Old spy cases to be dropped (Aftenposten)

Norwegians who spied for east bloc communist regimes can breathe a sigh of relief. The hunt for Stasi agents has been called off. The fight against terrorism now has first priority, according to Per Sefland, head of the National Police Security Service (PST). The police are working more closely together to track the flow of cash from drug smuggling and other illegal activities which finance the terrorists. The number of tip-offs from the public has increased significantly in the past year.

Krekar fears falsified drug evidence (Verdens Gang)

After being remanded in custody for another 20 days, Mullah Krekar is afraid that Jordan will have plenty of time to fabricate "evidence" linking him to drug offences. The fact that Krekar was once again remanded in custody means that in reality he will not be allowed to return to Norway. Mullah Krekar will probably remain on remand in the Netherlands for several months. Sources in Norway have also said that his appeal against the deportation order which Norwegian authorities are preparing to issue is unlikely to lead to the decision being reversed. He will therefore be allowed to return to Norway.

Lundteigen predicts fierce battle in Centre Party (Nationen)

Per Olaf Lundteigen, former Centre Party general secretary and MP, has published his prescription for getting the party back on its feet. Mr Lundteigen wants greater autonomy in local politics, new tax policies, a strong defence, a society based on Christian values, tougher demands on immigrants and continued close relations with the USA. Mr Lundteigen recently launched a savage attack on the policies pursued by the party’s current leadership, and has declared that the battle played out ahead of next spring’s annual conference will be a battle for the party’s very future.

No change in Christian Democrat leadership ahead of annual conference (Dagsavisen)

Lars Gunnar Lie, chairman of the Christian Democratic Party’s selection committee, wants to avoid a situation which places any of the party’s current leadership in a "lame duck" situation. His concern is not without foundation after party chairman Valgerd Svarstad Haugland announced that changes will be made in the Christian Democrat leadership. The new leadership team is not due to be elected until May next year – a gap of eight months. Ms Haugland has said that one of the three people who currently make up the leadership team must step down – either as a government minister or as a party leader – since the party does not like the fact that its chairman and both deputy leaders are bound by loyalty to the coalition government rather than to the Christian Democratic Party.

Pressurized into bigger handouts for the regions (Aftenposten)

The local authority rebels in the Christian Democratic Party defeated Local Government and Regional Affairs Minister Erna Solberg (Con). Aftenposten has reason to understand that when next year’s budget is announced, the business development funds will be re-established and will have NOK 50 million in the pot. There was uproar in the regions when Ms Solberg last year cut the entire NOK 93 million allocation to the country’s local authority business development funds. At the same time the Trade and Industry Ministry created its own regional fund, worth around NOK 1 billion. The returns on this investment, around NOK 60 million, are intended for regional areas which have a particularly weak business base.

Insurance agents cash in on terrorism fears (Dagsavisen)

Insurance agents doubled their commission revenues last year. Insurance agents are meant to help customers find the most suitable insurance cover. The increase in commission revenues helped insurance agents boost their annual results in 2001 to NOK 85 million, a rise of 98 per cent compared with 2000. Behind the revenue hike are higher damage insurance payouts and a heightened fear of terrorist attacks.

Storebrand boss halts pay rises (Dagens Næringsliv)

Storebrand chief executive Idar Kreutzer will not be giving any pay rises to those already earning over NOK 527,000 a year. By freezing his own salary and those of 250 employees for one year Mr Kreutzer aims to save around NOK 20 million. "We are not doing this because Gerd-Liv Valla, president of the Norwegian Confederation of Trade Unions (LO), says she wants to freeze her salary and has called on others to do the same. I issued a notice that salaries would not be raised on Tuesday," he said.

Unions put the squeeze on Clemet (Dagsavisen)

The Norwegian Confederation of Trade Unions (LO) and the Confederation of Higher Education Unions, Norway (UHO) have joined forces in an attempt to stop Education Minister Kristin Clemet’s private schools bill. LO president Gerd-Liv Valla and Helga Hjetland, leader of the UHO, yesterday kicked off preparations for a campaign against private schools. They want to prevent the Conservative Party’s proposal for a new independent schools act being adopted by the Storting next year. "We do not know of any country which has anything but bad experiences of school privatization," said Ms Hjetland.

NOK 100 million lost (Dagsavisen)

The five most important companies on the Oslo Stock Exchange – Statoil, Norsk Hydro, Telenor, Orkla and Norske Skog – have lost almost NOK 100 million in market capitalization in the past year. Since April Statoil, the so-called "people’s share", has seen its share price slump by 19 per cent. The telecommunications industry has been harder hit than other sectors, and a Telecom share is now worth almost 40 per cent less than it was six months ago.

Røkke to invest billions in northern Norway (Aftenposten)

Kjell Inge Røkke is to pay out NOK 1.2 billion to get his hands on a tasty slice of northern Norway’s fishing industry. Norway Seafoods has bought up 18 trawlers and their quotas, and is by far the largest supplier of fresh fish in the country. The plan is to establish a number of small-scale fish stations along the entire coast which can purchase the catches landed by small fishing boats.

1. Worth Noting

• Karita Bekkemellem Orheim, leader of the Labour Party’s women’s movement believes the proposal that membership of the Labour Party leadership be determined on the basis of gender quotas will be approved. 150 delegates will attend the women’s movement’s annual conference on Saturday and Sunday.
  (Aftenposten)
• The EFTA Surveillance Authority (ESA) currently has seven cases before it where Norwegian legislation and practice are suspected of being illegal. A major ESA delegation will arrive in Oslo at the beginning of October to review the cases.
  (Nationen)
• Included in the Government’s proposed action plan to combat the trafficking of women and children are tougher penalties for pimping and greater focus on the customers. In addition, Children and Family Affairs Minister Laila Dåvøy (Chr.Dem) has announced the introduction of ethical guidelines dealing with the purchase of sex by public employees travelling on official business.
  (Aftenposten)
• Denmark is planning to build villages in Afghanistan in order to send refugees home faster. Carl I. Hagen is thinking of making a similar proposal to the Storting. "I will be reading up on the Danish proposal and will consult the Progress Party’s parliamentary group. The idea is to make a similar proposition to the Storting," said Mr Hagen.
  (Verdens Gang)
• The Norwegian customs officers’ union is dismayed by proposals to close down 16 customs offices, and fears that it will make it easier to smuggle drugs and other goods into Norway. "The news that the Customs Administration is to close offices will quickly spread among those with dishonest intent," said union leader Paul-Gunnar Zindel.
  (Aftenposten)
• The pre-school day-care agreement will cost more than the Ministry has calculated. However, Labour’s family affairs spokesman, Trond Giske, says it remains out of the question to reduce the agreement’s level of ambition. The Norwegian Association of Local Authorities (KS) estimates the agreement to cut pre-school day care fees and increase the number of places available will cost between NOK 6.5 million and NOK 7 million per year.
  (NTB/Vårt Land)
• The stock market continues plunging to ever greater depths, prompting stock broking firms to announce redundancy plans. Upwards of 200 employees at Norwegian stock brokers will lose their jobs by the end of the year, predicts the Association of Norwegian Stock Broking Companies.
  (Dagens Næringsliv)
• Statoil has confirmed that even before construction work on the gigantic Snow White gas field off the coast of Finnmark has even got properly underway, the project’s budget has been overrun by NOK 3 billion. Most of the extra costs are linked to the purchase of more steel than initially estimated, because the weight of the gas cooling plant at Melkøya was miscalculated.
  (Aftenposten)
• "We want to adopt Keiko. He has become one of us," said Ivar Betten, mayor of Halsa on the Nordmøre coast. In the course of a few short days the mayor has seen how the killer whale has managed to generate enormous enthusiasm in his local area. Now he and local villagers will go a long way to keep Keiko.
  (Aftenposten)

2. Today’s comment from Verdens Gang

The Government’s description of the difficulties posed by next year’s national budget do not bode well. A shortage of cash means that spending ministers now seem more preoccupied with reducing expectations with regard to the budget and the Government’s many promises from last year. We are now hearing that last year’s key issue – investment in education – will probably not come to anything. On the contrary, Norwegian schools must prepare themselves for further cuts, as must local authorities. There is apparently not much left of the Government’s promised tax cuts either. The Government is trying to push responsibility for this lack of results onto the opposition parties and previous governments. That is something they should stop doing. We know that the Government took over a set of books laden with unpaid bills, and that the opposition has saddled the Government will an extremely costly, and from its point of view unwelcome, reform of the pre-school day-care sector. But the Government was already aware of the many unpaid bills resulting from previous decisions by the Storting, and the nursery price cap of NOK 1,500 and the creation of more nursery places will be phased in over several years. We feel government ministers should take a more offensive line and deliver the goods they promised last autumn. The Government will have to put up with its minority status for as long as it chooses to keep the Progress Party out of the coalition. And minority governments are nothing new in Norway. We have had them for most of the time since 1961. The Government must stop wringing its hands and moaning, and decide whether it wants to carry on its uphill struggle or do something about it.