The Norwegian government rolled out its new “master plan” for meeting climate goals on Friday, just a day after state meteorologists confirmed that last year was Norway’s warmest ever. The plan for cutting the emissions blamed for climate change met an immediate storm of criticism, but also some praise. Opposition parties complained that the government’s […]
Trump fans in Norway retreat
January 7, 2021
NEWS ANALYSIS: There’s a lot of soul-searching going on among Norway’s most conservative politicians, especially by the Norwegian who twice nominated the now-shamed US President Donald Trump for a Nobel Peace Prize. More liberal politicians in power have also been targeted for having kept quiet too long about the leader of the country widely regarded […]
An ‘unacceptable attack on democracy’
January 7, 2021
Norwegian leaders reacted with shock and dismay on Wednesday to the dramatic events unfurling in what they’d all long viewed as the world’s capital of democracy: “What we’re now seeing from Washington is a completely unacceptable attack on democracy in the USA,” Prime Minister Erna Solberg stated after she and millions of other Norwegians watched […]
Hopes ran out for finding survivors
January 5, 2021
A remarkable search and rescue effort mounted by the Norwegian police, military, geologists, health care workers and other experts “entered a new phase” Tuesday evening. Police gave up hopes of finding more survivors in last week’s catastrophic landslide in Gjerdrum, after yet another slide hit the area. “We have done all we can to save […]
Holiday shoppers defied Corona
January 5, 2021
There are few signs that the Corona crisis put a freeze on holiday shopping, with sales brisk at most retail stores and soaring at online retailers. Officials at Norway’s largest bank, DNB, see “nothing that suggests a crisis” within the retail sector as a whole. “We’re seeing a strong increase despite the pandemic,” Ine Oftedahl, […]
New Year speeches help unify, console
January 5, 2021
NEWS ANALYSIS: Norway’s monarch isn’t the only one holding a traditional New Year speech aimed at boosting national pride and unity. The prime minister and president of the Sami Parliament do so as well, and this year their addresses were more important than ever. King Harald V has already won kudos for his direct and […]
Erna orders new social shutdown
January 3, 2021
Prime Minister Erna Solberg and her government imposed a new round of even tougher social restrictions on Sunday evening, all aimed at halting the spread of the Corona virus. The bans on social gatherings take effect from Monday (January 4). “We have seen after Christmas that fewer people are testing themselves, and of those who […]
Royals meet slide survivors in grief
January 3, 2021
UPDATED: Norway’s King Harald V, Queen Sonja and Crown Prince Haakon all traveled to Gjerdrum on Sunday, to meet with survivors of last week’s devastating landslide as reports of fatalities were streaming in. Search and rescue crews had kept working to find more survivors, but hopes were fading Sunday evening. “We have an extremely emotional […]
King offers hope and some consolation
January 1, 2021
It was probably one of the most direct and news-related royal holiday addresses ever: King Harald V used his annual speech to the nation on New Year’s Eve to console and support Norwegians after the country’s worst year since the Nazi German occupation during World War II. The monarch wasted no time in addressing the […]
Police confirm the first slide fatality
January 1, 2021
Emergency crews have found the first victim of this week’s catastrophic landslide at Gjerdrum, north of Oslo, after search and rescue operations continued through the night and on New Year’s Day. Police confirmed the fatality late Friday afternoon, while still insisting that they continue to have “full focus” on finding survivors. Police wouldn’t immediately reveal […]
CURRENCY RATES