Tuesday, November 11, 2025
Srilanka and Norway

Ambassadors visit to the North in Sri Lanka

by Nadarajah Sethurupan
written by Nadarajah Sethurupan

Ambassador of Norway to Sri Lanka , Thorbjørn Gaustadsæther recently made a visit to newly released Myladi harbour area and newly resettled Thellipalai Divisional Secretariat area in Jaffna District.

One of the aims was to open a Multi-Purpose Building, which would ease the accessibility of the community to all government related services under one roof and also to conduct various community gatherings. This intervention was facilitated by UNDP, and funded by the Government of Norway. So far, Norway has contributed more than Rs. 300 million, supporting over 1,400 households in the newly resettled areas in Tellipalai and Kopay in Jaffna district and in Sampoor, Trincomalee district. The support will continue in 2018.

The Ambassador also laid foundation for a processing and packing house in Thellipalai area. This will support vulnerable farmers who have been engaged in subsistence farming, to uplift their living standards while producing and marketing highly profitable, quality processed fruits and vegetables to the national and international markets. This intervention was an initiative under the ILO Project on “Employment Generation and Livelihood through Reconciliation”, implemented in the Northern Districts, and funded by the Government of Norway. The Norwegian support provided up to now under this project is amounting to Rs. 180 million and more support will be extended in the future.

“We have seen that our support has been an encouragement for displaced families to return to their origin and physically resettle to restore their lost livelihoods. We are happy that our efforts have been used in a more efficient manner and going to produce remarkable improvements in the social and economic development of needy families in the area. I am also happy to see that so many women have benefitted from our support” the Ambassador stated at the opening ceremony and the foundation laying ceremony.

The Ambassador met the beneficiaries of the Norwegian supported initiatives and witnessed how employment opportunities directly benefit members to increase their income and play an active role in the society. Women also report that they are engaged with income generating activities as a result of the initiatives implemented under Norwegian funded projects. Improving women’s access to economic opportunities is prioritized by Norway in its development cooperation, as this will empower women to take part in the rebuilding of their societies.

(Norway . lk)

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Asia and Norway

UN appoints interim replacement for contentious outgoing resident coordinator

by Nadarajah Sethurupan
written by Nadarajah Sethurupan

The United Nations has appointed Norwegian Knut Ostby to serve as interim UN resident coordinator in Burma, replacing Renata Lok-Dessallien beginning on 1 November and serving in the role “until further notice,” according to a UN statement released on Tuesday.

Ostby will also act as interim UN humanitarian coordinator and resident representative of the United Nations Development Programme.

“Mr. Ostby has extensive experience in development, human rights and humanitarian affairs from 17 countries and has served as United Nations Resident Coordinator for more than 11 years including in Timor Leste since 2013,” read the UN statement.

His predecessor Lok-Dessallien will be rotated out to a post at the UN headquarters in New York, bringing to an end a rocky tenure that saw multiple reports accuse her of staking out controversial positions favouring an emphasis on development over human rights in Burma. The criticism was particularly pointed when it came to her handling of the UN’s stance toward Rakhine State, where she was accused of downplaying the deteriorating circumstances of the persecuted Rohingya Muslim minority.

Internal documents reportedly described the UN team in Burma as “glaringly dysfunctional,” but in Tuesday’s statement there was no indication that performance was a factor in the change of leadership.

“The Secretary-General is grateful for Ms. Lok-Dessallien’s important contribution and service to United Nation’s [sic] work in Myanmar,” it said.

In his capacity as interim team leader, Ostby will face a host of challenges in managing an increasingly tense relationship between Burma and the UN.

If Lok-Dessallien was reluctant to criticise the country’s human rights record, officials from the world body based farther afield have not been: The UN’s top human rights official, Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein, has described the latest violence to wrack Rakhine State as a “textbook example of ethnic cleansing.”

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, while generally hewing to a more measured tone when assessing the situation in Burma’s west, appeared to concur with Zeid when asked whether “ethnic cleansing” was an appropriate descriptor for the exodus of hundreds of thousands of Rohingya since August.

“When one-third of the Rohingya population has got to flee the country, can you find a better word to describe it?” he said at a news conference ahead of the UN General Assembly in New York last month.

And in March, the Geneva-based UN Human Rights Council approved the creation of a fact-finding mission to probe allegations of grave human rights violations in Rakhine State, as well as northern Shan and Kachin states. Burma has said it will not grant the three-member team visas to enter the country.

(DVB)

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Srilanka and Norway

The World’s First ‘EleFriendly Bus’ Curtails Human-Elephant Conflict in Sri Lanka

by Nadarajah Sethurupan
written by Nadarajah Sethurupan

This post by Anya De Saram-Larssen, a student of the British School in Colombo, appeared in Groundviews, an award-winning citizen journalism website in Sri Lanka. Ms. Saram-Larssen attended the anniversary of the launch of the EleFriendly Bus and talked with different stakeholders. An edited version is published below as part of a content-sharing agreement with Global Voices.

Sri Lankan schoolchildren ride the ‘EleFriendly Bus’ designed to avoid human-elephant conflict. Image courtesy of Groundviews.

The EleFriendly Bus celebrated its first birthday on September 9 in the Wasgamuwa area of Sri Lanka. The bus is an innovative project developed by the Sri Lanka Wildlife Conservation Society (SLWCS) to mitigate the human-elephant conflict (HEC).

The conflict between humans and elephants has grown in Sri Lanka as elephant habitats shrink and humans slowly encroach upon spaces where elephants roam. Elephants, having nowhere else to go, end up raiding crops in farmlands and human habitats in search of food and become aggressive in encounters with retaliatory humans. This cycle of resistance, fear and contested space has led to violence.

Each year in Sri Lanka, elephants kill approximately 50 people and then face a fatal consequence as villagers shoot, poison or electrocute them out of fear or self-defense. Between 100 to 150 elephants are killed yearly and statistics show that the potential for conflict is highest when humans walk in spaces where elephants normally roam.

The Sri Lankan government has focused on broad-scale measures to mitigate HEC such as fencing or relocating elephants or producing ‘mass-drives’ to steer elephants away from human activity. However, these strategies do not recognize HEC at the local level and the Elefriendly Bus was developed to address this.

Since last year, the EleFriendly Bus runs daily to provide children with free and safe transportation to and from school, keeping them out of elephants’ corridors. Adults also use the bus to go to and from work for a nominal fee. An average of 191 people use the bus on a daily basis and about 72 are children.

The bus route travels through the ‘elephant corridor’ in villages in the central province including Himbiliyakada, Iriyagasulpotha and Weheragalagama, where elephants frequently roam and potential HEC remains high. Located along the southern boundary of Wasgamuwa National Park in a protected forest preserve area, human sometimes frequent the area and encounter elephants on-route in search of forest resources and water outside the park.

Saram-Larssen, a 12-year-old student at the British School in Colombo, produced an informationalvideo detailing fundraising efforts to launch the bus last year. Holding a bake sale at the British School, she and her team were able to raise 127,484 Rupees (approximately 834 USD) toward the Elefriendly Bus, which cost approximately 35,000 USD total with fees including an operating permit and permission to charge a fare from commuters on public roads:

Recent SLWCS statistics show that HEC has reduced by 80% since the bus started running. In the first seven months, the number of conflicts fell from 83 to 21.

According to Harshini, a 13-year-old who lives in Pussellayaya, the bus has dramatically improved her school commute because she no longer has to walk five kilometers a day. Harshini often missed school because of the heavy rains and the danger from elephants, but now rarely misses a day because she feels safe traveling on the bus.

Children stated that the bus helped not only with protection against elephants but also with HEC education. The 24-passenger bus is full of colorful images and educational messages about elephant conservation and wildlife. Menaka, 8 and Chathurika, 11, from Himbiliykada, say they love riding the Elefriendly Bus because they have so much fun learning together while riding to and from school.

Above are images submitted into the EleFriendly Bus arts competition, courtesy Groundviews.

As part of the Elefriendly Bus launch and celebration, the SLWLCS held an art and an essay competition. Most submissions featured harmony between elephants and the villagers, as well as the seriousness of HEC, including the fear many children have toward elephants.

One painting showed a man being trampled by an elephant and another showed a farmer being chased.

SLWCS president Mr. Ravi Corea says the organization hopes to transform these negative perceptions by educating children on the importance of their environment and the need to protect all inhabitants.

The Elefriendly Bus interior features colorful educational learning materials about elephants. Image courtesy of Groundviews.

The bus belongs to the community, Mr. Corea explained:

We own the bus but it is operated by a driver and conductor from the village. Also, the money collected from tickets is used by the community to take care of the bus.

The SLWCS plans to add another bus in Wasgamuwa and also introduce EleFriendly busses to other areas in Sri Lanka where HEC persists.

Several private donors including Sharmila Cassim of Colombo Jewellery Stores sponsored the Elefriendly bus because:

the bus allows children to attend school more regularly, while at the same time keeping the elephants safe.

Judging by the perfect condition of the bright green EleFriendly bus, the villagers have taken pride in this initiative and are working to transform negative attitudes toward elephants.

In turn, elephants can now roam more freely, foraging and socializing in harmony with nature as they have done for centuries.

(N.Sethu , Anya De Saram-Larssen)

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Russia and Norway

Massive Russian nuclear war games reported in Arctic

by Nadarajah Sethurupan
written by Nadarajah Sethurupan

Russia, in a little-noticed move, has carried out a barrage of missile tests across its Arctic territories in what’s described as one of the most massive nuclear missile drills in post-Soviet history.

The Independent Barents Observer reports that Russia’s military fired four ballistic missiles, two in each direction, across the Arctic hemisphere on Thursday evening. The exercises are the latest in what Scandinavian analysts say is a noticeable rise in Russian military activity in a region whose economic importance is growing due to global warming.

The Norway-based news website says two missiles were launched from a Pacific Fleet submarine in the Sea of Okhotsk towards the Chizha test range on the Kanin Peninsula in Arkhangelsk. A Northern Fleet submarine, in another test, is said to have launched another ballistic missile from the Barents Sea. This missile reportedly hit a target in the Kura test range on the Kamchatka Peninsula in the Far East.

A Topol ballistic missile was also launched the same day from Plesetsk in Russia’s Arkhangelsk region, reportedly streaking across the Arctic before its dummy warhead hit a target at the Kura test range in northern Kamchatka Krai in the Russian Far East

Long-range Russian Tu-160 and Tu-95 strategic bombers, as well as Tu-22M bombers are also said to have tested cruise missiles in Kamchatka in the Far East and in Kazakhstan in Central Asia.

Russia’s Defense Ministry acknowledged the tests and said that all were completed successfully.

Russia has accelerated a military buildup in its Arctic region over the last several years. The activity includes the construction of new Arctic bases and the deployment of specialized Arctic military units and equipment, including helicopters, icebreakers and armored vehicles. Moscow is also reportedly developing a new class of nuclear-powered destroyers that can protect its Northern Sea Route.

(atimes)

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Svalbard

Norway uses remote-controlled submarine to search for missing Russian helicopter

by Nadarajah Sethurupan
written by Nadarajah Sethurupan

A remote-controlled submarine is hunting for a Russian helicopter with eight people on board which went down into the freezing sea off Svalbard, an Arctic archipelago belonging to Norway, rescue officials said.

The Joint Rescue Co-ordination Centres for northern Norway said in a statement that the overnight search “has so far given no results”.

Search efforts were being focused near Cap Heer, about 2.5 miles (4km) north of the Barentsburg Heliport, in an area where oil had been spotted on the water and a sonar system mounted on a boat had found an object about 660ft (200m) beneath the surface, local newspaper Svalbardposten reported.

The Mi-8 helicopter went down near the settlement of Barentsburg on Thursday. The aircraft was carrying five crew members and three staff members from Russia’s Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute.

It was en route to Barentsburg, Svalbard’s second-largest settlement, from the Russian settlement of Pyramiden – a largely abandoned mine that attracts some tourists on excursions to see the empty Soviet-era buildings.

Barentsburg is a Russian coal-mining town of about 500 people. Under a 1920 treaty, Norway has sovereignty over the archipelago but other signatory countries have rights to exploit its natural resources.

Svalbard is more than 500 mles (800km) north of Norway’s mainland. It is known for stunning views of snow-covered mountains, fjords and glaciers.

In March 2008, three people were killed when a Russian Mi-8 helicopter with nine people on board crashed near Barentsburg.

In August 1996, a Russian plane carrying residents of Barentsburg and Pyramiden crashed on approach to the Svalbard Airport, killing all 141 people on board.

(independent)

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Nobel Peace Prize

Canadian woman who survived Hiroshima bombing urges change of heart from Trudeau

by Nadarajah Sethurupan
written by Nadarajah Sethurupan

An 85-year-old Canadian woman who survived the Hiroshima atomic bombing and will jointly accept this year’s Nobel Peace Prize is calling on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to show his leadership and humanity by signing onto a UN accord to ban nuclear weapons.

Setsuko Thurlow, who was 13 when the United States dropped the bomb on Aug. 6, 1945, said she is “more than disappointed” that Canada refused to sign on to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, an accord that was adopted last July at the United Nations.

“I question the quality of leadership of the Prime Minister,” Ms. Thurlow said in an interview Thursday with The Globe and Mail.

Ms. Thurlow implored Mr. Trudeau to sign the accord and help the world work toward eliminating nuclear weapons, asking how the father of three would react if his own children were killed.

 “Can he imagine how he would feel to watch his own children just incinerated, melted, carbonized? That’s what happened in front of me, and I watched the city full of those people who simply melted,” she said.

“My four-year-old nephew had that fate.”

Ms. Thurlow will travel to Oslo in December to jointly accept the Nobel Peace Prize on behalf of this year’s laureate, the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons.

She said it is a “frightening time” for the world, as U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un exchange threats of nuclear warfare.

The Nuclear Weapon Ban Treaty itself has no binding effect on countries that have weapons and none of them would be likely to sign on.

But disarmament advocates hope that a treaty banning the last remaining legal weapon of mass destruction will provide the ethical momentum to banish them to history.

While 122 UN member countries voted in favour of the UN treaty last summer, states with nuclear weapons such as the United States, together with Canada and its NATO partners – with the exception of the Netherlands – boycotted the talks.

Ms. Thurlow, a former social worker who has lived in Toronto since 1955, said she hopes the Prime Minister will reconsider his position. She said Mr. Trudeau is prioritizing his economic and trading relationship with Mr. Trump and other NATO countries rather than humanitarian concerns.

If Mr. Trudeau doesn’t sign on, it means “a lack of courage, for economic purpose or some other excuses, to ignore and neglect the well-being and security of Canadian people he is responsible to,” she said.

“The Prime Minister seems to willfully ignore the fact that the majority of Canadians want a world without nuclear weapons,” she said in a statement sent to media on Thursday. “As a living witness to Hiroshima, I beseech Justin Trudeau to change course.”

A spokesman for Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland said Canada is committed to nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament. “Our government strongly supports concrete and meaningful efforts that will help achieve these goals,” spokesman Adam Austen said in an e-mail.

Mr. Austen cited a variety of international initiatives supported by the federal government, noting that Canada is currently chairing a high-level UN group on the development of a Fissile Material Cut-Off Treaty, to help halt the production of a material used in nuclear weapons.

“Crucially, these negotiations involve both non-nuclear and nuclear states. Canada remains a global leader on concrete efforts toward nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation,” he said. “Progress on nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation must involve states with nuclear weapons. That is what we are achieving.”

NDP foreign affairs critic Hélène Laverdière said the actions of the Liberal government on this issue have been “entirely disappointing.”

“The Liberals cannot continue to pretend they believe in nuclear disarmament so long as they stay outside of this treaty,” she said in a statement on Thursday.

Last June, Mr. Trudeau told the Commons the treaty was a well-meaning but ineffective process.

“There can be all sorts of people talking about nuclear disarmament, but if they do not actually have nuclear arms, it is sort of useless to have them around, talking,” the Prime Minister said.

Ms. Thurlow, who was visiting the Parliament buildings at the time, called Mr. Trudeau’s comments “callous.”

“I can’t believe the leader of the nation can use such language,” she said.

In an interview with The Globe last August, she contrasted his position with that of his father, Pierre Trudeau, who was more outspoken about disarmament.

“He didn’t make himself very popular – with the Americans especially,” she said of the senior Trudeau. “But he was gutsy enough to be able to say that at the UN. But this time, his son is hiding behind Trump. He hasn’t said boo.”

Ms. Thurlow said she is “very proud and humbled” that she will be accepting the Nobel Peace Prize, along with Beatrice Fihn, the executive director of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons; she said she does so on behalf of all nuclear disarmament advocates around the world.

Even 72 years later, she said the memories of the bombing in Hiroshima will always stick with her and her fellow survivors.

“It’s the only natural thing for us to dedicate our lives, to report to the world, to warn the world, to alert the world, what the nuclear weapons do to human beings. That’s what’s important for us,” she said.

“I want the world to learn what could happen. Better not happen again.”

With a report from Reuters

(theglobeandmail)

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Russia and Norway

Russian with eight on board crashes near Norway

by Nadarajah Sethurupan
written by Nadarajah Sethurupan

The chopper went down two to three km off the Arctic coal mining port of Barentsburg.

A Russian helicopter with eight people on board crashed into the sea near Norway’s Svalbard archipelago on Thursday. The Norwegian Rescue Service said the chopper went down some two to three km off the coast of the Arctic port of Barentsburg, according to reports.

Officials said the helicopter was carrying three passengers and a crew of five, The Independent reported.

“There is bad visibility. No wind, but a lot of waves,” Tore Hongset, who is leading the rescue coordination operation, was quoted as saying by Reuters. “We are physically looking for the helicopter.”

The chopper was headed to Barentsburg, a coal mining port, from Pyramiden, an abandoned Russian settlement.

The helicopter was reported missing by airport authorities around 3:35 pm (1335 GMT) as it was returning from Pyramiden, another former mining community that is now a tourist site.

The aircraft was confirmed to have come down about 10 minutes later, rescue services said.

Norway was afforded sovereignty of Svalbard, located around 1,000 kilometres (620 miles) from the North Pole, under the 1920 Treaty of Paris.

Nationals of all signatory states enjoy “equal liberty of access and entry” to Svalbard and its waters.

As a result, Russia operates a coal mine in Barentsburg, a community home to several hundred Russian and Ukrainian miners.

In 2008, another Mil Mi-8 crashed near Barentsburg, killing three of its nine occupants. Yet another crash near Pyramiden of the same type of helicopter left two dead in 1991.

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Farming

Europe’s first underwater restaurant is coming to Norway

by Nadarajah Sethurupan
written by Nadarajah Sethurupan

Dubai, the Maldives, Florida – and now Norway. Underwater restaurants are usually confined to exotic destinations – but a village on the south coast of Norway is down to join the ranks.

Under – due to open in February 2018 near Båly – will be a concrete structure tipping into the sea, reports CNN. Designed by Norwegian architecture firm Snohetta, it’ll be half-submerged, resembling both a periscope and sunken ship.

“It should be an exciting experience, but people should also feel secure and well sitting down there,” Rune Grasdal, the project’s lead architect, told CNN.

With an emphasis on local cuisine, the restaurant will accommodate up to 100 people. A huge panoramic window will provide views of the seabed and abundant marine life.

Guests will descend three levels through a submerged wardrobe area, a champagne bar and then finally the restaurant itself. The name, Under, is a play on words – in Norwegian, “under” can also mean “wonder”.

Renderings of the project show a restaurant half-submerged into the icy waters off the coast of Båly, a town about three hours from Kristiansand, Norway’s fifth-largest city.

Not only will it be a unique foodie experience, but according to Snohetta, the restaurant will also serve an ecological purpose.

“Under has been designed with sensitive consideration for its geographic context and aquatic neighbours,” reads the website. “The sleek, streamlined form of the building is encapsulated in a concrete shell with a coarse surface that invites mussels to cling on. Over time, as the mollusc community densifies, the submerged monolith will become an artificial mussel reef that functions dually to rinse the sea and naturally attract more marine life to its purified waters.”

As the restaurant becomes a reef, interdisciplinary teams will be invited to study marine behaviour and fish biology – aiming to optimise conditions for fish and shellfish in close proximity to the restaurants, meaning more choice for seafood lovers.

It’s not the first time Norwegians have floated the idea of an aquatic tourist attraction. In 2014, a snowflake-shaped floating hotel to be built in the waters off Tromsø was announced to great fanfare. It never materialised, however.

Here’s hoping Under will be less of a disappointment.

(independent)

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Asia and Norway

Norwegian company looks to bring solar energy to Iran

by Nadarajah Sethurupan
written by Nadarajah Sethurupan

Saga Energy is working on a $2.9 billion deal with Iran’s Amin Energy Developers

Saga Energy, a manufacturer of solar panels based in Norway, has announced that it is forming a new deal with Iran’s Amin Energy Developers. Through this deal, the two companies will work together to develop new solar energy systems. The deal is valued at approximately $2.9 billion. This new deal is among several other agreements that Saga Energy has made with foreign companies. Iran has become a popular destination for new solar energy projects due to easing international sanctions against the country.

Deal would see some 2 GW of new solar capacity installed in Iran

According to Saga Energy, the deal has yet to be finalized. The government of Iran must still provide certain economic guarantees that will ensure that new solar energy projects can take form. Once the deal is finalized, Saga Energy notes that the development of 2 gigawatts of solar energy capacity will take place in Iran over the next four or five years. This capacity will be installed over three development phases in six regions of the country.

Iran’s solar energy market is growing slowly as international sanctions ease

Iran has been slow to embrace solar energy due to political issues with other countries. Iran’s controversial nuclear plans have made it the target of international sanctions in the past, which has made it difficult for clean energy projects to take form in the country. Iran’s current nuclear deal helped change this, as many countries saw the new deal as more reasonable and accommodating of international concerns. As a result, Iran has been growing as a clean energy market, especially where solar power is concerned.

New sanctions may be coming to Iran

Iran’s emerging solar energy market still faces serious challenges. Late last week, the United States announced that it would decertify Iran’s nuclear agreement. This may lead to a re-introduction of sanctions against Iran. Such sanctions could have a significant impact on the growth of solar energy in Iran and could lead to new political controversies in the future.

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Srilanka and Norway

Norwegian Ambassador Meets Jaffna Commander in Sri Lanka

by Nadarajah Sethurupan
written by Nadarajah Sethurupan

A delegation of Norwegian envoys led by HE Mr Thorbjorn Gaustadsaether, Ambassador of Norway in Sri Lanka during a tour to the Jaffna peninsula called the Security Force Headquarters – Jaffna (SFHQ-J) on Wednesday (18) and had a brief exchange of views with the Commander, Security Forces – Jaffna, Major General Darshana Hettiarachchi at the SFHQ in Palaly, Jaffna.

During the cordial meeting, Major General Darshana Hettiarachchi presented a brief overview on the current security status, ongoing reconciliation process and the Army support for infrastructure development in the peninsula.

Major General Darshana Hettiarachchi towards the end of the interaction, a memento was presented to the visiting Ambassador.

(army.lk)

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Economics

Norway sticks to gambling monopoly system

by Nadarajah Sethurupan
written by Nadarajah Sethurupan

The Director General of the Norwegian Gaming Authority assured the gambling monopoly system is the best way to tackle the industry.

Norway.- Atle Hamar, Director General of the Norwegian Gaming Authority (Lotteri- og stiftelsestilsynet) is at the International Association of Gaming Regulators (IAGR) in South Africa and stood by the country’s decision to uphold the gambling monopoly model. According to the official, it is the best way to develop a safe environment for players in the country.

Mr Hamar assured that they want to protect Norway from “gray market operations” by strictly regulating the local market and voiced his commitment to achieve such state. In order to do so, the regulatory body will stand by the currend state gambling monopoly that has two state-run companies providing gambling services in the country: Norsk Rikstoto and Norsk Tipping.

Despite having such potential that has turned international online gaming and betting brands to their market, Norwegian authorities will continue to run the industry with those companies and keep the state monopoly, at least for now.

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Politics

Norway’s first woman foreign minister

by Nadarajah Sethurupan
written by Nadarajah Sethurupan

Three women – Solberg, Eriksen Soereide and Finance Minister Siv Jensen – now hold top jobs within the Norwegian government. (Photo: AFP)

Norway’s prime minister has presented three new government ministers in a minor reshuffle of her two-party coalition following a general election last month.

Prime Minister Erna Solberg said Friday that Ine Eriksen Soereide has been reassigned from defense minister to foreign minister. The move makes the 41-year-old Eriksen Soereide the first woman to be Norway’s top diplomat.

Three women – Solberg, Eriksen Soereide and Finance Minister Siv Jensen – now hold top jobs within the Norwegian government.

Eriksen Soereide takes over the Foreign Ministry from Borge Brende, who stepped down to lead the World Economic Forum.

Frank Bakke-Jensen, who has been European Affairs minister, is taking over the defense portfolio. Marit Berger Rosland was named to replace him at European Affairs. Norway is not a member of the EU.

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Media Freedom

NRK’s Skam to be remade across Europe

by Nadarajah Sethurupan
written by Nadarajah Sethurupan

Norwegian pubcaster NRK’s hit teen drama Skam (aka Shame) will be remade across Europe after German distributor struck deals in five countries.

The innovative show, produced by NRK and written and directed by Julie Andem, explores the lives of a group of 16-year-olds, tackling subjects such as eating disorders, sexual identity and religion.

Episodes are broadcast live online and viewers can interact with characters using social media, while a weekly catch-up show on NRK’s linear network then recaps events. NRK and Beta Film hold global rights.

Now France Télévisions is working with Banijay Studios France on its version, while Beta Film subsidiary Bantry Bay is working on the German remake for ZDF’s on-demand service Funk.

Pay TV operator Movistar+ is developing the Spanish remake while in The Netherlands the show will be produced by local firm NTR and broadcast by NRT/NPO.

Finally, Rome-based Cross Productions is partnering with Italian media operator Timvision on its version, with shooting planned to start this year.

All broadcasters are going straight-to-series on their remakes of the NRK original, which premiered in Norway in 2015 and ended after four seasons earlier this year.

During that time it became a smash hit, with season two attracting more than a million viewers per TV episode in Norway, which has a population of five million. The show also attracted international acclaim and fans.

Thor Gjermund Eriksen, NRK’s CEO, said: “The creators of Skam aimed to help 16-year-old-girls strengthen their self-esteem through dismantling taboos, making them aware of interpersonal mechanisms and showing them the benefits of confronting their fears. This is a vision we are proud to bring to other countries.”

Justus Riesenkampff, Beta Film’s international sales manager, described Shame as “an absolutely unique, highly authentic programme, which zigzags between web and traditional TV.

“Its ability to connect to the young target group fascinates broadcasters and platforms all over the world.”

US-based XIX Entertainment, the prodco owned by Idol creator Simon Fuller, is preparing a North American version of the show after agreeing a deal last year. Broadcaster details are yet to be revealed.

(c21media)

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Russia and Norway

Norway to step up the defense of its northern regions bordering Russia

by Nadarajah Sethurupan
written by Nadarajah Sethurupan

The Norwegian government intends to significantly strengthen the defense of their northern border, especially in the county of Finnmark which borders the Murmansk region, as stated on Friday by the Minister of Defense of the country, Ine Eriksen Soereide, while presenting the plan for Army and the Norwegian Home Guard (Heimevernet) reforms.

It is planned to strengthen the border garrison in the municipality of Sør-Varanger, which is responsible for protecting the nearly 200-kilometer land border between Norway and Russia. The ministry also intends to establish a new armored cavalry battalion, which will be deployed at the base of Porsangermoen in West Finnmark, about 200 km along a straight line from the border with the Russian Federation.

In total, about 400 military personnel, including conscripts, will be deployed in the Arctic province. The elite motorized infantry battalion, Telemark, will be retained as it stands, and the 2nd Battalion of the army (600 men), based in Skjold (Northern County of Troms), will be converted from an infantry battalion to a mechanized battalion.

“The security situation has become more challenging and less predictable. This has consequences for how we organize the Armed Forces of the country,” Soereide said, without specifying exactly where Norway sees threats to its security.

In total, the government plans to allocate 60 billion kroner ($7.6 billion) to reform the Army and Heimevernet through 2034. 10% of this amount is earmarked to create the necessary infrastructure and 90% to purchase new military weapons and equipment. The tanks that have been in the Norwegian army since the 1980s will not be modernized, but replaced by modern machines. It is also planned to purchase new artillery and anti-aircraft systems, electronic warfare, and long-range high-precision weapons.

The document assumes a reduction in the number of Heimevernet from the current 45,000 to 38,000 people. It was also proposed to increase the term of service from 12 to 16 months for some of the conscripts, and place a greater focus on training reservists.

The plan proposed by the minority government still needs to be approved by the parliament.

(uawire)

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Defence

F-35 has arrived at Eielson with Norwegian test pilot

by Nadarajah Sethurupan
written by Nadarajah Sethurupan

An F-35 fighter jet arrived at Eielson Air Force Base Thursday on an equipment-testing mission, according to a news release from the Air Force. It’s the first F-35 to land at Eielson.

The F-35A Lightning II is here to test two main types of equipment: the airplane’s ability to land on icy runways and a drag-chute modification of the plane that’s been requested by the Royal Norwegian Air Force, an F-35 program partner.

It is the same model that will be based at Eielson in 2020. Eielson is scheduled to receive 54 F-35s along with about 3,500 airmen, civilian employees, contractors, and military family members.

During the testing this week, the Air Force will try to demonstrate that F-35s are capable of landing under conditions known as Runway Condition Reading 7. A reading of 23 is considered a dry runway, while a reading of 5 is comparable to landing on ice. The F-35A is now certified to land at a reading of 12.

The drag chute is a modification requested by Norway to help the F-35 land under Arctic conditions. Norwegian test pilot Maj. “Taz” Amdal is at Eielson to demonstrate the drag chute.

Eielson is hosting an event on Tuesday to explain to community leaders the F-35’s mission in Alaska.

(newsminer)

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Crimes

Dutch pensioners arrested smuggling 100 kilos of hashish into Norway

by Nadarajah Sethurupan
written by Nadarajah Sethurupan

A Dutch retired couple have been arrested in Norway for trying to smuggle 100 kilos of cannabis into the country, according to Norwegian media reports. The couple, a man aged 68 and a woman aged 75, had hidden the drugs throughout their car.

They were caught following a tip-off trying to enter Norway after travelling by ferry from Denmark. Customs officials found 55 kilos hidden in the boot and further packages containing 20 and 25 kilos in secret compartments under the floor.

The haul is the biggest cannabis find ever made in Bergen with a street value of up to €11m, Norwegian media said.

The arrests were made on September 5 but have only now been made public. The Dutch foreign affairs ministry is looking into the case, RTL Nieuws said.

Read more at DutchNews.nl: Dutch pensioners arrested smuggling 100 kilos of hashish into Norway.

(dutchnews)

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Economics

Uber Suspends Unlicensed Service In Norway

by Nadarajah Sethurupan
written by Nadarajah Sethurupan

On Monday, Uber stated that they are to suspend unlicensed service UberPOP in Oslo pending new regulations in Norway, as the U.S. ride-hailing company embraces a more appeasing demeanor with national authorities. Uber is under aggressive pressure from taxi drivers and regulators across Europe who accuse the company of unfair competition and avoiding proper licensing.

This wouldn’t be the first time UberPOP has been suspended. Suspension in European capitals include Paris and Brussels, and since lost its license to operate in London.
Norway’s suspension is comparable to the one-year suspension in Finland to sanction a new taxi law, however there has not been a date established to determine when UberPOP will be reinstated in Norway.

“We’ve learned the hard way that we must change as a company in order to serve the millions of riders and drivers who rely on us. With our new CEO Dara Khosrowshahi onboard, it’s a new era for Uber,” the company said in a statement.

UberPOP has about 280,000 users in Oslo and hundreds of drivers. The suspension of UberPOP will begin on Oct. 30, although Uber’s services UberBLACK and UberXXL shall continue under normal operations.

Ketil Solvik-Olsen, the Norwegian transport minister, stated Uber was being treated like other market participants. “All actors offering taxi services must conform to rules and regulation at any time,”.

The suspension of UberPOP in Norway came forth as the non-EU country is obligated to answer a question on its transport regulations by Oct. 27 by the EFTA Surveillance Authority (ESA). In February, ESA believed Norway was placing “disproportionately high barriers to enter the taxi market” leading to wasteful use of resources and higher prices for customers.

“Norway deserves modernized laws that encourage innovation and competition without sacrificing what makes the Norwegian model special,” Uber stated. “We hope the government will implement these recommendations soon, so that we can relaunch a new and improved version of the product loved by so many.”

(heraldfinance)

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Srilanka and Norway

Norway assists Sri Lanka on landslide disaster risk reduction

by Nadarajah Sethurupan
written by Nadarajah Sethurupan

Norway is supporting Sri Lanka on a project to reduce the risk and impacts of landslides which is considered to be one of the major natural hazards in hill country of Sri Lanka.

The Norwegian Ambassador to Sri Lanka, Thorbjorn Gaustadsaether will visit Matale tomorrow (26th September) to observe project activities conducted under the technical cooperation between Norwegian Geotechnical Institute (NGI) and National Building Research Organization (NBRO) which operates under the Ministry of Disaster Management.

The technical collaboration on disaster risk reduction has been ongoing since 2012. The Norwegian Embassy in Colombo has so far contributed nearly NOK 8 million (LKR 150 million) and has agreed to extend the support with additional funds until 2020.

Several major outputs have been achieved under this cooperation, such as training of NBRO-staff on using advanced mapping techniques, use of advanced Ground Penetrating Radar equipment for mapping sub-surface conditions below the ground e.g. subsidence and sink holes in Matale and Jaffna, use of drone technology to map landslides, early warning of landslides in critical areas, ground water contamination assessment in Jaffna and use of remote sensing (Synthetic Aperture Radar, SAR interferometry) to detect subsidence in Matale etc.

A state-of-the-art Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) system was tailor made at NGI and procured by NBRO to investigate land subsidence hazards. NGI’s GPR system has been ranked as the best in the world by the European Commission, and has been used in many placed throughout the world for investigating sub-surface ground conditions. A number of automated rain gauges were installed at Peradeniya, Walapane, Naula and Ratota under this project to monitor rainfall, soil moisture, temperature and other parameters.

“Climate change impacts are intensifying extreme weather events and island nations like Sri Lanka are getting increasingly vulnerable. As an emerging economy, disaster risk reduction is becoming more and more important for Sri Lanka” the Ambassador said.

He further said “In May 2017, several hundred people lost their lives due to floods and landslides in Sri Lanka. Witnessing the devastating impact of such disasters, the Embassy decided to increase the support in the ongoing project for another two years based on the requirements of NBRO.”

(N.Sethu)

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Defence

Germany, Norway sign for five A330 tankers

by Nadarajah Sethurupan
written by Nadarajah Sethurupan

Germany and Norway have formally added a further five Airbus Defence & Space A330 multirole tanker transports to a multinational programme launched earlier this year by Luxembourg and the Netherlands.

Airbus on 29 September announced its receipt of a firm order from Europe’s OCCAR defence procurement agency for the additional aircraft, which will increase the partner nations’ pooled fleet of the type to seven units. “All seven are expected to be handed over between 2020 and 2022,” the company says.

Signed in Bonn, Germany, as a contractual amendment to the previous two-nation commitment, the new arrangement includes the provision of an initial two-year support package. “It also includes four additional options, to enable other nations to join the grouping,” says Airbus.

“The aircraft will be configured for in-flight refuelling, the transport of passengers and cargo, and medical evacuation flights,” the airframer says.

The European/NATO multinational multirole tanker transport fleet (MMF) is the result of a European Defence Agency programme initiated in 2012.

Airbus Defence & Space’s head of military aircraft, Fernando Alonso, describes the MMF construct as “one of Europe’s most important collaborative programmes, and a model for the future European defence projects which are expected to be launched in the coming years”.

Germany’s air force currently operates four A310 tankers and a single transport – which Flight Fleets Analyzer records as aged between 28 and 30 years, while Norway lacks its own in-flight refuelling capability.

(flightglobal)

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Srilanka and Norway

Norway hands over modern landslide monitoring equipment to Sri Lanka

by Nadarajah Sethurupan
written by Nadarajah Sethurupan

The Norwegian Government has handed over state-of-the-art landslide monitoring equipment worth 55 million rupees to the Sri Lankan Government to carry out geological surveys.

Norwegian Ambassador to Sri Lanka Thorbjørn Gaustadsæther handed over the modern landslide monitoring equipment to Minister of Disaster Management Anura Priyadarshana Yapa yesterday at the Ministry.

Norway is supporting Sri Lanka on a project to reduce the risk and impacts of landslides which is considered to be one of the major natural hazards in hill country of Sri Lanka.

Project activities are conducted under the technical cooperation between Norwegian Geotechnical Institute (NGI) and National Building Research Organization (NBRO) which operates under the Ministry of Disaster Management.

According to Minister Yapa, the equipment which included a ground penetrating radar which can probe 30 meter deep within the earth and several automated rain gauges to monitor rainfall, soil moisture, temperature and other parameters, can uncover important information on the nature of the earth’s interior.

The Minister has noted that earlier they needed to excavate the ground to get information but with the new equipment measurements can be done efficiently from the surface without having to excavate.

The Minister added that the National Building and Research Organization would now be able to help the people to build their houses in secure places.

(N.Sethu)

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Nobel Peace Prize

Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons wins Nobel Peace Prize

by Nadarajah Sethurupan
written by Nadarajah Sethurupan

The International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) has won the Nobel Peace Prize for 2017.

The Norwegian committee said it had given the award “to draw attention to the catastrophic human consequences of any use of nuclear weapons” and for the campaign’s “groundbreaking” work to draw up a treaty banning the weapons.

The Geneva-based group beat off competition which was thought to include Pope Francis, the Syrian White Helmets, and the UN High Commission for Refugees.

We live in a world where the risk of nuclear weapons being used is greater than it has been for a long time.

Some states are modernizing their nuclear arsenals, and there is a real danger that more countries will try to procure nuclear weapons, as exemplified by North Korea.

– NOBEL COMMITTEE

The Nobel committee hailed ICAN’s work as giving “momentum and new vigour” to stop nuclear proliferation and encourage debate on disarmament.

The Nobel Peace Prize has been given out since 1901, with a total of 98 individuals and organisations honoured with the prestigious international award since them.

Committee members sorted through more than 300 nominations this year, it has been revealed.

Among the previous winners were Martin Luther King Jr, Malala Yousafzai, Mother Teresa, and Nelson Mandela.

(NADARAJAH SETHURUPAN)

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Media Freedom

Norwegian State Convicted

by Nadarajah Sethurupan
written by Nadarajah Sethurupan

European Court of Human Rights, Strasbourg, Alsace, France – Photo: Zairon/Wikimedia

The European Court of Human Rights believes the source protection must be in front of testimony. Thus, DN journalist Cecilie Langum Becker won against Norwegian state in Strasbourg.

Norway has violated Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights, the court states.

“I wholeheartedly agree that Article 10 has been violated in this case,” said judge Nona Tsotsoria according to NTB.

Article 10 ensures freedom of expression – and the right to receive and disseminate information freely.

The European Court of Human Rights now orders Norway to repay 30,000 NOK to Becker who was previously charged for refusing to reveal the identity of her sources in a news article.

The decision concerns a case where Becker was summoned as a witness in a financial criminal case against a central investor in the Norwegian oil and gas company DNO. The police started an investigation about the company after she wrote about the case for DN.no in 2007.

The court wanted to know who Becker had talked to. But Becker refused to reveal the identity of her sources.

Both the Oslo District Court and Borgarting Court of Appeal found that the journalist had to testify. The case was also appealed to the Supreme Court, but was rejected. Then Becker took the case to the European Court of Human Rights.

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Defence

Norway to join the NATO Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence

by Nadarajah Sethurupan
written by Nadarajah Sethurupan

Norway has announced its intent to join the NATO Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence in Tallinn, Estonia, enabling the knowledge hub to carry our research, training and exercises in cooperation with 21 member nations.

“[The] potential enlargement of our multinational team proves that our centre continues to be attractive for allies,” Merle Maigre, the director of the cyber defence centre, said. “We all win from being open to collaboration among like-minded nations in the cyber domain. We welcome the decision of Norway, one of the founding allies of NATO, as this further strengthens our centre’s cyber defence expertise.”

Norway seeks to join the centre as a sponsoring nation, membership status available to all NATO allies.

The NATO Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence is a Tallinn-based knowledge hub, research institution and training and exercise centre and home of the Tallinn Manual 2.0, the most comprehensive guide on how international law applies to cyber operations.

The centre is staffed and financed by its sponsoring nations and contributing participants – Belgium, the Czech Republic, Estonia, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Poland, Slovakia, Spain, Turkey, the United Kingdom and the United States are signed on as sponsoring nations and Austria, Finland and Sweden have become contributing participants, a status eligible for non-NATO nations.

(estonian world)

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Spy War

Norway offers immigration to Israeli nuclear spy

by Nadarajah Sethurupan
written by Nadarajah Sethurupan

Mordechai Vanunu served 18 years in prison for providing information about Israel’s alleged nuclear capabilities to a British newspaper • In 2015, Vanunu’s Norwegian wife applied for him to be allowed to live in Norway under family reunification laws.

Norway offered on Friday to let Israeli nuclear spy Mordechai Vanunu live in Oslo with his Norwegian wife, but she said it was unclear whether Israel would allow him to travel.

Vanunu, 62, married theology professor Kristin Joachimsen in Jerusalem in 2015 after first meeting her in Israel almost a decade earlier.

She applied for him to be allowed to come to Norway under family reunification laws and a spokesman for the Norwegian Directorate of Immigration said permission had been granted.

Vanunu had applied for political asylum in the Scandinavian country in 2004.

Vanunu was jailed and served an 18-year sentence for leaking top-secret details and pictures of an alleged Israeli nuclear weapons program to a British newspaper in 1986. Although Israel has neither confirmed nor denied its nuclear weapons capability, the information provided by Vanunu led experts to conclude the Dimona nuclear reactor where he worked had produced fissile material for as many as 200 atomic warheads.

Alleging he was a security risk and might have new secrets to tell, Israeli defense authorities imposed strict conditions on Vanunu after his release from jail in 2004 that prevented him from traveling abroad.

Joachimsen said the Israeli restrictions were up for review in November and expressed hopes they would be lifted. “We have waited long enough for the case to be solved on Israel’s side,” she said.

The restrictions, upheld by Israel’s Supreme Court, have been condemned by international human rights groups.

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Asia and Norway

India and Norway sign Letter of Intent to extend health cooperation

by Nadarajah Sethurupan
written by Nadarajah Sethurupan

Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India signed a Letter of Intent with the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Government of Norway to extend the cooperation within health sector through the Norway India Partnership Initiative (NIPI) for a period of three years starting from 2018, here today.

Shri C K Mishra, Secretary (HFW) and His Excellency, Mr. Nils Ragnar Kamsvag, Ambassador of Norway signed this Letter of Intent. Shri Manoj Jhalani, Additional Secretary & Mission Director (AS&MD), Ms. Vandana Gurnani, JS (RCH), Dr. Tore Godal, Special Adviser to Prime Minister of Norway, Dr Maha-noor Khan, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Norway were also present during the signing ceremony.

Through this letter, the cooperation between India and Norway will continue to be aligned with the development goals of the Indian Government as outlined in its National Health Policy 2017 for achievement of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The cooperation shall focus on global health issues of common interest.

The partnership shall also include areas related to reproductive, maternal, new-born, child, adolescent health and health system strengthening, and shall build on experiences from NIPI phase I and II. The cooperation will continue to focus on innovative, catalytic and strategic support, taking the Indian Government’s Intensification Plan for Accelerated Maternal and Child Survival in India as the starting point.

The Governments of Norway and India had agreed in 2006 to collaborate towards achieving MDG 4 to reduce child mortality based on commitments made by the two Prime Ministers. The partnership was based on India’s health initiative, the National Health Mission (NHM), and aimed at facilitating rapid scale-up of quality child and maternal health services in four high focus states – Bihar, Odisha, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan. The main activities in Phase I (2006-2012) were home-based new born care (HBNC), Yashoda through State health system, establishing Sick Newborn Care Units (SNCU), techno managerial support, and providing strategic support for immunization and Public Private Partnership (PPP) initiatives.

The Governments of India and Norway decided to extend the partnership to coincide with the second phase of National Health Mission plan (NHM) for a period of five years (2013-17). Besides the four states already supported by NIPI, Jammu & Kashmir was added as a fifth state with NIPI being the lead partner for RMNCH+A activities.

Norway India Partnership Initiative (NIPI) through its work in the last ten years (2007-2017) has resulted in newer initiatives. In addition to trying out innovations, NIPI has also supported NHM by providing credible technical support in the five states and at national level. This has resulted in development and release of multiple policies and guidelines for the NHM.

(newkerala)

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