Kværner hopes pinned on Russians (Aftenposten)

The deadline for Kværner’s efforts to avoid bankruptcy expires at 10 am today. Kværner is pinning its hopes on its largest shareholder, the Russian company Yukos Oil. In a last ditch effort to find a solution, senior Kværner officials and bank representatives met yesterday evening with Yukos chief executive Mikhail B. Khodorkovski in Stockholm. Kværner chairman Harald Arnkværn was involved in meetings throughout the weekend. "But we have no guarantees that a solution will be found," he said.

Røkke sidelined (Dagens Næringsliv)

Last night Kværner’s board of directors seemed to have given up on its efforts to find a solution in collaboration with Kjell Inge Røkke and Aker Maritime. Instead, Kværner’s board was pinning its hopes on a solution in which the Russian oil company, Yukos Oil, would invest sufficient capital to persuade the banks to continue financing the beleaguered Norwegian concern. "We have the impression that they are prioritizing other things and are in the process of standing down our own team," said spokesman for Aker Maritime, Geir Arne Drangeid last night.

Labour women call for forced treatment of young addicts (Dagsavisen)

The Labour Party’s women’s movement believes no measure should go untried in the treatment of substance abuse – not even the use of force to treat young drug addicts. "If everything else has been tried, society should have the opportunity to forcibly treat young addicts under the age of 23. Those with a severe drug problem do not have a will of their own and it is very difficult to stop taking drugs without help. So the authorities must have the possibility of intervening to help young people out of their addiction," said Labour MP Karita Bekkemellem Orheim.

No need for more money (Dagsavisen)

Prime Minister Kjell Magne Bondevik hopes that lower interest rates and tax cuts will give a much needed boost to the Norwegian economy. He does not want to spend more of the country’s oil revenues to combat the economic downturn which now seems to be hitting Norway in the wake of the terrorist attacks on the USA. It is the understanding of the Newspapers’ News Agency (ANB) that the Bondevik government will "move" over NOK 5 billion in its new proposal for the national budget which will be published 9 November. Most of this will go towards lower direct and indirect taxes, but the Bondevik government has also found room for some expenditure increases over and above those proposed by the Stoltenberg government before its resignation.

Minister in fight for political life (Dagsavisen/Saturday)

Hard-pressed Fisheries Minister, Svein Ludvigsen, will spend the weekend fighting for his political life. Mr Ludvigsen, whose ministerial authority has been severely weakened after doubts were raised about his impartiality, is due to meet with Prime Minister Kjell Magne Bondevik. Together they will decide if Mr Ludvigsen can continue in office. "We shall review what has happened and decide on my impartiality in relation to specific issues," confirmed Mr Ludvigsen.

Bondevik intervened – again (Aftenposten/Saturday)

"Svein Ludvigsen can be assured that he has the backing of the Prime Minister," said Kjell Magne Bondevik after he had intervened in the latest of his Fisheries Minister’s presumed problems. "A tough start," said the Prime Minister yesterday, as he commented on Svein Ludvigsen’s first week as Fisheries Minister – a week which had included everything from Freemasonry, the Mormons, a lack of impartiality and whistle-blowing telephones.

Worth Noting

• "That my brother should be disqualified from being Fisheries Minister because I am an elected official of the Norwegian Fishermen’s Sales Organization for Pelagic Fish is a gross overreaction," said fisherman Kåre Ludvigsen. He believes Svein Ludvigsen is the victim of a witch-hunt. (Dagbladet/Saturday)

• Former Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg has promised to give the Government the benefit of the doubt and refrain from criticizing it – yet. "I have been asked to give the Government marks out of 10, but I can’t. I am the least impartial person in the world where that is concerned," said Mr Stoltenberg on Saturday. (Dagsavisen/Saturday)
• Last night Aker Maritime laid out its proposal for a solution to Kværner’s problems, but it was rejected. The industrial corporation, with 4,750 employees in Norway, is now entering its make-or-break week. (Dagbladet)
• The Government is planning to guarantee all Norway’s inhabitants a tax-free minimum income of NOK 100,000 – whether you are working or unemployed, whether you are healthy or sick. This basic "salary" will replace social security and unemployment benefits, and other benefit schemes. (Dagbladet)
• Countries like the USA and Canada select UN refugees of the highest quality; individuals with significant personal resources who are easy to receive into the country. Norway must put up with the more difficult refugees who are suffering from illnesses, are handicapped or are poorly educated. Norway has several times complained about the inequality in the size of the burden represented by these refugees. (Aftenposten/Saturday)
• Fisheries Minister Svein Ludvigsen has resigned his membership of the Freemasons. "We have had several conversations about this," said Prime Minister Kjell Magne Bondevik. (Dagsavisen/Saturday)
• It would cost less than NOK 1 million to raise the worst off Norwegian families out of poverty, according to calculations published by the Central Bureau of Statistics. Now that this figure has been brought out into the open, it should result in a major political effort, says the Salvation Army and the Church City Mission. (Aftenposten/Saturday)
• F-14 and F/A 18 aircraft are being used to bomb Afghanistan. These military aircraft are built partly by Saab, Ericsson and Volvo, companies in which the foundation behind the Nobel Peace Prize has invested. (Klassekampen/Saturday)
• Unemployment has risen for the first time in years. The Directorate of Labour believes that even more people will lose their jobs in the next few months. In addition to the travel and IT industries, more people are being made redundant in the media and advertising sectors. (Dagens Næringsliv)
• The Finance Department believes the Norwegian economy will be in a worse position in 2002 than previously anticipated. This is the conclusion of recent analyses commissioned by Labour Finance Minister Karl Eirik Schjøtt-Pedersen before he stepped down. (Dagens Næringsliv/Saturday)

Today’s comment from Dagbladet

The Immigration Directorate (UDI) claims that strong countries like the USA, Canada and Australia screen out the weakest asylum-seekers and take only the well-educated and well-functioning refugees. Norway ends up with those at the bottom of the heap because we are kind-hearted – even to a fault – and hear the UN’s appeals when it comes to allocating quota refugees. It is obviously quite unacceptable if powerful countries operate with acceptance criteria which allows them to hand-pick those individuals who are easiest to integrate, while other countries must take care of the sick and the traumatized. However, people in this latter group probably have a greater need for asylum than those individuals who are well equipped with personal resources. So if it is true that Norway takes care of the weak to a greater extent than other countries, that is a good thing. Our impression is that it is not exactly easy to integrate well-educated people either. Norwegians’ fear of foreigners is a greater hindrance to refugee integration than the fact that we may be slightly more generous than others towards the weakest among them.