Greek islanders, Syrian White Helmets top Nobel Peace bets

A woman carries her baby at the Kara Tepe camp for refugees and other migrants in Lesbos island, Greece, on Thursday, Oct. 6, 2016. ?More than a million migrants and refugees crossed through Greece and on to other EU countries since the start of 2016, while over 60,000 have been stranded in the country since the EU-Turkey deal took effect and the Balkan transit route north was closed. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris) A woman carries her baby at the Kara Tepe camp for refugees and other migrants in Lesbos island, Greece, on Thursday, Oct. 6, 2016. ?More than a million migrants and refugees crossed through Greece and on to other EU countries since the start of 2016, while over 60,000 have been stranded in the country since the EU-Turkey deal took effect and the Balkan transit route north was closed. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)

By Associated Press October 6, 2016 3 min read

STOCKHOLM (AP) – Bookmakers taking bets for this year’s Nobel Peace Prize are giving the lowest odds to the Greek islanders who have opened their hearts and homes to hundreds of thousands of migrants crossing the Mediterranean Sea.

The award will be announced Friday in Oslo, Norway, and as usual the Norwegian Nobel Committee isn’t dropping any hints about its choice for 2016.

The betting site Unibet gave the lowest odds Thursday to Greek islanders while another betting site, Paddy Power, had the White Helmets rescue group in Syria in first place, followed by the islanders.

Others with low odds included Pope Francis, the architects of Colombia’s peace deal and Congolese surgeon Denis Mukwege, who treats victims of sexual violence in that nation’s civil war.

Last year the committee surprised the world by picking the Tunisian National Dialogue Quartet.