Today in Norway: A roundup of the latest news on Friday
Norwegian government to announce action plan on housing, AI-assisted tools banned in exams, and retirement age protests continue. This and other news from Norway on Friday.
Housing action plan to be announced
A new report on the state of the housing market will be unveiled by the government on Friday. The government will announce plans to try to help get more people on the housing ladder.
"It is a challenge now that the threshold is high for entering the housing market. We want to lower that threshold. The government's goal is for more people to have a safe and good place to live," Municipal and District Minister Erling Sande told public broadcaster NRK.
Part of the plan will see more loans given to people in rural areas. The Norwegian State Housing Bank offers loans to those who would otherwise struggle to get an offer from banks.
One issue in rural areas is the capital needed to build a house, and once a house is finished it may not have a value to cover the project's costs.
"That makes it difficult to get a loan to build that house. A start-up loan can be a good tool to get there. In the cities, there is often a fierce battle for houses and apartments. Then the start loan is crucial for some people," Sande said.
AI banned in exams
The Norwegian Directorate of Education has officially forbidden the use of AI in exams in Norway.
The ban comes after areas of the country have been split on whether students would have access to AI-supported language tools.
Grammarly was one such tool that was previously allowed for exams in some counties but will now be banned.
Changes to exams will be made from spring 2025.
Pension protests continue
Protestors gathered in the square outside of Norway's parliament to demonstrate against new retirement age increases on Thursday.
The pension reform was announced two weeks ago and is expected to pass through parliament shortly.
The retirement age in Norway will be raised in line with projected life expectancy.
Almost 200 associations were represented outside parliament.
The retirement age will be raised by roughly one year for each decade one was born after 1964.
Poor parking causes issues for Oslo's trams
Cars parked illegally have been a source of problems for Oslo's tram network this winter.
Some 952 trams have been blocked by parked cars this year. The average stoppage caused by a parked car was 17 minutes. There have also been 48 incidents where a tram has tried to navigate around a parked car but has damaged it instead.
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Housing action plan to be announced
A new report on the state of the housing market will be unveiled by the government on Friday. The government will announce plans to try to help get more people on the housing ladder.
"It is a challenge now that the threshold is high for entering the housing market. We want to lower that threshold. The government's goal is for more people to have a safe and good place to live," Municipal and District Minister Erling Sande told public broadcaster NRK.
Part of the plan will see more loans given to people in rural areas. The Norwegian State Housing Bank offers loans to those who would otherwise struggle to get an offer from banks.
One issue in rural areas is the capital needed to build a house, and once a house is finished it may not have a value to cover the project's costs.
"That makes it difficult to get a loan to build that house. A start-up loan can be a good tool to get there. In the cities, there is often a fierce battle for houses and apartments. Then the start loan is crucial for some people," Sande said.
AI banned in exams
The Norwegian Directorate of Education has officially forbidden the use of AI in exams in Norway.
The ban comes after areas of the country have been split on whether students would have access to AI-supported language tools.
Grammarly was one such tool that was previously allowed for exams in some counties but will now be banned.
Changes to exams will be made from spring 2025.
Pension protests continue
Protestors gathered in the square outside of Norway's parliament to demonstrate against new retirement age increases on Thursday.
The pension reform was announced two weeks ago and is expected to pass through parliament shortly.
The retirement age in Norway will be raised in line with projected life expectancy.
Almost 200 associations were represented outside parliament.
The retirement age will be raised by roughly one year for each decade one was born after 1964.
Poor parking causes issues for Oslo's trams
Cars parked illegally have been a source of problems for Oslo's tram network this winter.
Some 952 trams have been blocked by parked cars this year. The average stoppage caused by a parked car was 17 minutes. There have also been 48 incidents where a tram has tried to navigate around a parked car but has damaged it instead.
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