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TODAY IN NORWAY

Today in Norway: A roundup of the latest news on Friday

New report on improving Norwegian schools, strong Northern Lights display, and Stavanger’s mayor to leave Conservatives amidst scandal. This and other news from Norway on Friday.

Published: 13 September 2024 08:35 CEST
Pictured are the Northern Lights in Norway.
Find out what's going on in Norway with The Local's short roundup of important news. Pictured are the Northern Lights in Norway. Photo by Laura Lezman on Unsplash

New report on more practical skills in Norwegian schools

The parliament report on how to make schools better with more practical skills being practised will be released today.

Education minister Kari Nessa Nordtun will present the report, which focuses on school-aged children between years five and ten of school.

Stavanger mayor leaves the Conservative Party

Stavanger mayor Sissel Knutsen Hegdal has left the Conservative Party following a misuse of party funds scandal.

“I can confirm that Sissel Knutsen Hegdal has today (Thursday) resigned from the Conservative Party,” her advisor, Trond Birkedal, told regional publication Stavanger Aftenbladet.

The funds have been repaid, but Hegdal will step down as the city’s mayor, and a replacement will be found.

Strong Northern Lights display

Large parts of the country were treated to the appearance of the Northern Lights last night and early Friday morning.

The KP index was measured between five and six, meaning the lights were visible as far south as Oslo and the surrounding areas. The activity was caused by a solar storm.

Despite cloud coverage, many onlookers were able to see the lights at Songsvann in Oslo late Thursday and early Friday.

Jakob Ingebrigtsen eyes more accolades

Norwegian track star Jakob Ingebrigtsen told newswire AFP that he will get stronger in the coming years and that more accolades are on the way.

“Obviously, I’m still improving. So, of course, I believe I can improve and become a lot stronger next year and the year after that.

“At the same time, it’s important to not have major setbacks because it’s crucial to have that stimulation week after week, month after month, year after year, for a longer period of time.

“This year, I think I was able to recover from the winter (when he was recovering from an Achilles injury) because I’ve had so many years prior to that. But still, it’s not a good thing.

“So I’m very much looking forward to racing tomorrow, but still getting back to my work for the next couple of months and the winter to be a lot better prepared going into 2025,” he said.

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TODAY IN NORWAY

Today in Norway: A roundup of the latest news on Monday

Norway's first female party leader dead, authorities not prepared for dementia boom, and unsatisfied bank customers. This and other news on Monday.

Published: 16 September 2024 07:42 CEST
Today in Norway: A roundup of the latest news on Monday

Authorities not ready for a surge in dementia cases

Just under half, 49 percent, of Norway’s authorities are not prepared for a doubling in dementia patients, which is expected to occur in the future due to the country’s ageing population.

Some 48 percent said they were sufficiently prepared, according to the survey by Sentio on behalf of Nasjonalforeningen for folkehelsen, a charity organisation that combats dementia and cardiovascular disease.

“It is critical that the municipalities act now to equip themselves better. People with dementia and their relatives cannot wait any longer,” Tone Poulsson Torgersen from the organisation told Norwegian newswire NTB.

Authorities in western Norway felt best equipped to handle the increase in dementia, while municipalities in northern Norway said they felt least prepared.

Norway’s first female party leader dead

The first leader of the Socialist Left Party (SV) and the first female leader of a major political party in Norway, Berit Ås, has died at the age of 96.

“It is with sadness that we can announce that SV’s first leader and the country’s first female party leader, Berit Ås, has passed away. Ås died on Saturday evening in her own home with her family around her, after a short period of hospitalisation,” the Socialist Left Party wrote in a statement.

The current leader of SV, Kirsti Bergstø, paid tribute to Ås.

“Berit has shaped both the Norwegian left and the public. She always carried with her a deep sense of justice and was active until the end. We are grateful for that,” she said.

Bank customers in Norway are more unsatisfied than ever

While banks’ earnings have gone through the roof, business broadsheet Dagens Næringsliv reports that customers in Norway are the most unsatisfied they have ever been with the country’s financial institutions.

Customer satisfaction has fallen to 66.8 out of 100, the lowest level measured since Epsi Norway began measuring satisfaction in 2004.

“Safe and stable banks are important in troubled and uncertain times, but the impression that the banks are having an interest rate party while many customers are struggling to make ends meet can be perceived as unsympathetic,” the report on customer satisfaction by Epsi Norway read.

Centre Party wants to draw people away from Oslo

The Centre Party (SP) said it wants to make it easier for people to buy homes in rural areas outside of Oslo.

“You do not benefit from the same type of increase in value in these municipalities as in central areas. In some places, it is simply a big risk if you want to build,” Anne Beathe Tvinnereim, Centre Party deputy leader, told NTB.

New measures proposed by the party for between 2025 and 2029 (after the next general election) will make it easier and cheaper to get mortgages in rural areas.

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