Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe nominated US President Donald Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize last autumn after receiving a request from the US government to do so, the Asahi newspaper reported on Sunday.

The report follows Trump`s claim on Friday that Abe had <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/trump-makes-his-case-for-nobel-peace-prize-complains-hell-never-get-it-197683">nominated him for the Nobel Peace Prize</a> for opening talks and easing tensions with North Korea.

The Japanese leader had given him "the most beautiful copy" of a five-page nomination letter, Trump said at a White House news conference.

The US government had sounded Abe out over the Noble Peace Prize nomination after Trump`s summit in June last year with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, the first meeting between a North Korean leader and a sitting US president, the Asahi said, citing an unnamed Japanese government source.

A spokesman for Japan`s Foreign Ministry in Tokyo said the ministry was aware of Trump`s remarks, but "would refrain from commenting on the interaction between the two leaders."

The White House had no immediate comment when contacted by Reuters.

The Nobel Foundation`s website says a nomination for the Nobel Peace Prize may be submitted by any person who meets the nomination criteria, which includes current heads of states. Under the foundation`s rules, names and other information about unsuccessful nominations cannot&nbsp;

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe nominated US President Donald Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize last autumn after receiving a request from the US government to do so, the Asahi newspaper reported on Sunday.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe nominated US President Donald Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize last autumn after receiving a request from the US government to do so, the Asahi newspaper reported on Sunday. The report follows Trump`s claim on Friday that Abe had nominated him for the Nobel Peace Prize for opening talks and easing tensions with North Korea. The Japanese leader had given him "the most beautiful copy" of a five-page nomination letter, Trump said at a White House news conference. The US government had sounded Abe out over the Noble Peace Prize nomination after Trump`s summit in June last year with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, the first meeting between a North Korean leader and a sitting US president, the Asahi said, citing an unnamed Japanese government source. A spokesman for Japan`s Foreign Ministry in Tokyo said the ministry was aware of Trump`s remarks, but "would refrain from commenting on the interaction between the two leaders." The White House had no immediate comment when contacted by Reuters. The Nobel Foundation`s website says a nomination for the Nobel Peace Prize may be submitted by any person who meets the nomination criteria, which includes current heads of states. Under the foundation`s rules, names and other information about unsuccessful nominations cannot

Japan PM Abe nominated Trump for Nobel Peace Prize on US request: Report

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/trump-declares-us-mexico-border-emergency-democrats-protest-197678">US President Donald Trump</a> made the case on Friday that he deserves to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his work on North Korea and Syria, but complained he probably would never get the honour.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/trump-promises-announcement-on-is-caliphate-within-24-hours-197673">Trump, a Republican</a>, capped off a rambling Rose Garden news conference with a well-oiled gripe that former Democratic President Barack Obama, a nemesis, won the Nobel Prize in 2009, just months into his first term in office.

"They gave it to Obama. He didn't even know what he got it for. He was there for about 15 seconds and he got the Nobel Prize. He said, 'Oh, what did I get it for?'" Trump grumbled.

"With me, I probably will never get it."

Trump claimed he saved 3 million people living in Syria's rebel-held Idlib region from being killed after he warned Russia, Iran and the Syrian government against a planned offensive.

"Nobody talks about that," he complained.

Attacks on the Idlib region have continued, though Trump said the strikes are done "surgically."

He said Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe had given him "the most beautiful copy" of a five-page letter in which Abe nominated him for the Nobel Peace Prize for opening talks and easing tensions with North Korea.

"You know why? Because he had rocket ships and he had missiles flying over Japan," Trump said. "Now, all of a sudden, they feel good. They feel safe. I did that," Trump said, adding that the Obama administration "couldn't have done it."The White House declined further comment on Trump's claim that Abe had nominated him, and a spokesman for the Japanese embassy said he had no information about such a letter.

"Many other people feel that way, too. I'll probably never get it. But that's OK," Trump said.

Last April, South Korean President Moon Jae-in said Trump deserved the Nobel for his efforts to negotiate an end to North Korea's nuclear weapons program.

Trump will meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Hanoi on Feb. 27-28 for a second summit on the nuclear issue. Trump says their first meeting in Singapore last June was a triumph but critics said it delivered no progress on denuclearisation.

Trump praised himself on Friday for establishing a good relationship with Kim. "I like him a lot and he likes me a lot."

And he fondly recalled his original hardline approach to the reclusive leader, regaling reporters with some of his favourite bellicose lines.

"It was a very tough dialogue at the beginning: 'Fire and fury.' 'Total annihilation.' 'My button is bigger than yours,' and 'My button works.' Remember that? You don't remember that. And people said, 'Trump is crazy.''

US President Donald Trump made the case on Friday that he deserves to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his work on North Korea and Syria, but complained he probably would never get the honour.

US President Donald Trump made the case on Friday that he deserves to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his work on North Korea and Syria, but complained he probably would never get the honour. Trump, a Republican, capped off a rambling Rose Garden news conference with a well-oiled gripe that former Democratic President Barack Obama, a nemesis, won the Nobel Prize in 2009, just months into his first term in office. "They gave it to Obama. He didn't even know what he got it for. He was there for about 15 seconds and he got the Nobel Prize. He said, 'Oh, what did I get it for?'" Trump grumbled. "With me, I probably will never get it." Trump claimed he saved 3 million people living in Syria's rebel-held Idlib region from being killed after he warned Russia, Iran and the Syrian government against a planned offensive. "Nobody talks about that," he complained. Attacks on the Idlib region have continued, though Trump said the strikes are done "surgically." He said Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe had given him "the most beautiful copy" of a five-page letter in which Abe nominated him for the Nobel Peace Prize for opening talks and easing tensions with North Korea. "You know why? Because he had rocket ships and he had missiles flying over Japan," Trump said. "Now, all of a sudden, they feel good. They feel safe. I did that," Trump said, adding that the Obama administration "couldn't have done it."The White House declined further comment on Trump's claim that Abe had nominated him, and a spokesman for the Japanese embassy said he had no information about such a letter. "Many other people feel that way, too. I'll probably never get it. But that's OK," Trump said. Last April, South Korean President Moon Jae-in said Trump deserved the Nobel for his efforts to negotiate an end to North Korea's nuclear weapons program. Trump will meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Hanoi on Feb. 27-28 for a second summit on the nuclear issue. Trump says their first meeting in Singapore last June was a triumph but critics said it delivered no progress on denuclearisation. Trump praised himself on Friday for establishing a good relationship with Kim. "I like him a lot and he likes me a lot." And he fondly recalled his original hardline approach to the reclusive leader, regaling reporters with some of his favourite bellicose lines. "It was a very tough dialogue at the beginning: 'Fire and fury.' 'Total annihilation.' 'My button is bigger than yours,' and 'My button works.' Remember that? You don't remember that. And people said, 'Trump is crazy.''

Trump makes his case for Nobel Peace Prize, complains he'll never get it

Macedonian Prime Minister Zoran Zaev on Saturday called on Greece to end their nations' decades-long dispute by ratifying the deal to rename his country "The Republic of North Macedonia".&nbsp;

Macedonian lawmakers voted through the agreement late on Friday and it now needs backing from the Greek parliament to come into effect.&nbsp;

"Our parliament found the strength but it wasn't easy. But I am convinced that the Greek parliament will also find the strength to make the decision," Zaev told a press conference in Skopje.&nbsp;

During the vote, 81 of the Macedonian parliament's 120 MPs backed the name change, securing the required two-thirds majority to push it through.

Zaev, who came to power in May 2017, is now looking to his Greek counterpart Alexis Tsipras to uphold his end of the deal, which the pair brokered last year.&nbsp;

"Within 10 days... if we see everything is in order, we will vote," Tsipras said on Friday evening.

Athens has promised to lift its veto on Skopje's attempts to join NATO and the European Union if Macedonia changes its name.

Zaev said he was "convinced that Greek lawmakers will recognise the historical significance of the agreement".

The accord aims to start unravelling one of the world's longest diplomatic disputes, which began nearly three decades ago with Macedonia's declaration of independence but whose roots date back centuries.

Since 1991, Athens has objected to its neighbour being called Macedonia because it has its own northern province of the same name, which in ancient times was the cradle of Alexander the Great's empire -- a source of intense pride for modern-day Greeks.

Last June, Zaev and Tsipras reached a landmark compromise over the name dispute, with the pair nominated for the 2019 Nobel Peace Prize for their efforts.&nbsp;

Macedonian Prime Minister Zoran Zaev on Saturday called on Greece to end their nations' decades-long dispute by ratifying the deal to rename his country "The Republic of North Macedonia".

Macedonian Prime Minister Zoran Zaev on Saturday called on Greece to end their nations' decades-long dispute by ratifying the deal to rename his country "The Republic of North Macedonia". Macedonian lawmakers voted through the agreement late on Friday and it now needs backing from the Greek parliament to come into effect. "Our parliament found the strength but it wasn't easy. But I am convinced that the Greek parliament will also find the strength to make the decision," Zaev told a press conference in Skopje. During the vote, 81 of the Macedonian parliament's 120 MPs backed the name change, securing the required two-thirds majority to push it through. Zaev, who came to power in May 2017, is now looking to his Greek counterpart Alexis Tsipras to uphold his end of the deal, which the pair brokered last year. "Within 10 days... if we see everything is in order, we will vote," Tsipras said on Friday evening. Athens has promised to lift its veto on Skopje's attempts to join NATO and the European Union if Macedonia changes its name. Zaev said he was "convinced that Greek lawmakers will recognise the historical significance of the agreement". The accord aims to start unravelling one of the world's longest diplomatic disputes, which began nearly three decades ago with Macedonia's declaration of independence but whose roots date back centuries. Since 1991, Athens has objected to its neighbour being called Macedonia because it has its own northern province of the same name, which in ancient times was the cradle of Alexander the Great's empire -- a source of intense pride for modern-day Greeks. Last June, Zaev and Tsipras reached a landmark compromise over the name dispute, with the pair nominated for the 2019 Nobel Peace Prize for their efforts.

Macedonia PM urges Greek MPs to ratify name deal

Champions of the fight against sexual violence, Congolese doctor Denis Mukwege and Yazidi activist Nadia Murad, a former captive of jihadists, will on Monday receive the Nobel Peace Prize, which this year highlights rape as a weapon of war.

Murad, 25, and Mukwege, 63, will be jointly presented with the prize in Oslo, after they were announced as winners by the Norwegian Nobel Committee in October for "for their efforts to end the use of sexual violence as a weapon of war and armed conflict". &nbsp;

Mukwege, called "Doctor Miracle" for his surgical skills, has spent twenty years treating the horrendous wounds and intense emotional trauma inflicted on women in DR Congo's war-torn east.&nbsp;

He has been scathing about the world's lacklustre response to sexual violence in conflict. &nbsp; &nbsp;

"We have been able to draw a red line against chemical weapons, biological weapons and nuclear arms," he told AFP in 2016.&nbsp;

"Today we must also draw a red line against rape as a weapon of war."

Fellow laureate Murad has become a tireless campaigner for the rights of Yazidis since surviving the horrors of captivity under the Islamic State group, who stormed across swathes of Iraq and Syria targeting her Kurdish-speaking community.

Captured in 2014, she suffered forced marriage, beatings and gang-rape before she was able to escape.

The pair have dedicated their prize to the hundreds of thousands of women around the world who have endured sexual violence.

"Denis Mukwege is the helper who has devoted his life to defending these victims. Nadia Murad is the witness who tells of the abuses perpetrated against herself and others," said Nobel committee chairwoman Berit Reiss-Andersen, when the award was announced on October 5.

"Each of them in their own way has helped to give greater visibility to war-time sexual violence, so that the perpetrators can be held accountable for their actions."

Quest for justice

The co-laureates have come to represent the struggle against a global scourge that goes well beyond any single conflict, as the #MeToo movement has shown.

Mukwege has treated tens of thousands of victims -- women, children and even babies just a few months old &nbsp;-- at Panzi hospital which he founded in 1999 in DR Congo's South Kivu.

Murad was among thousands of Yazidi women and girls who were abducted, raped and brutalised by jihadists during their assault in 2014.&nbsp;

Older women and men faced summary execution during the IS assault, which the United Nations has described as a possible genocide. Her mother and six of her brothers were killed.

Murad is now UN ambassador for victims of human trafficking and is at the forefront of efforts to protect the Yazidi community -- and find justice for the victims of the jihadists, a mission she has embarked on with international human rights lawyer Amal Clooney.

In early December a UN team authorized to investigate the massacre of the Yazidi minority said it would finally start fieldwork next year. &nbsp; &nbsp;

More than 6,800 Yazidis were kidnapped, of which 4,300 either escaped or were bought as slaves, while 2,500 remain missing, according to a recent report from the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH).

"For me, justice doesn't mean killing all of the Daesh members who committed these crimes against us," Murad said in October in Washington, using an Arabic acronym for IS.

"Justice for me is taking Daesh members to a court of law and seeing them in court admitting to the crimes they committed against Yazidis and being punished for those crimes specifically."

Nobel scandal

The choice to highlight campaigns against sexual violence comes as a rape scandal has shredded the reputation of the Swedish Academy and led to the postponement of this year's Nobel Literature Prize.

A Stockholm court on December 3 found the 72-year-old husband of a Swedish Academy member guilty on appeal of two counts of rape, jailing him for two-and-a-half years.

The Nobel Peace Prize -- a gold medal, diploma and nine million Swedish Krona (880,000 euros, a million dollars) -- will be officially presented in a ceremony in Oslo City Hall at 1200 GMT on Monday.

Other Nobel prizes are set to be handed out on the same day in Stockholm, except the literature prize, which is postponed until 2019. &nbsp;

Champions of the fight against sexual violence, Congolese doctor Denis Mukwege and Yazidi activist Nadia Murad, a former captive of jihadists, will on Monday receive the Nobel Peace Prize, which this year highlights rape as a weapon of war.

Champions of the fight against sexual violence, Congolese doctor Denis Mukwege and Yazidi activist Nadia Murad, a former captive of jihadists, will on Monday receive the Nobel Peace Prize, which this year highlights rape as a weapon of war. Murad, 25, and Mukwege, 63, will be jointly presented with the prize in Oslo, after they were announced as winners by the Norwegian Nobel Committee in October for "for their efforts to end the use of sexual violence as a weapon of war and armed conflict". Mukwege, called "Doctor Miracle" for his surgical skills, has spent twenty years treating the horrendous wounds and intense emotional trauma inflicted on women in DR Congo's war-torn east. He has been scathing about the world's lacklustre response to sexual violence in conflict. "We have been able to draw a red line against chemical weapons, biological weapons and nuclear arms," he told AFP in 2016. "Today we must also draw a red line against rape as a weapon of war." Fellow laureate Murad has become a tireless campaigner for the rights of Yazidis since surviving the horrors of captivity under the Islamic State group, who stormed across swathes of Iraq and Syria targeting her Kurdish-speaking community. Captured in 2014, she suffered forced marriage, beatings and gang-rape before she was able to escape. The pair have dedicated their prize to the hundreds of thousands of women around the world who have endured sexual violence. "Denis Mukwege is the helper who has devoted his life to defending these victims. Nadia Murad is the witness who tells of the abuses perpetrated against herself and others," said Nobel committee chairwoman Berit Reiss-Andersen, when the award was announced on October 5. "Each of them in their own way has helped to give greater visibility to war-time sexual violence, so that the perpetrators can be held accountable for their actions." Quest for justice The co-laureates have come to represent the struggle against a global scourge that goes well beyond any single conflict, as the #MeToo movement has shown. Mukwege has treated tens of thousands of victims -- women, children and even babies just a few months old -- at Panzi hospital which he founded in 1999 in DR Congo's South Kivu. Murad was among thousands of Yazidi women and girls who were abducted, raped and brutalised by jihadists during their assault in 2014. Older women and men faced summary execution during the IS assault, which the United Nations has described as a possible genocide. Her mother and six of her brothers were killed. Murad is now UN ambassador for victims of human trafficking and is at the forefront of efforts to protect the Yazidi community -- and find justice for the victims of the jihadists, a mission she has embarked on with international human rights lawyer Amal Clooney. In early December a UN team authorized to investigate the massacre of the Yazidi minority said it would finally start fieldwork next year. More than 6,800 Yazidis were kidnapped, of which 4,300 either escaped or were bought as slaves, while 2,500 remain missing, according to a recent report from the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH). "For me, justice doesn't mean killing all of the Daesh members who committed these crimes against us," Murad said in October in Washington, using an Arabic acronym for IS. "Justice for me is taking Daesh members to a court of law and seeing them in court admitting to the crimes they committed against Yazidis and being punished for those crimes specifically." Nobel scandal The choice to highlight campaigns against sexual violence comes as a rape scandal has shredded the reputation of the Swedish Academy and led to the postponement of this year's Nobel Literature Prize. A Stockholm court on December 3 found the 72-year-old husband of a Swedish Academy member guilty on appeal of two counts of rape, jailing him for two-and-a-half years. The Nobel Peace Prize -- a gold medal, diploma and nine million Swedish Krona (880,000 euros, a million dollars) -- will be officially presented in a ceremony in Oslo City Hall at 1200 GMT on Monday. Other Nobel prizes are set to be handed out on the same day in Stockholm, except the literature prize, which is postponed until 2019.

Nobel Peace Prize to honour champions of struggle against sexual violence

A Frenchman jailed for two years for rape in a scandal that led to the postponement of this year's Nobel Literature Prize declared his innocence Monday at the opening of his appeal trial.

Once an influential figure in Stockholm's cultural scene, 72-year-old Jean-Claude Arnault was found guilty in October of raping a young woman in 2011 and sentenced to two years in prison.

The case was one of the first big trials to come out of the #MeToo movement, and has left the venerable Swedish Academy, which awards the Nobel Literature Prize, in tatters.

Arnault, who has been locked up since his conviction by a district court, has insisted the sex was consensual, according to his lawyer.

He was escorted by police to the Stockholm appeals court, which was hearing the case behind closed doors.

"Jean-Claude Arnault insists on his innocence and therefore hopes to be acquitted," his lawyer Bjorn Hurtig said.

The defence team has asked to call Arnault's wife Katarina Frostenson, a Swedish Academy member who has rarely spoken out since the scandal erupted, as a witness.

"Frostenson has no credibility," Elisabeth Massi Fritz, the lawyer for the victim, told journalists.

"She is a character witness and character witnesses have no place in Swedish courts."

The scandal erupted in November 2017, one month after rape and sexual abuse accusations surfaced against Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein.

At the time, Swedish newspaper Dagens Nyheter published the testimonies of 18 women claiming to have been raped, sexually assaulted or harassed by Arnault.

The Frenchman ran the Forum club, which he founded in 1989 as a meeting place for the cultural elite and which was popular among aspiring young authors hoping to make contact with publishers and writers.

The Swedish Academy, which funded his club for years, has 18 members and Arnault often referred to himself as its "19th member". He reportedly occasionally leaked the names of Nobel winners to friends.

The revelations have left the prestigious body deeply divided over how to manage its ties with Arnault and his wife, with some members quitting the Academy.

His accusers claim the Academy was aware of Arnault's behaviour but ensured that "a culture of silence" reigned in cultural circles.

Discredited and without a quorum to make key decisions, the Academy postponed the announcement of the 2018 Nobel Literature Prize for the first time in 70 years.

Several allegations against Arnault were dropped due to lack of evidence or because the statute of limitations had expired.

A Frenchman jailed for two years for rape in a scandal that led to the postponement of this year's Nobel Literature Prize declared his innocence Monday at the opening of his appeal trial.

A Frenchman jailed for two years for rape in a scandal that led to the postponement of this year's Nobel Literature Prize declared his innocence Monday at the opening of his appeal trial. Once an influential figure in Stockholm's cultural scene, 72-year-old Jean-Claude Arnault was found guilty in October of raping a young woman in 2011 and sentenced to two years in prison. The case was one of the first big trials to come out of the #MeToo movement, and has left the venerable Swedish Academy, which awards the Nobel Literature Prize, in tatters. Arnault, who has been locked up since his conviction by a district court, has insisted the sex was consensual, according to his lawyer. He was escorted by police to the Stockholm appeals court, which was hearing the case behind closed doors. "Jean-Claude Arnault insists on his innocence and therefore hopes to be acquitted," his lawyer Bjorn Hurtig said. The defence team has asked to call Arnault's wife Katarina Frostenson, a Swedish Academy member who has rarely spoken out since the scandal erupted, as a witness. "Frostenson has no credibility," Elisabeth Massi Fritz, the lawyer for the victim, told journalists. "She is a character witness and character witnesses have no place in Swedish courts." The scandal erupted in November 2017, one month after rape and sexual abuse accusations surfaced against Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein. At the time, Swedish newspaper Dagens Nyheter published the testimonies of 18 women claiming to have been raped, sexually assaulted or harassed by Arnault. The Frenchman ran the Forum club, which he founded in 1989 as a meeting place for the cultural elite and which was popular among aspiring young authors hoping to make contact with publishers and writers. The Swedish Academy, which funded his club for years, has 18 members and Arnault often referred to himself as its "19th member". He reportedly occasionally leaked the names of Nobel winners to friends. The revelations have left the prestigious body deeply divided over how to manage its ties with Arnault and his wife, with some members quitting the Academy. His accusers claim the Academy was aware of Arnault's behaviour but ensured that "a culture of silence" reigned in cultural circles. Discredited and without a quorum to make key decisions, the Academy postponed the announcement of the 2018 Nobel Literature Prize for the first time in 70 years. Several allegations against Arnault were dropped due to lack of evidence or because the statute of limitations had expired.

Frenchman in Nobel rape scandal declares innocence at appeal

The European Parliament awarded its annual Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought on Thursday to Oleg Sentsov, a Ukrainian film-maker jailed in Russia. 
 
EU lawmakers said they supported his protests against the 2014 Russian annexation of Sentsov's native Ukraine. 
 
Now aged 42, he was jailed for 20 years on terrorism charges, he says are politically motivated. He staged a long hunger strike this year. 
 
The Sakharov Prize is named after Soviet dissident Andrei Sakharov, a nuclear physicist who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1975 for his efforts to stand up for civil rights. 
 
Parliament President Antonio Tajani told the legislature in Strasbourg that the award recognised Sentsov`s courage. 
 
Saying he was in poor health after his hunger strike, Tajani added: "We call upon the authorities to release him immediately." 
&nbsp;

The European Parliament awarded its annual Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought on Thursday to Oleg Sentsov, a Ukrainian film-maker jailed in Russia. EU lawmakers said they supported his protests against the 2014 Russian annexation of Sentsov's native Ukraine.

The European Parliament awarded its annual Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought on Thursday to Oleg Sentsov, a Ukrainian film-maker jailed in Russia. EU lawmakers said they supported his protests against the 2014 Russian annexation of Sentsov's native Ukraine. Now aged 42, he was jailed for 20 years on terrorism charges, he says are politically motivated. He staged a long hunger strike this year. The Sakharov Prize is named after Soviet dissident Andrei Sakharov, a nuclear physicist who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1975 for his efforts to stand up for civil rights. Parliament President Antonio Tajani told the legislature in Strasbourg that the award recognised Sentsov`s courage. Saying he was in poor health after his hunger strike, Tajani added: "We call upon the authorities to release him immediately."

Jailed Ukrainian filmmaker Oleg Sentsov wins EU rights award

Nobel Peace Prize winner <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/denis-mukwege-nadia-murad-win-nobel-peace-prize-for-fighting-against-sexual-violence-as-a-weapon-of-war-169605">Nadia Murad was in Cambridge</a>, Massachusetts in the US when&nbsp;she received the news about her winning the coveted peace award.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/dr-mukwege-was-informed-about-nobel-peace-prize-while-conducting-operation-169686">Also Read:&nbsp;Dr Mukwege was informed about Nobel Peace Prize while conducting </a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/dr-mukwege-was-informed-about-nobel-peace-prize-while-conducting-operation-169686">operation</a>

Murad, 25, told the Nobel website that she hoped the recognition would act as a "voice for all women who are suffering from sexual violence in conflict in many other places."

Murad, an Iraqi was abducted in 2014 by Islamic State(IS) terrorists along with several thousand other Yazidi women and raped by the jihadists.

"It wasn't easy for me to go out and speak about what happened to me because it wasn't easy, and specifically for women in the Middle East to go and talk about (being) sex slaves," she said.

The Nobel committee in a statement said Nadia Murad was just one of an estimated 3,000 Yazidi girls and women who were victims of rape and other abuses by the IS.

"The abuses were systematic, and part of a military strategy. Thus they served as a weapon in the fight against Yazidis and other religious minorities," the Sweden-based Nobel committee said.

After a three-month nightmare, Nadia Murad managed to flee. Following her escape, she chose to speak openly about what she had suffered. In 2016, at the age of just 23, she was named the UN’s first Goodwill Ambassador for the Dignity of Survivors of Human Trafficking, the Nobel committee informed.

"It means a lot, not just for me, for all of these women in Iraq and all the world," an elated Muradi said after hearing the news about the peace award being given to her this year.

"For those small communities that are being persecuted, this prize tells me that their voices are being heard," she said in Kurdish translated by her fiance Abid Shamdeen.

"We hope (it) will be a voice for all the women that are suffering from sexual violence in conflict in many other places," the 2018 Nobel laureate added.

Murad shares the peace award with Congolese doctor Denis Mukwege who won the prize for his fight against sexual violence in war and armed conflicts.

"Denis Mukwege and Nadia Murad have both put their personal security at risk by courageously combating war crimes and seeking justice for the victims. They have thereby promoted the fraternity of nations through the application of principles of international law," the Nobel committee said in a statement while annoucing this year's winners.

<iframe allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/BzWuS0UCnZQ" width="560"></iframe>

Nobel Peace Prize winner Nadia Murad was in Cambridge, Massachusetts in the US when she received the news about her winning the coveted peace award. Also Read: Dr Mukwege was informed about Nobel Peace Prize while conducting operation Murad, 25, told the Nobel website that she hoped the recognition would act as a "voice for all women who are suffering from sexual violence in conflict in many other places.

Nobel Peace Prize winner Nadia Murad was in Cambridge, Massachusetts in the US when she received the news about her winning the coveted peace award. Also Read: Dr Mukwege was informed about Nobel Peace Prize while conducting operation Murad, 25, told the Nobel website that she hoped the recognition would act as a "voice for all women who are suffering from sexual violence in conflict in many other places." Murad, an Iraqi was abducted in 2014 by Islamic State(IS) terrorists along with several thousand other Yazidi women and raped by the jihadists. "It wasn't easy for me to go out and speak about what happened to me because it wasn't easy, and specifically for women in the Middle East to go and talk about (being) sex slaves," she said. The Nobel committee in a statement said Nadia Murad was just one of an estimated 3,000 Yazidi girls and women who were victims of rape and other abuses by the IS. "The abuses were systematic, and part of a military strategy. Thus they served as a weapon in the fight against Yazidis and other religious minorities," the Sweden-based Nobel committee said. After a three-month nightmare, Nadia Murad managed to flee. Following her escape, she chose to speak openly about what she had suffered. In 2016, at the age of just 23, she was named the UN’s first Goodwill Ambassador for the Dignity of Survivors of Human Trafficking, the Nobel committee informed. "It means a lot, not just for me, for all of these women in Iraq and all the world," an elated Muradi said after hearing the news about the peace award being given to her this year. "For those small communities that are being persecuted, this prize tells me that their voices are being heard," she said in Kurdish translated by her fiance Abid Shamdeen. "We hope (it) will be a voice for all the women that are suffering from sexual violence in conflict in many other places," the 2018 Nobel laureate added. Murad shares the peace award with Congolese doctor Denis Mukwege who won the prize for his fight against sexual violence in war and armed conflicts. "Denis Mukwege and Nadia Murad have both put their personal security at risk by courageously combating war crimes and seeking justice for the victims. They have thereby promoted the fraternity of nations through the application of principles of international law," the Nobel committee said in a statement while annoucing this year's winners.

Wasn't easy for me to talk about being a sex slave, says Nobel Peace Prize winner Nadia Murad

Doctor Denis Mukwege was <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/full-list-of-nobel-peace-prize-winners-from-1901-169631">conducting his second operation </a>of the day in his hospital when someone came inside and told him that he had won the Nobel Peace Prize this year.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/denis-mukwege-nadia-murad-win-nobel-peace-prize-for-fighting-against-sexual-violence-as-a-weapon-of-war-169605">Also Read:&nbsp;Denis Mukwege, Nadia Murad win Nobel Peace Prize</a>&nbsp;

"I was in the operating room so when they started to make noise around (it) I wasn't really thinking about what was going on and suddenly some people came in and told me the news," Mukwege told a media agency.

"It was so touching when I was operating and I heard people start to cry and it was so, so, so touching."

Mukwege, 63, belongs to &nbsp;Democratic Republic of Congo's (Dr Congo) and is popularly known as "Dr Miracle" for his surgical skills.

In an interview with the Nobel Foundation, Mukwege said: "I can see in the face of many women how they are happy to be recognised and this is really so touching." 
&nbsp; 
In a statement, the Sweden-based Nobel committee said,"&nbsp;Denis Mukwege is the foremost, most unifying symbol, both nationally and internationally, of the struggle to end sexual violence in war and armed conflicts." "His basic principle is that 'justice is everyone’s business,” it added.

"The importance of Dr Mukwege’s enduring, dedicated and selfless efforts in this field cannot be overstated. He has repeatedly condemned impunity for mass rape and criticised the Congolese government and other countries for not doing enough to stop the use of sexual violence against "women as a strategy and weapon of war".

Meanwhile, the DR Congo government while congratulating Mukwege's work added that "there are often disagreements between us."

"We have had differences with Denis Mukwege every time that he tried to "politicise" his work which however is important from a humanitarian standpoint," government spokesman Lambert Mende told AFP.

"But now, we are satisfied with the Nobel Academy's recognition of the work of a compatriot," the spokesman added.

Mukwege has often criticised the country's outgoing President Joseph Kabila, saying that "We are governed by people who don't love us." The government spokesman while acknowledging Mukwege said the Nobel laurate "wasn't infallible".

"We think that the recognition by the Nobel Academy ... is merited but we will continue to oppose whenever anyone tried to mix humanitarian work with politics," the government spokesman said.

 
&nbsp;

Doctor Denis Mukwege was conducting his second operation of the day in his hospital when someone came inside and told him that he had won the Nobel Peace Prize this year.

Doctor Denis Mukwege was conducting his second operation of the day in his hospital when someone came inside and told him that he had won the Nobel Peace Prize this year. Also Read: Denis Mukwege, Nadia Murad win Nobel Peace Prize "I was in the operating room so when they started to make noise around (it) I wasn't really thinking about what was going on and suddenly some people came in and told me the news," Mukwege told a media agency. "It was so touching when I was operating and I heard people start to cry and it was so, so, so touching." Mukwege, 63, belongs to Democratic Republic of Congo's (Dr Congo) and is popularly known as "Dr Miracle" for his surgical skills. In an interview with the Nobel Foundation, Mukwege said: "I can see in the face of many women how they are happy to be recognised and this is really so touching." In a statement, the Sweden-based Nobel committee said," Denis Mukwege is the foremost, most unifying symbol, both nationally and internationally, of the struggle to end sexual violence in war and armed conflicts." "His basic principle is that 'justice is everyone’s business,” it added. "The importance of Dr Mukwege’s enduring, dedicated and selfless efforts in this field cannot be overstated. He has repeatedly condemned impunity for mass rape and criticised the Congolese government and other countries for not doing enough to stop the use of sexual violence against "women as a strategy and weapon of war". Meanwhile, the DR Congo government while congratulating Mukwege's work added that "there are often disagreements between us." "We have had differences with Denis Mukwege every time that he tried to "politicise" his work which however is important from a humanitarian standpoint," government spokesman Lambert Mende told AFP. "But now, we are satisfied with the Nobel Academy's recognition of the work of a compatriot," the spokesman added. Mukwege has often criticised the country's outgoing President Joseph Kabila, saying that "We are governed by people who don't love us." The government spokesman while acknowledging Mukwege said the Nobel laurate "wasn't infallible". "We think that the recognition by the Nobel Academy ... is merited but we will continue to oppose whenever anyone tried to mix humanitarian work with politics," the government spokesman said.

Dr Mukwege was informed about Nobel Peace Prize while conducting operation

A Saudi columnist remained missing on Friday as supporters rallied outside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul calling for his "release" despite Riyadh's denials that he was being held there.

Jamal Khashoggi, a contributor to the Washington Post, has not been found seen since he went to the Saudi mission on Tuesday to receive an official document for his marriage.

The Turkish-Arab Media Association (TAM) organised a rally in front of the consulate for Khashoggi, a former government adviser who has been critical of some policies of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Riyadh's intervention in the war in Yemen.

He has lived in self-imposed exile in the United States since last year to avoid possible arrest.

"As journalists we are concerned by the fate of Jamal. We do not know if he is alive or not, and the statements by Saudi Arabia on the subject are far from satisfactory," Turan Kislakci, a friend of Khashoggi and TAM chief, said in a statement to supporters.

As Kislakci spoke, supporters held up images of the journalist, with the words "Free Jamal Khashoggi".

"We believe that Jamal Khashoggi is the consulate's 'host' and call for his immediate release, or to tell us where he is," Kislakci added.

According to his fiancee, a Turkish woman called Hatice A., Khashoggi went to the consulate and never re-emerged.

Ankara and Riyadh have given contradictory versions of the circumstances of Khashoggi's disappearance, with Turkish officials saying they believed he was still inside the consultate.

But Saudi Arabia claimed he had entered and then left the mission on Tuesday.

Yemeni activist and 2011 winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, Tawakkol Karman, hit out at the Saudi authorities and told AFP that she believed Khashoggi "was kidnapped in this gangster's den that is supposed to be a consulate".

"What we want is Jamal Khashoggi's release. He entered the building of the consulate, he has to come out of there safe and sound. And the Turkish government must assume its role and deal with the case of Jamal Khashoggi because Turkish sovereignty has been violated," she added.

Human Rights Watch called on Ankara to "deepen their investigation" into the journalist's whereabouts, saying his possible detention could "constitute an enforced disappearance" in a statement late Thursday.

"If Saudi authorities surreptitiously detained Khashoggi it would be yet another escalation of Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman's reign of repression against peaceful dissidents and critics," Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East director at HRW, said.

A Saudi columnist remained missing on Friday as supporters rallied outside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul calling for his "release" despite Riyadh's denials that he was being held there.

A Saudi columnist remained missing on Friday as supporters rallied outside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul calling for his "release" despite Riyadh's denials that he was being held there. Jamal Khashoggi, a contributor to the Washington Post, has not been found seen since he went to the Saudi mission on Tuesday to receive an official document for his marriage. The Turkish-Arab Media Association (TAM) organised a rally in front of the consulate for Khashoggi, a former government adviser who has been critical of some policies of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Riyadh's intervention in the war in Yemen. He has lived in self-imposed exile in the United States since last year to avoid possible arrest. "As journalists we are concerned by the fate of Jamal. We do not know if he is alive or not, and the statements by Saudi Arabia on the subject are far from satisfactory," Turan Kislakci, a friend of Khashoggi and TAM chief, said in a statement to supporters. As Kislakci spoke, supporters held up images of the journalist, with the words "Free Jamal Khashoggi". "We believe that Jamal Khashoggi is the consulate's 'host' and call for his immediate release, or to tell us where he is," Kislakci added. According to his fiancee, a Turkish woman called Hatice A., Khashoggi went to the consulate and never re-emerged. Ankara and Riyadh have given contradictory versions of the circumstances of Khashoggi's disappearance, with Turkish officials saying they believed he was still inside the consultate. But Saudi Arabia claimed he had entered and then left the mission on Tuesday. Yemeni activist and 2011 winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, Tawakkol Karman, hit out at the Saudi authorities and told AFP that she believed Khashoggi "was kidnapped in this gangster's den that is supposed to be a consulate". "What we want is Jamal Khashoggi's release. He entered the building of the consulate, he has to come out of there safe and sound. And the Turkish government must assume its role and deal with the case of Jamal Khashoggi because Turkish sovereignty has been violated," she added. Human Rights Watch called on Ankara to "deepen their investigation" into the journalist's whereabouts, saying his possible detention could "constitute an enforced disappearance" in a statement late Thursday. "If Saudi authorities surreptitiously detained Khashoggi it would be yet another escalation of Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman's reign of repression against peaceful dissidents and critics," Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East director at HRW, said.

Supporters of missing Saudi journalist rally for his 'release'

The Nobel Committee today announced the names of this year's Peace Prize giving it to&nbsp;Democratic Republic of Congo's (Dr Congo) Denis Mukwege and Iraq's Nadia Murad for their contribution in fighting sex crimes.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/denis-mukwege-brave-healer-of-dr-congos-most-horrific-wounds-169621">Read: Denis Mukwege: Brave healer of DR Congo's most horrific wounds</a>

<a href="http://13.232.42.114/world/nadia-murad-from-jihadist-slave-to-nobel-laureate-169618">Also Read:&nbsp;Nadia Murad, Jihadist slave to Nobel laureate</a>

The committee said they were given the coveted prize for their efforts to end the use of sexual violence as a weapon of war and armed conflict.&nbsp;

"Both laureates have made a crucial contribution to focusing attention on, and combating, war crimes," the Nobel Committee said in a statement.

Muradi, 25, an Iraqi woman from the Yazidi community was kidnapped by Islamic State(IS) terrorists in 2014 and endured three months as a sex slave before managing to escape.

In the Democratic Republic of Congo, Mukwege, 63, is known as "Doctor Miracle" for his surgical skill and dedication in helping women overcome the injuries and trauma of sexual abuse.

"Denis Mukwege is the helper who has devoted his life to defending these victims. Nadia Murad is the witness who tells of the abuses perpetrated against herself and others," the statement added.&nbsp;

"Each of them in their own way has helped to give greater visibility to war-time sexual violence, so that the perpetrators can be held accountable for their actions," the Committee said while announcing the winners.

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BREAKING NEWS: 
The Norwegian Nobel Committee has decided to award the Nobel Peace Prize for 2018 to Denis Mukwege and Nadia Murad for their efforts to end the use of sexual violence as a weapon of war and armed conflict. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NobelPrize?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NobelPrize</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NobelPeacePrize?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NobelPeacePrize</a> <a href="https://t.co/LaICSbQXWM">pic.twitter.com/LaICSbQXWM</a>
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"The physician Denis Mukwege has spent large parts of his adult life helping the victims of sexual violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Since the Panzi Hospital was established in Bukavu in 2008, Dr. Mukwege and his staff have treated thousands of patients who have fallen victim to such assaults," it added.&nbsp;

The Nobel Committee today announced the names of this year's Peace Prize giving it to Democratic Republic of Congo's (Dr Congo) Denis Mukwege and Iraq's Nadia Murad for their contribution in fighting sex crimes.

The Nobel Committee today announced the names of this year's Peace Prize giving it to Democratic Republic of Congo's (Dr Congo) Denis Mukwege and Iraq's Nadia Murad for their contribution in fighting sex crimes. Read: Denis Mukwege: Brave healer of DR Congo's most horrific wounds Also Read: Nadia Murad, Jihadist slave to Nobel laureate The committee said they were given the coveted prize for their efforts to end the use of sexual violence as a weapon of war and armed conflict. "Both laureates have made a crucial contribution to focusing attention on, and combating, war crimes," the Nobel Committee said in a statement. Muradi, 25, an Iraqi woman from the Yazidi community was kidnapped by Islamic State(IS) terrorists in 2014 and endured three months as a sex slave before managing to escape. In the Democratic Republic of Congo, Mukwege, 63, is known as "Doctor Miracle" for his surgical skill and dedication in helping women overcome the injuries and trauma of sexual abuse. "Denis Mukwege is the helper who has devoted his life to defending these victims. Nadia Murad is the witness who tells of the abuses perpetrated against herself and others," the statement added. "Each of them in their own way has helped to give greater visibility to war-time sexual violence, so that the perpetrators can be held accountable for their actions," the Committee said while announcing the winners. BREAKING NEWS: The Norwegian Nobel Committee has decided to award the Nobel Peace Prize for 2018 to Denis Mukwege and Nadia Murad for their efforts to end the use of sexual violence as a weapon of war and armed conflict. #NobelPrize #NobelPeacePrize pic.twitter.com/LaICSbQXWM — The Nobel Prize (@NobelPrize) October 5, 2018 × "The physician Denis Mukwege has spent large parts of his adult life helping the victims of sexual violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Since the Panzi Hospital was established in Bukavu in 2008, Dr. Mukwege and his staff have treated thousands of patients who have fallen victim to such assaults," it added.

Denis Mukwege, Nadia Murad win Nobel Peace Prize for fighting against 'sexual violence as a weapon of war'

Here is the full list of Nobel Peace Prize laureates from 1901, when the prize was first awarded.

This year it went jointly to Congolese doctor Denis Mukwege and Yazidi campaigner Nadia Murad for their work in fighting sexual violence in conflicts around the world:

2018: Denis Mukwege (DR Congo) and Nadia Murad (Iraq)

2017: International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN)

2016: Juan Manuel Santos (Colombia)

2015: The National Dialogue Quartet (Tunisia)

2014: Kailash Satyarthi (India) and Malala Yousafzai (Pakistan)

2013: The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW)

2012: The European Union (EU)

2011: Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and Leymah Gbowee (Liberia), Tawakkul Karman (Yemen)

2010: Liu Xiaobo (China)

2009: Barack Obama (US)

2008: Martti Ahtisaari (Finland)

2007: Al Gore (US) and the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change

2006: Muhammad Yunus (Bangladesh) and the Grameen Bank

2005: International Atomic Energy Agency and Mohamed ElBaradei (Egypt)

2004: Wangari Maathai (Kenya)

2003: Shirin Ebadi (Iran)

2002: Jimmy Carter (US)

2001: Kofi Annan (Ghana) and the United Nations

2000: Kim Dae-jung (South Korea)

1999: Medecins Sans Frontieres (Doctors Without Borders)

1998: John Hume and David Trimble (Northern Ireland)

1997: Jody Williams (US) and the International Campaign to Ban Landmines

1996: Carlos Filipe Ximenes Belo and Jose Ramos-Horta (East Timor)

1995: Joseph Rotblat (Britain) and the Pugwash movement

1994: Yitzhak Rabin, Shimon Peres (Israel) and Yasser Arafat (PLO)

1993: Nelson Mandela and Frederik de Klerk (South Africa)

1992: Rigoberta Menchu (Guatemala)

1991: Aung San Suu Kyi (Burma)

1990: Mikhail Gorbachev (Soviet Union)

1989: Dalai Lama (Tibet)

1988: United Nations Peacekeeping Forces

1987: Oscar Arias Sanchez (Costa Rica)

1986: Elie Wiesel (US)

1985: International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War

1984: Desmond Tutu (South Africa)

1983: Lech Walesa (Poland)

1982: Alva Myrdal (Sweden) and Alfonso Garcia Robles (Mexico)

1981: Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees

1980: Adolfo Perez Esquivel (Argentina)

1979: Mother Teresa (Albania)

1978: Anwar Sadat (Egypt) and Menachem Begin (Israel)

1977: Amnesty International

1976: Betty Williams (Britain) and Mairead Corrigan (Northern Ireland)

1975: Andrei Sakharov (Soviet Union)

1974: Sean MacBride (Ireland) and Eisaku Sato (Japan)

1973: Henry Kissinger (US) and Le Duc Tho (Vietnam, declined)

1972: prize not handed out

1971: Willy Brandt (Germany)

1970: Norman Borlaug (US)

1969: International Labour Organisation

1968: Rene Cassin (France)

1967: prize not handed out

1966: prize not handed out

1965: United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF)

1964: Martin Luther King Jr (US)

1963: International Committee of the Red Cross and the League of Red Cross Societies

1962: Linus Carl Pauling (US)

1961: Dag Hammarskjoeld (Sweden)

1960: Albert Lutuli (South Africa)

1959: Philip Noel-Baker (Britain)

1958: Georges Pire (Belgium)

1957: Lester Pearson (Canada)

1956: prize not handed out

1955: prize not handed out

1954: Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees

1953: George Marshall (US)

1952: Albert Schweitzer (France)

1951: Leon Jouhaux (France)

1950: Ralph Bunche (US)

1949: Lord (John) Boyd Orr of Brechin (Britain)

1948: prize not handed out

1947: Friends Service Council (The Quakers), American Friends Service Committee (The Quakers)

1946: Emily Greene Balch (US), John Raleigh Mott (US)

1945: Cordell Hull (US)

1944: International Committee of the Red Cross

1943: prize not handed out

1942: prize not handed out

1941: prize not handed out

1940: prize not handed out

1939: prize not handed out

1938: Nansen International Office for Refugees

1937: Viscount Cecil of Chelwood (Britain)

1936: Carlos Saavedra Lamas (Argentina)

1935: Carl von Ossietzky (Germany)

1934: Arthur Henderson (Britain)

1933: Sir Norman Angell (Ralph Lane) (Britain)

1932: prize not handed out

1931: Jane Addams (US) and Nicholas Murray Butler (US)

1930: Nathan Soederblom (Sweden)

1929: Frank Billings Kellogg (US)

1928: prize not handed out

1927: Ferdinand Buisson (France) and Ludwig Quidde (Germany)

1926: Aristide Briand (France) and Gustav Stresemann (Germany)

1925: Sir Austen Chamberlain (Britain) and Charles Gates Dawes (US)

1924: prize not handed out

1923: prize not handed out

1922: Fridtjof Nansen (Norway)

1921: Karl Hjalmar Branting (Sweden) and Christian Lous Lange (Norway)

1920: Leon Victor Auguste Bourgeois (France)

1919: Thomas Woodrow Wilson (US)

1918: prize not handed out

1917: International Committee of the Red Cross

1916: prize not handed out

1915: prize not handed out

1914: prize not handed out

1913: Henri La Fontaine (Belgium)

1912: Elihu Root (US)

1911: Tobias Michael Carel Asser (The Netherlands) and Alfred Hermann Fried (Austria)

1910: Permanent International Peace Bureau

1909: Auguste Marie Francois Beernaert (Belgium) and Paul Henri Benjamin Balluet, Baron d'Estournelles de Constant de Rebecque (France)

1908: Klas Pontus Arnoldson (Sweden) and Fredrik Bajer (Denmark)

1907: Ernesto Teodoro Moneta (Italy) and Louis Renault (France)

1906: Theodore Roosevelt (US)

1905: Baroness Bertha Sophie Felicita von Suttner (Austria)

1904: Institute of International Law

1903: William Randal Cremer (Britain)

1902: Elie Ducommun (Switzerland) and Charles Albert Gobat (Switzerland)

1901: Jean Henri Dunant (Switzerland) and Frederic Passy (France)

Here is the full list of Nobel Peace Prize laureates from 1901, when the prize was first awarded. This year it went jointly to Congolese doctor Denis Mukwege an

Here is the full list of Nobel Peace Prize laureates from 1901, when the prize was first awarded. This year it went jointly to Congolese doctor Denis Mukwege and Yazidi campaigner Nadia Murad for their work in fighting sexual violence in conflicts around the world: 2018: Denis Mukwege (DR Congo) and Nadia Murad (Iraq) 2017: International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) 2016: Juan Manuel Santos (Colombia) 2015: The National Dialogue Quartet (Tunisia) 2014: Kailash Satyarthi (India) and Malala Yousafzai (Pakistan) 2013: The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) 2012: The European Union (EU) 2011: Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and Leymah Gbowee (Liberia), Tawakkul Karman (Yemen) 2010: Liu Xiaobo (China) 2009: Barack Obama (US) 2008: Martti Ahtisaari (Finland) 2007: Al Gore (US) and the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change 2006: Muhammad Yunus (Bangladesh) and the Grameen Bank 2005: International Atomic Energy Agency and Mohamed ElBaradei (Egypt) 2004: Wangari Maathai (Kenya) 2003: Shirin Ebadi (Iran) 2002: Jimmy Carter (US) 2001: Kofi Annan (Ghana) and the United Nations 2000: Kim Dae-jung (South Korea) 1999: Medecins Sans Frontieres (Doctors Without Borders) 1998: John Hume and David Trimble (Northern Ireland) 1997: Jody Williams (US) and the International Campaign to Ban Landmines 1996: Carlos Filipe Ximenes Belo and Jose Ramos-Horta (East Timor) 1995: Joseph Rotblat (Britain) and the Pugwash movement 1994: Yitzhak Rabin, Shimon Peres (Israel) and Yasser Arafat (PLO) 1993: Nelson Mandela and Frederik de Klerk (South Africa) 1992: Rigoberta Menchu (Guatemala) 1991: Aung San Suu Kyi (Burma) 1990: Mikhail Gorbachev (Soviet Union) 1989: Dalai Lama (Tibet) 1988: United Nations Peacekeeping Forces 1987: Oscar Arias Sanchez (Costa Rica) 1986: Elie Wiesel (US) 1985: International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War 1984: Desmond Tutu (South Africa) 1983: Lech Walesa (Poland) 1982: Alva Myrdal (Sweden) and Alfonso Garcia Robles (Mexico) 1981: Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees 1980: Adolfo Perez Esquivel (Argentina) 1979: Mother Teresa (Albania) 1978: Anwar Sadat (Egypt) and Menachem Begin (Israel) 1977: Amnesty International 1976: Betty Williams (Britain) and Mairead Corrigan (Northern Ireland) 1975: Andrei Sakharov (Soviet Union) 1974: Sean MacBride (Ireland) and Eisaku Sato (Japan) 1973: Henry Kissinger (US) and Le Duc Tho (Vietnam, declined) 1972: prize not handed out 1971: Willy Brandt (Germany) 1970: Norman Borlaug (US) 1969: International Labour Organisation 1968: Rene Cassin (France) 1967: prize not handed out 1966: prize not handed out 1965: United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) 1964: Martin Luther King Jr (US) 1963: International Committee of the Red Cross and the League of Red Cross Societies 1962: Linus Carl Pauling (US) 1961: Dag Hammarskjoeld (Sweden) 1960: Albert Lutuli (South Africa) 1959: Philip Noel-Baker (Britain) 1958: Georges Pire (Belgium) 1957: Lester Pearson (Canada) 1956: prize not handed out 1955: prize not handed out 1954: Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees 1953: George Marshall (US) 1952: Albert Schweitzer (France) 1951: Leon Jouhaux (France) 1950: Ralph Bunche (US) 1949: Lord (John) Boyd Orr of Brechin (Britain) 1948: prize not handed out 1947: Friends Service Council (The Quakers), American Friends Service Committee (The Quakers) 1946: Emily Greene Balch (US), John Raleigh Mott (US) 1945: Cordell Hull (US) 1944: International Committee of the Red Cross 1943: prize not handed out 1942: prize not handed out 1941: prize not handed out 1940: prize not handed out 1939: prize not handed out 1938: Nansen International Office for Refugees 1937: Viscount Cecil of Chelwood (Britain) 1936: Carlos Saavedra Lamas (Argentina) 1935: Carl von Ossietzky (Germany) 1934: Arthur Henderson (Britain) 1933: Sir Norman Angell (Ralph Lane) (Britain) 1932: prize not handed out 1931: Jane Addams (US) and Nicholas Murray Butler (US) 1930: Nathan Soederblom (Sweden) 1929: Frank Billings Kellogg (US) 1928: prize not handed out 1927: Ferdinand Buisson (France) and Ludwig Quidde (Germany) 1926: Aristide Briand (France) and Gustav Stresemann (Germany) 1925: Sir Austen Chamberlain (Britain) and Charles Gates Dawes (US) 1924: prize not handed out 1923: prize not handed out 1922: Fridtjof Nansen (Norway) 1921: Karl Hjalmar Branting (Sweden) and Christian Lous Lange (Norway) 1920: Leon Victor Auguste Bourgeois (France) 1919: Thomas Woodrow Wilson (US) 1918: prize not handed out 1917: International Committee of the Red Cross 1916: prize not handed out 1915: prize not handed out 1914: prize not handed out 1913: Henri La Fontaine (Belgium) 1912: Elihu Root (US) 1911: Tobias Michael Carel Asser (The Netherlands) and Alfred Hermann Fried (Austria) 1910: Permanent International Peace Bureau 1909: Auguste Marie Francois Beernaert (Belgium) and Paul Henri Benjamin Balluet, Baron d'Estournelles de Constant de Rebecque (France) 1908: Klas Pontus Arnoldson (Sweden) and Fredrik Bajer (Denmark) 1907: Ernesto Teodoro Moneta (Italy) and Louis Renault (France) 1906: Theodore Roosevelt (US) 1905: Baroness Bertha Sophie Felicita von Suttner (Austria) 1904: Institute of International Law 1903: William Randal Cremer (Britain) 1902: Elie Ducommun (Switzerland) and Charles Albert Gobat (Switzerland) 1901: Jean Henri Dunant (Switzerland) and Frederic Passy (France)

Full list of Nobel Peace Prize winners from 1901

Nobel Peace prize goes to Mukwege, Murad for work against sexual violence

In Democratic Republic of Congo, they call him "Doctor Miracle" for his surgical skill and dedication in helping women overcome the injuries and trauma of sexual abuse and rape.

Denis Mukwege is a crusading gynaecologist who has spent more than two decades treating appalling injuries inflicted on women in DRC, whose work was the subject of an acclaimed 2015 film titled: "The Man Who Mends Women."

A father to five children, the tireless 63-year-old is an outspoken critic of the abuse of women in war who has repeatedly accused the world of failing to act.

The 2018 Nobel Peace Prize co-winner had been repeatedly nominated for his work with gang rape victims from the conflicts that have ravaged his homeland.

Mukwege has called on the world to take a tougher line on rape as a weapon of war.

"We have been able to draw a red line against chemical weapons, biological weapons and nuclear arms," he told AFP in 2016.

"Today we must also draw a red line against rape as a weapon of war," he said, describing it as a "cheap and efficient" form of terror which condemns its victims to "a life sentence".

In his French autobiography, "Plaidoyer pour la vie" ("Plea for Life"), Mukwege recounts the "depths of horror" he encountered in his native South Kivu province that led him to set up the Panzi hospital in Bukavu.

Fired inside her

He began working at Lemera hospital, south of Bukavu, which was where he first learnt to deal with severe post-natal lesions that left women incontinent for life.

Later he encountered victims of horrific rapes for the first time.

Recalling the moment he saw such a patient for the first time in 1999 -- the year he set up Panzi hospital -- Mukwege recounted how the rapists had inserted a gun into a woman's genitals and fired.

"Her whole pelvis was destroyed. I thought it was the work of a madman, but the same year I treated 45 similar cases," he said.

"For 15 years I have witnessed mass atrocities committed against women's bodies and I cannot remain with my arms folded because our common humanity calls on us to care for each other."

His work has also put his own life on the line, with Mukwege narrowly escaping an attack on his life in October 2012, in which his guard was killed.

At the Bukavu hospital, which serves as a clinic for gynaecological and obstetric care, he lives under the permanent protection of UN peacekeepers.

'Unbearable atrocities'

Aid agencies have accused all sides in the conflicts that have ravaged the eastern regions of North Kivu and South Kivu of using "systematic rape" against women as a weapon of war.

In 2016, Mukwege said there were "unbearable atrocities" being committed in the country's east, including the mutilation of babies and the disembowelling of pregnant women.

He said the "crimes and cruelties that have plagued eastern DRC for 20 years had been reborn with a new intensity", as he criticised growing authoritarianism in the country.

Earlier this year, he said there had been a rise in such attacks since 2016, with the majority of sexual violence in South Kivu now committed by civilians and not by armed groups or the security forces.

Many civilians are former rebels.

The 450-bed Panzi hospital that Mukwege founded treats more than 3,500 women a year, though not all for sexual abuse, providing free consultations and performing reconstructive surgery on women who have suffered serious internal injuries.

Levi Luhiriri, who works as a doctor at the hospital, said Mukwege was fair but tough and strived for internationally-recognised standards at Panzi.

"He is straight and just but doesn't tolerate mediocrity," he told AFP.

As well as his tireless medical work, Mukwege has fronted a worldwide campaign against the purchase of conflict diamonds.

Specialised in France

Born on March 1, 1955, in Bukavu, the third of nine children, Mukwege was inspired to become a doctor by his father, a pastor who used to visit the sick.

After studying medicine in neighbouring Burundi, he returned to work in Lemera hospital before pursuing specialist training in gynaecology in Angers, France.

He has been honoured previously by the United Nations and has received many other international awards, including the Olof Palme Prize in January 2009 and the Sakharov Prize in 2014. In September 2016, he also won the Seoul Peace Prize.

He was appointed a professor at the Universite libre de Bruxelles in Belgium in 2015.

In Democratic Republic of Congo, they call him "Doctor Miracle" for his surgical skill and dedication in helping women overcome the injuries and trauma of sexual abuse and rape.

In Democratic Republic of Congo, they call him "Doctor Miracle" for his surgical skill and dedication in helping women overcome the injuries and trauma of sexual abuse and rape. Denis Mukwege is a crusading gynaecologist who has spent more than two decades treating appalling injuries inflicted on women in DRC, whose work was the subject of an acclaimed 2015 film titled: "The Man Who Mends Women." A father to five children, the tireless 63-year-old is an outspoken critic of the abuse of women in war who has repeatedly accused the world of failing to act. The 2018 Nobel Peace Prize co-winner had been repeatedly nominated for his work with gang rape victims from the conflicts that have ravaged his homeland. Mukwege has called on the world to take a tougher line on rape as a weapon of war. "We have been able to draw a red line against chemical weapons, biological weapons and nuclear arms," he told AFP in 2016. "Today we must also draw a red line against rape as a weapon of war," he said, describing it as a "cheap and efficient" form of terror which condemns its victims to "a life sentence". In his French autobiography, "Plaidoyer pour la vie" ("Plea for Life"), Mukwege recounts the "depths of horror" he encountered in his native South Kivu province that led him to set up the Panzi hospital in Bukavu. Fired inside her He began working at Lemera hospital, south of Bukavu, which was where he first learnt to deal with severe post-natal lesions that left women incontinent for life. Later he encountered victims of horrific rapes for the first time. Recalling the moment he saw such a patient for the first time in 1999 -- the year he set up Panzi hospital -- Mukwege recounted how the rapists had inserted a gun into a woman's genitals and fired. "Her whole pelvis was destroyed. I thought it was the work of a madman, but the same year I treated 45 similar cases," he said. "For 15 years I have witnessed mass atrocities committed against women's bodies and I cannot remain with my arms folded because our common humanity calls on us to care for each other." His work has also put his own life on the line, with Mukwege narrowly escaping an attack on his life in October 2012, in which his guard was killed. At the Bukavu hospital, which serves as a clinic for gynaecological and obstetric care, he lives under the permanent protection of UN peacekeepers. 'Unbearable atrocities' Aid agencies have accused all sides in the conflicts that have ravaged the eastern regions of North Kivu and South Kivu of using "systematic rape" against women as a weapon of war. In 2016, Mukwege said there were "unbearable atrocities" being committed in the country's east, including the mutilation of babies and the disembowelling of pregnant women. He said the "crimes and cruelties that have plagued eastern DRC for 20 years had been reborn with a new intensity", as he criticised growing authoritarianism in the country. Earlier this year, he said there had been a rise in such attacks since 2016, with the majority of sexual violence in South Kivu now committed by civilians and not by armed groups or the security forces. Many civilians are former rebels. The 450-bed Panzi hospital that Mukwege founded treats more than 3,500 women a year, though not all for sexual abuse, providing free consultations and performing reconstructive surgery on women who have suffered serious internal injuries. Levi Luhiriri, who works as a doctor at the hospital, said Mukwege was fair but tough and strived for internationally-recognised standards at Panzi. "He is straight and just but doesn't tolerate mediocrity," he told AFP. As well as his tireless medical work, Mukwege has fronted a worldwide campaign against the purchase of conflict diamonds. Specialised in France Born on March 1, 1955, in Bukavu, the third of nine children, Mukwege was inspired to become a doctor by his father, a pastor who used to visit the sick. After studying medicine in neighbouring Burundi, he returned to work in Lemera hospital before pursuing specialist training in gynaecology in Angers, France. He has been honoured previously by the United Nations and has received many other international awards, including the Olof Palme Prize in January 2009 and the Sakharov Prize in 2014. In September 2016, he also won the Seoul Peace Prize. He was appointed a professor at the Universite libre de Bruxelles in Belgium in 2015.

Denis Mukwege: Brave healer of DR Congo's most horrific wounds 

Nadia Murad survived the worst cruelties ever inflicted on her people, the Yazidis of Iraq, before becoming a global champion of their cause and winning the Nobel Peace Prize.

On Friday, Murad and Congolese doctor Denis Mukwege were jointly awarded the prize for their "efforts to end the use of sexual violence as a weapon of war," Nobel committee chairwoman Berit Reiss-Andersen said in unveiling the winners in Oslo.

The 25-year-old Murad, her thin, pale face framed by her long brown hair, once lived a quiet life in her village near the mountainous Yazidi stronghold of Sinjar in northern Iraq, close to the border with Syria.

But when the so-called Islamic State jihadist group stormed across swathes of the two countries in 2014, her fate changed forever and her nightmare began.

One day in August that year, pick-up trucks bearing the black flag of the jihadists swept into her village, Kocho.

IS fighters set about killing the men, taking children captive to train them as fighters and condemning thousands of women to a life of forced labour and sexual slavery.

Today, Murad and her friend Lamia Haji Bashar, joint recipients of the EU's 2016 Sakharov human rights prize, continue the fight for the 3,000 Yazidis who remain missing, presumed still in captivity.

IS fighters wanted "to take our honour, but they lost their honour," said Murad, now a United Nations goodwill ambassador for survivors of human trafficking.

It is an evil she personally experienced during a harrowing three months. After being captured by IS fighters, Murad was taken by force to Mosul, the de facto "capital" of the IS's self-declared caliphate.

During her ordeal she was held captive and repeatedly gang-raped, tortured and beaten.

The jihadists organised slave markets for selling off the women and girls, and Yazidi women were forced to renounce their religion.

For the jihadists, with their ultra-strict interpretation of Islam, the Yazidis are seen as heretics.

The Kurdish-speaking community follows an ancient religion, revering a single God and the "leader of the angels", represented by a peacock.

Like thousands of Yazidis, Murad was forcibly married to a jihadist, beaten and forced to wear makeup and tight clothes - an experience she later related in front of the United Nations Security Council.

"The first thing they did was they forced us to covert to Islam", Murad had said in 2016.

Shocked by the violence, Murad set about trying to escape, and managed to flee with the help of a Muslim family from Mosul.

Armed with false identity papers, she managed to cross the few dozen kilometres (miles) to Iraqi Kurdistan, joining crowds of other displaced Yazidis in camps.

There, she learnt that six of her brothers and her mother had been killed. With the help of an organisation that assists Yazidis, she joined her sister in Germany, where she lives today.

She has since dedicated herself to what she calls "our peoples' fight", before a well-known spokeswoman even before the #MeToo movement swept the world.

The Yazidis numbered around 550,000 in Iraq before 2014, but some 100,000 have since left the country.

Many others have fled and remain in Iraqi Kurdistan, reluctant to return to their traditional lands.

Slight, and softly-spoken Murad has now become a global voice, campaigning for justice for her people and for the acts committed by the jihadists to be recognised internationally as genocide.

And she and the Yazidis have won a high-profile supporter - Lebanese-British lawyer and rights activist Amal Clooney, who also penned the foreword to Murad's book, "The Last Girl", published in 2017.

The same year, the UN Security Council committed to helping Iraq gather evidence of IS crimes.

Yet in contrast to all the tragedies that have befallen her, recent pictures on Murad's Twitter feed show happier times.

In August, she announced her engagement to fellow Yazidi activist Abid Shamdeen.

"The struggle of our people brought us together &amp; we will continue this path together," she wrote.

Underneath, a photo showed her next to a young man in a bow tie, her face still framed by her long brown hair, but this time, bearing a broad smile.

Nadia Murad survived the worst cruelties ever inflicted on her people, the Yazidis of Iraq, before becoming a global champion of their cause and winning the Nobel Peace Prize.

Nadia Murad survived the worst cruelties ever inflicted on her people, the Yazidis of Iraq, before becoming a global champion of their cause and winning the Nobel Peace Prize. On Friday, Murad and Congolese doctor Denis Mukwege were jointly awarded the prize for their "efforts to end the use of sexual violence as a weapon of war," Nobel committee chairwoman Berit Reiss-Andersen said in unveiling the winners in Oslo. The 25-year-old Murad, her thin, pale face framed by her long brown hair, once lived a quiet life in her village near the mountainous Yazidi stronghold of Sinjar in northern Iraq, close to the border with Syria. But when the so-called Islamic State jihadist group stormed across swathes of the two countries in 2014, her fate changed forever and her nightmare began. One day in August that year, pick-up trucks bearing the black flag of the jihadists swept into her village, Kocho. IS fighters set about killing the men, taking children captive to train them as fighters and condemning thousands of women to a life of forced labour and sexual slavery. Today, Murad and her friend Lamia Haji Bashar, joint recipients of the EU's 2016 Sakharov human rights prize, continue the fight for the 3,000 Yazidis who remain missing, presumed still in captivity. IS fighters wanted "to take our honour, but they lost their honour," said Murad, now a United Nations goodwill ambassador for survivors of human trafficking. It is an evil she personally experienced during a harrowing three months. After being captured by IS fighters, Murad was taken by force to Mosul, the de facto "capital" of the IS's self-declared caliphate. During her ordeal she was held captive and repeatedly gang-raped, tortured and beaten. The jihadists organised slave markets for selling off the women and girls, and Yazidi women were forced to renounce their religion. For the jihadists, with their ultra-strict interpretation of Islam, the Yazidis are seen as heretics. The Kurdish-speaking community follows an ancient religion, revering a single God and the "leader of the angels", represented by a peacock. Like thousands of Yazidis, Murad was forcibly married to a jihadist, beaten and forced to wear makeup and tight clothes - an experience she later related in front of the United Nations Security Council. "The first thing they did was they forced us to covert to Islam", Murad had said in 2016. Shocked by the violence, Murad set about trying to escape, and managed to flee with the help of a Muslim family from Mosul. Armed with false identity papers, she managed to cross the few dozen kilometres (miles) to Iraqi Kurdistan, joining crowds of other displaced Yazidis in camps. There, she learnt that six of her brothers and her mother had been killed. With the help of an organisation that assists Yazidis, she joined her sister in Germany, where she lives today. She has since dedicated herself to what she calls "our peoples' fight", before a well-known spokeswoman even before the #MeToo movement swept the world. The Yazidis numbered around 550,000 in Iraq before 2014, but some 100,000 have since left the country. Many others have fled and remain in Iraqi Kurdistan, reluctant to return to their traditional lands. Slight, and softly-spoken Murad has now become a global voice, campaigning for justice for her people and for the acts committed by the jihadists to be recognised internationally as genocide. And she and the Yazidis have won a high-profile supporter - Lebanese-British lawyer and rights activist Amal Clooney, who also penned the foreword to Murad's book, "The Last Girl", published in 2017. The same year, the UN Security Council committed to helping Iraq gather evidence of IS crimes. Yet in contrast to all the tragedies that have befallen her, recent pictures on Murad's Twitter feed show happier times. In August, she announced her engagement to fellow Yazidi activist Abid Shamdeen. "The struggle of our people brought us together & we will continue this path together," she wrote. Underneath, a photo showed her next to a young man in a bow tie, her face still framed by her long brown hair, but this time, bearing a broad smile.

Nadia Murad: from jihadist slave to Nobel laureate

Some of the actions Aung San Suu Kyi has taken as Myanmar's civilian leader are "regrettable" but her Nobel Peace Prize will not be withdrawn, the head of the Nobel Foundation told Reuters in an interview in Stockholm on Friday. 
 
Lars Heikensten, speaking days before the awarding of this year’s peace prize, said it made no sense to withdraw awards in reaction to things that happened after they were given, as judges would constantly have to discuss laureates` merits.

UN&nbsp;investigators issued a report in August accusing Myanmar`s military of carrying out mass killings of Muslim Rohingya with "genocidal intent" in an operation that drove more than 700,000 refugees across the border to Bangladesh.

Suu Kyi, who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991 for campaigning for democracy and now leads the Myanmar government, was accused in the same report of failing to use her "moral authority" to protect civilians.

"We see what she`s been doing in Myanmar has been questioned a lot and we stand for human rights, that`s one of our core values," Lars Heikensten, the head of the Nobel Foundation, said.&nbsp;

"So of course to the extent that she's responsible for that, that is very regrettable," he added.

Government spokesman Zaw Htay did not answer phone calls seeking comment on Monday. He said last month he would no longer speak to the media over the phone, only at a biweekly conference.

Myanmar has rejected the UN&nbsp;findings as "one-sided". It says the military action, which followed militant attacks on security forces in August last year, was a legitimate counterinsurgency operation.&nbsp;

Suu Kyi said last month that in hindsight her government could have handled the situation in Rakhine state better, but did not acknowledge any major crimes.

"We don't believe it would make sense to try to withdraw prizes ... it would involve us in constant discussions about the merits about what people are doing afterwards, after they have received the prize," Heikensten said.

"There has always been and there always will be Nobel laureates that are doing things after they`ve been awarded the prize which we do not approve of or which we don`t think are the right things. That we cannot avoid I think," he added.

The Stockholm-based Nobel Foundation oversees the administration of all the Nobel Prizes, which are awarded by different organisations in Sweden and Norway.

The Norwegian Nobel Committee, which awards the Peace Prize, said in August that its rules did not allow awards to be withdrawn.&nbsp;

The laureate of this year`s Nobel Peace Prize will be announced on Friday in Oslo.&nbsp;

Some of the actions Aung San Suu Kyi has taken as Myanmar's civilian leader are "regrettable" but her Nobel Peace Prize will not be withdrawn, the head of the Nobel Foundation told Reuters in an interview in Stockholm on Friday.

Some of the actions Aung San Suu Kyi has taken as Myanmar's civilian leader are "regrettable" but her Nobel Peace Prize will not be withdrawn, the head of the Nobel Foundation told Reuters in an interview in Stockholm on Friday. Lars Heikensten, speaking days before the awarding of this year’s peace prize, said it made no sense to withdraw awards in reaction to things that happened after they were given, as judges would constantly have to discuss laureates` merits. UN investigators issued a report in August accusing Myanmar`s military of carrying out mass killings of Muslim Rohingya with "genocidal intent" in an operation that drove more than 700,000 refugees across the border to Bangladesh. Suu Kyi, who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991 for campaigning for democracy and now leads the Myanmar government, was accused in the same report of failing to use her "moral authority" to protect civilians. "We see what she`s been doing in Myanmar has been questioned a lot and we stand for human rights, that`s one of our core values," Lars Heikensten, the head of the Nobel Foundation, said. "So of course to the extent that she's responsible for that, that is very regrettable," he added. Government spokesman Zaw Htay did not answer phone calls seeking comment on Monday. He said last month he would no longer speak to the media over the phone, only at a biweekly conference. Myanmar has rejected the UN findings as "one-sided". It says the military action, which followed militant attacks on security forces in August last year, was a legitimate counterinsurgency operation. Suu Kyi said last month that in hindsight her government could have handled the situation in Rakhine state better, but did not acknowledge any major crimes. "We don't believe it would make sense to try to withdraw prizes ... it would involve us in constant discussions about the merits about what people are doing afterwards, after they have received the prize," Heikensten said. "There has always been and there always will be Nobel laureates that are doing things after they`ve been awarded the prize which we do not approve of or which we don`t think are the right things. That we cannot avoid I think," he added. The Stockholm-based Nobel Foundation oversees the administration of all the Nobel Prizes, which are awarded by different organisations in Sweden and Norway. The Norwegian Nobel Committee, which awards the Peace Prize, said in August that its rules did not allow awards to be withdrawn. The laureate of this year`s Nobel Peace Prize will be announced on Friday in Oslo.

Suu Kyi's actions 'regrettable' but she will keep peace prize: Nobel chief

Amal Clooney, a barrister at Doughty Street Chambers specialising in international law and human rights is among the possible contenders for this year's Nobel Peace Prize.

Amal is of Lebanese-British descent and married Hollywood actor George Clooney in September 2014. She has been involved in various high-profile human rights cases working with former Maldives president Mohamed Nasheed and Yazidi survivor Nadia Murad.

In March, Clooney joined the legal team representing two Reuters reporters jailed in Myanmar who are accused of possessing secret government papers in what has become a landmark press freedom case.

Wa Lone, 32, and Kyaw Soe Oo, 28, were convicted on September 3 under the colonial-era Official Secrets Act and sentenced to seven years in prison.

According to the Nobel Prize website, there are 331 candidates for the Nobel Peace Prize for 2018 out of which 216 are individuals and 115 are organisations.Three hundred and thirty-one is the second highest number of candidates ever. The record of 376 candidates was set in 2016.

The Nobel Peace Prize will be announced in Oslo on Friday, October 5 at 1100 a.m (0900GMT). The prize, worth 10 million Swedish crowns (1.4 million U.S. dollars) will be presented on December 10, 2018

Amal Clooney, a barrister at Doughty Street Chambers specialising in international law and human rights is among the possible contenders for this year's Nobel Peace Prize.

Amal Clooney, a barrister at Doughty Street Chambers specialising in international law and human rights is among the possible contenders for this year's Nobel Peace Prize. Amal is of Lebanese-British descent and married Hollywood actor George Clooney in September 2014. She has been involved in various high-profile human rights cases working with former Maldives president Mohamed Nasheed and Yazidi survivor Nadia Murad. In March, Clooney joined the legal team representing two Reuters reporters jailed in Myanmar who are accused of possessing secret government papers in what has become a landmark press freedom case. Wa Lone, 32, and Kyaw Soe Oo, 28, were convicted on September 3 under the colonial-era Official Secrets Act and sentenced to seven years in prison. According to the Nobel Prize website, there are 331 candidates for the Nobel Peace Prize for 2018 out of which 216 are individuals and 115 are organisations.Three hundred and thirty-one is the second highest number of candidates ever. The record of 376 candidates was set in 2016. The Nobel Peace Prize will be announced in Oslo on Friday, October 5 at 1100 a.m (0900GMT). The prize, worth 10 million Swedish crowns (1.4 million U.S. dollars) will be presented on December 10, 2018

Amal Clooney possible contender for Nobel Peace Prize

Angela Merkel, who has been chancellor of Germany since 2005 and currently serves her fourth term, is a contender for the 2018 Nobel Peace Prize.

Her decision in 2015 to allow more than a million migrants into the country has earned her respect worldwide and increasing criticism at home.

The move was largely to blame for the rise of the anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany (AfD) in last year's election.

More recently, she has been plagued by in-party fighting and her so called grand coalition government of her CDU, the CSU and the SPD was on the brink of collapse twice since its inauguration.

Only some ten days ago, Merkel admitted she had misjudged her response to allegations of far-right sympathies against Germany's spymaster, after resolving a row over his redeployment that threatened to pull her government apart.

BfV intelligence agency head Hans-Georg Maassen's political views came under the microscope this month after he questioned the authenticity of video footage showing radicals hounding migrants in the eastern city of Chemnitz.

Merkel's Christian Democrats (CDU), their Bavarian Christian Social Union (CSU) sister party and the third coalition partner - the centre-left Social Democrats (SPD) - agreed last week to transfer Maassen to a senior role in the Interior Ministry.

But that prompted a public blacklash when it emerged that Maassen would also get a pay rise. The coalition rescinded the hike, after some members of the SPD called for their party to quit the alliance if it stayed in place.

Born Angela Kasner in Hamburg in 1954, she moved with her family to East Germany when she was only a toddler after her father, a Protestant pastor, was offered a job in the state of Brandenburg, north of Berlin. She grew up in the town of Templin, in the Uckermark region with its lakes and rolling hills.

Merkel studied physics at the University of Leipzig, earning a doctorate, and became politically active after the Berlin Wall fell, joining the conservative Christian Democrats (CDU) in 1990. Only a year later she became the youngest member of Chancellor Helmut Kohl's cabinet as minister for women and youth.

In 1994, she became German environment minister and in 2000 she was elected CDU leader after the party and Kohl were rocked by a scandal over illegal funding.

Merkel became Germany's first woman chancellor and the country's first leader to have grown up in the former communist East Germany in 2005, when her conservatives narrowly defeated Gerhard Schroeder's Social Democrats (SPD).

Angela Merkel, who has been chancellor of Germany since 2005 and currently serves her fourth term, is a contender for the 2018 Nobel Peace Prize. Her decision in 2015 to allow more than a million migrants into the country has earned her respect worldwide and increasing criticism at home.

Angela Merkel, who has been chancellor of Germany since 2005 and currently serves her fourth term, is a contender for the 2018 Nobel Peace Prize. Her decision in 2015 to allow more than a million migrants into the country has earned her respect worldwide and increasing criticism at home. The move was largely to blame for the rise of the anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany (AfD) in last year's election. More recently, she has been plagued by in-party fighting and her so called grand coalition government of her CDU, the CSU and the SPD was on the brink of collapse twice since its inauguration. Only some ten days ago, Merkel admitted she had misjudged her response to allegations of far-right sympathies against Germany's spymaster, after resolving a row over his redeployment that threatened to pull her government apart. BfV intelligence agency head Hans-Georg Maassen's political views came under the microscope this month after he questioned the authenticity of video footage showing radicals hounding migrants in the eastern city of Chemnitz. Merkel's Christian Democrats (CDU), their Bavarian Christian Social Union (CSU) sister party and the third coalition partner - the centre-left Social Democrats (SPD) - agreed last week to transfer Maassen to a senior role in the Interior Ministry. But that prompted a public blacklash when it emerged that Maassen would also get a pay rise. The coalition rescinded the hike, after some members of the SPD called for their party to quit the alliance if it stayed in place. Born Angela Kasner in Hamburg in 1954, she moved with her family to East Germany when she was only a toddler after her father, a Protestant pastor, was offered a job in the state of Brandenburg, north of Berlin. She grew up in the town of Templin, in the Uckermark region with its lakes and rolling hills. Merkel studied physics at the University of Leipzig, earning a doctorate, and became politically active after the Berlin Wall fell, joining the conservative Christian Democrats (CDU) in 1990. Only a year later she became the youngest member of Chancellor Helmut Kohl's cabinet as minister for women and youth. In 1994, she became German environment minister and in 2000 she was elected CDU leader after the party and Kohl were rocked by a scandal over illegal funding. Merkel became Germany's first woman chancellor and the country's first leader to have grown up in the former communist East Germany in 2005, when her conservatives narrowly defeated Gerhard Schroeder's Social Democrats (SPD).

German Chancellor Angela Merkel possible contender for Nobel Peace Prize

United States President Donald Trump is among the list of possible contenders for this year's Nobel Peace Prize, news agency Reuters reported. According to reports, Pope Francis, North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un, South Korean President Moon Jae-in are also part of the race.

Trump's journey to peace talks with North Korea began with name calling. But more recently the US president has described Kim as "open" and "honourable," in sharp contrast to deriding the Korean leader in the past -- labelling him "rocket man," Reuters reported. Here's a look at some of the other possible contenders for this year's prestigious peace prize.

Pope Francis: The first non-European pope in 1,300 years, shook up the Vatican with his simple style and moved to restore credibility to a Roman Catholic Church rattled to is core by financial and sexual scandals.

During his papacy, Francis made a big push to use the power of his pulpit and Vatican diplomacy to bring international issues to centre-stage.&nbsp;

The Korean leaders: South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un have emerged as strong contenders for a joint Nobel Peace Prize, in their diplomatic efforts to broker peace on the Korean peninsula and denuclearise the North.

The leaders of two Koreas held a summit on April 27 at the village of Panmunjom in the heavily fortified Demilitarized Zone at the border that has divided the Koreas for more than six decades.

Holding the first inter-Korean summit in more than a decade, Moon and Kim pledged to work for "complete denuclearization" of the Korean peninsula and agreed on a common goal of a "nuclear-free" peninsula.

The White Helmets: Members of the Syrian Civil Defence group, also known as the 'White Helmets' are contenders for the 2018 Nobel Peace Prize.

World Food Programme: A humanitarian organisation, the WFP delivers food aid in emergencies and works with communities to improve nutrition.&nbsp;

"On any given day, WFP has 5,000 trucks, 20 ships and 92 planes on the move, delivering approximately 12.6 billion rations a year to often conflict-affected countries", United Nations agency states.

Besides these, Russia's investigative newspaper Novaya Gazeta, leading Turkish opposition journalist, newspaper are among others who are in the fight to the prestigious peace accolade this year which will be announced in Oslo, Norway on October 5.&nbsp;

(With inputs from Reuters)&nbsp;

&nbsp;

United States President Donald Trump is among the list of possible contenders for this year's Nobel Peace Prize, news agency Reuters reported. According to reports, Pope Francis, North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un, South Korean President Moon Jae-in are also part of the race.

United States President Donald Trump is among the list of possible contenders for this year's Nobel Peace Prize, news agency Reuters reported. According to reports, Pope Francis, North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un, South Korean President Moon Jae-in are also part of the race. Trump's journey to peace talks with North Korea began with name calling. But more recently the US president has described Kim as "open" and "honourable," in sharp contrast to deriding the Korean leader in the past -- labelling him "rocket man," Reuters reported. Here's a look at some of the other possible contenders for this year's prestigious peace prize. Pope Francis: The first non-European pope in 1,300 years, shook up the Vatican with his simple style and moved to restore credibility to a Roman Catholic Church rattled to is core by financial and sexual scandals. During his papacy, Francis made a big push to use the power of his pulpit and Vatican diplomacy to bring international issues to centre-stage. The Korean leaders: South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un have emerged as strong contenders for a joint Nobel Peace Prize, in their diplomatic efforts to broker peace on the Korean peninsula and denuclearise the North. The leaders of two Koreas held a summit on April 27 at the village of Panmunjom in the heavily fortified Demilitarized Zone at the border that has divided the Koreas for more than six decades. Holding the first inter-Korean summit in more than a decade, Moon and Kim pledged to work for "complete denuclearization" of the Korean peninsula and agreed on a common goal of a "nuclear-free" peninsula. The White Helmets: Members of the Syrian Civil Defence group, also known as the 'White Helmets' are contenders for the 2018 Nobel Peace Prize. World Food Programme: A humanitarian organisation, the WFP delivers food aid in emergencies and works with communities to improve nutrition. "On any given day, WFP has 5,000 trucks, 20 ships and 92 planes on the move, delivering approximately 12.6 billion rations a year to often conflict-affected countries", United Nations agency states. Besides these, Russia's investigative newspaper Novaya Gazeta, leading Turkish opposition journalist, newspaper are among others who are in the fight to the prestigious peace accolade this year which will be announced in Oslo, Norway on October 5. (With inputs from Reuters)

Donald Trump, Korean leaders among possible contenders for Nobel Peace Prize 2018

Chinese authorities have barred five European diplomats from visiting the widow of the late Nobel laureate dissident Liu Xiaobo, diplomatic sources said&nbsp;Sunday.

Liu Xia, 57, has been under de facto house arrest despite facing no charges ever since her husband was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2010, a recognition that deeply angered the communist regime.

Liu Xiaobo died of cancer last year while still in prison after being convicted of "subversion", making him the first Nobel laureate to die in custody since the era of Nazi Germany.

The diplomats' visit came following increased concern in recent days about Liu Xia's psychological health.

The envoys, including a French and a German envoy, tried to visit her home&nbsp;on Friday&nbsp;morning but were turned away by officials at the gate to the complex, the sources said.

The guards checked the diplomats' identities before refusing them entry without giving a reason.

Despite the daily restrictions and surveillance faced by Liu Xia, Chinese authorities still maintain she is free.&nbsp;

Earlier this month reports emerged that Liu Xia had told friends she was ready to "die at home" in protest at her continuing detention by Chinese authorities.

Liu Xia's friends have told reporters she is taking medication for depression and has suffered from heart problems and fainting.

Reporters have tried to visit Liu's home multiple times in recent years but were blocked each time by plainclothes men.&nbsp;

The United States and European Union have called on President Xi Jinping's government to free the widow and let her travel abroad.

Germany's ambassador to China previously told the Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post that Liu would be welcomed in his country.

When asked earlier this month about western diplomatic calls for Liu Xia to travel abroad, foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told reporters: "But Liu Xia is a Chinese citizen. The relevant Chinese authorities will handle relevant issues in accordance with the law."

Liu Xiaobo was a veteran of the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests and was detained in 2008 after co-authoring Charter 08, a petition calling for democratic reforms.

He was sentenced to 11 years in prison for "subversion" but died in custody last July after authorities rejected his request to receive treatment abroad.

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Liu Xiaobo died of cancer last year while still in prison after being convicted of 'subversion', making him the first Nobel laureate to die in custody since the era of Nazi Germany

Chinese authorities have barred five European diplomats from visiting the widow of the late Nobel laureate dissident Liu Xiaobo, diplomatic sources said Sunday. Liu Xia, 57, has been under de facto house arrest despite facing no charges ever since her husband was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2010, a recognition that deeply angered the communist regime. Liu Xiaobo died of cancer last year while still in prison after being convicted of "subversion", making him the first Nobel laureate to die in custody since the era of Nazi Germany. The diplomats' visit came following increased concern in recent days about Liu Xia's psychological health. The envoys, including a French and a German envoy, tried to visit her home on Friday morning but were turned away by officials at the gate to the complex, the sources said. The guards checked the diplomats' identities before refusing them entry without giving a reason. Despite the daily restrictions and surveillance faced by Liu Xia, Chinese authorities still maintain she is free. Earlier this month reports emerged that Liu Xia had told friends she was ready to "die at home" in protest at her continuing detention by Chinese authorities. Liu Xia's friends have told reporters she is taking medication for depression and has suffered from heart problems and fainting. Reporters have tried to visit Liu's home multiple times in recent years but were blocked each time by plainclothes men. The United States and European Union have called on President Xi Jinping's government to free the widow and let her travel abroad. Germany's ambassador to China previously told the Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post that Liu would be welcomed in his country. When asked earlier this month about western diplomatic calls for Liu Xia to travel abroad, foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told reporters: "But Liu Xia is a Chinese citizen. The relevant Chinese authorities will handle relevant issues in accordance with the law." Liu Xiaobo was a veteran of the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests and was detained in 2008 after co-authoring Charter 08, a petition calling for democratic reforms. He was sentenced to 11 years in prison for "subversion" but died in custody last July after authorities rejected his request to receive treatment abroad.

European diplomats barred from seeing widow of China dissident: Sources

The Norwegian police said Tuesday they had closed an investigation into Donald Trump's fake Nobel Peace Prize nomination after failing to identify the person behind it.&nbsp;

The Norwegian Nobel Institute filed a police report earlier this year after receiving a seemingly fraudulent nomination of the US president for the prestigious prize.

Suspicion mounted that the nomination was submitted by a person suspected of committing identity fraud to appear legitimate, as only a select group of individuals -- including members of parliament and government, former laureates and some university professors -- are entitled to propose names.&nbsp;

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/this-is-why-trump-could-win-the-nobel-peace-prize-according-to-boris-johanson--135336">This is why Trump could win the Nobel Peace Prize, according to Boris Johnson</a>

"The case was closed because the police lack information about the culprit," Tone Bysting, an Oslo police official, told AFP.&nbsp;

"We haven't been able to find the (real) identity" of the person behind this "openly fraudulent" nomination, she added.&nbsp;

While the US president's nomination is dropped this year, Trump still has a chance next year as a group of 18 House Republicans have nominated him to the Norwegian Nobel Committee "in recognition of his work to end the Korean War, denuclearise the Korean peninsula and bring peace to the region".

South Korea's President Moon Jae-in, after his historic summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, also said in late April that Trump deserved the award for his denuclearisation efforts.&nbsp;

A Nobel nomination does not necessarily constitute a nod from the Norwegian Nobel Institute since it accepts all applications as long as they are valid.&nbsp;

It said it had received 329 valid nominations for the 2018 prize, which is to be awarded in early October.&nbsp;

The Norwegian police said Tuesday they had closed an investigation into Donald Trump's fake Nobel Peace Prize nomination after failing to identify the person behind it

The Norwegian police said Tuesday they had closed an investigation into Donald Trump's fake Nobel Peace Prize nomination after failing to identify the person behind it. The Norwegian Nobel Institute filed a police report earlier this year after receiving a seemingly fraudulent nomination of the US president for the prestigious prize. Suspicion mounted that the nomination was submitted by a person suspected of committing identity fraud to appear legitimate, as only a select group of individuals -- including members of parliament and government, former laureates and some university professors -- are entitled to propose names. Also read: This is why Trump could win the Nobel Peace Prize, according to Boris Johnson "The case was closed because the police lack information about the culprit," Tone Bysting, an Oslo police official, told AFP. "We haven't been able to find the (real) identity" of the person behind this "openly fraudulent" nomination, she added. While the US president's nomination is dropped this year, Trump still has a chance next year as a group of 18 House Republicans have nominated him to the Norwegian Nobel Committee "in recognition of his work to end the Korean War, denuclearise the Korean peninsula and bring peace to the region". South Korea's President Moon Jae-in, after his historic summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, also said in late April that Trump deserved the award for his denuclearisation efforts. A Nobel nomination does not necessarily constitute a nod from the Norwegian Nobel Institute since it accepts all applications as long as they are valid. It said it had received 329 valid nominations for the 2018 prize, which is to be awarded in early October.

Trump's fake Nobel nomination to remain a mystery

After <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/donald-trump-should-win-nobel-peace-prize-south-korea-president-133773">South Korea Presiden Moon Jae-Un</a> said that US President Donald Trump should be nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize, Britan's Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson has also suggested that Trump be given the honor if he "fixes" North Korea and the Iran nuclear deal, reports said.&nbsp;

Johnson also said that Trump is as a deserving candidate as for the prize as Barack Obama "who got it before he even did anything," reports quoted him as saying.&nbsp;

Obama had won the prestigious award in 2009, less than a year after entering office.

Johnson's remarks came during his trip to Washington DC where he plans to convince Trump to renew the Iran nuclear deal of 2015. Johnson told Trump that Iran will "go for a bomb" if the deal is scrapped.&nbsp;

On Monday, Trump announced on Twitter that he would make a decision on Tuesday. “I will be announcing my decision on the Iran Deal tomorrow from the White House at 2.00pm,” he wrote.&nbsp;

Johnson said that, if he backs the Iran deal, Trump has as much chance of winning the award as Barack Obama.

Johnson is set to meet the US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo but has no meetings with Trump this week.&nbsp;

Earlier, South Korean President Moon Jae-Un said: "President Trump should win the Nobel Peace Prize. What we need is only peace," Moon told a cabinet meeting, according to a presidential Blue House official who briefed media.

Trump has tamped down expectations from the North Korea talks over its nuclear weapon programme but has claimed credit for making it possible. &nbsp;

Calls have followed for the Nobel Peace Prize for Trump, Kim and South Korea’s Moon Jae-in. According to a leading London bookie, the Korea reconciliation initiative is currently the favorite for the prize in 2018, with Kim and Moon front-ending it. Trump is the next favorite.

Also, loyal supporters of Donald Trump in <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/house-of-representatives-nominate-trump-for-nobel-peace-prize-134374">House of Representatives</a> have nominated the US President's name for Nobel Peace Prize.

The members from House of Representatives have sent a letter to the Norwegian Nobel Committee for their proposal.&nbsp;

The nomination was headed by Indiana's Rep. Luke Messer, who is locked in a fierce GOP primary battle in the Hoosier State for a Senate seat. Besides Messer, other members endorsing the proposal are Freedom Caucus leader Rep. Mark Meadows of North Carolina and Rep. Steve King of Iowa.&nbsp;

Johnson also said that Trump as a deserving candidate as for the prize as Barack Obama 'who got it before he even did anything' reports quoted him as saying

After South Korea Presiden Moon Jae-Un said that US President Donald Trump should be nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize, Britan's Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson has also suggested that Trump be given the honor if he "fixes" North Korea and the Iran nuclear deal, reports said. Johnson also said that Trump is as a deserving candidate as for the prize as Barack Obama "who got it before he even did anything," reports quoted him as saying. Obama had won the prestigious award in 2009, less than a year after entering office. Johnson's remarks came during his trip to Washington DC where he plans to convince Trump to renew the Iran nuclear deal of 2015. Johnson told Trump that Iran will "go for a bomb" if the deal is scrapped. On Monday, Trump announced on Twitter that he would make a decision on Tuesday. “I will be announcing my decision on the Iran Deal tomorrow from the White House at 2.00pm,” he wrote. Johnson said that, if he backs the Iran deal, Trump has as much chance of winning the award as Barack Obama. Johnson is set to meet the US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo but has no meetings with Trump this week. Earlier, South Korean President Moon Jae-Un said: "President Trump should win the Nobel Peace Prize. What we need is only peace," Moon told a cabinet meeting, according to a presidential Blue House official who briefed media. Trump has tamped down expectations from the North Korea talks over its nuclear weapon programme but has claimed credit for making it possible. Calls have followed for the Nobel Peace Prize for Trump, Kim and South Korea’s Moon Jae-in. According to a leading London bookie, the Korea reconciliation initiative is currently the favorite for the prize in 2018, with Kim and Moon front-ending it. Trump is the next favorite. Also, loyal supporters of Donald Trump in House of Representatives have nominated the US President's name for Nobel Peace Prize. The members from House of Representatives have sent a letter to the Norwegian Nobel Committee for their proposal. The nomination was headed by Indiana's Rep. Luke Messer, who is locked in a fierce GOP primary battle in the Hoosier State for a Senate seat. Besides Messer, other members endorsing the proposal are Freedom Caucus leader Rep. Mark Meadows of North Carolina and Rep. Steve King of Iowa.

This is why Trump could win the Nobel Peace Prize, according to Boris Johnson

The Swedish Nobel Academy said today it has postponed this year's Nobel Literature Prize after reports of allegation of sexual assault and rape surrounding the Academy.

The Swedish Academy has been dealing with the fallout of allegations of sexual misconduct by the husband of one of its members.&nbsp;

The controversy over sexual misconduct occurred after photographer Jean-Claude Arnault, who is married to Academy member and author Katarina Frostenson, denied all allegations, regarding sexual misconduct and leaking the names of laureates, ahead of the formal announcement.

This is the first time since 1940 and 1943 due to World War II that the coveted prize has been postponed.

"The Swedish Academy intends to decide on and announce the Nobel Prize in Literature for 2018 in parallel with the naming of the 2019 laureate," the Nobel Academy said.

"The present decision was arrived at in view of the currently diminished Academy and the reduced public confidence in the Academy," it said in a statement.

The Academy said it aimed to award two prizes in 2019.

"Work on the selection of a laureate is at an advanced stage and will continue as usual in the months ahead but the Academy needs time to regain its full complement, engage a larger number of active members and regain confidence in its work, before the next Literature Prize winner is declared," the Nobel Academy said.

The Swedish Academy has been dealing with the fallout of allegations of sexual misconduct by the husband of one of its members.

The Swedish Nobel Academy said today it has postponed this year's Nobel Literature Prize after reports of allegation of sexual assault and rape surrounding the Academy. The Swedish Academy has been dealing with the fallout of allegations of sexual misconduct by the husband of one of its members. The controversy over sexual misconduct occurred after photographer Jean-Claude Arnault, who is married to Academy member and author Katarina Frostenson, denied all allegations, regarding sexual misconduct and leaking the names of laureates, ahead of the formal announcement. This is the first time since 1940 and 1943 due to World War II that the coveted prize has been postponed. "The Swedish Academy intends to decide on and announce the Nobel Prize in Literature for 2018 in parallel with the naming of the 2019 laureate," the Nobel Academy said. "The present decision was arrived at in view of the currently diminished Academy and the reduced public confidence in the Academy," it said in a statement. The Academy said it aimed to award two prizes in 2019. "Work on the selection of a laureate is at an advanced stage and will continue as usual in the months ahead but the Academy needs time to regain its full complement, engage a larger number of active members and regain confidence in its work, before the next Literature Prize winner is declared," the Nobel Academy said.

Nobel Literature Prize postponed over sexual assault allegation

Loyal supporters of Donald Trump in House of Representatives have nominated the US President's name for Nobel Peace Prize.

The members from House of Representatives have sent a letter to the Norwegian Nobel Committee for their proposal.&nbsp;

The nomination was headed by Indiana's Rep. Luke Messer, who is locked in a fierce GOP primary battle in the Hoosier State for a Senate seat.Besides Messer, other members endorsing the proposal are Freedom Caucus leader Rep. Mark Meadows of North Carolina and Rep. Steve King of Iowa.&nbsp;

The members have advocated the nomination by stating that the President deserves the award because of his efforts to end the Korean War and ensuring peace in the peninsula.

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Before Trump, four US Presidents have been bestowed with the award including Barack Obama, Theodore Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson and Jimmy Carter.

While addressing a re-election rally in Michigan on Saturday, US President Donald Trump was welcomed with chants of "Nobel, Nobel" by the crowd.&nbsp;The crowd's&nbsp;chant was in response to Trump's discussion on his efforts in North Korea.

The members have advocated the nomination by stating that the President deserves the award because of his efforts to end the Korean War and ensuring peace in the peninsula

Loyal supporters of Donald Trump in House of Representatives have nominated the US President's name for Nobel Peace Prize. The members from House of Representatives have sent a letter to the Norwegian Nobel Committee for their proposal. The nomination was headed by Indiana's Rep. Luke Messer, who is locked in a fierce GOP primary battle in the Hoosier State for a Senate seat.Besides Messer, other members endorsing the proposal are Freedom Caucus leader Rep. Mark Meadows of North Carolina and Rep. Steve King of Iowa. The members have advocated the nomination by stating that the President deserves the award because of his efforts to end the Korean War and ensuring peace in the peninsula. × Before Trump, four US Presidents have been bestowed with the award including Barack Obama, Theodore Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson and Jimmy Carter. While addressing a re-election rally in Michigan on Saturday, US President Donald Trump was welcomed with chants of "Nobel, Nobel" by the crowd. The crowd's chant was in response to Trump's discussion on his efforts in North Korea.

House of Representatives nominate Trump for Nobel Peace Prize

South Korean President Moon Jae-Un said that US President Donald Trump should win a Nobel Peace Prize for his making the Korea talks possible.&nbsp;

"President Trump should win the Nobel Peace Prize. What we need is only peace," Moon told a cabinet meeting, according to a presidential Blue House official who briefed media.

Trump has tamped down expectations from the North Korea talks over its nuclear weapon programme but has claimed credit for making it possible. &nbsp;

Moon and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on Friday pledged to end hostilities between the two countries and work towards the “complete denuclearisation” of the Korean peninsula in the first inter-Korean summit in more than a decade.

Calls have followed for the Nobel Peace Prize for Trump, Kim and South Korea’s Moon Jae-in. According to a leading London bookie, the Korea reconciliation initiative is currently the favorite for the prize in 2018, with Kim and Moon front-ending it. Trump is the next favorite.

If Trump does indeed land the Nobel, he will be the fifth US president to win it, following Theodore Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson, Jimmy Carter and Barack Obama.

Trump is preparing for his own summit with Kim in late May or early June. That upcoming meeting was the main subject of a private walk and chat that Kim and Moon had during their meeting at the border, the official said.

In January, Moon said Trump "deserves big credit for bringing about the inter-Korean talks. It could be a resulting work of the U.S.-led sanctions and pressure."

Trump has tamped down expectations from the North Korea talks over its nuclear weapon programme but has claimed credit for making it possible.

South Korean President Moon Jae-Un said that US President Donald Trump should win a Nobel Peace Prize for his making the Korea talks possible. "President Trump should win the Nobel Peace Prize. What we need is only peace," Moon told a cabinet meeting, according to a presidential Blue House official who briefed media. Trump has tamped down expectations from the North Korea talks over its nuclear weapon programme but has claimed credit for making it possible. Moon and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on Friday pledged to end hostilities between the two countries and work towards the “complete denuclearisation” of the Korean peninsula in the first inter-Korean summit in more than a decade. Calls have followed for the Nobel Peace Prize for Trump, Kim and South Korea’s Moon Jae-in. According to a leading London bookie, the Korea reconciliation initiative is currently the favorite for the prize in 2018, with Kim and Moon front-ending it. Trump is the next favorite. If Trump does indeed land the Nobel, he will be the fifth US president to win it, following Theodore Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson, Jimmy Carter and Barack Obama. Trump is preparing for his own summit with Kim in late May or early June. That upcoming meeting was the main subject of a private walk and chat that Kim and Moon had during their meeting at the border, the official said. In January, Moon said Trump "deserves big credit for bringing about the inter-Korean talks. It could be a resulting work of the U.S.-led sanctions and pressure."

Donald Trump should win Nobel Peace Prize: South Korea President

Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai says she has pined for her home in Pakistan's picturesque Swat Valley, even as she recalled two years living in fear under the Taliban's harsh interpretation of Islamic law.

Visiting her homeland for the first time since a Taliban gunman shot her in the head over her blog advocating girls'&nbsp;education, 20-year-old Yousafzai also contradicted Pakistani critics who accuse her of promoting an ideology at odds with the country's Islamic values.

"I am proud of my religion, and I am proud of my country," she told Reuters in an interview at her hotel on Friday.&nbsp;

Wearing a rose-printed headscarf and flowing tunic and trousers - one of many outfits family and friends brought her from Pakistan to Britain, where she is studying at Oxford University - Yousafzai said she was elated at being home.&nbsp;

"I had never been so excited for anything. I've never been so happy before," she said.

On Saturday, Yousafzai flew by helicopter to visit her childhood home in Swat Valley amid heavy security.

"I miss everything about Pakistan ... right from the rivers, the mountains, to even the dirty streets and the garbage around our house, and my friends and how we used to have gossip and talk about our school life, to how we used to fight with our neighbours."

She said she has wanted to return before but, aside from security concerns, there was the hectic pace of school and her entry exams to Oxford, where she began studying last year for a degree in politics, philosophy and economics.

Nobel Prize

Yousafzai's journey to becoming the youngest ever Nobel winner began with the local branch of the hardline Taliban movement taking over her hometown in Swat, about 250 km (160 miles) from the capital, Islamabad, in 2007, when she was 9 years old.

The Tehreek e Taliban Pakistan (TTP) banned television, music and girls'&nbsp;education, and burned about 200 schools, following the example of the 1990s Taliban government in neighbouring Afghanistan, which forcibly excluded women from nearly every aspect of public life.

"I still remember each and every moment, right from the fear while sleeping at night that you might not be alive the next day," Yousafzai said. "The fear that if you are going to school, someone might stop you and throw acid in your face."

Her father was a teacher in a school that educated girls and managed to stay open until early 2009.&nbsp;

After the Pakistani army drove out the Taliban in mid-2009 she became a symbol for girls'&nbsp;education through a blog she wrote for the BBC's Urdu service, which started while the Taliban were still in power, and a documentary "Class Dismissed", that profiled her.

It made her a target. In 2012, a masked gunman boarded her school bus, singled her out and shot her. The Taliban later said it had carried out the attack for her promotion of liberalism.

She was flown to Britain for surgery and has remained abroad since, co-writing a best-selling book "I Am Malala" and starting a foundation advocating girls'&nbsp;education worldwide. 
In 2014 she was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, along with an Indian activist.

Polarizing figure

Though she is perhaps the world's best-known Pakistani, Yousafzai - known almost universally as just "Malala" - is polarizing figure at home, beloved by many but reviled by others.

A group of private schools in Pakistan declared Friday to be "I Am Not Malala Day", for what its spokesman described as her "anti-Islam and anti-Pakistan ideology". That description puzzles Malala.

"I just don't know anything I've said that makes me anti-Pakistan or anti-Islam," she said. "Islam has taught me the importance of peace. Islam has taught me the importance of education. The first word of Islam, or the first word of the Koran, is 'Iqra'&nbsp;which means 'read'."

Government commitment to education was one of the subjects of her meeting on Thursday with Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, whose government, along with the army, helped arrange her trip, including providing security.

"We did talk about education and I appreciated what he has done, but I think there is a lot more that needs to be done. The government promised 4 percent of GDP for education but only so far has increased it to 2.7," she said.

Meetings with the prime minister - as well as other world leaders - might seem a far cry from a schoolgirl's life in the Swat Valley, but Malala said some aspects of her life, like attending Oxford, were longtime dreams.

"My initial plan was that I would continue my education, I would continue speaking out for the girls who cannot go to school ... and one day once I finish my secondary education, I will apply to Oxford," she said.

"So it was in my plan ... I did not know that this attack would happen and I would move to the UK, but I wanted to focus on Pakistan and continue to do as much as I could for girls education."

Roads leading to the 20-year-old education activist's childhood home in Mingora were blocked off earlier in the day, and a helicopter was seen landing at a government guest house about 1 km (half a mile) from her house

Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai says she has pined for her home in Pakistan's picturesque Swat Valley, even as she recalled two years living in fear under the Taliban's harsh interpretation of Islamic law. Visiting her homeland for the first time since a Taliban gunman shot her in the head over her blog advocating girls' education, 20-year-old Yousafzai also contradicted Pakistani critics who accuse her of promoting an ideology at odds with the country's Islamic values. "I am proud of my religion, and I am proud of my country," she told Reuters in an interview at her hotel on Friday. Wearing a rose-printed headscarf and flowing tunic and trousers - one of many outfits family and friends brought her from Pakistan to Britain, where she is studying at Oxford University - Yousafzai said she was elated at being home. "I had never been so excited for anything. I've never been so happy before," she said. On Saturday, Yousafzai flew by helicopter to visit her childhood home in Swat Valley amid heavy security. "I miss everything about Pakistan ... right from the rivers, the mountains, to even the dirty streets and the garbage around our house, and my friends and how we used to have gossip and talk about our school life, to how we used to fight with our neighbours." She said she has wanted to return before but, aside from security concerns, there was the hectic pace of school and her entry exams to Oxford, where she began studying last year for a degree in politics, philosophy and economics. Nobel Prize Yousafzai's journey to becoming the youngest ever Nobel winner began with the local branch of the hardline Taliban movement taking over her hometown in Swat, about 250 km (160 miles) from the capital, Islamabad, in 2007, when she was 9 years old. The Tehreek e Taliban Pakistan (TTP) banned television, music and girls' education, and burned about 200 schools, following the example of the 1990s Taliban government in neighbouring Afghanistan, which forcibly excluded women from nearly every aspect of public life. "I still remember each and every moment, right from the fear while sleeping at night that you might not be alive the next day," Yousafzai said. "The fear that if you are going to school, someone might stop you and throw acid in your face." Her father was a teacher in a school that educated girls and managed to stay open until early 2009. After the Pakistani army drove out the Taliban in mid-2009 she became a symbol for girls' education through a blog she wrote for the BBC's Urdu service, which started while the Taliban were still in power, and a documentary "Class Dismissed", that profiled her. It made her a target. In 2012, a masked gunman boarded her school bus, singled her out and shot her. The Taliban later said it had carried out the attack for her promotion of liberalism. She was flown to Britain for surgery and has remained abroad since, co-writing a best-selling book "I Am Malala" and starting a foundation advocating girls' education worldwide. In 2014 she was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, along with an Indian activist. Polarizing figure Though she is perhaps the world's best-known Pakistani, Yousafzai - known almost universally as just "Malala" - is polarizing figure at home, beloved by many but reviled by others. A group of private schools in Pakistan declared Friday to be "I Am Not Malala Day", for what its spokesman described as her "anti-Islam and anti-Pakistan ideology". That description puzzles Malala. "I just don't know anything I've said that makes me anti-Pakistan or anti-Islam," she said. "Islam has taught me the importance of peace. Islam has taught me the importance of education. The first word of Islam, or the first word of the Koran, is 'Iqra' which means 'read'." Government commitment to education was one of the subjects of her meeting on Thursday with Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, whose government, along with the army, helped arrange her trip, including providing security. "We did talk about education and I appreciated what he has done, but I think there is a lot more that needs to be done. The government promised 4 percent of GDP for education but only so far has increased it to 2.7," she said. Meetings with the prime minister - as well as other world leaders - might seem a far cry from a schoolgirl's life in the Swat Valley, but Malala said some aspects of her life, like attending Oxford, were longtime dreams. "My initial plan was that I would continue my education, I would continue speaking out for the girls who cannot go to school ... and one day once I finish my secondary education, I will apply to Oxford," she said. "So it was in my plan ... I did not know that this attack would happen and I would move to the UK, but I wanted to focus on Pakistan and continue to do as much as I could for girls education."

'I've never been so happy': Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai on visiting hometown in Pakistan

Has Donald Trump really been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize? The Norwegian Nobel Institute said Wednesday it had filed a police report after receiving a seemingly fraudulent nomination for the US president.

&quot;We have good reason to believe that a nomination we received concerning Trump has been falsified,&quot; Nobel Institute director Olav Njolstad told AFP. He refused to provide further details, saying it was for the police to give more information.

Each year, nominations for the Nobel Peace Prize must be submitted by January 31. Among those entitled to propose names are members of parliament and government, former laureates and some university professors.

While the list of candidates is kept secret for at least 50 years, those who nominate are however allowed to disclose their choice.

The Peace Research Institute of Oslo (Prio) said in early February that Trump&#39;s name was on the list.

Like last year, Trump was nominated for his &quot;ideology of peace by force&quot; by an American who did not want his identity revealed, according to Prio, a body independent of the Nobel organisation which closely monitors the nominations revealed publicly.

It is possible that this nomination was submitted by a person suspected of committing identity fraud to appear eligible to nominate.

The Nobel Institute said it had received 329 valid nominations for the 2018 Peace Prize. The five members of the Nobel committee that selects the winner are also allowed to submit names during their first meeting of the year, which was held on Monday.

The name of the 2018 winner will be announced in early October.

Has Donald Trump really been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize?

Has Donald Trump really been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize? The Norwegian Nobel Institute said Wednesday it had filed a police report after receiving a seemingly fraudulent nomination for the US president. "We have good reason to believe that a nomination we received concerning Trump has been falsified," Nobel Institute director Olav Njolstad told AFP. He refused to provide further details, saying it was for the police to give more information. Each year, nominations for the Nobel Peace Prize must be submitted by January 31. Among those entitled to propose names are members of parliament and government, former laureates and some university professors. While the list of candidates is kept secret for at least 50 years, those who nominate are however allowed to disclose their choice. The Peace Research Institute of Oslo (Prio) said in early February that Trump's name was on the list. Like last year, Trump was nominated for his "ideology of peace by force" by an American who did not want his identity revealed, according to Prio, a body independent of the Nobel organisation which closely monitors the nominations revealed publicly. It is possible that this nomination was submitted by a person suspected of committing identity fraud to appear eligible to nominate. The Nobel Institute said it had received 329 valid nominations for the 2018 Peace Prize. The five members of the Nobel committee that selects the winner are also allowed to submit names during their first meeting of the year, which was held on Monday. The name of the 2018 winner will be announced in early October.

Is Trump's Nobel Peace Prize nomination fake?

Olympic officials played down a suggestion that the unified Korean ice hockey team could be nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize on Tuesday and said there had been &quot;no formal discussion&quot; about proposing IOC chief Thomas Bach for the honour.

Mark Adams, a spokesman for the International Olympic Committee, said there had been &quot;no consideration whatsoever&quot; within the body of nominating the joint Korean team, following a suggestion by American IOC member Angela Ruggiero.

&quot;From an IOC administrative level, there&#39;s been no consideration whatsoever of this. Obviously, members are able to have their own personal views... but there&#39;s been no discussion,&quot; he said.

When asked if Bach should be proposed for the prize, after helping broker North Korea&#39;s attendance, Adams said: &quot;There&#39;s no formal discussion yet at all.&quot;

Bach is scheduled to visit North Korea after the Games, where their athletes marched together with South Korea at the opening ceremony. The two Koreas also formed their first unified Olympic team in the women&#39;s ice hockey.

North Korea&#39;s participation has triggered a burst of reconciliation with South Korea, including a visit by Kim Jong Un&#39;s sister Kim Yo Jong and an invitation to Pyongyang for South Korean leader Moon Jae-in.

Ruggiero, who is head of the IOC athletes commission and a former Olympic ice hockey gold medallist, said it was a personal opinion that the Korean team should be nominated.

&quot;I have heard a lot of support from other members just saying this is symbolic, this is what the Olympics is all about,&quot; she said.&nbsp;

&quot;It&#39;s not about an individual or&nbsp;sport&nbsp;or country. I&#39;m happy that it&#39;s resonated that way and it&#39;s starting the conversation and encouraged to have that dialogue with other members and all stakeholders for that matter.&quot;

Despite the rapid warming of ties -- which follows months of missile tests and threats of war -- some South Koreans are sceptical and US Vice-President Mike Pence warned the North was trying to &quot;hijack&quot; the Games.

In an interview with AFP on Monday, Bach dismissed fears North Korea was using the Games for political purposes, calling their participation a purely sporting matter.

&quot;This is about the sport&nbsp;and this the IOC made very clear,&quot; Bach said. &quot;This is about the role of&nbsp;sport&nbsp;to build bridges, to open doors and nothing more.&quot;

At the joint team&#39;s opening match -- an 8-0 thrashing by Switzerland -- Bach sat with Moon to his right and the North Korean delegation to his left, and addressed the players afterwards.

&quot;You&#39;ve given everything, you&#39;ve fought well and tomorrow you&#39;ll come to understand the full importance and significance of this,&quot; Adams quoted Bach as telling the team.

&nbsp;

Unified Korean ice hockey team could be nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize

Olympic officials played down a suggestion that the unified Korean ice hockey team could be nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize on Tuesday and said there had been "no formal discussion" about proposing IOC chief Thomas Bach for the honour. Mark Adams, a spokesman for the International Olympic Committee, said there had been "no consideration whatsoever" within the body of nominating the joint Korean team, following a suggestion by American IOC member Angela Ruggiero. "From an IOC administrative level, there's been no consideration whatsoever of this. Obviously, members are able to have their own personal views... but there's been no discussion," he said. When asked if Bach should be proposed for the prize, after helping broker North Korea's attendance, Adams said: "There's no formal discussion yet at all." Bach is scheduled to visit North Korea after the Games, where their athletes marched together with South Korea at the opening ceremony. The two Koreas also formed their first unified Olympic team in the women's ice hockey. North Korea's participation has triggered a burst of reconciliation with South Korea, including a visit by Kim Jong Un's sister Kim Yo Jong and an invitation to Pyongyang for South Korean leader Moon Jae-in. Ruggiero, who is head of the IOC athletes commission and a former Olympic ice hockey gold medallist, said it was a personal opinion that the Korean team should be nominated. "I have heard a lot of support from other members just saying this is symbolic, this is what the Olympics is all about," she said. "It's not about an individual or sport or country. I'm happy that it's resonated that way and it's starting the conversation and encouraged to have that dialogue with other members and all stakeholders for that matter." Despite the rapid warming of ties -- which follows months of missile tests and threats of war -- some South Koreans are sceptical and US Vice-President Mike Pence warned the North was trying to "hijack" the Games. In an interview with AFP on Monday, Bach dismissed fears North Korea was using the Games for political purposes, calling their participation a purely sporting matter. "This is about the sport and this the IOC made very clear," Bach said. "This is about the role of sport to build bridges, to open doors and nothing more." At the joint team's opening match -- an 8-0 thrashing by Switzerland -- Bach sat with Moon to his right and the North Korean delegation to his left, and addressed the players afterwards. "You've given everything, you've fought well and tomorrow you'll come to understand the full importance and significance of this," Adams quoted Bach as telling the team.

Bach for Nobel peace prize? No 'formal discussion' says IOC

On January 30th, 1948, Gandhiji was killed. This year marks his 70th death anniversary. Twice every year, on Gandhi&#39;s birthday on 2nd October and his death anniversary on 30 January, the country remembers the &#39;Father of the Nation&#39;. Both these dates are celebrated amidst much fanfare; there are seminars and conferences across the country. Long lectures abound. Intellectuals and politicians prepare notes of their speeches based on Gandhi&#39;s ideas.&nbsp;

But, sadly, soon with the end of these occasions, Gandhi&#39;s ideas are put into the freezer.&nbsp;

India respects Gandhi but ignores his message

Gandhiji&#39;s unifying role in bringing together a country as diverse as India is beyond question. However, his contribution has been largely forgotten by the state and the society. This collective amnesia is best proven in instances where government employees, unhesitatingly, take bribes in front of the framed pictures of Mahatma Gandhi which adorns almost all government offices of India.

The blood of the common men of India fills up the pocket of these corrupt officials. They lie, prepare incorrect reports and fool the citizens of the nation.

Possibly, all the major crossings of the country have a statue of Gandhiji. But that does not deter anyone from committing some of the heinous crimes on the roads and streets of India.&nbsp;

Gandhi said, see no evil, speak no evil and don&#39;t listen to evil. However, we have learned not to pay heed to the most basic tenets of Gandhi&#39;s teachings. We continue, unhindered, to witness, speak and listen to evil.&nbsp;

The civil society stands in full support whenever it feels the freedom of expression is threatened but no one is willing to take responsibility for expressing the ideas concerned.&nbsp;

Gandhi&#39;s global influence

In the history of human civilisation, Gandhi is unique for devising an unprecedented strategy of protest. He proved that one can oppose a powerful and oppressive regime without shedding a drop of blood. Without hurting anyone physically, through the most peaceful of means, one can bring about a change.&nbsp;

Gandhi&#39;s ideas of non-violence and non-cooperation were an inspiration to the rest of the world. The human rights activist Martin Luther King who fought civil rights of the African-Americans took his political and ideological lessons from Gandhi.

Similarly, South Africa&#39;s Nelson Mandela infused his politics with Gandhi&#39;s ideas and action plans.&nbsp;

It is undeniable, how 70 years after his death, Gandhi continues to be relevant to the rest of the world.&nbsp;

Barack Obama, the former US president, acknowledged Gandhi&#39;s influence on him. We will hardly find a political leader in India who ends his speech without mentioning or quoting Gandhi.&nbsp; Not to mention, one political family in India who retained power through decades using their &#39;Gandhi&#39; surname.

Notwithstanding the profound influence that Gandhi had across space and time, he did not receive the Nobel prize. Perhaps, Gandhi was bigger than the prize. But another question crops up whether there was a secret agenda that denied Gandhi of the Nobel Peace Prize. After all, the politics surrounding the Nobel Prize is pretty well known to anyone who cares to explore.&nbsp;

Why did Gandhi not get the Nobel Peace Prize?

Now, the committee responsible for awarding the Nobel prize regrets that they did not give Gandhi the award when he was alive and fighting for India&#39;s freedom against a mighty opponent. What people, generally, think is that Norway&#39;s Nobel Prize Committee did not want to upset the Britishers who were India&#39;s colonial master.&nbsp;

But in reality, appeasement was not the only reason.

Gandhi was nominated 5 times for the Nobel prize: in 1937, 1938, 1939, 1947 and in 1948.

In the first instance, a member of Norway&#39;s Parliament proposed Gandhi&#39;s name but it was overlooked by the committee.

Our research revealed a letter written by Prof. Jacob Worm-Muller who served as a consultant advisor to the committee. Reading the letter makes it very clear that Worm-Muller praised Gandhi but he also mentioned that he can not trust the latter&#39;s personality.

&quot;He is undoubtedly a good, noble and ascetic person &mdash; a prominent man who is deservedly honored and loved by the masses of India. But there are sharp turns in his policies, which can hardly be satisfactorily explained by his followers. He is a freedom fighter and a dictator, an idealist and a nationalist. He is frequently a Christ, but then, suddenly, an ordinary politician&quot;

Jacob Muller presented his thought in the year 1937 in front of the Committee. There were a lot of people at that time who were unable to understand Gandhi&#39;s ideology. Because, on the one hand, he was living a life of a saint, on the other hand, he was a lawyer. Gandhi while speaking about truth, non-violence and morality, was also fully aware of the working of the colonial machinery. This knowledge of the colonial system enabled Mahatma to counter the colonial rule like a seasoned politician. This is what the Nobel Committee, perhaps, found confusing. Is Gandhi a saint or a politician.

Prof. Muller also wrote that Gandhi was not completely non-violent. Muller said that Gandhi&#39;s nationalism is limited to the Indians. Even in South Africa, Gandhi&#39;s action was limited to the Indian communities living there.&nbsp;

What Prof. Muller mentioned about Gandhiji was unfortunate as Nelson Mandela and Martin Luther King got the Nobel prize. And they were themselves a follower of Gandhi. It is very surprising that those who were inspired by Gandhi got the Nobel prize, but Gandhi did not.

Though Gandhi never expected any prize as an acknowledgment for his work.

After 1937, Gandhi was nominated in 1938 and 1939, but his name was not even shortlisted.

In 1947, it was expected that Gandhi will receive the Nobel but again the committee did not consider him.

It was happening because there were many powerful forces that were influencing the decisions of the Nobel Committee and there were some international media houses too behind this who acted against Gandhi&#39;s nomination.

Jens Arup Seip, the advisor of Nobel Prize Committee, supported Gandhi&#39;s case in 1947 but even then he did not receive the prize.&nbsp;

&nbsp;Seip&#39;s report gives a detailed account of the events that happened during 1937 to 1947. In 1947, Gandhiji was one among other 6 listed candidates but over Gandhi&#39;s name, there was a huge conflict among the jury members.

During that time, Gandhiji said in a rally that, &quot;If such practice would continue that India might declare war against Pakistan&quot;

This report was published in Britain&#39;s newspaper &quot;The Times&quot; which went against Gandhi. Consequently, 3 of 5 jury members voted against him and Gandhi did not receive the Nobel Prize.

While the Nobel Committee kept itself busy trying to find violence in the non-violent politics of Mahatma, it did not hesitate to award the Nobel Peace Prize to Theodore Roosevelt. Roosevelt, a US president, had been a career soldier. He had participated in several wars but Nobel Committee chose to forget all that and focused only on Roosevelt&#39;s effort to stop the war between Russia and Japan in 1905.

In the year 1948, Gandhiji had a huge chance of winning the Nobel prize but 2 days before the announcement, Gandhi was assassinated. There had been no tradition of posthumous awarding of Nobel prize. Even then there was a buzz that Gandhi might be the first one to receive it after death but in absence of a trust or organisation which could have taken the prize in Gandhi&#39;s absence, the idea was aborted.&nbsp;

That year the Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to no one. On Gandhi&#39;s 70th death anniversary, the Nobel Committee paid its tribute to Gandhi, stating &quot;That year, the Nobel Committee decided to make no award on the grounds that &quot;there was no suitable living candidate&quot;. This definitely implies that Gandhi was the chosen candidate in 1948 and death robbed him of that honour.&nbsp;

In 1989, while awarding Dalai Lama of the Nobel Peace Prize, the Committee openly admitted that it was a mistake not to award Gandhiji.&nbsp;

Gandhiji, history has proven, does not need the Nobel Prize to exercise his influence across the world. But the Nobel Committee needs Gandhiji to enhance its stature. If the Nobel Committee wants, it can rectify its past mistake easily. Even new laws can be brought about to honour a great man like Gandhiji. Perhaps, it is about time that the Nobel Committee considers Mahatma Gandhi as the first posthumous awardee of the Nobel Prize.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)&nbsp;&nbsp;

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Colonial politics of the time, particularly the prejudice of the Nobel Committee and its lack of understanding of the many contradiction of Gandhi's political career robbed Mahatma Gandhi of Nobel Peace Prize.

On January 30th, 1948, Gandhiji was killed. This year marks his 70th death anniversary. Twice every year, on Gandhi's birthday on 2nd October and his death anniversary on 30 January, the country remembers the 'Father of the Nation'. Both these dates are celebrated amidst much fanfare; there are seminars and conferences across the country. Long lectures abound. Intellectuals and politicians prepare notes of their speeches based on Gandhi's ideas. But, sadly, soon with the end of these occasions, Gandhi's ideas are put into the freezer. India respects Gandhi but ignores his message Gandhiji's unifying role in bringing together a country as diverse as India is beyond question. However, his contribution has been largely forgotten by the state and the society. This collective amnesia is best proven in instances where government employees, unhesitatingly, take bribes in front of the framed pictures of Mahatma Gandhi which adorns almost all government offices of India. The blood of the common men of India fills up the pocket of these corrupt officials. They lie, prepare incorrect reports and fool the citizens of the nation. Possibly, all the major crossings of the country have a statue of Gandhiji. But that does not deter anyone from committing some of the heinous crimes on the roads and streets of India. Gandhi said, see no evil, speak no evil and don't listen to evil. However, we have learned not to pay heed to the most basic tenets of Gandhi's teachings. We continue, unhindered, to witness, speak and listen to evil. The civil society stands in full support whenever it feels the freedom of expression is threatened but no one is willing to take responsibility for expressing the ideas concerned. Gandhi's global influence In the history of human civilisation, Gandhi is unique for devising an unprecedented strategy of protest. He proved that one can oppose a powerful and oppressive regime without shedding a drop of blood. Without hurting anyone physically, through the most peaceful of means, one can bring about a change. Gandhi's ideas of non-violence and non-cooperation were an inspiration to the rest of the world. The human rights activist Martin Luther King who fought civil rights of the African-Americans took his political and ideological lessons from Gandhi. Similarly, South Africa's Nelson Mandela infused his politics with Gandhi's ideas and action plans. It is undeniable, how 70 years after his death, Gandhi continues to be relevant to the rest of the world. Barack Obama, the former US president, acknowledged Gandhi's influence on him. We will hardly find a political leader in India who ends his speech without mentioning or quoting Gandhi. Not to mention, one political family in India who retained power through decades using their 'Gandhi' surname. Notwithstanding the profound influence that Gandhi had across space and time, he did not receive the Nobel prize. Perhaps, Gandhi was bigger than the prize. But another question crops up whether there was a secret agenda that denied Gandhi of the Nobel Peace Prize. After all, the politics surrounding the Nobel Prize is pretty well known to anyone who cares to explore. Why did Gandhi not get the Nobel Peace Prize? Now, the committee responsible for awarding the Nobel prize regrets that they did not give Gandhi the award when he was alive and fighting for India's freedom against a mighty opponent. What people, generally, think is that Norway's Nobel Prize Committee did not want to upset the Britishers who were India's colonial master. But in reality, appeasement was not the only reason. Gandhi was nominated 5 times for the Nobel prize: in 1937, 1938, 1939, 1947 and in 1948. In the first instance, a member of Norway's Parliament proposed Gandhi's name but it was overlooked by the committee. Our research revealed a letter written by Prof. Jacob Worm-Muller who served as a consultant advisor to the committee. Reading the letter makes it very clear that Worm-Muller praised Gandhi but he also mentioned that he can not trust the latter's personality. "He is undoubtedly a good, noble and ascetic person — a prominent man who is deservedly honored and loved by the masses of India. But there are sharp turns in his policies, which can hardly be satisfactorily explained by his followers. He is a freedom fighter and a dictator, an idealist and a nationalist. He is frequently a Christ, but then, suddenly, an ordinary politician" Jacob Muller presented his thought in the year 1937 in front of the Committee. There were a lot of people at that time who were unable to understand Gandhi's ideology. Because, on the one hand, he was living a life of a saint, on the other hand, he was a lawyer. Gandhi while speaking about truth, non-violence and morality, was also fully aware of the working of the colonial machinery. This knowledge of the colonial system enabled Mahatma to counter the colonial rule like a seasoned politician. This is what the Nobel Committee, perhaps, found confusing. Is Gandhi a saint or a politician. Prof. Muller also wrote that Gandhi was not completely non-violent. Muller said that Gandhi's nationalism is limited to the Indians. Even in South Africa, Gandhi's action was limited to the Indian communities living there. What Prof. Muller mentioned about Gandhiji was unfortunate as Nelson Mandela and Martin Luther King got the Nobel prize. And they were themselves a follower of Gandhi. It is very surprising that those who were inspired by Gandhi got the Nobel prize, but Gandhi did not. Though Gandhi never expected any prize as an acknowledgment for his work. After 1937, Gandhi was nominated in 1938 and 1939, but his name was not even shortlisted. In 1947, it was expected that Gandhi will receive the Nobel but again the committee did not consider him. It was happening because there were many powerful forces that were influencing the decisions of the Nobel Committee and there were some international media houses too behind this who acted against Gandhi's nomination. Jens Arup Seip, the advisor of Nobel Prize Committee, supported Gandhi's case in 1947 but even then he did not receive the prize. Seip's report gives a detailed account of the events that happened during 1937 to 1947. In 1947, Gandhiji was one among other 6 listed candidates but over Gandhi's name, there was a huge conflict among the jury members. During that time, Gandhiji said in a rally that, "If such practice would continue that India might declare war against Pakistan" This report was published in Britain's newspaper "The Times" which went against Gandhi. Consequently, 3 of 5 jury members voted against him and Gandhi did not receive the Nobel Prize. While the Nobel Committee kept itself busy trying to find violence in the non-violent politics of Mahatma, it did not hesitate to award the Nobel Peace Prize to Theodore Roosevelt. Roosevelt, a US president, had been a career soldier. He had participated in several wars but Nobel Committee chose to forget all that and focused only on Roosevelt's effort to stop the war between Russia and Japan in 1905. In the year 1948, Gandhiji had a huge chance of winning the Nobel prize but 2 days before the announcement, Gandhi was assassinated. There had been no tradition of posthumous awarding of Nobel prize. Even then there was a buzz that Gandhi might be the first one to receive it after death but in absence of a trust or organisation which could have taken the prize in Gandhi's absence, the idea was aborted. That year the Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to no one. On Gandhi's 70th death anniversary, the Nobel Committee paid its tribute to Gandhi, stating "That year, the Nobel Committee decided to make no award on the grounds that "there was no suitable living candidate". This definitely implies that Gandhi was the chosen candidate in 1948 and death robbed him of that honour. In 1989, while awarding Dalai Lama of the Nobel Peace Prize, the Committee openly admitted that it was a mistake not to award Gandhiji. Gandhiji, history has proven, does not need the Nobel Prize to exercise his influence across the world. But the Nobel Committee needs Gandhiji to enhance its stature. If the Nobel Committee wants, it can rectify its past mistake easily. Even new laws can be brought about to honour a great man like Gandhiji. Perhaps, it is about time that the Nobel Committee considers Mahatma Gandhi as the first posthumous awardee of the Nobel Prize. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Opinion: Why Gandhiji did not get the Nobel Prize

Sunday night annual Nobel banquet was a stylish event with ice-themed dinner -- florists, lighting designers and chefs flew in for the special occasion.

The night was kept a secret from the attendees as they got surprised when they reached the venue,&nbsp;Stockholm&#39;s Bl&aring; Hallen (Blue Hall).

The grand hall is generally used for state visits, balls and other large events.&nbsp;

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
At the Nobel Prize banquet in Stockholm City Hall this evening. 
 
Photos: Alexander Mahmoud/Nobel Media <a href="https://t.co/0b3ZDVMIU3">pic.twitter.com/0b3ZDVMIU3</a>
&mdash; The Nobel Prize (@NobelPrize) <a href="https://twitter.com/NobelPrize/status/939993103825596416?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 10, 2017</a></blockquote>
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Backstage and on stage at the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NobelPrize?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NobelPrize</a> award ceremony! 
 
Photos: Alexander Mahmoud / Nobel Media. <a href="https://t.co/S54Pe19tXP">pic.twitter.com/S54Pe19tXP</a>
&mdash; The Nobel Prize (@NobelPrize) <a href="https://twitter.com/NobelPrize/status/939918740526952449?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 10, 2017</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
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Watch John Legend perform at this year&#39;s prize distribution ceremony:&nbsp;

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Did you catch <a href="https://twitter.com/johnlegend?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@johnlegend</a> performing at this year&#39;s Nobel Peace Prize award ceremony? Watch his performance of Bob Marley&#39;s Redemption Song <a href="https://t.co/QgXARopjJf">https://t.co/QgXARopjJf</a> <a href="https://t.co/39DQuaCcw8">pic.twitter.com/39DQuaCcw8</a>
&mdash; The Nobel Prize (@NobelPrize) <a href="https://twitter.com/NobelPrize/status/939904550068215809?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 10, 2017</a></blockquote>
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While there was experimentation in food style and cuisine including offering culinary variations inspired by the northern lights and ice, the florists and decorators were&nbsp;also inspired by this Nordic theme.

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Watch the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NobelPrize?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NobelPrize</a> Banquet&rsquo;s starter be carefully crafted! 
 
Pressed and dried Jerusalem artichoke is served with kohlrabi flowers flavoured with ginger and lightly roasted cabbage broth, composed by chef Tom Sj&ouml;stedt. <a href="https://t.co/NF6dqeAenu">pic.twitter.com/NF6dqeAenu</a>
&mdash; The Nobel Prize (@NobelPrize) <a href="https://twitter.com/NobelPrize/status/939929338069291009?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 10, 2017</a></blockquote>
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The event started at 19:00 on Sunday and concluded with awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo.&nbsp;&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Bare brick interior was turned into the stylish venue for Sunday's annual banquet

Sunday night annual Nobel banquet was a stylish event with ice-themed dinner -- florists, lighting designers and chefs flew in for the special occasion. The night was kept a secret from the attendees as they got surprised when they reached the venue, Stockholm's Blå Hallen (Blue Hall). The grand hall is generally used for state visits, balls and other large events. At the Nobel Prize banquet in Stockholm City Hall this evening. Photos: Alexander Mahmoud/Nobel Media pic.twitter.com/0b3ZDVMIU3 — The Nobel Prize (@NobelPrize) December 10, 2017 × Backstage and on stage at the #NobelPrize award ceremony! Photos: Alexander Mahmoud / Nobel Media. pic.twitter.com/S54Pe19tXP — The Nobel Prize (@NobelPrize) December 10, 2017 × Watch John Legend perform at this year's prize distribution ceremony: Did you catch @johnlegend performing at this year's Nobel Peace Prize award ceremony? Watch his performance of Bob Marley's Redemption Song https://t.co/QgXARopjJf pic.twitter.com/39DQuaCcw8 — The Nobel Prize (@NobelPrize) December 10, 2017 × While there was experimentation in food style and cuisine including offering culinary variations inspired by the northern lights and ice, the florists and decorators were also inspired by this Nordic theme. Watch the #NobelPrize Banquet’s starter be carefully crafted! Pressed and dried Jerusalem artichoke is served with kohlrabi flowers flavoured with ginger and lightly roasted cabbage broth, composed by chef Tom Sjöstedt. pic.twitter.com/NF6dqeAenu — The Nobel Prize (@NobelPrize) December 10, 2017 × The event started at 19:00 on Sunday and concluded with awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo.

Watch: Inside the grand, ice-themed Nobel Peace Prize banquet

Mankind&#39;s destruction caused by a nuclear war is just one &quot;impulsive tantrum away&quot;, the winners of the Nobel Peace Prize, the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN), warned on Sunday as the United States and North Korea exchange threats over the nation&#39;s nuclear tests.

&quot;Will it be the end of nuclear weapons, or will it be the end of us?&quot; ICAN head Beatrice Fihn said in a speech after receiving the peace prize on behalf of the anti-nuclear group.

Tensions on the Korean peninsula have spiralled as Pyongyang has in recent months ramped up its number of missiles and nuclear tests.

North Korea&#39;s leader Kim Jong-Un has exchanged warlike threats with US President Donald Trump, who has ordered a military show of force.

&quot;The only rational course of action is to cease living under the conditions where our mutual destruction is only one impulsive tantrum away,&quot; Fihn added.&nbsp;

ICAN, a coalition of hundreds of NGOs around the world, has worked for a treaty banning nuclear weapons which was adopted in July by 122 countries.

The text was weakened by the absence of the nine nuclear powers among the signatories.

In an apparent snub of the ICAN-backed treaty, the three western nuclear powers -- the US, France and Britain -- broke with tradition by sending second-ranking diplomats rather than their ambassadors to Sunday&#39;s ceremony.

&#39;Bruised ego&#39;

Supporters of nuclear weapons argue that they serve as a deterrent for starting a major conflict as it would guarantee mutual destruction for the nations involved.&nbsp;

&quot;They are a madman&#39;s gun held permanently to our temple,&quot; Fihn said.

&quot;These weapons were supposed to keep us free, but they deny us our freedoms.&quot;

Berit Reiss-Andersen, chairman of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, said in her lecture during the ceremony that ICAN&#39;s &quot;message resonates with millions of people who perceive that the threat of nuclear war is greater than it has been for a long time, not least due to the situation in North Korea.&quot;

Senior UN envoy Jeffrey Feltman on Saturday warned there was a grave risk that a miscalculation could trigger conflict with Pyongyang and urged the reclusive state to keep communication channels open.

Kim and Trump have taunted each other in recent months, with the US President pejoratively dubbing his rival &quot;Little Rocket Man&quot; and a &quot;sick puppy&quot;.

&quot;A moment of panic or carelessness, a misconstrued comment or bruised ego could easily lead us unavoidably to the destruction of entire cities,&quot; Fihn said.

Hiroshima remembered&nbsp;

Several survivors of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki nuclear bombings, which killed more than 220,000 people 72 years ago, attended the ceremony in the Oslo City Hall.

One of them, Setsuko Thurlow, received the Nobel on behalf of ICAN jointly with Fihn.&nbsp;

Speaking to AFP ahead of the ceremony, Thurlow recalled the horrific aftermath of the first atomic bomb in Hiroshima on August 6, 1945, when she was 13 years old.

Thurlow described corpses lying on the ground, the injured and dying calling for help and the survivors looking like &quot;a procession of ghosts&quot;.

&quot;The hair was standing up and they were all burned on the skin and their flesh was hanging from their bones,&quot; she said.

&quot;Some were carrying their eyeballs. It just was like hell on earth,&quot; added the 85-year-old who now lives in Canada and uses a wheelchair.

&#39;Heed our warning&#39;&nbsp;

Although the number of nuclear weapons has dropped since the end of the Cold War, there are still around 15,000 atomic bombs on earth.

&quot;Listen to our testimony. Heed our warning. And know that your actions are consequential,&quot; Thurlow said during her speech at the ceremony, referring to the leaders of nuclear-armed nations.

The Nobel prizes in literature, physics, chemistry, medicine and economics were to be awarded later on Sunday at a separate ceremony in Stockholm.

Each prize consists of a diploma, a gold medal and a cheque for nine million Swedish kroner (900,000 euros).

'Will it be the end of nuclear weapons, or will it be the end of us?' ICAN head Beatrice Fihn said in a speech Sunday after receiving the peace prize

Mankind's destruction caused by a nuclear war is just one "impulsive tantrum away", the winners of the Nobel Peace Prize, the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN), warned on Sunday as the United States and North Korea exchange threats over the nation's nuclear tests. "Will it be the end of nuclear weapons, or will it be the end of us?" ICAN head Beatrice Fihn said in a speech after receiving the peace prize on behalf of the anti-nuclear group. Tensions on the Korean peninsula have spiralled as Pyongyang has in recent months ramped up its number of missiles and nuclear tests. North Korea's leader Kim Jong-Un has exchanged warlike threats with US President Donald Trump, who has ordered a military show of force. "The only rational course of action is to cease living under the conditions where our mutual destruction is only one impulsive tantrum away," Fihn added. ICAN, a coalition of hundreds of NGOs around the world, has worked for a treaty banning nuclear weapons which was adopted in July by 122 countries. The text was weakened by the absence of the nine nuclear powers among the signatories. In an apparent snub of the ICAN-backed treaty, the three western nuclear powers -- the US, France and Britain -- broke with tradition by sending second-ranking diplomats rather than their ambassadors to Sunday's ceremony. 'Bruised ego' Supporters of nuclear weapons argue that they serve as a deterrent for starting a major conflict as it would guarantee mutual destruction for the nations involved. "They are a madman's gun held permanently to our temple," Fihn said. "These weapons were supposed to keep us free, but they deny us our freedoms." Berit Reiss-Andersen, chairman of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, said in her lecture during the ceremony that ICAN's "message resonates with millions of people who perceive that the threat of nuclear war is greater than it has been for a long time, not least due to the situation in North Korea." Senior UN envoy Jeffrey Feltman on Saturday warned there was a grave risk that a miscalculation could trigger conflict with Pyongyang and urged the reclusive state to keep communication channels open. Kim and Trump have taunted each other in recent months, with the US President pejoratively dubbing his rival "Little Rocket Man" and a "sick puppy". "A moment of panic or carelessness, a misconstrued comment or bruised ego could easily lead us unavoidably to the destruction of entire cities," Fihn said. Hiroshima remembered Several survivors of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki nuclear bombings, which killed more than 220,000 people 72 years ago, attended the ceremony in the Oslo City Hall. One of them, Setsuko Thurlow, received the Nobel on behalf of ICAN jointly with Fihn. Speaking to AFP ahead of the ceremony, Thurlow recalled the horrific aftermath of the first atomic bomb in Hiroshima on August 6, 1945, when she was 13 years old. Thurlow described corpses lying on the ground, the injured and dying calling for help and the survivors looking like "a procession of ghosts". "The hair was standing up and they were all burned on the skin and their flesh was hanging from their bones," she said. "Some were carrying their eyeballs. It just was like hell on earth," added the 85-year-old who now lives in Canada and uses a wheelchair. 'Heed our warning' Although the number of nuclear weapons has dropped since the end of the Cold War, there are still around 15,000 atomic bombs on earth. "Listen to our testimony. Heed our warning. And know that your actions are consequential," Thurlow said during her speech at the ceremony, referring to the leaders of nuclear-armed nations. The Nobel prizes in literature, physics, chemistry, medicine and economics were to be awarded later on Sunday at a separate ceremony in Stockholm. Each prize consists of a diploma, a gold medal and a cheque for nine million Swedish kroner (900,000 euros).

Nobel Peace Prize winners warn nuclear war is an 'impulsive tantrum away'

Pope Francis will hold talks with Myanmar&#39;s leader Aung San Suu Kyi on Tuesday, a key moment of a tour aimed at alleviating religious and ethnic hatreds that have driven huge numbers of Muslim Rohingya from the country.&nbsp;

Suu Kyi, a Nobel Peace Prize winner, has been ostracised by a global rights community that once adored her but is now outraged at her tepid reaction to the plight of the Rohingya.

After the talks in the capital Naypyidaw, the pontiff will address Suu Kyi and diplomats there -- his first opportunity to speak publicly about the conflict that looms over his trip.

The 80-year-old pontiff late Monday received a &quot;courtesy visit&quot; from the powerful army chief Min Aung Hlaing -- whose troops, according to the UN and US, have waged a campaign of ethnic cleansing against the Rohingya from Rakhine state.&nbsp;

General Min Aung Hlaing has firmly denied allegations of widespread brutality by his forces, despite the flight to Bangladesh since late August of 620,000 Rohingya who have recounted widespread cases of rape, murder and arson.

His office said he told the pope there was &quot;no discrimination&quot; in Myanmar, and praised his military for maintaining &quot;the peace and stability of the country&quot;.

The pope has repeatedly spoken out from afar about the crisis, standing up for what he has called his Rohingya &quot;brothers and sisters&quot;.

A similar approach in Myanmar is fraught with danger -- using the term &quot;Rohingya&quot; is unacceptable in a mainly Buddhist country where the Muslim minority are denied citizenship and branded illegal &quot;Bengali&quot; immigrants.

The country is listening closely to see if Francis will use the word &quot;Rohingya&quot; on Myanmar soil, and risk provoking the outrage of Buddhist nationalists.

Early Tuesday, day two of his four-day visit, the pontiff met leaders from Buddhist, Muslim, Baptist and Jewish faiths in Yangon.

The conversation centred around themes of unity in diversity, with the pope sharing a prayer and giving a &quot;very, very beautiful speech&quot;, according to Sammy Samuels, a representative from the small Jewish community.&nbsp;

Francis flies up to Naypyidaw Tuesday afternoon to meet Aung San Suu Kyi.

The Lady, as she is fondly known in Myanmar, finally came to power after elections in 2015 but has fallen from grace internationally for not doing more to stand up to the army in defence of the Rohingya -- whose name she will not publicly utter.

Rights groups have clamoured for Suu Kyi to be stripped of her peace prize. Oxford, the English city she once called home, on Monday removed her Freedom of the City award for her &quot;inaction&quot; in the face of oppression of the Rohingya.

Catholics congregate

So far, the pontiff has received a warm welcome to the majority Buddhist nation.

Myanmar&#39;s Catholic community numbers just over one percent of the country&#39;s 51 million people.

But some 200,000 Catholics are pouring into the commercial capital Yangon from all corners of the country ahead of a huge, open-air mass on Wednesday.

Zaw Sai, 52, from Kachin state, found space for himself and his family to camp out in a churchyard.&nbsp;

&quot;We feel very pleased because we are from different ethnicities but are one in our religion,&quot; he told AFP. &nbsp;

Just days before the papal visit, Myanmar and Bangladesh signed a deal to start repatriating Rohingya refugees within two months.

But details of the agreement -- including the use of temporary shelters for returnees, many of whose homes have been burned to the ground -- raise questions for Rohingya fearful of returning without guarantees of basic rights.

Francis will travel on to Bangladesh on Thursday. 
&nbsp;

Suu Kyi, a Nobel Peace Prize winner, has been ostracised by a global rights community that once adored her but is now outraged at her tepid reaction to the plight of the Rohingya

Pope Francis will hold talks with Myanmar's leader Aung San Suu Kyi on Tuesday, a key moment of a tour aimed at alleviating religious and ethnic hatreds that have driven huge numbers of Muslim Rohingya from the country. Suu Kyi, a Nobel Peace Prize winner, has been ostracised by a global rights community that once adored her but is now outraged at her tepid reaction to the plight of the Rohingya. After the talks in the capital Naypyidaw, the pontiff will address Suu Kyi and diplomats there -- his first opportunity to speak publicly about the conflict that looms over his trip. The 80-year-old pontiff late Monday received a "courtesy visit" from the powerful army chief Min Aung Hlaing -- whose troops, according to the UN and US, have waged a campaign of ethnic cleansing against the Rohingya from Rakhine state. General Min Aung Hlaing has firmly denied allegations of widespread brutality by his forces, despite the flight to Bangladesh since late August of 620,000 Rohingya who have recounted widespread cases of rape, murder and arson. His office said he told the pope there was "no discrimination" in Myanmar, and praised his military for maintaining "the peace and stability of the country". The pope has repeatedly spoken out from afar about the crisis, standing up for what he has called his Rohingya "brothers and sisters". A similar approach in Myanmar is fraught with danger -- using the term "Rohingya" is unacceptable in a mainly Buddhist country where the Muslim minority are denied citizenship and branded illegal "Bengali" immigrants. The country is listening closely to see if Francis will use the word "Rohingya" on Myanmar soil, and risk provoking the outrage of Buddhist nationalists. Early Tuesday, day two of his four-day visit, the pontiff met leaders from Buddhist, Muslim, Baptist and Jewish faiths in Yangon. The conversation centred around themes of unity in diversity, with the pope sharing a prayer and giving a "very, very beautiful speech", according to Sammy Samuels, a representative from the small Jewish community. Francis flies up to Naypyidaw Tuesday afternoon to meet Aung San Suu Kyi. The Lady, as she is fondly known in Myanmar, finally came to power after elections in 2015 but has fallen from grace internationally for not doing more to stand up to the army in defence of the Rohingya -- whose name she will not publicly utter. Rights groups have clamoured for Suu Kyi to be stripped of her peace prize. Oxford, the English city she once called home, on Monday removed her Freedom of the City award for her "inaction" in the face of oppression of the Rohingya. Catholics congregate So far, the pontiff has received a warm welcome to the majority Buddhist nation. Myanmar's Catholic community numbers just over one percent of the country's 51 million people. But some 200,000 Catholics are pouring into the commercial capital Yangon from all corners of the country ahead of a huge, open-air mass on Wednesday. Zaw Sai, 52, from Kachin state, found space for himself and his family to camp out in a churchyard. "We feel very pleased because we are from different ethnicities but are one in our religion," he told AFP. Just days before the papal visit, Myanmar and Bangladesh signed a deal to start repatriating Rohingya refugees within two months. But details of the agreement -- including the use of temporary shelters for returnees, many of whose homes have been burned to the ground -- raise questions for Rohingya fearful of returning without guarantees of basic rights. Francis will travel on to Bangladesh on Thursday.

Pope to meet Myanmar leader Suu Kyi today

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