As I listened to the wind howl and watched the rain hit my window in my small room at the Baltasound Hotel on the intriguing island of Unst in the Shetland Islands, I was beyond glad to be where I was.

It wasn't just that I avoided the storm. It was a feeling of being far away from the hustle and bustle of ordinary life – among the petrel petrels, kittiwakes, gannets, guillemots, seagulls and puffins (and not much else) in Britain's most northerly hotel.

Baltasound Hotel opened in 1939 on Britain's most northerly inhabited island. There are 22 rooms, a restaurant and a bar where whiskey is of course served for a 'little snack' after an invigorating walk along the rugged coastline at the entrance.

That's the great appeal of remote Unst, population 632, some six miles long and five miles wide: hitting the footpaths and exploring the dramatic landscape with its steep cliffs and arid moonscape-like interior.

Here you are further north than Oslo, the Norwegian capital, and approximately the height of Bergen in Norway and its famous fjord country, just 200 miles across the North Sea to the east.

Unst is above the 60th parallel – not that far away from the Arctic Circle, which is around the 66th parallel (closer to the island than London).

But location aside, there's another reason to head to Unst and the Baltasound Hotel: it could be local literary legend Robert Louis Stevenson's real-life Treasure Island.

The story goes like this: Stevenson visited Unst in 1869, aged nine, to see the lighthouse being built on the uninhabited island of Muckle Flugga, little more than a barren rock jutting out of the sea just north of Unst. He was taken by his father, the famous lighthouse engineer Thomas Stevenson.

It is said that this impressionable visit cemented itself in the writer's imagination and when it came to writing Treasure Island, his classic story of buccaneers, published in 1883, some believe he was inspired by Unst. The 'proof' of this is that the shape he describes of his fictional island – 'like a fat dragon rising up' – is remarkably similar to the contours of the little-visited Scottish island.

True or not – and Stevenson never let on – it's fun to imagine you're on Treasure Island, setting out for a morning walk from the Baltasound Hotel on the northern edge of Baltasound village, after a hearty Scottish breakfast served by friendly, relaxed staff (excellent bacon and eggs).

The hotel's rooms are in an outbuilding attached to the old stone main building from the 1860s – mine was in this part, a comfortable single room with a pretty tartan bed cover, wooden panels and a caramel-coloured carpet – as well as in a series of log cabins on the property. There are larger rooms including a 'family hut' with bunk beds for children.

On a walk you will soon pass fields of sheep – and some Shetland ponies – to Britain's most northerly church, Haroldswick Methodist Church, as well as Britain's most northerly post office, Britain's most northerly tearoom (Victoria's Vintage Tea Rooms) and the grim remains of Britain's northernmost castle, Muness Castle, built in 1598.

On the north-east coast you will find the fine white sands of Skaw Beach, Britain's most northerly beach, close to Britain's most northerly house.

Numerous tourist signs mention its extreme geographical location, which has been adopted as the unofficial local slogan.

The highlight for some is the island's quirky Bobby's Bus Shelter, equipped with a sofa and television and redecorated from time to time to fit annual themes such as the Football World Cup or the Coronation. The name comes from a six-year-old local boy, Bobby McCauley, who saved the shelter from removal in 1996, starting a quirky tradition.

'Oh yes, that's within sight of the hotel. You can take a bus from Lerwick [Shetland’s capital]via the inter-island ferries for around £8,” says Steve, owner of the Baltasound Hotel, who adds that many guests are birdwatchers and photographers who go to the Hermaness National Nature Reserve to see the puffins and 'Keen of Hamar Nature Reserve' to see. .

Famous recent guests have included TV adventurer Ben Fogle and politician Hilary Benn. Leading American sociologist Erving Goffman stayed there in the mid-20th century – and some American academics make a pilgrimage to visit his Scottish hideaway.

Over the past few years, the hotel has attracted summer vacationers from as far away as Switzerland and Italy, says Steve (who prefers not to reveal his last name). “It's the location that attracts people,” he says. 'It's a wilderness location in a busy world: a real place. Pristine.'

Sometimes you can also see the Northern Lights, says Steve: 'This is a place to escape from a difficult environment. A beautiful place. Authentic tourism.'

A real treasure of an island indeed.

Tom Chesshyre's book Lost In The Lakes – Notes from a 379 mile walk around the Lake District is out now.

Anders Behring Breivik, the right-wing extremist who slaughtered 77 people in a deadly rampage in Norway in 2011, wrote ‘kill me now’ on his cell wall with his faeces because of his ‘degrading’ solitary confinement, his lawyer told a court today. 

Breivik, 44, was led into court today flanked by guards as he launched his lawsuit against the Norwegian state over his strict prison conditions. 

The mass murderer has been held apart from other inmates at the Ringerike high-security prison near Oslo for 12 years and is now ‘suicidal’ and on the anti-depressant Prozac, his lawyer Oystein Storrvic claimed.

‘He does not wish to be alive anymore,’ lawyer Oeystein Storrvik said. In one incident in 2018, Breivik wrote the Norwegian words for ‘kill me’ on the wall of his cell using his faeces, the lawyer added.

‘He has been isolated for about 12 years. He lives in a completely locked world,’ and his only contact was with professionals whose duty was to maintain their distance, Storrvik said. 

The mass murderer, who sat impassively next to his lawyer, argues that his extended isolation is a violation of Article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights, which prohibits ‘inhumane’ and ‘degrading’ treatment.

On July 22, 2011, Breivik set off a van bomb near government offices in Oslo, killing eight people, before gunning down 69 others, mostly teens, at a Labour Party youth wing summer camp on the island of Utoya.

Breivik, who emailed out copies of a manifesto before his attacks setting out his theories, was sentenced in 2012 to 21 years in prison. This sentence can be extended as long as he is considered a threat, Norway’s harshest sentence at the time. 

Breivik appeared Monday clad in a dark suit, a greying beard and a shaved head, as his lawyer argued that his solitary confinement is a violation of his human rights. 

Breivik spends his time in a dedicated section of Ringerike prison, the third prison where he has been held. At this facility, he is allowed to keep three budgies as pets that fly freely in his separated section, which also includes a gym and TV room. 

Since his sentencing in 2012, Breivik has been held ‘in isolation, and the more time that passes the greater the violation of the Convention’, his lawyer Oystein Storrvik said in October.

‘He’ll never get out, he’s well aware of that,’ Storrvik told the court.

‘Can you hand down a (de facto) life sentence and prevent him from any human contact while the sentence is served?’ he asked the court. 

According to him, Breivik’s only personal contact is with two other inmates whom he sees for one hour every two weeks under strict surveillance, as well as his interaction with prison staff.

But Lawyers representing the justice ministry say Breivik must be kept apart the rest of the prison population because of the continuing security threat he poses.

‘Breivik is Norway’s most dangerous prisoner,’ lawyer Andreas Hjetland told reporters on Monday. ‘He is unpredictable and has killed many in serious terrorist acts … The conditions set around him are a consequence of that.’

Breivik is expected to give his testimony tomorrow, but a judge has decided to bar this from being broadcast in the media.  

One of the reasons for this is because Breivik has in the past used his public appearances as platforms to air his political ideology and provocations, including Hitler salutes and tirades, which have been painful for survivors and relatives of the victims.

Citing another article of the Convention on Human Rights that guarantees the right to correspondence, Breivik has also asked for an easing of the restrictions on his letter-writing with people outside prison. 

The government’s lawyers said in a court filing his isolation was “relative” as he has contact with guards, a priest, health professionals and, until recently, an outside volunteer that Breivik no longer wishes to see.

He also sees two inmates for an hour every other week, the lawyers said.

Breivik enjoys ‘a wide range of activities’ such as cooking, games, walks and basketball, and ‘there is no indication that he is suffering from physical or mental problems due to his prison conditions’, the state’s lawyer Andreas Hjetland said. 

‘Breivik has so far shown little interest in rehabilitation work,’ he added. “It is therefore difficult to imagine which significant improvements in his prison conditions are possible and justified in the short term.”

Control over Breivik’s contacts with the outside world is justified by the risk that he will inspire others to commit violent acts, the lawyers argue.

“Specifically, this applies to contacts with far-right circles, including people who wish to establish contact with Breivik as a result of the terrorist acts on 22 July 2011,” they said in a court filing.

Breivik was cited as an inspiration by Brenton Tarrant, who killed 51 people in two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand in 2019. 

Breivik has already sued the Norwegian state on both grounds, with an Oslo district court stunning the world in 2016 when it ruled his isolation was a breach of his rights.

On appeal, Norway’s higher courts found in the state’s favour, and the European Court of Human Rights in 2018 dismissed his case as ‘inadmissible’.

At the end of the first break in Monday’s proceedings, Breivik turned to a guard, facing the media, and said he had been told by the head of the prison not to talk to reporters.

“It is not because I don’t want to, it is because I can’t,” he said.

Lawyers from the justice ministry are due to start laying out their case later on Monday. The judge will give a verdict in coming weeks. There is no jury.

Breivik is serving a 21-year sentence – the longest a Norwegian court can impose – which can be extended for as long as he is deemed a threat to society.

His prison is on the shore of Tyrifjorden lake, where the island of Utoeya, the site of Breivik’s shooting spree, lies.

Breivik has access to several rooms on two floors that include a kitchen, a TV room with a game console, and an exercise room, according to Norwegian news agency NTB.

Prison officials have also complied with his request for a pet to keep him company by providing him with three budgies, NTB said.

Norway prides itself on a humane prison system aimed more at rehabilitation than punishment.

Breivik has in the past used his public appearances as platforms to air his political ideology and provocations, including Hitler salutes and tirades, which have been painful for survivors and relatives of the victims.

“Many are fed up and try to keep this all at a distance,” Lisbeth Kristine Royneland, the head of a support group for families of the victims and who lost her 18-year-old daughter on Utoya, told AFP.

“Naturally people feel this is a burden because it brings back memories,” said another group member Merete Stamneshagen, who also lost her 18-year-old daughter on the island.

Breivik is serving a 21-year sentence – the longest a Norwegian court can impose – which can be extended for as long as he is deemed a threat to society.

‘What is unique is how long he has been in isolation,’ said Knut Mellingsaeter Soerensen, an associate professor at the Norwegian Police University College and author of a doctorate on Breivik’s conditions at his first prison from 2011-2013.

‘The challenge, with a person who has shown the intention and the capacity to commit a terrorist attack, and to plan it over a long time, is when do you lighten security measures so you can actually have contacts with other inmates?’

Breivik also sued the state in 2016, arguing it was breaching the European Convention on Human Rights, including sections saying no one should be subject to ‘torture or to inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment’.

He initially won the case but that was overturned on appeal a year later before any restrictions were lifted.

The shaman fiancée of Princess Martha Louise of Norway has been criticized for saying suicidal people are ‘possessed by evil spirits’.

The US-born bisexual celebrity healer shared a video on Instagram about the ‘suicide spirit’ in shamanism.

Durek, who counts Gwyneth Paltrow among his fans, added that children with tantrums are also “possessed by ‘entities.’

“When it comes to your children and they are acting out, yelling and being aggressive for no reason, entities can enter your children,” he said.

The only daughter of King Harald and Queen Sonja, Martha Louise, 52, is fourth in line to the throne. She stepped down as a working royal in 2019.

Martha, a self-proclaimed clairvoyant who claims she can talk to angels, revealed in 2022 that she would not represent the royal family.

He added: “So the way to prevent this is to look your child straight in the eye, no matter how uncomfortable it makes him, and say, ‘You have no power here, you are a weak entity and I am sending you now in the light, deep in the light.”

And about suicidal people, Durek said: “In shamanism we believe that there is a suicidal spirit – a spirit that enters your consciousness and plays on your emotions with the burdens that you feel, that other people suffer because you are alive. , because of the things you think you can’t overcome, because of the pain of any situation or because of something you’ve done that you can’t forgive yourself for.

The comments were met with outrage, with many angry that Martha Louise’s first husband, Ari Behn, died by suicide.

Ari is the father of Martha Louise’s three children: Maud, 19, Leah, 17, and Emma, ​​14.

One person commented: ‘Aha! A suicidal spirit. Let me tell my two children who lost their father to suicide this year. I bet they’ll be impressed.

‘Of course the real problem, like Norway’s mental health system (or lack thereof), is not to blame. The suicidal spirit is. Right.’

While another wrote: ‘You should be ashamed! I lost my daughter to suicide, and your stepdaughters lost their father.

‘I am angry about the fact that you are going to become a member of the Norwegian royal family. You should be ashamed!’

People were also quick to condemn his views on “entities” invading children.

“Horrible how you demonize the completely normal emotions and behavior of children,” said one. “Telling them they have no power is terrible and insulting. Unfollow.’

While another said: ‘This would absolutely traumatise a child who only has big feelings.’

Durek and Martha got engaged in 2022 and King Harald said his daughter would not be allowed to use her royal title in any future commercial partnerships with its partner.

The princess, who describes herself as ‘spiritual’ and claims to be a clairvoyant, spoke to the BBC and admitted that stepping back from her royal duties had been a process fraught with ‘turmoil’.

After Martha Louise’s decision to abdicate, King Harald emphasized that his daughter remained a princess at his request. He said, ‘She is our daughter, and she will remain so. So she is Princess Märtha Louise.’

Shortly after mother-of-three Martha announced her engagement to Durek, a publisher in Norweigan dropped his book ‘Spirit Hacking’ due to pseudoscientific claims, including ‘children can get cancer if they are unhappy’.

Among his other claims, Durek says he once rose from the dead, recovering from a month-long coma, by “burning” his soul, and has also spoken about needing a kidney transplant from his sister as a child undergo.

It’s unclear why he needed the kidney or how he became wheelchair-bound as he has described. The illness that left him in a coma has also not been disclosed.

The groom-to-be, born Durek Verrett in Sacramento in November 1974, claims that he first became “aware” of his shamanic abilities at the age of five, but did not begin training until the age of eleven.

He adds that he is a “sixth generation healer.”

His father, David, was an engineer of African-Haitian descent; his mother, Veruschka, Indian-Norwegian. His aunt Shirley was a famous opera singer, an African-American mezzo-soprano. He calls on deceased relatives – his father, his aunt and his grandmother – to help him during healing sessions.

A Norwegian cruise ship with 400 passengers and crew on board is being towed back to Germany after it was battered by a ‘rogue wave’ that knocked out its power during a violent storm in the North Sea.

The UK-bound MS Maud, owned by cruise line HX, part of Norway’s Hurtigruten Group, was sailing about 160 miles off the west coast of Denmark and about 215 miles off the east coast of Britain when the wave smashed the windows of the bridge shattered.

The ship had embarked on a 14-day Northern Lights expedition from Tilbury, in the UK, on ​​December 9 and was due to return to Essex port on December 23, meaning there are likely dozens of Britons on board.

Stomach-churning footage shared by passengers shows how choppy the conditions were, with the ship rocking aggressively as it was buffeted by huge waves, with belongings strewn across the floor.

The video, which was shared on Facebook, received dozens of comments from fellow passengers, including one who wrote: ‘We watch movies in our room. Every time we move, we almost fly.”

The ship’s 266 passengers and 131 crew were safe, a spokesman for the Danish Joint Rescue Coordination Center (DJRC) confirmed, adding that a vessel from the civil rescue company Esvagt had managed to attach a tow line to the cruise ship.

“An Esvagt ship is slowly towing it towards Bremerhafen in Germany at a speed of about 8-9 knots,” the spokesperson said.

The power outage caused the crew to lose the ability to navigate. However, the ship’s main engine was still functioning, allowing the ship to be controlled manually from the engine room.

MS Maud left Floroe in Norway on Thursday and was expected to arrive in Tilbury in Great Britain on Friday.

Hurtigruten confirmed in a statement on Friday that the ship was on its way to Bremerhafen to disembark.

An HX spokesperson said: ‘Yesterday afternoon, December 21, MS Maud reported a temporary loss of power after an encounter with a rogue wave. The ship was sailing from Florø, Norway towards Tilbury, UK, when the incident occurred.

“At this time, the ship has confirmed that no serious injuries to guests or crew have been sustained as a result of the incident. The condition of the ship remains stable and the crew can sail under their own power.

‘After continuous safety checks and technical assessments, we have decided to adjust the planned sailing route in view of the weather conditions. Thorough operational protocols are in place across the fleet and we always prioritize the safety of those on board.

‘The ship is currently sailing to Bremerhaven, Germany to disembark. Our team is working to arrange onward travel home for the guests on board.”

The area was hit by a hurricane-force storm from the northwest late on Thursday and is forecast to continue on Friday, the Danish Meteorological Institute said.

The MS Maud – formerly known as the MS Midnatsol – takes its name from a polar ship from 100 years ago, according to its website.

The original ship was named after the first queen of what is now known as modern-day Norway.

The ship is equipped with technology that the website says is ‘exceptionally suitable’ for cruises between Norway and the British Isles.

Trips on the MS Maud cost anywhere from $3,000 to almost $10,000.

It comes six weeks after a Saga cruise ship was battered by a storm and stalled in the Bay of Biscay, forcing passengers to ‘hang on for dear life’.

The Spirit of Discovery cut short its two-week voyage and returned to Portsmouth early to avoid the approaching storm when heavy winds and choppy waters overtook it.

About 100 of the 1,000 people on board were injured, the majority of whom were injured when the ship’s safety system activated, causing it to veer dramatically and come to a stop, according to Saga at the time.

Ask any Norwegian what the most beautiful coastline in the world is and chances are you will get the same answer.

“It’s the stretch that runs north of Bergen all the way to the Russian border,” they’ll tell you with a proprietary gleam in their eyes.

Few who have been there would disagree. It’s not just the fjords with their almost sheer cliffs that plunge into the inky waters below.

There is something else that is just as attractive. As you head towards the Arctic Circle, as the trees and houses thin out and you enter the land of the midnight sun, you have an inescapable feeling of leaving the mess and chaos of everyday life behind. To go to the edge of things.

The problem in the past was that anyone who wanted to venture to the edge of the world had to do so aboard a gigantic cruise ship, or on a rugged, practical ship that offered good views but little comfort. to go with them. Until now, that is.

For the past 18 months, Havila has been sailing this route in hybrid boats that run on a mixture of liquefied natural gas and electricity. The battery packs are the largest ever installed on a passenger ship. As a result, they have no emissions. In addition, all their waste is recycled on board.

Not only are the boats extremely comfortable, with large windows taking in the views, a walkway that runs around the entire perimeter of the ship, two gymnasiums and two plunge pools, but they also have great food that changes regularly to reflect the ship’s specialties to reflect. regions you pass through.

One day there might be reindeer on the menu – the taste is somewhere between beef and venison – the next day it’s king crab.

And for those whose appetite has been sharpened by the sea air, there is a special gourmet restaurant with a five-course evening outing.

Four of us – me, my wife and our two very worried teenage children – join 400 other passengers in Bergen for a six-night cruise to Kirkenes.

“They’re really into gray here, aren’t they?” says my fifteen-year-old daughter, sobbing, as she stares at the upholstery.

It is true that there is a certain monochrome madness throughout the ship. But their fears soon disappear when they see their cabin: a junior suite with double bed, sofa bed, flat-screen TV, balcony and – perhaps best of all – a shower that actually works.

Our fellow travelers are a predictably mixed bunch. Mostly Scandinavian, a few Brits – but certainly not oldies – and several outliers: both a Lutheran minister and a man with the shortest shorts – and most buttoned-up legs – I have ever seen.

The one thing we all have in common is that none of us expect nightly entertainment: and that’s a good thing, because there isn’t any. And so, with a discreet parp on the horn, we left.

The Havila boats function both as cruise ships and as passenger ferries: in six days they make 34 stops. Not that you would be aware of it; Thanks to hybrid engines, you glide almost silently from port to port.

This not only gives you the chance to meet the locals who use it as much as train commuters, but also gives you the feeling of being part of what’s happening on shore, rather than just watching it. to survey from a distance.

There are excursions at every stop of any significant length. In Trondheim we go e-biking and cycle through the old city with its river lined with red wooden warehouses. Then it’s back on board to sail into the Geiranger Fjord.

About 18 years ago, Geiranger was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site, putting an end to crazy plans to run power lines from one side to the other.

As we enter the fjord, the captain turns off everything except the electric motor, so that the boat is now completely silent. “It’s a bit mystical today,” says an announcement over the ship’s PA. It certainly is. Abandoned farms lie along the mist-shrouded coast – the farmers eventually gave it all up and sought a less harsh life in the city – while huge streams of water flow down the cliffs into the sea.

Not surprisingly, the further north you go, the more the temperature drops. Slowly at first, and then with a sharp bump once you cross the Arctic Circle.

We pass a lighthouse that until 20 years ago was occupied by the keeper, his wife and their three young children. The children were only allowed out at low tide and then had to be tied to a rope at the lighthouse to ensure they were not swept away.

Perhaps the most unexpected pleasure of traveling through a landscape where the sun never really sets, but remains on the horizon for most of the night, is what film cameramen call “the golden hour” – the time around sunset when everything seems to change. radiates a golden glow – lasting all evening and into the wee hours of the morning.

And it’s not just the light that’s different. One of the strange things about Norway is that the Gulf Stream actually works.

For anyone who grew up constantly being told at school that the Gulf Stream is the reason Britain enjoys such a wonderfully temperate climate, while simultaneously staring glumly out of rain-swept windows, this will come as quite a surprise. But even though there are only occasional white patches along the coastline, the mountains beyond are covered in thick snow – even in what passes for high summer in Norway.

At Bodo we disembark, don flotation suits and climb aboard a fleet of motorboats that bounce us across the water to Saltstraumen, where the world’s strongest tidal current forms great foaming eddies that are believed to have sucked down entire whalers. their downfall. Five days after leaving Bergen we arrive at the Lofoten Islands, where moose roam the forests, the waters teem with sea otters and every year around June the Lofoten Insomnia cycling race is held for those who spend 24 hours on the 230 cycling want to cycle. km from one end of the island chain to the other.

Shrouded in a gray haze we finally arrive in Kirkenes, only 15 km from the Russian border. If you wish, you can stay on board and spend another six days on the way back to Bergen.

But for us it is the end of the journey. Or not completely.

We go to the famous Ice Hotel nearby to put on special harnesses and go for a walk with huskies. I spend all my time being dragged through thick birch forests by my tirelessly energetic husky. But am I complaining? Strangely enough, no.

Along with everything else about a week unlike any other, it was extraordinary and worth every moment.

A new photo of the Norwegian royal family has been released ahead of Prince Sverre Magnus’ 18th birthday.

The youngest child of Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit will mark his adulthood on December 3, when he officially turns 18.

The Norwegian royal family celebrated a little early by posing together for the stunning new portrait, which took place in Oslo, Norway.

Celebrating with the prince was his father and heir to the Norwegian throne, Prince Haakon, along with his wife Princess Mette-Marit, both 50. Both stood next to the prince’s only sibling, Princess Ingrid Alexandra, 19.

Also seen in the glittering snaps is his grandfather and King of Norway, King Harald, 86, along with his wife and the prince’s grandmother, Queen Sonja, also 86.

Meanwhile, Mette-Marit’s mother Marit Tjessem – who recently mourned the loss of her long-time partner Magnar Alfred Fjeldvær – also appeared in the memorial photos.

The beaming prince – who is third in line to the Norwegian throne – appeared cheerful in his traditional attire, which he teamed with a pair of black loafers adorned with a sparkling buckle.

Much of the family wore custom fits, with the exception of King Harald, who wore a smart navy blue suit, complete with a multi-blue striped tie and black leather loafers.

The monarch stood at the center of his family, with both his wife and daughter sitting on either side of him.

The camera captured the family in their happiest circumstances, with the prince even posing for a few photos while on his knees.

The royal family donned traditional garb again in May when they appeared in public to celebrate their country’s National Day.

The Crown Prince and his wife both beamed during the celebration of Norway’s Constitution Day at their Skaugum estate in Oslo.

The royal couple were even accompanied by their dog Molly and their son Sverre Magnus, who waved to the crowd.

However, their daughter Ingrid Alexandra was not seen during the festivities.

The Crown Princess wore an elaborate Norwegian traditional navy blue dress with a white blouse and black leather boots.

Prince Haakon chose to wear a men’s suit – traditional Norwegian costume with knee-high socks, white shirts and red accents – which is prominently featured on the country’s flag.

Sverre opted for a sleek navy blue suit which he wore with a purple tie, paired with beautiful black leather shoes.

They were also accompanied by their dog Molly, whose neck was decorated with scarves in the red and blue colors of Norway.

The holiday, celebrated every year on May 17, marks the signing of the constitution that declared Norway an independent kingdom in 1814.

The constitution declared Norway an independent kingdom in an attempt to prevent its ceding to Sweden after the devastating defeat of Denmark and Norway in the Napoleonic Wars.

Celebrations, which take place nationwide, include parades and royal appearances with the family greeting the public.

Norway’s monarchy is one of the longest-lasting in the world. The position of King of Norway has existed continuously since the country’s unification in 872.

And in 1905, after the dissolution of the union with Sweden, Haakon VII, grandfather of the current king, was elected to the throne by popular vote.

• Photos emerged showing Star Wars crew members playing in the snow

By Matt Drake

Published: 12:03 EST, November 9, 2023 | Updated: 2:41 PM EST, November 9, 2023

Firewalking class where Norwegian teachers encouraged students to walk barefoot on hot coals puts seven of them in hospital

• Some of the injured students – all boys – had to be given morphine for the pain
• Parents were never consulted about the “firewalking” experiment

By Nick Craven

published: 3:24 PM EDT, Jun 9, 2023 | Updated: 3:32 PM EDT, Jun 9, 2023