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Utøya survivor to fight for Eurovision crown

A survivor of the 2011 Utøya massacre is vying to represent Norway in this year's Eurovision song contest, with a song, 'Heal', inspired by his three-year struggle to recover.

Published: 27 January 2014 22:36 CET

Utøya survivor to fight for Eurovision crown

Mohamed Abdi Farah, at 18, performing on Norway's X Factor in 2010. Photo: Aleksander Andersen/Scanpix

Mohamed 'Mo' Farah Abdi, 21, appeared to be on the point of a pop breakthrough in the summer of 2011, after winning the nation's hearts with his performances in the country's "X Factor" talent show.

But since he witnessed the brutal attack mounted by far-right terrorist Anders Breivik that July, he has been on disability benefits, after suffering serious post-traumatic stress disorder.

"I was losing myself, I have struggled through one of my biggest battles," he told VG newspaper. "It is only now, three years on, that I am beginning to recover."

The greatest trauma was the loss of his best friend Ismail Haji Ahmed, who had also seen success in Norway's talent shows.

"You have good friends, and then you have someone who is your best, best friend. That was him," Farah Abdi told VG.

The song 'Heal', is a rousing pop anthem about recovering from tough periods in life.

"I hope to convey a strong hope and joy," Farah Abdi told a press conference on Monday afternoon.

Norway's 15 Eurovision hopefuls, who will compete in the national Melodifestivalen contest in the coming month, were announced on Monday in Oslo.

One, Linnea Dale, is well-known from Norway's "Idol" talent show. Another, Elisabeth Carew, competed at the 2010 Eurovision semi-finals.

Haji Ahmed's elder brother Khaled Ahmed Taleb faces being deported from Norway after it emerged that he lied on his asylum application back in 2002.

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Today in Norway: A roundup of the latest news on Tuesday

Oslo Operahus .Photo by Arvid Malde on Unsplash

Only one in ten Norwegians plan to travel abroad this summer

Around ten percent of people in Norway are planning to take a holiday abroad this summer, according to a survey carried out by tourism organisation NHO Reiseliv.

Seven out of ten respondents said they still plan to holiday in Norway this year, even if they receive a vaccination before the holidays start.

READ MORE: ‘My arguments didn’t matter’: How I ended up in a hotel quarantine in Norway

Viken and Vestland are this year’s most popular travel destinations for Norwegians planning a “staycation”. Young people were the most likely to want to remain in Norway this summer. Just under half of those aged between 18 and 29 said they wished to stay in Norway this summer.

Third of Utøya survivors have received abuse or threats

A third of Utøya survivors have been victims of hate speech or received threats, according to a new survey.

Three-quarters of respondents said that the reason they received the abuse was linked directly to the Utøya terror attack, the Norwegian Centre for Violence and Traumatic Studies (NKVTS) found.

The massacre on Utøya was the second of two terror attacks carried out by Anders Breivik on July 22nd, 2011. Of the 69 people who died in the attack, 32 were under the age of 18.

Fewer in Oslo willing to ditch cars

A climate survey carried out by the city of Oslo has shown that fewer people than before are willing to cut back on using their cars. The proportion of those who think that Oslo city centre should be car-free has fallen to 45 percent from 52 percent last year.

READ ALSO: Could Norway introduce mandatory inbuilt car breathalysers

When asked whether Oslo City Council had gone too far in removing cars from the city centre, almost half said that they believed that this was the case.

“A change in the attitude around these measures may be due to more people feeling dependent on cars during the pandemic. There has been a lot of debate about measures that have been introduced or are planned to be introduced,” Heidi Sørensen, Director of the Climate Agency, told the Dagsavisen newspaper

Tighter Coronavirus measures in Trondheim

Gyms, museums and swimming pools have been closed, and alcohol service in hospitality has been stopped in Trondheim. The new measures come barely a week after restrictions were last tightened.

“We need to shut down most of Trondheim to get control. It is only days since we last tightened measures, but we are in a situation where we must take even stronger action,” Morten Wolden, the municipal director for Trondheim, told state broadcaster NRK.

Norway reports 292 new Covid-19 cases

On Monday, 292 new coronavirus infections were registered in Norway. This is a drop of 52 compared to the seven-day average of 344.

In Oslo, 48 cases were recorded, an increase of two on the capital’s seven day average of 46.

The R-number or reproduction rate in Norway is currently 1.0. This means that every ten people that are infected, will, on average, only infect another ten people, indicating that the infection level is stable.

Total number of Covid-19 cases so far. Source: NIPH

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