Snowden, pope, refugees in Nobel Peace Prize buzz

STAVANGER, Norway (AP) — Bettors this year are putting their money on Edward Snowden, Pope Francis or a Pakistani schoolgirl as favorites to receive the Nobel Peace Prize.

As usual, the secretive Norwegian Nobel Committee hasn’t dropped any hints ahead of Friday’s announcement, revealing only that it had received a record 278 nominations. Geir Lundestad of the Norwegian Nobel Committee has suggested the choice was more difficult this year, telling The Associated Press they had “seven meetings rather than five or six.”