The Nobel Peace Prize was awarded Friday to Nihon Hidankyo, a Japanese organization of survivors of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, for its activism against nuclear weapons. Jørgen Watne Frydnes, chair of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, said the award was made as the “taboo against the use of nuclear weapon is under pressure.” THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below. Han Kang first South Korean writer to win the Nobel literature prize The Nobel Peace Prize is being awarded Friday against a backdrop of devastating conflicts raging in the world, notably in the Middle East, Ukraine and Sudan. Alfred Nobel stated in his will that the prize should be awarded for "the most or the best work for fraternity between nations, for the abolition or reduction of standing armies and for the holding and promotion of peace congresses.” Since 1901, 104 Nobel Peace Prizes have been awarded, mostly to individuals but also to organizations that have been seen to advance peace efforts. Last year’s prize went to jailed Iranian activist Narges Mohammadi for her advocacy of women’s rights and democracy, and against the death penalty. The Nobel committee said it also was a recognition of “the hundreds of thousands of people” who demonstrated against “Iran’s theocratic regime’s policies of discrimination and oppression targeting women.” Nobel Prize in chemistry awarded to 3 scientists for work on proteins, building blocks of life But in a year of such conflict, the Norwegian Nobel Committee that decides on the winner could opt not to award a prize. The last time that happened was in 1972. In the Middle East, persistently spiraling levels of violence over the past year have killed tens of thousands of people, including thousands of children and women. The war, sparked by a bloody raid into Israel by Hamas-led militants on Oct. 7, 2023 that left about 1,200 people dead, mostly civilians, has spilled out into the wider region. The war in Gaza has killed more than 42,000 people, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which doesn’t differentiate between civilians and combatants in its count but says more than half are women and children. In Lebanon, more than 1,400 people have been killed, with thousands more injured and around 1 million displaced since mid-September, when the Israeli military dramatically expanded its offensive against Hezbollah. The war in Ukraine, sparked by Russia's invasion, is heading toward its third winter with a staggering loss of human life on both sides. The U.N. has confirmed more than 11,000 Ukrainian civilian dead, but that doesn’t take into account as many as 25,000 Ukrainians believed to have died during the Russian capture of the city of Mariupol or unreported deaths in the occupied territories. Western officials have estimated Russian military casualties around 600,000, with perhaps 150,000 dead, and public reports put Russian civilian dead around 150, mostly in the border region of Belgorod. Ukrainian military deaths were last announced in February at 31,000 and the president has said there are six wounded for every soldier killed. On the African continent, Sudan has been devastated by a 17-month war that that has so far killed more than 20,000 people and forced more than 8 million people from their homes, while roughly another 2 million were already displaced within the country before hostilities broke out. The Nobel prizes carry a cash award of 11 million Swedish kronor ($1 million). Unlike the other Nobel prizes that are selected and announced in Stockholm, founder Alfred Nobel decreed the peace prize be decided and awarded in Oslo by the five-member Norwegian Nobel Committee. The Nobel season ends Monday with the announcement of the winner of the economics prize, formally known as the Bank of Sweden Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel.

The Nobel Prize in the field of physiology or medicine has been awarded to U.S. scientists David Julius and Ardem Patapoutian. They were cited for their discovery of receptors for temperature and touch. Read: Medicine award kicks off week of Nobel Prize announcements The winners were announced Monday by Thomas Perlmann, secretary-general of the Nobel Committee. The first of the 2021 Nobel Prizes is announced Monday with the naming of the winner, or winners, in the field of physiology or medicine. A panel at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm announced the recipient after 11:30 a.m. (0930 GMT). Last year's prize went to three scientists who discovered the liver-ravaging hepatitis C virus, a breakthrough that led to cures for the deadly disease and tests to keep the scourge from spreading though blood banks. Read: Nobel Literature prize to be awarded after years of tumult The Nobel Assembly often commends basic science, but practical applications are also sometimes recognized. This could boost the chances of those involved in developing vaccines against the coronavirus getting the prize. The prestigious award comes with a gold medal and 10 million Swedish kronor (over $1.14 million). The prize money comes from a bequest left by the prize's creator, Swedish inventor Alfred Nobel, who died in 1895. The other prizes are for outstanding work in the fields of physics, chemistry, literature, peace and economics.

The first of the 2021 Nobel Prizes is announced Monday with the naming of the winner, or winners, in the field of physiology or medicine. A panel at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm will announce the recipient after 11:30 a.m. (0930 GMT). Read:Nobel Literature prize to be awarded after years of tumult Last year's prize went to three scientists who discovered the liver-ravaging hepatitis C virus, a breakthrough that led to cures for the deadly disease and tests to keep the scourge from spreading though blood banks. The Nobel Assembly often commends basic science, but practical applications are also sometimes recognized. This could boost the chances of those involved in developing vaccines against the coronavirus getting the prize. Read:2 scientists win Nobel chemistry prize for gene-editing tool The prestigious award comes with a gold medal and 10 million Swedish kronor (over $1.14 million). The prize money comes from a bequest left by the prize's creator, Swedish inventor Alfred Nobel, who died in 1895. The other prizes are for outstanding work in the fields of physics, chemistry, literature, peace and economics.