Teenage education activist Malala Yousafzai has EU’s prestigious Sakharov prize for freedom of thought.

Yousafzai, who was honoured for her fight to promote education for girls despite the threat of Taliban violence, said: "There is poverty, lack of freedom, fear and terrorism, but there is hope, because we are all here together united to help these children, to speak for them, to take action."

In her speech she said a country's strength should not be measured by its army, but by the number of educated people. She also called for more help for children out of education: "These children do not want an Iphone, an X-box, a Playstation or chocolates. They just want a book and a pen."

The young activist received praise for her continued efforts to promote education, with European Parliament President Martin Schulz calling her "a survivor, a hero, an exceptional young woman."