Five big news stories from Norway you need to know about this week

King Harald to remain in Malaysian hospital

Norway’s Royal Palace announced Tuesday that King Harald had been hospitalised on the Malaysian resort island of Langkawi.

On Friday, an update was issued saying King Harald, aged 87, would remain in hospital for a “few days” before returning to Norway.

READ MORE: Norway’s king to remain in Malaysian hospital for a few more days

A medical plane operated by the Scandinavian airline SAS landed at the Langkawi International Airport in Malaysia on Friday, but authorities did not confirm whether the plane was intended for the king.

King Harald has suffered several health issues in recent years. However, he continues to dismiss speculation that he will abdicate.

He has reiterated several times that he has sworn an oath to Norway’s parliament for life and that it was a tradition in Norway for the king to die on the throne.

Norway’s parliament agrees on pension reform

Seven of Norway’s nine mainstream political parties have voted in favour of a pension reform.

The country’s retirement age will increase alongside projected life expectancy under the new system. It will increase by roughly one year for each decade, starting with those born in 1964.

There will be a hardship allowance for those forced to retire before the increased retirement age.

The Norwegian Confederation of Trade Unions (LO) has called the agreement “Norwegian politics at its very best”.

Such a broad consensus across political parties, unions and employer organisations is rare in Norway.

Some of those against the proposals have said they are concerned that those with the smallest pension pots will be left behind or are unhappy about the retirement age being raised.

READ MORE: Everything you need to know about Norway’s latest pension reform

Probe delivers verdict on Norway’s conflict of interest cases

A nine-month-long political scandal was brought to a conclusion on Wednesday when a committee in parliament delivered its verdict on several conflicts of interest scandals.

The most scathing criticism was reserved for popular former PM Erna Solberg. Last year, it was revealed that her husband had made thousands of share trades while she was PM, which would have disqualified her from making impartial decisions.

Labour and Inclusion Minister Tonje Brenna, former Foreign Minister Anniken Huitfeldt, and the current Støre government also received criticism.

Solberg is still the most likely right-wing prime ministerial candidate heading into the 2025 election.

The Local had previously reported on the scandal before the verdict was passed.

Oslo City Council to try and keep shops open on Sunday

The right-wing bloc that leads the Oslo City Council will apply to the State Administrator to allow shops in the Norwegian capital to open on Sundays.

According to the law, shops must be closed on Sundays, public holidays, and after 4pm on Christmas, Easter, and Whitsunday.

Some exceptions include convenience stores with a total sales area of ​​up to 100 square meters and gas stations with a total sales area of ​​up to 150 square meters.

Another exception is for stores in a “typical tourist destination”. Around one in three Norwegian municipalities has this status.

Oslo’s city council will apply for this exception. This exception would also only apply to certain parts of the city rather than the entire municipality.

The State Administrator has already rejected such exceptions in the past.

One dead and five injured in helicopter crash

A woman in her 60s died, and five people were injured when a helicopter crashed off the coast of western Norway on Wednesday.

She has been named as Reidun Hestetun, a nurse for energy company Equinor. The five injured in the crash were all employed by the helicopter company Bristow.

An investigation into the crash has been launched, but high seas have made recovering evidence from the wreckage difficult.

And a look ahead…

As it’s the beginning of the month, we’d like to remind you that we also publish articles looking at both the best events in Norway and the key changes happening in the month ahead.