Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado won the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday for promoting democratic rights in her country and her struggle to achieve a transition to democracy, the Norwegian Nobel Committee said.
Machado, a 58-year-old industrial engineer who lives in hiding, was blocked in 2024 by Venezuela's courts from running for president and thus challenging President Nicolas Maduro, who has been in power since 2013.
"When authoritarians seize power, it is crucial to recognise courageous defenders of freedom who rise and resist," it said in its citation.
The committee chose to focus on Venezuela at this time, in a year dominated by U.S. President Donald Trump's repeated public statements that he deserves the Nobel Peace Prize.
Ahead of the announcement, experts on the award had said Trump would not win it as he is dismantling the international world order the Nobel committee cherishes.
The Nobel Peace Prize, worth 11 million Swedish crowns, or about $1.2 million, is due to be presented in Oslo on 10 December, the anniversary of the death of Swedish industrialist Alfred Nobel, who founded the awards in his 1895 will.
This year’s Peace Prize was chosen from a total of 338 nominations — 244 individuals and 94 organisations, submitted from around the world. The announcement took place at the Nobel Institute in Oslo, Norway.
The 2024 Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to Nihon Hidankyo, the Japan Confederation of A- and H-Bomb Sufferers Organizations, “for its efforts to achieve a world free of nuclear weapons and for demonstrating through witness testimony that nuclear weapons must never be used again.”
Since its establishment in 1901, the Nobel Peace Prize has honored individuals and organisations that have made exceptional contributions to ending conflict, building international cooperation, and advancing human dignity.
The official ceremony will be held at Oslo City Hall in December, where the laureate will deliver the traditional Nobel Lecture.
White House reacts
The White House on Friday criticized the Nobel Prize committee's decision to award the peace prize to a Venezuelan opposition leader instead of U.S. President Donald Trump.
"President Trump will continue making peace deals, ending wars, and saving lives. He has the heart of a humanitarian, and there will never be anyone like him who can move mountains with the sheer force of his will," White House spokesman Steven Cheung said in a post on X.
"The Nobel Committee proved they place politics over peace."
Iran’s army said it targeted U.S. military facilities in Bahrain and Kuwait with drone attacks. Tehran said the operations were carried out in retal...
Georgia has secured two major financial commitments this week, with one aimed at easing road congestion around the capital and the other at strengthen...
A Turkish-owned cargo ship was struck by a drone in the Black Sea after leaving a Ukrainian port, in the latest incident to raise concerns over the sa...
Ukraine targeted a warehouse belonging to Russia’s largest retailer, Wildberries, and an oil refinery overnight, while Moscow said its forces struck a ship carrying military cargo in the Black Sea.
The U.S. military said it completed its latest wave of strikes on Iran, a two-hour operation that hit dozens of targets. Washington described the strikes as a "powerful response" to Iranian missile attacks targeting U.S. forces in the Middle East a day earlier.
Saudi Arabia said its overnight strikes on Iran-backed group targets in Iraq were carried out in self-defence and warned it would take further military action if the groups launched new attacks against the kingdom.
Iran’s army said it targeted U.S. military facilities in Bahrain and Kuwait with drone attacks. Tehran said the operations were carried out in retaliation for recent U.S. strikes.
Thousands of migrants have crossed into the Spanish exclave of Ceuta from Morocco, overwhelming border security and prompting local authorities to call for a national emergency and military deployment.
Thousands of people spent the night on beaches, waiting by fences or wading through the sea in the hope of reaching Europe, as an estimated 49,000 migrants crossed into Spain's enclave of Ceuta in just 24 hours.
Carlos Cordeiro, senior adviser to FIFA president Gianni Infantino, has resigned with immediate effect in protest over proposals to sell a stake in the FIFA World Cup, calling the plan "a bad deal for football."
Ukraine targeted a warehouse belonging to Russia’s largest retailer, Wildberries, and an oil refinery overnight, while Moscow said its forces struck a ship carrying military cargo in the Black Sea.
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top news stories for the 31st of July, covering the latest developments.
At least 18 coal miners have been killed and 14 others remain trapped after a powerful methane gas explosion caused part of a mining complex to collapse in Pakistan's southwestern Balochistan province, officials said on Thursday.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment