Norway’s government proposes price cap on taxis

The government could introduce a maximum price on taxis when hailing one on the street or from a bus stop in the country’s big cities.

“Unfortunately, there is so much frivolity that we feel compelled to do this. Good competition is always welcome. This will remove unscrupulous players,” State Secretary in the Ministry of Trade and Fisheries Vegard Grøslie Wennesland told the business news site E24.

The regulation won’t apply to trips that are pre-booked with a price agreed in advance.

The new price caps will be introduced for only a year. The Norwegian Competition Authority has previously warned against the introduction of a maximum price.

Oslo’s small house plan halted due to landslide investigation

A plan to build thousands of new single-family houses in Oslo has been halted as the Norwegian Water Resources and Energy Directorate will investigate the risk of flooding and landslides in some of the affected areas.

The halt applies to around 28,000 potential properties, the Norwegian newspaper Aftenposten reports.

On Thursday, a meeting will be held between the city council, city council leader Eirik Lae Solberg, and municipal minister Erling Sande.

Potential fishing ban in the Oslo Fjord criticised

Norway’s Directorate of Fisheries has proposed several options to try and save marine life in the Oslo Fjord.

Among those is the introduction of three large zones where commercial and recreational fishing in the Oslo Fjord would be hated.

This plan has received pushback from the fisherman association, the Sør-Norges Fiskarlag.

“There must be a balance in the measures, and we therefore warn against the most extreme proposals that have now been put forward,” Alessandro Astroza from the association said.

“We fear that the introduction of this option will be the nail in the coffin and lead to a real discontinuation of commercial fishing in the south,” he added.

Oslo Pride shooting verdict expected

A verdict will be delivered to the shooter who killed two people and injured others hours before the 2022 Oslo Pride parade.

Zaniar Matapour is accused of opening fire outside two bards in central Oslo, including a famous gay club. In addition to the two who were killed, nine others were injured.

Norway’s public prosecutor has sought the maximum penalty of 30 years – with possible extensions, for the 45-year-old Norwegian Iranian.

The verdict is expected around 1pm, and Matapour, who pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group, is accused of an “aggravated act of terror”.