COPENHAGEN: A US aircraft carrier arrived Wednesday in Oslo with the Norwegian armed forces saying it gives them “a unique opportunity to further develop cooperation and work more closely with our most important ally, the United States.”
The nuclear-powered ship USS General Ford entered the Oslo fjord escorted by a rapid dinghy-type boat with armed people on board. The Norwegian armed forces has said any boats must stay a half-kilometer away from the aircraft carrier and a no-fly zone was created over the area where the aircraft carrier was.
Described as the largest aircraft carrier in the world, the vessel’s first foreign call was broadcast live on Norwegian public television. Onlookers, some using binoculars, were seen on land watching as the large aircraft carrier glided deeper and deeper into the fjord and eventually reach the city of Oslo.
Laila Wilhelmsen, who stood along the route in Droebak, said that she grew up in the small town about halfway through the fjord during the Cold War in the 1950s and “there were warships here all the time.”
“I don’t know, but now we have teased (Russian President Vladimir) Putin even more. It’s scary, I think,” she told Norwegian broadcaster NRK.
The vessel will stay in the Norwegian capital until Tuesday. After that, it will take part in drills with the Norwegian armed forces.
The Russian Embassy in Oslo said that “such demonstrations of power look illogical and harmful.”
Ties between Oslo and Moscow have been tense since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Norway and Russia have a 198-kilometer-long border in the Arctic.
In early May, the US Navy said that the ship had departed from Norfolk, Virginia, on its “first combat deployment,” following a shorter two-month deployment in the autumn of 2022.
The USS Ford is the first of the US Navy’s new Ford class of aircraft carriers. Two more Ford-class carriers are under construction.
The vessel houses about 2,600 sailors, 600 fewer than the previous generation of aircraft carriers.
US aircraft carrier arrives in NATO-member Norway
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US aircraft carrier arrives in NATO-member Norway
- Nuclear-powered ship USS General Ford entered the Oslo fjord escorted by a rapid dinghy-type boat
- The USS Ford is the first of the US Navy’s new Ford class of aircraft carriers
UK police drop probe into Bob Vylan comments about Israeli military
- Performance by Bob Vylan included on-stage chants by lead singer of “death, death to the IDF”
LONDON: British police said on Tuesday they would take no further action over comments made about the Israeli military during a performance by punk duo Bob Vylan at the Glastonbury music festival in June.
“We have concluded, after reviewing all the evidence, that it does not meet the criminal threshold outlined by the CPS (Crown Prosecution Service) for any person to be prosecuted,” Avon and Somerset Police said.
The performance by Bob Vylan included on-stage chants by lead singer Bobby Vylan of “death, death to the IDF,” a reference to the Israel Defense Forces which was heavily involved in fighting in Gaza.
There was insufficient evidence for a realistic prospect of conviction, the police said.
The force said it interviewed a man in his mid-30s and contacted about 200 members of the public during the investigation.
The on-stage comments drew widespread criticism, including from Prime Minister Keir Starmer and the Israeli Embassy in London. The BBC, Britain’s publicly owned broadcaster, also faced backlash for not halting a livestream of the performance.
In its statement on Tuesday, Avon and Somerset Police said it considered the intent behind the words, the wider context, case law and freedom of speech issues before concluding the investigation.
“We believe it is right this matter was comprehensively investigated, every potential criminal offense was thoroughly considered, and we sought all the advice we could to ensure we made an informed decision,” it said.
“The comments made on Saturday 28 June drew widespread anger, proving that words have real-world consequences,” the statement said, adding the force had engaged with Jewish community groups throughout the process.
