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Today in Norway: A roundup of the latest news on Friday 

Frazer Norwell
Frazer Norwell - [email protected]
Today in Norway: A roundup of the latest news on Friday 
Read about the exploitation of Ukrainian refugees, the abuses of NAV employees and low water reservoirs in today's roundup of important news. Pictured is Lofoten. Photo by Fabian Jung on Unsplash

The exploitation of Ukrainian refugees, low reservoirs in Oslo, and NAV employees' abuse are among the main news stories from Norway on Friday. 

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Kripos: 'Very likely' that Ukrainian refugees face sexual exploitation 

Norway's serious crime agency, Kripos, has said it is very likely that criminals will look to exploit Ukrainian refugees sexually in an updated assessment. 

The agency had previously said that it was likely that refugees would be exploited, but this has now been upgraded. 

"The concern is the same. But in the last period, we have increased the assessment from that it should be likely to happen to, it (exploitation) will likely happen," Emil Kofoed, head of the section for sexual offences at Kripos, told public broadcaster NRK

Kofoed said that there had been a small number of incidents in relation to the number of refugees. 

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In Tromsø, a man in his 20s has been charged with raping a Ukrainian 17-year-old. 

Oslo is getting water from its neighbours 

The source of Oslo's drinking water, Maridalsvannet, is running so low that the capital is getting water from its neighbouring municipalities to ensure a steady supply, newspaper VG reports. 

Oslo Municipality was also restricting the water flow to the Akerselva by around a third to save water. However, the municipality has said that residents haven't done the best job of following advice to try and save water.

"We currently receive water from Bærum municipality and Nedre Romerike Vannverk, which together contribute 10 percent of Oslo's consumption," Frode Hult, from Oslo's Water and Sewerage Authority, told VG. 

Oslo has four levels for water-saving measures. The city is currently at level one. The reservoir is around 20 percent less full than it typically is at this time of year. 

One in eight NAV employees has faced abuse

A survey among employees at the Norwegian Labour and Welfare Administration (NAV) revealed that 13 percent of workers have been subject to violence. 

More than two-thirds said they had received abuse, with more than 10 percent being abused on more than ten occasions. 

Last year two employees at a NAV in Bergen were attacked with a knife, one of the workers, Marianne Amundsen, died while her other colleague suffered injuries. 

Ukraine war causes losses for Norway's sovereign fund

Norway said Thursday its sovereign wealth fund, the world's largest, lost $74 billion during the first quarter of the year due to the market turmoil caused by the war in Ukraine.

The loss of 653 billion kroner, or 68 billion euros, represents a drop of 4.9 percent in the value of the fund which Norway has built up with revenue from its oil exports, said the central bank.

“The first quarter has been characterised by geopolitical turbulence, which has also affected the markets,” said the deputy head of the fund, Trond Grande, in a statement.

The value of the fund’s equity assets, which account for just over 70 percent of the total, fell by 5.2 percent in the first three months of the
year. The bond portfolio, which accounts for a bit more than 26 percent overall, slumped 4.8 percent.

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