Today in Norway: A roundup of the latest news on Thursday
Find out what’s going on in Norway on Thursday with The Local’s short roundup of important news.
Electricity prices driving CPI rises
Norway’s consumer price index (CPI) rose by 3.2 percent between January 2021 and the same month this year, figures from Statistics Norway have found.
The consumer price index tracks prices for goods and services in high demand by Norwegian households.
The data collection firm said that rising electricity and grid rent were among the most significant contributors to the Consumer Price Index. Prices rose by around 19.7 percent in the twelve months from the beginning of last year to the start of this year.
Statistics Norway said the rise would have been closer to 70 percent had the government not launched its scheme where it covers up to 80 percent of electricity bills.
Lack of competition contributing to rising food prices in Norway
Several everyday food items from dairy products to sausages and biscuits have risen in price by more than 10 percent since the end of January, public broadcaster NRK has reported.
Norway’s consumer council has said the price hikes are due to a lack of competition and variety between products.
READ MORE: Why is food in Norway so expensive?
“The competition in the Norwegian food market is obviously too bad. It has been for a long time and is documented here (through reports of price hikes),” Inger Lise Bylverket from the Consumer Council told NRK.
“This makes it impossible for us to use our powers as consumers to choose a cheaper alternative. When chains and other players in the grocery sector claim there is fierce competition, that is not true. Tougher measures are needed,” she added.
Supermarkets have said that the higher prices are due to higher bills from suppliers. Suppliers have put their prices up due to several factors, including high international shipping prices, larger electricity costs and the Norwegian agriculture sector charging more for their products.
Damage to Diechman Bjørvika is less severe than initially feared
Much of the Deichman library at Bjørvika will reopen on Thursday morning as damage sustained by the fire sprinklers to the library is less extensive than first feared.
The sprinklers were set off due to a sofa catching fire, and parts of the second, third and fourth floors will be cordoned off on Thursday.
The sprinklers dispersed around 1,000 litres of water, and the floors in certain sections of the library have been torn up.
20 glaciers in Norway have disappeared
Since 2006, 20 glaciers in Norway have disappeared, a report from the Norwegian Water Resource and Energy Directorate (NVE) has found.
The equivalent of 50,000 football fields, or 364 square kilometres, of ice, has melted away.
“The survey shows that glacier melting has accelerated since 2000,” Liss Marie Andreassen, a glacier researcher at the NVE, told NRK.
“The glaciers are melting due to climate change. They are very sensitive to climate change and adjust their size by increasing or decreasing when the climate changes,” Andreassen added.
25,086 new Covid-19 cases
On Wednesday, 25,086 new Covid-19 cases were registered in Norway. However, due to changes the Norwegian Institute of Public Health made with testing on January 24th, fewer infections are recorded than before this date.
326 patients were in hospital on Wednesday with Covid-19, nine more than the day before. In addition, 45 patients were in intensive care, and 26 were on ventilators.
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Electricity prices driving CPI rises
Norway’s consumer price index (CPI) rose by 3.2 percent between January 2021 and the same month this year, figures from Statistics Norway have found.
The consumer price index tracks prices for goods and services in high demand by Norwegian households.
The data collection firm said that rising electricity and grid rent were among the most significant contributors to the Consumer Price Index. Prices rose by around 19.7 percent in the twelve months from the beginning of last year to the start of this year.
Statistics Norway said the rise would have been closer to 70 percent had the government not launched its scheme where it covers up to 80 percent of electricity bills.
Lack of competition contributing to rising food prices in Norway
Several everyday food items from dairy products to sausages and biscuits have risen in price by more than 10 percent since the end of January, public broadcaster NRK has reported.
Norway’s consumer council has said the price hikes are due to a lack of competition and variety between products.
READ MORE: Why is food in Norway so expensive?
“The competition in the Norwegian food market is obviously too bad. It has been for a long time and is documented here (through reports of price hikes),” Inger Lise Bylverket from the Consumer Council told NRK.
“This makes it impossible for us to use our powers as consumers to choose a cheaper alternative. When chains and other players in the grocery sector claim there is fierce competition, that is not true. Tougher measures are needed,” she added.
Supermarkets have said that the higher prices are due to higher bills from suppliers. Suppliers have put their prices up due to several factors, including high international shipping prices, larger electricity costs and the Norwegian agriculture sector charging more for their products.
Damage to Diechman Bjørvika is less severe than initially feared
Much of the Deichman library at Bjørvika will reopen on Thursday morning as damage sustained by the fire sprinklers to the library is less extensive than first feared.
The sprinklers were set off due to a sofa catching fire, and parts of the second, third and fourth floors will be cordoned off on Thursday.
The sprinklers dispersed around 1,000 litres of water, and the floors in certain sections of the library have been torn up.
20 glaciers in Norway have disappeared
Since 2006, 20 glaciers in Norway have disappeared, a report from the Norwegian Water Resource and Energy Directorate (NVE) has found.
The equivalent of 50,000 football fields, or 364 square kilometres, of ice, has melted away.
“The survey shows that glacier melting has accelerated since 2000,” Liss Marie Andreassen, a glacier researcher at the NVE, told NRK.
“The glaciers are melting due to climate change. They are very sensitive to climate change and adjust their size by increasing or decreasing when the climate changes,” Andreassen added.
25,086 new Covid-19 cases
On Wednesday, 25,086 new Covid-19 cases were registered in Norway. However, due to changes the Norwegian Institute of Public Health made with testing on January 24th, fewer infections are recorded than before this date.
326 patients were in hospital on Wednesday with Covid-19, nine more than the day before. In addition, 45 patients were in intensive care, and 26 were on ventilators.
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