Ship run aground in Norway should be removed within days: company
Ole Bjornevik, managing director of BOA Offshore, said the company would first unload the ship's cargo, then remove the 135-metre (443-foot) vessel.
"We estimate that there are approximately 1,500 tonnes of pressure on the fore ship. Once we've unloaded that weight of containers, we can pull it off," Bjornevik told AFP.
"We plan to do so on Wednesday," he added.
The NCL Salten sailed up onto shore just metres from a wooden cabin around dawn on Thursday.
A Ukrainian sailor in his 30s was on watch at the time and said he had fallen asleep, according to Norwegian police, who have charged him with "negligent navigation".
The seaman also said none of the cargo ship's collision alarms had worked, prosecutor Kjetil Bruland Sorensen told news agency NTB.
The investigation will also look into whether the rules on working hours and rest periods were adhered to on ship, according to police.
The occupant of the house, Johan Helberg, also slept through the incident, and only discovered the unexpected visitor when a panicked neighbour called him on the phone.
None of the 16 crew members were injured.
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Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Yahoo
Explainer-Zelenskiy's move against Ukraine's anti-corruption agencies
By Dan Peleschuk KYIV (Reuters) -Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy is under pressure at home and abroad for stripping the independence of anti-corruption agencies whose work is seen as essential to Kyiv's path to join the European Union. Amendments giving his appointed prosecutor more power over the two investigative bodies have drawn criticism from top EU officials and sparked the country's largest wartime protests. Here is what it means: WHAT ARE UKRAINE'S ANTI-CORRUPTION AGENCIES? The National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and the Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO) were set up after a 2014 revolution toppled a pro-Russian president and set Kyiv on a Western course. They are responsible for independently weeding out high-level graft, a central requirement for Ukraine to receive billions of dollars in Western aid and join the 27-member EU. The agencies have stepped up their work during Russia's full-scale invasion, producing charges against lawmakers, senior government officials and a former deputy head of Zelenskiy's administration. Last month, they accused a deputy prime minister of accepting a $345,000 kickback. WHY HAVE THEIR POWERS BEEN CURBED? In a late-night address on Tuesday, Zelenskiy said the agencies needed to be "cleansed" of Russian influence and their work strengthened and sped up. A day earlier, Kyiv's domestic security agency had arrested two NABU officials on suspicion of ties to Russia and conducted sweeping searches into agency employees, a move critics described as excessive. The new measures, which were fast-tracked in large part by Zelenskiy's ruling party, allow the general prosecutor to transfer cases away from the agencies and re-assign prosecutors, several lawmakers said. Critics, including an anti-corruption campaigner charged this month with fraud and evading military service, have alleged the crackdown was a politically motivated response to their work. WHAT WAS THE REACTION? After the vote, the EU's enlargement commissioner said she was "seriously concerned" about the measures, and on Wednesday Germany's foreign minister warned Kyiv against hampering its path to the EU. At home, thousands of Ukrainians rallied in Kyiv just steps away from the site of the 2014 uprising, which itself was sparked by a democratic rollback and threats to Ukraine's European integration. Fighting corruption and embracing the West, especially since Moscow's 2022 invasion, are seen as critical to erasing a legacy of Russian rule. Ukrainians are furious at signs of corruption and misrule at a time when tens of thousands of troops have been killed on the front fending off Russia. "My brother didn't die for this kind of future," read a placard at the Kyiv protest. WHAT'S NEXT? On Wednesday, Zelenskiy said he had met with anti-corruption and security officials to hash out a joint plan within two weeks to better combat corruption. Writing on X, he said the officials would aim to "resolve existing contradictions, and eliminate threats". "We all hear what society is saying," he said. "We see what people expect from state institutions." Still, NABU and SAPO said in a joint statement on Wednesday that they wanted their independence restored through legislation. Meanwhile, lawmakers pledged to challenge the amendments while Ukrainians on social media called for continuing public protests. Solve the daily Crossword
6 hours ago
Zelenskyy faces major anti-corruption protests as Ukraine prepares for Russia talks
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The passing of the new legislation this week prompted protests in Kyiv and other major cities across Ukraine, with demonstrators even violating the nighttime curfew imposed as a guard against nightly Russian drone and missile strikes. A spokesperson for the European Commission warned the move could undermine Ukraine's potential bid to join the EU. Kyiv's European funding, they added, is "conditional on progress on transparency, judicial reform and democratic government." Transparency International's Ukraine branch, meanwhile, said the move represented a "massive setback in anti-corruption reform" and a "direct threat to Ukraine's path to the EU." The passage of the bill followed dozens of raids on NABU employees by officers from the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) and the PGO on Monday. Officers also began inspecting the handling of state secrets at SAPO. Zelenskyy and his supporters have framed the measures as necessary to root out Russian infiltration and influence within Ukraine's anti-corruption bodies. "The anti-corruption infrastructure will work," Zelenskyy wrote on Telegram late on Tuesday. "Only without Russian influences -- everything needs to be cleansed of this. And there should be more justice." "Of course, NABU and SAPO will work. And it is important that the Prosecutor General is determined to ensure that in Ukraine the inevitability of punishment for those who go against the law is really ensured," he added. "And this is what is really needed for Ukraine. The cases that were pending must be investigated." "For years, officials who fled Ukraine have been living peacefully abroad for some reason -- in very nice countries and without legal consequences," Zelenskyy continued. "This is abnormal. There is no rational explanation why criminal proceedings worth billions have been 'hanging' for years. And there is no explanation why the Russians can still get the information they need." "It is important that there is an inevitability of punishment and that society really sees this," the president wrote. The bill was passed by the Ukrainian parliament -- the Rada -- by 263 representatives, having quickly moved through committee. Thirteen MPs voted against, 13 abstained and 35 did not vote. It was supported in parliament by members of Zelenskyy's Servant of the People party, as well as former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko's Batkivshchyna party. The Opposition Platform – For Life party, which is widely considered pro-Russian and has had several representatives accused of treason during the war, also backed the measure. Oleksandr Merezhko, a member of Zelenskyy's party and the chair of the parliament's foreign affairs committee, told ABC News he backed the legislation though admitted he had "some doubts" about its content. "I trust the president," Merezkho said. "In such cases I normally also trust the decision of the committee." Merezhko said his concerns were over "what consequences it might have from the perspective of the negotiations with the EU on our membership." European counterparts, Merezhko continued, "are worried and they are asking questions. I think that we need better communication with our European partners on that issue." "There might be some sensitive aspects which need clear explanation to our partners by the president," he added. "I'm personally in favor of the independence of the anti-corruption bodies. But I'm also in favor of the true rule of law of the state in Ukraine." Zelenskyy's decision to sign the divisive bill has piqued concern of an anti-democratic power grab by the president and his inner circle -- chief among them Andriy Yermak, the head of the presidential office. A former Ukrainian official, who asked not to be identified for fear of reprisal, told ABC News, "We are not losing the war because the West did not give us enough weapons. We are losing the war because of corruption, lack of professional management and because many do not see why they should fight for Zelenskyy's autocracy." "Yermak is just a good implementor of Zelenskyy's will," the former official added. Vitaliy Shabunin, a prominent Ukrainian anti-corruption activist who previously headed the first Public Oversight Council at NABU, said the bill will allow the prosecutor general -- who is appointed by the president -- to "shut down all investigations involving the president's friends." Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko -- who has repeatedly clashed with Zelenskyy's administration during Russia's full-scale war -- joined protesters in the capital on Tuesday. The new measure, he wrote on Telegram, "definitely does not bring Ukraine closer to the European Union. It certainly does not bring it closer to democracy, the rule of law, and legality -- to those values for which our soldiers are dying today in a bloody struggle against the aggressor." Proponents of the bill "are dragging Ukraine faster and faster into authoritarianism," the mayor added, "hiding behind the war, destroying anti-corruption bodies, local self-government, silencing activists and journalists." "Yes, there are many questions about the independence, impartiality, and adherence to legal procedures by all law enforcement agencies," Klitschko continued. "But the system needs to be changed, not turned into a bulldog of the authorities." "And we must not forget that sooner or later, all actions will have to be accounted for -- both politically and legally," the mayor wrote.
Newsweek
8 hours ago
- Newsweek
Trump Border Czar Blasts Hunter Biden: 'Former First Drug Addict'
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. President Donald Trump's border czar, Tom Homan, dismissed Hunter Biden's criticism of the administration's immigration policy, saying he did not care what the "former first drug addict" thought. Hunter Biden, the son of former President Joe Biden, made the comments in an interview with independent journalist Andrew Callaghan that touched on a broad range of issues, including immigration. The younger Biden was convicted of three felony charges for federal gun violations in June 2024 and pardoned by his father in December. Hunter Biden has spoken publicly of his drug use. In his 2021 memoir, Beautiful Things, he wrote, "I was a crack addict and that was that." Then-President Joe Biden, left, and his son Hunter Biden in Nantucket, Massachusetts, on November 29, 2024. Then-President Joe Biden, left, and his son Hunter Biden in Nantucket, Massachusetts, on November 29, 2024. MANDEL NGAN/AFP/Getty Images Why It Matters Trump campaigned forcefully on the promise of mass deportations and beefed-up borders. The administration's actions, which include a marked increase in ICE raids, have underscored this focus. While immigration remains a cornerstone of Trump's second term and a defining issue of his administration, a poll this week by CNN showed that he hit a record low approval rating on the issue. What To Know In his interview on Callaghan's Channel 5, Hunter Biden dismissed "people that are really upset about illegal immigration," adding: "How do you think your hotel room gets cleaned? How do you think you've got food on your f****** table? Who do you think washes your dishes?" In an interview on Fox News' The Ingraham Angle, Homan derided Hunter Biden and defended the administration's immigration policy. "I don't really care what the former first drug addict thinks. I just thank God every morning I wake up we've got President Trump in the Oval Office," Homan said. He continued: "Because of President Trump, in seven weeks we've got the most secure border in the nation's history, and now we're arresting public safety threats and national security threats every day across this country. We've already arrested three times the number of criminals that Biden did during the same time frame." Homan added that Trump had recently committed to prioritizing immigration action in "sanctuary cities," which have laws and policies that limit or prevent their law enforcement officials from assisting federal officers with civil immigration arrests. In a Sunday poll from CNN conducted by SSRS, the president had a 42 percent approval rating on immigration and a 58 percent disapproval rating. The survey was taken between July 10 and 13 among 1,057 U.S. adults. It had a margin of error of 3.5 percent. In a survey taken from April 17 to 24, the president had a 45 percent approval rating and a 54 percent disapproval rating on immigration. In March, Trump had a 51 percent approval rating on the issue in a poll by CNN and SSRS, with a 48 percent disapproval rating. The survey also showed that 55 percent of U.S. adults believed the president had gone too far in deporting immigrants living in the country illegally. This is an uptick from an April poll showing that 52 percent believed so and a February poll showing 45 percent. What People Are Saying Tom Homan, the border czar, told Fox News in reference to sanctuary cities: "We're going to flood the zone. We're going to send hundreds of additional ICE agents to these cities. If they don't want to help us and get the bad guy in the county jail, then we're going to flood the neighborhoods until we find that guy. We're going to flood worksites until we find that guy because we're going to make this country safe again." Political analyst Craig Agranoff told Newsweek via text message on Monday: "This shift likely stems from increasing public discomfort with the administration's aggressive deportation policies and proposals for massive new detention centers, which polls show a majority of Americans oppose as going too far." What Happens Next Immigration will likely remain a divisive issue, shaping the domestic political landscape and the broader debate on the U.S.'s identity and values.
