Views and News from Norway

Norway’s northern border to Russia will no longer offer a gateway for Russians keen on entering not just Norway but the entire European economic area. The Norwegian government’s latest tightening of border control has won widespread support, except from Russian officials who claim it’s discriminatory. As of May 29, Norwegian border police will turn back […]

It’s been 75 years since Norway recognized the state of Israel. On Wednesday the Norwegian government decided to also recognize Palestine as a means, according to Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre, of finally achieving the two-state solution he and many other countries believe is necessary for peace in the Middle East. The Palestinians also have […]

Norway’s inflation rate dipped to 3.6 percent last month, but few economists think that’s enough of a decline to prompt a reduction in Norwegian interest rates. Core inflation, which measures price hikes excluding energy rates and government-imposed fees, remained at 4.4 percent. “Even though inflation fell for the fourth month in a row, the prices […]

More than 90 percent of immigrants eligible for citizenship in Norway passed the country’s test last year that measures their knowledge of Norwegian life and society.  “We can only congratulate them,” said government minister Tonje Brenna, in charge of education and inclusion. News bureau NTB reported that of the 5,333 who took the test, fully […]

Norway’s dominant telecoms firm Telenor set up a crisis team during the long holiday weekend, after hundreds of thousands of customers suddenly were knocked offline and couldn’t communicate on Saturday. Telenor officials now claim the problems have been fixed and they don’t think hacking was behind them. “The reason for the instability that some customers […]

TRONDHEIM: Warm temperatures may have relaxed dress codes and some traditions on Friday, when thermometers set quite a few records on Norway’s Constitution Day holiday. It was especially warm in the central region of Trøndelag, where 17th of May celebrations in the region’s biggest city seemed a lot more casual than those in Bergen, Oslo […]

Sunshine and even some record-breaking warm temperatures got Norway’s 17th of May celebrations off to a bright start for Norwegians around most of the country this year. Flags were flying under clear blue skies, from Sørlandet in the south to Nordland up north, and not least in Trondheim. It’s Norway’s most festive day of the […]

A large majority of Norwegians and Danes still support their monarchies, and the monarchs themselves back each other up. That came through loud and clear on Tuesday, when Denmark’s new king and queen sailed into Oslo and were met by fanfare and adulation. Norway’s 87-year-old King Harald V and Denmark’s 55-year-old King Frederik suddenly became […]

Norwegian fans of the annual Eurovision Song Contest were licking their wounds after Norway’s entry ended up in last place. The disappointment followed a chaotic and politically charged run-up to the huge production that has prompted Norwegian Broadcasting (NRK) to launch a “thorough evaluation” and issue “clear feedback” to the contest’s organizer, the European Broadcasting […]

The Norwegian Parliament’s disciplinary committee is criticizing Norway’s police intelligence agency PST for failing to follow up warnings of a terrorist attack on the country’s Pride celebrations in Oslo in June 2022. Justice Minister Emilie Enger Mehl was also criticized for not paying enough attention to victims of the attacks, which left two dead and wounded […]