Thursday, December 25, 2025
Taiwan and Norway

Norwegian shipbuilder Vard contracted by Taiwan company

by Nadarajah Sethurupan
written by Nadarajah Sethurupan

The Norwegian shipbuilding company Vard has accepted a contract with a Taiwanese client to build two Commissioning Service Operation Vessels (CSOVs), it was reported on Friday (May 10). 

The CSOVs will boost Taiwan’s capacity to harness energy from offshore wind farms. The vessels will be used to help install wind farms off Taiwan’s coast, with the first expected to be delivered in late 2026, and the second in early 2027, reported Maritime Link. 

The new ships will reportedly be of the Vard 4-39 model, measuring 102.3 meters long and 19.5 meters at their widest point. The ships can house up to 120 crew members at maximum capacity per reports. 

The name of the Taiwanese client was not included in the announcement from Vard. Previously, Vard was contracted by the Ta San Shang Marine Company, to build the TSS Pioneer, a first of its kind service operation vessel (SOV). 

After its construction at Vard’s shipyard in Vietnam, the TSS Pioneer was delivered in 2022, and it is currently commissioned on a 15-year contract with Orsted, working on the Greater Changhua Offshore Windfarm, per Maritime Executive.   

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Diplomatic relations

Norway calls for accountability after attack in East Jerusalem

by Nadarajah Sethurupan
written by Nadarajah Sethurupan

Norway on Friday called for accountability after Israeli extremists attacked the headquarters of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) in the occupied East Jerusalem.

Expressing that he was “shocked” by the attack, Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide said on X: “As host country, Israel has a duty to protect UN personnel and premises at any time.”

He said that UNRWA is the “lifeline for millions of Palestine refugees,” adding: “The incidents must be investigated, those responsible must be held accountable.”

On Thursday night, Israeli extremists set fire twice to the perimeter of the agency’s headquarters while the staff was on the compound, putting lives at serious risk, according to UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini.

Protesters were chanting “burn down the United Nations,” and UN staff had to put out the fire themselves.

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Economics

Norwegian with 19 million seats and 47 routes

by Nadarajah Sethurupan
written by Nadarajah Sethurupan

Norwegian gears up for a bustling summer season, offering nearly 19 million seats across over 100,000 flights and introducing 47 new routes. Popular destinations like France, Italy, and Turkey are among the highlights of the airline’s summer programme.

This year’s summer schedule sees a ten percent increase in capacity compared to 2023, with a significant focus on Denmark, featuring 17 new routes. Despite economic factors like high interest rates and costs, there remains strong demand for summer travel among Norwegian customers.

Magnus Thome Maursund, Norwegian’s commercial director, emphasises the popularity of new routes to Lyon and Istanbul from Oslo, and Milan from Stavanger, noting the enduring appeal of sunny destinations. He highlights the strategic importance of investing in Denmark, Norwegian’s second largest market, for the summer season.

Norwegian has rolled out 47 new routes, with twelve already operational since April, fourteen set to commence in May, and twenty-one launching in June. Overall capacity has been boosted by 1.6 million seats compared to last year’s summer program.

Maursund advises travellers to book early, especially for sought-after destinations in Spain and Greece, which tend to fill up quickly. Additionally, he suggests exploring exciting alternatives in Italy for the summer holidays.

The airline’s new routes from Norway cover a diverse range of destinations, including Istanbul, Lyon, Basel, and Montpellier. Sandefjord Airport Torp and Stavanger will also see new routes to popular spots like Mallorca/Palma, Barcelona, and Milan/Bergamo. Evenes and Bergen airports will connect travellers to destinations such as Mallorca/Palma, Rhodes, and Edinburgh.

As Norwegian continues to expand its network and offerings, travellers can expect a diverse array of options for their summer adventures.

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Diplomatic relations

Moldovan president on visit to Norway

by Nadarajah Sethurupan
written by Nadarajah Sethurupan

Moldovan President Maia Sandu is on a state visit to the Kingdom of Norway on May 6-7 at the invitation of Their Majesties King Harald V and Queen Sonja. This is the first time that a Moldovan president has paid a state visit to Norway, the presidential press service has reported.

The official will also hold talks with Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre, Speaker Masud Gharahkhani and members of the parliamentary committee on foreign affairs and defence.

Over the past two years, Norway has provided consistent support to the Republic of Moldova. Since the start of the war in Ukraine, through UN agencies and other international organisations, it has provided humanitarian support to help Ukrainian refugees and their host communities. Norway has also contributed funds to purchase natural gas and to support our war-affected economy.

In terms of economy, a year ago Moldova signed a free trade agreement with the European Free Trade Association, of which Norway is a member. The document, once ratified by Oslo, will open up new opportunities for Moldovan producers in a stable market with high purchasing power, while making our country more attractive to Norwegian investors.

As a sign of this growing bilateral relationship, Norway has announced that it will open a diplomatic office in Chisinau this summer.

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Environment

GPU AI cloud taps Norway hydropower

by Nadarajah Sethurupan
written by Nadarajah Sethurupan

Nscale has launched a sustainable high-performance GPU cloud in Norway using AMD chips and hydroelectric power.

Nscale is a vertically integrated GPU cloud spun out from Arkon Energy, a 300MW Data Centre and Hosting business in North America and the N1 Glomfjord data centre is one of the world’s first AMD technology-focused cloud service providers.

The low cost of the renewable energy in northern Norway makes the site one of the most cost-efficient for LLM and AI training hubs in the world.

Nscale owns and operates the full AI stack from its modular data centres to its high-performance compute clusters, allowing it to optimise each layer of the stack for performance and cost efficiency.

By using the enhanced memory bandwidth and capacity of the AMD Instinct MI300X accelerators and ROCm open ecosystem, Nscale can provide LLM and GenAI workloads for companies from startups to large enterprises for AI, deep learning, and big data analytics.

“Over the coming years, AI will proliferate into every enterprise, product, and service, driving unprecedented demand for AI infrastructure. By combining cutting-edge technology from AMD with Norway’s abundant, low-cost energy, we are offering a next-gen AI Cloud platform that is not only powerful but also sustainable and cost-effective,” said Josh Payne Co-Founder and CEO of Nscale.

“Nscale’s mission is to democratise high-performance computing to unleash the potential of AI. Our 100% renewable AI Cloud Services platform is vertically integrated from the power connection to the cloud, providing sustainable, high-performance, and low-cost compute for Enterprises, Research Institutions and AI Startups alike.”

“At AMD, we believe in the transformative power of AI and are excited to work with Nscale to deliver cloud instances of the AMD Instinct MI300X accelerator,” said Andrew Dieckmann, corporate vice president and general manager, AMD Instinct Business. “Through Nscale’s AI Cloud Services platform, the MI300X will deliver highly competitive Generative AI inferencing performance, leveraging the AMD ROCm open software ecosystem to enable a compelling TCO advantage to other market alternatives.”

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Media Freedom

Norway accuses West of double standards 

by Nadarajah Sethurupan
written by Nadarajah Sethurupan

Norway’s Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide on Monday accused the Western countries of double standards on the second day of the World Economic Forum held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

With brutal war unraveling in Gaza and Ukraine, the foreign minister argued that the West’s support for the war-torn European country, inherent in terms of respect for international law, has been absent when it comes to violations of international law in Gaza.

“Many Western countries hesitated to use the same type of language against violations of international humanitarian law, for instance, that we easily apply when they are violated in Ukraine,” Eide said.

The special meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF) which began on Sunday is taking place amid the ongoing brutal Israeli war on Gaza in which more than 34,000 Palestinians were killed, mostly women and children, while tens of thousands are injured, missing, or uncounted for, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.

Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Faisal Bin Farhan described the situation in the Gaza Strip as a “catastrophe” at the meeting, adding that talking about half-measures in the Gaza Strip is “ridiculous,” and that the focus should be on the two-state solution.

The Gaza Strip will take 30 years to be rebuilt after the Israeli war, he said, while also pointing out that a UN report has suggested that it will take 14 years just to remove the rubble.

“The (Israeli) plans to expand military operations towards Rafah will only bring more suffering to the targeted and defenseless civilians in the Gaza Strip. The situation in Gaza obviously is a catastrophe by every measure,” Bin Farhan warned.

Over seven months into the onslaught, which came after Palestinian group Hamas launched a surprise attack that Israel said killed 1,200 people, vast swathes of Gaza lay in ruins, pushing 85% of the enclave’s population into internal displacement amid a crippling blockade of most food, clean water, and medicine, according to the UN.

Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice.

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NATO and Norway

NATO in Ukraine to lead escalation — UK diplomat

by Nadarajah Sethurupan
written by Nadarajah Sethurupan

Sending NATO units to Ukraine could lead to a dangerous escalation of the situation, there is no need for this step, UK Foreign Secretary David Cameron told Sky News.

Britain’s Prime Minister David Cameron (L) and Russia’s President Vladimir Putin take part in a ceremony to award the Russian Ushakov medal to Arctic convoy veterans in 10 Downing Street, central London June 16, 2013. REUTERS/Anthony Devlin/Pool

Commenting on the words of French President Emmanuel Macron, who earlier reiterated that he could not rule out such a development of events, Cameron said: “I wouldn’t have NATO soldiers in the country because I think that could be a dangerous escalation. And it’s not necessary. We have trained, I think now, almost 60,000 Ukrainian soldiers.” “I don’t think it is right to have NATO soldiers killing Russian soldiers,” he added.

The top UK diplomat opined that Ukraine’s defeat in a conflict with Russia would create a “very dangerous future” because it would signal to China and Iran that aggression against their neighbors is acceptable.

“I think we are at an absolutely crucial tipping point in global affairs,” Cameron said, calling for increased aid to Kiev to “push out” Russia and secure a “just peace.”

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Srilanka and Norway

Norwegian Meets Sri Lankan’s Challenges

by Nadarajah Sethurupan
written by Nadarajah Sethurupan

The Norwegian Ambassador to Sri Lanka, May Elin Stener, held a significant meeting with Sri Lankan Opposition Leader MP Sajith Premadasa on Thursday (May 2). 

The discussions primarily revolved around the current state of affairs in Sri Lanka, with MP Premadasa highlighting the nation’s economic crisis and outlining the Samagi Jana Balawegaya’s (SJB) strategies to tackle it. 

With the upcoming election looming large, MP Premadasa shed light on the SJB’s vision to revitalize the country following past governance issues and the rise of populist movements.

The meeting also saw the participation of Sri Lankan MPs Niroshan Perera and Kavinda Jayawardena alongside the Norwegian Ambassador and the second secretary of the Norwegian Embassy, Johan Bjerkem.

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Asia and Norway

INDIA, NORWAY EXTEND COOPERATION IN HEALTH SECTOR

by Nadarajah Sethurupan
written by Nadarajah Sethurupan

India and Norway on Wednesday extended their cooperation in implementing various health schemes across multiple regions in India.

Union Health Secretary Apurva Chandra and Deputy Ambassador of Norway Martine Aamdal Bottheim signed the documents marking the commencement of the 4th phase of Norway India Partnership Initiative (NIPI).

The Norway India Partnership Initiative (NIPI) was established in 2006, based on an agreement between the Governments of Norway and India to make sustainable efforts to reduce maternal, newborn and child mortality in India.

NIPI aims to provide strategic, catalytic and innovative support to India’s National Health Mission (NHM) by testing scalable interventions in four high focus states of Bihar, Odisha, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan and UT of Jammu and Kashmir.

(ANI)

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Srilanka and Norway

Norwegian Ambassador meets JVP in Sri Lanka

by Nadarajah Sethurupan
written by Nadarajah Sethurupan

Norwegian Ambassador to India in New Delhi May-Elin Stener met National People’s Power (NPP) leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake at the JVP head office this afternoon. He also known by his initials AKD, is a Sri Lankan socialist politician. He is a Member of Parliament from the Colombo District, the current party leader of the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (from 2014) and the National People’s Power (from 2019). A former presidential candidate in 2019, he has been named as the National People’s Power presidential candidate for the 2024 Sri Lankan presidential election.

He has been involved with the JVP since his school days and was active in student politics in university before joining the JVP politburo in 1995. He has been a member of parliament since September 2000, having been either appointed from the national list or elected, Dissanayake served as the Minister of Agriculture, Livestock, Land and Irrigation from 2004 to 2005 and Chief Opposition Whip from 2015 to 2018. He was named the leader of JVP at the 7th National Convention of the party, held on 2 February 2014.

Second Secretary of the Norwegian Embassy John Bjerkem and NPP MP Vijitha Herath and Harini Amarasuriya attended the meeting.

The current political situation in the country and the economic crisis that Sri Lanka is facing were discussed at length, party sources said.

The two parties also discussed the elections to be held this year.

Attrocities of Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) or Peoples’ Liberation Front

During the period 1987-1992 the JVP murdered hundreds of members of the working class in the South of the island in order to force people to join anti-government strikes. 

Just 15 year ago JVP attacked the holiest of Buddhist shrines, the sacred Sri Dalada Maligawa in Kandy and also the Katunayake International airport.

Information below is gathered from a news paper in Sri Lanka. (An official document marked ‘top secret’ listed killings that the JVP carried out during this time.)

Killed :

3210    Informants                   1735 Government supporters  487 Government servants

52        Educationists   (Including 50 Principals, a vice chancellor and a University professor)

70        Politicians        (35 were leading politicians)

Service personnel :

209      Security forces             342      Police personnel                      98        Home guards 

In 1989 alone, JVP murdered 24 Buddhist clergies (For refusing to bow to the Marxists principles)

Name of Buddihist Clergy  Buddhist Temple   Date
Rev. Poddalamulle Premaloka    18/12/1988 
Rev. Marambe Somaratana   31/12/1988
Rev. Angunakolapelasse Upali  07/01/1989
Rev. Kumbagoda Gunaloka   Mihintale Temple11/07/1987 
Rev. Kotikawatte Saddhatissa  03/08/1989 
Rev. Hemaloka  Nandimithra Temple –Pallama04/08/1989 
Rev. W. Pangnatisa Athurugiriya Temple 13/08/1989 
Rev. Soragune Pangnasara Rajamahaviharaya     20/08/1989 
Rev. Kirawanagama Pangnarama  27/08/1989
Rev. Welltota PangnadassiKithalagamuwa Temple30/08/1989
Rev. Pelpola Dharmapala Jayasumanaramaya04/09/1989
Rev. Muditha  Sri Sudharshanaramaya – Hiniduma05/09/1989 
Rev. Kahawa Wimalasiri Bodhirajaramaya09/09/1989 
Rev. Mahanuwara DammarakkithaBambarangala Temple18/09/1989 
Rev. Govunne RathanajothiMawelagama Rajamaha Viharaya20/09/1989
Rev. Thiaranagama Rathanasara 29/09/1989
Rev. Thambugala Anandasiri  13/10/1989 
Rev. Dikpitiye Angirasa Sri Keththarama Temple 05/10/1989 
Rev. Kalutara Dharmarathana 12/10/1989
Rev. WimalakeerthiDangolla Temple – Horambawa20/10/1989 
Rev. Nikapitiye SiddharthaDeliwala Temple 30/10/1989
Rev. D. Gunawansa  Mangalagama Pirivena – Molagoda05/11/1989
Rev. Welipitiye PangnatissaViyaneliya Temple29/11/1989 
Rev. Bamunupotha SomarathanaMedpitiya Temple10/12/1989 
Rev. W. PangnanandaWeulukannala Temple11/12/1989
Rev. Ambewela ChandrajothiKulubululanda Viharaya12/12/1989 
Rev. Rekawa Pangnasiddhi               Ubhayaramaya Temple – Rekawa     16/12/1989

In 1987 and 1988 two Catholic priests were killed by JVP. 

Name of Priest                     Place of incident                                         Date                

Fr. Michael Paul Rodrigo         Subaseth Gedara, Kataragama                                 11/10/1987

Fr. P. Lionel Jayasinghe         Lanka Deva Sabhawa – Tissamaharamaya    25/03/1988

Vandalism and sabotage by JVP 

Destroyed

553      CTB buses                  15        CTB depots                 01        CTB workshop 

113      Government vehicles   29        Private vehicles

Vandalised

16        Trains              12        Rail tracks                    24       Railway stations

680      Post offices     18        Postal vehicles            12        Telecommunication centres 

01        CTO building   84        Key telephone lines

04        Paddy collecting centres and cultivation and milk collecting centres

73        Tea factories   38        Estate bungalows 

Many   Estate vehicles, Tea leaf collecting centres

Corporations vandalised 

(1)Timber Corporation depots             (2) Distilleries                           (3) Weaving centres, 

(4) Building Materials Corporation       (5) Plywood Corporation          (6) Cashew Corporation,

(7) Fertiliser Corporation                      (8) Mining buildings                 (9) Government schools.

Sabotaged

132      Electric transformers                13        Pylons                         69        Power lines 

02        Power stations                        25        Electric meters             09        Elec-sub stations

103      Agrarian service centres

Attacked

More than 40 Banks 

21        Government office

294      Offices of Government agents

Private property damaged

107      Homes of service personnel    76        Houses of Police officers         Home Guards

20        Houses of civilians                  33        Private buildings 

05        Sarvodaya Centres                             Homes of provincial council members, 

Social centres and Trade union offices           

Foreign construction projects and construction centres 

JVP ADMITTED KILLING IN THOUSANDS

JVP leader Somawansa admitted to the killing of at least 6,000 people 

Civil society was shocked to learn that Somawansa Amerasinghe has accepted that the Janatha Vimuke Peramuna (JVP) murdered 6000 people including hundreds of politicians and others, including President Kumaratunga’s husband Vijeya Kumaratunga! Amerasinghe is the only member still alive of the JVP politburo of that time. Civil society expects that the international community will demand legal action after the revelation of such a vast number of brutal murders.

He has been in self-imposed exile in the United Kingdom for the past few years. The evidence against him has been well documented and there is a warrant in Sri Lanka for his arrest. 

It is shameful that the Sri Lankan President Chandrika Kumaratunga to brought Somawansa from London as a State guest to address the election rally last year and then allowed him to go back to UK, instead of having him arrested. Yet another outrageous act of President Chandrika!

According to Human rights organisations and the Sri Lankan media, the JVP has killed or contributed to the killing of more than 60,000 people in 1980s.

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Srilanka and Norway

“The man who didn’t run away” – Eric Solheim

by Nadarajah Sethurupan
written by Nadarajah Sethurupan

Norway’s former minister of Climate and the Environment, Erik Solheim says President Ranil Wickremesinghe has pulled off a political miracle in Sri Lanka, calling him ‘The man who didn’t run away’.

Solheim, appointed President Wickremesinghe’s International Climate Adviser in October 2022, took to ‘X’ to heap praise on the Sri Lankan President’s efforts to revive Sri Lanka from its economic crisis. 

“18 months ago the nation was in its deepest economic crisis ever. There were constant power cuts and long queues to buy fuel. Inflation was skyrocketing and most businesses were on the verge of collapse. The people toppled the then President.

“Stability is now restored in the land. Inflation is low. Power cuts and lining up for fuel are things of the past. Life is for sure still tough for many Sri Lankans. There is a lot of economic pain. But Sri Lanka can start looking ahead. To all the opportunities for a better future,” he said in a statement on ‘X’. 

Erik Solheim made the remarks after attending dinner with President Wickremesinghe and his wife Maithree Wickremesinghe in Colombo.

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Politics

Turkish FM holds talks with Norwegian FM

by Nadarajah Sethurupan
written by Nadarajah Sethurupan

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan on Sunday met with his counterparts from Norway, Jordan and Yemen as well as the EU foreign policy chief in Saudi Arabia’s capital Riyadh.

“We agreed on the urgency to address regional issues and in particular to end the suffering in Gaza,” EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said on X after the meeting, adding that they had a good conversation on EU-Türkiye relations, emphasizing the need for “cooperation” and continuation of the “engagement.”

During his meeting with Norway’s Espen Barth Eide, Jordan’s Ayman Safadi and Yemen’s Shai Muhsin Zindani, Hakan Fidan drew attention to the increasing global reactions to Israel’s ongoing attacks in Gaza.

Fidan also stressed the need to increase pressure on Israel to stop attacks on the besieged Palestinian enclave.

The foreign ministers also discussed steps that could be taken for the recognition of the state of Palestine by more countries.

Fidan and his Norwegian counterpart also discussed cooperation within the framework of NATO.

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Diplomatic relations

Bulgarian Mosaics to Be Presented in Norway

by Nadarajah Sethurupan
written by Nadarajah Sethurupan

An innovative mobile exhibition titled “Bulgaria and the Mosaics” will be unveiled in Stavanger, Norway on May 3 at 6 p.m. local time, the Bulgarian Embassy in Oslo says on its Facebook page. Pianist Kiril Kutin, who founded the Stavanger International Piano Festival, and 10-year-old violinist Isola Lin will perform on the opening evening.

The event is organized by the Bulgarian Embassy in collaboration with the board of the St Peter’s Church in Stavanger.

Photo: Facebook/Bulgarian Embassy in Norway

The exhibition aims to present the rich and diverse mosaic heritage in Bulgaria through selected details of ancient, medieval and modern mosaics. It also highlights Bulgaria’s contribution to the preservation and research of the mosaic heritage in Southeastern Europe.

“Bulgaria and the Mosaics” consists of 26 printed panels, each equipped with a QR code that leads to a website presenting the digital part of the exhibition. The website gives information about the presented objects, their location on the map, the institutions and organizations thanks to which they are included in the exhibition, and short texts about the history, problems and practices of preserving mosaic art in Bulgaria.

The exhibition was developed by the Balkan Heritage Foundation in 2023 in cooperation with Bulgarian museums, non-profit organizations and experts in the field of art studies and archaeology.

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Russia and Norway

No NATO presence in Ukraine — Stoltenberg

by Nadarajah Sethurupan
written by Nadarajah Sethurupan

NATO doesn’t plan to send combat units to Ukraine although some of NATO allies have military advisers there, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said.

“There are no plans for any NATO combat presence in Ukraine, but of course several NATO allies have men and women in uniform at their embassies giving advice,” he said in an interview with MSNBC.

“I think we need to distinguish between people in uniform that may be present or are present and combat presence and the presence of combat forces. And we have no plans of presence of that kind. What we do in Ukraine is that we help them to defend themselves.” He said, adding that NATO’s support “is not charity, it is an investment in our own security.”

The United States and NATO’s military aid to Ukraine is “too late” but the delays has had its “consequences,” Stoltenberg also said.

“It’s not too late but of course the delay has had real consequences <…> the Russians have much more ammunition,” he said in an interview with MSNBC, commenting on the new aid package for Ukraine approved by the US House of Representatives. “We have seen that fewer Russian missiles and drones have been shot down simply because they lack air defense systems and also ammunition to air defense systems. But it’s not too late because the Ukrainians demonstrated an enormous skill in defending their country.”.

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Media Freedom

Norway ‘regrets’ outcome as UNSC blocks Palestine’s full UN membership resolution

by Nadarajah Sethurupan
written by Nadarajah Sethurupan

Norway said on Thursday that it “regrets” that the UN Security Council disagreement on Palestine’s full membership to the UN.

Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide wrote on X that his country would have voted in favor of Palestine, following the vote on a resolution on full UN membership of Palestine, which saw the US veto.

“Norway regrets that the Security Council did not agree on admitting Palestine as a full member of the UN,” Eide wrote.

“We would have voted in favour. Norway is a staunch supporter of Palestine’s right to statehood.”

Eide added that the two-state solution is “the only way to durable peace” between Israel and Palestine.

12 countries, Slovenia, Sierra Leone, Russia, South Korea, Mozambique, Malta, Japan, Guyana, France, Ecuador, China and Algeria voted in favor of the resolution but 2 countries, the UK and Switzerland abstained on the resolution.

Robert Wood, the US deputy envoy to the UN, said following the veto that his country believes there is no other path to Palestinian statehood than through negotiations.

“We also have long been clear that premature actions here in New York, even with the best intentions, will not achieve statehood for the Palestinian people,” Wood said.

Palestine is a non-member state in the UN but has an observer status. An application for full membership necessitates an approval from the UNSC and a two-thirds of vote of all member states in the General Assembly.

The resolution that would open the way for a full membership application for Palestine came as the death toll in Gaza Strip that saw a relentless bombing campaign from Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) since Oct. 7 reaches 34,000.

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Asia and Norway

Oslo opens route to China – via Kazakhstan

by Nadarajah Sethurupan
written by Nadarajah Sethurupan

A new direct salmon air route between Norway and China has just been launched from Oslo.

The interesting aspect is that the plane travels via the former Soviet republic of  Kazakhstan, close to Russia, an area of the world avoided by western fish air carriers since the start of the Ukraine war.

The first consignment of 210 tonnes was flown to the Chinese market recently by a Hongyuan Group cargo plane.

Avinor, which runs Oslo Airport, said the new freight route will connect the Norwegian capital directly to Chengdu Tianfu International Airport with a stopover in Astana, Kazakhstan.

“This freight route is an important measure to meet the growing demand for efficient transport of goods, especially seafood, between Norway and China,” it adds.

Avinor shipping manager Eva Beate Lande said: “This marks an important milestone, and represents a significant opportunity for the seafood industry in Norway.”

The flight has been set up by the Hongyuan Group, while the plane itself is operated by Beijing Capital Airlines.

The route will operate three times weekly on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, operated by an Airbus A330-300, with ambitions to increase the frequency in the short term if they fill the aircraft.

Eva Lande added: “With a capacity to send 210 tonnes of fresh fish directly to the Chinese market every week, we shorten the transport time significantly.

“We have seen a sharp increase in seafood exports to China since 2019, and now that the market is opening up after the restrictions of the pandemic, it is crucial to have direct routes like this to support further growth.”

The aircraft brings goods from China on the return journey.

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Asia and Norway

Turkmenistan participates in IPCI Conference

by Nadarajah Sethurupan
written by Nadarajah Sethurupan

The Parliament of Turkmenistan delegated its representative to the 8th International Parliamentarians’ Conference on the Implementation of the ICPD Programme of Action (IPCI/ICPD), which was held in the Norwegian city of Oslo, Trend reports.

During the conference, measures to address reproductive health issues were discussed, as well as the exchange of countries’ experiences on maternal and child health, protection of women’s rights, and principles and methods for achieving gender equality for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) until 2030.

The participants of the meeting were familiarized with the systematic and consistent activities carried out in Turkmenistan in this area, including at the legislative level and in cooperation with UN agencies, as told by Gurbanmyrat Ashirov, a member of the Committee on Social Policy of the National Parliament of Turkmenistan.

Furthermore, the conference was attended by about 300 participants, including more than 200 parliamentarians from all regions of the world and representatives of national, regional, and global parliamentary groups.

Meanwhile, the IPCI conference is aimed at facilitating dialogue between parliamentarians from all regions of the world on the implementation of the 1994 International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) and is the only event specifically created to form a global political consensus on reproductive health and rights in order to then transform into tangible national results in the fields of policy, financing, and accountability.

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Religion

Norway arms police due to threats against Muslims

by Nadarajah Sethurupan
written by Nadarajah Sethurupan

Police in Norway have decided to arm on-duty officers following threats made against the Muslim community, local media reported Monday.

The decision by the director general of police applies to officers throughout the country and came into effect on Saturday, said a statement released over the weekend.

Threats were made against mosques in the Nordic country, police spokesman Roar Hansen was quoted as saying by local media.

The move comes ahead of Eid al-Fitr celebrations this week marking the end of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan.​​​​​​​

Norwegian police do not generally carry arms, but due to the threats, the police director general “has decided to arm police on a national level from today,” the statement said.

In August 2019, 21-year-old Philip Manshaus opened fire on the Al Noor Islamic center in Baerum, a suburb of Oslo.

He wounded one person and was then restrained by Muslim worshippers.

Prior to the attack, he killed his adopted stepsister at their home and posted messages online praising the Christchurch mosque shooter, the Poway synagogue shooter and the El Paso shooter, who targeted Latinos.

Manshaus was sentenced to 21 years in prison in June 2020.

A total of 51 Muslims were killed and 40 were injured at Masjid al-Noor and the Linwood Islamic Centre in Christchurch, New Zealand during Friday prayers on March 15, 2019 in a terrorist attack committed by Australian white supremacist Brenton Tarrant.

Norwegian Anders Behring Breivik, a neo-Nazi who on July 22, 2011 killed 77 people in a bombing and shooting rampage, is widely referred to as a fanatic who was driven by a hatred of Islam and Muslims.

In a 1,500-page document, Breivik devoted 700 pages to attacking the Muslim religion.

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Russia and Norway

Olga Afanasyeva – The creation of a universal cryptocurrency “cosmiccoin” will lead humanity to Harmony and Prosperity

by Nadarajah Sethurupan
written by Nadarajah Sethurupan

Reference:

Olga Afanaseva was born on November 7, 1975, a Russian businesswoman scientist, psychologist. The author of the «Symbol of the III Millennium» – the «Millennium Flame» («Flame of the Preservation of Human Civilization»), the author of the «Cosmic Women’s Message», the founder and head of the private space company SpaceZero (Russia), the legal successor of SpaceZ (Great Britain).

Education: Smolensk State University (with honors), Peoples’ Friendship University of Russia named after Patrice Lulumba (RUDN), Russian New University (RNU). Advisor to the President of the Russian Academy of Natural Sciences (RAS). A psychologist of the highest category.

Her husband is the president of the international scientific community «Sofia Club» (an analogue of the «Club of Rome»).

Children: Alexandra (2008), Gleb (2013).

Olga Afanaseva was awarded the Mahatma Gandhi Prize (Peace and Well-being Prize) (analogous to the Nobel Peace Prize) at the 38th International Congress of Peace and Well-being (January, 2019, New Delhi, India)

Activity: 

Since 2000, he has been the initiator of international scientific and image programs supported by UNESCO and UN Secretary–General Kofi Annan.

     Olga Afanaseva at the UN Headquarters (New York, 2018)

In 2000, she was the organizer of the program under the auspices of the United Nations «Towards the Third Millennium». She participated in the marathon (America – Europe – Asia – Australia) of the «Flame for the Preservation of Human Civilization» (an analogue of the «Olympic Flame»). She covered a distance of more than 5 thousand km from Paris to Astana.

Olga Afanaseva is the organizer of the international network of «Leonardo Innovation Centers». The «Leonardo Centers» operate in the context of space research with elements of psychological quests and an interactive museum of a new generation.

Olga Afanaseva and the head of the Star City cosmonaut, Valery Tokarev with representatives of the world-famous space agencies NASA (USA) and JAXA (Japan) (2019, Star City, Russia)

Olga Afanaseva is the initiator of a new direction of the «SETI for All» program («SETI» has been a set of projects on the search for extraterrestrial civilizations since 1959).

On November 4, 2017, during a visit to the Director General of UNESCO, Ms. Irina Bokova, the delegation of the International Scientific Club «Sofia Club» (Bulgaria) presented its projects, including the «Women’s Cosmic Message», the scientific basis of which Olga proposed to develop jointly with The «Sofia Club» (Sofia is the Goddess of Wisdom in ancient philosophy).

In 2018, he was the official representative of the Russian public organization at the 62nd Women’s Session of the 72nd UN General Assembly (New York).

Astronaut Valery Tokarev and Olga Afanaseva near Albert Einstein’s house (Princeton, USA)

Awards:

The Millennium Order of the International Union of Public Organizations «Perspective World» for contribution to the implementation of the program «Towards the XXI Century» under the auspices of the United Nations (Russia-France, 2003).

The Peace and Well-being Award is the NRI Award, as an analogue of the Nobel Peace Prize for contribution to the World Women’s Movement and a set of international programs in the field of Space development (India, 2018 – within the framework of the 38th World Peace Congress).

Order of BRICS for a report at the 62nd Women’s Session at the 72nd UN General Assembly (New York, 2018) on the development of new women’s initiatives and the creation of a «Women’s Cosmic Message» (USA – India, 2019).

Space Zero:

Space Zero operates in 42 areas of science and business.

The main priorities are the following: creative economy, innovative technologies (space, aviation, mechanical engineering, biology, neuroscience, etc.).

For the adaptation and convergence of projects, SpaceZero has nominated 100 billion “cosmiccoin”.

Among the global projects: “Mars 2030-2050”, “Robots make Robots”,

“AI Paradoxes”, “Medicine of the Future”, “Global Finance and Global Aggregate Debt (GTD)”, “Impact Business”.

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Terrorist

Bomb threats force lockdown of Norway’s parliament

by Nadarajah Sethurupan
written by Nadarajah Sethurupan

Norway’s parliament, the Storting, has been temporarily closed off after repeated threats against the institution, police have said.

Two threats were directed at the institution on Tuesday, but no link between them has been established yet, Oslo police chief of operations Sven Bjelland told a press briefing.

The first was not deemed credible, but the second threat led police to cordon off the building in the centre of Oslo on Wednesday.

REUTERS
Police investigate threats against Norwegian parliament.  / Photo: Reuters

According to Norwegian media, the threats were bomb threats, but police did not confirm this.

The public was asked to leave the building, but work continued normally inside in the morning.

“We are now at a stage where we do not believe that these (threats) were real, but that does not mean that they are not serious,” Bjelland told reporters after noon Wednesday.

The security perimeter set up around the parliament building was therefore lifted, but police said that they would maintain a presence on site.

Police gave no further details about the threats or their motives but said the source of the first threat had been identified.

Images and video from the scene showed heavily armed police officers wearing helmets surrounding the building, while police dogs were used to inspect the surrounding area.

In Norway, police are generally not armed, but they had been authorised to be temporarily armed from March 27 to April 2 — during Easter — without authorities changing their threat assessment level, which is currently considered “moderate”.

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Media Freedom

Vladimir Pogosian – Kingdom of Bahrain – Meeting of ancient civilizations

by Nadarajah Sethurupan
written by Nadarajah Sethurupan

From February 27 to March 2, 2024, a delegation from Russia visited the Kingdom of Bahrain. Representative of the Russian Parliament – the State Duma of the Russian Federation H. E. Andrey Svintsov, President of the International Diplomatic Club “Amicability” and Director of Communications at BCMF (BRICS Cultural Media Forum) Dr. Sergei Dvorianov, international entrepreneur, philanthropist, member of the Armenian Fine Arts Foundation Vladimir Pogosian and famous Russian artist Marina Romakhina discussed a number of topics in the field of cultural, educational and social interaction. The members of the delegation visited the grandiose and such a traditional show for the Kingdom of Bahrain – Formula 1.

In addition, during his visit to this amazing country of the Middle East, a meeting was held with His Excellency Sheikh Khalifa Ahmed Al-Khalifa – President of Bahrain Authority for Culture & Antiquities. During a deep and productive conversation with His Excellency at the Bahrain Post Museum, Vladimir Pogosian, who is a recipient of the Charles Aznavour Gold Medal, addressed Sheikh Khalifa Ahmed Al-Khalifa with an offer of cooperation with Armenian artists and sculptors. Vladimir Pogosian, official representative of the Armenian Fine Arts Foundation, which is headed by Khachik Abrahamyan, Academician of the European Academy of Natural Sciences (Hanover, Germany). Vladimir Pogosian also presented to His Excellency the works of the famous Armenian sculptor Garegin Davtyan, in particular his unique work done in bronze – the monumental and epic figure of His Majesty on horseback. Garegin Davtyan is the recipient of many international awards, including he was awarded by “The Grand Gold Medal” of Pope John Paul II for the sculpture “The Sin of Avarice”.

The President of the international diplomatic club “Amicability” Dr. Sergei Dvorianov, participating in the discussion, proposed a special format of cultural interaction for the Kingdom of Bahrain called “Meeting of ancient Civilizations”. This concept involves an appeal through art to ancient traditions, roots, and the history of friendly relations between different peoples.

As a result of the conversation, it was decided to prepare a representative delegation of Armenian sculptors and artists, led by artist Khachik Abrahamyan and sculptor Garegin Davtyan
, for a visit to Bahrain within the framework of the “Meeting of Ancient Civilizations” project in order to exchange artistic experience and in preparation for the International Sculpture Symposium to be held in the Kingdom of Bahrain.

H. E. Sheikh Khalifa Ahmed Al-Khalifa asked Mr. Vladimir Pogosian to prepare an official letter for the Bahrain Authority for Culture & Antiquities from the Armenian Fine Arts Foundation.

At the end of the meeting, Dr. Sergei Dvorianov presented H. E. Sheikh Khalifa Ahmed Al-Khalifa with a gift from the Mayor of Grozny Khas-Magomed Kadyrov and invited His Excellency to the Chechen Republic, where the BRICS International Forum “Spiritual Leadership and Creative Economy” will be held from April 25 to 27, 2024. We hope that the project “Meeting of ancient Civilizations” will become a bright new page in the history of art and the spiritual evolution of mankind.

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NATO and Norway

No direct threat from Russia to NATO

by Nadarajah Sethurupan
written by Nadarajah Sethurupan

Dutch Admiral Rob Bauer, who chairs the NATO Military Committee, said he currently saw no indication that Russia may be planning an attack on any NATO country.

“There is no indication that Russia is planning to attack any NATO member state. I do not think there is a direct threat,” The Baltic Times quoted Bauer as saying.

However, he claimed that Russia’s ambitions “go beyond Ukraine.” We know that, so the Alliance as a whole needs to be more prepared,” he emphasized.

The North Atlantic Alliance can trigger its Article 5 only in the event of a direct attack, he reminded the media outlet.

Russian President Vladimir Putin assured the Russian Defense Ministry at a board meeting on December 19, 2023 that Moscow was never going to attack NATO countries in the past nor does it intend to in the future. Seeking to be the masters of the situation on the European continent, the Americans keep frightening the Europeans with the Russian threat, Putin pointed out. In his state of the nation address to the Federal Assembly, the parliament, on February 29, the Russian leader dismissed allegations that Russia might attack Europe as “nonsense.”.

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Media Freedom

Kingdom of Bahrain – Meeting of ancient civilizations 

by Nadarajah Sethurupan
written by Nadarajah Sethurupan

From February 27 to March 2, 2024, a delegation from Russia visited the Kingdom of Bahrain. Representative of the Russian Parliament – the State Duma of the Russian Federation H. E. Andrey Svintsov, President of the International Diplomatic Club “Amicability” and Director of Communications at BCMF (BRICS Cultural Media Forum) Dr. Sergei Dvorianov, international entrepreneur, philanthropist, member of the Armenian Fine Arts Foundation Vladimir Pogosian and famous Russian artist Marina Romakhina discussed a number of topics in the field of cultural, educational and social interaction. The members of the delegation visited the grandiose and such a traditional show for the Kingdom of Bahrain – Formula 1. In addition, during his visit to this amazing country of the Middle East, a meeting was held with His Excellency Sheikh Khalifa Ahmed Al-Khalifa – President of Bahrain Authority for Culture & Antiquities.

During a deep and productive conversation with His Excellency at the Bahrain Post Museum, Vladimir Pogosian, who is a recipient of the Charles Aznavour Gold Medal, addressed Sheikh Khalifa Ahmed Al-Khalifa with an offer of cooperation with Armenian artists and sculptors. Vladimir Pogosian, official representative of the Armenian Fine Arts Foundation, which is headed by Khachik Abrahamyan, Academician of the European Academy of Natural Sciences (Hanover, Germany). Vladimir Pogosian also presented to His Excellency the works of the famous Armenian sculptor Garegin Davtyan, in particular his unique work done in bronze – the monumental and epic figure of His Majesty on horseback. Garegin Davtyan is the recipient of many international awards, including he was awarded by “The Grand Gold Medal” of Pope John Paul II for the sculpture “The Sin of Avarice”. 

The President of the international diplomatic club “Amicability” Dr. Sergei Dvorianov, participating in the discussion, proposed a special format of cultural interaction for the Kingdom of Bahrain called “Meeting of ancient Civilizations”. This concept involves an appeal through art to ancient traditions, roots, and the history of friendly relations between different peoples. 

As a result of the conversation, it was decided to prepare a representative delegation of Armenian sculptors and artists, led by artist Khachik Abrahamyan and sculptor Garegin Davtyan

, for a visit to Bahrain within the framework of the “Meeting of Ancient Civilizations” project in order to exchange artistic experience and in preparation for the International Sculpture Symposium to be held in the Kingdom of Bahrain. 

H. E. Sheikh Khalifa Ahmed Al-Khalifa asked Mr. Vladimir Pogosian to prepare an official letter for the Bahrain Authority for Culture & Antiquities from the Armenian Fine Arts Foundation. 

At the end of the meeting, Dr. Sergei Dvorianov presented H. E. Sheikh Khalifa Ahmed Al-Khalifa with a gift from the Mayor of Grozny Khas-Magomed Kadyrov and invited His Excellency to the Chechen Republic, where the BRICS International Forum “Spiritual Leadership and Creative Economy” will be held from April 25 to 27, 2024. We hope that the project “Meeting of ancient Civilizations” will become a bright new page in the history of art and the spiritual evolution of mankind.

(Ingrid Kim)

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NATO and Norway

NATO does not currently see military threat from Russia — Secretary General

by Nadarajah Sethurupan
written by Nadarajah Sethurupan

NATO does not currently see any military threat from Russia against the bloc’s member-states, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said at a press conference in Brussels.

“We don’t see any imminent military threat [from Russia] against any NATO ally,” he said, answering a relevant question from journalists.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg
© AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert

Nevertheless, Stoltenberg stressed that NATO must be prepared for threats from Russia and stay vigilant. In his opinion, at present Moscow does not threaten the alliance due to the fact that it is preoccupied with Ukraine.

On Monday, Sweden’s flag was officially hoisted at the NATO headquarters in Brussels following its accession to the alliance. Sweden became NATO’s 32nd member.

© Mikhail Tereshchenko/TASS

Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has said that there is no sense for NATO to deny the presence of its forces in Ukraine.

“No point in denying it any longer,” she told the Izvestia newspaper, commenting on Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski’s statement.

Earlier, Sikorski told a conference on the 25th anniversary of Poland’s NATO membership that the NATO military are already in Ukraine. He did not say however which country these troops are from.

After a conference on Ukraine in Paris on February 26, Macron said that the participants had considered sending ground troops to Ukraine. Although no consensus was reached on this topic, he left the door open to such a scenario in the future. After the conference, most of the participating counties stated that they have no plans to send troops to Ukraine to fight against Russia.

Commenting on Macron’s statements, Russian presidential press secretary Dmitry Peskov said that a direct military conflict between NATO and Russia will be inevitable if Western troops are sent to Ukraine. He also said NATO countries “should also assess” the consequences of such actions and be aware of them.

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