Monday, April 28, 2025
3:17 PM
Doha,Qatar
RELATED STORIES

From refugees to anti-nukes, Peace prize bets are on

From the migrant crisis to the anti-nuclear camp, speculation is rife about who will win the Nobel Peace Prize tomorrow, with Angela Merkel and John Kerry among the names mentioned.
The only one of the six Nobel prizes to be awarded in Oslo - the others are announced in Stockholm - the Peace Prize is the one that garners the most attention and speculation.
But predicting the winner is largely a game of chance, as the list of nominees is kept secret for 50 years. This year 273 names are known to be on the list.
Some Nobel watchers agree that the honours could go to those working to ease the migrant crisis, which has seen more than 630,000 people flee war and misery in the Middle East and Africa for Europe, testing the limits of the continent’s generosity.
According to the head of the Peace Research Institute of Oslo (Prio), Kristian Berg Harpviken, the German chancellor is an obvious choice.
In the same vein, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), which has already won the prize twice in 1954 and 1981, and Eritrean Catholic priest Mussie Zerai, who helps rescue migrants crossing the Mediterranean, have been tipped as possible laureates by Nobeliana, a group of historians who specialise in the Nobel.
While the past year has been marked by violence and tragedy in Syria, Iraq and across Africa, there have also been a few momentous steps towards peace.
In July, Iran’s government reached a historic deal with world powers to curb its nuclear drive in exchange for a gradual lifting of the crippling sanctions imposed on its economy since 2006.
“I think the work of the Nobel Committee ... this year just got much easier,” Sweden’s former foreign minister Carl Bildt tweeted at the time.
In such a case, the prize could go to the architects of the deal, US Secretary of State John Kerry and his Iranian counterpart Javad Zarif, and possibly even EU foreign affairs chief Federica Mogherini or her predecessor Catherine Ashton.
If it were to make such a choice, the Nobel committee would continue its recent tradition of honouring anti-nuclear efforts in years marking the decade anniversaries of the 1945 bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
In 1975, Soviet dissident Andrei Sakharov received the nod, in 1985 it was the International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War, in 1995 it was Joseph Rotblat and the Pugwash movement, and in 2005 the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and its director Mohamed El-Baradei.
Among other names mentioned as potential winners are Pope Francis, for his commitment to social justice and the environment, and Congolese doctor Denis Mukwege, who has treated thousands of women brutalised by rape in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.
Of course, the Nobel committee could also pull another name out of its hat - the world will only know tomorrow at 12 noon Qatar time (0900 GMT).


Comments
  • There are no comments.

Add Comments

B1Details

Latest News

SPORT

Canada's youngsters set stage for new era

Saying goodbye is never easy, especially when you are saying farewell to those that have left a positive impression. That was the case earlier this month when Canada hosted Mexico in a friendly at BC Place stadium in Vancouver.

1:43 PM February 26 2017
TECHNOLOGY

A payment plan for universal education

Some 60mn primary-school-age children have no access to formal education

11:46 AM December 14 2016
CULTURE

10-man Lekhwiya leave it late to draw Rayyan 2-2

Lekhwiya’s El Arabi scores the equaliser after Tresor is sent off; Tabata, al-Harazi score for QSL champions

7:10 AM November 26 2016
ARABIA

Yemeni minister hopes 48-hour truce will be maintained

The Yemeni Minister of Tourism, Dr Mohamed Abdul Majid Qubati, yesterday expressed hope that the 48-hour ceasefire in Yemen declared by the Command of Coalition Forces on Saturday will be maintained in order to lift the siege imposed on Taz City and ease the entry of humanitarian aid to the besieged

10:30 AM November 27 2016
ARABIA

QM initiative aims to educate society on arts and heritage

Some 200 teachers from schools across the country attended Qatar Museum’s (QM) first ever Teachers Council at the Museum of Islamic Art (MIA) yesterday.

10:55 PM November 27 2016
ARABIA

Qatar, Indonesia to boost judicial ties

The Supreme Judiciary Council (SJC) of Qatar and the Indonesian Supreme Court (SCI) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on judicial co-operation, it was announced yesterday.

10:30 AM November 28 2016
ECONOMY

Sri Lanka eyes Qatar LNG to fuel power plants in ‘clean energy shift’

Sri Lanka is keen on importing liquefied natural gas (LNG) from Qatar as part of government policy to shift to clean energy, Minister of City Planning and Water Supply Rauff Hakeem has said.

10:25 AM November 12 2016
B2Details
C7Details