Oslo- A record number of exploration oil wells were drilled 2008 on the Norwegian continental shelf in the wake of record high oil prices, the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate said Thursday.

Oil production from the Norwegian continental shelf is continuing to decline but 2008 oil production was almost 4 per cent higher than the agency's previous forecast.

The production increase equalled 70,000 barrels per day.

In 2008, 242.2 million standard cubic metres of oil equivalents were produced, down roughly 12 per cent compared to the record year 2004 but slightly more than in 2007.

Oslo - British singer Amy Winehouse has decided not to pursue an appeal in a Norwegian court against a fine for illegal possession of marijuana, her Norwegian lawyer said Tuesday.

In October 2007, the soul singer, her husband Blake Fielder-Civil and another member of her entourage spent a night in police custody after being fined for a small amount of marijuana found in a hotel room while she was on tour in Bergen, western Norway.

Attorney Ole Kvelstad told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa that he had informed the appeals court in Bergen that all three of his clients had decided to drop their appeal.

Oslo - Norwegian Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Store flew Tuesday to New York to attend a meeting of the UN Security Council on the crisis in Gaza.

Store is currently chair of an international donors group for the Palestinians, known as Ad Hoc Liaison Committee.

Oslo has joined calls for an end to the violence and urged Israel to halt its recent ground offensive in Gaza.

Norway was also to review its holdings in companies that have operations in Israel and the Palestinian territories against the backdrop of the increased violence, Finance Minister Kristin Halvorsen said.

Oslo - Over 150 passengers and crew were safely evacuated Tuesday from a ferry that ran aground in Norway's Trondheim harbour, police and officials said.

The decision to evacuate came after the Norwegian vessel, MS Richard With began taking in water amid strong winds.

The coast guard, emergency services, police and local volunteers helped with the rescue operation. All 153 passengers and four crew had by noon, local time, left the ship. Most had to climb down a long ladder to the quay. There were no reports of injuries.

Oslo  - Norway urged Israel to "immediately" halt its ground offensive in the Gaza Strip, which Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Store described as "a dramatic escalation of the conflict."

Oslo - British singer Amy Winehouse has been served a summons to an appeals court hearing in Norway in January, the Norwegian online newspaper Nettavisen reported Wednesday.

In October 2007, the soul singer, her husband Blake Fielder-Civil and another member of her entourage spent a night in police custody after a small amount of marijuana was found in a hotel room while she was on tour in Bergen, western Norway.

The three accepted a fine but subsequently appealed the fine. A likely reason offered was that they wanted to avert potential problems when visiting the United States.