Imprisoned Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo was immediately condemned Friday after winning the Nobel Peace Prize. China also accused the Norwegian Nobel Committee of violating its own principles by honoring "a criminal."
With the bursting of the economic bubble in Iceland at the end of 2008, many people have been thrown out of work. Lines now form every week at a soup kitchen that hands out free food, and there is a growing acknowledgment that Icelanders need to get back to their core industries such as fishing and agriculture.
World leaders have urged President Obama to seize the surprise award of the Nobel Peace Prize as a chance to increase diplomatic efforts to forge peace in the globe's trouble spots. The announcement is being interpreted by many in Europe as a bid to encourage Obama's diplomatic overtures toward America's enemies.