Norway’s defense establishment has suffered a string of accidents and embarrassment in recent years. Now a group of naval officers are calling for the resignations or firings of Defense Minister Frank Bakke-Jensen and both former and current Royal Norwegian Navy commanders. Newspaper Aftenposten reported just before the weekend that the officers, who sounded alarms last […]
Erna: ‘No plans to change oil policy’
April 23, 2021
Prime Minister Erna Solberg has been taking part in this week’s virtual “Leaders Summit on Climate” at the invitation of new US President Joe Biden. He’s called for a global halt to oil drilling in the Arctic, but Solberg has no intention of ending Norway’s own Arctic oil exploration and production. “We have no plans […]
Intelligence agency not so intelligent
April 22, 2021
NEWS ANALYSIS: Norway’s military intelligence agency known as E-tjenesten has reportedly been rebuked by the Parliamentary commission (EOS) that oversees its activities. The government is intent on keeping EOS’ latest report on the agency’s spying activity secret, though, leading many to wonder what the agency, the military and the government have to hide. EOS’ long-awaited […]
Labour bashed over drug reform rejection
April 19, 2021
Left-wing parties in Parliament along with those in government were disappointed after the Labour Party rejected the government’s proposal to decriminalize use and possession of small amounts of narcotics. The rejection was met with both harsh criticism and vows to revive the effort. Labour leader Jonas Gahr Støre led the opposition to drug law reform […]
Labour goes after ‘ordinary people’
April 19, 2021
NEWS ANALYSIS: Members of Norway’s long-troubled Labour Party tried hard to come together during their annual national meeting that extended into the weekend. Reaction was mixed on whether they succeeded: Any return to power in the upcoming election may be based more on the strength of potential government partners than themselves. Labour’s core problems are […]
Støre closing in on Erna Solberg’s job
April 16, 2021
Backed by more favourable polls both for his Labour Party and himself, Jonas Gahr Støre seems to be closing in on his goal over the past six years: to take over as Norway’s next prime minister. It’s looking more and more likely that Støre will be able to replace the Conservatives’ Erna Solberg and form […]
Disagreement halts decision on vaccine
April 15, 2021
NEWS ANALYSIS: Norway’s public health institute FHI wants to remove AstraZeneca from the state vaccination program because of “very many” cases of serious and even fatal side-effects among Norwegians. The government, however, wants to keep the program rolling, in order to reopen Norway as soon as possible. In a rare public display of high-level disagreement, […]
Troops start pulling out of Afghanistan
April 15, 2021
Norway intends to finally start pulling its remaining NATO troops out of Afghanistan from May 1st. The delayed withdrawal comes after the US and NATO confirmed a new coordinated pullout deadline of September 11, 20 years after the terrorist attacks on the US that led to the lengthy and unsuccessful war against terrorism. Norwegian Foreign […]
Oslo to stay shut, seeks more vaccine
April 14, 2021
Oslo, which still suffers the highest infection and hospitalizations in Norway, will remain mostly shut down for at least the next two weeks even though national restrictions are being eased. City government officials are also demanding more vaccine allotments, especially since expected deliveries from abroad may not arrive. Raymond Johansen, the stern leader of Oslo’s […]
Solberg starts to reopen Norway
April 13, 2021
Prime Minister Erna Solberg followed, as expected, state health authorities’ recommendations to begin reopening Norway from Friday, April 16. Many areas including Oslo, however, will likely remain subject to local regulations that are still stricter than national rules. “We will need to live with local restrictions for a long time,” Solberg said at a press […]
CURRENCY RATES