Today in Norway: A roundup of the latest news on Monday
Price increase of essential consumer goods exceptionally high, cocaine use among young people in Oslo on the rise, and other news from Norway on Monday.
Report: Price of essential consumer goods in Norway soars
The prices of essential goods, like food and drinks, have increased more than twice as much as the general price increase, according to a new report from the National Institute for Consumer Research (SIFO).
"We see a significant price increase for consumer goods. The cost increase in the reference budget for 'food and drink' for the family we used in the example amounted to 15 percent between February 2022 and February 2023," researcher Marthe Hårvik Austgulen told Norwegian Broadcasting (NRK).
The report shows that almost all goods are increasing in price. This year, the increase from last year for the family used as an example amounts to around 8 percent.
"It is quite special that there is such a large increase. In the past, it has always been closer to the inflation target," Austgulen said.
Cocaine grows sharply among young people in Oslo
There are now three times as many young people in Oslo who say they have used cocaine than five years ago, according to the recent Ung i Oslo survey.
"We have never seen such high cocaine figures before. This is (a) new (development)," NOVA researcher Anders Bakken, who is behind the survey, told the newspaper Aftenposten.
According to the survey, eight percent of all students at the upper secondary school level in Oslo say they have tried cocaine in the past year.
There are twice as many boys than girls who say they have tried cocaine.
The survey also shows differences between districts when it comes to drug use among young people. It is more common to use heavy drugs among young people in western Oslo or the inner city.
Some 69 percent of all pupils between 13 and 19 in Oslo have responded to the survey.
Young man indicted for participation in al-Qaeda
A 23-year-old man arrested in Bulgaria in 2022 and extradited to Norway has been charged with inciting acts of terrorism and participating in al-Qaeda.
The court case against him will take place over 18 days between May 22nd and June 21st in the Oslo District Court.
The man is being represented by lawyers Bendik Falch-Koslung and Farhad Shæriæti.
Several houses in Alta evacuated due to landslide risk
Three houses in Tørrfossen in Alta have been evacuated after a resident discovered that a small landslide had been triggered.
Around 15 people are to be evacuated, the newspaper Kronstadposten reported on Sunday.
"There has been a small landslide, so we are not taking any chances with the nearest houses and are evacuating them," Frank Olav Pettersen of the fire service told the newspaper.
Units from the fire service, police, and the Norwegian Water Resources and Energy Directorate (NVE) were on the scene on Sunday, and the municipality has set up a crisis team.
On Sunday evening, an orange flooding warning was also issued for the Altaelva river, the third-longest river in Troms og Finnmark county.
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Report: Price of essential consumer goods in Norway soars
The prices of essential goods, like food and drinks, have increased more than twice as much as the general price increase, according to a new report from the National Institute for Consumer Research (SIFO).
"We see a significant price increase for consumer goods. The cost increase in the reference budget for 'food and drink' for the family we used in the example amounted to 15 percent between February 2022 and February 2023," researcher Marthe Hårvik Austgulen told Norwegian Broadcasting (NRK).
The report shows that almost all goods are increasing in price. This year, the increase from last year for the family used as an example amounts to around 8 percent.
"It is quite special that there is such a large increase. In the past, it has always been closer to the inflation target," Austgulen said.
Cocaine grows sharply among young people in Oslo
There are now three times as many young people in Oslo who say they have used cocaine than five years ago, according to the recent Ung i Oslo survey.
"We have never seen such high cocaine figures before. This is (a) new (development)," NOVA researcher Anders Bakken, who is behind the survey, told the newspaper Aftenposten.
According to the survey, eight percent of all students at the upper secondary school level in Oslo say they have tried cocaine in the past year.
There are twice as many boys than girls who say they have tried cocaine.
The survey also shows differences between districts when it comes to drug use among young people. It is more common to use heavy drugs among young people in western Oslo or the inner city.
Some 69 percent of all pupils between 13 and 19 in Oslo have responded to the survey.
Young man indicted for participation in al-Qaeda
A 23-year-old man arrested in Bulgaria in 2022 and extradited to Norway has been charged with inciting acts of terrorism and participating in al-Qaeda.
The court case against him will take place over 18 days between May 22nd and June 21st in the Oslo District Court.
The man is being represented by lawyers Bendik Falch-Koslung and Farhad Shæriæti.
Several houses in Alta evacuated due to landslide risk
Three houses in Tørrfossen in Alta have been evacuated after a resident discovered that a small landslide had been triggered.
Around 15 people are to be evacuated, the newspaper Kronstadposten reported on Sunday.
"There has been a small landslide, so we are not taking any chances with the nearest houses and are evacuating them," Frank Olav Pettersen of the fire service told the newspaper.
Units from the fire service, police, and the Norwegian Water Resources and Energy Directorate (NVE) were on the scene on Sunday, and the municipality has set up a crisis team.
On Sunday evening, an orange flooding warning was also issued for the Altaelva river, the third-longest river in Troms og Finnmark county.
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