Latest news

Norwegian air traffic controllers go on strike: “Completely incomprehensible”

Chaos is expected in Norwegian air traffic on Friday after air traffic controllers went on strike this morning, Norwegian media reports.

Employers' association Spekters CEO Anne-Kari Bratten calls the strike “completely incomprehensible” and tells NRK that air traffic controllers are one of the best-paid groups in Norway.

– After this wage settlement, they would have had an average salary of 1.7 million kronor, says Bratten.

But Robert Gjønnes at the Norwegian Air Traffic Controllers Association believes that the air traffic controllers are not primarily demanding more money, but better conditions.

The strike will cause delays and cancellations from Norway's largest airports.

Ebola outbreak
Over 2,500 dead in Ebola – could spread to neighboring countries

More than 2,500 people have been confirmed dead in the ongoing Ebola outbreak in Congo-Kinshasa, the UN says, according to Reuters.

Julien Harneis, who coordinates the UN relief effort, warns that the outbreak could reach neighboring countries if the spread is not controlled. The current funds for the relief effort will only last a few more weeks.

Harneis reiterates the warning that the spread is “growing exponentially”. The outbreak is already the largest in the country’s history with over 5,000 confirmed infections.
Middle East crisis • Situation in Iran
Imprisoned journalist in Iran: The regime is angrier and harsher than ever

The war has made the Iranian regime harsher than ever against the population, says Iranian photojournalist Yalda Moaiery in an interview with CNN. Moaiery was recently sentenced to 15 years in prison for her work as a journalist, which the Iranian regime believes threatens national security.

“The latest version is much angrier, much harsher,” she says.

As the war continues, the hope for change among the population has diminished, she says.

“Most people are thinking about the economic situation. People can’t afford to meet the most basic needs,” she says.

Security in Europe
German military recruits with QR codes on kebabs

Anyone who eats a kebab in Berlin these days will not only get garlic sauce and red cabbage for lunch – but also a job offer. Behind the initiative is the German military’s medical organization, which is using QR codes and the message “A career with everything included” to try to recruit personnel on the döner wrappers, reports Berliner-Kurier.

A spokesman for the German Armed Forces told the newspaper that the campaign aims to reach both young people who are about to choose a career, and those who are considering changing careers. The kebab wrappers are part of a larger effort to reach people in their everyday lives – at train stations, on social media and at kebab stands.

The German Armed Forces has no answer to how effective this type of campaign is. 

Security around the Baltic Sea
Russian aircraft suspected of violating Finnish airspace

A Russian IL-20 reconnaissance aircraft is suspected of violating Finnish airspace, the Finnish Coast Guard said according to Reuters.

The violation is said to have occurred in the western part of the Gulf of Finland, southeast of Åland, and lasted about three minutes.

The Finnish Ministry of Foreign Affairs has summoned the Russian ambassador and requested an explanation for the incident, the ministry wrote in a post on X.