Norway’s PM to meet German Chancellor, forest fire warning raised to orange, and other news from Norway on Thursday.
Norway’s PM to meet with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz
Norway’s prime minister, Jonas Gahr Støre, will be in Berlin on Monday to meet German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, the government confirmed on Wednesday.
“Germany is Norway’s most important partner in Europe, and the country with which we trade the most. In turbulent times, it is important to have close cooperation with our closest partners,” Støre said in a press release.
The two will have a working dinner where they will adopt a joint declaration on strengthening Norway and Germany’s cooperation in a number of areas, including defence and security cooperation.
“I am pleased to have the opportunity to discuss how we can deepen and expand Norwegian-German cooperation in areas such as the defence industry, aerospace, the maritime sector, energy and digitalisation,” Støre added.
The visit comes not long after the president of Ukraine stated that Germany and Norway would pay for the Patriot air defence system. Germany has later confirmed this. Norway has said that no decision has yet been made.
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Forest fire warning raised to orange
The Norwegian Meteorological Institute has raised the forest fire danger warning to orange, meaning that there is a high risk of forest fires in snow-free areas of Trøndelag and parts of Nordland until the next period of heavy rain.
“Very large areas may be affected. Do not use open flames. Follow instructions from local authorities,” the institute said in its warning.
The Directorate for Civil Protection (DSB) has deployed three extra helicopters in Bodø, Verdal and Tana in preparation for forest fires.
Long queues at Trollstigen after caravan comes off road
The iconic Trollstigen road was closed in both directions on Thursday morning after a caravan towed behind a car slipped off the road.
The blockage is expected to lead to long queues in both directions on Thursday morning, although a tow truck had been ordered which was expected to remove the caravan within a few hours.
Trollstigen reopened on July 1st after extensive restoration.
The blockage comes a day after a Swedish tourist bus blocked the road leading down to Geiranger, another Norwegian tourist hotspot.
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Pope approves Oslo’s new Catholic bishop
Fredrik Hansen has been formally approved as the new head of the Catholic Church in Norway following the resignation of the former Bishop of Oslo, Bernt Eidsvig, following a period of ill health.
Hansen, a college lecturer and dean at the Catholic University of St. Mary’s in Baltimore was first approached for the role last autumn.
Person charged for asylum centre fire
Police have charged a person for arson after a fire broke out at an asylum centre in Agder on Wednesday night.
Police were called to the asylum reception centre in Vegårshei in Agder at half past one in the morning. One person was taken to hospital for check-ups after inhaling smoke from the blaze.
“Information has emerged through the investigation that means that a person has now been charged with starting the fire. This person is now under control,” said Knut Odde, operations manager at the Agder police district early Thursday morning.
“One person who was in the room where the fire started is injured, possibly after inhaling smoke. The person has been taken to hospital in Arendal for further treatment.”
Odde said that four residents at the asylum centre had made good progress towards extinguishing the blaze by the time rescue services arrived.
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Oslofjord Tunnel reopens
The Oslofjord Tunnel reopened at 7.37pm on Wednesday after being closed in both directions due to a power outage.
“There have been a number of lightning strikes recently, which is why we are having technical problems with the tunnel,” Thomas Eriksen from the Road Traffic Center told public broadcaster NRK.