Norway

[Stewart Meadows]

Norway takes in over 30,000 Ukrainian refugees in 2022


By InfoMigrants Published on : 2022/12/27

Norway has accepted over 32,000 mostly Ukrainian refugees so far this year, according to Norwegian government figures. The non-EU country expects to take in a similar number in 2023.

More than 32,000 refugees have arrived in Norway so far this year "or are on the way to being settled," the Norwegian Ministry of Labour and Inclusion said in late November. This figure is seven times higher than the number of refugees settled in Norway the previous year, according to the government.

According to a press release, all of the country's municipalities have welcomed refugees, most of whom are from Ukraine and have temporary collective protection. Accepting refugees is a voluntary matter for the municipalities, the press release stated.

"Norwegian municipalities have managed to settle a record number of refugees at unprecedented speed," Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre is quoted as saying.

"Many people have warmly welcomed the refugees who seek shelter in our country. We will continue to be there for them in the time ahead," the head of government added.

http://www.infomigrants.net/en/post/...fugees-in-2022

[Stewart Meadows]

Norway bans planned anti-Islam protest outside Turkish embassy over fears of Quran book burning


The decision was made by Norwegian police upon the advice of the country’s foreign ministry after Turkey summoned the Norwegian ambassador to Ankara to express its outrage over the planned demonstration

February 02, 2023
editor: REMIX NEWS author: THOMAS BROOKE



The Norwegian government has banned an anti-Islam demonstration due to take place on Friday outside the Turkish embassy in Oslo citing security concerns, it has emerged.

The Norwegian police, who canceled the event on advice from the Norwegian foreign ministry, revealed authorities were concerned that protesters planned to burn a copy of the Quran, imitating an event that took place in Sweden last month and enraged the Islamic world.

“The police emphasize that burning the Quran is a legal political statement in Norway, but this event can’t go ahead due to security concerns,” Oslo Police Inspector Martin Strand told local media.

The far-right Stop the Islamization of Norway (SIAN) organization confirmed to Norwegian newspaper Verdens Gang on Thursday that its supporters planned to burn the Quran at the protest outside the Turkish embassy.

“I applied to hold a political demonstration on Friday in front of the Turkish embassy. I do this in the context of Turkey’s intolerance of Western values ​​of freedom. We cannot let Erdoğan rule with the authorities in Western countries, the organization’s leader Lars Thorsen told the newspaper.

https://rmx.news/norway/norway-bans-...-book-burning/

[Stewart Meadows]

March 3, 2023 2:57 PM GMT+1

Sami protesters, Greta Thunberg, end demonstrations against wind turbines


By Victoria Klesty and Nora Buli



OSLO, March 3 (Reuters) - Hundreds of Indigenous and environmental campaigners, including Greta Thunberg, blocked the main road to Norway's royal palace on Friday as they ended their nine-day protest to tear down wind turbines built on reindeer pastures used by Sami herders.

Demonstrators had urged government action after Norway's supreme court ruled in 2021 that 151 turbines erected at Fosen in central Norway violated Sami rights under international conventions, but remained in operation 17 months later.

https://www.reuters.com/world/europe...es-2023-03-03/

[Stewart Meadows]

MAY 4, 2023 7:57 AM0

Norway Updates Policy on Israel, Jerusalem and Palestinian State


by JNS.org



Pro-Palestinian demonstrators gather outside the Norwegian parliament in Oslo in May 2021. Photo: Reuters/Berit Roald/NTB.

JNS.org – The Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs conceded last November to the pro-Israel NGO With Israel for Peace (Med Israel for fred, or MIFF) that capital cities are not subject to recognition by other countries.

At some point following a March 7 letter from MIFF, Norway changed its website to note that it recognizes Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and does not recognize a Palestinian state.

“The changes are important, because the updated text is now correct, and it does not treat Israel differently than other countries,” Conrad Myrland, general manager of MIFF, told JNS.

The bulk of the international community has long claimed that it doesn’t recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital due to the lack of settlement of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Israel has countered that no other country has been denied the right to select its own capital.

https://www.algemeiner.com/2023/05/0...stinian-state/

[Stewart Meadows]

Norway warns people to keep away from ‘spy’ whale for animal’s safety


By James Frater and Jack Guy, CNN
Updated 5:27 PM EDT, Wed May 24, 2023

CNN — People should “avoid contact” with a famous beluga whale to avoid accidentally injuring or killing it, the Norwegian Directorate of Fisheries has said.

The whale, nicknamed Hvaldimir, shot to international fame in 2019 after it was spotted wearing a specially made harness with mounts for a camera, leading experts to believe the whale may have been trained by the Russian military.

https://edition.cnn.com/2023/05/24/e...ntl/index.html