
Helmsman of cargo ship run aground in Norway was likely asleep
"Only one person was on the bridge at the time. He was steering the vessel, but didn't change course when entering the Trondheim fjord as he should have," the news agency NTB reported.
"Police have received information from others who were on board that he was asleep," police official Kjetil Bruland Sorensen told NTB.
The 135-metre (443-foot) NCL Salten sailed up onto shore just metres from Johan Helberg's wooden cabin around dawn on Thursday.
Helberg discovered the unexpected visitor only when a panicked neighbour who had rung his doorbell repeatedly to no avail gave up and called him on the phone.
"The doorbell rang at a time of day when I don't like to open," Helberg told television channel TV2.
His neighbour, Jostein Jorgensen, said he was roused at around 5:00 am by the sound of a ship heading at full speed toward land and immediately ran to Helberg's house.
None of the cargo's 16 crew members were injured, and Norwegian police have opened an investigation.
"We are aware of the police stating that they have one suspect, and we continue to assist the police and authorities in their ongoing investigation," the NCL shipping group said Friday.

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Sharjah 24
24-05-2025
- Sharjah 24
Helmsman of cargo ship run aground in Norway was likely asleep
"Only one person was on the bridge at the time. He was steering the vessel, but didn't change course when entering the Trondheim fjord as he should have," the news agency NTB reported. "Police have received information from others who were on board that he was asleep," police official Kjetil Bruland Sorensen told NTB. The 135-metre (443-foot) NCL Salten sailed up onto shore just metres from Johan Helberg's wooden cabin around dawn on Thursday. Helberg discovered the unexpected visitor only when a panicked neighbour who had rung his doorbell repeatedly to no avail gave up and called him on the phone. "The doorbell rang at a time of day when I don't like to open," Helberg told television channel TV2. His neighbour, Jostein Jorgensen, said he was roused at around 5:00 am by the sound of a ship heading at full speed toward land and immediately ran to Helberg's house. None of the cargo's 16 crew members were injured, and Norwegian police have opened an investigation. "We are aware of the police stating that they have one suspect, and we continue to assist the police and authorities in their ongoing investigation," the NCL shipping group said Friday.

Zawya
16-04-2025
- Zawya
South Sudan: Mobile court brings justice to Leer for the first time in more than a decade
Leer County is one of the areas hardest hit by the conflict that has ravaged South Sudan. When civil war erupted in 2013, persistent violence and insecurity forced the withdrawal of judges from Unity State, leaving communities entirely dependent on customary courts to resolve disputes, including serious crimes beyond their jurisdiction. For the first time since then, residents will have access to formal justice through the deployment of a mobile court that will hear more than 60 cases of murder, rape and other criminal offenses from Leer, Mayiendit, Panyijjar, and Koch Counties in southern Unity. Supported by the United Nations Mission in South Sudan, the Multi-Partner Trust Fund for Reconciliation, Stabilization and Resilience, and the Norwegian Embassy, the court was officially opened by Unity State Governor, Riek Bim Top Long. More than 2000 people gathered to witness this landmark moment, demonstrating its importance to communities across the region. 'Deploying a mobile court and establishing permanent justice in Unity State provides mechanisms for all South Sudanese to access justice, regardless of our political affiliations,' said Unity Governor, Riek Bim Top Long in his opening remarks. 'We are working with the judiciary and partners to bring judges permanently back to Unity, enabling those who have suffered harm to receive justice.' Koch County Paramount Chief, William Duop Kueth, said the absence of a formal justice system created gaps that customary courts cannot address. 'We are mandated to handle customary issues and are not equipped to try murder and rape cases. These matters need a well-trained judge,' he said. 'We will fully support this court at the community level because it will help reduce crime and bring perpetrators to justice.' The acting Head of the UNMISS Field Office in Unity, Stella Abayomi, echoed this sentiment. 'The mobile court will address cases outside the jurisdiction of traditional leaders, including murder, sexual and gender-based violence, conflict-related sexual violence, and forced and early marriage. Justice and accountability are key to decreasing crime, reducing violence against women, and improving security.' The large number of women at the court opening reflected the disproportionate impact that conflict and crime, particularly sexual violence, has on women and girls across South Sudan. Twenty-year-old Maria Nyadak hopes the court will help protect and strengthen women's rights. 'We are excited to welcome the mobile court because it will help stop early and forced marriages in our community. Women and girls have suffered for too long without justice.' She called for stronger laws to protect women and girls from all forms of violence. 'Our government should design laws that address the huge challenges facing women and girls. This will give us the complete freedom that we deserve.' The court, which is a joint initiative of the judiciary of South Sudan, the Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs, and the Unity State government, will be staffed by two High Court Judges, three court clerks, three defence attorneys, a prosecutor, and victims' advocate. Ahead of the hearings opening, UNMISS and partners supported the training of 20 new investigators in southern Unity, with a focus on handling sexual violence cases, as well as the advance deployment of prosecutors and investigators to receive and process the criminal complaints that will be heard. The court will run from 15 April until 9 May 2025. Distributed by APO Group on behalf of United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS).


The National
18-03-2025
- The National
Global network of lawyers to pursue Israeli soldiers in courts
A global network of 195 lawyers and legal organisations has come together to file criminal complaints and investigate Israeli war crimes privately in courts around the world. The coalition, named Global 195, will seek the arrest and prosecution of high-ranking Israeli officials including dual nationals who serve in the Israeli military. It is being led by the UK-based legal charity International Centre for Justice for Palestinians, led by solicitor Tayab Ali, and will bring in lawyers from Malaysia, Turkey, Norway, Canada, Bosnia and the UK. They will draw on alleged war crimes compiled in a shared library of evidence by the ICJP. 'Under international law, states have a duty to investigate and prosecute war crimes, yet these obligations have been systematically neglected. The launch of Global 195 is a necessary legal intervention to remedy this failure,' Mr Ali said on Tuesday. The group's aim is to 'bridge the gap' left by international institutions and state actors who are 'failing' to prosecute Israel for alleged war crimes committed against Palestinians, a statement from the coalition said. 'Those responsible for war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in Gaza are subject to legal accountability and no longer have anywhere to hide.' The International Criminal Court has issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant. In the UK, the ICJP is already working to pursue British members of the Israeli military who are suspected of committing war crimes in Gaza, the occupied West Bank and Jerusalem. The evidence library includes 135 first hand witness accounts from across Gaza which are supported by open source intelligence. Former Metropolitan Police detectives are also understood to have advised on the creation of the archive so that it could meet the standards of evidence required by the UK, as well as international criminal courts and tribunals. The ICJP said its archive confirms a 'pattern of systematic violations' including the indiscriminate bombing of civilians, attacks on designated safe zones, air strikes on refugee camps, enforced mass displaced and the use of starvation as a weapon of war. 'We are convinced that such crimes have been committed in Gaza. This complaint should now lead to independent and impartial investigations of the alleged war crimes, also by prosecutors in third States assigned with extraterritorial jurisdiction,' said a joint statement from Norwegian pressure groups ICJ Norway and Defend International.