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

Frazer Norwell
Frazer Norwell - [email protected]
Today in Norway: A roundup of the latest news on Thursday
Find out what's going on in Norway with The Local's short roundup of important news. Pictured is Hovdern in Norway. Photo by Adrian Cross on Unsplash

Norway to continue supporting Amazon fund and an interest rate decision from Norway’s central bank are among the headlines on Thursday. 

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Norway to continue supporting Amazon fund 

Norwegian environment minister Espen Barth Eide on Wednesday reiterated his country’s commitment to an Amazon protection fund in Brazil. 

Norway contributes more than 90 percent of the money that goes into the fund for the Amazon rainforest. It said it would help Brazil find new donors. 

It was suspended during the Brazilian presidency of Jair Bolsonaro due to his environmental policies.

Bolsonaro had issued a decree authorizing mining exploitation in Indigenous areas and protected zones, which his successor Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, revoked after beginning his term in January. 

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Norwegian bank to decide on interest rates 

On Thursday morning, Norway’s central bank, Norges Bank, will announce whether the key policy interest rate in the country will be raised. 

It currently sits at 2.75, and analysts predict the bank will take the key rate beyond its initial target of three percent over the course of 2023. 

High inflation, economic growth and a weak krone are all factors which could influence Norges Bank opting to raise interest rates on Thursday. 

Experts in finance and banking expect Norges Bank to set a new target for interest rates between 3.5 and 3.75 percent. 

Oslo police identify areas at risk of serious crime 

The police in Oslo will invest more heavily in six eastern districts of the city, as they have identified them as at risk of increased serious violent and drug crime. 

The six areas are in Grønland, Tøyen and unidentified areas in the districts of Stovner, Alna and Søndre Nordstrand in the east of the city, newspaper Klassekampen reports. 

Police have selected the area as police have identified indicators such as low income, low education, temporary residence in Norway and households with single parents as being more at risk. 

Oslo’s police are following the footsteps of Sweden, which has adopted a similar approach to policing. 

Train passengers less satisfied 

Punctuality and information presented to travellers have been highlighted as issues for train companies, with customers less satisfied than before, a new survey shows

“The results reflect the challenges with punctuality in recent months and emphasize the need for a more stable train service, especially in Eastern Norway,” Knit Sletta from the Directorate of Railway’s said following the survey.

On a scale of one to 100, customer satisfaction in the first quarter of this year was 76, a drop of three percentage points from the last survey. Only SJ Norge was able to improve its satisfaction scores. 

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