Krekar denies all charges (Aftenposten)

Mullah Krekar has said he will fight any attempt to deport him from Norway. Yesterday he denied all the charges which have been brought against him. He has absolutely no contact with al-Qaida and he has nothing to do with drugs, he said through his lawyers. Mullah Krekar had been considering going on hunger strike in the Dutch prison in which he is being detained, but was persuaded not to do so by his lawyers.

Krekar family refuses to comment on visit to Norway (Dagbladet)

Mullah Krekar’s family yesterday refused to answer questions about whether the extremist guerrilla leader with his own army in northern Iraq contacted them when he was in Norway at the beginning of August. Mullah Krekar yesterday confirmed to his Norwegian lawyer, Brynjar Meling, that he was in Norway just over than a month ago. Mr Melling says that it is of little significance for the case if Mullah Krekar visited his family or not when he was in Norway in August, and says that uncertainty surrounding this issue does not undermine Mullah Krekar’s credibility.

7 out of 10 move away (Dagsavisen)

Local authorities in outlying areas tempt young people to move there with the promise of financial incentives, but to no avail. 7 out of 10 move back to urban communities before they turn 35. "There is an extremely high turnover of people in outlying areas. Much of what the local authorities offer has only a temporary effect," said Kjetil Sørlie of the Norwegian Institute of Urban and Regional Research (NIBR). Many local authorities offer plots of land for housebuilding and other benefits such as educational grants and interest-free student loans.

Doctors put patients up for auction (Dagbladet)

Patient lists are now being sold to the doctor with the highest bid, and the best lists are going for over NOK 1 million. New rules mean that doctors can demand the market price for their patients, with the result in the major cities being an auction for the best patient lists and fat profits for the doctors. After the primary GP scheme was introduced, 344 patient lists have changed hands, according to information released by the National Insurance Administration. A medical practice in the country’s major cities can go for anywhere between NOK 50,000 to NOK 1.5 million.

More poison alcohol to Norway (Aftenposten)

On Thursday customs officers stopped another batch of methanol-contaminated spirits from being smuggled into Norway. Two men have died, probably as a result of drinking poisonous smuggled spirits, while nine other people have been become ill. The recent wave of methanol poisoning has sent shock waves through the smuggling community. People who have previously kept silent have now begun to talk to the police. Tip-offs are flooding in. It came as a shock yesterday evening when it was announced that a further 4,800 litres of deadly, methanol-contaminated spirits had been seized at the Svinesund border crossing with Sweden. The police now say that in addition to the latest seizure of 4,800 litres, they are aware of 6,400 litres of methanol-contaminated spirits which have been smuggled into Norway from Sweden.

Disappointed by Labour’s pensions policy (Dagsavisen)

Labour’s deputy leader Hill-Marta Solberg is in favour of removing the payment guarantees from public service pensions. This has caused employees belonging to the Norwegian Confederation of Trade Unions (LO) to see red. "I have always seen the Labour Party as the best when it comes to women’s issues. That is why I react so strongly to Hill-Marta Solberg’s proposal for changes in the pension system which will weaken women’s rights," said Turid Lilleheie, leader of the Norwegian Civil Service Union (NTL). Ms Solberg said on Friday that it would be necessary to abolish the gross-payment scheme, which guarantees public employees a pension corresponding to 66 per cent of their salaries, in order to bring public sector and private sector pensions more into alignment.

Better the EU than the USA (Nationen)

The USA’s steamrollering of the international community is an argument in favour of Norwegian membership of the EU, according to Sigurd Grytten, head of the European Movement in Norway. "We would be in a freer position in relation to the USA if we had been a member of the EU," he said. Mr Grytten believes that Norway cannot "go solo" in the international arena and is convinced that Norway’s foreign and security policy interests would be best served by joining the EU.

100,000 unemployed (Dagsavisen)

The Confederation of Norwegian Business and Industry (NHO) is forecasting that unemployment will rise to over 100,000 next year. Only a national budget which is so tight that it leads to a cut in both interest rates and the exchange rate can reverse the trend. This gloomy picture of Norway’s economic outlook is painted in the NHO’s half-year report. "The strengthening of the Norwegian krone has hit our member companies with a hike in costs whose ultimate consequences we have not yet seen," said Tor Steig, chief economist at the NHO. According to the NHO, the factory closures and the transfer of production abroad which we have seen so far could be just the tip of the iceberg.

Worth Noting

• The National Police Security Service (PST) has come under fire from the police itself for allowing Mullah Krekar to pick up his new travel documents in Oslo on 2 August. The PST has two officers stationed at the Oslo police district’s immigration department. It would have been easy for them to have issued a warning that would have appeared on the computer screen when Mullah Krekar showed up. But they had failed to do so. The Mullah even gave his real name – Najmuddin Faraj Ahmad.
  (Aftenposten)
• According to Mullah Krekar’s version of events, Norwegian officials were present when he was detained in the transit lounge at Schipol Airport. "There is little doubt that his detention was the result of a well orchestrated collaboration between the authorities of several countries," said Mullah Krekar’s Dutch lawyer.
  (Verdens Gang)
• The two sides in the Sri Lankan conflict yesterday praised Norway’s mediation efforts. "This is a great day for Norwegian diplomacy," said Vidar Helgesen (Con) in response. Not since Norway’s role in the Middle East peace process prior to the Oslo accords has the country garnered so much international credit.
  (Dagbladet)
• The Bow Eagle’s second officer has been extradited to Norway and will appear at a remand hearing on Tuesday. Four fishermen from the French trawler Cistude lost their lives when their boat was run down by the Bow Eagle on 26 August.
  (NTB)
• Labour front-runner Rune Gerhardsen thinks it is alright for the Socialist Left Party to demand the chairmanship of Oslo’s Municipal Executive Board if the party wins the most votes at the local elections next year. But he does not think they will. "It is a year until the local elections, and I do not intend to sit on my hands for that entire period," said Mr Gerhardsen, who recently made a comeback as the Labour Party’s top candidate in Oslo.
  (Dagsavisen)
• 72 per cent of Norwegian local authorities expect to cut their level of service provision in the next year. 88 per cent will see their financial results fall below those of last year, according to a survey carried out by the Norwegian Association of Local Authorities.
  (Klassekampen)
• At a refugee reception centre at Lysaker, just outside of Oslo, two employees are responsible for 86 young asylum seekers who have arrived on their own in Norway. The Immigration Directorate (UDI) admits the situation is untenable. The refugee reception system is being reorganized. Until further notice the Lysaker reception centre will be allocated additional funds. But this will not stretch to more than two and a half staff positions.
  (Aftenposten)
• The Health Minister’s proposal for a complete ban on smoking in restaurants is supported by a majority of the population. 51 per cent of those questioned in a survey support the Government’s proposal for a change in the legislation which would prohibit smoking in all types of eating houses. 41 per cent oppose the proposed change and 8 per cent have not made up their minds.
  (Verdens Gang)
• The Oslo Stock Exchange has plunged by 40 per cent compared to its all time high two years ago. But 40 out of 54 unit trust funds have fallen by more than the main index.
  (Dagens Næringsliv)

Today’s comment from Dagens Næringsliv

Labour Party deputy leader Hill-Marta Solberg has taken a clear-cut and courageous stand in the current debate on the future of the country’s state pension scheme. She has come out in favour of bringing pension schemes in the public and private sectors more into line. And in so doing she has called down the wrath of the majority of public sector union members. Ms Solberg is far from being the first to harbour such views, but it is of no help to her that Labour and Government Administration Minister Victor D. Norman and other senior Conservatives have put forward the same arguments. On the contrary. The Labour Party has become a small opposition party and that fact is visible in its policies. Responsibility and the good of the country have been pushed farther into the background, while the need to score points on individual issues has come more to the fore. However, it is good to see that there is still someone in the party who is able to think holistically and is concerned with other things than internal rivalries. If more Labour politicians had been more like Ms Solberg, it would be good for both the party and the country as a whole. But it is a shame that public service union representatives do not also realize that it is to their own members’ advantage if the pension system is simplified and brought more into line with those in the private sector. The unions should recognize that the strong desire to do something about the pension system is a good starting point for negotiations to bring salary levels between the two sectors more into line as well. Let us hope that the unions’ fierce protests are simply a signal that they intend to demand substantial concessions in return for their agreement – not that they believe today’s complex schemes are good enough.