Interest rates to rise much faster than planned

On Thursday, Norway’s central bank, Norges Bank, raised the key interest rate by 0.5 percentage points to 1.25 percent. 

Newspaper Dagens Næringsliv reports that this is the first time interest rates have been raised so quickly for 20 years. 

Governor of the bank Ida Wolden Bache said that interest rates would be raised to 3 percent by summer next year. 

Up to 400,000 households in Norway could struggle with rising interest rates, according to the Forecast Centre and figures from Statistics Norway. 

Busy weekend at airports expected

Friday and Sunday are expected to be the busiest days of the summer at Norwegian airports, with just under 100,000 travellers passing through Oslo Airport on both days, newspaper VG reports. 

Airports in Bergen, Trondheim and Stavanger are also expecting busy weekends. Despite the busy weekend ahead, Avinor, which operates Norway’s airports, said it should be able to cope without much disruption. 

“We are well prepared. We are an organisation with 2,800 employees at 43 airports trained to handle large numbers of passengers, so we look forward to doing a good job for all travellers and all airlines,” Joachim W. Andersen, communications manager for Avinor, told newspaper VG. 

Andersen added that travellers should arrive at the airport when they are recommended to by the airline. 

READ ALSO: What to expect when travelling through a Norwegian airport this summer

Air technician mediation talks to continue

Mediation talks between the Norwegian Aircraft Technician Organisation (NFO) and employer organisation NHO Luftfart ended at 10pm on Thursday evening and will continue on Friday from 10am,

Mediator Carl Petter Martinsen told public broadcaster NRK that talks on Thursday were positive. 

“Tomorrow, we will continue the talks. The good work we have started today will continue tomorrow,” Martinsen told NRK. 

“I think the parties are working well together now and with my assistance. It is too early to say if there is any great progress, but I think there is a certain development in a positive direction in the sense that they may have a little better understanding of each other’s positions,” he added. 

If an agreement isn’t reached by Sunday, NHO Luftfart will initiate a lockout, a move one airline said would eventually ground most flights. 

READ MORE: Lockout for aircraft technicians announced unless wage agreement can be reached

Bird Flu detected on Svalbard

Bird Flu was discovered in Svalbard for the first time after tests concluded that a dead seagull found in June in Longyearbyen had the virus. 

It is the first time the virus has been detected in the Arctic. The local government has asked the public to contact them if they find any dead wild birds on the archipelago.