2014 Nobel Peace Prize alone. This was mentioned by Thorbjørn Jagland in his handover ceremony speech. The Nobel Prize Committee announced that it had received a record number of 278 different nominations for the Peace Prize, up from 259 in 2013. 47 of these nominations were for organizations. Prior to the announcement, many news media speculated about who would win this year, providing lists of favourites. Often cited were Pope Francis, Ban Ki-moon, Chelsea Manning, Denis Mukwege, Edward Snowden, José Mujica, the "Novaya Gazeta" newspaper, and the so-called Japanese people who conserve Article 9, together with the eventual winner Malala Yousafzai. The other winner,
Malala Yousafzai vacations but this will only be possible if the Taliban allow girls to go to school. We were told to prepare certain chapters for the exam but I do not feel like studying." In February 2009, girls' schools were still closed. In solidarity, private schools for boys had decided not to open until 9 February, and notices appeared saying so. On 7 February, Yousafzai and her brother returned to their hometown of Mingora, where the streets were deserted, and there was an "eerie silence". "We went to the supermarket to buy a gift for our mother but it was closed,