Bono and the French President Jacques Chirac are among a number of people believed to have been nominated for the 2003 Nobel Peace Prize.
However, in line with tradition, the Nobel Institute this afternoon refused to give names of nominees.
In addition to Mr Chirac and Bono, Pope John Paul is thought to be among the 150 nominees.
The institute only gives the overall number of nominees, leaving it up to people who or organisations who have put names forward to float them to the press, usually without identifying themselves.
The Nobel body said nominations had been submitted for 129 individuals and 21 organisations before the deadline, which was on February 1st.
When the institute holds its first meeting for this year's prize, on February 25th, its members have the right to submit additional nominations.
"This year, we will certainly in the end have at least as many candidates as last year," when a record 156 nominations were sent in, the head of the Nobel Institute and influential secretary of the Nobel Committee that selects the winner, said.
Another person rumoured to be on the list is the former governor of the US state of Illinois, Mr George Ryan, who granted clemency to all 167 inmates on the state's death row in January, commuting the sentences to life without the possibility of parole.
Yet others include Czech President Mr Vaclav Havel, Chinese dissident Mr Wei Jingsheng and imprisoned Israeli nuclear technician Mr Mordechai Vanunu, all of whom have repeatedly appeared on the list in recent years.
Two organisations fighting the trade in "conflict diamonds", Global Witness and Partnership Africa Canada, are also believed to be on the list, as well as Cuban dissident Mr Oswaldo Paya and US senators Mr Sam Nunn and Mr Richard Lugar for their efforts to destroy the former Soviet Union's weapons arsenal.
Last year, the prize went to former US president Jimmy Carter. The winner of the 2003 prize will be announced in October.
AFP