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Europe
The fight for the archipelago. Norwegians are talking about a 'new front line' with Russia
2024-05-31
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
by Pavel Anisimov

[REGNUM] “Russia has carried out coordinated hybrid attacks against all Nordic and Baltic countries,” so categorically states a report published by the Swedish think tank Frivärld (Stockholm Free World Forum).

It was produced by researchers from all eight Nordic and Baltic countries and describes Russia as a country that “uses the full range of tools of an authoritarian state and is not bound by legal or moral scruples.”
sounds about right
According to the team, Russia's goal is to challenge and weaken the rules-based world order dominated by the West, which the Kremlin views as a threat to its great-power ambitions.

To achieve this goal, the Russian side allegedly uses various methods: from disinformation and cyber attacks to vandalism and sabotage. In addition, the report indicates large-scale acquisitions of real estate abroad by the Russian Federation.

The conclusion is drawn about the need to take urgent measures.

The creators of the document recommend that the eight Nordic and Baltic countries coordinate their efforts through a regional cooperation format - Nordic-Baltic Cooperation (NB8). It also notes that a joint response would entail higher costs for the attacker than if countries acted alone.

It is worth noting that similar accusations have been made more than once over the past few months by Norway.

For example, in early May, the Police Security Service (PST) reported that Russian intelligence agents were operating in the western part of the country.

The Norwegian intelligence service believes that they may be preparing sabotage against critical infrastructure. It was argued that, in addition to its own benefit, Russia wants to damage Norway's reputation in the eyes of its allies.

In mid-May, the newspaper Aftenposten published a series of materials devoted to Russian “tools of warfare.”

Journalists identified and described seven tools, which were divided into military, ideological and psychological: infiltration; identification of vulnerable objects in Norway; sabotage; historical and religious claims; war over historical memory; divide and conquer tactics; influence campaigns.

As for real estate, in early April TV2 released an “exposure” according to which Russians associated with the Kremlin have owned real estate in the middle of fortifications in northern Norway since 2010.

Shocking map shows just how much farm land China owns in the U.S.

So the claims made in the Swedish think tank's report are largely nothing new.

The only article of interest is the article by Karen-Anna Eggen, a researcher at the Norwegian Armed Forces High School (Forsvarets høgskole), “Norway: Svalbard, Arctic warning about the next front line.” The author calls Spitsbergen the central zone of the conflict.

Eggen notes that since 2022, Russia has intensified confrontation in the Arctic. The growing strategic importance of Svalbard coupled with a more aggressive neighbor is cause for concern.

Norwegians have increasingly begun to pay attention to the Russian presence in this Arctic archipelago.

Thus, at the beginning of this year, a new book about Spitsbergen was published, telling about the relations between Norway and the USSR/RF on the archipelago. Birger Amundsen's work “The Struggle for Spitsbergen” (Spillet om Svalbard) tells how, after World War II, the islands became an arena of confrontation between Norway and the USSR. The author expresses the opinion that the Soviet Union had plans to occupy Spitsbergen - for this it was supposed to involve, among other things, the Soviet miners who worked there.

It is important to emphasize that, as a rule, the escalation of the Russian threat on Spitsbergen does not come from its official authorities or the Norwegians living on the archipelago.

On the contrary, myths are inflated by people who are far from the reality of constructive interaction between Russians and Norwegians. At the same time, such fears only deepen the crisis in modern Russian-Norwegian relations.

The election initiative of the Norwegian party Venstre, which proposes to station foreign military forces in the country in the future, does not add optimism. If this idea comes to fruition, it will mark the end of the era of “basic policies” that have been the mainstream for 75 years.

When Norway joined NATO in 1949, one of the most important conditions for Norway's membership in the alliance was the principle of rejecting foreign presence on a permanent basis. This condition reflected the duality of the policy of those times, which was usually called “containment and appeasement” (avskrekking og beroligelse).

During the times of the USSR, on the one hand, the “intimidating factor” was membership in NATO in order to prevent possible encroachments on Norway’s sovereignty, on the other hand, the “pacifying factor” associated directly with the Norwegian foreign policy line. By imposing restrictions on the conditions of NATO membership and the military activity of the Alliance in the border regions, the northern country sought to convince the Soviet leadership that it did not want to be a factor of a military threat and a springboard for possible military actions against the Soviet state.

Now the Venstre party believes that the permanent presence of foreign troops in Norway is a “guarantee of security for the country.” Venstre Deputy Chairman Sveinung Rottevatn believes that “ fundamental changes in security policy ” require this. Thus, he hints at the SVO in Ukraine.

Another argument is the accession of Finland and Sweden to NATO, while Finland has not introduced any restrictions on the presence of foreign military personnel on its territory. According to Rottevatn, taking this into account, the presence of “allied troops” on Norwegian territory will help strengthen cooperation between the North Atlantic Alliance in northern Europe.

However, he stipulates that the troops of Norway's NATO allies should not be stationed near the border with Russia. Venstre is also still opposed to the deployment of nuclear weapons.

However, at the moment it is not clear whether this idea will be brought to life.

Theoretically, this could happen if the right-wing coalition to which Venstre belongs and is in opposition to the current government wins the elections.

In this regard, we recall the fact that during the reign of the “right” led by Erna Solberg in 2016, a decision was made to station 330 American Marines at a military base near the Värnes airfield. This caused sharp criticism both from the Kremlin and from a number of left-wing parties in Norway itself.

But if then we were talking about the presence of the American military on a rotational basis, now Venstre openly talks about permanent deployment.

Be that as it may, the rejection of one of the fundamental principles of Norwegian foreign policy, coupled with the anti-Russian sentiments of the political forces in Norway, will only contribute to the further deterioration of Russian-Norwegian relations.

Link


Afghanistan
Forget the women - money is the real reason why the Taliban came to Oslo
2022-01-25
Of course. That’s what unbelievers are for.
Norway goes full Sweden stupid
[GoogleTranslate] The Taliban does not come to Oslo to discuss women's rights. The Taliban is coming to Oslo to raise money.

Shafiullah Azam, one of the Taliban delegates , told the Associated Press:
- We ask them to release Afghan funds and stop punishing ordinary Afghans for political reasons.
Then kill yourselves, to please allan of course
The Taliban are pushing the people of Afghanistan hostage to put pressure on the United States to release $ 9.5 billion worth of goods frozen by the Americans when the Taliban took Kabul and to take over the Asraf Ghani government's straw in the Norwegian aid fund .

From New York, Støre obscures in a familiar style with an incomprehensible story. He tells VG that "They are here because we have arranged for them to meet Afghans who are in exile, civil society in Afghanistan, the United States, the EU and NATO. (...) Norway can do this because we are recognizable over time "

Does Støre think that the Taliban is coming to Norway to greet Afghans who have fled the Taliban? Or do they come as old friends because they recognize us, and not as enemies for whom we have sacrificed the lives of Norwegian soldiers in a war that lasted almost 20 years and which has cost Norwegian taxpayers many billions of kroner?

While the other Nordic countries chose to safeguard and consolidate their interests in the immediate area, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was reorganized and instead turned its eyes to more distant skies and a form of global philanthropy that was enthusiastically called engagement policy by Stoltenberg and a missionary Bondevik, and since ' Norwegian reputation building' with at least as much glow by Erna Solberg .

In this way, Oslo has gained an international reputation as 'capital of easy money' . In fact, several embassies here have the main task of triggering Norwegian funding for projects in their home country.

And while there are fires on the border with Ukraine and Norwegian electricity customers are forced to pay the highest electricity prices in Europe, Foreign Minister Anniken Huitfeldt (Labor Party) kindly distributes them to the terrorist organization Taliban, while Finance Minister Trygve Slagsvold Vedum (Social Democrats) sits still like a mouse.
Link


-Signs, Portents, and the Weather-
Covid round-up — because so many articles were submitted yesterday that they needed to be stacked
2021-09-25
Courtesy of The Walking Unvaxed:
British Funeral Director: COVID-19 Deaths Were Inflated, Mass Vaccination Came Before ‘Huge Explosion' In Death Counts
[NationalFile] [John O’Looney, a British funeral director] says that he repeatedly saw people labeled as COVID deaths, even if they died of natural causes, of terminal cancer, or being hit by a car. All COVID deaths.

He says it is his belief that thousands of elderly people in the U.K. were euthanized with the sedative Midazolam and then labeled as coronavirus deaths. But he also says that overall in 2020, the death rate compared to past years was about the same, or even down.

He did see a huge explosion in deaths, but it wasn’t in 2020. It was in early 2021, and it happened almost the moment mass vaccination began. Then, from April through the summer, he says it was one of the quietest periods he’d ever seen. There weren’t enough deaths to keep the lights on.

Now, he says the death rate is rising again. And the people coming in, he says, are from all age ranges. They aren’t just old people. The causes of death, he says, are heart attacks, blood clots, strokes, and multiple organ failure. Almost all these people, he says, are vaccinated. He saw a man, a barber, who died at age 23 just after getting the second shot.

Blockbuster: NIH Study Concludes Ivermectin Works!
[MAGA Institute] Because we’ve come to expect nothing but cover-ups and anti-science diktats from NIH and its subdivisions, NIH has published on its website and article in the July-August issue of the American Journal of Therapeutics that concluded that "large reductions in COVID-19 deaths are possible using ivermectin."

The study authors continued, "Using ivermectin early in the clinical course may reduce numbers progressing to severe disease. The apparent safety and low cost suggest that ivermectin is likely to have a significant impact on the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic globally."
Overexcited headline. The actual journal article can be found here. Here are key bits from the abstract of this review of previous published research:
DATA SOURCES:
We searched bibliographic databases up to April 25, 2021. Two review authors sifted for studies, extracted data, and assessed risk of bias. Meta-analyses were conducted and certainty of the evidence was assessed using the GRADE approach and additionally in trial sequential analyses for mortality. Twenty-four randomized controlled trials involving 3406 participants met review inclusion.

THERAPEUTIC ADVANCES:
Meta-analysis of 15 trials found that ivermectin reduced risk of death compared with no ivermectin (average risk ratio 0.38, 95% confidence interval 0.19–0.73; n = 2438; I2 = 49%; moderate-certainty evidence). This result was confirmed in a trial sequential analysis using the same DerSimonian–Laird method that underpinned the unadjusted analysis. This was also robust against a trial sequential analysis using the Biggerstaff–Tweedie method. Low-certainty evidence found that ivermectin prophylaxis reduced COVID-19 infection by an average 86% (95% confidence interval 79%–91%). Secondary outcomes provided less certain evidence. Low-certainty evidence suggested that there may be no benefit with ivermectin for “need for mechanical ventilation,” whereas effect estimates for “improvement” and “deterioration” clearly favored ivermectin use. Severe adverse events were rare among treatment trials and evidence of no difference was assessed as low certainty. Evidence on other secondary outcomes was very low certainty.

CONCLUSIONS:
Moderate-certainty evidence finds that large reductions in COVID-19 deaths are possible using ivermectin. Using ivermectin early in the clinical course may reduce numbers progressing to severe disease. The apparent safety and low cost suggest that ivermectin is likely to have a significant impact on the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic globally.

Courtesy of Bobby:
Dr. Fauci's NIH approved hydroxychloroquine 15 years ago to cure coronaviruses
[Tech Startups] SARS-CoV-2 is one of the seven coronaviruses identified by CDC. The sixth and the seventh of the coronaviruses are: SARS-CoV (the beta coronavirus that causes severe acute respiratory syndrome, or SARS) and SARS-CoV-2 (the novel coronavirus that causes coronavirus disease 2019, or COVID-19) respectively.

Why all of a sudden hydroxychloroquine is considered an unsafe drug? After all, hydroxychloroquine is still being used to treat lupus patients. To answer this question, we have to back to the month of March 2020. It all started back after President Trump threw his support for the drug and opened the floodgates of criticisms after he touted the drug as a potential game-changer. Many in the mainstream media accusing him of promoting an unsafe drug. When asked about President Trump's tweet, Dr. Anthony Fauci said: "the anecdotal reports … may be true," and that the President's message of "hope for people" with #coronavirus is "not unreasonable" & "not incompatible" with total confirmation."
So after a cautious - scientific, even - initial response to Trump's statement, Fauci subsequently went all in with the anti-Trumpers and the media.
According to NIH own study conducted in 2005 titled, "Chloroquine is a potent inhibitor of SARS coronavirus infection and spread," chloroquine, a sister drug to hydroxychloroquine, was found to be "effective in preventing the spread of SARS CoV in cell culture."
From the NIH study -
Results
We report, however, that chloroquine has strong antiviral effects on SARS-CoV infection of primate cells. These inhibitory effects are observed when the cells are treated with the drug either before or after exposure to the virus, suggesting both prophylactic and therapeutic advantage.
Seems like some researchers might've built on the 2005 work. If they could get funding.

Related: The 2005 NIH Study.

Norway Opts Out of the Pandemic Club
[Epoch Times] Norway will end all COVID-19-related restrictions starting Saturday, Sept. 25, the government announced, joining a growing list of countries and states that have removed pandemic curbs.

"It is 561 days since we introduced the toughest measures in Norway in peacetime ... Now the time has come to return to a normal daily life," Prime Minister Erna Solberg told a news conference on Friday.

The virus can now be considered as one of several respiratory illnesses with seasonal variation, said Geir Bukholm, the assistant director for the Norwegian Institute of Public Health, according to local media. In Norway, COVID-19 has been classified as a generally dangerous disease, but the official classification could change soon, he said.

"This is because the vast majority of those at risk are protected," Bukholm said, referring to the country’s vaccination campaign. According to the Norwegian Institute for Public Health, about 67 percent of the population is fully vaccinated.
However, there are some travel restriction.
Nearby Sweden earlier this month announced it will remove most of its COVID-19 restrictions.

An announcement from the Swedish government on Sept. 7 said that restrictions on public venues such as restaurants, theaters, and stadiums will be removed on Sept. 29.

Courtesy of Vespasian Ebboting9735:
Congressman ‐ Hospitals are covering up Vaccine Injury reports to VAERS…
[CitizenFreePress] Congressman Dr. Paul Gosar (AZ) has sent a letter to the Department of Health and Human Services [HHS] demanding a "full review of all HHS health care systems nationally to ensure full compliance with vaccine injury reporting laws including reporting all adverse events occurring after the administration of the COVID-19 vaccine."

Finally, one from India:
ICMR drops Ivermectin, Hydroxychloroquine from Covid-19 treatment guidelines
[OneIndia] The National Task Force on Covid 19 has dropped Ivermectin and Hydroxychloroquine from revised "clinical guidance for management of adult COVID-19 patients".

The studies showed no clarity with relation to mortality benefit, no effect on length of stay, clinical recovery in case of Ivermectin medicine.

Meanwhile, the WHO panel also recommends against the use of ivermectin and hydroxychloroquine in patients with COVID-19 regardless of disease severity.

The latest guidance adds to previous recommendations for the use of interleukin-6 receptor blockers and systemic corticosteroids for patients with severe or critical COVID-19.

The WHO Guideline Development Group (GDG) panel recommends treatment combining casirivimab and imdevimab for two specific groups of patients with COVID-19.

The first recommendation is based on new evidence from three trials that have not yet been peer reviewed.

The trial show that casirivimab and imdevimab may reduce the risk of hospitalisation and duration of symptoms in those at highest risk of severe disease, such as unvaccinated, older, or immunosuppressed patients.

The second recommendation is based on data from another trial which shows that the two antibodies probably reduce deaths and the need for mechanical ventilation in seronegative patients.

This study showed that treatment with Casirivimab and imdevimab led 49 fewer deaths per 1,000 in the severely ill and 87 fewer deaths in the critically ill patients.

For all other COVID-19 patients, any benefits of this antibody treatment are unlikely to be meaningful, the panel noted.

Casirivimab and imdevimab are monoclonal antibodies that when used together bind to the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein, neutralising the virus's ability to infect cells.
Link


-Signs, Portents, and the Weather-
The COVID-19 scandal: Billionaire Globalists Bill & Melinda and WHO
2020-04-23
[WND] The coronavirus scandal, with billionaire oligarch "pandemic expert" Bill Gates pushing horror scenarios into the media, has contributed to politicians' reaction of fear.

This, combined with mass media hysteria, has, in turn, caused a once-in-a-century financial depression. The economic depression may not be due to the virus itself, but rather the panic reaction that was created with the corresponding government shutdowns, as advised by Gates.

At The Herland Report we suggested early that the crisis should be seen in relation to the current U.S.-China trade war. We wrote about the topic of World Health Organization chief Dr. Tedros' possible politization the day before President Trump addressed it. Two days later it was headlines across the world.

The close relationship between Dr. Tedros and Bill Gates is illustrated by Tedros calling Gates "my brother" when opening speeches. Everyone else, such as the WHO-favored Norwegian prime minister, Erna Solberg, are addressed as dignitaries. Through its CEPI work, the current Norwegian government is allied with Gates, Norway funding billions into vaccine programs.

A strong defender of the current strategies of the WHO leadership, now under scrutiny for its mismanagement in reporting during the COVID-19 scandal, Solberg has taken a remarkable strong stance while other European leaders question the WHO.
Link


Europe
Norway Government Collapses Over ISIS Bride Repatriation
2020-01-22
[LegalInsurrection] Norway’s ruling coalition collapsed on Monday over the repatriation of a suspected female Islamic State fighter from Syria.

The right-wing Norwegian Progress Party ended a seven-year alliance with Prime Minister Erna Solberg’s Conservative Party after she agreed to take in a suspected female jihadi and her two children on “humanitarian” grounds.

The unnamed 29-year-old woman of Pakistani origin had reportedly left Norway to join the ISIS Caliphate in 2013. The children were born after she departed to join the terrorist group in Syria, reports say.

“We could welcome the children, but we do not compromise with people who have voluntarily joined terrorist organizations and who are working to tear down all the values Norway is built on,” Siv Jensen, leader of the Progress Party, told reporters.

Since the Norwegian constitution does not allow for an early election, Prime Minister Solberg will continue to lead a minority government until the next year’s general election. With the right-wing Progress Party mobilizing openly against the government, the country could plunge into a political crisis.
Related:
Norway: 2020-01-18 Repatriation of ISIS family receiving treatment in Erbil sparks political outcry in Norway
Norway: 2020-01-15 The US Air Force is fixing up a remote base that could help keep an eye on Russia
Norway: 2019-12-27 Finland to redeploy peacekeeping troops from Iraq to Kurdistan Region
Link


Europe
Norway arrests Muslim cleric after Italian terror trial
2019-07-17
[IsraelTimes] A Moslem holy man found guilty in Italia of planning terror attacks is detained in Norway on an Italian arrest warrant, The Norwegian domestic security agency says.

Iraqi-born Mullah Krekar, born Najm al-Din Faraj Ahmad, was detained late Monday, the PST security agency says. The agency tweets hours after an Italian court found Krekar guilty of attempting to overthrow the Kurdish government in northern Iraq and create an Islamic caliphate, and sentenced him to 12 years.

Italian prosecutors had alleged Krekar, who is based in Norway, is behind Rawti Shax, a Europe
...the land mass occupying the space between the English Channel and the Urals, also known as Moslem Lebensraum...
an network aimed at violently overthrowing the government in Kurdistan. Krekar, who has denied the allegations.
No, no! Certainly not!
 plans to appeal, said his Italian lawyer, Marco Vernillo.

In 2015, European authorities arrested 15 Iraqi-Kurdish nationals on terrorism-related charges. Rawti Shax recruited foreign terrorist fighters to be sent to Iraq and Syria and provided logistical and financial support, according to the Italian prosecutors who spearheaded the probe. They alleged that Krekar was the leader.

A refugee from Iraqi Kurdistan who came to Norway in 1991, the 63-year-old holy man has several convictions in Norway, including for threatening Prime Minister Erna Solberg. He also praised the 2015 holy warrior attack on the French satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo
...A lefty French satirical magazine, home of what may well be the majority if the active testicles left in Europe...
. Krekar founded the now-defunct Ansar al-Islam murderous Moslem group of Sunni Kurds that reportedly merged with the Islamic State
...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that they were al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're really very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear western pols talk they're not really Moslems....
 group in 2014.
Link


India-Pakistan
Is Hurriyat nod to Norway mediation on Kashmir dispute sign of breakthrough?
2019-01-11
[ENGLISH.ALARABIYA.NET] A day after the Prime minister of Norway Erna Solberg said her country was willing to mediate between India and Pakistain on the Kashmire issue, Hurriyat conference in the disputed state of Jammu and Kashmire has welcomed the offer.

"Welcome Prime Minister of Norway Erna Solberg’s statement with regards to the resolution of the Kashmire dispute. We also welcome their offer of mediation to facilitate peace in the region," said Chairman of Hurriyat Conference Mirwaiz Umar Farooq.

On Monday, Prime minister of Norway while speaking at the inauguration of the new "green" Norwegian embassy in New Delhi said that her country was willing to mediate with between India and Pakistain, provided both the countries agree to such mediation.

"Nobody from outside can create peace or make changes. It has to come from inside. If there is a movement between India and Pakistain for greater talks, we and other countries can say that we can help mediating if there is a possibility," she said.

Solberg is on a three-day visit to India. She met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj yesterday to and discussed host of bilateral and global issues.

"Norway has done a lot of work for the cause of peaceful settlements through mediation, we will intervene only if both parties, India and Pakistain, want it," she added.

TALKS IN KASHMIRE
Earlier in November 2018, former Prime Minister of Norway Kjell Magne Bondevik visited Kashmire and met with Hurriyat leaders Syed Ali Geelani and Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and discussed the situation in Kashmire. He also visited the capital of Pakistain-occupied Kashmire-Muzaffarabad--and met PoK President Sardar Masood Khan.

While clarifying former PM’s visit, Solberg said ’his actions didn’t have Norwegian government’s blessings’.

"He went as a private citizen. He has an institute for peace and security. It’s a private institute in Norway. There isn’t any government plan to start any negotiation. Our policy is clear. If we are going to help someone, they have to ask for it," she said.

Despite the recent hostilities between India and Pakistain, and the border skirmish along the line of Control, the Norwegian PM said she believes that "military" solutions cannot bring "long-lasting" peace.

"Personally, I don’t believe that military solutions solve problem. I believe in peaceful solutions. Participation of women and youth. You can have victory through military activity but you will always have underlying activity. It’s not just in Kashmire, but all places. We see it in Syria too. If there is a solution, it won’t be long-standing."
Link


Europe
‘We eat pork and drink alcohol': Norwegian minister roasted after giving Muslims integration advice
2017-03-29
[RussiaToday] Norway’s controversial migration and integration minister has sparked a firestorm of criticism after issuing firm instructions to newly-arrived Muslim immigrants, but claims she was merely helping the newcomers find a true home in the Scandinavian country.

“I think those who come to Norway need to adapt to our society. Here we eat pork, drink alcohol and show our face. You must abide by the values, laws and regulations that are in Norway when you come here,” said a Facebook post by Progress Party minister Sylvi Listhaug, which has since gone viral, garnering 19,000 likes and 4,500 shares.

The post contained a link to an article in Dagbladet newspaper, in which the 38-year-old right-wing politician, who was appointed to her post in December of last year, expounded on her views.

“It is not society’s task to adapt to immigrants, and it is important that we signal clear requirements to them,” said Listhaug, speaking ahead of this week’s national conference on integration, adding that “the main thing is that those who come should learn the language and acquire a job, so that they can become self-supporting.”

Listhaug, who was previously the country’s agriculture minister, also spoke out against public institutions that no longer serve pork to avoid offending Muslims.

In less than a year, Norway’s number of new immigrants has fallen from an all-time record high of 32,000, to an expected 19-year-low of 3,550 new arrivals by the end 2016. To some extent, this can be explained by an overall fall in traffic into Europe, but it may also be attributed to a tightening of the system overseen by Listhaug, which includes payments to those who want to go home.

However, the minister, who is a member of the ruling Blue-Blue coalition between a mainstream conservative party and the populist Euroskeptic Progress Party, says that even those who have already arrived pose a number of issues.

“Going to a job interview, you wouldn’t wear sweatpants and a cap. So, don’t wear a niqab or a burka,” continued Listhaug. “In our country alcohol is a legal commodity, so if you work in a place that provides it, you can’t opt out of serving beer, wine or other drinks… We’ve had people refusing to handle pork.”

“Each of us has to pay attention to our surroundings, and the Norwegian taxpayer will not fund your life,” explained Listhaug, who has previously mentioned that there are particular problems connected with integrating Muslim women into the workforce.

The response to Listhaug’s comments was immediate and scathing – with multiple calls for her resignation delivered through editorials and media interviews.

The ruling coalition has largely ignored the harsh backlash and generally echoed Listhaug’s statements when asked for comment.

“No, you probably wouldn’t get a job from me or from many others if you were wearing a niqab on you,” said Prime Minister Erna Solberg.

“I believe those who choose to wear the hijab or niqab desire to provoke. I would find it smarter if they instead used their time and energy to adapt themselves to Norwegian society,” chimed in Progress Party leader Siv Jensen.
Link


Syria-Lebanon-Iran
Norway to send 60 soldiers to train Syrians fighting Isis
2016-05-07
Norway announced on Monday that it would deploy 60 soldiers to train Syrians fighting the Islamic State (Isis) group, boosting its involvement in the international coalition against the jihadists. The soldiers belonging to the Norwegian special forces would conduct the training in Jordan, Prime Minister Erna Solberg said at a press conference in Oslo.
Maybe they'll have more luck then U.S. trainers had...
"The brutal acts by IS have cost many civilians their lives and led an even greater number to flee [the country]," Solberg said, employing one of several names used to describe the terrorist group.

The Isis group has also "brought terrorism to Europe and young people are radicalised and recruited in order to have foreign fighters," she added.

The Syrian groups that will be trained by the Norwegian soldiers were not identified, but according to Defence Minister Ine Eriksen SoreidIne Eriksen, they were chosen following a "thorough and systematic" selection process.

"One condition for our support is that their operations be directed against IS and that they do not harm any of the current peace efforts in Syria," Soreide said.

Norway is already involved in the anti-Isis coalition, in particular by training Kurdish peshmerga fighters in the Iraqi Kurdistan region.
That seems like a better bet...
Link


Europe
Italy issues 17 arrest warrants in terrorism blitz
2015-11-13
[AlAhram] Police in Italia say they have issued 17 arrest warrants for Iraqi Kurds on terrorism-related charges in a Europe-wide blitz.

Carabinieri Gen. Giuseppe Governale told RAI state radio Thursday that the operation involved investigations in Britannia, Norway, Finland, Germany and Switzerland
...home of the Helvetians, famous for cheese, watches, yodeling, and William Tell...
. The ANSA news agency said the suspects are accused of international terrorism association. A news conference is being held later in the day with Italia's top anti-terrorism officials

Norway's security service PST, meanwhile, told Norwegian media that a tossed in the slammer
Book 'im, Mahmoud!
 Iraqi-born holy man and two others have been jugged
You have the right to remain silent...
 on suspicion of their involvement in a terror plot in Italia.

PST spokeswoman Siv Alsen said Najmaddin Faraj Ahmad, known as Mullah Krekar, and two others whom she didn't name, face a court hearing Friday in Oslo, Norway, pending a possible deportation to Italia.

Last month, Ahmad was sentenced to 18 months in jail for praising the slaying of cartoonists at the French satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo
...A lefty French satirical magazine, home of what may well be the majority if the active testicles left in Europe...
, which had lampooned Islam and other religions. He was also found guilty of urging others to kill a Kurdish immigrant in Norway in the same interview with Norwegian broadcaster NRK.

Earlier this year, Ahmad was freed after nearly three years' imprisonment for making death threats. The 59-year-old Kurd, who came to Norway as a refugee in 1991, was convicted in 2005 for a similar offense.

Norway and the United States have accused Ahmad of financing a defunct Iraqi Sunni Lion of Islam group called Ansar al-Islam. It reportedly merged with the Islamic State
...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear the pols talk they're not really Moslems....
 group last year.

Speaking from Valettta, Malta, where she took part in the European Union
...the successor to the Holy Roman Empire, only without the Hapsburgs and the nifty uniforms and the dancing...
 meeting on the migrant crisis, Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg said "if this means that Krekar leaves Norway, that's fine."
An Nahar adds:
Italian police on Thursday announced a swoop on a European jihadist network that was allegedly planning to try to spring its leader out of detention in Norway.

Seventeen people were targeted in the raids across Europe -- 16 Kurds and a Kosovan. Six of them have been arrested in Italy, four in Britain and three in Norway.

Several members of the group have traveled to Iraq and Syria to fight for the Islamic State group, police said.

Investigators said the network was trying to free Norway-based fundamentalist preacher Najmuddin Ahmad Faraj -- also known as Mullah Krekar -- who is listed as a terrorist by the United States and United Nations.

The network developed "on the 'dark web', little-known (Internet) platforms that we have managed to penetrate," Giovanni Governale of the Italian police's Special Operations Group said, adding that the swoop has allowed police to scupper "a process of recruitment, of sending (fighters) into combat abroad".

Governale said the network "was about to continue sending many other jihadists abroad; it was about to carry out attacks, including suicide bombings, to try to free their chief, Mullah Krekar".

The 59-year-old, a Kurdish Iraqi, has been living in Norway since 1991.

He has been at risk of deportation since 2003 after Norwegian authorities ordered him to be expelled as a threat to national security.

While courts have upheld the ruling, Norwegian law bars him from being deported to Iraq, where he risks the death penalty.

Krekar also founded the radical Islamist group Ansar al-Islam, but insists he has not led it since 2002.
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Europe
Kurdish Islamist Mullah Krekar gets jail term in Norway
2015-11-01
[Rudaw] Mullah Krekar, a controversial Kurdish holy man who founded the Death Eater group Ansar al-Islam and has known ties to al-Qaeda, was sentenced by a Norwegian court Friday to 18 months in prison for threatening a fellow Kurd on television.

In addition, Krekar has to pay 75,000 Norwegian kronor (about S8,800) in compensation.

The 59-year Krekar, a Kurd from Iraq whose real name is Najmuddin Faraj Ahmad, threatened the Kurd, Halmat Goran, during a television interview with Norwegian TV NRK in February 2015.

Krekar had earlier issued a fatwa against Goran when the latter published a video several years ago in which he burned the Koran.

Krekar told NRK: "The responsibility to execute the punishment belongs to the Muslim community, whether he is in Norway or whether he is with Barack Obama
I am the change that you seek...
."

The Kurdish Islamist claimed that he did not threaten Goran, but Goran had to "fear Somalis, Indonesians, Africans, Chechens and all other Muslims."

"Anyone who knows the punishment could kill him. I'll send a gift to him that kills him. Why should I not be happy about it?" Krekar told NRK.

Goran had to change his name and is now living at a secret address because of the threats.

The words from Krekar must be understood as a threat, according to the judge.

"The court is in no doubt that the statement should be understood as a call for a certain group of people to execute the punishment," Judge Peter Blom said as he read the court's decision against Krekar.

Krekar's attoney, Brynjar Meling, said in a blurb that his client will take "time to think" and not appeal the verdict. In addition, Meling believed that some of Krekar's words have been taken out of context.

"The judgment has obvious weaknesses, including basing itself on an edited material," the statement said. "Krekar believes that he has made the necessary provisions in the raw material."

After the verdict, Krekar left the courtroom immediately, without giving comments.

Krekar was born in Sulaimani in the Iraqi Kurdistan region and is the father of four children. He completed a master's degree in Islamic studies in Pakistain and moved to Norway in 1991. He established the Salafist jihadi group Ansar al-Islam in 1994.

Since 2006, Mullah Krekar has been on the United Nations
...an organization conceived in the belief that we're just one big happy world, with the sort of results you'd expect from such nonsense...
' terror list.

In 2012, he was sentenced to five years in prison in Norway for threatening to kill the then conservative politician Erna Solberg, who is now Norway's prime minister. The appellate court later reduced his sentence to 34 months.

The Norwegian conservative party in 2002 raised the issue of national security and demanded his deportation.

Iraq has demanded his extradition for trial, but that has been denied by Norway, which prohibits the expulsion of an individual without a guarantee against the death penalty or torture.

In 2013, negotiations for Krekar's deportation to Iraq failed, after Iraqi officials could not promise Norway that the holy man would not face torture or execution after deportation.

Krekar has also been accused of having helped establish a terrorist group in Germany. In March 2014, he was questioned in Oslo by German police. Ten people have been charged in the case.
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India-Pakistan
Pakistan, Norway ink MoU for 150MW solar power plants
2015-07-08
[DAWN] Pakistain and Norway signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for construction of three solar power plants to generate a total of 150MW of electricity, said a statement issued on Tuesday.

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif
... served two non-consecutive terms as prime minister, heads the Pakistain Moslem League (Nawaz). Noted for his spectacular corruption, the 1998 Pak nuclear test, border war with India, and for being tossed by General Musharraf...
 and Norway's Prime Minister Erna Solberg witnessed the signing ceremony of a MoU between Scatec Solar of Norway and Nizam Energy of Pakistain to jointly develop the solar power plants on a build-own-operate basis.

The construction of three solar power plants to generate a total of 150 MW of electricity is expected to start in the first quarter of 2016.

The project would be completed in a year's time and will be located in Sindh province, with an initial investment of $300 million.

An additional 150 MW is planned to be developed in the second stage, bringing the total investment to nearly $600 million.

Adviser on Foreign Affairs and National Security Sartaj Aziz
...Adviser to Pak Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on National Security and Foreign Affairs, who believes in good jihadis and bad jihadis as a matter of national policy...
 and other members of the Pak delegation were also present on the occasion.
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