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Twelve Norwegians from Bergen found themselves stuck on board a cruiseship this week. They'd only meant to have a quick weekend trip to Denmark, but are currently taking an involuntary tour around the North Atlantic.The Bergen residents, including one local family with children, had taken advantage of a special deal to take the vessel MS Norrøna back and forth to Hanstholm in Denmark. The vessel is owned by Smyril Line of the Færoe Islands.The vessel regularly plies the route between Bergen and Hanstholm, and then sets off from Bergen for week-long trips to the Shetland Islands, the Færoes and on...

Okay, so I am probably not doing the fine folks of Moraker, Norway, in revealing one of the best-kept secrets of Norway; a paradise, apparently, for hunters and fishermen and skiiers.Meraker is a "commune"--one assumes that is similar with our "township" or "county" here in the United States--of 2,500 people, or about 3 people per square mile. An ancient (circa 1905) photograph of Norwegian loggers near Meraker. Some mountain that dominates Meraker. If Norway joins the European Union, which forbides the Finns to defend themselves against wolves, probably these women will have to learn marksmanship somewhere else. Apparently even faraway...

It seems that Poland is doing very well in EU, much better than expected!This is a pleasant surprise since Poles were worried that the condition of Polish economy can deteriorate after joining the European Union.Even CNN reported that the Polish president, Kwasniewski praised the year in European Union as one of the best in Polish history.Poles changed their perception of EU the most positively from all the EU countries! So called Index of economical satisfaction shows that Poles are 41% more satisfied than the average Europeans.In general the members of new countries that joined the EU last year (2004) are...

Since nothing happens in Norway during the weekends, and because of popular demand--really popular demand; it boogles the mind--on weekends members of the Norway ping list have the opportunity, if they wish, to inspect some of the photographic glories of our gallant allies in the War against Terror--this week, featuring the delightful city of Alesund.All of these photographs are from the public domain, taken by amateurs, one assumes; if something is not from Alesund, anyone may please feel free to correct me.Also, some guy in Norway put together a wonderful collection of photographs of Alesund (none of which are featured...

Norway's mistrust of joining the European Union is again on the rise, and the 'no' side is again in the majority, though the undecideds could still change the result.If the issue came to another vote today, 44.5 percent would oppose membership, 42.5 would vote yes and 12.9 percent remain unsure, according to a new poll by Sentio for newspapers Klassekampen, Dagen and Nationen.Every region of the nation opposes the union with the exception of the capital district of Oslo and Akershus.In northern Norway the no side leads 46-38, with central Norway even more opposed at 54-38. The southern coast is...

Gunnulf Oterkiil tried to revive a young woman who fainted and lost consciousness after striking her head on the pavement. Later he received a NOK 6,000 (USD 955) fine.Oterkiil refuses to accept the fine that resulted from a chaotic Saturday night in Porsgrunn last September, newspaper Telemarksavisa reports."He is not fined for trying to help, but because he knocked down a man who was interfering," prosecutor and police lawyer Kjell Ove Ljosåk said in Skien and Porsgrunn municipal court on Wednesday, where the matter went after Oterkiil refused to pay."Together with a completely sober friend I was standing on the...

Norway's reveling high school graduates, the "russ", tend to concentrate on extreme partying but groups from rival schools in Romerike, a region just outside of Oslo, have loaded up with groceries and launched hostilities.According to newspaper Romerikes Blad, over 700 russ have pelted each other with eggs, yogurt, milk and flour, and gas stations and the homes of parents have become makeshift battlefields.Three 'russebil', buses and vans converted into blaring parties on wheels, from Lørenskog High School covered the russ vehicles from two rival schools with eggs, and the desire for revenge led to a frenzy of vandalism and paintball...

Woman convicted of rapeIn a landmark case a 23-year-old woman has been convicted by a Bergen court for the rape of a 31-year-old man.The woman was sentenced to nine months in prison and ordered to pay NOK 40,000 (USD 6,385) to the man.The incident occurred on Jan. 4 last year in a Bergen apartment. The man testified that he fell asleep on a sofa and woke up to find the woman performing oral sex on him.The woman eventually admitted sexual contact but claimed that it was voluntary and that the man was willing and smiled. The case has attracted attention...

PIKESVILLE, Md. - A herd of buffalo somehow got loose and wandered around an upscale neighborhood Tuesday, disrupting traffic and alarming homeowners before officers managed to corral them in a tennis court. More than a dozen police cars and a police helicopter were used to herd the roughly 10 beasts, authorities said. "Somehow they figured it out; I've got to give a lot of credit to the creativity of our officers," police spokesman Shawn Vinson said. Authorities have identified the owner of the buffalo but did not release the person's name immediately. Residents in the Baltimore suburb first reported that...

Fewer asylum seekers to NorwayThe number of asylum seekers arriving in Norway has so far this year been reduced by 50 per cent.The Immigration Directorate has therefore decided to close down 15-20 reception centers by the end of June.Further cuts will be considered. There are now 99 reception centers in Norway.Last year a little more than 7,900 persons applied for asylum in Norway. This was also a reduction by 50 per cent from the year before, and around 40 reception centers were closed down.

Politician shot in own restaurantA politician who represents the Conservatives on a district council in Oslo was shot in a restaurant he runs early Tuesday. He claims his family has been the victim of extortion."The motive was money," Ghazanfar Ali Khan told Aftenposten's web site. "They wanted me to pay."Khan is one of two representatives for the Conservative Party (Høyre) on the Stovner district council. He also runs a restaurant, To Kokker Mat og Vinhus, on Brugata in Oslo.He said he was closing up his restaurant about 3:40am when someone started shooting at the entrance. At least eight bullets hit...

New royal heir on the wayStaff at Norway's Royal Palace announced Monday that Crown Princess Mette-Marit is pregnant with a new royal heir. The child will be third in line to take over as reigning monarch.Crown Princess Mette-Marit has bowed out of several events during recent weeks, claiming illness, just as the royal program has been in one of its busiest phases ever.[Fred: because of the Norway centennial celebrations this year; Norway became independent of Sweden in 1905]That's left Crown Prince Haakon and his mother, Queen Sonja, handling the brunt of the royal duties as King Harald recovers from heart...

Dishonest employees aboundNorwegians are regularly fired for theft, embezzlement, harassing colleagues, getting high on the job, taking too much vacation time or just disappearing, newspaper Dagsavisen reports.The City of Oslo alone had about 100 dismissals of this type in a year according to city financial adviser André Støylen."The most common reason for dismissal is that people don't come to work or vanish for longer periods. We also see employees that come from abroad return home without giving any notification," Støylen told Dagsavisen. Støylen does not believe that the City of Oslo has an unusual situation with its employee problems."Many Norwegian...

Christian Democrats want Bush campaignChristian Democrat MP Anita Apelthun Sæle wants enemies. She believes her party needs to take a page from the book of Bush election strategist Karl Rove and start getting tough in order to win back voters."We must make some enemies. Only then can we get more friends," Sæle told left-wing newspaper Klassekampen. The Christian Democrats have declined in popularity and are about 5-6 percent points below their 2001 election result and have their lowest voter loyalty figures ever."We have tried for too broad a profile and have a lot to correct for our core voters. This...

Woman charged with raping manA 23-year-old woman has changed her story after biological evidence on a man's underpants and penis demonstrated their physical contact. The woman no longer denies laying a finger on him but insists she has committed no crime.The 23-year-old woman told Bergen municipal court that she didn't force sexual contact on the man while he was asleep, newspaper VG reports."He wasn't asleep, he was awake the whole time and he gave me a smile," the woman told the court.The incident allegedly occurred in the apartment of the woman's current partner. He was present at the time but...

OSLO (AFP) - Norway's whaling season began with hunters allowed by the government to kill up to 797 of the mammals this year, the highest quota set by the government in more than a decade in defiance of repeated international criticism.Thirty-one boats were expected to participate in this year's hunt, Fishing industry publication Fiskeribladet reported on its website.The government announced last December that it would increase the catch quota to 797 this year from 670 last year, even though whalers failed to meet that target, mainly due to backlogs at processing factories on land.This is the largest quota allowed since...

Swedes tightest touristsForeign visitors come less often to Norway and spend less money than before. Japanese and US tourists are the most free with their money, and neighboring Swedes keep the tightest reins on their purse strings.Norway's tourism industry is gearing up for the summer trade and rolling out their souvenir trolls, but despite years of discussion about how to brand and market the country's charms, nothing seems to be working."In fact, there have been fewer tourists. And they have not spent more money since 1995. Development is at a standstill," said Arne Rideng at the Institute of Transport Economy,...

"Svorsk" baby boomWhile Norway may be experiencing a swell of national pride and heightened rivalry in the centennial year of independence from Sweden, the citizenry have warmer feelings that ever.The number of children born to Swedish-Norwegian (svensk-norsk or "svorsk") couples has risen 128 percent from 1990 to 2004, according to figures Statistics Norway (SSB) has prepared for newspaper VG.At the beginning of 2005 there were 24,648 persons in Norway who were the result of a union between a Norwegian and a Swede, and 12,369 of these were under the age of 18.In 1990 the comparable figures were 10,794 and 7,201....

Norwegians run amok in SwedenWhile debate rages over links between crime and foreigners in Norway, Swedish police are dealing with a sharp rise in troublesome foreigners of their own: Norwegians accounted for half of all criminal convictions in the border town of Stromstad so far this year.Stromstad is a popular destination for Norwegians shopping for items that are much cheaper in Sweden than in Norway, because of Sweden's lower taxes.Among those items are wine, beer and liquor, which many Norwegians apparently drink on the spot and then cause trouble. Swedish police report that most of the crimes committed by Norwegians...

Swedes seem to envy Norwegians' good fortuneSome Swedes apparently would rather restore a union with Norway than continue in the one they currently have with Europe. Fresh figures outlining the average wealth of Norwegians seem to have left many across the border green with envy."Let's take the horse and wagon and move to Norway!" wrote one Swede to the web site for Swedish business newspaper Dagens Industri."Doing away with our union (between Sweden and Norway) in 1905 was Sweden's biggest mistake ever," wrote another.The occasion was a reader debate over figures recently released by Norway's Central Bureau of Statistics, and...