Oslo  - British director Peter Brook was Monday named winner of the International Ibsen Award, the jury headed by Norwegian actress and director Liv Ullmann said.

The new prize, worth 2.5 million kroner (460,000 dollars), was in recognition of Brook's "successful demonstration that all significant theatre has a unique ability to bring people together."

Brook, 83, has directed numerous stage productions and worked with the Royal Shakespeare Company and the Royal Opera House in London. He has also been involved with film and television work.

Oslo - Turnover and profits increased in second-quarter 2008, shipbuilding group Aker Yards said Friday attributing the development to increased activity at its yards.

Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) totalled 72 million kroner (13.8 million dollars). In the corresponding business period of 2007 the group posted a loss of 162 million kroner.

Turnover for continuing operations was 7.92 billion kroner, up 31 per cent on the corresponding business period 2007.

Oslo - The remains of a Norwegian climber who was killed on the K2 mountain in the Himalayas should stay on the mountain slopes, his father said in an interview published Monday.

Rolf Bae's family said it was "difficult" to know that his remains would stay on the mountain but said they did not want other people to risk their lives to find the body.

"We have talked a lot about this. We don't want other people to put themselves in danger to try to find him. Rolf is gone, no matter what we do," Jakob Bae told the Stavanger Aftenbladet newspaper.

Oslo - Norwegian energy giant Statoil Hydro's second-quarter earnings were boosted by record-high oil and gas prices, the group said Friday.

Net income was 18.91 billion kroner (3.68 billion dollars), up 36 per cent on the corresponding business quarter in 2007.

Turnover increased 34 per cent to 170.6 billion kroner, the group said, noting that net operating income surged 74 per cent to 62.6 billion kroner.

"The second quarter result is primarily influenced by high oil and gas prices," Statoil Hydro chief executive Helge Lund said in a statement.

Oslo - A man was arrested Wednesday after threating to detonate a homemade bomb

Oslo - Police were Friday investigating an attack on a refugee centre in south-eastern Norway where some 20 refugees were assaulted, police and local media reported.

Hospitals said Friday that the injured refugees were in stable condition.

The attack took place Thursday evening and several reports attributed the attack to rivalry between Chechen nationals and refugees of Kurdish background.

Ole Morten Lyng of the Valer refugee centre said the attack was conducted by some 40 to 50 Chechen nationals.

The assailants arrived in several vehicles, scaled the refugee centre's perimeter fence and used baseball bats and iron bars to beat refugees, he told broadcaster NRK. Some refugees were also stabbed.