SOME NEWS ARTICLES BY WALTER GIBBS
(Click headlines to view, though the Reuters articles are now unfortunately behind a paywall.)
Reuters
Breivik rails at psychiatristsThe self-described Norwegian nationalist now on trial for killing 77 people in a bomb and gun rampage railed at the psychiatrists who have diagnosed him as psychotic, insisting on Wednesday that their report contained "evil, fictional inventions". Reuters
In Arctic oil push, Norway waves off rivalsNorway unveiled a 20-year plan to unlock offshore Arctic oil and channel it to worldwide markets, a project that may cost billions of dollars and bring rivalries over Arctic resources to a head. "It's the project of a generation," the foreign minister told Reuters. Reuters
Maimed survivor revisits massacre islandShe last saw Anders Behring Breivik when he raised his rifle at her on the shore of a small Norwegian island and calmly pulled the trigger. Now, 18-year-old Alexandra Peltre will face him in court as he stands trial for killing 77 people that summer's day.
Reuters Shocking Norway, killer details massacreIn an account that shocked the nation, Norwegian anti-Muslim fanatic Anders Behring Breivik described with a chilling calm how he chased teenagers room by room and shot them dead on an island summer camp last year.
Reuters Don't bully Karzai, said former U.N. envoy
The U.S. should stop "bullying" Afghan President Hamid Karzai, talk directly with the Taliban leadership and keep U.S. troop commitments out of U.S politics, says the UN's former chief in Kabul, the Norwegian Kai Eide.
Reuters Breivik says he planned far larger attacksNorwegian anti-Islamic fanatic Anders Behring Breivik told a court on Thursday that he had planned for even bigger attacks before killing 77 people in a bombing and shooting spree, and that had prepared for the massacre by playing computer games. Reuters
Statoil's oil strike in overlooked North Sea
Norway's Statoil hailed a discovery of new reserves, potentially the world's biggest in 2011, allowing the state-controlled company and its partners to pump torrents of easily refined crude for decades and help revive the North Sea as an oil province.
Reuters Norway killer on trial: Would do it againThe Norwegian anti-Islamic gunman who massacred 77 people said in court on Tuesday his shooting spree and bomb attack were "sophisticated and spectacular" and that he would do the same thing again.
Reuters Norway mass killer deemed saneNorwegian Anders Behring Breivik was sane when he killed 77 people last summer in attacks that he saw as punishing pro-immigration "traitors", a psychiatric team said on Tuesday, contradicting a prior report that found him psychotic.
Reuters Trial preview: Mass killer under the big topAnti-Islam militant Anders Behring Breivik appears bent on turning a Norwegian court into a circus show for his views when he goes on trial on Monday for killing 77 people, reopening wounds in the traditionally tolerant and tranquil nation.
Reuters Political camp tradition resumes after attack
Record numbers of Young Liberals held Norway's first summer youth camp since last week's slaughter of 69 Labour Party campers and the Oslo bomb that killed eight. Police held watch over the gathering on Norway's south coast.
Reuters Leftist lawyer to defend Norway killer
After massacring 77 people, mostly young members of Norway's Labour Party, right-wing zealot Anders Behring Breivik picked Geir Lippestad to defend him -- not knowing the lawyer is a member of the party whose multicultural views the killer loathes. Reuters
Search ends for bodies on slaughter island
Norwegian police ended a six-day search for bodies at the island where Anders Behring Breivik shot dead 68 people, and said they were increasingly certain he acted alone. (Final tallies would show 69 dead at the island and eight in an Oslo bombing.) Reuters
Leaky police boat slows massacre rescue
The near-capsizing of a police boat delayed the response of a SWAT team to the island where a gunman killed scores of youth. This story of a leaky boat, first told by Reuters, would come to symbolise Norway's unreadiness to deal with an act of terror.
Reuters Bomb, gun toll huge; lone fanatic emerges
A suspected far-right gunman in police uniform killed some 84 people at a summer youth camp of Norway's ruling Labour party, hours after a bomb killed 7 in Oslo. (This police estimate of 91 victims altogether would later be revised down to 77.) Reuters
17 dead so far in Norway bomb, gun attack
Early report that a bomb had ripped through Oslo's central government district and a gunman dressed as a policeman had opened fire at an island youth camp, killing at least 17 people combined. The numbers would rise,
Reuters Central bank cuts rate view on euro chaos
_Norway's central bank kept its main interest rate at 2.25 percent as expected on Wednesday and ratcheted down its rate-hike projections as the oil-rich country braces for effects from the euro-zone debt crisis and sluggish global growth.
Reuters Crisis forces interest rate climb-down
The central bank in oil-rich Norway scrapped plans to hike borrowing costs, leaving its key interest rate at 2.25 percent because of mounting debt and growth pressures abroad. It gave no hint when it might return to its previous hawkish perch.
Reuters Norway killer's first public words
_Norwegian anti-immigration militant Anders Behring Breivik spoke in open court for the first time Monday and admitted killing 77 people in attacks in July, but he denied any guilt, saying he was a military commander in a far-right resistance movement.
Reuters Norway mulls Barents pipeline
Norway is studying a massive northward extension of its offshore pipeline network to reach potential gas fields in the central Barents Sea, where Norway and Russia agreed on a boundary earlier this year.
Reuters Tanker glut submerges big oil shipper
Frontline Ltd , the world's largest independent oil shipper, swung to a second-quarter loss and saw its stock fall to a nine-year low on Friday amid a global tanker glut it said could last through 2012. There's worse to come, says an analyst.
Reuters Norway backs Palestinian statehood bid
Norway, host of the 1993 Palestinian-Israeli peace accords, said on Monday it was "perfectly legitimate" for Palestinians to take their case for statehood to the United Nations for voting in September, despite opposition by the United States and Israel.
Reuters Paternity leave hits Norway cabinet
Norway's cabinet is seriously undermanned, but Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg couldn't be happier. His justice and family affairs ministers have joined Oslo's parade of male pram pushers on paid "pappa leave". "I miss them," Stoltenberg told Reuters.
Reuters Norway opens al Qaeda-linked bomb trial
_Three Norwegians accused of plotting, with al Qaeda's help, to bomb a Danish newspaper for printing cartoons of Islam's Prophet Mohammad pleaded not guilty to the charges in court in the Scandinavian country's first international terror case.
Reuters Historic Arctic ship voyage "over the top"
The MV Nordic Barents is lugging 40,000 tonnes of iron ore from Norway to China on an Arctic Ocean shortcut. Steaming east along Russia's desolate northern coast, the ship is the first non-Russian commercial vessel to skirt the receding Arctic ice cap and sail the fabled Northeast Passage non-stop to Asia.
Reuters Norway wealth fund dips on global woes
Norway's oil-backed sovereign wealth fund has shed $20 billion in six weeks, reflecting a gloomy economic backdrop abroad that also prompted the country's central bank to drop planned interest rate hikes. The wealth fund ended the quarter at $561 billion.
Reuters Killer escorts police on island of massacre
Norwegian police took confessed mass killer Anders Behring Breivik back to Utoeya island to reconstruct his hour-long slaughter. At one point Breivik stood in a shooting position, as if aiming a rifle at someone in the water trying to swim away.
Reuters Europe scorns "supersalmon" in GM battle
European salmon farmers and breeders who dominate global sales have a wary eye on transgenic American superfish that grow unnaturally fast and might gulp part of the $107 billion-a-year aquaculture business.
Reuters Nobel-winning economist seeks stimulus
Peter Diamond, a 2010 Nobel laureate in economics whose nomination to the Federal Reserve board is in political trouble, says the United States can crack stubborn unemployment by using every available tool. "The recipe is activism," he told Reuters.
Reuters Norway F-35 purchase may signal more
The Norwegian parliament has approved the purchase of four Lockheed Martin F-35 Joint Strike Fighters for training purposes ahead of a final decision set for next year on buying up to 52 additional jets.
Reuters Iran tries to buy nuclear parts in Norway
Iran has tried to get Norwegian missile technology for possible use in nuclear weapons, Norway's security chief said. Janne Kristiansen told Reuters Iran has approached firms that sell "special components that can be used in weapons of mass destruction."
Reuters Polar bear kills UK boy in Norwegian Arctic
A polar bear attacked a group of British campers, killing a 17-year-old boy and seriously injuring four people camping in Norway's Svalbard archipelago in the Arctic. The bear entered a tent camp of the British Schools Exploring Society.
Reuters Chinese pressure at Nobel gala
Angered by the selection of a jailed pro-democracy activist to receive the Nobel Peace Prize, China has tried to sabotage attendance at the Oslo gala. Six countries have declined to attend and 16 did not RSVP by the deadline.
Reuters Empty chair to mark Nobel winner's absence
An empty chair will represent jailed Chinese Nobel Peace Prize laureate Liu Xiaobo at next Friday's awards ceremony and symbolize China's policies to isolate and repress dissidents. The gesture comes as Beijing tries to mount a boycott of the ceremony.
Reuters Jailed Chinese dissident awarded Nobel
Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo on Friday was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, which he has dedicated from prison to the "lost souls" of the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown. China called the award a "farce" while President Barack Obama called for Liu's release.
Reuters (with Wojciech Moskwa) Norway's DNO, RAK Petroleum to merge
Norway's DNO and Emirati firm RAK Petroleum may seek additional Middle East partnerships after agreeing to merge their oil operations under the DNO banner in a deal that sent DNO shares up 16 percent on Monday.
Reuters Sitting on Iraq oil, can DNO make money?
Shares in Norwegian oil firm DNO have surged on signs of an end to the Iraqi political feud that's kept the company from exporting Kurdish crude. Why invest in a small-cap with losses in four of the five past quarters and reserves locked in a country with no oil law?
Reuters DNO ups Iraq reserves amid merger talks
Norwegian oil firm DNO has increased the estimated size of its prize Tawke field in Iraqi Kurdistan, strengthening the hand of DNO shareholders in merger talks with RAK Petroleum of the United Arab Emirates.
Reuters Telenor blasts Vimpelcom-Weather deal
Vimpelcom's $6.6 billion bid for telecoms assets owned by Weather Investments was hanging by a thread after Norwegian shareholder Telenor said on Monday it would not back the move to take control of Egypt's Orascom Telecom and Italy's Wind.
Reuters |
The New York Times
European Union wins Nobel Peace PrizeThe Norwegian Nobel Committee gave its 2012 peace prize to the 27-nation European Union, lauding its role in consolidating the peace among enemies who fought Europe’s bloodiest wars and urging renewed unity to overcome today's economic strife.
The New York Times Nobel Peace Prize to EU highlights divide in NorwayThe award of the Nobel Peace Prize to the European Union has opened old fault lines in Norway’s domestic political landscape and raised the ticklish question of why the country has twice rejected joining the 27-member union.
The New York Times Russia and Norway divvy up the Barents
The leaders of Russia and Norway have resolved a 40-year-old dispute over dividing the Barents Sea and part of the Arctic Ocean into clear economic zones, opening the way for an era of oil and gas exploration in a highly sensitive environment.
The New York Times From 205 names, panel chose the biggestThe Norwegian Nobel Committee spent seven months winnowing the dossiers of 205 candidates before deciding to award the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize to the most famous man on the planet: Barack Obama.
The New York Times U.S. adviser to Kurds stands to reap profitsFormer U.S. diplomat Peter W. Galbraith could earn tens of millions of dollars on a Kurdish oil deal he helped broker before advising the Iraqi Kurdish government on oil-sharing terms in Iraq's new constitution.
The New York Times Ruling near on former diplomat's oil dealA major ruling is expected soon in a dispute between the Norwegian oil company DNO and the former U.S. diplomat Peter W. Galbraith, who helped negotiate Iraq's new constitution after helping DNO gain a production contract in Iraqi Kurdistan.
The New York Times A cluster bomb treaty with few teeth
Representatives of more than 100 nations came to renounce cluster bombs, but the treaty they're signing fails to bind some of the countries most prone to conflict, including the United States, Russia and China.
The New York Times Afghanistan signs cluster bomb treatyIn a last-minute change, President Hamid Karzai of Afghanistan has agreed to join some 90 other nations gathered here in Oslo to sign a historic treaty banning the use of cluster munitions, which scatter bomblets across wide areas.
The New York Times Scandinavia at warPer capita, Denmark has lost more soldiers in Afghanistan than any other member of the NATO alliance. By contrast, Norway and Sweden have fulfilled their military obligations while playing it relatively safe.
The New York Times Norway votes with government on defensiveThe prime minister, Jens Stoltenberg, wants his nation to renew its commitment to one of the world’s most advanced social models, which has weathered the financial crisis with nary a wobble despite an array of challenges.
The New York Times Surprise Nobel for ObamaPresident Barack Obama won the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize in an announcement that puzzled many international observers, took the president by surprise and seemed more of a prayer and encouragement for future endeavor than a reward for achievement.
The New York Times "Quiet diplomat" wins Nobel Peace PrizeMartti Ahtisaari, the former Finnish president who has worked for decades to end conflicts through mediation in the Balkans, Namibia, Indonesia and Northern Ireland, was awarded the 2008 Nobel Peace Prize on Friday.
The New York Times Scientists back off cold-Europe theoryMainstream climatologists who have feared that global warming could have the paradoxical effect of cooling northwestern Europe or even plunging it into a small ice age have stopped worrying about that particular disaster.
The New York Times Gore shares peace prize for climate workFormer U.S. Vice President Al Gore, who emerged from his loss in the muddled 2000 presidential election to devote himself to the environment, was awarded the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize on Friday in tandem with a United Nations committee of climate scientists.
The New York Times Head of nuclear agency tells Iran: cooperateMohamed ElBaradei, the director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, warned Iran to stop hindering an investigation into the country's nuclear energy program, which many observers suspect is a cover to develop nuclear weapons.
The New York Times Accepting Nobel, ElBaradei presses U.S.The world should treat the nuclear ambitions of Iran and North Korea as a sign of the pressures wracking poor nations, the UN's nuclear watchdog and winner of the 2005 Nobel Peace Prize said as he called on the United States to cut its own nuclear arsenal.
The New York Times Peace Prize winner urges lending to poorBangladesh's ''banker to the poor,'' Muhammad Yunus, said he would use his new-found celebrity as this year's Nobel Peace Prize laureate to call for small business loans to the poorest people in the world.
The New York Times Munch's 'Scream' stolen at packed museumNorwegian police were hunting for ''The Scream'' -- Edvard Munch's masterpiece of existential angst and one of the world's most famous paintings -- after armed robbers grabbed it from the wall in a crowded museum.
The New York Times 3 convicted, 3 acquitted in Munch theftThree of six men charged in the 2004 theft of Edvard Munch's paintings "The Scream" and "Madonna" have been found guilty and sentenced to prison terms of four to eight years, though the paintings remain missing.
The New York Times Stolen Munch paintings are recoveredEdvard Munch's paintings “The Scream” and "Madonna,” which armed robbers yanked from the wall of an Oslo museum in August 2004, have been recovered in fairly good condition to the relief of art lovers and historians.
The New York Times Museum opens without its "Scream"When two masterpieces by Edvard Munch were taken in a daylight robbery, critics accused Oslo of naïveté for not securing Scandinavia's greatest art treasures. Now, would-be thieves and ordinary museum-goers face airport-style security measures.
The New York Times Scowcroft urges U.N. role in post-war IraqBrent Scowcroft, national security adviser to the first President Bush, told a Norwegian audience the United States should let the United Nations organize the postwar administration of Iraq and warned that the effort could ignite a civil war.
The New York Times Norway's centerist premier faces united leftNorway is flush with oil, cash and good jobs. The stock market has tripled in three years, and interest rates are record low. But Prime Minister Kjell Magne Bondevik is straining to stay in power as left-wing parties gang up.
The New York Times Iceland joins whale panel in boost to whalersFor two decades, anti-whaling nations have safeguarded a moratorium on commercial whale hunting. But the balance of power on the International Whaling Commission is shifting as small countries dependent on Japanese aid back the hunters.
The New York Times Whalers say wind is turning in their favourA few weeks ago, Olav Olavsen fired his harpoon 18 times and bagged 17 minke whales in the Barents Sea. Each weighed about two tons and yielded a third of that in dark, purplish meat. He and other Norwegian whalers are courting international acceptance.
The New York Times Research predicts doom for northern ice capThe mythic ice scape that stretches south in all directions from the North Pole is melting so fast that Norwegian scientists say it could disappear entirely each summer in 50 years, radically altering the Earth's environment, the economy and the human imagination.
The New York Times Volcanic ash crisis lifts
Europe breathed a collective sigh of relief at the easing of its aviation crisis, but parts of the airspace over Sweden, Norway and Scotland were briefly closed again Thursday because of a new cloud of ash from an erupting volcano in Iceland.
The New York Times |
