Record number for peace prize

THE Norwegian Nobel Committee says it has received a record 241 nominations for the 2011 peace prize.

Russian human rights activist Svetlana Gannushkina, WikiLeaks and Cuban dissidents are among the candidates who have been publicly announced by those who nominated them. The committee does not reveal the names of nominees.

The winner will be announced in October.

Geir Lundestad, the permanent secretary of the committee, says 188 individuals and 53 organisations have been nominated for the prestigious award. The deadline for nominations was February 1.