NATO boss on whirlwind visit

NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen and members of the North Atlantic Council were making the rounds of Norwegian military installations, Arctic research centers, government ministers’ offices and the Royal Palace this week, on an official visit that included Liberation- and Veterans’ Day ceremonies on Wednesday. Climate change and military preparedness were on the agenda. [...]

Labour working on Labour Day

Norway’s traditional Labour Day celebrations on May 1 were taking on distinctly political overtones this year, as the Labour Party and others on the left side of Norwegian politics gear up for the fall election campaigns. They’re keen to hang on to power in the looming parliamentary election on September 9, and weren’t missing the [...]

Flag conflict waves in Ålesund

Norway’s west coast city of Ålesund was caught in conflict this week after the local committee in charge of planning Constitution Day festivities on the 17th of May turned down a request from a local school whose children wanted to carry their hand-made flags in the annual parade. Now some city politicians say they fear [...]

Red Cross reports hectic Easter

Large numbers of Easter tourists in the mountains and on skis kept Red Cross emergency workers busy during last week’s annual påskeferie (Easter holiday). Red Cross volunteers responded to 377 accidents and treated 980 injuries, according to Red Cross officials. “The huge numbers of people heading outdoors this year is the main reason for the [...]

Yet another avalanche hits Tromsø

Norway’s northern city of Tromsø, along with much of the northern region of the country, continued on Monday to be plagued by avalanches that have caused major emergencies throughout the Easter holiday week. Monday’s slide hit frighteningly close to home, in a residential area and close to a local school. The avalanche could be seen [...]

Picture perfect ‘påske’ holidays

Most of southern Norway basked in sunshine during the Easter holiday week known as “påske,” perfect for skiers who headed outdoors, but it was stormy in the north. State highway officials were forced to close many roads in Troms County, which also has been plagued by avalanches. Norwegian Broadcasting (NRK) reported that a fear of [...]

Lesbian pastor confronts Oslo bishop

Norway’s first lesbian pastor says she’s fed up with “homophobic” church officials and no longer wants Bishop Ole-Christian Kvarme as her spiritual leader. Pastor Hilde Raastad told newspaper Aftenposten on Wednesday that she wants to give up her ordination and resign as pastor after years of fighting for acceptance in the Norwegian state church. Raastad’s [...]

Orange tradition lives on at Easter

Norwegians are expected to consume fully 5,000 tons of oranges this week, as they fill fruit bowls and backpacks with the popular citrus fruit. Norway, report state food officials, tops international statistics for consumption of oranges at Eastertime. It’s a tradition dating back to the first imports of oranges to Norway 100 years ago. Toril [...]

Church plans to introduce Norwegian ‘Thanksgiving’

The Hamar diocese of the Norwegian state church has formed a committee to work towards creation of a national holiday similar to “Thanksgiving”  in the US. The idea is to celebrate the bounty of the annual harvest in Norwegian schools, the church and homes. They’re calling it a høsttakkefest (literally an “autumn thank-you celebration”), and [...]

Feathery bouquets retain popularity

It’s that time of year in Norway, when women all over the country have been selling bunches of birch twigs adorned with brightly coloured feathers. They’re called fastelavnsris, and they remain a major source of income for a national association aimed at improving women’s health and lifestyles. Members of the association NKS (Norske Kvinners Sanitetsforening) [...]

Injuries spur call for fireworks ban

Recklessness and a rash of injuries during the New Year’s holiday have led to calls for a total ban on private fireworks in the Norwegian capital, and possibly other cities and towns as well. Police in Oslo had trouble with crowd control on the City Hall plaza New Year’s Eve, and were stunned when some [...]

New Year’s baby boom in Drammen

Three babies were born within the first five minutes of 2013 at the hospital in Drammen, west of Oslo, beating out the hospital in Volda that initially thought it could lay claim to this year’s official New Year’s baby in Norway. That honor went to a family of three (now four) in Drammen, when a [...]

New Year speeches true to tradition

Norway’s monarch and prime minister held their traditional New Year’s speeches, with commentators noting they were heavy on the “feel good” factor. Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg even claimed that that “the American Dream” is alive and well, in Norway. The prime minister, who addresses the nation on national television and radio at 7:30pm on January [...]

‘Godt nyttår!’ Happy New Year!

As the low winter sun sets over a frozen lake north of Oslo, and over another year, we’d like to take the opportunity to thank our readers for clicking in to Views and News from Norway – www.newsinenglish.no. Special thanks to those of you who have sent support over the years, and we hope you’ll [...]

Holiday images from Norway

Norwegians’ dreams of a White Christmas came true over most of the country during the recent holiday period, and it became a bit extreme in some areas. We’ve compiled a few images to share the various moods as Norway headed into the New Year. It snowed during most of the main Christmas holidays (lillejulaften on [...]

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