Heavy rainfall warning for southern Trøndelag

The Norwegian Meteorological Institute has issued a yellow warning for heavy rain in southern Trøndelag on Monday and Tuesday.

Expected rainfall ranges from 40 to 60 millimetres within a single day.

The downpour could cause road closures, stormwater flooding in rivers, streams, and urban areas, as well as challenging driving conditions.

Residents have been advised to stay informed via online weather services such as yr.no and varsel.no and exercise caution.

Inflation in Norway dropped to 3 percent in May

Last month, the Consumer Price Index (CPI), which looks at the average change over time in the prices paid by consumers for a basket of goods and services, was 3 percent higher than in May 2023, according to Statistics Norway (SSB).

“Inflation has fallen for the fifth consecutive month. Since December last year, the twelve-month growth in the CPI has decreased from 4.8 percent to 3 percent in May. The recent drop is mainly due to lower electricity prices,” Espen Kristiansen, section chief at the SSB, said.

Food prices rose 5.4 percent from May 2023 to May 2024, down from 6.8 percent in April. Car prices also contributed to the overall decrease in inflation, with a significant drop in new car sales leading to a 2.1 percent price decrease from April to May—the most significant monthly drop since the 1990s.

Norwegian PM Støre condemns attack on Danish PM Frederiksen

Norway’s Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre has condemned the attack on Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, calling it “completely unacceptable” and an assault on open democratic societies.

“My good friend and Danish colleague Mette Frederiksen was attacked… on an open street in Copenhagen. It is completely unacceptable,” Støre said in a written statement.

On Friday evening, a 39-year-old man struck Frederiksen in the neck at Kultorvet in Copenhagen.

“I sent her a message… wishing her a speedy recovery and hope she will be back soon,” Støre said.

Researchers criticise stricter age limit for social media 

A majority in the Norwegian parliament (Storting) supports raising the social media age limit, but experts warn of privacy issues, the newspaper Aftenposten reports.

Currently, the age limit is 13 with parental consent, but companies cannot verify this. The Conservative Party proposed enforcing a 15-year age limit using BankID login.

Politicians Henrik Asheim, Nikolai Astrup, and Mathilde Tybring-Gjedde backed the proposal.

However, some researchers, such as doctoral researcher Clara Julia Reich from Oslo Met, highlighted ethical concerns, noting varying maturity levels among children and their right to online participation.

SAS plane returns to Oslo due to smoke smell

An SAS flight from Oslo to Split, Croatia, had to turn back due to a smell of smoke in the cockpit, the newspaper VG reported during the weekend.

The plane landed safely in Oslo, with fire engines on standby as a precaution, though their assistance was unnecessary.

“There was no smoke, just the smell of smoke,” press manager Irena Busic said.