Their annual national meeting over the weekend got off to a rocky start, but Norway’s Conservative Party (Høyre) still managed to launch some new political proposals and firm up some old ones. A vote to allow free birth control pills to girls under age 16, however, may not get much farther. The Conservatives found themselves […]
Norway sympathizes with New Zealand
March 15, 2019
Prime Minister Erna Solberg, top political colleagues and survivors of Norway’s own terrorist attacks in 2011 were quick to express sympathy and support for the people of New Zealand on Friday. Norwegian prison officials, meanwhile, discounted a claim by the man who gunned down scores of worshippers at two mosques in Christchurch that he’d been in […]
Erna rallies troops despite all drama
March 15, 2019
Prime Minister Erna Solberg must try to put some unexpected drama aside this weekend as her Conservative Party colleagues gather for their annual national meeting. She can do so from a fairly strong position: Solberg leads one of Norway’s few parties that’s not publicly split and now also ranks as largest in the land. She […]
Prime minister: ‘This came as a shock’
March 14, 2019
Prime Minister Erna Solberg and Finance Minister Siv Jensen faced the press Thursday to say they were shocked by the arrest of Justice Minister Tor Mikkel Wara’s partner earlier in the day. Wara was immediately put on leave, with Jensen saying he’s “in shock” himself. “I think everyone can understand that this is a very […]
Justice minister’s partner charged
March 14, 2019
UPDATED: In a sensational turn of events, Norway’s state police intelligence service PST announced Thursday afternoon that it finally has a suspect in the series of threats made recently against Justice Minister Tor Mikkel Wara and his family. The suspect is Wara’s own live-in partner, and she now faces up to a year in prison. […]
Costs pile up for Norwegian Air
March 14, 2019
With its large fleet of now-grounded Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft, Norwegian Air suddenly faces highly uncertain operations and more financial concerns in the months ahead. Securities analysts in Norway are worried about the airline’s market value and unforeseen costs that may amount to as much as NOK 15 million per day. Newspaper Dagens Næringsliv […]
Norway calls in Iran’s ambassador
March 14, 2019
Norwegian officials are formally objecting to an Iranian court’s harsh verdict against lawyer and human rights activist Nasrin Sotoudeh. She’s reportedly been sentenced to 38 years in prison and 148 lashes for alleged offenses that include protests against women being forced to wear a hijab. There’s been mixed signals over the actual length of Sotoudeh’s […]
Brokers earn most, then oil workers
March 13, 2019
Annual wage talks got underway this week, right after the traditional handshake between the leaders of Norway’s largest labour and employer organizations. Negotiations begin amidst debate over pay gaps and household income differences in Norway, and after an eye-opening survey that ranked monthly paychecks in the country’s most- and least-lucrative professions. “This year it’s our […]
Police probe attempt to poison wolves
March 13, 2019
Someone has tried to poison Norway’s largest wolf pack, known as Kynnareviret, which roams in an area between Våler and Åsnes in Hedmark County. Police have found poisoned bait in six separate locations this winter, not far from the cadaver of a moose that had been killed by wolves just before the Christmas holidays. “This […]
Norwegian Air grounds MAX jets
March 12, 2019
UPDATED: Troubled Norwegian Air reversed on Tuesday its initial decision announced Monday to keep its fleet of Boeing 737 MAX 8 jets “flying as normal,” despite two deadly crashes in the past few months. Now the airline is immediately grounding all 18 MAX 8 jets, and apologizing to passengers. In a press release issued Tuesday […]
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