‘Cautious’ diplomat caught in a bind

“I’m cautious,” says Romania’s ambassador to Norway, Daniel Ionita, before agreeing to share his thoughts on the presence of thousands of beggars in Norwegian cities and towns. Many are from his country, and they’ve created... 
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Flood warnings up after warm snap

A sudden rise in temperatures all over Norway led to a warm and mostly sunny holiday weekend, but also set off flooding and fears of more calamity, especially in the southeast. Snow in the mountains is melting much too quickly for rivers and creeks to... 
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SAS welcomes back frequent flyers

Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) was running large ads in Norwegian media on Tuesday after state authorities allowed the carrier to resume its frequent flyer bonus program on flights within Norway. It was banned 11 years ago when rival Norwegian Air started... 
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Holiday ended with drunks and destruction

Norway’s 17th of May celebrations on Friday ended with rowdy parties, drunkenness and even vandalism to the statue of national war hero Gunnar Sønsteby. Its sculptor Per Ung was furious, calling the vandals “idiots and vermin,” while... 
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The world wasn’t hers after all

“The whole world is mine,” sang Norway’s Margaret Berger at the finals of the Eurovision Song Contest Saturday night, but when the voting was over, it really wasn’t. Berger, one of the favourites to win the contest, ended up in... 
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‘Hurra’ for all on the 17th of May

New research that has surprised even those conducting it reveals that Norway’s Constitution Day on the 17th of May has emerged not as a day of nationalistic chauvinism but as the most inclusive day of the year, with solidarity cutting across ethnic,... 
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Early parade for the youngest

PHOTO FEATURE: As school children marched all over Norway in Constitution Day parades on Friday, the youngest Norwegians got into the act as well, a day early. In line with tradition, pre-schoolers at what the Norwegians call barnehager (kindergartens,... 
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Begging on streets OK, not sleeping

Police were voicing approval on Thursday after city politicians in Oslo, quarreling over how to deal with thousands of migrant poor on the streets of the capital, banned all outdoor sleeping on public property in populated areas. Begging continues to... 
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‘Gratulerer med dagen!’

PICTURE SERIES: That’s the standard greeting on the 17th of May in Norway, when residents congratulate each other over the country’s constitution and its sovereignty. This year’s festivities took place mostly in surprisingly summer-like... 
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