NORWAY NEWS – latest news, breaking stories and comment – NORWAY NEWS
  • Home
  • About us
  • News
  • Other News
    • Africa and Norway
    • Asia and Norway
    • Asylum
    • Breaking News
    • China and Norway
    • Corruption in Norway
    • Crimes
    • Defence
    • Diplomatic relations
    • Economics
    • Environment
    • Farming
    • Featured
    • Health
    • Killing
    • Media Freedom
    • Middle East and Norway
    • NATO and Norway
    • Nobel Peace Prize
    • Norwegian Aid
    • Norwegian American
    • Oil & Gas
    • Peace Talks
    • Politics
    • Racism in Norway
    • Religion
    • Royal House
    • Russia and Norway
    • Science
    • Sex scandal
    • Sports
    • Spy War
    • Srilanka and Norway
    • Svalbard
    • Taiwan and Norway
    • Terrorist
    • Travel
    • Video clips
  • Disclaimer
  • Contact us
NORWAY NEWS – latest news, breaking stories and comment – NORWAY NEWS
  • Home
  • About us
  • News
  • Other News
    • Africa and Norway
    • Asia and Norway
    • Asylum
    • Breaking News
    • China and Norway
    • Corruption in Norway
    • Crimes
    • Defence
    • Diplomatic relations
    • Economics
    • Environment
    • Farming
    • Featured
    • Health
    • Killing
    • Media Freedom
    • Middle East and Norway
    • NATO and Norway
    • Nobel Peace Prize
    • Norwegian Aid
    • Norwegian American
    • Oil & Gas
    • Peace Talks
    • Politics
    • Racism in Norway
    • Religion
    • Royal House
    • Russia and Norway
    • Science
    • Sex scandal
    • Sports
    • Spy War
    • Srilanka and Norway
    • Svalbard
    • Taiwan and Norway
    • Terrorist
    • Travel
    • Video clips
  • Disclaimer
  • Contact us
Monday, April 13, 2026
NORWAY NEWS – latest news, breaking stories and comment – NORWAY NEWS
NORWAY NEWS – latest news, breaking stories and comment – NORWAY NEWS
  • Home
  • About us
  • News
  • Other News
    • Africa and Norway
    • Asia and Norway
    • Asylum
    • Breaking News
    • China and Norway
    • Corruption in Norway
    • Crimes
    • Defence
    • Diplomatic relations
    • Economics
    • Environment
    • Farming
    • Featured
    • Health
    • Killing
    • Media Freedom
    • Middle East and Norway
    • NATO and Norway
    • Nobel Peace Prize
    • Norwegian Aid
    • Norwegian American
    • Oil & Gas
    • Peace Talks
    • Politics
    • Racism in Norway
    • Religion
    • Royal House
    • Russia and Norway
    • Science
    • Sex scandal
    • Sports
    • Spy War
    • Srilanka and Norway
    • Svalbard
    • Taiwan and Norway
    • Terrorist
    • Travel
    • Video clips
  • Disclaimer
  • Contact us
Copyright 2025- All Right Reserved Norway News
Russia and Norway

Ukraine not needed to anyone, Medvedev says

by Nadarajah Sethurupan April 8, 2023
written by Nadarajah Sethurupan

Russian Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev believes that no-one in the world needs Ukraine, therefore it will cease to exist, he said in his post on social media Saturday.

The signing of the delimitation agreement for the Barents Sea in September 2011 boosted optimism about joint Norwegian-Russian energy development in formerly disputed waters. (Jonas Karlsbak/Barents Observer)

The post, titled “Why Ukraine will cease to exist? Because nobody needs it,” is divided into six parts, in which Medvedev explains why the Ukrainian state is not needed to Europe, the US, Africa, Latin America, Asia, Russia and, finally, Ukrainian people themselves.

Across the continents

Talking about Europe, Medvedev opined that the attempt to put “young Ukrainian blood-sucking parasites one the arthritic neck of the decrepit EU” will become the final downfall of the “previously royal, but now impoverished, due to degeneration, Europe.” According to the official, the “forced support of the Nazi regime under command of the American mentor has already created true financial and political hell for the Europeans,” and its consequences, including “unprofitable Russian sanctions,” have already led to outbursts of discontent in both Western and Eastern Europe. Meanwhile, even the Poles “do not treat Ukraine as a normal country and float the idea of Anschluss of Western regions from time to time,” Medvedev underscores.

Meanwhile, American people will sooner or later bring its political establishment to answer, why it is occupied with “a country unknown to them,” instead of domestic American issues, Medvedev opined, noting that the “2021 storm of the Capitol will look like boy scout games in comparison.”

“Regular Americans have absolutely no idea, what ‘Ukraine’ is and where ‘it’ is located. Most of them wouldn’t even be able to immediately pinpoint this ‘state’ on the map,” Medvedev noted. As for other parts of the world, Medvedev believes that the “hundreds of billions that the US spends on pointless fighting somewhere in Ukraine, would have been enough to fund many programs, aimed at social development of Latin American and African states.”

Ukraine is “also not needed to Asia,” since Asian states see it on Russia’s example “how color [revolution] technologies are being honed in order to take down the largest competitor states,” and “understand what fate has the collective West, led by America, has prepared for them in case of disobedience:” “Help us deal with Russia, and then we will soon come to you.”

In addition, Medvedev continue, giant Asian states have enough problems rebuilding the economy after the pandemic, therefore they refuse to blindly support Ukraine and isolate Russia, “a country that is geopolitically much closer to Asian powers and that has historically proven itself as a reliable strategic partner.”

In Russia and Ukraine

Medvedev called the current Ukrainian state a “misconception, created by the dissolution of the Soviet Union.” “Millions of our compatriots that have been harassed by the Nazi Kiev regime for years live here. It is them whom we protect with the special military operation, ruthlessly eliminating the enemy,” the official noted. “And this is why this sub-Ukraine is not needed for us. We need a Big Great Russia,” the political said.

As for the Ukrainians themselves, Medvedev assessed that there are only slightly over 20 million out of 45 million of them still left in the country, and the remaining Ukrainians “Are forced to live in constant anxiety and fear” and “are willing to go anywhere.”

“This kind of Ukraine is not needed to anyone on the plant. And this is why it will cease to exist,” the author concludes.

(TASS)

April 8, 2023 0 comments
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
Environment

Norwegian designer drafts Bello! Aluminium bench design for Hydro

by Nadarajah Sethurupan April 8, 2023
written by Nadarajah Sethurupan

A designer based in Norway, Lars Beller Fjetland, has handcrafted a bench inspired by the pasta shape for the aluminium giant Hydro.

Bello! from Hydro has been designated for indoor and outdoor use since it has an extremely rigid structure. The best part about the furniture is that it has been created with 90 per cent recycled and 100 per cent recyclable aluminium.

The Bello! is scheduled to be unveiled at Norway’s annual Milan design week, Norwegian Presence. The bench will be available in neutral shades alongside bright blue and terracotta variations.

The bench is comprised of extruded aluminium strands and is highly robust. Extrusion is a standard process in the aluminium industry where elongated aluminium profiles are produced by the administration of heat, which softens the metal before being passed through customised shapes.

Beller Fjetland has tried to represent the penne rigate pasta shape through his enigmatic bench design, which gives Bello! a flamboyant look.

The designer spoke: “The subtle ridges add so much value – you just have to run your fingers across the surface. These tactile discoveries mean so much to me.”

“With this design, I really wanted to emphasise the possibilities of extruded aluminium. It is very much a culmination of everything I appreciate – from the planes, trains and buses that were designed in the 1930s–1970s to brutalist architecture and, last but not least, pasta,” the designer added.

The comfortable shape of the bench poses as a perfect nest for a weary passenger. The use of aluminium gives Bello! an extremely robust structure yet keeping the weight of the bench in check. The Bello! bench is suitable for any outdoor sitting area, like public transportation zones.

Bello! has an internal support structure which means if required, one can add tables, lamps and chargers to the setting; in fact, the shape provides proper flanges that smoothly co-join other benches to the entire setup.

Hydro usually collaborates with eminent designers to propagate the use of aluminium in daily life, and this can be deemed as one such partnership with the Norwegian designer Lars Beller Fjetland.

Bello! uses 90 per cent recycled aluminium from Hydro but has no trace of being a product of retribution. The bench is environment friendly as the aluminium used can be 100 per cent recycled at the end of life, producing a batch of fresh raw material for application in different industrial sectors. This way Hydro’s Bello! instigates a circular economy, lowering the carbon footprints of the company’s various energy-intensive operations.

April 8, 2023 0 comments
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
Economics

Norwegian celebrates 20 years of international flights

by Nadarajah Sethurupan April 7, 2023
written by Nadarajah Sethurupan

On 5 April 2003, three Norwegian aircraft took off from Oslo Airport Gardermoen in the direction of Portugal and Spain. This marked the start of the company’s international venture and a milestone in the company’s history.

The first international flights went to Faro in Portugal as well as Malaga and Murcia in Spain. During these years, around 17 million customers have travelled with Norwegian between Norway and Portugal and Spain.

Celebrating 20 years of international flights. From left to back: Carl Hampus Stefan Hessel, Lars Eriksson, Mika Sihvonen, Daniel Larsen, Jonathan Emil Graf and Ayman Mustafa Alsayyed Ali. Front: Lukasz Toczko and Christina H. Gabrielsen. Employees from Red Handling and Norwegian pilots and cabin crew.

“The routes we launched at the time were well received, and thanks to continued trust from customers, we have been able to expand the route network and our offer year after year. From the first routes to Portugal and Spain, this summer we fly to 116 destinations, of which 13 are completely new this year, says Magnus Thome Maursund, commercial director at Norwegian.”

20 years after the first international flight, Portugal and Spain continue to be holiday favourites for travel-loving Norwegians, and Norwegian is flying to three destinations in Portugal and nine destinations in Spain this summer. Porto is a completely new route this year, and the first departure is set for 23 June. From Norway, the company flies direct routes to Spain from Stavanger, Haugesund, Bergen, Trondheim, Ålesund, Torp and Oslo.

Norwegian is the largest Norwegian airline and currently has approximately 4,500 employees. The majority of the employees are in Norway and are employed at the Norwegian bases in Oslo, Trondheim, Bergen, and Stavanger or at the head office in Fornebu. The company also has employees at bases in the other Nordic countries and has offices in Riga and Barcelona as well as bases in Alicante and Malaga. Norwegian is thus an important employer in aviation, also in Spain, with around 650 employees. In 2022, the company had 18 million passengers.

Norwegian was established in September 2002 and then started with four domestic routes. This summer, the company will have 80 aircraft in operation, and operate 300 routes to 116 destinations.

April 7, 2023 0 comments
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
Crimes

Police in Norway make country’s largest cocaine seizure

by Nadarajah Sethurupan April 2, 2023
written by Nadarajah Sethurupan

Police made the largest-ever cocaine seizure in Norway when they discovered 800 kilograms (1760 pounds) of the drug in boxes of fruit in Oslo, officials said.

The drugs were found this week after Norwegian authorities received a tip-off from German police after they seized 1,200 kilograms (2,645 pounds) in Potsdam on Tuesday.

Police did not disclose the exact date that the cocaine was found in Oslo, or where the fruit originated from. No arrests have been made.

Police spokeswoman Grete Lien Metlid said that it was the largest ever seizure in Norway. She said that it was too early to say whether the cocaine was intended for the Norwegian market, or if Norway was being used as a transit point.

“We cannot rule out that there are larger networks with connections to Norway,” Lien Metlid told NTB.

The fruit boxes had arrived at a warehouse facility of Bama, a large Norwegian fruit and vegetable wholesaler, company spokesman Pia Gulbrandsen said in a statement.

The previous largest seizure was in 2013 when 153 kilograms (337 pounds) of cocaine were seized, and in 2013 when 145 kilograms (319 pounds) were hidden in banana boxes, the news agency said.

April 2, 2023 0 comments
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
Terrorist

U.S. Welcomes Norway’s Repatriation of Nationals from Northeast Syria

by Nadarajah Sethurupan April 2, 2023
written by Nadarajah Sethurupan

This week, Norway repatriated two women and three children from displaced persons camps in northeast Syria. We are grateful to Norway and our local partners working to resolve the ongoing humanitarian and security crisis in al-Hol and Roj camps through this repatriation.

Approximately 10,000 individuals from more than 60 countries outside Syria and Iraq remain in these camps following the dismantlement of ISIS’ so-called “caliphate” by the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS. Repatriation is the only durable solution for this population, most of whom are children under the age of 12. ISIS, including its 10,000 fighters in detention centers, remains a persistent threat to the region and to the thousands of vulnerable residents in al-Hol and Roj. We urge all governments to follow Norway’s example and repatriate their nationals.

April 2, 2023 0 comments
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
Crimes

Slovenian killed in avalanche in Norway

by Nadarajah Sethurupan April 2, 2023
written by Nadarajah Sethurupan

Oslo, 1 April – One of the four victims of avalanches that were triggered in northern Norway on Friday is a Slovenian citizen, the Foreign Ministry told the STA on Saturday, expressing condolences to the victim’s family.

April 2, 2023 0 comments
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
Diplomatic relations

Iran’s ambassador joins with Saudi counterpart in Norway

by Nadarajah Sethurupan March 30, 2023
written by Nadarajah Sethurupan

“I am happy to have joined the Iftar ceremony at the residence of the Saudi ambassador,” said Alireza Yousefi in a tweet.

“The new agreement has opened a new chapter in friendly ties between Iran and Saudi Arabia,” the Iranian diplomat added, referring to the rapprochement agreement between Tehran and Riyadh.

Since the China-brokered reconciliation deal was announced earlier this month, Iranian and Saudi foreign ministers have held talks on the phone three times.

Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian of Iran is expected to meet his counterpart, Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, before the end of the holy month of Ramadan.

Meanwhile, Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud has invited Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi to visit the kingdom.

Tehran also plans to submit a similar invitation to the Saudi monarch for a trip to the Islamic Republic.

March 30, 2023 0 comments
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
Media Freedom

Georgian MFA expresses dissatisfaction to Norwegian ambassador about human rights award for Saakashvili

by Nadarajah Sethurupan March 29, 2023
written by Nadarajah Sethurupan

Norwegian Ambassador to Georgia Helene Sand Andresen was invited to the Georgian Foreign Ministry on Tuesday in connection with the award given to former Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili by the Norwegian Conservative Party for promoting human rights, the ministry said in a statement.

Georgia’s negative attitude to this action has been conveyed to the ambassador, it said.

The ministry believes that the award bestowed on Saakashvili was incompatible with his status as an incarcerated individual, convicted of abuse of office and the violation of human rights.

“This decision of the Conservative Party of Norway does not help to depolarize Georgian society, and is insulting to citizens and their families that fell victim to the criminal actions committed during Saakashvili’s presidency,” the ministry said.

According to the ministry’s statement, the ambassador informed the ministry that the award given to Saakashvili did not represent the official stance of the Norwegian government.

Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili told reporters on Monday that giving Saakashvili an award was comparable to bestowing one on Norwegian terrorist Anders Breivik.

Georgian television showed footage of Saakashvili’s award being presented to his mother and son at a congress of the Conservative Party of Norway.

March 29, 2023 0 comments
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
Asia and Norway

Iran, E3 diplomats meet in Oslo to break nuclear deal logjam

by Nadarajah Sethurupan March 27, 2023
written by Nadarajah Sethurupan

Efforts to resume the stalled talks in Vienna aimed at the revival of the 2015 nuclear deal have gathered momentum again amid geopolitical shifts spurred by the Tehran-Riyadh rapprochement.

Iran’s deputy foreign minister and lead nuclear negotiator Ali Bagheri on Wednesday night confirmed reports about his meeting with senior European diplomats in Oslo last week.

In a tweet, Bagheri said he met with political directors of E3 countries (The United Kingdom, Germany and France) and “discussed a range of issues of mutual interest and concern.”

“We spare no opportunity to clarify our views and warn against certain miscalculations. We are determined in advancing our national interests, including through diplomacy,” he wrote.

The US unilaterally withdrew from the nuclear deal in May 2018, after which Iran gradually ramped up its nuclear enrichment activities, higher than the limit stipulated in the deal.

Talks to revive the landmark nuclear deal remained stalled since last August amid key disagreements between Tehran and Washington as well as Iran’s dispute with the UN nuclear watchdog.

The recent countrywide protests in Iran as well as accusations of Tehran supplying drones to Moscow for use in the Ukraine war have complicated efforts to revive the nuclear deal, with both the US and European countries imposing a slew of fresh sanctions on Iran over the two issues.

The meeting between Bagheri and representatives of the three European countries, who are the signatories to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), came as Iran and its estranged Persian Gulf neighbors have been engaged in intense diplomacy to revive or upgrade ties.

Iran and Saudi Arabia, the two regional arch-foes, recently agreed to resume diplomatic ties after seven years, paving the way for Iran’s closer ties with other Arab countries, including the UAE.

Iran’s engagement with IAEA

More importantly, Iran’s engagement with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has also increased in recent weeks following IAEA chief Rafael Grossi’s visit to Tehran.

During the high-stakes visit, the two sides agreed to resolve all outstanding issues, including the agency’s probe into “traces of uranium” found at three undeclared nuclear sites in Iran.

The issue has been one of the key sticking points in Vienna talks with the US and its European allies repeatedly urging Tehran to cooperate with the agency. Iran, however, denies the “accusations”.

Reinstallation of some surveillance cameras and other key monitoring activities also figured in Grossi’s discussions in Tehran, which he later referred to as “very concrete” promises given by Tehran that will be reviewed during the upcoming meeting of Iran-IAEA technical teams.

Bagheri, in his statement, did not divulge details about his meeting with the European diplomats.

Iran’s state news agency IRNA had earlier cited sources as saying that the Iranian official met with E3 diplomats in the Norwegian capital in the presence of European Union deputy foreign policy chief Enrique Mora. Mora’s attendance, however, has not been confirmed by other reports.

Germany’s Foreign Ministry, in a tweet, also confirmed that the meeting took place. The meeting, it noted, was to “make our positions very clear in the face of the Iranian escalation in many areas,” adding that there are “still no negotiations” on the nuclear deal.

Norway’s Foreign Ministry said it hosted an “informal meeting” between France, Germany, the UK and Iran “to discuss serious concerns and prevent escalation in a tense situation”.

According to sources, Oslo has also previously hosted a meeting between the officials of Iran and the three European countries to end the stalemate in efforts to salvage the 2015 nuclear deal.

March 27, 2023 0 comments
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
Environment

Scatec makes progress with 531-MW solar project in Brazil

by Nadarajah Sethurupan March 27, 2023
written by Nadarajah Sethurupan

Norwegian firm Scatec ASA (OSL:SCATC) announced on Thursday it has made its first drawdown under a USD-243-million (EUR 225.31m) non-recourse loan facility as construction of the 531-MW Mendubim solar project in Brazil is in progress.

The loan agreement was inked in November 2022 with lenders IDB Invest, Banco Santander (BME:SAN) and BNP Paribas (EPA:BNP) to support the implementation of the project. Construction of the Mendubim solar power plant commenced in July 2022 and is currently 34% completed.

Located in the northeastern state of Rio Grande do Norte, the solar park is being realised in partnership with Equinor ASA (NYSE:EQNR) and Hydro Rein, part of aluminium producer Norsk Hydro ASA (OSE:NHY).

Once up and running, Mendubim should be capable of generating enough clean electricity to meet the demand of some 620,000 local households.

Around 60% of its output will be sold under a 20-year USD-denominated power purchase agreement (PPA) with world-leading alumina supplier Alumina do Norte do Brasil SA (Alunorte). The remaining volume will be sold in the Brazilian free market.

(USD 1.0 = EUR 0.927)

March 27, 2023 0 comments
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
Media Freedom

Mrs Chatterjee vs Norway: The real story behind an Indian mother’s fight

by Nadarajah Sethurupan March 18, 2023
written by Nadarajah Sethurupan

The latest Bollywood film puts Norway in a tight spot as it sheds light on the Nordic country’s invasive child protection policy, which is being compared to state-sanctioned child abduction.

Tonje Omdahl, a 20-year-old Norwegian, is anxiously waiting for ‘Mrs Chatterjee vs Norway’, an Indian movie releasing worldwide on March 17.

Over the weekend, she will join hundreds of others for the screening in Stavanger, a city known for its wooden houses and the Norwegian Petroleum Museum – one of the distinctive features reflective of the Nordic nation’s transformation from a Nazi-occupied land to an independent oil-rich country.

The Bollywood flick is based on the struggle of Sagarika Chakraborty, an Indian immigrant mother, whose children were forcibly removed and put into foster care by the Norwegian authorities in Stavanger. Known as Barnevernet, the child protection service has faced stringent criticism globally in recent years with parents accusing it of tearing apart families on dubious grounds. 

Norway is a small country with a population of 5.5 million, which is less than 6 percent of Germany’s. Yet, among European peers, it is facing the highest number of legal complaints at the European Court of Human Rights. Most of them pertain to the grievances of parents.

Some children forced into foster homes have now become Barnevernet’s vocal critics. Omdahl is one of them. 

“I think it’s fantastic that someone has finally made a movie on the problems of the Norwegian child protection system. It’s a foreign movie that will put Norway under international spotlight,” Omdahl says. 

“The Norwegian press rarely writes about individual cases and even if they do, authorities don’t do much about them.”

Omdahl, whose large green marble-like eyes sparkle as she speaks in a barely audible voice, was moved into foster care for six months when she was a teenager. 

Her teenage awkwardness was construed as “neglect and abuse” that she faced at home. 

“They accused my father, a single parent, of abusing me. But that wasn’t true at all. I was constantly bullied in primary school. Just the thought of going to school gave me stomach cramps. My father complained and wanted the school to do more to stop the bullying. Instead, the administration told child protection service that I acted differently and something wasn’t right in my home.” 

The experience of living in foster care, she says, has left her traumatised for life. 

“It’s time to get back at them,” Omdahl says, referring to the Bollywood movie that has rattled Norwegian officials. Norway’s ambassador to New Delhi even wrote an op-ed in an Indian newspaper complaining the movie paints Norway’s child welfare service negatively. 

What’s a good parent?

‘Mrs Chatterjee vs Norway’ has created buzz in Norway and other countries in part because of its cast which includes Rani Mukerji, a famous Bollywood actress. 

Chakraborty, the real-life Mrs Chatterjee, immigrated to Norway in the late 2000s with her husband, a geologist working for an oil services company. The movie is based on a book she later wrote. 

Like Omdahl, Chakraborty was caught up in the obtrusive web of Norway’s child protection service, which has over the years taken tens of thousands of children under state’s care, telling courts that parents are not fit to raise them, activists say. 

In 2011, Barnevernet (pronounced: Bar-Nay-Var-Na) intervened and took custody of their son Abhigyan – then two – and infant daughter, Aishwarya, after raising doubts about her ability to raise them.

“The authorities never gave any specific reason for taking away the kids,” says Suranya Aiyar, a family rights activist and a trained lawyer who spearheaded a campaign for the return of Chakraborty’s children. They are close friends now. 

“You’d laugh at the things they said.” 

As with many other aggrieved parents, Chakraborty’s troubles started with her son’s kindergarten. She had told the teachers that she was concerned about Abhigyan not making eye contact and throwing tantrums. Little did she know that she had been marked. 

Barnevernet representatives started visiting Chakraborty’s home a month prior to the birth of Aishwarya in December 2010. They claimed that they were there to provide additional assistance around the apartment. However, they did not provide any help and instead sat on chairs, making notes that were later presented in court during the custody trial.

“Sagarika (Chakraborty) and her husband were a middle-class couple trying to make a good life in another country. You know how it is with us, we become humble around white people and try to be nice,” says Aiyar, the activist, who runs an online portal documenting abuse of powers by state-run child protection services. 

The day her children were taken into foster care, Chakraborty and Anurup Bhattacharya, her husband, had an argument in the presence of a Barnevernet case worker, who was on a routine visit. Chakraborty complained to Bhattacharya why he wouldn’t help her set up the table. 

“The case worker said ‘why don’t you guys talk it over and I will take the baby girl out for a walk’,” says Aiyar. 

Instead, the caseworker drove away with their baby girl. Another Barnevernet official picked up Abhigyan from school. Under Norwegian laws, Barnevernet has been granted powers to take custody of kids without seeking permission from a court. Known as an ‘emergency care order’, Barnevernet uses these powers when case workers think a child is in ‘danger’. 

A few months later, when the matter went to the court, Barnevernet defended its actions highlighting a host of concerns with regard to Chakraborty and her husband’s style of parenting. Barnevernet told the court: Chakraborty fed the kids with her hands (a common South Asian practice); she made a threatening gesture to her son (she showed the palm of her hand when he was throwing food on the floor); she left Aishwarya alone while changing her diaper.

While her children were in foster care, she was allowed to see them for a few hours once a week. During one such meeting, she broke down and became hysterical because someone in Barnevernet told her she won’t be able to reunite with her children until they turn 18.

Later, a judge cited Chakraborty’s inconsolable state as one of the reasons why her defence was unreasonable.

“Can you believe this? It’s all there,” says Aiyar.

Barnevernet doesn’t talk about individual cases.

Research has shown that the top reason for putting kids into foster care is not the use of drugs or alcohol and has nothing to do with a toxic environment at home. Barnevernet cites a vague lack of parental skills as the main reason for its intervention.  

“Lack of parental skill. You can find this phrase in lots of those judgments. Nobody can tell you what that really means. Norway is using it to justify the abduction of children. In 90 percent of the cases, we have never seen any specific reason for taking the child,” says Maurius Reikeras, a Norwegian human rights councillor advising dozens of aggrieved families.

The Norwegian Directorate for Children, Youth and Family Affairs (Bufdir), which controls Barnevernet, says it doesn’t have the data on reasons why children are placed in foster care.

In response to TRT World’s query about how many parents have been convicted for abuse of children, a Bufdir spokesperson says,“I can only refer to incidence studies on children exposed to violence from surveys. One recent survey states that 1 in 5 Norwegian children have experienced physical violence from an adult in the home at least once. One in 20 have experienced serious physical violence such as being kicked or beaten up by an adult in the home.”

The big emergency

Immigrant families are more likely to get caught up in the bureaucratic red tape of Barnevernet, which operates in 400 municipalities across Norway.

By the end of 2021, as many as 9,938 children up to the age of 17 were living with foster parents or institutions, according to Bufdir.

Around 3,561 or 37 percent of them are those with some immigrant background, a disproportionately high figure as immigrants make up only 16 percent of the total population.

After months of protests, which made headlines in India, and New Delhi’s diplomatic intervention, Chakraborty was reunited with her children.

Gunnar Toresen, the former Barnevernet head in Stavanger municipality who signed off the emergency care order, is still not happy about the return of children to their mother.

“The case was politicised. People were calling the Norwegian embassy in Washington. They said Norway will lose industrial contracts. Barnevernet had never experienced anything like it before,” he tells TRT World.  

Torsen, who retired two years ago, says he cannot discuss the specifics of Sagarika Chakraborty’s case because he’s bound by confidentiality clauses. 

“But the allegations, which the parents made and carried in the media like we took the children because they were sleeping in the same bed or they were fed with the hand, that’s all rubbish. There was much more going on between the parents.”

Toresen says there were concerns about the development of the boy and the parents weren’t getting along. “It was an arranged marriage and they had a large age difference between them.”

Chakraborty and her husband separated after Barnevernet took away the children and were in a legal battle for custody of the kids in India under full media scrutiny. Bhattacharya still lives in Stavanger, according to his LinkedIn account. He couldn’t be reached for his side of the story.  

“The law is designed to protect children from the different ways in which they can be harmed by their parents and it’s not true that you are more likely to lose your children if you are a foreigner,” says Toresen.

Toresen still wonders why Chakraborty’s case got so much importance. “I spoke to Indian journalists that spring and I asked them: ‘I don’t understand something. Why is there so much interest in ( Chakraborty’s) children when children are dying every day on the streets of Calcutta?’”

Chakraborty and her ex-husband were never charged or even accused of maltreatment or posing any danger to their children.

Barnevernet case workers often accuse parents of sexually or physically abusing children when they exercise their powers under emergency care orders. But anti-Barnevernet activists say most of the parents are never charged for those allegations because of the lack of evidence. Experts say Barnevernet has been given too much power.

Trouble in paradise

Maurius Reikeras, a Norwegian human rights councillor advising dozens of families, says the Norwegian child protection system is designed to increase the state’s footprint in family life.

“The judges, the lawyers, the social workers, and the psychologists, everyone focuses on the rights of the government. They don’t care about a family’s rights.”

In Norway, every case involving a child’s removal into foster care first goes to a County Board, a quasi-court made up of a legal expert, who is not necessarily a judge, an ordinary citizen and a Barnevernet-appointed psychologist.

“These boards have this tendency to vote in favour of the government in 95 percent of the cases. It’s not an independent body. It’s a political organ, super loyal to the system.”

A case then goes to city court, followed by the court of appeals and ultimately the Supreme Court. But the process can take years and all the while the child remains in foster care. Even if the judgement does come in favour of the parents in the end, it’s too late.

“By then so many years have gone by that the judge says it’s better for the kid to remain in foster home and away from the biological parents,” says Reikeras.

Norway, one of the world’s wealthiest countries, prides itself on having a social welfare system that looks after children’s health and education and spends billions on assisting parents.  

In surveys, the Nordic country ranks amongst the happiest in the world.

But Reikeras says international perception has slowly changed after the European Court of Human Rights began looking into human rights cases involving the Norwegian state. Dozens of parents have approached ECHR after failing to get their kids back in Norway.

“A country of 5.5 million people has more convictions when it comes to child protection cases in the ECHR than the rest of Europe.” ECHR has passed 15 judgments against Norway – more than the rest of Europe combined.

Reidar Hjermann, a child psychologist, and former Ombudsman of Child Welfare in Norway says Oslo could have handled the Chakraborty case better.

“I think they didn’t communicate to the world what child protection service is really about.”

In the last few years, Barnevernet has tried to become more culturally sensitive, like for an immigrant child it now tries to find a foster family of similar ethnic background, he says.

Barnevernet must spend more resources to address the problems that a biological family faces before putting the child in foster care, says Hjermann.

“Removing a child should only be a last resort like when a family has a drug problem or there’s violence.” 

March 18, 2023 0 comments
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
Oil & Gas

NATO, EU chiefs tour Norway gas platform

by Nadarajah Sethurupan March 18, 2023
written by Nadarajah Sethurupan

President of the EU Commission Ursula von der Leyen and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg visited the Troll A natural gas platform in Norway and called for increasing joint efforts for the security of Europe’s energy infrastructure on Friday.

Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store, von der Leyen and Stoltenberg held a press conference on the country’s largest gas platform, Troll A, off the coast of Norway.

Norway has been an “incredibly valuable” partner and friend of the EU in the last 12 months, von der Leyen said.

For his part, Stoltenberg said that gas installations like Troll A are “vital to our economies, our industries, but also to our safety.”

Store also said that 40% of the natural gas supply to Europe has been met by his country.

Pointing out that there has been intense cooperation and contact between the EU Commission and Norway in the last one year, he said that his country aims to maintain the high level of supply for the next four to five years.

March 18, 2023 0 comments
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
Asia and Norway

Kazakhstan, on the eve of milestone election

by Nadarajah Sethurupan March 16, 2023
written by Nadarajah Sethurupan

By Adil Tursunov, Ambassador of Kazakhstan to Norway

Kazakhstan’s parliamentary and local elections on March 19 will be crucial for the democracy, the nation-building and international relations.

Throughout last year my country managed to recover from the wounds of tragic January 2022 events by strengthening the foundations of governance and implementing political and socio-economic changes.

The constitutional amendments that were implemented following the nationwide referendum in June 2022 have ushered in new democratic principles, including a more influential parliament, limited presidential powers, simplified registration of registering political parties, direct elections of mayors, among many other measures. 

President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has been consistently committed to political reforms, supported by competitive elections. Now, the country is moving fast towards parliamentary and local elections on March 19, which will be unique in many respects.

Firstly, new political parties will participate in the vote. Overall, seven parties are now registered in the country offering a plethora of political choice for the electorate. Significantly, the threshold for parties to enter the Parliament has been reduced from seven to five percent, making it easier for opposition parties to enter parliament.

Secondly, a mixed proportional-majoritarian model will be used, where 70 percent of deputies will be elected proportionally from party lists, and 30 percent by majoritarian rule from single-member districts. This means that 29 out of 98 members of parliament will be elected in single-mandate constituencies, while 69 will be elected from party lists under the proportional representation model from a single nationwide constituency. The local elections to the maslikhats (local representative bodies) of provinces and major cities will also be held under a mixed electoral system, with a 50/50 ratio, while lower level maslikhats will be elected completely under a majoritarian rule.

An “against all” option will be included on the ballots, which will give the electorate the opportunity to express their disapproval of all candidates.

Finally, a 30 percent quota for women, youth, and persons with special needs has been established at the legislative level in the distribution of the mandates of the members of parliament from the party lists. This ensures wider representation in parliament of all groups in Kazakhstan. 

The role of election monitors is crucial as the country is committed to holding free, open, and fair elections. We have invited 10 international organizations and scores of observers from foreign nations to observe the election, including the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).

We believe that the elections will not change our country overnight, but they will further contribute to the creation of a Just Kazakhstan – a prosperous society, and a more vibrant, dynamic and competitive political system. Such a country will be an even stronger and more committed partner for cooperation for the international community, including for Norway.

As the world continues to navigate current geopolitical and economic challenges, a stable and thriving Kazakhstan is to the benefit of not just our own citizens, but to the whole region and beyond. Our political reforms, supported by competitive elections, is the foundation on which we will ensure our stability and continue to build our future.

March 16, 2023 0 comments
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
Asia and Norway

Kazakh activist calls for support for victims of nuclear tests

by Nadarajah Sethurupan March 16, 2023
written by Nadarajah Sethurupan

“456 nuclear explosions were carried out at the Semipalatinsk test site, 116 of them were atmospheric”, said Alimzhan Akhmetov, the director of the Center for International Security and Policy, an NGO from Kazakhstan, during the ICAN Act On It Forum in Oslo.

The Semipalatinsk Test Site was the primary testing venue for the Soviet Union’s nuclear weapons located in Eastern Kazakhstan between 1949 and 1991.

“According to experts, the total power of atmospheric explosions exceeded the power of the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima by 2.5 thousand times. More than 1.5 million people suffered from nuclear tests in Kazakhstan. On August 29, 1991, the world’s largest nuclear test site, Semipalatinsk, was closed. The landfill area was 18,500 square kilometers, which is comparable to the territory of individual states” sad Akhmetov.

In 1990s, Kazakhstan voluntarily abandoned the world’s fourth largest nuclear arsenal. At that time, Kazakhstan possessed 1040 nuclear warheads deployed on 104 intercontinental ballistic missiles, 30 strategic bombers and 600 kg of highly enriched uranium.

In 2009 the UN declared August 29, the day of the closure of the Semipalatinsk test site, as the International Day against Nuclear Tests.

“However, people continue to face consequences from nuclear tests. Now in Kazakhstan we have fourth generation of survivors”.

Akhmetov told the stories of local population of the environmental disaster area who suffer from high rates of cancer, cardiovascular diseases diabetes and, as a result, low life expectancy.

“This is a tangle of medical provision and socio-economic and infrastructural development of the affected region. When there is an ambulance, but it will not reach due to the lack of a road, or if someone becomes ill on Wednesday, and not on Thursday, then it is out of luck. I tell all this not to scare, but to the fact that we need to unite our efforts in overcoming the challenges and problems facing us,” Akhmetov said to the audience.

March 16, 2023 0 comments
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
Svalbard

Polish traveler trapped in Svalbard rescued by Norwegian team

by Nadarajah Sethurupan March 11, 2023
written by Nadarajah Sethurupan

Marcin Gienieczko, a Polish traveler stranded in the Svalbard archipelago, was located by a rescue team early on Saturday and taken to the hospital, his family said on Facebook.

Gieneczko’s goal was Mount Newton, the tallest mountain in the Northern Svalbard archipelago (1,713 m above sea level). Nonetheless, extreme weather disrupted his plans. 

The Pole was reportedly unable to leave the tent due to the 144 km/h wind, snowstorm, and minus 36 degree temperature, according to Polish television station News 24, a partner in the expedition. 

“The sleigh was probably completely buried, thus Marcin lost his fuel and food supplies (the ones he has with him are enough for one and a half days), the tent frame, which was Marcin’s only shelter, was not able to withstand it, only part of it is still standing”, News 24 wrote. 

Early on Friday, Gieneczko called for help. Due to poor weather, the Norwegian rescue team had to halt the rescue operation. Then on Saturday, the weather got better, making it possible to get to the Pole. 

Family members have been informed that Gieneczko was just evacuated and carried by helicopter and is now safe and sound under the supervision of professionals. He was brought to the hospital for a thorough checkup. 

source: PORTAL TVP INFO

March 11, 2023 0 comments
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
Russia and Norway

Norway replaces Russian as Europe’s first gas supplier

by Nadarajah Sethurupan March 10, 2023
written by Nadarajah Sethurupan

Norway has replaced Russia as the biggest gas supplier of Europe, said the EU Commissioner Kadri Simson, as she was addressing a committee meeting and a press conference in the European Parliament, Trend reports via the European Commission.

“Since September 2022, Russian gas is about 8 percent of all pipeline gas imported in the EU. Pipeline gas imports from Russia amounted 61 bcm last year. The first gas supplier to Europe is no longer Russia. It is Norway,” she said.

Simson pointed out that the doubts about Europe’s inability to import enough liquified natural gas (LNG) to replace Russian gas also faded away. Europe opened three new terminals in less than one year, while 5 more are planned to be launched by late 2023 with total capacity of 50 billion cubic meters.

She noted that Europe imported a total of 135 billion cubic meters of LNG, with 56.4 billion cubic meters accounting for the US alone. As such, Europe’s LNG imports rose by 34 billion cubic meters year-on-year.

“The increase of gas supplies from other sources than Russia was almost 10 percent higher than the estimated in the March REPowerEU Communication. Overall, the EU phased out Russian gas by two-thirds. We backed up this diversification effort with new tools,” added Simson.

March 10, 2023 0 comments
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
Media Freedom

Azrieli to build Norwegian data center for TikTok

by Nadarajah Sethurupan March 9, 2023
written by Nadarajah Sethurupan

The data center campus to comprise several buildings, which will form part of TikTok’s European hub, will have a total power capacity of 90 MW.

Azrieli Group has reported that its data center subsidiary Green Mountain, will build a data center campus for TikTok in Norway. The data center campus to comprise several buildings, with a total power capacity of 90 MW. The complex will form part of TikTok’s European hub.

The complex will be built in several stages. The first 30 MW is expected to be supplied by the fourth quarter of 2023, under an 11-year contract. The remaining capacity of 60 MW will be supplied in two further stages in 2024 under 10-year contracts. The customer has been given several options to increase the capacity by dozens more MW.

Planned Azrieli TikTok data center in Norway credit: CTS Nordics

The deal is expected to generate average annual NOI of 79 million, given full operation (90 MW). The total investment in building the project will amount to €750 million. The company intends to finance the transaction from its internal sources and/or through financing, the scope and form of which are yet to be decided.

This deal is part of Green Mountain’s strategy of expanding its presence in the European data center market, and using the strong platform it has acquired to establish a foothold and expand in this market.

As of the end of the third quarter in 2022, Azrieli Group’s data center operations accounted for some 15% of the group’s total assets. This transaction is expected to triple the segment’s NOI upon full operation, excluding completion of the many projects under development.

Azrieli Group CEO Eyal Henkin said, “This deal is a significant step in the development of our data center business and expansion of our presence in Europe. This project joins our development pipeline in this segment, which is expected to significantly increase in the coming years upon completion of the many projects under development. Green Mountain is establishing itself as a key player in the European market, and this deal is expected to constitute another step in the development of this significant segment in Azrieli Group’s portfolio. In this context, the company is exploring various possibilities for collaboration with investors in its business in this market.”

(Published by Globes, Israel business news)

March 9, 2023 0 comments
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
Russia and Norway

Blinken, Lavrov meet briefly as US-Russia tensions soar

by Nadarajah Sethurupan March 3, 2023
written by Nadarajah Sethurupan

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov talked briefly Thursday at a meeting of top diplomats from the Group of 20 nations in the first high-level meeting in months between the two countries.

U.S. officials said Blinken and Lavrov chatted for roughly 10 minutes on the sidelines of the G-20 conference in New Delhi. The short encounter came as relations between Washington and Moscow have plummeted while tensions over Russia’s war with Ukraine have soared.

A senior U.S. official said Blinken used the discussion to make three points to Lavrov: that the U.S. would support Ukraine in the conflict for as long as it takes to bring the war to an end, that Russia should reverse its decision to suspend participation in the New START nuclear treaty and that Moscow should release detained American Paul Whelan.

The official, who spoke to reporters on the condition of anonymity to discuss the private conversation, said Blinken had “disabused” Lavrov of any idea they might have that U.S. support for Ukraine is wavering.

The official declined to characterize Lavrov’s response but said Blinken did not get the impression that there would be any change in Russia’s behavior in the near term.

Lavrov, who did not mention speaking with Blinken, told reporters that Moscow will continue to press its action in Ukraine. He shrugged off Western claims of Russia’s isolation, saying “we aren’t feeling isolated. It’s the West that has isolated itself, and it will eventually come to realize it.”

He said Russia remains open to talks on ending the conflict in Ukraine, but he accused the West of effectively blocking such talks.

“They are calling on us to have talks, but I don’t remember any Western colleagues calling on Ukraine to have talks,” he said. “They are encouraging Ukraine to continue the war.”

Lavrov also mocked the U.S. threats against China. “Our Western colleagues have lost self-control, forgotten their manners and put diplomacy aside, switching exclusively to blackmail and threats.” he said.

Russia had no immediate comment on the substance of the conversation, but Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said Blinken had asked to speak to Lavrov.

It was their first contact since last summer, when Blinken talked to Lavrov by phone about a U.S. proposal for Russia to release Whelan and formerly detained WNBA star Brittney Griner. Griner was later released in a swap for imprisoned Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout, but Whelan remains detained in Russia.

Whelan, a Michigan corporate security executive, has been held for four years on espionage charges that his family and the United States government have said are baseless.

The last time Blinken and Lavrov met in person was in Geneva, Switzerland, in January 2022 on the eve of Russia’s invasion. 

At that meeting, Blinken warned Lavrov about consequences Russia would face if it went ahead with its planned military operation but also sought to address some complaints that Russian President Vladimir Putin had made about the U.S. and NATO.

Those talks proved to be inconclusive as Russia moved ahead with its plans to invade and Blinken then canceled a scheduled follow-up meeting with Lavrov that was set for just two days before Moscow eventually invaded on Feb. 24, 2022.

The two men have attended several international conferences together since the war began, notably the last G-20 foreign ministers’ meeting in Bali, Indonesia, last year, but they had not come face to face until Thursday.

Source – AP News

– Agencies 

March 3, 2023 0 comments
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
Asia and Norway

Norwegian indie folk duo  Kings of Convenience back in Asia.

by Geir Yeh Fotland March 3, 2023
written by Geir Yeh Fotland

Kings of Convenience, formed in 1998 by Eirik Glambek Bøe and Erlend Øye, are touring Asia and Europe this spring and summer.

The band released in 2001 their debut album “Quiet Is the New Loud” which was an instant hit. Kings Of Convenience continued their success with the release of “Riot on an Empty Street” in 2004 and “Declaration of Dependence” 2009. After 12 years of recording in Bergen (Norway), Siracusa (Italy), Berlin (Germany), Gothenburg (Sweden) and Santiago (Chile), Kings of Convenience finally presented their new album “Peace Or Love” in 2021. This month they embark on a long-awaited tour of Asia including the Clockenflap festival in Hong Kong on the 4th, Singapore on 6th (sold out) & 7th, in Jakarta, Indonesia, on 9th (sold out), in Pattaya, Thailand, on 11th, in Taipei, Taiwan, on 15th and in Seoul, South Korea, on 17th (sold out).

Clockenflap is Hong Kong’s biggest international outdoor music and arts festival. In Singapore one concert was sold out, so an extra concert with other songs was added.

– KOC’s first concert in Taiwan in 2010 was held in Taipei Legacy, Hsiao-Hsuan CHEN from Young Team Productions tells, – At the time they were arranging their tour in Asia, they had heard that Taiwan was a country full of delicious food and fun attraction, so they took the initiative to express their willingness to come to Taiwan to play. And tickets were sold out immediately. The most unforgettable things for them in Taiwan are Stir-fried Beef with Celery and walking in the streets of Taipei at night. 

Both musicians are born in the autumn of 1975 in the coastal city of Bergen. They have known each other since they were 10 years old. Their personalities are very different; Eirik settled down in his hometown of Bergen to have a family while Erlend toured and explored the world with nomadic lifestyle in various cities (including Taiwan in 2010, 2011 and 2015). Even though they were on different sides of the world, they never lost touch with each other. Lately Erlend lived a year in Sicily, Italy.

Young Team Productions is arranging the concert on March 15 in Zepp New Taipei. 2200 tickets are available . Norwegian Aurora Aksnes sang on the same stage on February 21, attracting nearly 2,000 fans.

March 3, 2023 0 comments
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
Farming

Norway’s government apologizes to Sami reindeer herders

by Nadarajah Sethurupan March 2, 2023
written by Nadarajah Sethurupan

The Norwegian government apologized Thursday to reindeer herders after activists spent a week protesting a wind farm that they say hinders the rights of the Indigenous Sami people in central and Arctic Norway.

“I have apologized to the reindeer owners on behalf of the government,” Oil and Energy Minister Terje Aasland said after meeting with the speaker of the 39-seat Sami Parliament, Silje Karine Mutoka.

“They have been in a difficult and unclear situation for a long time. I´m sorry about that,” he said.

Mutoka said that receiving an apology had been “a wish from my side.”

“It is crucial for us to move forward. It is important that we now have a common perception that we are dealing with a human rights violation,” she said after the meeting, which was scheduled to last for an hour but took 90 minutes.

Although the talks did not yield an agreement to resolve the wind farm dispute, Aasland said “that we are not ruling out any solutions at this time.”

Mutoka is set to meet next week with Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre, who plans to travel to northern Norway for a previously planned visit.

The activists, mainly teenagers, began their protest a week ago and have blocked the entrance to several ministries in Oslo, Norway’s capital, since Monday. On Thursday, police carried activists away from the finance and culture ministries, while others sang a Sami chant.

Police told Norwegian broadcaster NRK that the activists who were taken away will be fined. No details on the size of the fines were given.

At the center of the dispute are 151 turbines at Europe´s largest onshore wind farm, located in the Fosen district, some 450 kilometers (280 miles) north of Oslo. The activists say that a transition to green energy should not come at the expense of the rights of Indigenous people.

They say the wind farm is still operating despite an October 2021 ruling by Norway´s Supreme Court that said the construction of wind turbines violated the rights of the Sami, who have used the land for reindeer for centuries.

After the Supreme Court ruling, the Norwegian Ministry of Petroleum and Energy asked the owners of the two wind farms to establish whether measures could be taken to ensure reindeer herding near the turbines. But the Sami have refused to take part in such a process.

Several of the activists protesting in Oslo donned the traditional bright-colored clothing of the Sami, whom international organizations recognize as Europe´s only Indigenous people because of their unique cultural roots that predate the creation of nation states.

Formerly known as the Lapps, the Sami are believed to have originated in Central Asia and settled with their reindeer herds in Arctic Europe around 9,000 years ago. They traditionally lived in Lapland, which stretches from northern parts of Norway through Sweden and Finland to Russia.

Across the Arctic region, the majority live on the Norwegian side of the border. Between 40,000 and 60,000 Sami live in central and northern Norway.

They once faced oppression of their culture, including bans on the use of their native tongue. Now they have their own parliaments, schools, newspapers and broadcasts in their own language on national radio and television. The nomadic people live mostly modern lifestyles, but still tend reindeer.

(AP)

March 2, 2023 0 comments
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
Russia and Norway

Norwegian diplomat in Moscow

by Nadarajah Sethurupan March 2, 2023
written by Nadarajah Sethurupan

Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov met Geir Pedersen, the UN special envoy for Syria, for talks in the capital Moscow.

The meeting on Monday was centered around the political and humanitarian situation in Syria, according to a Russian Foreign Ministry statement.

“Particular attention was paid to urgent humanitarian tasks of mobilizing international assistance, including for overcoming the consequences of the earthquake, providing comprehensive support to all needy and affected Syrians without discrimination, politicization and preconditions,” the statement said.

Parts of northwestern Syria were hit hard in the powerful Feb. 6 quakes that were centered in Türkiye’s southern Kahramanmaras province.

In Türkiye, the disaster has claimed more than 44,300 lives in 11 provinces, while the death toll in Syria has climbed to at least 5,840.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Lavrov emphasized the need for coordination between UN humanitarian agencies and Damascus, the statement added.

“The imperative of lifting all illegal unilateral sanctions against Syria, which hinder humanitarian activities and have a negative impact on the liv es of ordinary citizens, was noted,” the ministry said.

Lavrov and Pedersen also discussed issues related to a political settlement in Syria in accordance with the UN Security Council Resolution 2254, it added.

March 2, 2023 0 comments
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
Asia and Norway

Việt Nam becomes Norway’s largest seafood consumer in Southeast Asia

by Nadarajah Sethurupan March 1, 2023
written by Nadarajah Sethurupan

Việt Nam has become Norway’s largest seafood consumer in Southeast Asia with a total import output of about 50,000 tonnes last year.

Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Phùng Đức Tiến revealed the data at a seminar ‘Việt Nam – Norway: co-operation opportunities in aquaculture and seafood export’ held on Tuesday afternoon in Hà Nội.

Tiến also said in May 2021, on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Norway and Việt Nam, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Fisheries of Norway and the  Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of Việt Nam already signed a Letter of Intent with aims to strengthen and develop co-operation in the marine aquaculture industry.

However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the two countries have not been able to implement cooperation activities according to the content of the Letter of Intent, he said.

The seminar was a great opportunity for the two sides to discuss, exchange and concretise cooperation opportunities mentioned in the Letter of Intent, specifically in large-scale marine aquaculture and and seafood industry, he said.

Speaking at the seminar, South-East Asia director of the Norwegian Seafood Council Asbjørn Warvik Rørtveit said in Việt Nam, 86 per cent of the population eats fish or seafood at least once a week, and the country has some of the highest seafood consumption in the world with 37kg per person.

Last year, Việt Nam imported a total of 55,207 tonnes of seafood from Norway which was an increase in volume of 8 per cent, and a increase in value of 52 per cent. The most important products contributing to these numbers is salmon, mackerel and red king crab, he said.

Growth is not only important to the Norwegian seafood industry but is also extremely important for the Vietnamese seafood industry, he said.

Therefore, he hopes that the two countries can work together at both Government and business levels, to further increase the export of seafood for mutual benefits, he said.

There are more than 10 major Vietnamese importers of Norwegian seafood at the moment, directly contributing to those impressive numbers, he said. — VNS

March 1, 2023 0 comments
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
Killing

Moroccan jailed over tourist murders kills himself: Authorities

by Nadarajah Sethurupan February 28, 2023
written by Nadarajah Sethurupan

Morocco’s prison service said on Tuesday that a man sentenced to death over the 2018 beheadings of two Scandinavian women hikers had killed himself in his cell.

“This morning, (the prisoner) at Oujda prison committed suicide,” the General Directorate for Prisons said in a statement.

He had used a piece of cloth ripped from his clothes and tied it to the window, it added.

Prosecutors and the inmate’s family had been immediately informed, it said.

Four defendants were sentenced to death for the murders of 24-year-old Dane Louisa Vesterager Jespersen and 28-year-old Norwegian Maren Ueland in the High Atlas mountains, a case that shocked all three countries.

A prison official confirmed that the man who killed himself was Abderrahim Khayali, 36, who was arrested in Marrakesh hours after the women’s bodies were found.

He had left the other men before they murdered the women, and later told the court that he had left out of “regret.”

But he was found guilty of trying to help the men flee.

Khayali had also appeared alongside the killers in a video in which all four pledged allegiance to Daesh.

He was originally sentenced to life in prison but the sentence was changed to execution after he appealed.

Although the death penalty remains legal in Morocco, there have been no executions there since 1993 because of a moratorium, and the issue of capital punishment is a matter of political debate.

Morocco has been largely spared deadly extremist acts since attacks in Casablanca that killed 33 people in 2003 and one in Marrakesh in 2011 that left 17 people dead.

February 28, 2023 0 comments
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
NATO and Norway

Large crowd in London demands end to sending weapons to Ukraine

by Nadarajah Sethurupan February 28, 2023
written by Nadarajah Sethurupan

A group of people in London on Saturday held a demonstration, calling for peace in Ukraine and an end to sending more weapons.

At the demonstration held by Stop the War Coalition at Portland Place in Central London, the protesters chanted anti-war slogans, while holding banners against sending more weapons to Ukraine as well as Russia. The group later marched toward Trafalgar square.

Foto: Tjønn Halvor – aftenposten

Speaking to Anadolu, Dalia Sanchez, an anti-war activist, said that she just wants to see the end of the war as so many people have lost their lives, regardless of which side they are on.

“I don’t agree with sending weapons [to Ukraine] because, it extends the war,” she said, adding both NATO and Russia should engage in talks to prevent more escalation and deaths.

Saying that there is no need for war, Sanchez said this is a result of “failed diplomacy.”

John Clark, another participant at the demonstration, also said that he thinks NATO’s eastern expansion is not right.

“I am here today just because I think we need to stop war mongers and we need to reconsider what is happening,” he added.

“I want to see cease-fire and talk for the peace,” said Clark, adding: “We should be sending diplomats, not weapons.”

Foto: Alexei Nikolsky – aftenposten

Also speaking to Anadolu, Talia, an activist who only gave her first name, said: “US is manipulating the world for its own interest.”

“I think we should stop sending weapons, we should start talking, because it doesn’t bring us a solution,” she added

“We need to understand that Russia is big, powerful country and we should not the forget that it is a big nuclear state,” said Talia.

Meanwhile, another group of people held a counter-protest, calling for increasing the military supply to Ukraine in its fight against Russia.

Chanting pro-Ukraine slogans, the group was seen holding banners, calling for arming Ukraine to stop Russia.

Russia’s war in Ukraine has entered its second year with at least 8,000 civilians killed, according to the UN.

Western countries, including the UK, have stood with Ukraine supplying it with weapons to fight the much larger, nuclear-armed Russia.

February 28, 2023 0 comments
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
Africa and Norway

Norway supports child protection services in Libya with $900,000

by Nadarajah Sethurupan February 26, 2023
written by Nadarajah Sethurupan

Norway has provided $900,000 to improving access to quality child protection services for children on the move in Libya.

The grant includes the children of migrants and displaced persons, according to a statement by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) office in Libya on its Facebook page, on Tuesday.

This came during a meeting between the Acting Representative of UNICEF, Marie-Consolee Mukangendo, with the Norwegian ambassador to Libya, Hilde Klemetsdal, on Monday, to discuss foster future cooperation in Libya in the areas of Child Protection, education and children on the move.

February 26, 2023 0 comments
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
Newer Posts
Older Posts

Norwegian Nobel Prize 2024

101207 The Norwegian Nobel Committee has decided to award the Nobel Peace Prize for 2024 to Japan’s Hiroshima bomb survivor group Nihon Hidankyo.

Special Interest

  • Africa and Norway
  • Asia and Norway
  • Asylum
  • China and Norway
  • Corruption in Norway
  • Crimes
  • Defence
  • Diplomatic relations
  • Economics
  • Environment
  • Farming
  • Killing
  • Media Freedom
  • Middle East and Norway
  • NATO and Norway
  • Nobel Peace Prize
  • Norwegian Aid
  • Norwegian American
  • Oil & Gas
  • Peace Talks
  • Politics
  • Racism in Norway
  • Religion
  • Russia and Norway
  • Royal House
  • Science
  • Sex scandal
  • Sports
  • Spy War
  • Srilanka and Norway
  • Svalbard
  • Terrorist
  • Taiwan and Norway
  • Video clips

Follow Us

Recent Posts

  • Namibia Turns to Norway for Oil and Gas Support

    April 11, 2026
  • UAE joins Svalbard Treaty in Norway 

    April 8, 2026
  • Yemen, Norway discuss educational cooperation

    April 8, 2026
  • Afghan diaspora protests in Oslo over Pakistan strikes

    April 2, 2026
  • Swedish gang member deported from Norway

    April 2, 2026
  • Norway to change its policy towards Ukrainian

    April 2, 2026

Social Feed

Social Feed

Editors’ Picks

Norway opens market for Sri Lankan fish exports...

May 13, 2016

Sri Lanka – Nordic Business Council holds discussions...

May 15, 2016

Good governance to Sri Lanka

May 15, 2016

Shock and Joy in Sri Lanka – Erik...

May 15, 2016

Sri Lanka-Norway plenty of new opportunities for business–...

May 15, 2016

NORWAY NEWS is an online news site, written in English, dedicated to Norwegian affairs at home and abroad. Norway News.com is published online. It is a daily online newspaper in existence since May, 2003. The site is run by an Independent Journalist.

Facebook Twitter Youtube

Useful Links

    • Work With Us
    • Contact Us
    • Collaboration
    • Data Collection
    • Workplace
    • Adverstising
    • Privacy Policy
    • International Collab
    • Feedback
    • Terms of Use
    • About Our Ads
    • Help & Support
    • Entertainment
    • News Covering
    • Technology
    • Trending Now

Politics

Syrian, Norway to boost cooperation on mine clearance
Erna to step down as Conservative Party leader in 2026
Norwegian Labour Party on re-election win

Latest Articles

Namibia Turns to Norway for Oil and Gas Support
UAE joins Svalbard Treaty in Norway 
Yemen, Norway discuss educational cooperation
Afghan diaspora protests in Oslo over Pakistan strikes

Norway News 2025 . All Right Reserved. Designed and Developed by Norway News

  • Home
  • About us
  • Disclaimer
  • Contact us
NORWAY NEWS – latest news, breaking stories and comment – NORWAY NEWS
  • Home
  • About us
  • News
  • Other News
    • Africa and Norway
    • Asia and Norway
    • Asylum
    • Breaking News
    • China and Norway
    • Corruption in Norway
    • Crimes
    • Defence
    • Diplomatic relations
    • Economics
    • Environment
    • Farming
    • Featured
    • Health
    • Killing
    • Media Freedom
    • Middle East and Norway
    • NATO and Norway
    • Nobel Peace Prize
    • Norwegian Aid
    • Norwegian American
    • Oil & Gas
    • Peace Talks
    • Politics
    • Racism in Norway
    • Religion
    • Royal House
    • Russia and Norway
    • Science
    • Sex scandal
    • Sports
    • Spy War
    • Srilanka and Norway
    • Svalbard
    • Taiwan and Norway
    • Terrorist
    • Travel
    • Video clips
  • Disclaimer
  • Contact us
NORWAY NEWS – latest news, breaking stories and comment – NORWAY NEWS
  • Home
  • About us
  • News
  • Other News
    • Africa and Norway
    • Asia and Norway
    • Asylum
    • Breaking News
    • China and Norway
    • Corruption in Norway
    • Crimes
    • Defence
    • Diplomatic relations
    • Economics
    • Environment
    • Farming
    • Featured
    • Health
    • Killing
    • Media Freedom
    • Middle East and Norway
    • NATO and Norway
    • Nobel Peace Prize
    • Norwegian Aid
    • Norwegian American
    • Oil & Gas
    • Peace Talks
    • Politics
    • Racism in Norway
    • Religion
    • Royal House
    • Russia and Norway
    • Science
    • Sex scandal
    • Sports
    • Spy War
    • Srilanka and Norway
    • Svalbard
    • Taiwan and Norway
    • Terrorist
    • Travel
    • Video clips
  • Disclaimer
  • Contact us

Editor’s Picks

  • UN concern over Sri Lanka’s cases of enforced disappearances

    October 8, 2025
  • UN Human Rights Council Resolution on Sri Lanka’s Path to Reconciliation

    October 7, 2025
  • International should support Sri Lanka: Solheim

    October 4, 2024
  • Norwegian Meets Sri Lankan’s Challenges

    May 3, 2024
  • Norwegian Ambassador meets JVP in Sri Lanka

    May 2, 2024
  • “The man who didn’t run away” – Eric Solheim

    April 30, 2024

Newsletter

@2025 - All Right Reserved. Designed and Developed by Norway News