Oslo, Oct 10: Opposition activist Maria Corina Machado of Venezuela has won the Nobel Peace Prize.

The former opposition presidential candidate in Venezuela was lauded for being a “key, unifying figure in a political opposition that was once deeply divided – an opposition that found common ground in the demand for free elections and representative government,” said Jorgen Watne Frydnes, chair of the Norwegian Nobel committee.

Experts say the committee typically focuses on the durability of peace, the promotion of international fraternity and the quiet work of institutions that strengthen those goals.

Last year’s award went to Nihon Hidankyo, a grassroots movement of Japanese atomic bombing survivors who have worked for decades to maintain a taboo around the use of nuclear weapons.

The peace prize is the only one of the annual Nobel prizes to be awarded in Oslo, Norway.

Four of the other prizes have already been awarded in the Swedish capital, Stockholm this week — in medicine on Monday, physics on Tuesday, chemistry on Wednesday and literature on Thursday. The winner of the prize in economics will be announced on Monday.

New Delhi, Oct 10: As the world waits with bated breath for the announcement of the winner of the most highly coveted of all the Nobel prizes, the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday, US President Donald Trump, who has been gunning for the prestigious award, lashed out at former US President Barack Obama who had been honoured with the Peace Prize in the first eight months of his first term.

Speaking to reporters at the White House, President Trump said that though he had secured peace in Gaza and ended “eight wars”, he did not do it for an award.

“I don’t know what they’re going to do, really, but I know this: That nobody in history has solved eight wars in a period of nine months, and I’ve stopped eight wars. So that’s never happened before, but they’ll have to do what they do. Whatever they do is fine. I know this: I didn’t do it for that. I did it because I saved a lot of lives,” he said.

He also took a swipe at President Barrack Obama, who got the coveted Nobel Peace Prize in 2009, soon after taking charge of the top job in America and stated, “He got a prize for doing nothing… He got elected, and they gave it to Obama for doing absolutely nothing but destroying our country… Obama was not a good President.”

This year’s Nobel Peace Prize is much awaited as it has stirred intense speculation with President Trump emerging as a frontrunner and, also pushing for it aggressively. Several nations like Israel, Azerbaijan, Pakistan, Thailand, Armenia and Cambodia, are said to have nominated the US President, crediting Trump with mediating several protracted conflicts.

Meanwhile, the world and especially all those who hope to make the cut, eagerly await the announcement of the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize at 11:00 am (0900 GMT) in Oslo on Friday by the Norwegian Nobel Committee.

Significantly, the prestigious award has drawn 338 nominations this year, including 94 organisations and 244 people from different walks of life.

The official announcement will be made by Jorgen Watne Frydnes, chair of the five-member Norwegian Nobel Committee, at the Norwegian Nobel Institute in Oslo.

The committee consists of Norwegian human rights advocate Jorgen Watne Frydnes, foreign policy scholar Asle Toje, former Acting Prime Minister of Norway Anne Enger, former Norwegian Minister of Education Kristin Clemet, and former Secretary of Foreign Affairs Gry Larsen.

New Delhi, Oct10: Taliban Foreign Minister Mawlawi Amir Khan Muttaqi arrived in New Delhi on Thursday, marking the first visit by a senior Taliban leader to India since the group took power in Afghanistan in August 2021.

Muttaqi, who was granted a temporary exemption from UN sanctions to travel, will hold discussions with External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and National Security Adviser Ajit Doval during his stay, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) confirmed. The talks are expected to focus on bilateral relations, regional security, trade, and economic cooperation.

“Warm welcome to Afghan Foreign Minister, Mawlawi Amir Khan Muttaqi, on his arrival in New Delhi,” MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in a social media post, sharing a photograph of the Taliban leader being received at the airport by Anand Prakash, Joint Secretary in charge of the Pakistan-Afghanistan-Iran division, reports The Hindustan Times. “We look forward to engaging discussions with him on bilateral relations and regional issues,” Jaiswal added.

Muttaqi’s six-day visit is being viewed as a significant step in India’s evolving engagement with Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers. He is accompanied by senior officials from Afghanistan’s foreign and trade ministries.

According to official sources, Muttaqi will meet Jaishankar at Hyderabad House on Friday, followed by a call on NSA Doval. He is also expected to attend an interaction hosted by the Vivekananda International Foundation (VIF) and meet representatives of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), national media reported.

During the trip, the Taliban foreign minister is scheduled to visit Darul Uloom Deoband in Uttar Pradesh on October 11 and the Taj Mahal in Agra on October 12. He will also engage with members of the Afghan community in Delhi on October 13 before returning to Kabul on October 15, The Hindustan Times reported.

This visit marks the highest-level Taliban engagement with India since 2021 and signals what observers describe as a “cautious reset” in bilateral relations. While India has not formally recognised the Taliban government, it maintains a small diplomatic mission in Kabul and continues to provide humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan.

Muttaqi’s arrival follows a series of quiet diplomatic contacts between the two sides over the past three years, including a meeting with India’s then Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri in Dubai earlier this year. Officials familiar with the discussions said the visit underscores India’s pragmatic approach — balancing its security concerns and regional interests with the need to engage Afghanistan’s current rulers.