A planned news conference by Venezuelan opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner Maria Corina Machado has been cancelled, a day before the Nobel award ceremony in Oslo, Norway.

The Norwegian Nobel Institute cancelled the event, as it was unclear whether the Venezuelan opposition leader – whose whereabouts remain unclear – would be able to collect her award in person.

Originally scheduled for 1pm local time (12:00 GMT) on Tuesday, the press conference with Machado was first postponed before finally being cancelled hours later.

The Nobel Committee awarded the prize to Machado for her fight against what it described as the dictatorial rule of Nicolas Maduro, who has been president of Venezuela since 2013.

Fifty-eight-year-old Machado has been subject to a decade-long travel ban

See Full Page