A signal to USA (Dagsavisen/Saturday)

The Nobel Peace Prize goes to the UN – as a demonstration for peace at a time of war. "It must have been a tempting idea for the Norwegian Nobel Committee to have Kofi Annan together with so many previous Peace Prize winners here in Oslo on 10 December. It will be a demonstration for peace at a time of war," said Stein Tønnesson, head of the International Peace Research Institute. He says that on a general level the award can be interpreted as a signal to the USA that the UN must play a key role in the situation we now find ourselves in, and that nations must not act in isolation.

Annan greeted with standing ovation (Dagbladet/Saturday)

A smiling Kofi Annan was greeted with a standing ovation and cheers yesterday when he arrived for work at the UN, of which he is the head, and with which he now shares the Nobel Peace Prize. This is the second time Mr Annan has received the Peace Prize on behalf of an organization of which he is the leader, but the first time he personally has been awarded the prize. He was head of the UN’s peace keeping forces when that organisation was awarded the Peace Prize.

Jagland: We must bomb Afghanistan (Dagbladet/Sunday)

"It is extremely regrettable if civilian lives are lost in Afghanistan, but I do not see that we have any choice," said Foreign Minister Thorbjørn Jagland. Mr Jagland has challenged opponents of the bombing to come up with an alternative solution to stop bin Laden’s terrorist activities. He has hit back at Socialist Left Party MP Olav Gunnar Ballos, who condemned the USA’s bombing of Afghanistan. "To quote Arnulf Øverland, ‘You must not sleep’. I thought it was obvious to everyone what kind of threat we are now facing," said Mr Jagland, and added, "It is good that Mr Ballo and others want a debate on the measures now being implemented. This is the sign of a democracy at work. But do not forget that it is just this kind of democracy which the terrorists want to destroy."

Progress Party’s county branches say yes to new government (NTB)

Two of the Progress Party’s branch offices have decided to reject a change of government at this time. 14 other party branches have said yes. The party’s Buskerud county branch believes it would be indefensible to make a decision on the question of the government before the party has received answers to the 54 questions it has asked the Conservatives, Christian Democrats and Liberals. Through a spokesperson prime ministerial candidate Kjell Magne Bondevik has told NTB that he does not wish to comment on the decisions taken by the Progress Party’s branch offices.

Christian Democrat leaders slam Progress Party tie-up (Aftenposten)

A number of leading local Christian Democrats are opposed to the new coalition government ruling at the discretion of the Progress Party. Relations with the Progress Party are a controversial issue within the three coalition partners. Many members of the centrist Christian Democratic Party harbour strong objections to the establishment of too tight a bond to Mr Hagen’s party and policies, even though the Progress Party supports the new government. Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg will probably notify the Storting of his government’s resignation on Wednesday in place of the traditional debate on the Speech from the Throne.

Norsk Hydro to shut Porsgrunn plant (Dagsavisen/Saturday)

350 jobs are at risk following Norsk Hydro’s proposal to cut magnesium production. Fast-growing exports of magnesium from China, which has extremely low production costs, have led to a significant fall in magnesium prices, particularly in the European market. Chinese exports have captured upwards of 40 per cent of the world market in just a few years, according to Norsk Hydro. This probably means that Norsk Hydro’s plant at Porsgrunn will be closed. In addition, a number of service providers in Porsgrunn may also go out of business. The total number of jobs lost could therefore reach the 600 mark.

Secret negotiations give teachers pay rise (Dagbladet)

Secret negotiations between the teachers’ unions and the Ministry of Education have been going on for six months. In the past two years teachers’ pay has risen by NOK 50,000. In return for higher salaries, most teachers will have to work longer hours. The result will be that the number of teaching posts will be cut slightly, and this cash transferred to the general level of pay.

Worth Noting

• Sverre Lodgaard, head of the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs (NUPI), believes Dag Hammarskjöld and George C. Marshall are among the best choices made by the Norwegian Nobel Committee in the 100-year-long history of the Nobel Peace Prize. (Verdens Gang)
• According to many commentators, the awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize to Kofi Annan and the UN was well-deserved. "A prize at a time in which it is really needed," said Ingrid Morgen, general secretary of the United Nations Association of Norway. (Vårt Land/Saturday)
• In-coming prime minister Kjell Magne Bondevik will have to break one of his main campaign promises if the Snow White development project is to be salvaged. He will have to say yes to a project which caused the fall of his previous regime – a new gas-fired power station with substantial emissions of greenhouse gases. (Dagbladet/Saturday)
• Every second Norwegian believes the trade union movement will become less important, and there is also a great deal of scepticism among union members themselves. This gloomy outlook for the union movement has emerged from a survey carried out by the market research company, Opinion, on behalf of Manpower. (Dagens Næringsliv/Saturday)
• The Peace Prize awards ceremony in December will put Oslo into a state of emergency. Security will be tighter than ever before. There will be a general ban on flights over Oslo, but even tighter restrictions on air traffic may be implemented. The security arrangements can best be compared with those in place when US President Bill Clinton made an official visit to Norway – and a bit more. (Verdens Gang/Saturday)
• Braathens’ major shareholder, Per Braathen, is sticking stubbornly to the agreement he has with SAS. He does not intend to give up any of the agreement’s NOK 1.1 billion purchase price. Mr Braathen has reacted furiously to the news published in Dagens Næringsliv over the past few days that SAS wants to renegotiate the purchase price. (Dagens Næringsliv/Saturday)
• Mikhail Khodorkovski, Yukos Oil’s largest shareholder and chief executive, as well as Kværner’s new major shareholder, is reckoned to be one of the "seven oligarchs" from Boris Yeltsin’s era. This was a small band of powerful men who traded shady favours with bureaucrats at the Kremlin. Mr Khodorkovski made his fortune smuggling young Russian girls to the West to serve as high-class prostitutes, according to PR Watch, a US based NGO. (Klassekampen/Saturday)
• The USA is a terrorist state. No other country has caused so much suffering since the Second World War," said Socialist Left Party MP Olav Gunnar Ballo. His claim was backed by his party leader, Kristin Halvorsen. (Dagbladet/Saturday)
• Increased pension costs could lead to cuts in the provision of care for the elderly, schools and nurseries. Next year local authorities must fill up their pension funds with an additional NOK 3.5 billion. This has not been taken into consideration in the recently published national budget proposal for next year. Unless the Storting allocates more cash to the local authorities, welfare services will suffer, according to the Norwegian Association of Local Authorities (KS). (Aftenposten/Sunday)
• 25,000 people living in 120 countries must confirm that they are still alive in order to continue receiving social security benefits from Norway. This is one of the tougher measures which now being introduced to prevent pension fraud. (Verdens Gang)
• Three out of five house-buyers in their twenties take out a mortgage which is much too large, with the result that they cannot afford to lead a normal life. "The figures are dramatic. This development could give us a new debt crisis in a few years," said Terje Kili, Deputy Secretary General at the Consumer Council. (Dagsavisen/Sunday)
• Buying Swedish meat products not only beefs up our pocketbooks, it fattens us up too. Nowhere do Norwegians weigh more than in the "pork belly belt" along the Swedish border. Nowhere are they heavier than in inner Østfold county and up through Eidskog, Kongsvinger and Solør, according to figures from recent government health surveys. (Dagbladet/Saturday)

Today’s comment from Verdens Gang

Following the counter-attacks by the USA and Nato against the terrorists who caused the deaths of thousands in Manhattan, the usual anti-American incantations can be heard on the Norwegian left – particularly from its intellectuals. Socialist Left Party MP Olav Gunnar Ballo has gone farthest, calling Americans terrorists and bloody murderers. It is fairly astonishing that a member of the Storting should go to such an extreme after the appalling tragedy in the USA. To the families of the 5,000-6,000 victims of terrorism, his comments must seem a direct insult – if the US media bother to quote them. There is no doubt that the USA has committed many acts of terrible injustice in its now long history as a superpower. Today most people in Norway agree that the Vietnam war was just such an abuse of power. Looking back on their history, European powers also have much to be ashamed of . All the forces for good must work unceasingly to make those states which have global power exert themselves to practice international justice. But knowledge of a history stained by dark shadows must not lead us to condemn the USA, the UK and the other Nato countries for embarking on an implacable war against the terrorists and the regimes which harbour them. It should also be remembered that it is not only Nato which is fighting this war. Russia has given its full support, China also believes the campaign is necessary. It is a tragedy that war, no matter how well targeted, leads to civilian casualties. But we ask: Should the USA have neglected to save Europe in two world wars out of concern for German civilian losses? The most important thing now is that the USA should use many instruments in pursuit of its aims – political, diplomatic, humanitarian and economic, in addition to military might. And that is just what the Americans are doing.