Norway’s Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere said on Monday that it is worrying that Elon Musk directly involves himself in domestic political issues in countries outside of the United States.

“I find it worrying that a man with enormous access to social media and huge economic resources involves himself so directly in the internal affairs of other countries,” Stoere told Norwegian public broadcaster NRK.

“This is not the way things should be between democracies and allies,” he added.

If Musk were to involve himself in Norwegian politics, the country’s politicians should collectively distance themselves from such efforts, Stoere said.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Ship building activity has gathered momentum in coastal Karnataka with Udupi Cochin Shipyard Limited (UCSL), a wholly owned subsidiary of Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL), launching the first of the six 3800 TDW (tonnes of dead-weight) dry cargo vessels for Wilson ASA of Norway at its facility in Malpe, in Udupi district, on December 16.

Scheduled for delivery in February 2025, the vessel will be followed by delivery of another five similar ones and then eight 6300 TDW dry cargo vessels to the same client. Apart from these, the ship building entity under the public sector in Karnataka has orders for construction of different capacities of Bollard Pull ASD (Azimuth Stern Drive) tugs.

It was in September 2020 that CSL acquired Tebma Shipyard Limited, which had run into insolvency proceedings through the National Company Law Tribunal, Chennai. Beginning operations in February 2021 and getting renamed UCSL in April 2022, the company did not look back, partially due to the strong backing of its parent company Cochin Shipyard Limited. CSL’s presence in the commercial shipbuilding market helped its subsidiary not only to get orders for vessels but also to strengthen the dilapidated infrastructure of Tebma Shipyard at Malpe, according to UCSL. Tebma was initially founded as a private limited company in 1984 and became a public limited company later.

Constructing fishing boats

UCSL began by constructing fishing boats under the Prime Minister’s Matsya Sampada Yojana for coastal States. It went on to manufacture 100 passenger aluminium ferries for Kochi Water Metro as per an order from Cochin Shipyard. These small but vital projects tested the mettle of the team as they concurrently worked to strengthen manpower and implement robust quality systems. Despite initial teething troubles, Udupi CSL was able to overcome them and establish itself as a strong ship builder in the region.

Udupi CSL had the first major breakthrough with an order for two 62T Bollard Pull Tugs from Ocean Sparkle Limited, which is India’s largest tug operator, of Adani Group. This was followed by another order for two 70T Bollard Pull Tugs from Polestar Maritime Limited.

Despite concerns about delivery timelines, UCSL delivered all the commercial projects ahead of schedule. This achievement, according to UCSL, marked a significant milestone reinforcing the yard’s credibility.

Going global

The turning point for Udupi-CSL was its engagement with Wilson ASA, Norway- Europe’s largest short sea shipowner, in February 2023. Wilson ASA’s confidence in the yard’s infrastructure, project management, and leadership led to a landmark order, propelling Udupi-CSL’s order book to cross ₹500 crore. This international recognition laid the foundation for its entry into the global market.

According to Cochin Shipyard Limited Chairman and Managing Director Madhu S. Nair, who is also the Chairman of Udupi Cochin Shipyard Limited, CSL’s association with Norway, a global shipping hub for decades, helped its subsidiary Udupi CSL, to bag the international orders. In May 2023, Wilson ASA initially placed orders for six future-proof 3800 TDW dry cargo vessels that would be operated on short sea routes in Europe.

Of the six vessels, Udupi CSL recently launched the inaugural vessel at its facility in Malpe while another vessel is under final stages of construction. The launched vessel would undergo extensive testing and equipment fitting before being delivered to Wilson ASA in February 2025, Mr. Nair said.

The 3,800 TDW vessels are designed by Conoship International, Netherlands, and are being constructed as environmentally-friendly diesel-electric vessels. They would be 89.43 metres long, 13.2 metres wide, have a draft of 4.3 metres, and with top speed of 10.3 knots. They were future-proof, eco-friendly vessels equipped for installation of the ventofoil system for wind-assisted propulsion in the future.

Wilson ASA placed repeat orders for vessels with higher capacity — eight numbers of 6,300 TDW dry cargo vessels — in two batches, in June and September 2024.

Orders for more tugs

In May 2024, Ocean Sparkle Limited (OSL), an Adani Harbor Services Limited Company, placed repeat orders for three ASD (Azimuthing Stern Drive) tugs of 70 T Bollard Pull Power.

Earlier, UCSL had delivered two 62 T bollard pull ASD tugs to OSL before the contractual delivery date. These tugs were deployed by OSL at Paradeep port and in New Mangalore port.

The tugs, designed by Robert Allan Limited, the world’s leading design house for harbour tugs, would be built under the Indian flag. The tugs would conform to the ASTDS (Approved Standard Tug Design and Specifications) of the Union Government in line with Aatmanirbhar Bharat and Make in India initiatives.

UCSL was the first shipyard to contract and construct tugs conforming to ASTDS.

UCSL received orders for three similar tugs from Polestar Maritime Limited, of which one was delivered ahead of the deadline.

Aligning locally

UCSL CEO A. Harikumar says the shipyard’s success is not limited to its order book. It has fostered robust relationships with stakeholders, suppliers, and Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs). Simultaneously, it prioritised building a skilled workforce through systematic recruitment and the implementation of an Integrated Management System. The extension of its leased land with Karnataka Maritime Board, and infrastructure upgrades ensured sustainable growth.

The shipyard, Harikumar said, has been supporting the MSMEs in the region. Almost all the inputs for constructing vessels, including the marine-grade steel, were being procured locally from Mangaluru and Udupi. Besides helping growth of ancillary industries, the yard would also offer internships and training to ITI candidates from the region.

Expansion plans

UCSL has plans to expand the Udupi facility to enhance production and generate more jobs for the local people. The operations, planning and design facility at Malpe employs around 600 persons. The fabrication facility at Hangarkatte employs around 250 persons. The companies are in talks with the government of Karnataka for some more land at Hangarkatte while capacity augmentation is under process at Malpe. Once the process is completed, the Malpe facility could employ around 1,000 persons, and the Hangarkatte about 600 persons. UCSL also intends to improve the lives of people around its facilities through corporate social responsibility activities.

Cochin Shipyard Limited, Mr. Nair said, wants Udupi CLS to focus on tugs and short-sea vessels. Both CSL and UCSL were working towards realising the ‘Vision 2047’ of bringing India under the top 10 shipbuilding countries in the world.

Oslo:

An Amsterdam-bound flight skidded off the runway at Oslo Torp Sandefjord Airport in Norway after an emergency landing. The incident happened on Saturday night, when a KLM Royal Dutch Airlines-operated Boeing 737-800 experienced a hydraulic failure shortly after taking off from Oslo Airport, prompting the crew to divert to Sandefjord Airport.

This came hours before a Boeing 737-800 aircraft, operated by Jeju Air, flying from Bangkok to South Korea with 181 people on board crashed on landing at Muan International Airport on Sunday, leaving all but two people plucked from the wreckage feared dead.

As per media reports, the KLM flight was carrying 176 passengers and six crew members. It landed safely at Sandefjord Airport, situated 110 kilometres south of Oslo. However, on landing, the plane veered off the runway before stopping in soft grass near a taxiway, a video of which is being widely shared on social media.

KLM flight #KL1204, a Boeing 737-800, veered off the right side of runway 18 after landing at Oslo Torp Sandefjord Airport.
The flight had diverted there shortly after takeoff from Oslo Airport (OSL).pic.twitter.com/SKIwHIfMBV

— Aviation Safety Network (ASN) (@AviationSafety) December 28, 2024

Video shows passengers being evacuated from the aircraft using mobile stairs, as emergency responders arrived on the site. Fortunately, all 182 people on board were unharmed.

Later, KLM in a statement confirmed that incident and said that during takeoff, a loud noise was heard, leading to the diversion. On landing, pilots were unable to control the aircraft and it slid and entered the grass next to the runway, NOS said in a report.

The airline also reassured that the passengers and crew were unharmed and were cared for and an investigation has been launched into the incident.

The flight departed from Oslo at 6:55 pm (local time) and the aircraft landed at Torp’s Sandefjord airport at 7:14 pm (local time), according to Dutch media reports.

After safely evacuating them, all the passengers were transported to Torp Sandefjord airport’s terminal by bus and a little before 9:00 pm (local time) everyone was off the plane, the reports added.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Spain, Norway and Ireland announced that they will recognise a Palestinian state on May 28 and they urged other European states to follow their lead.

The three countries said they hoped their decision would accelerate efforts towards securing a ceasefire in Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza, which is now in its eighth month.

Below are some of the key elements related to that decision.

WHAT DID IRELAND, NORWAY SPAIN ANNOUNCE?

The three countries recognised a Palestinian state with its borders to be demarcated as they were prior to 1967, with Jerusalem as the capital of both Israel and Palestine.

However, they also recognised that those borders may change in any eventual talks to reach a final settlement.

Ireland said it would upgrade its representative office in the West Bank to a full embassy and the Palestinian mission in Ireland will also be offered full embassy status.

Irish Prime Minister Simon Harris also stressed that recognising a Palestinian state does not diminish Ireland’s belief in Israel’s right to exist in peace and security – a position that he said was unequivocal.

WHO ELSE HAS RECOGNISED PALESTINE?

About 144 of the 193 member-states of the United Nations recognise Palestine as a state, including most of the global south, Russia, China and India. But only a handful of the 27 European Union members do so, mostly former Communist countries as well as Sweden and Cyprus.

Other states have said they are considering following suit, including Britain, Australia, Malta and Slovenia.

WHY IS THIS SIGNIFICANT?

The decision to recognise Palestinian statehood by three major European nations is mostly symbolic, but it makes Israel appear more isolated on the international stage.

Alon Liel, a former director general of Israel’s foreign ministry, said it may also have an impact on public opinion within Israel as these nations were viewed by many as diplomatic role models.

It could also prove significant if, as the three countries hope, other nations follow in recognising Palestinian statehood.

HOW DID ISRAEL, PALESTINIANS REACT?

Israel reacted angrily and immediately withdrew its ambassadors from the three countries and summoned their representatives in Israel.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said such recognition effectively rewards Hamas, which governs Gaza, for its violence.

The war in Gaza was triggered on Oct. 7 when Hamas militants burst across Israel’s southern border and carried out the bloodiest attack in the country’s 75-year history.

Netanyahu has repeatedly rejected the concept of a “two-state” solution and said such recognition would neither bring peace nor change its resolve to eradicate Hamas.

The Palestinian Authority, which exercises limited self-rule in the West Bank, and Hamas welcomed the recognition by Spain, Norway and Ireland.

WHAT DID THE UNITED STATES SAY?

The United States supports a two-state solution, but says that this is something that can only be achieved through direct dialogue between the two parties and not through the unilateral recognition of a Palestinian state by other nations.

Last month, the United States effectively vetoed an attempt at United Nations recognition of a Palestinian state by denying Palestinians full membership in a vote in the Security Council.

WHAT IS THE POSITION OF OTHER EUROPEAN NATIONS?

Spain, Norway and Ireland spent months lobbying EU members to join them in their announcement, but the issue still divides some of the bloc’s biggest countries.

France said Palestinian statehood is not a “taboo” for Paris, but that now is not the right time. Germany stressed its long-term goal is for a two-state solution, but, like the U.S., said that that could only come through dialogue.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Billionaire Elon Musk, the owner of X and Tesla, has been nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize by a Norwegian Member of Parliament Marius Nilsen, as per a report in Politico. The lawmaker announced his choice for the award and said that he picked the wealthiest man in the world for his “adamant defence of dialogue, free speech and (enabling) the possibility to express one’s views’ in a continuously more polarized world.”

He also stated that Mr Musk’s tech companies had helped “make the world a more connected and safer place.” According to the outlet, the identities of Nobel Peace prize nominees are not publicly revealed until 50 years after the prize is awarded. However, Mr Nilsen fits the criteria for nominating someone for the award.

Mr Nilsen, representing the Progress Party, also thanked Mr Musk for providing Starlink satellite internet service to Ukraine after the Russian invasion of the country two years ago. “The multitude of tech companies Musk has founded, owns or runs, aimed at bettering societies, increasing knowledge of both earth and space, in addition to enabling communication and connectivity globally… has helped make the world a more connected and safer place,” Mr Nilsen told local outlet Agderposten.

In October 2022, Elon Musk acquired Twitter for $44 billion with the aim of allowing free speech. Since the takeover, Mr Musk has completely redesigned both the business and the social media network. The billionaire who has touted himself as a “free speech absolutist” has reinstated many high-profile accounts suspended by the previous Twitter leadership. Among them were Ye (rapper Kanye West), accused of sharing antisemitic posts, influencer Andrew Tate, who was in a Romania prison on charges of human trafficking, and former US president Donald Trump, accused of instigating Capitol Hill riots.

Aside from X and Tesla, the world’s richest person is also the head of SpaceX, The Boring Company, and Neuralink. As of February 21, his total net worth stands at $209 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.

Another Norwegian lawyer from the Red Party nominated WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange for the prize. She told local outlet Dagsbladet, “Assange has exposed Western war crimes and thus contributed to peace. If we want to avoid war, we must know the truth about the damage that war brings. Assange has exposed torture and inhuman behaviour towards prisoners of war. He deserves the Peace Prize.”