Oslo  - Israeli nuclear whistle-blower Mordechai Vanunu has asked to be removed from a list of nominees for the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize, reports said Tuesday.

In a letter to the five-member Nobel Committee, the former nuclear technician who was jailed for leaking details of Israel's nuclear programme to a British newspaper in
1986, said he wanted to be removed from the list of candidates.

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.

NYSE-listed Emerson has notified that it’s wholly owned subsidiary Aegir Norge Holding AS has reached an agreement with Roxar ASA to launch a voluntary offer for 100 percent of Roxar's shares.

Under the arrangement, Emerson will offer NOK 5.20 (approximately $ 0.735) per share in cash, which represents approximately NOK 1,266 million (approximately $ 179 million), for the total share capital of Roxar.

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- 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.

Liberec, Czech Republic - Ola Vigen Hattestad of Norway was unstoppable on the home stretch again as he won a second cross-country skiing world title in 24 hours, in the team sprint together with Johan Kjoelstad.

Hattestad passed Finland's Sami Jauhojaervi who also had to bow to German Axel Teichmann in a photo-finish as Norway won from Germany and Finland on the first partly sunny day of the championships.

There was more luck for Finland in the women's race as Virpi Kuitunen and Aino-Kaisa Saarinen destroyed the opposition to give Kuitunen her fifth world title overall and Saarinen her second in Liberec and third in total.