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Walrus Freya killed by Norway gets Oslo sculpture

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Oslo has revealed a bronze statue of a walrus named Freya, who was previously a famous attraction but was euthanized due to concerns for public safety. The statue portrays Freya lying on her side on a shore and was created by Astri Tonoian, who named it “For Our Sins” to represent how humans treat wild nature and each other.

An online campaign raised $25,000 to fund the statue’s creation, with campaign organizer Erik Holm expressing anger towards the Norwegian Fisheries Directorate and the state’s handling of the situation.

Last August, Freya, who weighed around 600kg, was put down due to safety concerns, which sparked criticism across Norway. The walrus had become famous for climbing onto boats to sunbathe, sometimes causing them to sink.

The local authorities claimed that people had disregarded warnings to avoid getting too close to the animal, endangering themselves and Freya. In one instance, police blocked off a bathing area after the walrus chased a woman into the water. Additionally, the Norwegian fisheries ministry shared a photo showing a large group of people, including children, standing dangerously close to the animal.

Frank Bakke-Jensen, the director general of fisheries, defended the decision to euthanize Freya, stating that it was based on an assessment of the continuing threat to human safety. Bakke-Jensen explained that the public had disregarded recommendations to keep a safe distance from the walrus, and therefore, the potential for harm to people was high, and animal welfare was not being maintained.

He added that the operation to put Freya down was done humanely, and her body was taken for examination by veterinarians.

Freya, who was first seen in Oslo in July last year, was named after the Norse goddess of beauty and love. As a protected species, walruses are typically found further north in the Arctic and generally do not attack humans, although there have been a few rare incidents. In 2016, at a wildlife park in China, a tourist and a zookeeper were killed by a walrus.

The tourist had allegedly been taking selfies with the animal when he was grabbed and pulled underwater, while the zookeeper attempted to rescue him and was also pulled under.

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Russia-Norway relation hits new low

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The relation between Russia and Norway has hit a new low, after the latter alleged that the former attacked the email system of Norwegian parliament with the help of Russian cyber attackers.

Russia has denied the allegation levelled against the country by Norway. The European power has called the allegation provocative.

Meanwhile, Norway has criticized Russia with hard words. The country has termed the attack extremely serious.

Norway and Russia are not in a good relation with each other. Norway technically stands with the European Union. At the same time, Russia is technically out of the union.

The latest development is expected to widen the gap between the European Union and Russia, which is the successor of the erstwhile Soviet Socialist Republics of Russia.

It is important that the issue in the Eastern Europe is handled in a sensible manner. It is pertinent to note that the disturbance in the region can easily trigger a global crisis.

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One killed, two injured in stab attack in Norway

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A middle-aged woman has been killed and two other ladies injured in a series of stabbing attacks which has taken place in the European country of Norway.

The first incident of stabbing was reported from the Norwegian city of Sarpsborg. The second and third were reported from the same location.

The police alerted the locals as soon as they were informed about the incident.

A 31 year old man, who is a citizen of Norway, has been booked in connection with the attacks. The police are verifying whether the person has any serious mental issues. As per a preliminary report, the culprit is a person who has a bad criminal history.

It is learned that the accused had a relationship with at least two of the three women who suffered his stabs.

What makes the case complicated is that the woman who was killed by the man had no relationship with the man.

The condition of one of the two injured women is serious. The condition of the other is not too severe and is recovering.  

This case is one of the most heinous crimes reported from the region in the recent history.

Norway is not a crime prone region. It is very peaceful, compared to other countries located in this part of the world.

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Far-right attacker receives tough punishment of 21 years imprisonment

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A Norwegian youngster, who killed his step-sister and opened fire at a mosque, has been sentenced to as many as 21 year imprisonment.

The punishment has come with a minimum term of as many as 14 years – recently, the country has hiked the minimum term for hate crimes.

It is said that the attacker was inspired by similar attacks happened in New Zealand in the recent past.

The attack is one of the gravest crimes the country has seen in its recent history.

The far-right movement is not less active this part of the world.     

In the year 2011, similarly, a right-wing extremist carried out a horrific attack in the country. Unlike this time, his minimum sentence was at least four year shorter than what has been awarded to the latest case of far-right extremism.

It is high time for the European countries to look into this matter seriously. Norway is not the only European country struggling with the issue of far-right extremism.

Many European countries like Germany, Poland and Hungary are vulnerable to this issue.

Germany has recently reported several similar cases. In some states, even the rebirth of Neo-Nazism has been reported.

The development exposes a serious threat which needs urgent intervention.

V

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Anti-abortion advocates lost case in ECHR

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Two nurses, who approached the European Court of Human Rights against the discrimination they had undergone in Sweden for their refusal to carry out abortion, has not succeeded in winning their case in the top court based in the continent of Europe.

Ellinor Grimmark and Linda Steen, though are born in Sweden, are originally from the European country of Norway.

They applied for the post of midwife in Sweden. As the Swedish law requires midwives to carry out abortion, they were asked by their employer to do the service.

The nurses denied performing the service as they found that against their religious belief. Subsequently, they lost their jobs for that reason.

They approached several courts in Sweden before they has reached the ECHR.

Like every other court, the ECHR has also failed to understand the ground that they faced discrimination from their employer for their belief.

It is unclear what the next move of the duo will be. The possibility of the duo to approach the same court with the case is less, as that court is less likely to entertain the duo again in the future as there is no precedent exists like that so far.


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Spy Swap: Norwegian spy Frode Berg freed by Russia

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Russia has released at least two Lithuanian spies and a Norwegian spy, Frode Berg, from their custody. In return, the country has managed to get at least two of its spies freed from the Lithuanian custody.

The three country spy swap deal is the most complicated deal the continent of Europe has witnessed in its recent history.

Norway is the one which has played a central role to get this deal materialised. Why they have gone that far is because the country was under severe pressure to get Mr. Berg, who was a high level officer, freed.

The family members of Mr. Berg have expressed their happiness in the deal. His daughter has already reached the city where he is expected to land within the next few hours.

Lithuania was an integral part of the erstwhile Soviet Union. Since the independence of the country, the spies of Lithuania are on continuous battle with its Russian counterparts.

The case is not very different with Norway, though it has no direct link with either the erstwhile Soviet Union or its successor, the present Russia.

Russia, Norway and Lithuania are situated very close to each other. Both Norway and Lithuania see Russia situated close to them as a threat.


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