And at the end, he said what he had not said when the Nobel announcement was made: "I'm proud of you, Giles."

Analysts in Liberia have described the president's re-election prospects as uncertain, though the Nobel announcement could change that.

First up was the physiology prize-a category that will also be awarded in the actual Nobel announcements next week.

(The timing is purely serendipitous for the Atlantic, which had made up its schedule before the Nobel announcements.)

Postscript: A few hours after the Nobel announcement, President Saleh was quick with the congratulations-to himself.

Within days of the Nobel announcement he was at work on his speech.

There was a moment of exquisite discomfort on television on Thursday afternoon after the Nobel announcement was made, The Evening Standard reported.

All of these things go back to understanding the basic science behind their operation," Professor Shull, then 79, said on the day of the Nobel announcement.

Writer Jiang Qisheng went missing just days after the Nobel announcement.

And judging from the reactions to the Nobel announcement, most academic economists heartily approved of it.