Louise Glück's poetry is “characterized by a striving for clarity," often focusing on childhood and family life, and close relationship with parents and siblings, it said.

Authors often mentioned as contenders include Kenya's Ngugi Wa Thiong'o, Canadian poet Anne Carson and Japanese novelist Haruki Murakami.

On Tuesday, Abhijit Banerjee became only the second Indian to receive Nobel Prize in Economics.

On December 10, Abhijit Banerjee, Esther Duflo and Michael Cremar will be honoured at the Stockholm Concert Hall, and all eyes are now set on what this year's laureates will be gifting the museum.

Founded by Queen Sylvia in 1996, Silviahemmet aims to contribute to the highest possible quality of life for those suffering from dementia in Sweden and abroad.

The Nobel Prize for Literature was postponed last year after a sexual harassment scandal left the institution paralysed.

Three scientists will share the 9-million kronor (USD 918,000) cash award, a gold medal and a diploma.

All nuclear weapon-possessing countries are modernising these arms - and China, India and Pakistan are also increasing the size of their arsenals.

Assange, who denies the charges, has avoided extradition to Sweden for seven years after seeking refuge at the Ecuadorean embassy in London in 2012.

Assange was accused of rape and other sexual offences, against two women, following a WikiLeaks conference in Stockholm in 2010.

It occurred at 5:45 pm (1645 GMT), about 50 meters (yards) from Terminal 5, the main terminal for international flights.

The Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences is awarded in memory of Swedish philanthropist Alfred Nobel.

Judge Gudrun Antemar said the role of the court was to decide whether the prosecutor had proven the charges beyond a reasonable doubt.

"Their discoveries explain how plants, animals and humans adapt their biological rhythm so that it is synchronized with the Earth's revolutions," the Nobel Assembly said.