Ten scientists and economists received their Nobel prizes Saturday at a ceremony in Stockholm marked by the absence of Literature Prize laureate, British playwright Harold Pinter.

Pinter missed the award presentation due to poor health, and his publisher picked up the 10 million kronor (1.3 million US dollars) check, a gold medal and diploma on his behalf.

The Physics Prize went to US nationals Roy Glauber and John Hall, and German Theodor Haensch for their groundbreaking work in applying modern quantum physics to the study of optics and light.

The Chemistry Prize honored Yves Chauvin of France and US nationals Robert Grubbs and Richard Schrock for a breakthrough in carbon chemistry that opens the way to smarter drugs and environmentally-friendlier plastics.

The Economics Prize was awarded to Robert Aumann, an Israeli-US citizen, and Thomas Schelling of the United States for using game theory to explain conflict resolution.

Australians Barry Marshall and Robin Warren received the Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine for their research on how to treat stomach ulcers with antibiotics.

About 2,000 guests, including Sweden's royal family, were invited to the award ceremony in Stockholm and a celebration dinner.

Earlier in the day, the International Atomic Energy Agency ( IAEA) and its director general Mohamed ElBaradei accepted the 2005 Nobel Peace Prize at a ceremony in Oslo of Norway for their work to halt the spread of nuclear weapons.

The Nobel Prizes are usually announced in October and are handed out every year on Dec. 10, the anniversary of the death of Alfred Nobel, a Swedish industrialist and the inventor of dynamite.

This year's prize carries a cash award of 10 million Swedish kronor (1.3 million US dollars), a gold medal and a diploma.

The Nobels, widely regarded as the world's most prestigious accolades in science and literature, have been awarded since 1901.

Source: Xinhua