a driver accused of killing his new bride

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 16:54:25 GMT

FOLLY BEACH, S.C. (AP) — Two bars accused of overserving a woman who authorities say drunkenly hit a golf cart carrying a newlywed couple away from their reception, killing the bride, have reached a tentative settlement with the groom, who was seriously injured.The Drop In Bar & Deli and The Crab Shack have agreed to pay “certain sums” to Aric Hutchinson that were described by his lawyer as “reasonable,” according to a Sept. 28 petition for approval in Charleston County Court in South Carolina.The settlement is confidential, and the case will continue against other defendants, Hutchinson’s attorney, Daniel Dalton, said in an email. A judge must approve the settlement.The April 28 crash killed Samantha Miller, 34, and wounded three other occupants of the golf cart. Aric Hutchinson survived with a brain injury and multiple broken bones.An attorney for The Crab Shack did not respond Monday afternoon to an email from AP seeking more details. The AP also sent a request fo...

Multiple people have died in a plane crash near the Utah desert tourist community of Moab

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 16:54:25 GMT

MOAB, Utah (AP) — Multiple people died in a plane crash outside the eastern Utah tourist town of Moab, authorities said Monday.The plane crashed Sunday evening shortly after taking off from Canyonlands Airfield about 15 miles (24 kilometers) north of Moab, according to a Grand County Sheriff’s Department statement posted on Facebook. The sheriff’s office said all four people on board the plane were killed, but the Federal Aviation Administration reports that three people died and one person had serious injuries.According to an FAA report on recent crashes, the single-engine Piper plane has the same tail number as a plane registered to North Dakota state Senator Doug Larsen of Mandan. The addresses on the plane registration and the address of the senator match. It was not immediately known if Larsen was on board.The crash was being investigated, the National Transportation Safety Board said in a post on X, the social media website formerly called Twitter.A phone message l...

Plane crash in Lake Placid kills 2, including former NFL player Russ Francis of Patriots, 49ers

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 16:54:25 GMT

LAKE PLACID, N.Y. (AP) — Former NFL tight end Russ Francis, a three-time Pro Bowl selection with the New England Patriots who won a Super Bowl with the 1984 San Francisco 49ers, was killed along with another aviation enthusiast when the single-engine plane the two men were in crashed shortly after takeoff from an airport in upstate New York, authorities said Monday.Francis, 70, and Richard McSpadden, 63, had taken off from the Lake Placid Airport shortly after 4 p.m. Sunday in a Cessna 177 plane when the plane had some kind of problem. The New York State Police said it crashed into an embankment at the corner of the airport. Francis was president of Lake Placid Airways, which runs charter and scenic flights. A longtime flying enthusiast, the airline’s website said he had been a pilot for almost 50 years, and had run a charter service in Hawaii. McSpadden was a senior vice president at the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, which advocates around general aviation. The orga...

Enerflex announces CFO departure, shares down more than 20%

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 16:54:25 GMT

CALGARY — Shares of Enerflex Ltd. sank more than 20 per cent in afternoon trading after the company announced the resignation of its chief financial officer for the second time in less than a year.The company says Rodney Gray has stepped down from the job to pursue other opportunities.Gray joined Enerflex on July 1 to fill the vacancy left by the departure of Sanjay Bishnoi as chief financial officer on April 10 to pursue another opportunity.Enerflex says it has started a search process to identify its next CFO and hired an executive search firm to assist.It says it will provide details regarding its financial results and progress on its strategic priorities in connection with its third-quarter earnings announcement in November.Enerflex shares were down $1.79, or about 23 per cent, at $6.01 in trading on the Toronto Stock Exchange.This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 2, 2023.Companies in this story: (TSX:EFX)The Canadian Press

A look at how to avoid a bear encounter after fatal attack in Banff National Park

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 16:54:25 GMT

BANFF, Alta. — A couple and their dog were killed on the weekend in a grizzly bear attack in the wilderness of Banff National Park in Alberta. Here’s a look at how to avoid an encounter in bear country:Make noise: Call out, clap, sing or talk loudly near streams, dense forest or berry patches, on windy days or in areas of low visibility.Watch for fresh bear signs: Tracks, droppings, diggings, torn-up logs, turned-over rocks or a large dead animal could all be signs that a bear has been in the area. Leave the area.Keep your dog on a leash or leave it at home: Dogs can provoke defensive behaviour in bears.Travel in groups: Research has shown groups of four or more are less likely to have a serious bear encounter.Stay on the trails: Use officially marked trails and travel during daylight hours.Pay attention to your surroundings: Do not wear headphones or earbuds on the trails. Carry bear spray and know how to use it: Bear spray can be effective with some bears when used properly....

US Rep. Matt Gaetz’s father Don seeks return to Florida Senate chamber he once led as its president

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 16:54:25 GMT

PENSACOLA, Fla. (AP) — Don Gaetz, the father of Republican U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz, said Monday he intends to run again for the Florida Senate, a chamber he led as president from 2012 to 2014.Don Gaetz, 75, said he would seek the Florida Panhandle seat being vacated by state Sen. Doug Broxson, also a Republican. The elder Gaetz previously served in the state Senate from 2006 to 2016, including his years as president.Another Republican candidate for the District 1 seat, former state Rep. Frank White, told the Pensacola News Journal he will drop out with Don Gaetz deciding to run.Matt Gaetz, lately the chief antagonist against House Speaker Kevin McCarthy over spending legislation, has represented a Panhandle district in the U.S. House since 2017. Matt Gaetz said he intends to file a motion this week to vacate the speakership over this dispute, possibly triggering a vote on whether McCarthy keeps his position.The younger Gaetz also served in the state House from 2010-2016 and has been me...

Azerbaijan moves to reaffirm control of Nagorno-Karabakh as the Armenian exodus slows to a trickle

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 16:54:25 GMT

The last bus carrying ethnic Armenians from Nagorno-Karabakh left the region Monday, completing a grueling weeklong exodus of over 100,000 people — more than 80% of its residents — after Azerbaijan reclaimed the area in a lightning military operation.The bus that entered Armenia carried 15 passengers with serious illnesses and mobility problems, said Gegham Stepanyan, a human rights ombudsman for the former breakaway region that Azerbaijan calls Karabakh. He called for information about any other residents who want to leave but have had trouble doing so.In a 24-hour military campaign that began on Sept. 19, the Azerbaijani army routed the region’s undermanned and outgunned Armenian forces, forcing them to capitulate. The separatist government then agreed to disband itself by the end of this year, but Azerbaijani authorities are already in charge of the region.Azerbaijan Interior Ministry spokesman Elshad Hajiyev told The Associated Press on Monday that the country’s police hav...