Four in Ten Norwegian Enterprises Have Only Male Employees

Forty-five per cent of all enterprises have both male and female employees. Thirty-eight per cent of enterprises have only male employees and 17 per cent of enterprises have only female employees

In 63 per cent of all enterprises in construction, and transport and storage, all employees are male. Sixty per cent of all enterprises in other service activities and 44 per cent of all enterprises in health and social work activities have exclusively female employees, according to Statistics Norway’s altest report.

Most of the enterprises have few employees; 79 per cent had fewer than ten persons employed.

Almost half of all enterprises as of the date the survey was done had no employees with a higher education level than upper secondary school. In roughly 70 per cent of all enterprises in other service activities, transport and storage, as well as construction, the highest education level of all employees was either compulsory or upper secondary education. 

In 14 per cent of all enterprises, all employees were graduates. Thirty-nine per cent of all enterprises in professional, scientific and technical activities and 33 per cent of all enterprises in information and communication had only graduate employees.

Parliament Report Favors Closing of Duty Free Shops in Norway

Public health will be improved if the duty free trade is closed, according to a new parliament report

That is the conclusion of the 13-page tax-assessment report which Parliament requested last year, according to Vårt Land.

The report lists pros and cons of duty-free sales at airports and ferries.

According to the report, the duty-free stores cause buying and consuming more alcohol. Increased alcohol consumption leads to more deaths, more violent crime and increased absenteeism.

The disadvantages of closing down duty-frees include that Norwegians will get worse flight offers and higher ticket prices. And if the Vinmonopolet acquires duty-free sales, another state company, Avinor will lose billion of kroner revenue.

The government is not interested in changing the tax-free scheme and has no plan to close down duty-free stores for now. 

Norway Mobilizes against Controversial Dakota Access Pipeline in the USA

Protests are held in Oslo and Bergen against the oil pipeline "Black Snake" in the United States. Also 470 organizations contacted Norwegian bank DNB to stop funding the project.

The protest in Oslo was led by Norway’s indigenous group, Sami’s church council.  Member of the Sami Church Council, Mikkel Eskil Mikkelsen said  that Dakota Access Pipeline is built through indigenous areas without consultation or consent, so they can not accept it as other similar oil pipelines has caused polluted water, writes NRK.

Demonstrations are organized by hundreds of organizations around the world, including the environmental organization Greenpeace.

Green Peace Norway writes that INSANITY must end. 

- There are serious assaults against the people who are protesting in the USA. There are shooting by rubber bullets, tear gas, spraying with water cannons in freezing temperatures and arbitrary detention of demonstrators, says climate and energy adviser Martin Norman to NRK.

Norman says that they will show solidarity for those who are severely abused in Dakota, who try to protect their drinking water.

Pressure on DNB to Stop Funding

Greenpeace Norway met this week with Norwegian state-owned bank DNB to demand freezing Norwegian bank investments in controversial oil pipeline in the United States.

At the meeting, Greenpeace handed a letter to DNB and the other lenders of the construction of the oil pipeline Dakota Access Pipeline in the United States.

More than 400 organizations from 47 countries have signed the letter. The requirement for DNB is as followed:

• Instantly freeze all further loan disbursements for the project.
• Demand from developers that all the construction of the oil pipeline and infrastructure is halted until the problem with the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe resolved.
• In case you can not reach agreement with the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, DNB must withdraw completely from the loan agreement.
• Make a public statement in response to how they will deal with the challenges mentioned above.

DNB has already drawn investments from companies involved in the project. 

The bank is still heavily involved in lending through its other holdings.

DNB has lent 4.7 billion NOK to the project, which makes about 15 percent of the debt financing the construction of pipeline.

Kaj Martin Georgsen, director of corporate social responsibility at DNB said that the company takes the demand seriously and assess both social, policy and procedures in this project.

- We will also assess the project according to the international standards, and come with recommendations to the project. This will form the basis for DNB’s assessment and further work on the issue, says Georgsen to NRK.

6 Easy Ways To Pay A Lower Rate For Car Insurance

The mystery of what goes into a car insurance rate. Why do different people get better deals on their automobile insurance? And why are some people paying extraordinary amounts for car insurance? There is a complicated formula for how rates are created – but after some research we have found ways to understand how your price is calculated. If you understand what creates a rate, you can control what you pay. All automobile car insurance prices and rates are calculated based off risk.  Before you try and get your next car insurance price quote comparison, keep these things in mind.

The lower the risk and the safer you are, the less you pay and the cheaper your quote will be. So lower your risk, and know that knowledge is power!  

Read the 6 secrets on how you can save yourself money on your insurance rate on the next page.  

Norwegian Air Gets Approval for Flights to U.S., Despite Opposition

US Department of Transportation grants Norwegian Air license to conduct "transportation of persons, property and mail from any place within any Member State of the European Union to any place in the USA."

The news makes Norwegian CEO Bjorn Kjos very happy.

- We are very pleased that the American authorities have finally given our EU-company permission to fly to the US, says CEO Bjorn Kjos said in a statement.

The permit has been effective from 2 December. 

Norwegian has waited three years for this license, as trade unions, and politicians and airlines have tried to stop the process, according to news agency AP.

They have accused Norwegian to have skirted labor and safety laws with its Irish subsidiary, according to USA Today.

U.S. critics, including Delta and United airlines, and the Air Line Pilots Association, argued that the Norwegian company has been headquartered in Ireland for hiring Asian crews for below-market wages.

On the other hand, the Norwegian company is happy about the possible positive impact. This approval finally makes it possible for us to plan the Cork to the U.S. routes we, and many others, have been looking forward to, writes a press release.

- Above all, it is a victory for millions of passengers who will benefit from more choice and lower fares. We now look forward to working on our plans for Norwegian’s continued expansion in the US, delivering the flights, jobs and economic boost we always promised we would, says the Norwegian spokesperson.