Norway has expressed displeasure at Nordic neighbour Sweden after a research rocket crashed on its territory.
The rocket, which was launched on Monday from the Esrange Space Centre in Kiruna, northern Sweden, plunged into a mountainside in the Malselv municipality in Norway's far north, about 10km from the closest inhabited area.
The fallout is a rare public diplomatic spat between two usually close allies, and there seems to be some disagreement about recovering the wreckage.
Retrieval work was not supposed to begin without Norwegian authorisation, which had not been granted, Norway's foreign ministry said on Tuesday.
But bosses at the Swedish Space Corporation (SSC) said on Monday they were already working on recovering the crashed rocket.
"The crash of a rocket like this is a very serious incident that can cause serious damage," the Norwegian foreign ministry said.
"When such a border violation occurs, it is crucial that those responsible immediately inform the relevant Norwegian authorities through the proper channels.”
No one was injured and no material damage was reported. The rocket was carrying out experiments in zero gravity at an altitude of 250km.
Norway's Civil Aviation Authority said it had learnt of the crash only when the Swedish Space Corporation issued a press release on Monday.
"Norwegian authorities take any unauthorised activity on the Norwegian side of the border very seriously," the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. The ministry had not received a formal notification of the incident from the Swedish authorities.
Bosses at the SSC are working on retrieving the crashed rocket.
"It landed in the mountains at 1,000m altitude, and 10km from the closest settlement," said SSC head of communications Philip Ohlsson.
There are routines in place when things go wrong and we inform both Swedish and Norwegian governments, and other actors, he said.|
"The rocket took a slightly longer and more westerly trajectory than calculated and landed after a completed flight 15 kilometres into Norway," the SSC said. "Work on retrieving the payload is underway," it added.
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Q&A with Dash Berlin
Welcome back. What was it like to return to RAK and to play for fans out here again?
It’s an amazing feeling to be back in the passionate UAE again. Seeing the fans having a great time that is what it’s all about.
You're currently touring the globe as part of your Legends of the Feels Tour. How important is it to you to include the Middle East in the schedule?
The tour is doing really well and is extensive and intensive at the same time travelling all over the globe. My Middle Eastern fans are very dear to me, it’s good to be back.
You mix tracks that people know and love, but you also have a visually impressive set too (graphics etc). Is that the secret recipe to Dash Berlin's live gigs?
People enjoying the combination of the music and visuals are the key factor in the success of the Legends Of The Feel tour 2018.
Have you had some time to explore Ras al Khaimah too? If so, what have you been up to?
Coming fresh out of Las Vegas where I continue my 7th annual year DJ residency at Marquee, I decided it was a perfect moment to catch some sun rays and enjoy the warm hospitality of Bab Al Bahr.
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MO
Unresolved crisis
Russia and Ukraine have been locked in a bitter conflict since 2014, when Ukraine’s Kremlin-friendly president was ousted, Moscow annexed Crimea and then backed a separatist insurgency in the east.
Fighting between the Russia-backed rebels and Ukrainian forces has killed more than 14,000 people. In 2015, France and Germany helped broker a peace deal, known as the Minsk agreements, that ended large-scale hostilities but failed to bring a political settlement of the conflict.
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16 A380 Airbuses: The equivalent weight of the wheel rim.
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China and the UAE forged even closer links between the two countries during the landmark state visit after finalising a ten-point agreement on a range of issues, from international affairs to the economy and trade and renewable energy.
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2. Economy: The UAE offers its full support to China's Belt and Road Initiative, which will combine a land 'economic belt" and a "maritime silk road" that will link China with the Arabian Gulf as well as Southeast, South and Central China, North Africa and, eventually, Europe.
3. Business and innovation: The two nations are committed to exploring new partnerships in sectors such as Artificial Intelligence, energy, the aviation and transport industries and have vowed to build economic co-operation through the UAE-China Business Committee.
4. Education, science and technology: The Partnership Programme between Arab countries in Science and Technology will encourage young Emirati scientists to conduct research in China, while the nations will work together on the peaceful use of nuclear energy, renewable energy and space projects.
5. Renewable energy and water: The two countries will partner to develop renewable energy schemes and work to reduce climate change. The nations have also reiterated their support for the Abu Dhabi-based International Renewable Energy Agency.
6. Oil and gas: The UAE and China will work in partnership in the crude oil trade and the exploration and development of oil and natural gas resources.
7. Military and law enforcement and security fields: Joint training will take place between the Chinese and UAE armed forces, while the two nations will step up efforts to combat terrorism and organised crime.
8. Culture and humanitarian issues: Joint cultural projects will be developed and partnerships will be cultivated on the preservation of heritage, contemporary art and tourism.
9. Movement between countries: China and the UAE made clear their intent to encourage travel between the countries through a wide-ranging visa waiver agreement.
10. Implementing the strategic partnership: The Intergovernmental Co-operation Committee, established last year, will be used to ensure the objectives of the partnership are implemented.
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2012-2015
The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East
May 2017
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Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act
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The Nobel Prize was created by wealthy Swedish chemist and entrepreneur Alfred Nobel.
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- Nobel died in 1896 but it took until 1901, following a legal battle over his will, before the first prizes were awarded.
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1: Commit to countering all types of terrorism and extremism in all their manifestations
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4: Comply with all recommendations of the Summit between the US and Muslim countries held in May 2017 in Saudi Arabia.
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6: Carry out the responsibility of all the countries with the international community to counter all manifestations of extremism and terrorism that threaten international peace and security
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2016: Feud begins after Khan criticised Trump’s proposed Muslim travel ban to US
2017: Trump criticises Khan’s ‘no reason to be alarmed’ response to London Bridge terror attacks
2019: Trump calls Khan a “stone cold loser” before first state visit
2019: Trump tweets about “Khan’s Londonistan”, calling him “a national disgrace”
2022: Khan’s office attributes rise in Islamophobic abuse against the major to hostility stoked during Trump’s presidency
July 2025 During a golfing trip to Scotland, Trump calls Khan “a nasty person”
Sept 2025 Trump blames Khan for London’s “stabbings and the dirt and the filth”.
Dec 2025 Trump suggests migrants got Khan elected, calls him a “horrible, vicious, disgusting mayor”
