Swede, American andTurkish-American jointly win Nobel Prize in Chemistry

Tomas Lindahl, Paul Modrich and Aziz Sancar have been jointly awarded the 2015 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for mechanistic studies of howcells repair damaged DNA and safeguard genetic information. Lindahl, aSwedish scientist, discovered the molecular machinery, base excision repair, constantlycounteracts the collapse of human DNA. Modrich, an American, showed how a cellcorrects errors that occur when DNA is replicated during cell division. Sancar,a U.S. and Turkish citizen, mapped the mechanism that cells use to repair UVdamage to DNA. The winners will share the 8 million Swedish kronor (about$960,000) prize money along with the diploma and a gold medal at the annualaward ceremony on Dec. 10.

Suu Kyi to lead country

Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi intends to lead her country from the back end if her party, the National League forDemocracy, wins in the upcoming national elections. A clause in the 2008constitution, drafted when the country was still under military rule, preventsSuu Kyi from taking the top job because her late husband and two children areBritish. While Myanmar began moving from half a century of military rule to ademocracy in 2011, the constitution dictates that, irrespective of the pollingoutcomes, the military will hold 25 percent of the seats in parliament.

EU exercises Sophia’s choice

The European Union in a bid to arrest the flow of illegaltrafficking boats carrying migrants to the European bloc has commencedoperations against suspects. Called “Operation Sophia", the process hasgiven vessels permission to board, search, and seize vessels suspected of humantrafficking. With an overwhelming number of migrants from Syria, Iraq andelsewhere, thousands have ended up dying at sea, unable to reach Europeanshores. The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights has called on EUmember states to ensure the protection of the human rights of all migrants.

Doctors Without Borders calls for independent commission

In the wake of the bombing of an Afghan hospital that killed 12 Doctors without Borders staff, the charity has called for the International Humanitarian Fact-Finding Commission to investigate the deadly US air strike on the Afghan hospital. The investigation, if it happens, would come to ones being conducted by the US military, NATO and Afghan officials. Calling for an independent commission, Doctors Without Borders chief Joanne Liu stressed that it is unacceptable that the bombing of a hospital and the killing of staff and patients can be dismissed as collateral damage or brushed aside as a mistake. In a fight to take back the city of Kunduz from the Taliban,the US air forces had bombed the hospital.

Russian jets continue bombing IS targets Russian warplanes carried out intense new strikes in the Syrian cities of Palmyraand the northern province of Aleppo. Moscow said it could coordinate itsraids with the US-led coalition bombing Islamic State group terrorists. Russiahas carried out dozens of strikes in Syria since launching its air campaignlast Wednesday. Islamic State fighters blew up Palmyra's Arch of Triumph, oneof the most treasured monuments in the 2,000-year-old city.