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☆ Got a spare $324 million? Buy a slice of this strategic Arctic archipelago
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-14 | by ( Jack Guy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —The last piece of privately-owned land in the Arctic archipelago Svalbard is up for sale for a cool 300 million euros ($324 million). The Arctic is of increasing geopolitical importance as climate change melts sea ice. The land is governed by the Svalbard Treaty. Knight FrankAn eventual buyer will in fact acquire Aktieselskabet Kulspids, a privately owned Norwegian limited company which owns the land. The purchaser will have to come from one of the 46 nations that have ratified the Svalbard Treaty, which established Norwegian sovereignty over the archipelago.

Persons: Knight Frank, Knight Frank “, Wedel, Kyllingstad, ”, Jonathan Webb, Zeiler Floyd Zadkovich, Webb Organizations: CNN, “ Locations: Svalbard, Norway, Longyearbyen, Norwegian, Oslo, Svalbard Treaty, China

☆ Norway’s King Harald fitted with pacemaker after falling ill on holiday
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-02 | by ( Amy Woodyatt | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —Norway’s King Harald has had a temporary pacemaker fitted at a hospital in Malaysia after falling ill on holiday there. His transport will be facilitated by The Norwegian Government, while the Norwegian Armed Forces are responsible for the practical arrangements for his return to Norway, the royal household noted. The king, who was on holiday, fell ill with an infection earlier in the week. He has been king of Norway since 1991, and is Europe’s oldest monarch. His next official engagement, where he is due to preside over the Council of State at the Royal Palace, is scheduled to take place on March 8, according to the royal household’s website.

Persons: CNN — Norway’s King Harald, Maliha Organizations: CNN, The, The Norwegian Government, Norwegian Armed Forces, of State Locations: Malaysia, Langkawi, Norway, The Norwegian

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailHow Norway built an EV utopia while the U.S. is struggling to go electricNorway boasts the highest electric vehicle adoption rate in the world. 82% of new car sales were electric vehicles in Norway in 2023. The Norwegian government started incentivizing the purchase of EVs back in the 1990s, but sales really started to take off about ten years ago when Tesla and other EV models became available there. CNBC traveled to Norway to meet with experts, government officials and locals to find out how the Scandinavian country pulled off such a high EV adoption rate.

Persons: Tesla Organizations: CNBC Locations: Norway, U.S, Norwegian

☆ What the U.S. can learn from Norway when it comes to EV adoption
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-17 | by ( Jeniece Pettitt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Norway boasts the highest electric vehicle adoption rate in the world. Some 82% of new car sales were EVs in Norway in 2023, according to the Norwegian Road Federation (OFV). In comparison, 7.6% of new car sales were electric in the U.S. last year, according to Kelley Blue Book estimates. In the world's largest auto market, China, 24% of new car sales were EVs in 2023, according to the China Passenger Car Association. So that's a big advantage," said Petter Haugneland, the assistant secretary general of the Norwegian EV Association.

Persons: Kelley, Ragnhild Syrstad, Syrstad, Petter Haugneland Organizations: Norwegian Road Federation, China Passenger Car Association, Norwegian Ministry of, Norwegian EV Association . CNBC Locations: Norway, U.S, China, Norwegian, Oslo

☆ Norway defends deep-sea mining, says it may help to break China and Russia's rare earths stronghold
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-29 | by ( Sam Meredith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

Ocean Rebellions protest The Deep Sea Says No Why the deep sea? (Photo by Charles M. Vella/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images) Sopa Images | Lightrocket | Getty ImagesNorway says its controversial decision to approve deep-sea mining is a necessary step into the unknown that could help to break China and Russia's rare earths dominance. "We have been looking into the seabed minerals opportunity for a long time. Campaigners fear that exploration and exploitation activities in the deep sea could permanently alter a home that is unique to known — and many as yet unknown — species. "The argument put forward by the Norwegian government — and the deep-sea mining industry — that 'deep-sea mining can be done in a sustainable way' goes against the large consensus of scientific literature," Roux said.

Persons: Luciana, Charles M, Anne, Sophie Roux, Terje Aasland, Aasland, Arild Hermstad, Camille Etienne, Lucas Bravo, Javad Parsa, Norway's Aasland, Roux, — Organizations: SOUTH, Getty, IEA, Energy, CNBC, Afp, European Commission, Ocean Alliance, Lightrocket Locations: ROTTERDAM, SOUTH HOLLAND, NETHERLANDS, Norway, China, Europe, Russia, Norwegian, Vietnam, Brazil, Svalbard, French, Oslo

☆ Norway is gearing up to mine precious metals from the depths of its ocean in a world first
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-09 | by ( Marianne Guenot | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Norway is set to become the first country to move forward with deep-sea mining in its waters. Industry experts don't expect deep-sea mining to start before at least the early 2030s. It could open 108,000 square miles of Norway's national waters to commercial deep-sea mining, per the BBC. AdvertisementThe industry would seek to collect rare minerals like lithium, scandium, and cobalt from nodules and crust found on the ocean floors. AdvertisementThere are very few places in the world where these rare minerals can be found on the surface.

Persons: —, Energy Terje Aasland, Walter Sognnes, Lise Øvreås, Michael Norton, Odd Kristian Dahle Organizations: Service, BBC, Petroleum, Energy, Politico, European Union, Guardian, World Resources Institute, University of Bergen, EASAC, Association of Norwegian Fishermen, Democratic Locations: Norway, Norwegian, Democratic Republic of Congo

☆ The Earth Is Warming, but Is CO2 the Cause?
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-03 | by ( Holman W. Jenkins | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +1 min

Journal Editorial Report: Paul Gigot Interviews Bjorn Lomborg. Images: AP/EPA Composite: Mark KellyIf this column has ever plagiarized itself, it’s by repeating the phrase “evidence of warming is not evidence of what causes warming.” A paper published by the Norwegian government’s statistical agency, written by two of its retired experts, touching on this very subject has called forth so many shrieked accusations of climate apostasy that you know it must be interesting. The authors ask a simple question: Are computerized climate simulations a sufficient basis for attributing observed warming to human CO2? After all, the Earth’s climate has been subject to substantial warming and cooling trends for millennia that remain unexplained and can’t be attributed to fossil fuels. As statisticians, their conclusion: “With the current level of knowledge, it seems impossible to determine how much of the temperature increase is due to emissions of CO2.”

Persons: Paul Gigot, Bjorn Lomborg, Mark Kelly Locations: Norwegian

☆ New routes, old coaches: Europe's night trains struggle to pick up speed
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-03 | by ( Rachel More | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

They travelled with European Sleeper, a Dutch-Belgian startup whose launch in May is part of a renaissance of night train travel. CHALLENGESYears of decline in Europe's night train network coincided with the rise of low-cost airlines. Supporters of night trains are pushing for more state help to compete against budget airlines, such as a value-added tax exemption on cross-border routes and lower track access charges. At night, trains compete with freight traffic and construction works, and during the busy morning hours they vie for arrival slots at stations with commuter services. Sarah and Sonia's train, European Sleeper's ES453 service, pulled in at 7.57 a.m., one hour and nine minutes late.

Persons: Bart Biesemans, Sarah, Sonia, Chris Engelsman, Engelsman, Alberto Mazzola, Sonia didn't, Victoria Klesty, Matthias Williams, Mark Potter Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Berlin Central Station, Reuters Graphics, Reuters, OBB, Siemens Mobility, European Union, Thomson Locations: Berlin, Brussels, Belgium, Dutch, Belgian, Europe, Paris, Zurich, Norwegian, Oslo, Copenhagen, Prague, Amsterdam, Barcelona, France

Here are some things to know about the Nobel Prizes:AN IDEA MORE POWERFUL THAN DYNAMITEPolitical Cartoons View All 1190 ImagesThe Nobel Prizes were created by Alfred Nobel, a 19th-century businessman and chemist from Sweden. Though Nobel purists stress that the economics prize is technically not a Nobel Prize, it’s always presented together with the others. The Nobel Prizes project an aura of being above the political fray, focused solely on the benefit of humanity. The Norwegian Nobel Committee is an independent body that insists its only mission is to carry out the will of Alfred Nobel. To date, 60 women have won Nobel Prizes, including 25 in the scientific categories.

Persons: Alfred Nobel, Dynamite, ”, it’s, Nobel, Barack Obama, Liu Xiaobo, Albert Einstein, Mother Teresa, Jean, Paul Sartre, Le Duc Tho, Henry Kissinger, Ales Bialiatski, that’s Organizations: STOCKHOLM, Karolinska Institute, Nobel Foundation, U.S, Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences Locations: Scandinavia, Stockholm, Oslo, Swedish, Sweden, NORWAY, Norway, Norwegian, Beijing, China, Ukraine, Russia, Europe, North America

☆ Dozens of rich Norwegians worth billions have relocated to Switzerland to escape higher taxes
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-10 | by ( Jyoti Mann | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Wealthy Norwegians are fleeing the country following a wealth tax increase last year. Røkke, who has a Forbes-estimated net worth of $4.9 billion, had reportedly been the country's biggest taxpayer. Switzerland has long been considered an attractive tax haven for affluent people looking to take advantage of its lower taxes. According to PwC, wealth taxes in Switzerland vary by canton – its 26 regions. It says that the result of this is an "overall personal net wealth tax rate between 0.02% and 1.03%."

Persons: Dagens, Kjell Inge Rokke Organizations: Service, Nordic, Aker ASA, Forbes, U.S . News Locations: Switzerland, Wall, Silicon, Norway

☆ Norway government ministries hit by cyber attack
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

OSLO, July 24 (Reuters) - Twelve Norwegian government ministries have been hit by a cyber attack, the Norwegian government said on Monday, the latest attack to hit the public sector of Europe's largest gas supplier and NATO's northernmost member. That weakness has now been shut," Erik Hope, head of the government agency in charge of providing services to ministries, told a news conference. The attack was identified due to "unusual" traffic on the supplier's platform, Hope said, declining to provide specifics. Norway is Europe's largest gas supplier after a drop in Russian gas flows and Western Europe's largest oil exporter. Norway's state sector has been hit by cyber attacks previously, including in June 2022, when a so-called distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack took place, blamed on a "criminal pro-Russian group".

Persons: Erik Hope, Hope, Gwladys Fouche, Louise Rasmussen, Terje Solsvik Organizations: NATO, Thomson Locations: OSLO, Norwegian, Norway, Norway's, Russia, Ukraine

☆ This Norwegian couple’s playful, gender-defying portraits were discovered by chance after their deaths
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-27 | by ( Jacquelyn Palumbo | Jacqui Palumbo | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

At the turn of the 20th century, the studio run by Norwegian photographers Bolette Berg and Marie Høeg had a secret second purpose. Preus Museum--Norwegian Museum of PhotographyIn the photos, Berg and Høeg dress up in womenswear and menswear, using props and painted backdrops to set their irreverent scenes. Preus Museum--Norwegian Museum of PhotographyOne of Berg & Høeg's most recognized images is often misidentified as a self-portrait of the pair. Preus Museum--Norwegian Museum of Photography“I see them as businesswomen,” Aasbo explained. Altogether, there are now around 700 known negatives of Berg & Høeg’s work, some 80 of which chronicled their “private” lives.

Persons: Bolette Berg, Marie Høeg, visite, Høeg, Berg, Leif Preus, Kristin Aasbo, Preus, ”, ” Aasbo, “, Høeg’s, It’s, —, “ Marie, Høeg's, Ingeborg, Karl, it’s, Thorvald, August, Aasbo Organizations: Preus, Museum, Photography, Museum of, Berg Locations: Norwegian, Horten, Norway, womenswear, Madrid, Berg, Langesund, Finland, Nannestad, ”, —, Oslo, Lunner, Europe, Chicago

☆ Norway Opens Door for Deep-Sea Mining of Copper and Other Critical Materials
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-20 | by ( Yusuf Khan | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +4 min

The target crusts contain copper, zinc and cobalt, as well as some rare-earth elements, according to the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate. A seabed nodule obtained during a Norwegian Petroleum Directorate expedition to the Mohns Ridge in the Norwegian Sea in 2020. Currently, deep-sea mining in international waters isn’t yet legal, but it is expected to become so this year. “To forge ahead and unleash deep-sea mining in the Arctic would be criminal. Companies including Maersk and Lockheed Martin have also been divesting their deep-sea mining investments.

Persons: ”, Terje Aasland, Aasland, Nag, Louisa Casson, Lockheed Martin, Yusuf Khan Organizations: Sustainable Business, Clarion, Minerals, Norwegian Petroleum Directorate, Norway’s, Petroleum, Energy, NPD, International, Companies, Mining, Greenpeace International, Maersk, Lockheed Locations: Norwegian, Europe, Zone, Mexico, Hawaii, Norway, Jamaica, France, Germany, Clarion, yusuf.khan

☆ Norway Opens Door For Deep-Sea Mining of Copper and Other Critical Materials
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-20 | by ( Yusuf Khan | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +4 min

☆ Oreo-maker Mondelez faces Nordic backlash over Russia business
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

OSLO, June 12 (Reuters) - Mondelez International (MDLZ.O), facing a widening corporate boycott in the Nordic region over its continued presence in Russia, said late on Sunday it had asked to meet with the Norwegian government to protect its local business. Airlines SAS and Norwegian Air, railway group SJ, hotel chain Strawberry, retailer Elkjop, shipping group Fjord Line and the Norwegian Football Association were among those announcing in recent days that they would stop selling Mondelez products. Although some Western companies sold their Russian assets after Moscow's invasion of Ukraine last year, others such as Mondelez have stayed despite pushback from employees in other countries. Nordic companies said their decision stop selling Mondelez products was based on an announcement this year by Ukraine's National Agency for the Prevention of Corruption to blacklist the snack maker and other groups. Mondelez said it maintained "limited" activity in Russia while halting investment and advertising, and had condemned the war.

Persons: Mondelez, Terje Solsvik, Gerry Doyle Organizations: Mondelez, Airlines SAS, Norwegian Air, SJ, Norwegian Football Association, Ukraine's National Agency for, Coop Norge, Thomson Locations: OSLO, Nordic, Russia, Norwegian, Norway, Sweden, Ukraine, U.S

☆ Norway faces backlash from campaigners for 'reckless' pursuit of Arctic oil and gas
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-22 | by ( Sam Meredith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Norway oil and gas giant Equinor and Vår Energi, one of the country's largest exploration and production companies, confirmed to CNBC that the minister recently issued this call. Frode Pleym Head of Greenpeace NorwayIt is estimated that roughly two-thirds of the country's undiscovered oil resources lies off the country's northern coast in the Arctic's Barents Sea. The alternative to oil and gas is not more oil and gas, it is more energy efficiency and renewable energy." A spokesperson for Equinor told CNBC that the company hoped to see "new attractive acreage in the Barents Sea." Separately, a mid-April study from gas infrastructure operator Gassco said building a pipeline to transport gas produced in the Arctic Barents Sea could be worth re-examining due to the country stepping up its gas exports to Europe.

☆ Carbon capture project in Norway temporarily halted by high costs
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( Nora Buli | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

"New cost calculations show that we cannot implement the original plans for the carbon capture project within the existing budget," Knut Inderhaug, head of project operator Hafslund Oslo Celsio, said in a statement. Investment costs for the Klemetsrud waste plant, which are being subsidised by both the Oslo city council and the Norwegian government, were initially set at 5.5 billion Norwegian crowns ($518.88 million). Celsio was also in contact with municipal and state stakeholders over how best to realise the project. The CO2 captured at Klemetsrud is part of Norway's prestigious Longship carbon capture and storage (CCS) project, which also includes carbon capture at a cement plant and the Northern Lights transport and storage project. Klemetsrud was expected to capture round 400,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide annually, corresponding to 14% of Oslo's overall emissions of greenhouse gases.

OSLO, April 13 (Reuters) - Norway is expelling 15 Russian embassy officials that the foreign ministry said on Thursday were intelligence officers operating under the cover of diplomatic positions, a move which Moscow said it would respond to. The expulsions amount to a quarter of Russian diplomats currently accredited in Oslo, the Norwegian government said. It is the latest instance of a Western nation expelling Russian diplomats since the beginning of Moscow's full-scale invasion of Ukraine last year. So far this year, Estonia, the Netherlands and Austria have also expelled Russian diplomats. The Nordic country still seeks to maintain normal diplomatic relations with Russia, and Russian diplomats are welcome in Norway, Huitfeldt said.

☆ Norway’s fossil fuel bonanza stokes impassioned debate about how best to spend its ‘war profits’
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-26 | by ( Sam Meredith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

It has ignited an impassioned debate about international justice, with many questioning whether it is fair for Norway to rake in record oil and gas revenues at the expense of others' misfortune. Norway's Finance Ministry expects the state's revenues from oil and gas sales to climb to 1.38 trillion Norwegian krone ($131 billion) this year. "They are war profits," Lars-Henrik Paarup Michelsen, director of the Norwegian Climate Foundation think tank, told CNBC via telephone. Oil companies are getting richer and richer, but we don't see that money — and who is really paying for this? The so-called Government Pension Fund Global, among the world's largest sovereign wealth funds, was established in the 1990s to invest the surplus revenues of Norway's oil and gas sector.

☆ Factbox: Tanks for Ukraine: who is lining up to send them to Kyiv?
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Jan 25 (Reuters) - Germany, the United States and more allies are poised to announce plans to send tanks to Ukraine, officials and sources say, after Britain said it would send its Challenger 2 tanks and Poland pressed Berlin for approval to send German-built tanks. Ukraine has until recently faced resistance to its requests for main battle tanks to fight against invading Russian forces. BRITAINThe British government announced on Jan. 14 that it would send its a squadron, or 14, of its Challenger 2 battle tanks, which has a 120 mm rifled gun. POLANDWarsaw has said it is ready to send up to 14 of its Leopard 2 tanks and has been pressing Berlin to approve the move. NORWAYThe Norwegian government is considering whether to send some of its Leopard tanks, newspapers reported.

☆ Factbox: Tanks for Ukraine: who is lining up to send them?
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Jan 25 (Reuters) - Germany has approved sending tanks to Ukraine, after Britain said it would send Challenger 2 tanks and Poland pushed for Berlin's approval to send German-built Leopard 2 tanks. Ukraine has until recently faced resistance to its requests for main battle tanks to fight against invading Russian forces. It said it would send an initial company of 14 tanks. NORWAYThe Norwegian government is considering whether to send some of its Leopard tanks, newspapers reported. THE NETHERLANDSDutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said the Netherlands was prepared to deliver battle tanks to Ukraine if needed.

☆ Factbox: European companies cut jobs as economy sputters
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

REUTERS/Stephane MaheJan 17 (Reuters) - Decades-high inflation and the impact of war in Ukraine have forced companies across Europe into lay-offs or hiring freezes. * HUSQVARNA (HUSQb.ST): the garden equipment and tools maker announced in late October it will cut 1,000 jobs, the vast majority of them related to the shift from petrol to battery-powered tools. * SIEMENS GAMESA (SGREN.MC): the Spanish wind turbine maker in late September said it plans to cut 2,900 jobs, mostly in Europe, as part of a plan to return to profitability. * CLAS OHLSON (CLASb.ST): the Swedish hardware store chain said in December it would cut about 85 full-time jobs amongst other measures to deliver cost savings and reduced depreciation. BANKS AND FINANCIALS* KLARNA: Dagens Industri reported in May the Swedish payments company would lay off about 10% of its 7,000 employees.

☆ Factbox: FACTBOX European companies cut jobs as economy sputters
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

REUTERS/Evgenia NovozheninaDec 7 (Reuters) - Decades-high inflation and the impact of war in Ukraine have forced companies across Europe into lay-offs or hiring freezes. * FINNAIR (FIA1S.HE): the Finnish airline will cut about 150 jobs, of which 90 are in its home country, as part of a plan to return to profitability. * MICHELIN (MICP.PA): the tyre maker plans to cut up to 1,600 jobs in France, fewer than the 2,300 estimated in its initial voluntary redundancy plan as it seeks to safeguard production. * HUSQVARNA (HUSQb.ST): the garden equipment and tools maker will cut 1,000 jobs, the vast majority of them related to the shift from petrol to battery-powered tools. * H&M (HMb.ST): the Swedish fashion giant, which employs roughly 155,000 people, will cut some 1,500 jobs as part of a 2 billion crown ($189.5 million) savings drive.

☆ Factbox: European companies cuts jobs as economy sputters
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

☆ Norway to fund Ukraine gas procurement with $195 mln aid
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

OSLO, Nov 21 (Reuters) - The Norwegian government on Monday said it had agreed to assist Ukraine with gas procurement for the coming winter, providing funding amounting to 2 billion Norwegian crowns ($195 million). The funds, part of a previously announced aid package of 10 billion crowns, will go via the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD). "It is important to channel the support through an established, internationally recognised organisation, which will ensure effective and transparent use of the funding," Norway's Minister of Finance Trygve Slagsvold Vedum said in a statement. ($1 = 10.2652 Norwegian crowns)Reporting by Terje Solsvik, editing by Stine JacobsenOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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