GERMAN Chancellor Angela Merkel could win this year's Nobel Peace Prize, a media report said on Friday (October 2), amid speculation her response to Europe's migrant crisis could be recognised by the prestigious jury next week.
Ahead of the Nobel prize season beginning on Monday (October 5), Germany's influential Bild newspaper said Merkel, 61, had "a good chance", partly over her open-door policy on refugees fleeing war and persecution.
"Reasons: her actions in the Ukraine crisis and the refugee policies," the German daily said.
The first Nobel to be announced will be the medicine prize on Monday, when the jury in Stockholm reveals the winner or winners around 11:30 am (0930 GMT).
But most of the build-up traditionally swirls around who will take home the literature and peace prizes.
A total of 276 nominations have been submitted for this year's peace prize – two short of the record 278 last year.
The Norwegian Nobel Institute never discloses the list, leaving amateurs and experts to resort to a guessing game ahead of the October 9 announcement.
