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There has been a huge increase in anti-Muslim incidents since the murder of a British soldier in Woolwich, an inter-faith charity has said. Faith Matters, which runs a helpline, said they had received 162 calls since Wednesday's attack, up from a daily a
There has been an upsurge in fighting in the strategic Syrian town of Qusair, both sides in the conflict say.
An intimate love story between two young women has received rave reviews in Cannes as the film festival draws to a close.
The reason we struggle to recall memories from our early childhood is down to high levels of neuron production during the first years of life,

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Armed Police in Norway not acceptable

Wednesday, 09 January 2013 12:47

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The Government has already rejected a proposal for Norwegian police to carry arms, although the police union is positive and the proposal is still being evaluated by the Department of Justice.

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Politicians frustrated over Much Museum delays

Friday, 04 January 2013 05:43

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The 150th anniversary of Edvard Munch will be celebrated with more than 120 projects in Norway and abroad. However, politicians have still not yet reached an agreement on where the new Munch Museum should be located.

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Labor Party faces Uphill task to gain voter support for 2013 elections

Friday, 21 December 2012 09:27

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Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg's Labour Party (Ap) moved back 2,4 percentage points in December's poll by InFact. Meanwhile, the Conservative Party (Høyre) continues to move ahead.

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Norway concerns over Gaza violence

Wednesday, 14 November 2012 03:32

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Norway is concerned over the increasing use of violence on the Gaza Strip. - I encourage all parties to avoid new acts of violence, says Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide.

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Norwegian politicians warned against Islamic terrorists meeting

Wednesday, 24 October 2012 06:41

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Several Norwegian politicians were warned against potential Islamic terrorists in a secret political meeting on October 1, Norwegian media report. (Photo: Justice Minister Grete Faremo)

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No plans to join EU says Stoltenberg

Monday, 15 October 2012 04:57

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Norwegian Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg on Friday congratulated the European Union on its Nobel Peace Prize win, but stressed his country, which hosts the award, still had no plans to join the bloc.

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Jens presents his re-election team

Monday, 24 September 2012 14:35

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Labour Party leader Jens Stoltenberg wants a third term as Norway’s prime minister, and on Friday he revealed a new ministerial line-up aimed to help them all win re-election. At the forefront is Jonas Gahr Støre, who will leave the foreign ministry after seven years to take over the even tougher role as health minister.

Støre has long been considered the current Labour-led left-center coalition government’s strongest minister after Stoltenberg himself. The two have worked closely together for years, and Støre said that when Stoltenberg asked him to take on the health ministry challenge, he could only accept.

“It will be hard to leave the foreign ministry,” Støre told Norwegian Broadcasting (NRK). He said, though, that he would try to “inspire and support” a health care sector that’s been strained by massive reorganization, ongoing budget cuts and widespread criticism from both the public, health care workers and opposition politicians.

Støre stressed that he didn’t believe he was taking over a ministry caught up in catastrophe. “I’ve seen how health care works in other countries,” said Støre, drawing on his years of globe-trotting as foreign minister.

Støre, a former head of the Norwegian Red Cross, said he thinks the majority of Norwegians are satisfied with the health care they receive, praising Norwegian innovation, highly skilled doctors and nurses and new, modern facilities.

There’s no question, though, that Stoltenberg is hoping Støre, known for a no-nonsense approach to getting things done, will be able to do just that and restore confidence in Norway’s state-run hospitals and health care delivery.

Health is the most embattled of Norway’s ministry’s at present, Støre said he felt “well-qualified” to lead it. Stoltenberg called him “visionary and inspiring,” with a talent for accomplishing specific tasks.

Stoltenberg described his new ministerial appointments, approved by King Harald at Friday’s weekly Council of State, as “a combination of renewal and continuity.” He repeatedly used the words “trygt og godt” (roughly, “safe and secure”), noting that all but one of his appointments were veteran political leaders with some returning to ministries they’d headed before.

Former Health Minister Anne-Grete Strøm-Erichsen, for example, will return as Defense Minister, while the relatively new current defense minister, Espen Barth Eide, will return to the foreign ministry where he’s been a state secretary on earlier occasions. Now he’ll take over as Støre’s successor.

“I’m moving from one dream job to another,” Eide said, stressing that he liked working in both the defense and foreign ministries “very much.” He said he intended to carry on Støre’s focus on dialogue and Arctic issues, among other priorities.

The only new face in the government is 29-year-old Hadia Tajik, the youngest person to ever be named a government minister in Norway. Stoltenberg’s announcement of her appointment on the grounds of the Royal Palace sparked spontaneous cheers and applause, and he described her as ”hard-working, knowledgable and new-thinking,” offering a “clear and strong voice” to the public debate.

Tajik’s parents emigrated from Pakistan to Norway, she grew up in a small town in

Rogaland on Norway’s west coast and is educated as a journalist and lawyer. Stoltenberg said he’d been considering her as a minister ever since she worked as one of his advisers back in 2008.

Tajik will take political charge of the ministry of culture, succeeding Anniken Huitfeldt, who was named as Norway’s new labour minister. Huitfeldt replaces Hanne Bjurstrøm, whom Stoltenberg said had asked to resign, therefore setting off the ministerial shuffle.

All the new ministers were assuming their new duties immediately, with the ceremonial transfer of office keys taking place throughout the afternoon.

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Stoltenberg shakes up government

Saturday, 22 September 2012 09:16

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Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg, acutely aware that his government coalition parties have taken a dive in public opinion polls, was expected to announce a major shake-up of his own government ministers from the Labour Party on Friday. Among the many moves: Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Støre will be assigned to restore faith in the troubled health ministry.

Both VG Nett and Norwegian Broadcasting (NRK) were reporting early Friday morning that Støre, widely considered the most successful and respected minister within Stoltenberg’s team, will take over as Health Minister right after the weekly Council of State at 11am, when King Harald V formally approves top state personnel changes.

While some may wonder why Stoltenberg would replace his strongest minister, one NRK commentator suggested the prime minister was calling on his “best man” to fix one of his government’s most glaring problems.

Criticism has been hurled at current Health Minister Anne-Grete Strøm-Erichsen for months over a major reorganization of hospitals in Oslo and major changes in how state-run hospitals and community-run health care services divide their responsibility.

Some also speculated that the move is part of Stoltenberg’s efforts to groom Støre as his own replacement as leader of the Labour Party and its prime minister candidate. A move to the health ministry, one of the most important within any government, would give Støre valuable experience in domestic politics after years of running Norway’s foreign policy.

Strøm-Erichsen isn’t being fired, though, according to the media leaks. She’s being moved back to the ministry she headed before taking over as health minister a few years ago, and will resume her post as defense minister.

Defense has been headed by Espen Barth Eide just since last spring, but he’s reportedly been tapped to take over Støre’s post as Norway’s new foreign minister.

In other ministerial changes, the current Minister of Culture, Anniken Huitfeldt, will take over as labour minister and Stoltenberg is bringing in one of party’s “bright young stars,” Hadia Tajik to take over Huitfeldt’s role.

The only minister who’ll be leaving the government is Hanne Bjurstrøm, the current labour minister who’s been criticized for intervening in recent strikes and ordering the strikers back to work.

Not only has Strøm-Erichsen survived the criticism that’s been pouring down on Stoltenberg’s cabinet of late, so has Rigmor Aasrud, the minister in charge of administrative issues. Aasrud also has been under fire for failing to better secure the government complex in downtown Oslo that was bombed in last year’s attacks by a right-wing Norwegian terrorist.

Testimony released on Thursday, however, revealed that Aasrud herself was never told she had responsibility for such security issues, and therefore can’t be blamed for the lack of security when the attacks occurred.

Friday’s major ministerial shake-up is seen as Stoltenberg’s latest attempt to restore confidence in his government one year before next autumn’s national elections. His new line-up will therefore have one year to win back voters who seem to be fleeing to the non-socialist opposition parties.

Many of the government coalition’s popularity problems, though, can be traced to Labour’s minor coalition partner, the Center Party.

It recently pushed through highly unpopular measures to further protect farmers and raise food prices, for example, setting off threats of a trade war with the EU that now Eide will have to deal with.

Debate is likely over whether Labour should continue to cooperate with the Center Party, which lately has emerged as more of a liability than an asset in Stoltenberg’s quest to retain government power.

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Norway court upholds ban on tobacco store displays

Wednesday, 19 September 2012 21:27

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A Norwegian court has upheld a ban on the display of tobacco products in stores, handing a defeat Friday to the Philip Morris company.

Norway, which has had a ban on cigarette and alcohol advertising since 1975, in 2010 banned even the display of tobacco products at their point of sale.

Shops must keep cigarettes in unmarked cabinets or special vending machines with no visible logos. Customers wishing to buy tobacco must actively ask merchants for it.

Philip Morris sued the Norwegian state, arguing that the display ban interfered with the free flow of goods and broke with international agreements Norway is party to.

But the Oslo district court said it concluded that "the display ban is necessary and that there aren't other, less invasive methods which could give similar results."

Philip Morris has one month to decide whether to challenge the ruling in a higher court.

"We are disappointed with the court's decision and are considering our options for appeal," said Nordan Helland, spokesman for Philip Morris Norway.

Tobacco companies worldwide have long used legal avenues to challenge government laws on cigarette taxes, smoking bans, marketing restrictions and health warnings.

Most notably, Australia's highest court last month rejected a challenge by tobacco companies who argued the value of their trademarks will be destroyed if they are no longer able to display their distinctive colors, brand designs and logos on packs of cigarettes.

Philip Morris International in recent years also has filed lawsuits challenging marketing restrictions and health warnings in Uruguay and a ban on tobacco products in shops in Ireland. Those challenges are ongoing.

Anti-smoking campaigners welcomed the ruling in Oslo.

"This verdict sends a signal that it's possible to win over the mighty tobacco industry," said Karl Erik Lund, research director at the Norwegian Institute for Alcohol and Drug Research, who testified as an expert witness for the state.

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Labour party to redesign Utøya island killing spree

Friday, 07 September 2012 11:30

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The youth wing of Norway's Labour Party has announced that it intends to resume hosting summer camps on Utøya island, promising to spend 60 million kroner on redesigning the scene of Anders Behring Breivik's killing spree.

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Norway prepared itself for Columbia Challenge

Thursday, 06 September 2012 11:11

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Norway, which has made peacemaking one of the pillars of its foreign policy with varying results, could succeed in its efforts to mediate an end to the 50-year conflict in Colombia, experts suggest.

Columbian peace talks hails by Norway

Wednesday, 05 September 2012 12:36

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Norway, which is to host peace talks between Colombia's leftist FARC rebels and the government, on Tuesday praised both parties for taking a first step towards ending the conflict. "It takes courage to seek peace.

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Addiction to Cannabis! MP faces exit from Parliament

Tuesday, 04 September 2012 10:31

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A Labour Party MP who once sought to legalize cannabis now risks losing his seat in parliament after he admitted using the drug as recently as three weeks ago.

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