Oslo  - A Norwegian insurance company Tuesday posted a reward for information securing the safe return of a painting by German master Lucas Carnach, the elder, stolen over weekend, reports said.

According to some estimates the painting was worth at least 15 million kroner (2.1 million dollars) while the reward was 500,000 kroner.

The over 400-year-old painting was stolen from Larvik Church, some 105 kilometres southwest of Oslo. The congregation has owned it for over 300 years.

Oslo - Search operations continued Tuesday for a Norwegian fishing boat and its 68-year-old owner reported missing off north- western Norway, rescue officials and local media reported.

There were fears the fishing boat may have collided with another vessel, off Andoya island that is part of the Vesteralen archipelago.

A Russian freighter, identified as Mekhanik Tyulenev, was believed to have been in the vicinity of the fishing boat Monday morning.

Oslo - A record number of nominations, in all 205, have been made for the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize, the Norwegian Nobel Institute said Friday.

The tally includes 172 individuals and 33 organizations, besting the 2005 number of 199 nominations.

The nomination number was released the day after the five-member Nobel Committee held its first session. Two of the members, including Norwegian Parliament Speaker Thorbjorn Jagland who heads the committee, were new elects.

Oslo/Stockholm - Norway and Sweden Thursday said they were planning a joint bid to host the 2016 European football championships.

The two national football federations said they planned to file a joint letter expressing their interest to European football's governing body UEFA.

"We cooperate very well and have made a thorough pre-study prior to our letter of interest," Swedish Football Association president Lars-Ake Lagrell and Norwegian Football Association president Sondre Kafjord said in a joint statement.

Oslo- Norwegian Parliament Speaker Thorbjorn Jagland was Thursday elected new chairman of the Norwegian Nobel Committee that selects the Nobel Peace Prize winner.

The veteran Social Democrat has also held the posts of prime minister and foreign minister but last year said he was leaving Norwegian politics.

Jagland, 58, succeeded Ole Danbolt Mjos who left the Nobel Committee. The committee is elected by parliament, and each member sits for six years.

Oslo  - Norwegian defence forces said Monday they would take part in a search for the plane of famed Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen who went missing in
1928.

Amundsen (1872-1928) became a national hero in Norway after leading an expedition to the geographic South Pole in 1911, beating Britain's Robert F Scott in an epic race.

The Norwegian joined in a search for Italian airship Italia piloted and designed by Umberto Nobile that was reported missing in May 1928 after flying over the North Pole.