Chaotic politics aren’t new in Iraq, but the present infighting risks becoming a distraction, with politicians more focused on keeping their jobs than fighting Islamic State, said the officials, who weren’t authorized to comment publicly and requested anonymity. “Every day thousands of people are dying, millions of people are desperately looking for hope for another day, another month, another year”.
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The vice president said that Obama had initially balked at calling his effort a “moonshot”, saying the name sounded too ambitious and would draw ridicule.
“We’re here in this sacred place as a reminder that it’s within us [to do more]”.
Pope Francis made his own plea for stepped-up cancer research, stressing the need to combat a system that he said prioritizes profits over human life. And as the military campaign approaches Mosul, a multiethnic and multisectarian city, delicate negotiations between Kurdish forces in the semiautonomous north and those of the central government will be needed to determine who does what, U.S. officials said.
The April 28-30 conference was sponsored by the Pontifical Council for Culture; its foundation, STOQ, which is an acronym for Science, Theology and the Ontological Quest; and the Stem for Life Foundation, a nonprofit offshoot of the for-profit Caladrius cell-therapy company.
Vice President Joe Biden arrived in Baghdad on Thursday on a visit meant to help Iraqi leaders resolve a political crisis that has hindered efforts to defeat the Islamic State group.
In addition to a short greet following Pope Francis’ speech, Biden and the pope also met privately backstage, according to the vice president’s office.
Biden has met two previous popes: Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI. “The Holy Father has given hope to so many people, of all faiths, in many parts of the world, with his strong words and humble ways”.
“Think of all the places we are today trying to keep the peace, all the places we’ve sent you guys and women”, Biden said.
He thanked the participants for their “tenacity” in seeking to find cures and better treatments for rare diseases and cancer, and voiced his confidence that “we stand on the cusp of unprecedented scientific and technological change” in the field. “This is why the globalization of indifference must be countered by the globalization of empathy”, Francis insisted.
President Obama announced earlier this year a “moonshot” initiative aimed at curing cancer in honor of Beau Biden’s struggle.
Biden is speaking about cancer research at the Vatican at a conference on regenerative medicine.
“What is clear is that there are enormous possibilities fully within our reach that did not exist even five years ago”, Biden said.
David Howell Evans, the member of the Irish rock band U2 who is known as “The Edge” and whose daughter had leukaemia, was in the front row with Mr Biden.
After the speech Biden met Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican’s secretary of state, and was set to hold talks later with Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi.
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Biden’s remarks elided a growing worry among top White House officials that the political chaos in Iraq could begin to undermine the battlefield momentum against ISIS. “We can use our intelligence and capacity to make things better”.
