Category Archives: Norway

Starvation deaths of 200 reindeer in Arctic caused by climate change, say researchers

Posted on by

Comparable death toll has been recorded only once before, says Norwegian Polar Institute

About 200 reindeer have been found dead from starvation in the Arctic archipelago Svalbard, an unusually high number, the Norwegian Polar Institute has said, pointing the finger at climate change.

During an annual census of the wild reindeer population on the group of islands about 1,200km (746 miles) from the north pole, three researchers from the institute identified the carcasses of about 200 deer believed to have starved to death last winter.

Continue reading...

Moroccan court orders death penalty for jihadists who beheaded tourists

Posted on by

Three Isis supporters who killed two Scandinavian women given death sentence

Three men have been sentenced to death in Morocco for the Isis-inspired murder of two Scandinavian hikers in the Atlas mountains last December.

The two victims, Louisa Vesterager Jespersen, 24, from Denmark, and Maren Ueland, 28, from Norway, were beheaded by a group of men who wanted to impress Islamic State. The three men confessed to their murder at a court in Salé, near Rabat.

Continue reading...

Mother of Danish student suspected killed by jihadists demands death penalty

Posted on by

Helle Petersen asks trial in Morocco for ‘just’ penalty after murder of Louisa Vesterager Jespersen in Atlas mountains

The mother of a Danish student who was beheaded, along with another Scandinavian woman, while hiking in Morocco’s High Atlas mountains has called for the suspected jihadist killers to face the death penalty as their trial neared its end.

In a letter read out by her lawyer in an anti-terrorist court in Sale, near Morocco’s capital, Rabat, Helle Petersen said: “The most just thing would be to give these beasts the death penalty they deserve, I ask that of you. My life was destroyed the moment that two policemen came to my door on 17 December to announce my daughter’s death.”

Continue reading...

Fantastic arctic fox: animal walks 3,500km from Norway to Canada

Posted on by

Epic journey by female fox includes fastest movement rate for species ever recorded

An arctic fox has walked more than 3,500km (2,000 miles) from Norway to Canada in just 76 days, astonishing researchers at the Norwegian Polar Institute.

The animal, known as a coastal or blue fox, was fitted with a tracking device in July 2017. It left Spitsbergen in Norway’s Svalbard archipelago on 26 March 2018. After 21 days and 1,512 km out on the sea ice, it landed in Greenland on 16 April 2018. Its journey continued to Ellesmere Island in Canada, where it arrived on 1 July.

Continue reading...

Inquiry into oil tanker attacks stops short of blaming Iran

Posted on by

UN security council hears unidentified state was behind explosions in Gulf last month

An unidentified state actor has been blamed for attacks on four oil tankers in the Gulf last month, according to an inconclusive inquiry that stopped short of explicitly pointing the finger at Iran.

The UAE along with Saudi Arabia and Norway presented the preliminary findings during a private briefing to members of the UN security council, which will also receive the final results of the inquiry and consider a possible response.

Continue reading...

CIA warns Arab activist of potential threat from Saudi Arabia

Posted on by

Pro-democracy campaigner İyad el-Baghdadi has been vocal critic of Saudi crown prince

The CIA has warned Norway that a prominent Arab activist who is living in the country under asylum protection is facing a potential threat from Saudi Arabia, the Guardian has learned.

The pro-democracy activist, İyad el-Baghdadi, is a vocal critic of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Continue reading...

Whale with harness could be Russian weapon, say Norwegian experts

Posted on by

Fisherman raised alarm after white whale sporting unusual strapping began harassing their boats

Marine experts in Norway believe they have stumbled upon a white whale that was trained by the Russian navy as part of a programme to use underwater mammals as a special ops force.

Fishermen in waters near the small Norwegian fishing village of Inga reported last week that a white beluga whale wearing a strange harness had begun to harass their fishing boats.

Continue reading...

‘Historic breakthrough’: Norway’s giant oil fund dives into renewables

Posted on by

Experts say even nations that got rich on fossil fuels are seeing the future is green

Norway’s $1tn oil fund, the world’s largest sovereign wealth fund, is to plunge billions of dollars into wind and solar power projects. The decision follows Saudi Arabia’s oil fund selling off its last oil and gas assets.

Other national funds built up from oil profits are also thought to be ramping up their investments in renewables. The moves show that countries that got rich on fossil fuels are diversifying their investments and seeking future profits in the clean energy needed to combat climate change. Analysts say the investments are likely to power faster growth of green energy.

Continue reading...

Norway’s Kon-Tiki museum to return thousands of Easter Island artefacts

Posted on by

Explorer Thor Heyerdahl collected many items in his effort to prove South American immigration theory

Norway has agreed to hand back thousands of artefacts removed from Easter Island by the explorer Thor Heyerdahl during his trans-Pacific raft expeditions in the 1950s.

An agreement was signed by representatives of Oslo’s Kon-Tiki Museum and officials of Chile’s culture ministry at a ceremony in Santiago as part of a state visit by Norway’s King Harald V and Queen Sonja.

Continue reading...

Viking Sky: rescuer’s camera shows passengers being airlifted to safety – video

Posted on by

New footage has emerged from the Viking Sky rescue that took place on Saturday that shows passengers being airlifted to safety as huge waves toss the ship around. 

A camera mounted on a rescue worker's helmet captured the moment passengers were hoisted one by one from the cruise ship to a helicopter. The evacuations took place in extremely difficult conditions. Norwegian media reported gusts of up to 38 knots (43 mph) and waves over eight metres (26ft) in an area known for its rough, frigid waters. Twenty people were treated for injuries including broken bones, cuts and bruises, rescuers said.

Continue reading...

Viking Sky: stricken cruise ship in rescue drama

Posted on by

Vessel broke down in rough seas off Norway with 1,300 passengers and crew on board, leading to evacuations by helicopter

The Norwegian cruise ship Viking Sky was limping to safety on Sunday morning amid a continuing dramatic rescue operation that saw hundreds of people winched off by helicopters as the powerless vessel was tossed on rough seas.

The ship carrying 1,300 passengers and crew broke down off the Norwegian coast on Saturday. Video and photos from passengers showed chairs and other furniture rolling dangerously across the floor and parts of the ceiling falling down as the vessel was tossed about. Passengers were wearing orange life vests but the waves broke some of the windows and cold water poured over their feet.

Continue reading...

Military buildup in Arctic as melting ice reopens northern borders

Posted on by

As ice melts and shipping lanes open up, geopolitical tensions are growing and old cold war bases are being reopened

The climate crisis is intensifying a new military buildup in the Arctic, diplomats and analysts said this week, as regional powers attempt to secure northern borders that were until recently reinforced by a continental-sized division of ice.

That so-called unpaid sentry is now literally melting away, opening up shipping lanes and geo-security challenges, said delegates at the Arctic Frontiers conference, the polar circle’s biggest talking shop, who debated a series of recent escalations.

Continue reading...

‘An egregious offence’: Canada battles Norway for tallest moose statue

Posted on by

After Norway’s Storelgen stole Mac the Moose’s place as world’s tallest, a Canadian city hopes to ‘stick it to Oslo’ by increasing their statue’s size

For three decades, the Canadian city of Moose Jaw took pride in its status as the home of the world’s largest moose statue.

Standing at a majestic 10 meters tall, Mac the Moose has weathered brutal winters, graffiti and even the inglorious loss of his jaw. His recognition was so great that in 2013, he was named the city’s most popular celebrity.

Continue reading...

Norway’s favourite painting to go on display in London

Posted on by

Winter Night in the Mountains part of first Harald Sohlberg show outside Norway

Edvard Munch’s The Scream is a classic symbol of dread that has been hailed as the ultimate icon of contemporary politics – but a very different Norwegian painting is the country’s favourite.

Continue reading...

Norwegian millionaire’s wife likely to have been kidnapped, say police

Posted on by

£8m ransom reportedly asked for release of 68-year-old Anne-Elisabeth Falkevik Hagen

The wife of a Norwegian multimillionaire missing for 10 weeks has probably been kidnapped and a ransom has been demanded for her release, police have said.

Married to a real estate and energy magnate, Anne-Elisabeth Falkevik Hagen, 68, disappeared on 31 October, police said.

Continue reading...

Corvus Energy Expands

Posted on by
Corvus Energy, manufacturer of energy storage systems for maritime applications, announced two production and R&D expansion plans underway in Canada and Norway. The new battery factories will be more modern and more automated than other similar factories, result in eight times the production capacity compared to today.

Nobel for Trump? Odds slashed after summit but awards committee may be wary

Posted on by
It did not take long for bookmakers to slash Donald Trump's odds of winning the Nobel Peace Prize in the wake of the historic summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. OSLO: It did not take long for bookmakers to slash Donald Trump's odds of winning the Nobel Peace Prize in the wake of the historic summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.