Telenor gets some support in India
February 7, 2012
Things may be looking up for Telenor, after both a Norwegian and an Indian government minister came with some words of support on Tuesday. Rigmor Aasrud met with her Indian counterpart in New Delhi and said he called Telenor “an important partner” who’s been caught up in “a situation where it’s not to blame.” Aasrud, [...]
Flags fly for Sami National Day
February 6, 2012
Norway has the largest indigenous Sami population in the Nordic countries, and thousands of them were celebrating what’s known as Samefolkets Dag on Monday. Others call it the Sami people’s National Day, since the first Sami convention was held on February 6, 1917. There are an estimated 40,000 Sami people in Norway, compared to 17,000 [...]
More trouble for Telenor in India
February 5, 2012
An attempt by Norwegian telecoms firm Telenor to cash in on a potentially huge market for mobile phone service in India has backfired badly. Now Telenor is once again turning to its biggest shareholder, the state, for help after getting in trouble on foreign investments. Opposition politicians claim Telenor’s investment in India may turn out [...]
Official apology for Jewish deportation
January 27, 2012
Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg issued a formal apology on behalf of the Norwegian government on Friday for what he called the “brutal” and shameful deportation of Norway’s Jews to Nazi death camps during World War II. The apology came on Holocaust Day, and ahead of what will be the 70th anniversary of the Nazi-organized deportation [...]
Talks continued in child welfare case
January 26, 2012
Norwegian authorities confirmed that negotiations were continuing to find a solution in a child welfare case that’s sparked international media attention, but said no agreement had been reached or affirmed by the court involved. The case involves two small children, both citizens of India, who were taken from their parents’ home in Stavanger and placed [...]
Bombed buildings’ fate still unclear
January 26, 2012
Norway’s government leaders haven’t been able to agree on what should be done with their offices that were bombed and badly damaged in last summer’s terrorist attack on government headquarters in Oslo. Now they’re seeking input from the public on several proposed alternatives. Top officials of the two small parties making up the three-party government [...]
High-speed trains ‘may be profitable’
January 25, 2012
Pressure is growing in favour of building new high-speed train lines around Norway, and a long-awaited report released Wednesday didn’t put the brakes on support. The report concluded a high-speed network could be profitable, at least from an operational standpoint. That would only happen, though, if debt is forgiven, and the investment needed to build [...]
Butter said to be back ‘soon’
January 24, 2012
It’s taken Norway’s dairy cooperative Tine (pronounced “Tee-nah”) longer than expected to produce enough butter to satisfy retail demand, but Tine officials claim it will be back on grocery shelves soon. Supplies, though, may be erratic for months. A Tine spokesman told Norwegian Broadcasting (NRK) Monday night that butter would be shipped to wholesalers and [...]
Støre involved in child welfare case
January 24, 2012
Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Støre has taken the unusual move of involving himself in a child welfare case involving a family from India, after it sparked international media coverage over the weekend and allegations of cultural prejudice. Both Støre and officials at Noway’s child protection agency Barnevernet insist no prejudice or misunderstandings are involved. The [...]
Broke immigrants told to go home
January 23, 2012
Labour Minister Hanne Bjurstrøm had a message over the weekend for hopeful immigrants from southern Europe who’ve been arriving in Norway in search of jobs: “Go home.” Bjurstrøm worries they won’t find jobs, and won’t be eligible for any help, either. “If there’s no work for them, then there is no work,” Bjurstrøm told both [...]
New immigration rules may be eased
January 23, 2012
Justice Ministry officials are promising to at least “adjust” tough new immigration rules that have made it increasingly difficult for foreign spouses of Norwegian citizens to obtain residence and working permission in Norway. Even immigration agency UDI (Utlendingsdirektoratet) thinks the new rules are too strict, and has recommended changes. “We have received UDI’s reports on [...]
Labour soars in latest poll
January 22, 2012
Another public opinion poll has shown Norway’s Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet, Ap) jumping way beyond its biggest rival at present, the Conservative Party (Høyre), and dwarfing all the other small parties that now seem to be simply hanging on to win representation in Parliament. Labour’s gain is also coming at the expense of its government coalition [...]
Farmers’ lobby loses members
January 22, 2012
One of Norway’s most traditionally powerful lobbying organizations, the farmers’ group Norges Bondelag, has reported a decline in membership for the first time in several years. That hasn’t hindered record turnout at an international exposition in Germany, however. Bondelaget, best known for pressing the government for huge subsidies and policies to protect Norwegian agriculture, had [...]
Sverdrup’s name ‘taken in vain’
January 21, 2012
Johan Sverdrup, often viewed as the “father” of Norway’s parliamentary system and even its democracy, has now had an oil field named for him, but not everyone is pleased about that. Some claim his name is being used in vain, or even abused, by being associated with the oil industry. Norway’s bullish Oil & Energy [...]
Hate-video maker held in custody
January 20, 2012
A local court in Telemark County went along with prosecutors who asked to keep a 21-year-old man in custody for at least two more weeks, with media and personal communication prohibited. The young man has admitted producing and publishing a video that threatened Norway’s crown prince, prime minister and foreign minister. Prosecutors intend to keep [...]
