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.

Oslo  - Norwegian police used teargas Monday evening to disperse protesters who broke through barricades outside the Israeli embassy in Oslo.

Several hundred people had earlier assembled near parliament to protest against Israel's air strikes in the Gaza Strip.

The protesters then continued to the embassy where youths threw stones and fired fireworks at police cordons and the embassy building, broadcaster TV2 reported.

Police responded with teargas. There were no immediate reports of any injuries.

Recent research has shown that intake of chocolate, wine and tea in moderation can help in improving cognitive performance. Research team from Norway and the Oxford University collected data from 2,031 older people aged between 70 and 74.

The study subjects were asked to fill a questionnaire regarding their habitual food intake. Mental ability of study subjects was also tested.