Saturday, January 10, 2026
Economics

Norsk Titanium Announces $10 Million Investment from Harbert European Growth Capital Fund

by Nadarajah Sethurupan
written by Nadarajah Sethurupan

ucla-prestige-space-explorationNorsk Titanium AS, the world’s pioneering supplier of aerospace-grade, additive manufactured, structural titanium components, today announced it has closed a $10 million growth debt facility with Harbert European Growth Capital Fund I (HEGCF) as part of the company’s current aerospace production financing round.

“The growth potential of this company is beyond any doubt, and we are very pleased to be part of its future and hope to bring our close relationships within the technology sector to the fore.”

The funds will be used to further strengthen Norsk Titanium’s leadership team and operations worldwide in support of aerospace qualification and production orders for precision structural components produced by the company’s patented Rapid Plasma Deposition™ (RPD™) technology. The investment was led by Fahad Khan at HEGCF. Details of the investment were not released.

“Norsk Titanium is strategically expanding, and the addition of growth debt allows us to diversify our financing structure while pursuing a variety of complementary opportunities, both within the aerospace and defense sector and beyond,” said Bart van Aalst, Chief Financial Officer of Norsk Titanium. “Forward-looking investors are critical to rapidly expanding organizations that strive to remain independent, and Harbert’s pragmatic and entrepreneurial approach makes them an ideal partner to a company like Norsk Titanium,” concluded Van Aalst.

“We chose to invest in Norsk Titanium because their Rapid Plasma Deposition™ 3D technology is heralded as one of the most disruptive processes in additive manufacturing, and their strong management team makes it a real game-changer in a sector so often bereft of true innovation,” said Johan Kampe, Senior Managing Director at Harbert Management Corporation. “The growth potential of this company is beyond any doubt, and we are very pleased to be part of its future and hope to bring our close relationships within the technology sector to the fore.”

Norsk Titanium will be putting its RPD™ technology on display at the 2016 Farnborough International Airshow, allowing a global audience to witness unprecedented manufacturing efficiencies from the company’s MERKE IV™ line of production machines.

About Norsk Titanium AS

Norsk Titanium AS is the world’s pioneering supplier of aerospace-grade, additive manufactured, structural titanium components. The company is distinguished in the aviation industry by its patented Rapid Plasma Deposition™ (RPD™) process that transforms titanium wire into complex components suitable for structural and safety-critical applications. The Norsk Titanium research and development team is committed to displacing the inefficient forging process with a precision wire deposition technology embodying substantial savings for aerospace, defense, and commercial applications.

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Corruption in Norway

Norway consumer body stages live app terms reading

by Nadarajah Sethurupan
written by Nadarajah Sethurupan

1e912f70b696ea6fc98e51284c3af6a4Norwegians have spent more than 30 hours reading out terms and conditions from smartphone apps in a campaign by the country’s consumer agency, the BBC reported.

The average Norwegian has 33 apps, the Norwegian Consumer Council says, whose terms and conditions together run longer than the New Testament.

To prove the “absurd” length, the council got Norwegians to read each of them out in real time on their website.

The reading finished on Wednesday, clocking in at 31:49:11.
Some of the world’s most popular apps were chosen, including Netflix, YouTube, Facebook, Skype, Instagram and Angry Birds.

“The current state of terms and conditions for digital services is bordering on the absurd,” said Finn Myrstad from the Norwegian Consumer Council.
“Their scope, length and complexity mean it is virtually impossible to make good and informed decisions.”

The council is calling on the industry to write shorter, clearer terms and conditions and to adopt a common standard.

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Defence

Norway buy Finland defence company

by Nadarajah Sethurupan
written by Nadarajah Sethurupan

Finland_PhantomIRxr_Raytheon_IDEX_2013_news_pictureFinnish state-owned defence manufacturer Patria on Wednesday announced a plan to privatize a portion of the company by selling it to Kongsberg, a partially state-owned defence company in Norway.

“The competition authorities have granted their approval concerning sale by State of Finland of 49.9 percent of the defence company Patria Oyj to Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace AS,” Patria said in a statement.

Patria said the value of the deal was €283.5 million ($316 million).

Finland is not member of Nato, unlike neighbouring Norway, but it has intensified its partnership with Nato by participating in joint exercises in the Baltic Sea region, where the United States and neighbouring Russia have increased military activity lately, due to the conflict in Ukraine.

Patria’s main product, an armoured vehicle, was a profitable business until 2008, when the company was linked to bribing scandals in sales to Slovenia, Egypt and Croatia. Eventually, after seven years, all charges were dropped against Patria and its bosses.

The company has managed to recover from the reputational damage it suffered as a result, but in 2014 Finland’s government decided to seek a new minority owner to the company.

In 2015, Patria’s operationing profit was €46.8 million ($52.1 million), down some 16 percent from a year before.

Half of Kongsberg is owned by the Norwegian state and the rest by international investors.

(afp)

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Science

Workaholism may lead to psychiatric disorders

by Nadarajah Sethurupan
written by Nadarajah Sethurupan

iStock_000010843372XSmallResearchers at the University of Bergen in Norway have examined the associations between workaholism and psychiatric disorders among 16,426 working adults.

“Workaholics scored higher on all the psychiatric symptoms than non-workaholics,” says researcher and Clinical Psychologist Specialist Cecilie Schou Andreassen, at the Department of Psychosocial Science, at the University of Bergen (UiB), and visiting scholar at the UCLA Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior.

Workaholics score higher on all clinical states

The study showed that workaholics scored higher on all the psychiatric symptoms than non-workaholics. Among workaholics, the main findings were that:

32.7 per cent met ADHD criteria (12.7 per cent among non-workaholics).
25.6 per cent OCD criteria (8.7 per cent among non-workaholics).
33.8 per cent met anxiety criteria (11.9 per cent among non-workaholics).
8.9 per cent met depression criteria (2.6 per cent among non-workaholics).
“Thus, taking work to the extreme may be a sign of deeper psychological or emotional issues. Whether this reflects overlapping genetic vulnerabilities, disorders leading to workaholism or, conversely, workaholism causing such disorders, remain uncertain,” says Schou Andreassen.

The pioneering study, published in the open-access journal PLOS One, is co-authored by researchers from Nottingham Trent University and Yale University.

Affects identification of disorders

According to Schou Andreassen, the findings clearly highlight the importance of further investigating neurobiological deviations related to workaholic behaviour.

“In wait for more research, physicians should not take for granted that a seemingly successful workaholic does not have ADHD-related or other clinical features. Their considerations affect both the identification and treatment of these disorders,” says Schou Andreassen.

Seven diagnostic criteria for workaholism

The researchers used seven valid criteria when drawing the line between addictive and non-addictive behaviour.

Experiences occurring over the past year are rated from 1 (never) to 5 (always):

You think of how you can free up more time to work.
You spend much more time working than initially intended.
You work in order to reduce feelings of guilt, anxiety, helplessness or depression.
You have been told by others to cut down on work without listening to them.
You become stressed if you are prohibited from working.
You deprioritize hobbies, leisure activities, and/or exercise because of your work.
You work so much that it has negatively influenced your health.
Scoring 4 (often) or 5 (always) on four or more criteria identify a workaholic.

Accordingly, the Bergen Work Addiction Scale operationalizes workaholism by the same symptoms as traditional addictions: salience, mood modification, conflict, tolerance, withdrawal, relapse and problems.

In line with previous research, 7.8 per cent of the current sample classified as workaholics, which is close to an estimate (8.3 per cent) found in a (and, to date, only) nationally representative study conducted by Dr. Andreassen and colleagues in 2014.

Source:
The University of Bergen

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Racism in Norway

Czech mother ready to fight for sons in Norway, trial begins

by Nadarajah Sethurupan
written by Nadarajah Sethurupan

motls.blogspot.noCzech mother Eva Michalakova is ready to fight Norwegian authorities until she wins her two sons back, she said during the court proceedings that started dealing with her appeal against stripping her of her parental rights and the adoption of the younger son yesterday.

The court in Hokksund will deal with the case until Friday. However, the verdict will be only issued within four weeks and sent to the family in writing.

Michalakova said she would prefer to return with her children to the Czech Republic, but the father, her former Czech husband who is also living in Norway, is against it.

“So I naturally must accept the other option: to remain in Norway and cooperate with the Barnevernet and the psychologist so that the judicial system let the children return to the family,” she said.

The Norwegian Child Welfare Service (Barnevernet) took the boys from her and her former husband in May 2011.
“Unfortunately, I have no information about the children,” Michalakova said.

The Hokksund court deals with the case behind closed doors. Neither journalists nor Michalakova’s lawyer Pavel Hasenkopf were let in the courtroom.

The Norwegian media do not follow the case since they respect the principle of confidentiality in cases involving children. Apart from Czech journalists, the French Arte TV is following the case because its reporters are documenting cases of foreigners from whom their children were taken away by Norwegian authorities.

The two sons of Michalakova, Denis and David, now 11 and seven years old, respectively, were both born in Norway. Barnevernet took them away from the family due to suspected abuse, neglect and cruelty five years ago and placed them into foster families. The suspicion has not been proved, but the court decided that the situation was so serious that the two boys should stay with their foster parents. Each boy is living with a different family.

In 2014, Michalakova asked for a revision of her case and for the boys to be returned to her. Last autumn, Norwegian authorities stripped her of parental rights and approved the adoption of her younger son.

The father, whose parental rights were not terminated, appealed against the adoption, too.

The Czech state has supported Michalakova in the case. It sent its position to the court, referring to the U.N. convention on children’s rights according to which adoption abroad can be considered surrogate care if it cannot be provided at home.

The Czech state noted that the mother could not see her sons although she wanted to. The mother has not seen David since August 2015 and Denis since early 2014. The Norwegian authorities say Denis does not want to see his mother.

According to the Czech supporters of Michalakova, the mother is the only person who can raise the two sons together and the Norwegian authorities do not inquire whether Michalakova is able to be a good parent now.
The Norwegian side has refused to comment on the case from the beginning, citing the protection of privacy of the two boys. The Norwegian Embassy in Prague said previously Barnevernet had good reasons to take the Michalak boys away from the parents and Michalakova did not tell the whole truth to the Czech authorities.

(CTK)

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Science

US Military As Well As Norway Will Seek Access To Secure Signal Of Galileo Constellation

by Nadarajah Sethurupan
written by Nadarajah Sethurupan

5745fb6f4713cPlans are underway for the US and its military as well as Norway to seek to have access to the PRS signal from the Galileo constellation.

Now that the latest two satellites, Danielé and Alizée have been launched to join the Galileo satellite constellation family, word has it that the US and US military and Norway have asked to have access to its secure PRS signal.

The European Commission will probably give their permission to open negotiations on the use by these two nations of the secure PRS signal on June 7. Once that has occurred, the commission will open its own negotiations with US and Norwegian authorities to discuss terms of access to PRS.

At a Galileo meeting this month, those in attendance shared that Galileo’s owners were uncomfortable that the largest user of the PRS signal would be the European national military forces. Yet, thus far the Galileo’s Commercial Service is planned in the future and will not be a part of the services that are to be offered this year, and furthermore, the technical services have yet to be defined.

Work is underway on the software upgrades for the 30 satellites, while the launches of the remaining 12 satellites are planned with four satellites launched each time. The next upcoming launch is scheduled for November 17 and the remaining two launches fall onto the the 2017 and 2018 calendar. With 24 satellites, the Galileo Constellation is considered fully operational, but the European officials want to launch 30 satellites to provide sufficient in-orbit backup.

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Media Freedom

Oslo Freedom Forum Founder Says Thiel “Has Every Right” To Fund Media Lawsuits

by Nadarajah Sethurupan
written by Nadarajah Sethurupan

Screen Shot 2016-05-26 at 10.02.29The foundation that puts on the annual gathering of dissidents and journalists has received at least $900,000 in funding from the tech billionaire.

Billionaire investor Peter Thiel has at least one civil society ally defending his financing of lawsuits against Gawker Media: the founder of the New York-based Human Rights Foundation, which has received at least $900,000 in funding from Thiel.

“Peter Thiel is a free man in a free society, and he has every right to engage in third party litigation financing if he wants to” Human Rights Foundation founder Thor Halvorssen told BuzzFeed News. “If he thinks that Gawker should be hauled into court and sued for what he believes is wrongdoing, and he is willing to finance the effort, that’s between Peter Thiel and whoever is prosecuting the lawsuit. There appears to be nothing illegal in Thiel’s conduct.”
Halvorssen was speaking by phone from the sidelines of the Oslo Freedom Forum, an annual gathering of activists, dissidents and journalists that is put on by his foundation. He described Thiel as a “visionary, an innovator, and a person of principle.”

Thiel’s ideas have influenced the Venezuelan-Norwegian activist in ways beyond the political or ideological. In a 2013 profile, Halvorssen told BuzzFeed News that he got the idea to cryogenically freeze his body after death from the Facebook board member.

Forbes and the New York Times reported Tuesday that Thiel has helped fund a lawsuit against Gawker by Terry Bollea — aka Hulk Hogan — stemming from the site’s publication of an excerpt of a sex tape featuring the wrestler.
Hogan won a $140 million judgment in the suit, which a Florida Circuit Court judge recently upheld. Gawker is appealing. “We trust the appeals court will correct the outsized Florida jury verdict and reaffirm the law that protects a free and critical press, which is more embattled and important than ever,” Gawker said in a statement Wednesday.
Thiel says advocates for a free press should not fear his approach to funding lawsuits. “I refuse to believe that journalism means massive privacy violations,” he told the New York Times in an interview published Wednesday night. “I think much more highly of journalists than that. It’s precisely because I respect journalists that I do not believe they are endangered by fighting back against Gawker.”

Joel Simon, the executive director of The Committee to Protect Journalists, which has also received funding from Thiel, put out a statement Wednesday saying that while the organization supports people’s rights to pursue defamation claims, “we do not support efforts to abuse the process by seeking to punish or bankrupt particular media outlets.” Thiel has not donated to CPJ or HRF since 2013 and 2014 respectively.

Halvorssen, who spoke to BuzzFeed News before Thiel’s Times interview was published, acknowledged that “defamation lawsuits are often used to silence journalists engaged in whistleblowing and uncovering malfeasance and political corruption,” but argued that in Gawker’s case, “this does not seem to be one such lawsuit.”

Gawker has the “right to publish what they wish,” Halvorssen said, and in return “they might be held accountable in a court of law.”

(BuzzFeed)

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Africa and Norway

Lamamra takes part in ministerial consultations between Africa, Nordic countries Thursday in Oslo

by Nadarajah Sethurupan
written by Nadarajah Sethurupan

4cddd5e3711793b14ffafe620381a89b_XLALGIERS-Minister of State, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Ramtane Lamamra will partake Thursday and Friday in Oslo (Norway) in a closed meeting between FMs of fifteen African countries and five Nordic ones, the Foreign Affairs Ministry announced in a communiqué

“Political dialogue, security, sustainable development and migration cooperation will be on the agenda of talks between twenty African and Nordic FMs,” the same source said.

Besides, this meeting will be an opportunity to meet Norwegian business leaders and representatives of the business sector to “exchange views on investment and partnership opportunities,” according to the same source.

Lamamra will co-chair with his Finnish counterpart a working session on “migration and mobility.” He will also meet his African and Nordic counterparts, the same source stated.

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Killing

Norwegian tourist found dead in Skiathos pool

by Nadarajah Sethurupan
written by Nadarajah Sethurupan

ambulance_ekav4_web-thumb-largeA 35-year-old Norwegian man who was vacationing on Skiathos has been found dead in a swimming pool on the island in the Sporades are an archipelago along the east coast of Greece, northeast of the island of Euboea, in the Aegean Sea.

Authorities were alerted late on Tuesday.

The man was found floating in the pool of a villa he had rented.

He was immediately taken to the local health center but doctors were not able to revive him.

The cause of death was not immediately clear.

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Politics

Norway recognises efforts Harpford war veteran

by Nadarajah Sethurupan
written by Nadarajah Sethurupan

imageThe ‘last man standing’ from the invasion of Norway in World War Two has been recognised by the country with a diploma.

Second Lieutenant Raymond Savage, 96, was with the 1st/5th Battalion of the Royal Leicestershire Regiment trying to fend off the Germans in April 1940. The men arrived ‘frankly, ill-equipped’ for the 62-day campaign – prior to their landing, a U-boat torpedoed the supply ship, taking food, transport and weaponry with it.

“We were up against battle-hardened troops,” said Raymond. “They had air superiority, they had tanks. We had nothing. We weren’t able to stem the advance. We lost a lot of people and I was cut off. I escaped on skis to [neutral] Sweden, where I was interned for six months before being repatriated. It was a bit of a disaster all round.”

After returning home, Raymond was posted to the Far East and later captured in Singapore. Rising to the rank of captain, he was captured by the Japanese and was a prisoner for much of the rest of the war.

For his service, Bob Allen MBE, of the Royal Leicestershire Regiment Association, thought Raymond deserved some recognition, so contacted the British Embassy in Oslo.

Nicole Granholt, the assistant to the defence attaché, said: “Norway is very proud of, and grateful to, British veterans who took part in the Norway Campaign during the Second World War and the Veterans Affairs Office of the Norwegian Armed Forces is very happy to acknowledge the contribution of individuals by way of a diploma.”

(midweekherald)

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Environment

McDonald’s and global seafood providers make move for Arctic

by Nadarajah Sethurupan
written by Nadarajah Sethurupan

sivalbadGlobal brands, including McDonald’s, Tesco, Iglo, Young’s Seafood, Icelandic Seachill, alongside the Norwegian Fishing Vessel Owners Association, Fiskebåt, Russian fishing giant, Karat and Europe’s largest processor of frozen fish, Espersen, have today said “no” to the further expansion of cod fishing into the previously-frozen Northern Barents Sea — an area twice the size of France. [1]

The ground-breaking agreement brokered by Greenpeace marks the first time the seafood industry has voluntarily imposed limitations to industrial fishing in the Arctic. This means that any fishing companies expanding into pristine Arctic waters will not be able to sell their cod to major seafood brands and retailers.

Currently there is no specific legal regime in place to protect Arctic areas that were previously covered by sea ice. The challenge is now on the industry to properly implement this new commitment, and ensure their products are not linked to Arctic destruction.

Commenting on the statement, Greenpeace campaigner Frida Bengtsson said:

“Today, McDonald’s, Espersen, Young’s Seafood, and Iglo, Findus & Birds Eye and many more have taken action together with the Norwegian fishing industry to safeguard a huge marine area in the Arctic. In the absence of significant legal protection of the icy waters of the northern Barents Sea, this is an unprecedented step from the seafood industry.

In March, Greenpeace investigations revealed how the melting Arctic sea ice has made it possible for large, bottom trawlers to venture into previously ice-covered ‘ecologically significant’ areas. [2] The report exposed how global, well-known food brands and retailers buying cod from the Barents Sea risked having their supply chain tainted with Arctic destruction

The region, which includes the Svalbard archipelago, also known as the ‘Arctic Galapagos’, is home to vulnerable animals including the polar bear, bowhead whale and Greenland shark. At least 70% of all the Atlantic cod that ends up on dinner plates around the world is from the Barents Sea as such.

“This voluntary and unprecedented move by the seafood industry highlights the lack of political ambition so far to protect the Arctic. Now it’s up to the Norwegian government to catch up with the companies and protect the Arctic for the long term”, said Frida Bengtsson.

Greenpeace is calling on the Norwegian government to protect this truly unique and vulnerable area in the Norwegian Arctic waters and acknowledge the growing resistance to reckless exploitation of the fragile Arctic environment, not only from millions of individual people but also from the corporate world. [3]

The statement from the fishing industry comes weeks after Arctic sea ice hit a record low maximum extent for winter. With the extreme loss of sea ice, large areas of water are left open for longer periods and the need for legal protection to replace the protective ice-shield is urgent.

The challenge for these companies is now to deliver on their commitment to Arctic protection and show real results out on the water. The world’s eyes are on the Arctic. This summer, the Greenpeace ship Arctic Sunrise will go to the Arctic to keep watch over the areas now off limits to ensure that the fishing industry meets these commitments.

ENDS

(Scoop Media)

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Norwegian American

Norwegian girls left religious culture for the freedom of New York

by Nadarajah Sethurupan
written by Nadarajah Sethurupan
Several thousand young unmarried women from Norway’s southernmost counties went to the US during the first decades after World War II. Most quickly changed their clothing and hairstyles and adopted American fashion and culture, such as this young woman. The photo on the left shows her as a teenager in Norway, while the one on the right shows her in the United States. (Photo: private; montage: Arnfinn Christensen, forskning.no)

Several thousand young unmarried women from Norway’s southernmost counties went to the US during the first decades after World War II. Most quickly changed their clothing and hairstyles and adopted American fashion and culture, such as this young woman. The photo on the left shows her as a teenager in Norway, while the one on the right shows her in the United States. (Photo: private; montage: Arnfinn Christensen, forskning.no)

Women from southern Norway who immigrated to the United States after World War II swapped the religious culture they came from for modern clothes, high heels, makeup and dance.

As late as the 1960s, young, unmarried women from southern Norway left a deeply rooted religious culture to journey to the United States in search of freedom. They came from small towns and cities that looked askance at everything from women in trousers to dancing on Saturday night.

Siv Ringdal, from the Department of Culture Studies and Oriental Languages at the University of Oslo, has tracked down and interviewed 21 of these women as part of her doctoral research.

“For many, it was liberation. Many described it as the best time in their life, even though it was difficult to make the adjustment. Every person I talked to said they thrived,” Ringdal said.

Two-thirds still live in the US
Most of the people Ringdal interviewed left Norway when they were between the ages of 17 up to their mid-20s. They came from the southern coastal towns and cities of Kristiansand, Lista, Arendal, Lindesnes and Farsund. Today, these women are between 70 and 90 years old.

Ringdal has done fieldwork both in Norway and on the east coast of the United States, where most of those who remained in the US chose to settle. Seven of the women returned to Norway when they married, while 14 stayed in the United States.

From strict homes to the melting pot
All of the women came from extremely religious communities where there were strict expectations as to how young women should look and behave.

At that time it was considered sinful in religious parts southern Norway to wear makeup and trousers. If the women went on dancing on Saturday night, they could be talked about when they went to church on Sunday. It was completely unacceptable for women to smoke or drink.

Even those who were not active in the church community felt controlled by these religious expectations.

“I was surprised at the very strong grip that religious culture had in southern Norway at this time,” said Ringdal.

A Norwegian outpost in Brooklyn
Most of the girls who went to the US stopped first at a Norwegian expatriate community in Brooklyn, before being hired as a maid either in Brooklyn or in Manhattan.

“This is the last generation of surviving Norwegians to emigrate, and it is interesting to know how these women choreographed their lives in New York’s cultural and ethnic mosaic,” says Siv Ringdal. (Photo: Alf Tore Øksdal)

“This is the last generation of surviving Norwegians to emigrate, and it is interesting to know how these women choreographed their lives in New York’s cultural and ethnic mosaic,” says Siv Ringdal. (Photo: Alf Tore Øksdal)

The move meant a steep learning curve. The girls were tossed into the American workforce and could not speak English at first. But their work also offered a way to learn about this alluring new culture.

The girls found America liberating. They were accustomed to food rationing in post-war Norway and came to New York with homemade and mended clothing. Now they were independent and earned money that they could spend on whatever they wanted.

“Going to the United States met their expectations, many had far more freedom there than in Norway,” said Ringdal.

Nevertheless, they had to address conflicts between ideals and practices from Norwegian culture and their adopted home.

Dreamed about high heels and pretty dresses
Many of the girls had read Norwegian magazine articles about the American lifestyle and movie stars, which they adopted as feminine role models. Some of the girls had also received packages from America from relatives, filled with exciting gifts.

Once they moved to the US, they were quick to adopt American fashions. They bought nylon stockings and colourful dresses.

These young women were particularly keen on high heels. One of the most popular choices for those who went to the US in the late 1940s was a pair of open-toe, high-heeled shoes.

“When one of the women returned to Agder on vacation, her grandmother got very angry and told her that ‘shoes with holes in the toe are very sinful’,” Ringdal said.

Her uncle thought the shoes would be useful for planting peas in the spring.

Divide between secular and religious
Many of the women maintained a strong connection to the Norwegian community in Brooklyn.

“It gradually became accepted for women in this community to wear pants. But a visiting Norwegian minister scolded the girls who wore them, because it was still taboo where he came from in Norway,” Ringdal said.

Most Norwegian girls got jobs as maids and learned about American culture through their work. Some were lucky and had a close relationship with their female employer, who taught them about American standards of hygiene and how to shave under your arms. (Photo: Lapskaus Boulevard)

Most Norwegian girls got jobs as maids and learned about American culture through their work. Some were lucky and had a close relationship with their female employer, who taught them about American standards of hygiene and how to shave under your arms. (Photo: Lapskaus Boulevard)

Eventually there was a clear divide in the Norwegian expatriate community, between girls who came from secular and Christian backgrounds, Ringdal discovered.

“Many disengaged from this environment and started smoking and drinking and dancing. Yet they went to church every now and then, ” she said.

Others preserved their ties to the Christian community in the Norwegian-American population to maintain a sense of belonging. They were careful with makeup and clothing choices, and did not drink or smoke.

Sometimes they went to the cinema or theatre, but never out to dance.

Treasure chest of memories
Although none of the women Ringdal interviewed was unhappy with their lives in the US, some still moved back to the old country. These women have a very nostalgic view of their time in America.

They moved back to Norway with furniture and all of the American comforts they could manage. They carefully stored the dresses, jewellery and photos they have from that period in chests and boxes.

But those who remained in the United States also have a nostalgic view of the Norway they left.

“They needed to show me that they still remembered Norwegian recipes, and served me traditional kjøttkaker (meat patties) and bløtkake (cream cake) when I went to interview them,” Ringdal said.

(sciencenordic)

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Asia and Norway

Cambodia Angkor Air appoints APG as its GSA sales representative in Norway

by Nadarajah Sethurupan
written by Nadarajah Sethurupan

Cambodia-Angkor-Air1Cambodia Angkor Air, code K6, has appointed APG as its GSA in France, USA, UK, Spain, Belgium, Denmark, Sweden, Norway and the Netherlands.

Cambodia Angkor Air is the national flag carrier of Cambodia, with its corporate headquarters and main hub in Phnom Penh. It commenced operations on the 28 of July 2009 and was established as a joint venture by the Cambodian government (51%) and Vietnam Airlines (49%).

Operating a fleet of 7 aircraft, the airline serves 20 destinations in the region, including domestic destinations as well as destinations in Laos, Thailand, Vietnam, China as well as Singapore.

The airline plans to start operations to Seoul later this year and Hong Kong in 2017.

The airline’s fleet is made up of Airbus A321 aircraft as well as smaller ATR72 aircraft for domestic and short haul operations.

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Peace Talks

Unenthusiastic thoughts about the new government

by Nadarajah Sethurupan
written by Nadarajah Sethurupan

OFF11-event-photo-1I am in the Norwegian capital for the Oslo Freedom Forum, a brilliant initiative that that brings together the liberal activists and intellectuals of the world. There are heroes who dared to defy the North Korean dystopia, the tyrannies of the Arab world, or the dictatorships in Russia, Gabon or Serbia. It is a great place to learn more about the struggles for freedom by those who genuinely believe in freedom.

Back in Turkey, meanwhile, a new government is being formed. Honestly, I am not terribly interested in it.

For I know it will give Turkey simply more of what we have been given in the past five years: One-man rule and the unquestioned, unchallenged leadership of one single individual who sits at the top of a colossal hierarchical pyramid.

It is such a hierarchy that it purges everyone who does not show full and resolute obedience to the great leader, even if they happen to be the very founders and veterans of the ruling party. You probably already know this, seeing what has happened to key figures of the ruling party such Abdullah Gül, Bülent Arınç, and, most lately, Ahmet Davutoğlu. I also know it thanks to certain rumors I hear from Ankara and Twitter feeds I follow on the web. On one of the latter, for example, which is widely believed to be a good source of insider information, I read yesterday: “The cabinet was prepared days ago. It was a list cleansed of all the names close to Gül and Davutoğlu.”

Wow. The hierarchy not only purges Gül and Davuoğlu, as you can see, but also “names close to them.” For they have hurt themselves by showing loyalty to these key names in the party, whose loyalty to the great leader proved insufficient. So now, they find themselves on the side, no matter how successful, how efficient they may have been in their jobs. For such qualities are only secondary to the most important quality: Being 100 percent (not even 99 percent) obedient to the great leader.

This culture – or cult – of the great leader was quite visible also in the party congress last week where the ruling party announced its new chair. But the new chair was just a chair, not “the leader,” and everybody, including himself, made sure to emphasize this fact. That is why the thousands of people who sat nonchalantly in their seats throughout the congress all stood up, suddenly, at a special moment – when the message of the great leader was recited out loud.

One of the sympathizers of the ruling party thought that this was even a bit too much. “We sit even when the Qur’an, the message of the Creator, is recited,” she wrote on Twitter. She did not elaborate as to which problem she was alluding to, but it was obvious. It was probably also obvious to the army of trolls that monitor social media on behalf of the great leader and decide who is loyal enough to be favored by the party. I am sure she got a minus.

These are the things that make me unenthusiastic about the new government. I wish the best for it, for sure, including the new prime minister who, at the very least, seems to have the rare quality to smile at people and crack jokes. But I will not kill myself to see who gets which ministry and what their vision is. For whoever comes to any position of power, I know who will actually be ruling Turkey, from the most macro- to the most micro-level management: The great leader – who would actually have done all of us, including himself, a great favor, if he did not aspire to be this great.

(hurriyetdailynews)

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Economics

Lexus number one in customer satisfaction in Sweden and Norway

by Nadarajah Sethurupan
written by Nadarajah Sethurupan

11255403_959666604078720_7128807082328332279_oLexus is by far the car brand which the Swedish and Norwegian car owners are most satisfied with. It is the fifth year that Lexus is included in the AutoIndex surveys and the fifth time that Lexus tops the list – in both countries.

In Sweden, Lexus achieved a score of 895 points out of 1,000, which is 18 points ahead of the runner-up brand. The industry average score was 818 points. The result of this year’s Auto Index survey is consistent with the completely unmoderated reviews that Lexus owners leave on the Lexus Sweden website (http://www.lexus.se/). By letting its customers freely post their opinions on its own channel, Lexus Sweden aims to stimulate dialogue between customers and to provide better information for potential buyers.

In Norway, Lexus gets the highest score overall and in all categories. Commenting on this result, Knut-Erik Jahnsen, head of Lexus Norway, said: ‘It’s wonderful to receive this award for the 5th consecutive year on behalf of all the skilled Lexus colleagues at the dealerships – they made this possible! We are particularly pleased to see Lexus’ score increase further in the areas of sales and workshop service, where the people in the Norwegian Lexus organization have the greatest impact.’

More than 18,000 randomly selected Swedish car owners and 13,000 Norwegian car owners participated in the AutoIndex 2016 surveys, performed in the first quarter of 2016, to evaluate their satisfaction about quality, driving dynamics and comfort of their car as well as about dealers, after sales service and their brand loyalty. AutoIndex 2016 covers vehicles registered in the period 2009-2015.

(Automotive World)

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Oil & Gas

Gassco: New German terminal for Norwegian gas

by Nadarajah Sethurupan
written by Nadarajah Sethurupan

GasscoA new facility in Germany for receiving gas exports from Norway was officially inaugurated in Emden on 24 May 2016.
A new facility in Germany for receiving gas exports from Norway was officially inaugurated in Emden today. The inauguration ceremony was performed by Elisabeth Aspaker, Norway’s minister for EEA and EU affairs, with representatives of the German federal and Lower Saxony state governments.

“This is an important milestone in a very good and long-term energy collaboration between Norway and Germany,” says Frode Leversund, CEO of Gassco.

“The new terminal ensures gas supplies to Germany for many decades to come and strengthens Norway’s role as a key energy supplier to the European market.” This facility replaces the existing Norsea Gas Terminal (NGT), which became operational in 1977 in connection with the development of Norway’s Ekofisk field.

It receives a substantial proportion of the Norwegian gas delivered to Germany through the Norpipe pipeline. “Construction of the new Emden terminal has been one of the most important assignments we at Gassco have ever undertaken as operator,” observes Leversund. “I’m therefore very proud that the construction work has been completed within the agreed schedule and at a lower cost than originally estimated.”

The Gassled joint venture took the investment decision in the autumn of 2012. The new terminal has been constructed on an unused part of the existing terminal site. Physical work began in the autumn of 2013 after the contract to build the facility had been awarded to Linde Engineering Dresden GmbH.

While the project has not increased export capacity for Norwegian gas, the new terminal’s functionality will be well tailored to meet future demand for processing gas from the Ekofisk area and other parts of the Norwegian continental shelf (NCS).

Facts
— The project has been completed within the schedule and well below budget.
— About 2 000 tonnes of steel, 1 700 metres of large-diameter piping, 250 000 metres of instrument cables, 330 000 metres of electrical cables and 10 000 tonnes of concrete have been installed on the site. In addition, 1 710 concrete piles have been driven in to stabilise the ground. The new terminal covers about 1.2 hectares (12 000 square metres).
— The terminal has a daily capacity of 34.1 million standard cubic metres (scm).
— No less than 1.2 million hours were worked at the construction site, involving personnel from 20 different nations.
— An overarching objective for Gassco has been to implement the project without injury to people or harm to the environment. The main challenge has been to develop a common health, safety and environmental (HSE) culture across all the companies involved. Viewed overall, the HSE results are good.

Source: GASSCO

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Economics

JDO Extends Norwegian Iced Tea Range

by Nadarajah Sethurupan
written by Nadarajah Sethurupan

TB_500ml_leaf_scene_v5-1-smallThe initial launch comprised two flavours, peach and lemon with a black tea base. The new addition to the range is a citrus green tea variant.

Imsdal is Norway’s leading bottled still water brand. Launched in 1994, it extended its water portfolio in 2007 to include Imsdal Aktiv, a sports water, which has the same active ingredients as the market leading sports drinks but is a healthy alternative that has no artificial additives.

With the rise in popularity of iced tea in Norway, Ringnes saw an opportunity to extend the Imsdal range further and to bring the Imsdal brand to a new, younger audience. Imsdal is synonymous with naturalness and purity and has a strong Norwegian identity. A growing health trend in Norway has prompted consumers to look for iced tea products that are more natural and don’t use as much sugar or artificial sweeteners as most popular brands. Building on this trend, Ringnes identified Imsdal as the perfect brand to bring a healthy iced tea drink to market in Norway without any compromise on taste. Post the launch in 2015, Imsdal Iste has stolen significant market share from competitors such as TINE and Nestea.

JDO was briefed to keep the original Imsdal Iste identity at the core of the new variant design and to develop a different label communicating the refreshing citrus taste of the additional flavour variant. The colour palette needed to be differentiated from the current black tea designs to avoid confusion but also to sit comfortably within the existing range.

The resulting design retains the strong characteristics of simplicity, purity and honesty that have become the guiding principles of the core Imsdal brand. The Iste graphic icon illustrating the fusion of two droplets remains, this time representing the authentic green tea base and natural fruit flavours in new lighter colourways enhanced by the hue of the liquid. The contemporary icon is both memorable and has great stand out on shelf and adaptability off pack.

Paul Drake, JDO co-founder and creative director said, “We’ve tried to give the new design it’s own personality whilst staying true to the core Imsdal Iste master brand. While our focus has been the citrus variant, we’ve been mindful that the new green tea sub range should be flexible enough to allow for potential new flavour variants in the future.”

Karine Blystad, brand manager at Ringnes, added “JDO has created a design with a perfect combination of existing core Imsdal Iste brand equities and new and unique green tea and citrus flavour cues. This new design is intuitive and communicates the brand proposition and flavour variant clearly. A refreshing citrus green tea that provides pure enjoyment and a healthier option for consumers.”

The new citrus flavoured green tea packs are now being rolled out across Norway.

(jdouk)

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Politics

Can the Nordic Countries Capitalize on Their Strategic Position in Europe?

by Nadarajah Sethurupan
written by Nadarajah Sethurupan

l_nordic_leaders_05242016_1Earlier this month, the leaders of Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Finland were in Washington to attend a summit at the White House. Together with President Barack Obama, the five Nordic leaders discussed tensions with Russia, security, climate change and trade. Obama didn’t hesitate to heap praise on the Nordics. “So I really do believe that the world would be more secure and more prosperous if we just had more partners like the Nordic countries,” he said. “They consistently punch above their weight.”

Obama speaking so highly of the Nordic countries is nothing new. He has lauded them for years, and as he told an interviewer, “if only everyone could be like the Scandinavians, this would all be easy.”

But can the Nordic countries translate all this into lasting influence in their own neighborhood? With the exception of Iceland, which is neither a member of the European Union or NATO, these countries have increasingly found themselves at the center of several important security and political debates in Europe today, especially the refugee crisis and growing tensions with Russia.

The Nordics are on the front lines of Russian aggression: Russian fighter jets have illegally entered Swedish and Finnish airspace on numerous occasions, and Finland shares an 800-mile border with Russia. NATO has responded to Russia’s behavior by building up its eastern flank and holding military exercises in the region. While Norway and Denmark are NATO members, Sweden and Finland are not, though they have developed close ties to the organization, participating in joint exercises and sharing intelligence. Sweden and Finland’s foreign ministers even attended the NATO foreign ministers meeting in Brussels last Friday.

But despite this increased cooperation, both Sweden and Finland have ruled out NATO membership, at least for now. “The changing security environment really has both Finnish and Swedish leaders worried. At the same time, there is a dawning realization that joining NATO may not be so easy at the moment, as it may draw pressure from Russia,” explains Magnus Nordenman, the deputy director of the Brent Scowcroft Center on International Security at the Atlantic Council, in an email interview.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told a Swedish newspaper last month that if Sweden were to join NATO, Russia would “be forced to take the relevant technical, military measures in our northern territories.” Around the same time, the Finnish government released a report that said potential NATO membership would spark a serious crisis between Russia and NATO.

Beyond NATO, the Nordic states have recognized the importance of boosting their own security and political ties. Bilateral cooperation has steadily grown in recent years, though it is still “characterized by ‘cobweb integration,’” according to Anders Wivel, a professor at the University of Copenhagen. Public and private firms have only focused their efforts on what he calls “low politics.”
The Nordics have used their position at the center of growing Russian aggression and the refugee crisis to try and set the international agenda.

But according to Nordenman, “regional cooperation remains hard,” since defense priorities vary across the region. That hasn’t prevented Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden from trying to boost military and defense ties through their own partnership, the Nordic Defense Cooperation (NORDEFCO).

Even if regional cooperation isn’t that robust, the Nordic countries “have made an effort to share information across many issue areas,” says Wivel. This is especially true on the European level, where greater political and security cooperation and information-sharing can enhance their status in negotiations with NATO and the EU.

To that end, the Nordics have used their position at the center of growing Russian aggression and the refugee crisis to try and set the international agenda. “You can see that specifically with Norway within NATO and Sweden within the European Union,” says Nordenman. For example, Norway is pushing for NATO’s upcoming summit in Warsaw this summer to focus on maritime defense.

On the EU level, Sweden, Finland and Denmark have found themselves playing key roles in the debate on the refugee crisis. In large part because of their status as generous welfare states, the Nordic countries have been some of the most popular destinations for refugees and asylum-seekers fleeing conflicts in Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere. Sweden received 163,00 asylum applications last year; Finland 32,000; and Norway, which is not an EU member, 31,000.

But even if the Nordic countries have been successful at setting these agendas, Wivel contends that “their influence has not increased in recent years.” Sweden, Finland and Denmark have always had a certain level of influence; the refugee crisis has just brought it to the fore. And now that influence, he says, is actually waning as all three countries have implemented stricter refugee policies and are debating deporting asylum-seekers whose requests have been denied.

Of course, the Nordic countries remain important to NATO. But as Russian incursions into Swedish and Finnish airspace have declined since 2015, only to be replaced by Russia warplanes buzzing U.S. Navy vessels in the Baltic Sea, the outsize importance of the U.S. to the alliance has taken center stage once again, overshadowing the Nordics. Moreover, the fact that Norway has not joined the EU and that Finland and Sweden remain out of NATO make finding and promoting common positions on Russia even harder.

The Nordic countries’ roles in NATO and the EU will continue to evolve, even if familiar barriers prevent them from assuming more formal influence. Either way, as the summit in Washington showed, they are also key partners of the United States, and have a major fan in the White House.

(Maria Savel is an associate editor at World Politics Review)

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Norwegian Aid

NOK 400 million for education in Syria and its neighbouring countries

by Nadarajah Sethurupan
written by Nadarajah Sethurupan
Providing education for Syrian children is one of the most important forms of aid Norway can give. Photo: Truls Brekke, Unicef

Providing education for Syrian children is one of the most important forms of aid Norway can give. Photo: Truls Brekke, Unicef

‘Norway is entering into a multi-year cooperation agreement with Unicef, and will provide up to NOK 400 million for education in Syria and its neighbouring countries. This is a follow-up to the donor conference for Syria earlier this year. It will give Unicef greater predictability in its efforts to help children and young people,’ said Minister of Foreign affairs Børge Brende.

During the World Humanitarian Summit in Istanbul today, Foreign Minister Børge Brende and Unicef Executive Director Anthony Lake will sign a letter of intent on cooperation on education for children and young people affected by the Syrian crisis.

‘There are 2.8 million Syrian children and young people who do not have access to education within Syria and its neighbouring countries. Many have missed out on all their primary education. This will have long-term negative consequences. Providing education for these children is one of the most important forms of aid Norway can give,’ said Mr Brende.

Norway intends to allocate NOK 400 million for education in Syria and its neighbouring countries Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey and Iraq for the period 2016–2018. This funding will be channelled through Unicef. It is planned that NOK 200 million of the total amount will be provided this year.

Unicef is an important partner for Norway and is a key player in the efforts to achieve the SDG education targets in Syria and the region. The UN agency works closely with the authorities in neighbouring countries and other local partners to provide schooling for Syrian refugee children and other vulnerable children. It is also implementing important education initiatives within Syria, where some two million children currently do not have access to education.

‘Norway gives high priority to education and protection of children in crises and conflicts. Too little money is being provided for humanitarian crises such as the Syrian crisis, and the funding that is provided is often unpredictable. This is a major challenge. Norway takes a long-term approach in its cooperation with its partners. We recently signed an equivalent letter of intent with the UN Refugee Agency to support its efforts in the Syrian crisis,’ said Mr Brende.

Norway co-hosted the donor conference for Syria that was held in London in February, and has taken on particular responsibility for the field of education. The conference resulted in a record level amount of money being pledged to Syria and its neighbouring countries. Norway committed itself to providing around NOK 10 billion for the Syrian crisis over a four-year period. Norway’s allocation this year is NOK 2.4 billion, 15 % of which is earmarked for education.

(Press release)

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Science

Watch: Norway’s hosting a 30-hour reading of the legalese your favorite apps use to control you

by Nadarajah Sethurupan
written by Nadarajah Sethurupan

ccon-logoIf you need help getting to sleep, this live video stream might do the trick. The Norwegian Consumer Council, a government-funded rights group, has organized an event to read aloud the terms and conditions governing the use of 33 of Norway’s most popular apps. All that legalese amounts to over 250,000 words. It will take about 30 hours.
The reading, held in English and Norwegian at the council’s office in Oslo, started at 9am CET, and it was in its third hour at the time of writing. Some 40 people form the relay team for the reading, including politicians, government officials, students, and digital rights experts. “Different reading tempos” might prolong the ordeal beyond the estimated 30 hours, says Finn Myrstad, who heads the council’s digital services section.

The absurdity of the event showcases the outsized burdens consumers bear when trying to understand their digital rights. Reams of opaque terms and conditions placed by app makers make it difficult for users to understand exactly what they’re agreeing to when they fire up an app. “When you actually sit down and read these terms, you realize how ridiculous they are,” says Myrstad.

Myrstad and his team of four have won consumer rights battles against global tech giants. The council lodged a complaint with the Norwegian Consumer Ombudsman in 2014 about Apple’s iCloud storage service, which it said didn’t notify users about changes to the terms of use. Several months later, Apple published a new set of terms that included language about notifying users if changes were made to the terms. It has also lodged complaints against Tinder and Runkeeper around how those apps deal with customer data, prompting quick responses from management.

What does the consumer council have planned when the reading draws to an end? “Just thank you and good night,” Myrstad says, before adding: “We’re not looking forward to the iTunes terms. It’s about 50 pages, so it will take quite a few hours.”

(qZ)

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Asia and Norway

Indian, Norwegian researchers to urge UGC on interdisciplinary energy education

by Nadarajah Sethurupan
written by Nadarajah Sethurupan

1448364707752Experts working under an Indo-Norwegian collaborative programme said on Tuesday that they will approach India’s University Grants Commission to take a “serious look” into launching interdisciplinary sustainable energy education in the country.

Experts from Jadavpur University and the University of Stavanger, Norway, under the Indo-Norwegian Cooperation Program (INCP), on Tuesday participated in a discussion on ‘Sustainable Energy: General Basics and Advanced Interdisciplinary Learning’ to distill out the requirements of a comprehensive and collaborative energy education initiative.

“Our objective is to submit a document of the discussion to the UGC highlighting the requirement of comprehensive education in sustainable energy,” Sudipta De, professor, department of mechanical engineering and core committee member of Global Change Programme (GCP), Jadavpur University, told IANS.

The discussion was organised by the GCP and Bengal Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

Mohsen Assadi, faculty of Science and Technology University of Stavanger, said the current educational collaboration is about the decarbonisation roadmap of India, and the programme is sponsored by UGC and the Research Council of Norway (RCN).

“… and we are looking at a multidisciplinary approach including people from fields of political science, social sciences and all engineering and scientific backgrounds, in the future. We are looking forward to student exchanges, lectures by Norwegian researchers in India and lectures by Indian experts in Norway,” Assadi told IANS.

He said there would be a meeting in New Delhi between Indian and Norwegian researchers in June to evaluate the projects and the programme.

“We have been asked to join via Skype and present the planned activities such as a proposed interdisciplinary energy education initiative between Jadavpur University and our varsity,” said Assadi, also the managing director of Center for Sustainable Energy Solutions (cenSE), Norway .

–IANS

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Defence

US Sees Potential for Future Norwegian Defense Cooperation

by Nadarajah Sethurupan
written by Nadarajah Sethurupan

635996885853002271-26511859233-6405ac290c-kThe US will look toward more industrial cooperation with Norwegian defense firms in the future, according to the Pentagon’s No. 2 civilian.

Deputy Secretary of Defense Bob Work, speaking at the May 19 NADIC Norwegian-American Defense Conference in Washington, said international cooperation on defense programs will likely continue as the two nations come to strengthen ties between each other’s industrial bases.

“I hope to expand our cooperation in a wide variety of programs,” Work said. “We’ve had a long collaboration in [anti-submarine warfare] for example, and our P-3 communities are very, very close, our submarine communities are very, very close. I would expect that to occur in the future.”

Øystein Bø, Norway’s deputy defense minister, praised the ability of his nation to work with the Pentagon, comparing it to the challenge that Norwegian firms have found closer to home.

“What we have been saying to our European friends is we believe we have a small but very capable industry which can deliver the right tech and very high end, and it’s actually proven easier to get into the US market than to get into the big countries in the European market,” he said.

Both men highlighted the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter and the Naval Strike Missile, which Work called “an extraordinarily capably missile, developed by the Norwegians, which the Navy is taking an extremely hard look at.”

Work also seemed to encourage his counterpart to invest in the type of artificial intelligence capabilities that will be part of the Pentagon’s “Third Offset” strategy. That strategy, championed by Work, is focused on developing automation to help support the war fighter.

“This is really about partnerships, from my perspective,” Work said, including “our partnerships with our defense industrial bases to pursue innovative innovations like the Third Offset Strategy, and our growing partnership with the commercial industry.”

But after the two men finished speaking, a panel of US acquisition experts outlined the challenges facing any foreign nation who wants to work with the US on defense programs, whether as joint producers of technology or simply as commercial suppliers.

All the panelists agreed that the Pentagon needs to be more open to buying from and working with the industrial base of partner nations, with William Greenwalt, a professional staff member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, calling international collaboration “absolutely necessary.”

“Our allies have essentially the same problem we’re facing — declining or limited defense resources and rising threats, and access to a globalized commercial technological base that is driving technology. Why wouldn’t we want to go and see and take advantage of someone else who solved [a problem]?,” Greenwalt asked. “Whoever has the best ideas, whether it’s commercial, international or our global partners, whomever it is, we should be bringing that in.”

The first issue facing global firms is protectionist policies from the US, including a propensity by Congress to close off competition from non-US firms, said Mackeznie Eaglen of the American Enterprise Institute. She pointed to a recent example where members of the House pushed through an amendment that would force shoes for new recruits to be produced in the US.

Ben FitzGerald, a former owner of an Australian company that worked with the Pentagon and is now part of the Center for a New American Security, said Pentagon bureaucracy creates another hurdle.

“If you’re coming from abroad, you also think, ‘They just don’t like us,’ ” he said. “It’s an equal-opportunity hate organization [among other countries]. It’s just hard to do business with the [Defense] Department.”

And, FitzGerald warned, the institutional patterns may hold into the future.

“My concern is we’re already at the point where we need to be collaborating that way, but we have enough inertia that we don’t feel we need to,” he said.

(defensenews)

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Economics

Norsk Hydro welcomes new IR head

by Nadarajah Sethurupan
written by Nadarajah Sethurupan

nhy_alu_MainDeparting IRO Pål Kildemo promoted to head of finance for primary metals division.

Finance executive Stian Hasle has been promoted to lead the IR team at Norsk Hydro.

Hasle has been with the Norwegian firm since graduating from SKEMA Business School and the University of Westminster in 2005, starting as a finance trainee and later joining the IR team for five years. Since 2012, he has been serving as a senior analyst in primary metal portfolio development.

Head of IR of two years Pål Kildemo is moving on to serve as head of finance for the primary metal division at the Oslo-headquartered firm. A former energy trader, Kildemo is also chairman of Nirf, the Norwegian IR association.

Norsk Hydro, which focuses on aluminum and hydropower production since its oil and gas business was merged with Statoil in 2007, is 44 percent owned by the Norwegian state with a further 6 percent held by the government’s pension fund.

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Economics

Shannon supports US Norwegian deal

by Nadarajah Sethurupan
written by Nadarajah Sethurupan

GN4_DAT_6886437.jpg--shannon_supports_us_norwegian_dealSHANNON Airport is well positioned to tap into any potential deal for a new carrier to fly to the United States, if the way is cleared by US authorites for Norwegian Air International to fly across the Atlantic.

Industry sources have indicated that Norwegian will likely use Ireland as a major hub for flights to North America from Europe, if it gets approval from the US Department of Transportation.

Norwegian’s attempts to get the green light to operate low cost flights to the US have become an issue in the Presidential campaign, with Democratic hopeful Bernie Sanders recently voicing his opposition to the deal. Shannon has lodged a submission in support of the carrier’s attempts to win a permit to operate services between Ireland and the US.

Most of the major carriers into the US were against the Norwegian bid, including American, US Airways and Delta, and industry experts believe the deal will “level the playing field” for low cost operators looking at the transatlantic market.

Preliminary approval for permits for Norwegian has been granted, which Shannon has said would mean “having a new carrier on its runway”, as a result of discussions that are ongoing since 2014.

It is understood that a service between Boston and Shannon would be the first route if the deal gets the go ahead. Industry sources have suggested that there is a “big appetite” among Irish authorities for the deal to go ahead, with Ireland to become an “anchor point” for the States, offering a hub opportunity both for Norwegian and other carriers.

Shannon has formally stated its support for Norwegian’s bid in its submission, which has also been backed by the Irish Aviation Authority in a separate submission to the US transport department. Mary Considine, acting CEO of Shannon Group, said that the launch of these services would be a “boost for tourism and business”.

“We welcome the planned NAI services and the benefits to visitors and to businesses which they will bring,” Ms Considine said in the submission.

“We have been in discussion with Norwegian since 2014 and we are happy to have been able to demonstrate the strong and growing demand for travel between Ireland and the US and to have convinced the airline to launch Shannon-US service subject to regulatory approval.

“We welcome NAI’s plans to develop transatlantic service from Shannon to complement our existing and valued range of flights, and we are confident that NAI’s initial and subsequent routes will grow the overall market and develop more transatlantic trade and tourism.”

Meanwhile, Shannon this week announced details of a new programme to support airport users with autism and special needs and their families.

Launched by Marty Morrissey, the initiative includes a new instructional video and brochure – hosted on www.shannonairport.ie – for people with autism and special needs to help them to understand the process of getting through the airport.

(limerickleader)

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Diplomatic relations

Slovenia opens consulate in Norway

by Nadarajah Sethurupan
written by Nadarajah Sethurupan

206a8fe3e96f434c87773dafb57747c6_400x400Slovenia has opened a consulate in Oslo which is to be led by honorary consul Knut Ore.

The opening ceremony on Tuesday was attended by several distinguished guests, among them Foreign Ministry State Secretary Darja Bavdaž Kuret, her counterpart Tore Hattrem and Slovenian Ambassador to Norway Tone Kajzer, the Foreign Ministry said.

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