Hundreds of people in Jølster and the emergency crews trying to help them this week had to cope with a digital collapse, after extreme weather and a series of landslides left them not only without power, but also mobile phone coverage and Internet access. The government is now demanding better preparedness from telecoms firms. “We are […]
Solberg survives anti-terror critics
December 5, 2018
Prime Minister Erna Solberg avoided a lack of confidence vote in Parliament on Wednesday over her government’s failure to improve preparedness for a terrorist attack. She did have to accept the toughest criticism the Parliament can otherwise dish out. State broadcaster NRK reported that Solberg, who just returned from a trip to South Africa and […]
Norwegians urged to ‘be prepared’
October 25, 2018
Norway’s state directorate in charge of security and preparedness (DSB) has launched a campaign urging Norwegians to be prepared for a crisis. Last summer’s drought and some recent major storms have set off warnings that Norwegians should be able to cope without electricity, water and communications for at least 72 hours. “We live in a […]
State needs new police director
September 19, 2018
Norway’s justice ministry will soon be launching a search for a new director of the state police. Current state police director Odd Reidar Humlegård has decided to step down when his six-year term ends in November. Humlegård, age 57, said he simply chose not to apply for an extension of his contract. He told state […]
Latest disaster film shakes up geologists
September 3, 2018
Norwegians were streaming to cinemas all over the country this weekend, to see the latest film about a natural disaster on home turf in Oslo. It’s shaking up both them and local geologists, who disagree over whether there’s a real threat of a massive earthquake in a country that has never had one, but does have […]
Solberg hangs on to power, for now
August 28, 2018
UPDATED: Prime Minister Erna Solberg showed at least some of the humility expected of her when she faced the Parliament’s disciplinary committee Monday evening. The committee, however, didn’t feel it received enough answers during its all-day hearing on problems and delays in improving security and preparedness for another terrorist attack in Norway. It now wants […]
Opposition feels misled by Solberg
August 27, 2018
Several opposition parties in Parliament think Prime Minister Erna Solberg misinformed Parliament when she reported that work was on track to secure important buildings in Norway against terrorist attack. Their claims came after the state director of police testified at a hearing on Monday that the prime minister had “misunderstood” the police reports. Torgeir Knag […]
Government grilled on security issues
August 27, 2018
NEWS ANALYSIS: Seven years after a right-wing extremist’s bomb destroyed Norway’s government headquarters in Oslo, film crews were recreating the grim scene over the weekend for yet another drama about the deadly terrorist attack. It provided an eerie backdrop for a parliamentary hearing on Monday, at which Prime Minister Erna Solberg and other government officials […]
Solberg stresses security
August 22, 2018
Prime Minister Erna Solberg seems to realize that the best defense is a good offense: Just days before being called in for questioning by Parliament about her government’s alleged neglect of security improvements, she laid down the cornerstone for the Norwegian police’s new National Preparedness Center. “This is a great day for Norwegian preparedness,” declared […]
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