Norway

Norway-India ties at their very best and growing: Norwegian envoy Stener

Norwegian Ambassador to India, May-Elin Stener expressed support for the 10-point peace plan and said that India is contributing towards conflict resolution just like Norway

Norway planning to ratify India-EFTA free trade agreement next year

Norway on Sunday said that it plans to ratify the India-EFTA free trade agreement next year, the commerce and industry ministry said. India and the four-nation EFTA (European Free Trade Association) bloc inked the agreement, officially dubbed as Trade and Economic Partnership Agreement (TEPA), on March 10 this year. However, it needs ratification from the four countries for its implementation. The agreement came up for discussions during the India-Norway Business Forum which was held in Mumbai. May-Elin Stener, Ambassador of Norway to India, termed TEPA a landmark in bilateral relations and highlighted its potential to further enhance trade and investment between the two nations. "She noted Norway's plans to ratify TEPA by 2025 and emphasized areas of focus, such as renewable energy, maritime industries, climate, and sustainability," the ministry said. The ambassador also announced that Norway will host the Indo-Nordic Summit in 2025. In the deliberations, many Norwegian companie

India, Norway to discuss ways to increase trade, investment ties on Monday

India and Norway will on Monday discuss ways to enhance trade and investments ties between the two countries, an official statement said on Saturday. The talks will be held between Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal and Norwegian industry delegation led by May-Elin Stener, Ambassador of Norway to India. The India-Norway Business Roundtable will be be held in Mumbai. "Minister Goyal is expected to hold discussions on key opportunities and trends for further Norwegian investments in India, and potential areas of collaboration," the commerce and industry ministry said. A significant focus of the discussion will be on the recent Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between India and the EFTA countries, which holds immense potential for both nations, it said. "India is particularly keen on attracting USD 100 billion in investments from the EFTA countries, as outlined in the agreement," it added. It said the two sides will assess the opportunities in investment partnerships in logistics

Norway's Equinor, Shell plan to form UK oil and gas joint venture

Joint venture will be based in Aberdeen, Scotland, and will be set up to sustain domestic oil and gas production and security of energy supply in Britain, Equinor said

Rising sick days are costing European businesses billions every year

As companies struggle with chronic shortages, critics blame an overly generous welfare system, where spending on health-related benefits outranks other developed nations

Norway okays $1.6 bn govt takeover of extensive gas pipeline network

Norway in 2023 announced plans to nationalise most of its vast gas pipeline network, a major processing plant and other infrastructure when many existing concessions expire in 2028

Norway's DNB exceeds Q3 profit forecast as lending volumes increase

Europe's biggest banks are healthier than at any point since the financial crisis, but investors are seeking reassurance that they can trust their longer-term earnings power as interest rates fall

Afghanistan's Norway embassy is closing this week: Statement from mission

Afghanistan's Norway embassy is closing, the country's second diplomatic mission to announce closure this week. The move comes months after the Taliban said they no longer recognise diplomatic missions set up by the former, Western-backed government, including the one in Norway. In a statement on the social media platform X, the embassy announced the closure would take place on Thursday. The Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, like many other political and consular missions of Afghanistan, will continue its activities with the values of human rights, pluralism and peace, despite the many difficulties and limited resources, the embassy statement said. The embassy premises would be handed over to Norway's Foreign Ministry, according to the statement in Dari. The UK government said on Monday that the London embassy would close on September 27, following the dismissal of its staff by the Taliban authorities in Kabul. Britain does not recognise the Taliban as the legitimate

Cabin crew of SAS go on strike in Norway as wage talks break down

Some 120 SAS employees went on strike initially and the number is expected to grow in the coming days

Norway starts stockpiling grain, citing pandemic, war & climate change

The Norwegian government on Tuesday signed a deal to start stockpiling grain, saying the COVID-19 pandemic, a war in Europe and climate change have made it necessary. The deal to store 30,000 tons of grain was signed by agriculture and food minister Geir Pollestad and four private companies. The wheat, that will belong to the Norwegian government, will be stored by the companies in facilities across the country. In a statement, Norway's ministry for agriculture and food said the building up of a contingency stock of food grains is about being prepared for the unthinkable." Norway will sign further stockpiling contracts in the coming years, with the goal of building up the reserve until 2029. The aim is to have some 82,500 tons of grain in store by the end of the decade "so that we then have enough grain for three months' consumption by Norway's population in a crisis situation that may arise, Pollestad told Norwegian broadcaster NRK. As of the first quarter of this year, Norway has

Russia nuclear-powered submarines launch missiles during Barents Sea drills

The Severodvinsk and the Orel nuclear-powered submarines fired Kalibr and Granit cruise missiles a distance of about 170 km (106 miles) at a target

India in talks with Norway's Equinor for oil reserves, says report

State-run Indian Oil Corporation was in talks with nearly a dozen liquefied natural gas suppliers for long-term supply contracts

Spain, Norway formally recognise Palestine as EU rift with Israel widens

Spain and Norway moved to formally recognise a Palestinian state with Ireland to follow suit on Tuesday in a coordinated effort by the three western European nations. Israel slammed the diplomatic move that will have no immediate impact on its grinding war in Gaza but adds to international pressure on Tel Aviv to soften its devastating response to last year's Hamas-led attack. Prime Minister Pedro Snchez said the Spanish Cabinet will recognise a Palestinian state at its Tuesday morning meeting. This is a historic decision that has a single goal, and that is to help Israelis and Palestinians achieve peace, Snchez, standing at the gates of the prime minister's palace in Madrid, said during a televised speech. Israel's Foreign Minister Israel Katz lashed out at Spain on X, saying Snchez's government was being complicit in inciting genocide against Jews and war crimes. Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide said in a statement that for more than 30 years, Norway has been one of th

Spain, Ireland to recognise a Palestinian state; EU, Israel ties to plummet

Relations between the European Union and Israel took a nosedive Monday, the eve of the diplomatic recognition of a Palestinian state by EU members Ireland and Spain, with Madrid insisting that sanctions should be considered against Israel for its continued deadly attacks in southern Gaza's city of Rafah. Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz told Spain that its consulate in Jerusalem will not be allowed to help Palestinians. At the same time, the EU's foreign policy chief Josep Borrell threw his weight to support the International Criminal Court, whose prosecutor is seeking an arrest warrant against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and others, including leaders of the Hamas militant group. The prosecutor of the court has been strongly intimidated and accused of antisemitism as always when anybody, anyone does something that Netanyahu's government does not like," Borrell said. The word antisemitic, it's too heavy. It's too important. Spain, Ireland and Norway plan to make .

Norway hands over papers for diplomatic recognition to Palestinian PM

Norway on Sunday handed over diplomatic papers to the Palestinian prime minister in the latest step toward recognising a Palestinian state, a largely symbolic move that has infuriated Israel. Ireland and Spain made a concerted pledge with Norway to recognise a Palestinian state, a historic move that increases Israel's isolation more than seven months into its grinding war against Hamas in Gaza. The handover of papers by Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide to the prime minister was made in Brussels, where Mohammad Mustafa is also meeting with foreign ministers of European Union nations and high-level EU officials on Monday to drum up support for the Palestinians. Norway itself is not part of the EU. The diplomatic move by the three nations was a welcome boost of support for Palestinian officials who have sought for decades to establish a statehood in east Jerusalem, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip territories Israel seized in the 1967 Mideast war and still controls. The ..

Reliance's tech pact with Norway's Nel to accelerate new energy investments

Reliance Industries Ltd's technology partnership with Norway's Nel ASA will help accelerate its new energy investments, including in the production of green hydrogen that will aid billionaire Mukesh Ambani's pivot towards green energy. Reliance (RIL) on May 21 entered into a technology licensing agreement that provides the company with an exclusive license for Nel's alkaline electrolysers in India and also allows it to manufacture the Norwegian company's alkaline electrolysers for captive purposes globally. "We see this as a win-win for RIL and Nel as it supports RIL's ambition to accelerate its new energy ambitions, build an integrated energy vertical (new energy powering existing energy investments) and decarbonise the portfolio," brokerage Morgan Stanley said in a note. For Nel, it provides a revenue stream that it could not access on a standalone basis in India and may provide a new revenue stream that will not solely depend on the company's ability to execute on securing new ..

Can recognition by European nations bring Palestine closer to statehood?

"We're not going to allow the possibility of the two-state solution to be destroyed by force," said Pedro Sánchez, the Spanish prime minister

Israel plans to ban diplomatic visits and visas for Norway, Ireland, Spain

Norway, Ireland, and Spain announced on Wednesday their countries' intentions to formally recognise a Palestinian state in the coming days

'Watch': Israel shares new video of 'cruel' Hamas as global support weakens

Israel-Hamas are locked into the Gaza war, in which 35,000 people have died so far. Releasing a new video, Israel urged the world 'not to look away' while directing its attention to 'cruelty' of Hamas

Norway further tightens its restrictions on the entry of Russians

Norway on Thursday said it will further tighten its restrictions on the entry of people from Russia, saying those with tourist visas issued by Norway before regulations were tightened in 2022 or issued by another European country will be barred from entering the Scandinavian country as of next week. Justice Minister Emilie Enger Mehl said the tightening was a response to Russia's illegal war of aggression against Ukraine. Norway has a 198-kilometer (123-mile) -long border with Russia in the Arctic. Last week, Aftenposten, a major Norwegian daily, said Norway's domestic security agency, known by the acronym PST, was worried that Russians involved in intelligence gathering were entering at the sole border crossing at Storskog near the town of Kirkenes. Inger Haugland, head of counterespionage for PST, said Wednesday that "Russia now sees itself benefiting from carrying out sabotage in European countries in order to weaken Ukrainian defense capabilities. He gave no further details. O