OSLO: The US embassy in Oslo was hit by an explosion in the early hours of Sunday but no one was injured, police in the Norwegian capital said, adding the cause was not immediately known. The explosion occurred around 1:00 am local time (0000 GMT), the Oslo police department said in a statement. Public broadcaster NRK quoted police incident commander Michael Dellemyr saying the blast hit the entrance of the embassy&#39;s consular section. &quot;At around 1:00 am we received several reports of an explosion. We arrived shortly afterwards and confirmed that there had been an explosion that hit the US embassy,&quot; he told NRK. &quot;There is minor damage,&quot; he said. &quot;We are not going to comment on anything related to the type of damage, what it is that has exploded and similar details, beyond the fact that there has been an explosion&quot; because &quot;it is very early in the investigation&quot;, he said. He later told TV2 that police &quot;have an idea of the cause&quot;, adding: &quot;It appears to us that this is an act carried out by someone.&quot; He said investigators were talking to witnesses, and TV2 reported that a bomb squad was at the scene. The police statement said investigators were in contact with the embassy about the incident and there was a huge police deployment on site. Residents near the embassy said they heard a loud blast. A 16-year-old identified only as Edvard told TV2 that he was watching television when he heard the blast. &quot;My mother and I first thought it came from our house so we looked around a little, but then we saw the flashing lights outside the window and a ton of police,&quot; he said. &quot;There were police dogs and drones and police with automatic weapons and helicopters in the air,&quot; he said. A large area around the embassy was blocked off and police were stopping cars driving near the area, media outlets reported. US embassies have been placed on high alert in the Middle East over American military operations in Iran and several have faced attacks as Tehran hits back at industrial and diplomatic targets. But Dellemyr said there was no indication as yet that the incident at the embassy in Oslo was connected to the conflict. &quot;We&#39;re not connecting it to the conflict. It&#39;s far too early for that,&quot; he told TV2.

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An explosion struck the US embassy’s consular entrance in Oslo around 1:00 am Sunday, causing minor damage but no injuries, police said, adding the cause remains under investigation, though officers believe it was likely an intentional act and not yet linked to wider regional conflict.

Explosion at US embassy in Oslo, no injuries

STRASBOURG:&nbsp;The European Court of Human Rights will decide on Tuesday if Norway breached its climate obligations when it awarded Arctic oil exploration licenses in 2016. The Strasbourg court, which last year issued a historic first ruling condemning a state for its lack of action on climate change, was approached four years ago by six Norwegian activists and local branches of environmental NGOs Greenpeace and Young Friends of the Earth. Western Europe&rsquo;s largest producer &nbsp;The groups say that before awarding the licenses, Norwegian &quot;authorities did not conduct an environmental impact assessment of the potential impacts of petroleum extraction on Norway&#39;s obligations to mitigate climate change&quot;. As Western Europe&#39;s largest oil and gas producer, Norway is a frequent legal target of climate activists. The plaintiffs turned to the ECHR after repeatedly losing in national courts.&nbsp; They are basing their case on articles in the European Convention on Human Rights concerning the right to life and respect for privacy and the family. Exploration licenses&nbsp;In 2016, the Norwegian energy ministry granted 10 exploration licenses in the Barents Sea to 13 companies, including national champion Statoil, now known as Equinor, as well as US companies Chevron and ConocoPhillips, and Russia&#39;s Lukoil. Relying at the time on the Paris Agreement, which aims to limit global warming to less than 2C, NGOs appealed to national courts, arguing the attribution of the licenses was contrary to articles in the constitution guaranteeing the right to a healthy environment. &quot;The case concerns the procedural aspect of the obligation to effectively protect individuals from the serious adverse effects of climate change on their life, health, well-being and quality of life,&quot; the ECHR said in a statement. Supreme Court&rsquo;s ruling&nbsp;Norway&#39;s supreme court ruled in 2021 that the award of the permits did not represent a &quot;real and immediate danger&quot; to life. The licenses were eventually all returned after no exploitable reserves were found. Last year, the ECHR issued a ruling condemning Switzerland for its lack of action on climate change, the first ruling against a state.

In 2016, the Norwegian energy ministry granted 10 exploration licenses in the Barents Sea to 13 companies, including national champion Statoil, now known as Equinor, as well as US companies Chevron and ConocoPhillips, and Russia's Lukoil.

Articles tagged with "Norway"

Explosion at US embassy in Oslo, no injuries

Norway faces European court climate ruling over oil licenses

Explosion at US embassy in Oslo, no injuries