Children exploited by parents wanting to come to Norway (Dagsavisen)

Labour’s immigration spokesperson, Signe Øye, has accused some parents from poor countries of being speculative in letting their children take part in the Norway Cup youth football tournament. "They know that if the child is granted leave to stay in this country, the next step could be family reunification. We must not be so naïve as to deny that such things happen," said Ms Øye. Three Nepalese girls applied for political asylum on Sunday. Two years ago the same thing happened. 21 footballers from Sierra Leone ran away from their group. 16 of them asked for asylum. Frode Kyvåg, the man behind the Norway Cup tournament, described the situation as "extremely sad".

Political debate debased (Aftenposten)

The political debate is being debased, according to political commentators and veteran politicians alike. And the worst offenders are the Prime Minister and the Cultural Affairs Minister. "In the past few weeks we have seen the emergence of a new form of debate in Norway. It makes me especially sad to hear Kjell Magne Bondevik and Valgerd Svarstad Haugland," said Johan J. Jakobsen, former leader of the Centre Party. Political scientist Bernt Aardal believes strong language can be a good thing. "A bit of righteous indignation now and again can clear the air. But if the name-calling becomes a habit, it will vulgarize the political debate," he said.

Stoltenberg wants peace with Christian Democrats (NTB)

Jens Stoltenberg has said he does not want to engage in a war of words with the Christian Democrats. He does not understand why his comments on cooperation in the Storting over the budget this autumn have been met with accusations of irresponsibility from the Christian Democratic Party’s leadership. "I am surprised and upset at the way this has turned out. The time is now ripe to build cooperation. We must respect the fact that the parties have differing standpoints, but Norway and Norwegian politics have nothing to gain from the creation of unnecessary divisions," said Mr Stoltenberg.

Building the political left (Dagsavisen)

The ties binding the left-wing alliance in Norwegian politics are already very strong. Jens Stoltenberg notified the leaders of the Centre Party and the Socialist Left Party before he publicly announced his invitation to them to cooperate. Mr Stoltenberg has worked systematically to establish a collaboration between the three parties since Labour’s general election defeat last year. The aim of the alliance is to win a combined majority in the Storting at the next general election in 2005 – preferably with the participation of the Christian Democrats. Mutual respect, trust and a willingness to find solutions are described as fundamental preconditions for the historic alliance.

Health authorities’ control of doctors weak (Nationen)

Doctors conceal the truth or fail to provide the health authorities with information about their activities. The worst offenders now risk being struck off the medical register or having their specialist licences revoked. The health authorities have recently received complaints from several chief county medical officers who have been prevented from carrying out required checks on medical practitioners.

Waiting lists full of errors – patients suffer (Aftenposten)

Hospital waiting lists are full of errors and omissions. The statistics on which healthcare policy decisions are based are not to be trusted, according to a recent report. Some patients never have their names added to the waiting list they should be on. "This smacks of arrogance. Patients are not being taken seriously. It is unacceptable," said Paul Hellandsvik, chief executive of Helse Midt-Norge, the regional health authority for Mid-Norway.

Røkke victim of attempted blackmail (Aftenposten)

Last summer a group of blackmailers attempted to extort millions of kroner from Kjell Inge Røkke. The blackmailers threatened to tip off the media about Mr Røkke’s purchase of a coastal skipper’s licence if the billionaire did not pay up. Mr Røkke is currently facing charges in connection with the purchase. A middle man contacted Mr Røkke and a meeting was arranged. But Mr Røkke did not turn up. Demands were subsequently made twice more. Mr Røkke’s defence counsel, Ellen Holager Andenæs, has confirmed that she was already familiar with some of these details. She has now demanded a police investigation. "Of course the police must look more closely into this affair," she said.

Nine out of ten economists forecast no change in interest rates (Dagens Næringsliv)

The majority of macro-economists believe that Svein Gjedrem, Governor of the Norwegian Central Bank, will leave interest rates unchanged at Wednesday’s interest rate meeting. However, they feel a further increase later in the autumn is possible. The July rise in interest rates came as a shock to borrowers and the finance industry’s macro-economists. The economists were particularly concerned about the ‘aggressive tone’ of the Bank’s latest inflation report. When the Bank’s Executive Board meets on Wednesday they will be looking closely at whether developments since the last interest rate meeting in July have been more or less in accordance with the report’s forecasts.

Worth Noting

• The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will review its routines after three 15-year-old girls from Nepal, who had been participating in this year’s Norway Cup football tournament, asked for political asylum. The girls’ team received NOK 230,000 in financial support from the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (NORAD) to pay for preparation, travel and accommodation expenses. The decision to allow the team to travel was also taken by NORAD.
  (NTB)
• A series of wrong numbers has prompted Aslak Sira Mira, leader of the Red Election Alliance, to ask Telenor Mobil if his telephone is being tapped.
  (Klassekampen)
• Exhausted employees are injuring themselves at work or on the roads as they make their way home. But despite the warnings of researchers and the Norwegian Confederation of Trade Unions (LO), the Government is planning to double the maximum permitted overtime.
  (Dagsavisen)
• It is incorrect to claim that all the jurors thought Per and Veronica Orderud were guilty. Four jurors have confirmed to Aftenposten that none of the verdicts was unanimous.
  (Aftenposten)
• Norway’s per capita GDP is 43 per cent higher than the EU average. Private consumption is also higher than in the rest of the EU.
  (Nationen)
• Statoil is awash with cash, and chief executive Olav Fjell makes no secret of the fact that the company has NOK 50 billion to spend on acquisitions. In a falling market Statoil could pick up a number of oil and gas companies on the cheap.
  (Nationen)
• In this year’s competition to secure the biggest pay rises, the clergy are in the lead. They are now preparing for the final lap, while they congratulate themselves on their many victories – both large and small. The teachers also continue their triumphal progress through the public sector pay awards process.
  (Aftenposten )
• The budget airline, Norwegian Air Shuttle, is girding itself up for its battle with SAS and Braathens for the Norwegian domestic market. And it has borrowed a little help from the history books. Six internationally renowned Norwegians will adorn the tail sections of the company’s six Boeing 737s, which have been painted in a livery of red, white and blue. On Sunday, 1 September the new challenger takes to the skies – with the express wish of making Norwegian air travel much cheaper for both business and economy-class passengers.
  ( Verdens Gang)

Today’s comment from Dagbladet

Jens Stoltenberg does not like Prime Minister Kjell Magne Bondevik’s language. "Childish", "immature" and "irresponsible" are not suitable expressions for inclusion in the political debate, according to Labour’s incoming party leader. The Centre Party’s Odd Roger Enoksen’s sensibilities are just as delicate, and the President of the Storting himself, Jørgen Kosmo, has ranged all the dignity of his office behind a wagging finger of disapproval. These reactions have been prompted by the way Mr Bondevik responded to Mr Stoltenberg’s rejection of any cooperation over this year’s national budget. Mr Stoltenberg promised Aftenposten that he would make life difficult for the Government this autumn. And he did so two months before the budget proposal has even been finalized. He declared himself ready for a return to trench warfare only days after his grand invitation to work together across party political divides, an invitation which was also aimed at the Christian Democrats. It was also pretty impertinent to claim that Mr Bondevik’s party is a loser that has not managed to push through any of its key policies while in office, and that the Conservatives have won hands down. Neither Mr Stoltenberg nor Mr Enoksen can expect to be met with jovial slaps on the back after that. If they cannot stand the heat, they should get out of the kitchen.