King Harald’s surgery a success

King Harald has had a permanent pacemaker fitted following an operation on Tuesday. He had been fitted with a temporary one after falling ill on holiday in Malaysia earlier this month.

The operation on Europe’s oldest reigning monarch was a success, his doctors said after the procedure on Tuesday.

The palace said on Thursday that he would remain on sick leave until April.

Crown Prince Haakon has stepped in as regent in the king’s absence.

Harlad has refused talk of abdication over the years, saying his oath as king was a lifelong commitment. 

Norway to hit ‘two percent’ NATO target ahead of schedule

Norway’s budget will see a heavy increase in defence spending, Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre said on Thursday.

He didn’t provide a solid figure but said that 2024 Norway would reach the target set for NATO countries. NATO countries have a target to dedicate at least two percent of GDP to military spending.

“Russia has no interest in a military conflict with a NATO member,” Støre said. “But we will likely have to cope for a long time with a more dangerous and more unpredictable neighbour, Russia.”

“Norway poses a threat to no one,” Støre stressed. “It’s not a plan (to provoke) a conflict, it’s a plan to avoid conflicts.”

Norway shares a 198-kilometre (123-mile) border with Russia in the north and was a founding member of NATO in 1949.

READ MORE: Norway to hit ‘two percent’ NATO target ahead of schedule

Terror trial for Oslo Pride shooter

Zaniar Matapour, a 44-year-old Norwegian of Iranian origin, pleaded not guilty to committing a terrorist act in court on Tuesday.

Matapour is accused of opening fire outside two bars in central Oslo, including the gay club London Pub, on the night of June 25th, just hours before the Oslo Pride Parade was to be held.

As the week has progressed, the court has heard from witnesses and those injured in the shootings.

While in custody, he has consistently refused to answer investigators’ questions and never provided any motive for the shooting.

One of the Norwegian police’s main theories is that he deliberately targeted the gay community because of his extremist religious views.

Experts have been torn over the suspect’s mental health.

Norway to see real wage increases until 2027

Norway’s national data agency has published an updated forecast for the country’s economy over the next few years, featuring plenty of good news.

It expects real wage increases over the next few years, slower inflation, and interest rate cuts.

“Profitability has increased in parts of the industry, and that leaves room for real wage growth both this year and in the years to come,” Thomas von Brasch, head of research at Statistics Norway, said.

The data agency estimates an annual wage increase of 1.5 percent between 2024 and 2027.

READ ALSO: Three reasons to be optimistic about your finances in Norway

Cut-off date for Norway’s au pair scheme

Roughly a month after Norway announced that it had scrapped the au pair scheme with immediate effect, March 15th saw the final deadline for those with applications to book an appointment to hand in their documents.

Norway’s government decided to scrap the scheme over concerns that it had become exploitative. It argued that it had become a source of cheap labour rather than a source of cultural exchange.

There have been several high-profile cases where host families have been found to have exploited au pairs.

Au pairs in Norway work up to 30 hours a week, with entitlements for one day off a week. In return, they are paid 5,900 kroner a month and receive board and lodging from their hosts.

The average monthly salary in Norway, by comparison, was 56,360 kroner per month in 2023.