Today in Norway: A roundup of the latest news on Monday
Norway ranked the seventh happiest country in the world, and Norwegian researchers to focus on nuclear power. Plus other news from Norway on Monday.
Norway is the least happy country in the Nordics, new survey shows
Finland tops the list of this year's happiness survey carried out by the UN. Norway ranked lowest among the Nordic countries and ended up in seventh place.
As usual, the Nordic countries came out best in the annual happiness survey. Finland took first place, ahead of Denmark and Iceland.
"Challenges in Norway are related to the declining quality of life, especially among the young, and increasing inequality," a happiness researcher at the Institute of Public Health, Ragnhild Bang Nes, told the news bureau NTB.
The happiness survey includes ratings of national satisfaction based on data from the Gallup World Poll.
On a scale from one to ten, the population scored Norway with a 7.3. The country at the top of the list, Finland, got a score of 7.8, remaining on top for the sixth year in a row.
Norwegian researchers to strengthen nuclear power research
The Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) in Trondheim has decided to strengthen research into nuclear power.
"The debate on nuclear power is characterised by opinions. We want to gather knowledge about nuclear power," department head Erik Wahlström told the newspaper Adresseavisen.
He heads NTNU's physics department and is behind a new interdisciplinary research group at NTNU - NTNU Nuclear Energy Team.
In it, people from various disciplines at NTNU have come together to acquire research-based knowledge, follow international developments, and contribute to the public debate on nuclear power in Norway.
"We see a renewed interest in nuclear power. We have hardly discussed it for 30-40 years, and the old discussion has been completely forgotten.
"Now, there has been a major technological development, and we are in the middle of an energy crisis. It is a very big change," Wahlström added.
Survey: Majority opposes demolition of disputed wind turbines at Fosen
According to a new survey, one in three respondents supports the Fosen campaigners' demand to demolish the disputed wind turbines.
However, 44 percent of respondents oppose demolition, a new survey Respons Analyze carried out for the newspaper VG showed.
In October 2021, the Supreme Court ruled that the concessions granted in connection with the construction of two wind power plants at Fosen, Roan and Storheia, violate the rights of the reindeer-herding Sami at Fosen. The concessions are, therefore, invalid.
On February 23rd, after 500 days without governmental action, activists protested and occupied the entrance to the Ministry of Oil and Energy and several other Norwegian ministries, demanding that the controversial wind turbines be demolished.
Huge budget increase for Norwegian secret services
The budgets of Norway's three secret services have increased by 50 percent in five years.
In 2019, the budgets for the Defense Intelligence Service, the Police Security Service (PST), and the National Security Agency (NSM) totalled 3.2 billion kroner.
In 2023, the same services have been allocated 4.8 billion kroner from the state budget, an increase of 50 percent from 2019, the newspaper Bergens Tidende reports.
The money finances an estimated 3,300 man-years in the three secret services, according to the newspaper's estimate.
In addition, large sums are spent on monitoring people leaving and entering Norway.
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Norway is the least happy country in the Nordics, new survey shows
Finland tops the list of this year's happiness survey carried out by the UN. Norway ranked lowest among the Nordic countries and ended up in seventh place.
As usual, the Nordic countries came out best in the annual happiness survey. Finland took first place, ahead of Denmark and Iceland.
"Challenges in Norway are related to the declining quality of life, especially among the young, and increasing inequality," a happiness researcher at the Institute of Public Health, Ragnhild Bang Nes, told the news bureau NTB.
The happiness survey includes ratings of national satisfaction based on data from the Gallup World Poll.
On a scale from one to ten, the population scored Norway with a 7.3. The country at the top of the list, Finland, got a score of 7.8, remaining on top for the sixth year in a row.
Norwegian researchers to strengthen nuclear power research
The Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) in Trondheim has decided to strengthen research into nuclear power.
"The debate on nuclear power is characterised by opinions. We want to gather knowledge about nuclear power," department head Erik Wahlström told the newspaper Adresseavisen.
He heads NTNU's physics department and is behind a new interdisciplinary research group at NTNU - NTNU Nuclear Energy Team.
In it, people from various disciplines at NTNU have come together to acquire research-based knowledge, follow international developments, and contribute to the public debate on nuclear power in Norway.
"We see a renewed interest in nuclear power. We have hardly discussed it for 30-40 years, and the old discussion has been completely forgotten.
"Now, there has been a major technological development, and we are in the middle of an energy crisis. It is a very big change," Wahlström added.
Survey: Majority opposes demolition of disputed wind turbines at Fosen
According to a new survey, one in three respondents supports the Fosen campaigners' demand to demolish the disputed wind turbines.
However, 44 percent of respondents oppose demolition, a new survey Respons Analyze carried out for the newspaper VG showed.
In October 2021, the Supreme Court ruled that the concessions granted in connection with the construction of two wind power plants at Fosen, Roan and Storheia, violate the rights of the reindeer-herding Sami at Fosen. The concessions are, therefore, invalid.
On February 23rd, after 500 days without governmental action, activists protested and occupied the entrance to the Ministry of Oil and Energy and several other Norwegian ministries, demanding that the controversial wind turbines be demolished.
Huge budget increase for Norwegian secret services
The budgets of Norway's three secret services have increased by 50 percent in five years.
In 2019, the budgets for the Defense Intelligence Service, the Police Security Service (PST), and the National Security Agency (NSM) totalled 3.2 billion kroner.
In 2023, the same services have been allocated 4.8 billion kroner from the state budget, an increase of 50 percent from 2019, the newspaper Bergens Tidende reports.
The money finances an estimated 3,300 man-years in the three secret services, according to the newspaper's estimate.
In addition, large sums are spent on monitoring people leaving and entering Norway.
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