Members of Parliament were demanding answers on Friday after Norwegian Broadcasting (NRK) reported on the existence of a top secret satellite base, set up in 2000 with US support over the years, at an old military camp outside Hønefoss. The base has been used for years as a listening post to track down terrorists, but […]
Parliament’s leader denies wrongdoing
January 17, 2017
The president of the Norwegian Parliament, already tied to a huge budget overrun, has now landed in more trouble for allegedly exceeding his powers and then withholding information. Olemic Thommessen of the Conservative Party denies any wrongdoing but now faces questions from the national assembly’s disciplinary committee. Thommessen has led the Parliament (Stortinget) since the Conservatives won […]
Norwegians fear snooping at NAV
December 5, 2016
Norway’s large social welfare agency NAV, which handles everything from pension payments to those for sick leave and unemployment, is under scrutiny after reports that NAV workers have snooped through the files of Norwegians receiving NAV benefits. Nearly 40 complaints have been filed in the past month by NAV clients who fear their privacy has been invaded. […]
Drones spied on military exercises
November 25, 2016
Unidentified drones plagued military exercises in Sweden this week and now some joint training operations between Norwegian and US forces have been marred as well. At least 10 drones are believed to have carried out surveillance of military exercises from Østerdalen in the south to Troms in the North. “We don’t know who’s behind this activity,” Lt Col […]
Spying chief rejects calls for openness
October 11, 2016
Some residents of Northern Norway aren’t at all happy about the amount of intelligence gathering going on in their communities and who’s involved in it, not least in the Arctic city of Vardø. Critics were airing their concerns at a conference in Vadsø this week, but the head of Norway’s military intelligence agency E-tjenesten isn’t […]
Norway ‘shamed’ in Snowden case
September 29, 2016
UPDATED: Norway’s failure to provide exiled whistle-blower Edward Snowden with a guarantee against extradition to his US homeland, if he visits Oslo to accept another prize, is a “shame,” according to US filmmaker Oliver Stone. The Oscar-winning Stone was in Norway this week for the premiere of his new film about Snowden, and he claims Norwegian officials are even undermining the country’s sovereignty […]
Norway to buy new spy planes
August 11, 2016
The Norwegian government reportedly has signed a letter of intention to buy new surveillance aircraft from US aviation contractor Boeing. The deal carries a pricetag of NOK 11 billion (USD 1.3 billion), reports newspaper Klassekampen. The paper wrote in its latest edition that Norway’s Defense Ministry has entered into a secret agreement to buy new P-8 […]
Lawsuit filed to gain entry for Snowden
April 21, 2016
An Oslo law firm has filed suit against the Norwegian state on behalf of US whistleblower Edward Snowden. The suit is part of a new legal attempt to make it possible for Snowden to travel in and out of Norway this autumn to receive a prize for defending freedom of expression. Norsk PEN, the Norwegian […]
Minister defers to UDI on Snowden
March 15, 2016
Norwegian immigration agency UDI (Utlendingsdirektoratet) has once again been handed the job of determining whether exiled American Edward Snowden can enter the country this fall, to accept a prize honouring him for advancing freedom of expression. Public pressure is growing for Snowden to be allowed to visit Norway, without being arrested and extradited back to the […]
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