Too many at KFOR HQ (Aftenposten)

Recent Nato calculations show that 70 per cent of the personnel serving at the KFOR headquarters in Kosovo could be sent straight home. General Thorstein Skiaker leads a headquarters staff of 1,400 officers and civilian employees. Many of them are just sitting around without anything useful to do. Why are they there? Because all the Nato countries insist on having their own personnel represented at KFOR’s headquarters. The number of staff is more the result of political interests than military necessity.

LO calls on Government to react more strongly (Dagsavisen)

Following the latest developments in the region, the Norwegian Confederation of Trade Unions (LO) is adding its weight to demands for stronger Norwegian pressure on Israel in the Middle East conflict, and is insisting the Labour government take a clear stand. "The escalation of abuse and violence by Israel demands a stronger reaction than the Norwegian Government has so far made," says LO spokeswoman Ellen Stensrud.

Norway chooses the most expensive fighter planes (Aftenposten)

Norway will pay almost NOK 36 billion for 48 new fighter planes from the USA. There are strong indications that Norway will choose the American Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) rather than the Eurofighter. The choice is directly linked to who Norway will be cooperating most closely with on defence issues in the coming years – the USA or Europe.

Conservatives break 20 per cent barrier (Dagbladet)

Jan Petersen and the Conservative Party are marching from strength to strength. Support for the Conservatives has crept over the magic 20 per cent mark and currently stands at 20.8 per cent, according to a poll carried out for Dagbladet and NRK. Last October the Conservatives could only muster the backing of 12.4 per cent of the electorate. "The figures are very good news for us. The solid centre-right majority shows that there is a good chance of a change of government after the election," says Mr Petersen, and points out that a centre alliance alternative looks less and less likely, while support for the Labour Party has also dropped. According to the poll, the Labour Party has dropped 3.4 per cent to 28.2 per cent, while the Christian Democrats jump 3.1 per cent to 16.6 per cent. The Progress Party’s collapse continues. Their support has dropped by 2.1 per cent to 13.3 percent, while there were only slight changes in support for the other parties

Russia protests against trawler arrest (Aftenposten)

Russia has questioned the validity of the Norwegian protection zone around Svalbard. In a note from the Russian Foreign Ministry, the Russian authorities have protested against the arrest of the trawler Tsjernigov. The wording of the note indicates an escalation of the Norwegian-Russian disagreement over Svalbard. The Norwegian Foreign Office does not share this interpretation, according to its spokesman, Karsten Klepsvik.

Calls for cut in proposed new oil tax (Dagens Næringsliv)

The Government’s proposed new oil tax will increase the oil companies’ tax bill by several billion kroner. Worst off will be Statoil and Norsk Hydro. The opposition parties will today meet with the Finance Minister to demand the tax be cut. Just before Easter the Government sent a consultation paper on its proposed new oil tax to the companies. Since then they have made their calculations, and voiced their complaints. The centre parties understand their protests and have called for the tax to be reduced.

Rise in numbers seeking refuge (Klassekampen)

The number of women who have sought refuge at centres for battered women has risen sharply. Eight per cent more women stayed at refuges in 2000 compared with the year before. Between 25 and 30 per cent of the women who contact the refuges have received death threats. Tove Smaadahl, general manager of the Women’s Refuge Secretariat, says the Government should carry out a proper survey to uncover the level of violence these women are the victims of.

Sold option – secured voting rights (Dagens Næringsliv)

The battle for Kværner took a new turn yesterday. Kjell Inge Røkke’s Aker Maritime sold an option which means the company can vote at Kværner’s annual general meeting on 4 May. This opens the way for a struggle over the composition of Kværner’s board of directors. The share option was sold to a small number of Norwegian and foreign institutions.

Worth Noting

Norway’s role as a peace negotiator has been reduced to almost nothing. Norway should now concentrate on being a human rights watchdog in the Middle East, says Dan Smith, head of the International Peace Research Institute (PRIO). (Dagsavisen)

There are now more people receiving invalidity benefit than there are public service employees. The number of people receiving invalidity benefit has exploded, particularly after the introduction of compulsory occupational injury insurance in 1991. Insurance company Vesta Forsikring’s chief executive, Trygve Bruvik, says that 15 per cent of those suffering from an occupational injury should not have been classified as invalids. He blames the medical profession. (Dagens Næringsliv)

Aker Maritime and its major shareholder, Kjell Inge Røkke, have taken a nominal loss of almost NOK 1 billion on their investment in Kværner. While Mr Røkke bought masses of Kværner shares at NOK 95 last year, they are currently trading at NOK 54. (Dagens Næringsliv)

Progress Party chairman Carl I. Hagen chose to take a swipe at farmers at yesterday’s hearing on agricultural incomes. "You lot want the advantages that come from being self-employed, with none of the disadvantages. It would be easier for the individual farmer if there were fewer of you," were some of Mr Hagen’s provocative comments. (Nationen)

Today’s comment from Dagbladet

Everyone knows that opinion polls must be taken with a pinch of salt, and everyone knows that reliable conclusions cannot be drawn from a single poll. But the figure for the Labour Party in today’s political barometer must come as an unpleasant shock for the party leadership. Their strategy was based on the party making good progress after an annual conference which had resolved a number of important issues. This gave the Government a good basis for policies which they hoped the voters would recognize the value of in the run up to the general election. Today’s opinion poll has shot holes in that strategy, particularly since the drop in support was a hefty 3.4 percentage points. Labour Party leaders Stoltenberg and Jagland are back to where they were when the party held its annual conference last autumn. If support for the party does not improve quickly the Government will approach the summer months struggling against the tide and with despondency in the ranks. The party’s only consolation must be that as many as a million voters do not make up their minds until just before polling day, and that the electorate is more changeable than ever before. But the message voters have sent to the Government today is not a cheerful one.