NORWAY: The office of the County Governor of Oslo and Viken in Norway said today that it was revoking a decision by Drammen city council to only take Ukrainian refugees and not others, saying it was contrary to the Norwegian constitution and discrimination laws.

The council had faced wide criticism in Norway after deciding on February 13 to only accept Ukrainian refugees. Up to a third of the population of Drammen are immigrants or have immigrant background.

CHINA: National People’s Congress chairman Zhao Leji will lead a delegation to North Korea this week, both countries announced today, in what was described as a goodwill visit. 

The delegation will attend the opening ceremony for the “China-North Korea Friendship Year,” the Chinese Foreign Ministry said.

IRELAND: Simon Harris was elected Ireland’s prime minister by a vote in parliament Tuesday, becoming at 37 the country’s youngest-ever leader.

Mr Harris of the right-wing Fine Gael party, takes over as head of Ireland’s three-party coalition government from Leo Varadkar, who announced his surprise resignation last month.

MOROCCO: An activist who criticised Morocco’s decision to normalise relations with Israel was sentenced to five years in prison on Monday, as some of the Arab world’s largest pro-Palestinian protests continue to sweep the country.

Abdul Rahman Zankad of Mohammedia, Morocco, was arrested in March after posting on Facebook about the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza and Morocco’s 2020 decision to establish diplomatic ties with Israel.

A court found him guilty of insulting a constitutional institution and incitement. He was also fined 50,000 Moroccan dirhams (£4,000).