OSLO, NORWAY – An Iraqi refugee in Sweden who stoked international outrage by repeatedly desecrating the Quran last year has been arrested in Norway and now faces deportation back to Sweden, according to court documents viewed by AFP on Thursday. Salwan Momika, a Christian Iraqi who burned Qurans at a slew...
Norway warns of consequences over UNRWA funding cut
"We urge fellow donor countries to reflect on the wider consequences of cutting their funding to UNRWA," Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide said in a statement to AFP. "UNRWA is a vital lifeline for 1.5 million refugees in Gaza," he said, adding that "to avoid collectively punishing millions of...
Norway’s Oslo city hall hoists Palestinian flag
Oslo, Norway - Oslo's city hall on Wednesday raised the Palestinian flag in a show of solidarity with the people of Gaza, where thousands have lost their lives as Israel bombarded the area in retaliation for the October 7 attack by Hamas. The initiative coincides with the International Day of Solidarity with...Norway to fine Meta $100,000 a day for flouting user data ban
Oslo, Norway - Norway's data protection agency said Tuesday it would start fining Facebook and Instagram owner Meta nearly $100,000 per day for defying a ban on using users' personal information to target ads. The Norwegian watchdog, Datatilsynet, said Meta would be fined one million kroner ($97,000) per day, starting August...
Norway earns record oil, gas revenue after Ukraine war prices rise
Norway earned 1.5 trillion kroner ($140 billion) in revenues from oil and gas, according to estimates by Statistics Norway (SSB). It was "by far the highest ever recorded in the statistics" and almost three times the 498 billion kroner earned in 2021, according to SSB.
Telenor 2022 net profit at $4.5bn
Merger of its Malaysian subsidiary with a firm helped.
UNHRC to host emergency session on Iran protests
The UN Human Rights Council said it would hold an urgent session on Iran, with backers pushing for a global probe into the deadly crackdown on mass protests rocking the country. The UN's highest rights body said a special session on "the deteriorating human rights situation" in Iran would be...
Qatar and Egypt sign pacts to supply Gaza fuel and building materials: Minister
Qatar and Egypt have signed agreements to supply fuel and basic building materials for Gaza Strip, Qatar's Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Sultan bin Saad Al Muraikhi said. He said these cooperative efforts would contribute to improving living conditions in the occupied territory. Al Muraiikhi stressed the importance of...
Nobel Peace Prize buzz for press freedom, Belarus, Greta
Predicting the winner is a giant guessing game, as no shortlist is made public and the nominees' identities are kept secret for 50 years.
