Nobel ceremony cancelled

STOCKHOLM: The traditional Nobel Prize ceremony in Stockholm has been cancelled for the first time since 1944 in favour of a televised event due to the coronavirus pandemic, organisers announced on Tuesday. Under normal circumstances laureates are invited to Stockholm to receive their medals and diplomas from the king of Sweden in person, at a formal ceremony in December. "The current circumstances with the ongoing pandemic means that this is a unique year in the history of the Nobel Prize, as the idea is that medals and diplomas are handed over to the laureates safely in their home countries," the Nobel Foundation said in a statement.