FARUKH SHEHZAD

OSLO, FEB 12: Norway has decided to lift essentially all remaining Covid-19 restrictions. After already substantially easing the rules almost two weeks ago, almost all of the remaining restrictions are now to be lifted, including compulsory mask-wearing and the one-metre social-distancing rule.

“Distance between us is no longer necessary,” Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre declared in Oslo on Saturday. In a symbolic gesture, he tucked his mask away inside his jacket pocket.

The pandemic no longer poses a major health threat to most people, Støre said. The Omicron variant of the coronavirus causes milder courses of the disease and the vaccinations protect well, he added.

Two recommendations remain, however: Only adults with symptoms should get tested and anyone who tests positive as an adult should stay home for four days, Støre told reporters.

All entry requirements for travellers to the country are being lifted.

At the beginning of February, Støre had already announced that a number of restrictions would fall away, including limits on serving alcoholic beverages or on sports and other recreational activities.

However, Norwegians still had to keep their distance from each other and continue to wear masks in shops, on public transport and in other crowded situations.

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Courtesy Anews

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OSLO/NORWAY, NOV 10: Energy price records in Norway were set once again on Monday, with prices expected to soar throughout the winter. But costs vary at different times of the day.

Energy power exchange Nordpool has said the price of electricity in Norway on Monday was set to peak at 2.79 kroner per kilowatt-hour, the highest hourly rate seen this year.

This figure is without accounting for grid rent and other fees, meaning consumers will pay around 4 kroner per kilowatt-hour.

Power price analyst Tor Reier Lilleholt, from Volue Insight, has told public broadcaster NRK that the peak price was probably a record for the month.

“I do not think we have seen such prices in November before,” he told NRK.

Unfortunately, for those already fretting over the size of their electricity bills, record prices could become a weekly fixture this winter.

“I think there may be new records with every week that comes,” Lilleholt said.

Prices will crescendo between 4pm and 7pm. The peak price will apply to Oslo, Bergen and Kristiansand. For a number of reasons, prices in the north don’t reach the same dizzy sights as the south.

Throughout the day, the price will fluctuate greatly, averaging around 1.22 kroner per kilowatt-hour in total.

With surging prices threatening to cost users a fortune throughout the winter, it’s helpful to know which times of day are most expensive so you can save electricity when prices are peaking.

Earlier in the autumn, peak times for energy prices in Norway were between 8am, and 9am, with prices topping out at around 2.20 kroner per kilowatt-hour.

However, while prices will remain high in the morning hours, they will actually peak in the late afternoon and early evening throughout the winter.

“It is common for prices to be higher for a few hours in the morning and afternoon due to higher consumption,” Stina Johansen, from Nordpool, explained to NRK.

“The price is highest in the hours when it gets dark because then all the lights are turned on. So there is an extra peak in consumption. In addition, people are coming home and having dinner,” Lilleholt added.

The most expensive times to use electricity this winter will be between 8-11am and 4-7pm. Prices typically bottom out later in the evening, hitting their lowest price just before 11, where they are around a third of the cost compared to the peak. This means you should consider putting on your home appliances just before bed if they are quiet enough.

If we were to take a 10-minute shower during peak times as an example, then a quick rinse would cost around 2 kroner between 5-6pm. Were you to make this a daily habit at this price. It would cost 7,300 kroner per year.

As the days get shorter, darker and colder in Norway, the daily price peak is also expected to change to align with the sun going down.

In addition, as temperatures plummet into the minuses, the increased consumption and demand puts more pressure on prices.

This will be exacerbated by the lower than usual supply level due to record energy exports to the continent, which is also in the midst of an energy price crisis and exceptionally low hydroelectric stocks caused by a dry summer and autumn.

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Courtesy thelocal.no

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OSLO, OCT 24: With international travel to the US finally being officially back on the table from November, Norwegians can look forward to a direct route taking them straight from Bergen to New Jersey’s Newark airport in 2022.

United Airlines will be flying the new route three times a week from May 20, 2022.

Part of a bigger expansion

According to the airline, next year marks “the largest transatlantic expansion in its history.”

In addition to Norway’s second-largest city Bergen, the airline will fly from Newark, USA, to Ponta Delgada in the Azores Islands, Palma de Mallorca, Spain, and Tenerife in the Canary Islands. United has also introduced a new route from Washington DC, USA to Amman, Jordan.

United Airlines will also be adding new routes to existing European destinations, with senior vice president of international network and alliances at the company Patrick Quayle saying:

“Given our big expectations for a rebound in travel to Europe for summer, this is the right time to leverage our leading global network in new, exciting ways.”

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Courtesy norwaytoday

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OSLO, OCT 14: Norway’s incoming government on Wednesday presented the key policies and proposals it will plans to implement when it takes over the reins.

Labour leader Jonas Gahr Støre and his counterpart from the Centre Party, Trygve Slagsvold Vedum, unveiled their government policy platform.

“Now Norway will have a government that will listen to the people. We will not overtake people but work to reduce the differences socially and geographically,” Vedum told the press at the reveal.

The incoming government will pursue tax cuts for lower earners, cheaper childcare and more affordable electricity.

Tax cuts (but not for everyone)

The government wants to reduce income tax for those on incomes less than 750,000 kroner per year. This was a key promise that the Labour Party made throughout the election, and the Centre Party also said that it wanted a tax cut.

Whether the tax cut will be in addition to the proposed bracket tax cuts for those on low-to-middle incomes the outgoing government announced on Tuesday remains to be seen.

While those on lower incomes may pay less in tax, higher earners can expect to be taxed more.

Working life

The incoming government wants to tighten the Working Environment Act to improve working conditions, cut down on the number of temporary positions, and regulate the staffing and recruitment industry more closely.

Other tax changes

There will be other changes to taxes, including bad news for anyone hoping to purchase an electric car soon.

VAT will be applied to new EV’s sold for more than 600,000 kroner, while the new minority coalition proposes lowering deductibles on the wealth tax to ensure the wealthiest in society pay more.

EEA and immigration

The eurosceptic Centre Party is a vocal critic of Norway’s membership of the European Economic Area or EEA. Before the election, it said it wanted to regulate labour immigration and pull Norway from the Schengen agreement renegotiate with the EEA.

The new government has said it will remain part of the agreement, but it will be examined and investigated to see whether there is any room to manoeuvre within it. This will come as a relief to many foreign residents in Norway, knowing their right to live and work in Norway will be protected.

More affordable childcare

The maximum price for kindergarten places will be lowered during 2022, and families won’t have to pay for a third child to attend at the same time as their siblings.

In addition, the two parties have agreed to gradually introduce a healthy daily meal into schools and more daily physical activity.

Free afterschool activities for all first-graders could also be implemented, although there are currently no details on when this could happen.

Cheaper electricity

More affordable power is also on the agenda. The coalition has promised to lower taxes on electricity, increase housing support and introduce a geographical price equalisation of grid rent.

This is as well as strengthening consumer rights, increasing the output of Norwegian energy and ensuring no new cables transferring power are constructed.

Climate

The government will continue looking for oil in new areas, a policy point that caused the Socialist Left Party to leave negotiations to be part of the coalition.

Despite that, there’s still green policy. Norway’s CO2 tax will gradually increase to around 2,000 kroner per tonne by 2030. Greenhouse gases will be cut by 55 percent by 2030 compared to 1990 levels, and this obligation will apply to sectors of the economy subject to climate quotas. This will bring Norway in line with EU climate targets.

Healthcare

Ullevål hospital will be closed and replaced by new hospitals at Gaustad and Aker that will need to be built.

Dental care looks set to become cheaper. Free dental care will be extended to those aged between 19-21, and the cost of dentistry will be subsidised to the tune of 50 percent for those aged between 22-25.

The health trust model will also be put under the microscope with the parties examining whether the current system is fit for purpose.

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COURTESY thelocal.no

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