Bono and Bob on Nobel Peace Prize shortlist
U2’s Bono and Bob Geldof are high on the shortlist to scoop the Nobel Peace Prize, according to bookmakers’ odds revealed today.
The Irish duo are 8/1 in the running for the prestigious award for peace, which will be announced tomorrow in the Norwegian capital, Oslo.
Bookmakers Boylesports offered strong odds on the two men over their lengthy campaigns to ease hunger and poverty in Africa.
The former Boomtown Rats singer was among 37 people selected by Time magazine as its ‘2005 European Heroes’ for organising the Live 8 concerts, and joining forces with Bono, to call on people to march on the G8 summit.
Odds are also being offered on other candidates including campaigners against nuclear arms and a peace broker for Indonesia.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), which is led by Dr Mohamed ElBaradei, are favourites to take this year’s award.
Odds of 9/2 are being offered on the agency to get the Nobel Peace Prize, as some commentators believe this would be in line with Alfred Nobel’s intent to prevent war.
Boylesports have placed the Cooperative Threat Reduction, which is headed by US Senator Richard Lugar and former Senator Sam Nunn, at 6/1 for their work in dismantling ageing nuclear weapons in the former Soviet Union.
At 33/1 Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko is in the running, while at 500/1 British Prime Minister Tony Blair and US President George Bush are the outsiders.
Past winners of the Nobel Peace Prize include Mother Teresa for her work in Calcutta.
In 1998, the former SDLP leader John Hume and former Ulster Unionist Party leader David Trimble were awarded the prize for their efforts to find a peaceful solution to the conflict in Northern Ireland.
