Barack Obama Wins Nobel Peace Prize

In a stunning surprise, the Nobel Committee announced Friday that it had awarded its annual peace prize to President Obama "for his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples" less than nine months after he took office. "He has created a new international climate," the committee said in its announcement. With American forces deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan, President Obama's name had not figured in speculation about the winner until minutes before the prize was announced. The committee said it wanted to enhance Mr. Obama's diplomatic efforts so far rather than anticipate events in the future.