http://www.norway.no News from the public sector http://www.ssb.no/en/article/osi/2009-02-13 (Statistics Norway) New orders received fell further in the fourth quarter of 2008. Weakened demand in the domestic and the export market contributed to this. Total stocks in industry were still at a high level within some of the industries. 2009-02-13T10:15:40+01:00 http://www.ssb.no/en/article/eiendomsoms/2009-02-13 (Statistics Norway) The number of registered transfers fell by 21 per cent from the fourth quarter of 2007 to the fourth quarter of 2008. The aggregate value of transferred properties fell by 16 billion in the same period. 2009-02-13T10:15:17+01:00 http://www.udi.no/templates/Page.aspx?id=9769 (Norwegian Directorate of Immigration) Murmansk, St. Petersburg and Baku launched the "Visa online" on January 19th. More than 50 percent of the visa applicants to Norway have now got the opportunity to submit their applications online. 2009-02-12T14:29:51+01:00 http://www.udi.no/templates/Page.aspx?id=9770 (Norwegian Directorate of Immigration) Family members living in Norway can now submit application for work and residence permit on behalf of their dependent residents in the Gaza. Such applications are to be submitted to the police in Norway in the district where the family member lives. 2009-02-12T13:08:19+01:00 http://www.ssb.no/en/article/vpstat/2009-02-12 (Statistics Norway) Foreign investors sales of Norwegian shares continued in the fourth quarter of 2008. At the end of the quarter, foreign investors owned less than one third of the total share values registered with the Norwegian Central Securities Depository. 2009-02-12T10:55:23+01:00 http://www.ssb.no/en/article/bygganlprod/2009-02-12 (Statistics Norway) The production in construction was 3.1 per cent lower in the fourth quarter of 2008 compared with the third quarter of the same year, according to seasonally adjusted figures. The fall is due to lower activity in the construction of new buildings. 2009-02-12T10:54:56+01:00 http://www.udi.no/templates/Page.aspx?id=9766 (Norwegian Directorate of Immigration) The Directorate of Immigration (UDI) is now starting to process applications for renewal from asylum seekers from Southern Somalia who were granted temporary and limited residence permits in 2007. This is being done as a result of the Ministry of Labour and Social Inclusion having instructed the Directorate about how the applications are to be processed. 2009-02-11T14:22:43+01:00 http://www.ssb.no/en/article/yrkeaku/2009-02-11 (Statistics Norway) The increase in employment from 2007 to 2008 is largest among Professionals and Technicians and associate professionals, according to Statistics Norways Labour Force Survey. 2009-02-11T12:55:49+01:00 http://www.ssb.no/en/article/elektrisitet/2009-02-11 (Statistics Norway) The production of electricity totalled 142.7 TWh in 2008. This is an increase of 3.6 and 17.5 per cent compared with 2007 and 2006 respectively, and only 0.1 TWh below the record in 2000. 2009-02-11T12:55:24+01:00 http://www.regjeringen.no/en/dep/oed/whats-new/news/2009/statoilhydros-master-plan-for-full-scale.html?id=545458 (Government) The Ministry of the Environment and the Ministry of Petroleum and Energy received today StatoilHydro's Master Plan for full-scale carbon capture and storage (CCS) at Mongstad. The emission permit for the combined heat and power plant (CHP) at Mongstad is conditioned on that StatoilHydro presents a plan of this type. According to StatoilHydro, the plan confirms the feasibility of establishing full-scale carbon capture at Mongstad. 2009-02-11T12:53:24+01:00 http://www.sjofartsdir.no/en/News_-_press_releases/Norway_ratifies_ILO_Maritime_Labour_Convention/ (Norwegian Maritime Directorate) The Ambassador of the Kingdom of Norway, H.E. Ms. Angell-Hansen, today deposited the instrument of ratification of the Maritime Labour Convention, 2006, with the International Labour Organization (ILO) on behalf of her Government. Norway is the first European country to ratify the Convention. 2009-02-11T09:34:25+01:00 http://www.regjeringen.no/en/dep/ud/press/News/2009/nordic_unrwa.html?id=545326 (Government) At a special meeting of Nordic Foreign Ministers in Oslo, the five Ministers issued a joint statement on support for Gaza and UNWRA. 2009-02-10T14:53:36+01:00 http://www.regjeringen.no/en/dep/ud/Whats-new/News/2009/nordic_report.html?id=545258 (Government) Thorvald Stoltenberg presented his report on Nordic foreign and security policy cooperation at an extraordinary meeting of the Nordic foreign ministers on Monday 9 February. The meeting was held at the Voksenåsen Conference Hotel in Oslo. 2009-02-10T10:32:20+01:00 http://www.ssb.no/en/article/kpi/2009-02-10 (Statistics Norway) The CPI decreased by 0.3 per cent from December 2008 to January 2009, mainly due to seasonal sales on clothing. The year-to-year growth in the CPI was 2.2 per cent in January 2009, while the CPI-ATE increased by 2.8 per cent. 2009-02-10T10:31:52+01:00 http://www.regjeringen.no/en/dep/ud/press/News/2009/sri_lanka_eng.html?id=545327 (Government) In today's Nordic meeting of the Foreign Ministers in Oslo, the five ministers released a common statement regarding the situation in Sri Lanka: 2009-02-10T10:28:52+01:00 http://www.ssb.no/en/article/k3/2009-02-09 (Statistics Norway) The twelve-month growth in total gross debt (C3) was 11.3 per cent to end-November, down from 14.3 per cent to end-October. This is the lowest growth rate in three years. The major part of the decrease stems from external loan debt. 2009-02-09T10:05:3+01:00 http://www.ssb.no/en/article/klimagassn/2009-02-09 (Statistics Norway) The conclusion from previous estimates is confirmed: Norwegian emissions of greenhouse gases in 2007 were higher than ever 3 per cent up from 2006 and almost 11 per cent more than the emissions in 1990. Tables with detailed emission figures are now available. 2009-02-09T10:04:7+01:00 http://www.regjeringen.no/en/dep/fin/Selected-topics/Economic-Policy/new-measures-to-secure-the-provision-of-.html?id=545252 (Government) The Government is proposing two new measures to ease access to funding for businesses and households in Norway. With the establishment of a NOK 50 billion fund to boost the banks' capital, the banking system will be in a stronger position to continue to provide lending services to the public. And the proposal for a NOK 50 billion bond fund to improve liquidity in the bond market will be another positive contribution to meet the financing needs of Norwegian companies. 2009-02-09T09:49:34+01:00 http://www.udi.no/templates/Page.aspx?id=9758 (Norwegian Directorate of Immigration) The Ministry of Labour and Social Inclusion (AID) has instructed the Norwegian Directorate of Immigration (UDI) to adopt a stricter practice when granting temporary work permits to asylum seekers. Asylum seekers now need document their identity in order to get such a work permit. 2009-02-06T09:11:13+01:00 http://www.ssb.no/en/article/statsregn/2009-02-04 (Statistics Norway) In the approved central government budget for 2009, total revenue and total expenditure amount to NOK 1194.7 billion and NOK 848.5 billion respectively. Compared to the approved budget for 2008, this represents an increase in revenue of 15.2 per cent, while expenditure has increased by 10 per cent. 2009-02-04T13:44:20+01:00 http://www.ssb.no/en/article/telepi/2009-02-04 (Statistics Norway) Private households paid 7.3 per cent less for telecommunication services in the fourth quarter of 2008 than in the quarter before. By comparison, business clients paid 1.0 per cent more for the services in the last quarter. 2009-02-04T13:44:1+01:00 http://www.ssb.no/en/article/royk/2009-02-03 (Statistics Norway) A total of 21 per cent of all 16-74 year-olds smoked daily in 2008; one percentage point less than in 2007. This figure has fallen steadily over the past 10 years, and there are fewer smokers nowadays particularly among the young. 2009-02-03T10:23:4+01:00 http://www.regjeringen.no/en/dep/fin/press-center/Press-releases/2009/mining-company-excluded-from-the-governm.html?id=543107 (Government) Based on a recommendation from the Council on Ethics for the Government Pension Fund - Global, the Ministry of Finance has excluded the Canadian mining company Barrick Gold Corporation from the Fund. Barrick mines for gold in the Porgera mine in Papua New Guinea. The recommendation is based on the assessment that investing in the company entails an unacceptable risk of the Fund contributing to serious environmental damage. 2009-02-02T09:40:50+01:00 http://www.regjeringen.no/en/dep/fin/press-center/Press-releases/2009/cluster-weapons-manufacturer-excluded-fr.html?id=543105 (Government) Based on a recommendation from the Council on Ethics for the Government Pension Fund - Global, the Ministry of Finance has excluded the American company Textron Inc. Corporation from the Fund. "The company produces cluster weapons, which are banned pursuant to the Convention on Cluster Munitions. We cannot participate in the funding of this type of production," says finance minister Kristin Halvorsen. 2009-02-02T09:40:23+01:00 http://www.regjeringen.no/en/dep/smk/Press-Center/Press-releases/2009/nok-250-million-to-maternal-and-children.html?id=544382 (Government) Half a million children under the age of five and close to 15,000 women giving birth die each year in Pakistan. Norway and Pakistan have today agreed to secure the survival of more children and mothers. The programme is part of Norway's major effort for maternal and children health under the UN Millennium Goals. Over the coming five years Norway is planning to contribute NOK 250 million to this purpose in Pakistan. 2009-02-02T09:39:55+01:00 http://www.ssb.no/en/article/aku/2009-01-28 (Statistics Norway) The number of employed people on temporary contracts fell by 17 000 from the fourth quarter of 2007 to the fourth quarter of 2008. 2009-01-29T10:43:5+01:00 http://www.ssb.no/en/article/overnatting/2009-01-29 (Statistics Norway) The number of guest nights in Norwegian accommodation establishments reached 28.6 million in 2008. This is a decrease of 0.2 per cent compared with 2007. Domestic guest nights increased by 0.5 per cent while non-resident decreased by 2.1 per cent. 2009-01-29T10:38:52+01:00 http://www.ssb.no/en/article/kbar/2009-01-28 (Statistics Norway) Norwegian industrial managers report a decline in total output towards the end of 2008. Poorer demand was the main reason for this development. Indicators covering the short-term outlook imply a steep decline in the business cycle. 2009-01-28T13:42:0+01:00 http://www.ssb.no/en/article/akumnd/2009-01-28 (Statistics Norway) Unemployment was up with 13 000 people from August to November, and constituted 2.9 per cent of the labour force in November 2008. Employment was stable in the same period. 2009-01-28T13:41:49+01:00 http://www.regjeringen.no/en/dep/fin/press-center/Press-releases/2009/norwegian-government-presents-measures-t.html?id=543730 (Government) - Employment for all is our main priority. That is why the Norwegian Government today presents measures to secure existing jobs and create new jobs. We are proposing changes in the Fiscal Budget for 2009 that will reduce the effects of the international economic setback, Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg says. 2009-01-27T10:43:42+01:00