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BERGEN

Sperm whale freed from Bergen bay

A sperm whale trapped for a week in a bay near Bergen has been freed after residents mounted a dramatic rescue mission.

Sperm whale freed from Bergen bay
Sperm whale in Norway - Sven Halling

The whale was herded between two boats out of the bay in the town of Øygarden and into the open sea. 

"Local patriots have mounted a spectacular action and guided the whale to the open sea," said Elin Skaar, a reporter for TV 2 who was on board the boat. "Hopefully the whale now free and not stuck back in the bay." 

Tore Haug, a scientist at Norway's Institute for Marine Research in Tromsø, said that sperm whales normally preferred to live far south of the North Sea. 

"The North Sea is not a natural area for them, but they get lost sometimes close to the Norwegian coast because of the Norwegian Trench which is quite deep. If they are heading south they can stray into the fjords." 

 

 

 

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RENTING

Rental prices in Norway’s biggest cities continue to rise

The cost of renting in Norway's four largest cities rose overall during the third quarter, with prices up six percent this year, figures from Real Estate Norway show. 

Rental prices in Norway's biggest cities continue to rise

A sharp increase in rent prices in Norway continued throughout the third quarter, figures from Real Estate Norway (Eiendom Norge) released on Tuesday show. 

“Real Estate Norway’s rental housing price statistics show a historically strong rise in rental housing prices in Norway in the third quarter,” Henning Lauridsen, CEO of Real Estate Norway, stated in a report on the latest figures. 

Growth was most robust in Stavanger and Oslo, according to Real Estate Norway. 

“The strong growth in rental prices we have seen in the wake of the pandemic continued in the third quarter, and it is particularly in the Stavanger region and in Oslo that the growth in rental prices is strong,” Lauridsen said. 

Stavanger and nearby Sandnes saw the largest price increases, with the cost of renting there increasing by 4.7 percent during the third quarter. During the same period, rents in Oslo increased by 2.5 percent, while a marginal 0.3 percent rise was recorded in Trondheim. 

While the cost of renting in Norway’s four largest cities overall increased by 2 percent, rental prices in Bergen declined. There, rents fell by 2.5 percent in the third quarter.

Lauridsen said that the increase in rental prices was likely to continue due to several factors. High inflation, interest rates, increased taxes on rental properties and a low supply of homes on the market all contributed to increasing rents. 

However, he did note that the supply of rental homes on the market had increased in Trondheim and Oslo since the summer. 

Lauridsen said that the least well-off financially were being hit hardest by rent rises. Previously, the Norwegian government has informed The Local that it will not introduce a temporary cap on rent increases. 

READ MORE: Norway’s government rules out a temporary rent cap

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