… if not all over, at least in some parts of Southern Norway. After one of the longest and coldest winters in decades, cherry blossoms like these near the National Library in Oslo are a welcome sight. Norwegians have even begun celebrating Hanami, the Japanese tradition of enjoying the blossoms during a short but very […] The post Spring starts bursting out … appeared first on Norway's News in English — www.newsinenglish.no ..read more

The cost of a plastic bag at the grocery store in Norway jumped last year to NOK 4.25 but is now set to rise again. The bag fee is aimed at further reducing their use. The retailers’ own environmental fund (Handelens Miljøfond) doesn’t think plastic bag consumption has declined enough. Now a punitive fee of […] The post Plastic bag fee to rise again appeared first on Norway's News in English — www.newsinenglish.no ..read more

After years of accidents and complaints sparked tighter regulation of electric scooters, Oslo’s new Conservatives-led city government now wants more of them, along with some deregulation. That’s bound to spark more angry public debate. They’re called elsparkesyklene in Norwegian, a name that’s often blamed for allowing them to be operated much like sykler (bicycles). There were […] The post New city government wants more electric scooter use in Oslo appeared first on Norway's News in English — www.newsinenglish.no ..read more

Norwegian police continue to face an unusual wave of stabbings and shootings so far this year. The latest involves a man in his 50s, who’s been charged with stabbing a 12-year-old boy who was on his way to school in Moss, about an hour’s drive south of Oslo. The boy suffered several knife wounds but […] The post More stabbings and shootings appeared first on Norway's News in English — www.newsinenglish.no ..read more

Much of the airspace over Northern Norway was closed down Friday afternoon, reportedly because of a torn fiber cable in Bodø. The air traffic disruption follows another one just the day before, when air space was closed over Southern Norway, and investigations are underway. The so-called fiberbrudd affected air travel from Bodø and northward, including […] The post Air traffic disrupted again appeared first on Norway's News in English — www.newsinenglish.no ..read more

Norway’s 87-year-old King Harald V will be back at work on Monday, reports the Royal Palace staff in Oslo. He’s been off on sick leave after an ill-fated birthday holiday trip to Malaysia in February. Most would have retired long ago, but the popular Norwegian king is committed to carrying on what he calls a […] The post King Harald heads back to work appeared first on Norway's News in English — www.newsinenglish.no ..read more

The Norwegian government plans to extend the current collective protection for refugees from Ukraine from three to five years. The plan will allow more time for both Norwegian authorities and Ukrainian refugees themselves to decide on their future. “The situation in Ukraine is still unclear,” said Justice Minister Emilie Enger Mehl. She noted that the […] The post Asylum terms extended for Ukrainians appeared first on Norway's News in English — www.newsinenglish.no ..read more

A new overview of foreign aid contributions from countries attached to the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) places Norway at the top. It confirms how Norway still aims to share its wealth, especially when there’s a war on the European continent. News bureau NTB reports that Norway committed 1.09 percent of its gross […] The post Norway tops in foreign aid appeared first on Norway's News in English — www.newsinenglish.no ..read more

NEWS ANALYSIS: Norway should have avoided noisy demonstrations by angry farmers like those seen around Europe this spring, since one of the country’s most farmer-friendly parties shares government power. Sloppy politics and endless demands by farmers already wallowing in subsidy led, however, to more messy protests in Oslo on Thursday, even before annual funding negotiations […] The post Frustrated farmers roared into town appeared first on Norway's News in English — www.newsinenglish.no ..read more

Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide started this week not only with an unannounced visit to Ukraine but also to neighbouring Moldova, which has taken in around 100,000 Ukrainian refugees since Russia attacked Ukraine in 2022. Norway is also boosting aid to Moldova and opening an embassy office in the country to help distribute it. Eide […] The post Norway boosts aid to Moldova appeared first on Norway's News in English — www.newsinenglish.no ..read more