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TODAY IN NORWAY

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

Orange danger warning still in place for flash floods and landslides, Norway signs global AI convention, and other news from the country on Tuesday.

Lightning
According to meteorologists, southern Norway is in for a wet and stormy week. Photo by Jonas Kaiser on Unsplash

Flash flood and landslide risk remains dangerously high

An orange danger warning remains in place for flash floods and landslides in parts of eastern Norway and southern Trøndelag.

READ MORE: What Norway’s weather alerts actually mean

Several roads and tunnels have been impacted by the severe weather.

The E6 is closed due to flooding, and the Helltunnelen in Trøndelag is closed as water has accumulated inside.

On Monday, Energy Minister Terje Aasland received a briefing from the Norwegian Water Resources and Energy Directorate (NVE) regarding the potential weather-related hazards affecting Innlandet and southern Trøndelag.

Aasland emphasised the need for municipalities in these vulnerable regions to elevate their preparedness levels to prevent significant damage.

He also highlighted the importance of factoring in such extreme weather events when planning future infrastructure, with the aim of minimising the impact on communities as extreme weather becomes more frequent.

READ MORE: Norway braces for travel disruption as weather warning issued

Norway signs global AI convention

Norway’s Minister of Justice Emilie Enger Mehl signed the Council of Europe’s AI Convention, the first global legally binding agreement on AI regulation, during a meeting in Vilnius on September 5th.

The convention aims to address AI-related crimes that can impact people, businesses, and governments.

At the convention, Mehl emphasised the need for international cooperation to tackle these challenges.

Wet week ahead for southern Norway, calmer weather in the East

According to meteorologists, southern Norway is in for a wet and stormy week.

Unstable air masses will bring stormy weather to the region in the coming days.

However, conditions are expected to improve in eastern Norway, where the weather will become drier as the week progresses.

Norway and China sign climate cooperation agreement

Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre and Chinese Premier Li Qiang signed an agreement on closer climate cooperation on Tuesday.

The declaration focuses on reducing greenhouse gases, preserving biodiversity, and fostering green industries and jobs.

Authorities, companies, and organisations from both nations will participate in the collaboration, with foreign ministers meeting every two years to review progress and set new goals.

The signing took place during Prime Minister Støre’s official visit to China, which concludes on Wednesday.

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TODAY IN NORWAY

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

Norway’s richest choosing to live abroad, banks call for measures against organised crime, and other news on Thursday.

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

New check-in procedure for SAS travellers at Oslo airport

This autumn, Oslo Gardermoen’s check-in desks will be shuffled about. SAS passengers will be moved to check-in areas 5-7, airport operator Avinor writes.

Luggage drops for SAS would also be tweaked as passengers would use drop-off boxes rather than the traditional belts.

“The biggest difference is that you put your luggage in a box rather than on a conveyor belt. You scan the luggage tag in exactly the same way as before, and then it disappears into the facility on a tray that will follow the luggage all the way to the luggage trolleys,” Hans Petter Stensjøen, from Oslo Airport Gardermoen said.

Other airlines will also be moving to the new area during the autumn.

A large number of Norway’s richest now living abroad

All three of the richest Norwegians now live abroad, the financial magazine Kapital reports in its list of the 400 richest Norwegians.

John Fredriksen, worth more than a quarter of a trillion kroner, resides in Cyprus. Torstein Hagen has a fortune of 92 billion kroner and lives in Switzerland. Hedge fund manager Ole Andreas Halvorsen had assets of around 76 billion kroner and lived in America.

“Of the 50 richest Norwegians, approximately half have moved abroad, and if we look at the entire list of all 400 richest, approximately half of all their assets are either wholly or partially controlled from abroad. There is a dramatic development in Norwegian ownership,” Kapital editor Vibeke Holth said.

DNB calls for measures against organised crime

Norway’s largest bank has called for measures against organised crime. DNB believes the current measures are outdated.

“We see a growing need to strengthen cooperation between the public and private sectors, and we need to improve the sharing of information between us and the police, also within the current regulations,” Kjerstin Braathen, CEO of the bank, told the business broadsheet Dagens Næringsliv (DN).

Bergen’s art scene upset at proposed grant cuts

Bergen City Council plans to cut most of its artists grants this year, citing tight budgets.

Some 2.7 million kroner of the 3.9 million kroner’s worth of grants would be withheld.

“I fight every day for the best possible conditions for culture, business and sport in this city, but when the municipality is about to go several hundred million in the red, we have to take action in all areas,” culture councillor Reidar Digranes said.

The newspaper Klassekampen reports that a protest was held outside the town hall.

“Here they simply do a lot of damage for very little money,” Sandra Lillebø, a writer, said.

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