Government loosens purse strings (Dagsavisen)

Five months ahead of the general election Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg has loosened the Government’s purse strings. Suddenly it is alright to start ladling out Petroleum Fund cash. For years the PM and Finance Minister Karl Eirik Schjøtt-Pedersen have guarded the Petroleum Fund against all comers. But when the Government presented its long range programme for 2002 to 2005, they were playing a different tune. This year we will spend NOK 20 billion oil kroner. In three years Mr Stoltenberg thinks we will be able to afford to spend NOK 48 billion, while he plans to stump up a generous NOK 86 billion in 2010. At the start of this year the Government Petroleum Fund stood at NOK 386 billion. In three years the Government expects it will have skyrocketed to an incredible NOK 1201 billion.

LO calls for help to industry (Dagens Næringsliv)

The Government must implement measures to secure the future of Norwegian industry now that more of the country’s oil wealth is to be used for social welfare schemes, according to Stein Reegård, chief economist of the Norwegian Confederation of Trade Unions’ (LO). "We support increased investments in healthcare, schools and nurseries. But at the same time it is important to do something for industry. Increased support for research and development and lower transport costs are among the measures which could play a key role," says Mr Reegård.

Safety measures delayed (Aftenposten)

More than a year after the Åsta train crash the National Railway Administration has announced that measures to improve safety on the Røros line will not be completed by the summer as had been promised by the Administration’s chief executive, Steinar Killi. Automatic train protection (ATP) and remote control systems will not be in place before the end of the year, at the earliest. And maybe not until next year. The Director General of Public Prosecutions will today announce whether he will be preferring charges against any individuals or organizations in connection with the Åsta train crash, in which 19 people died following a head-on collision between two trains on the Røros line in January 2000.

Import ban extended (Nationen)

As had been expected, Norway’s ban on imports from cloven-footed animals from the entire EU area has been extended. "The import ban will be in force for up to three weeks from midnight. But during this period we will be continually evaluating whether to ease restrictions from countries which have gained control over the spread of foot-and-mouth disease," said Agriculture Minister Bjarne Håkon Hanssen when he announced the Government’s decision yesterday afternoon.

Minister hopes to reopen meat trade with Sweden soon (Aftenposten)

"We hope to be able to rescind the ban on meat imports from countries such as Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Austria and Island as soon as possible, and re-establish normal trading relations," says Agriculture Minister Bjarne Håkon Hanssen. Norway’s indication that it wishes to soften the general import ban is explained by the fact that both EU and Norwegian veterinary authorities now feel they have a better picture of how foot-and-mouth disease is spreading in the EU area.

Dolphin mine sweepers (Aftenposten)

Specially trained dolphins from the USA will soon be hard at work clearing World War II German mines from coastal waters off southern Norway. The dolphins use their built-in sonar systems to find specific types of objects. The major mine-clearing operation has been codenamed "Blue Game". "There are some 80,000 mines along the Norwegian coast, as well as large numbers of other explosive devices such as torpedoes, grenades and ammunition," says Commander Rune Hausken, a navy diving and explosives expert.

Worth Noting

• The Norwegian Confederation of Trade Unions (LO) has refused to support Kjell Inge Røkke’s plans for a merger between Kværner and Aker Maritime, but has expressed itself in such woolly language that the two companies’ shop stewards are interpreting it in completely different ways. (Dagsavisen)
• Kværner chief executive Kjell Almskog is not at all concerned by Kjell Inge Røkke’s offer to Aker Maritime’s minority shareholders. Mr Almskog does not think it will give Mr Røkke an advantage in the battle over the possible merger between Kværner and Aker Maritime. Yesterday Mr Røkke offered NOK 110.5 for a share whose price stood at NOK 70 yesterday morning. (Dagens Næringsliv)
• Sudden snowfalls in southern and eastern Norway led to several head-on collisions yesterday. There were many accidents but no one was seriously injured. However, private cars and commercial vehicles with summer tyres led to the temporary closure of several roads. (Aftenposten)
• Bjørn Dæhlie has dived over the finishing line for the last time. Yesterday he announced his retirement from world class cross-country skiing. Dæhlie’s career, unquestionably the greatest in skiing history, was brought to a premature close by a bad back. (All newspapers)

Today’s comment from Aftenposten

Only a tiny minority of scientists make a discovery which forces history to be rewritten. And it never, ever, happens without intense opposition from those whose prestige, as well as professional and financial interests, lie in maintaining the status quo. Throughout his incredible life, in which even his own longevity reached legendary proportions, Helge Ingstad experienced exactly that. After 60 extremely active years he began his excavations in Newfoundland. His work became historic in every sense of the word. Mr Ingstad, working together with his wife, discovered the remains of a settlement whose origins cannot be ascribed to any other ethnic or geographic source than Northern Europe. The discovery does not detract from Columbus’s achievement, but it does change his status a good deal. The battle to gain recognition for this fact demanded persistence, meticulousness and courage, qualities which Helge Ingstad had in greater abundance than most of us. He could look back on a life which had brought him the greatest honours as a discoverer, scientist, woodsman, environmentalist, archaeologist and historian, writer, commentator and author. He came to be an integral part of Norway’s history, and he established the scientific foundation for a partial revision of world history. Only a few can claim as much.