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

Norway has concluded its official mourning period following the funeral of King Harald V, which took place on Wednesday. The ceremony was attended by international leaders and members of royal families, while citizens across the country observed a minute of silence. Following the conclusion of the mourning period, flags across Norway have been returned to full mast, marking the beginning of the reign of King Haakon VIII.

Oslo police reported that between 25 and 30 individuals were removed from the city center during the funeral proceedings, with several others briefly detained. In a separate incident, the Police Security Service (PST) intervened when individuals shouted at Moroccan Prime Minister Aziz Akhannouch while he was in the city center; no arrests were made in that instance.

With the mourning period over, political debate has resumed regarding rising fuel costs. The Progress Party (FrP) and the Centre Party (SP) are calling for an emergency session of the Storting to reinstate temporary fuel tax cuts that expired on September 1. Progress Party leader Sylvi Listhaug has urged the Conservative Party to support the measure, citing concerns over the financial burden on motorists. However, Conservative leadership has rejected the proposal, and Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre stated that he does not consider the current fuel prices to constitute a national crisis.

Economic data released by Statistics Norway (SSB) shows that annual consumer price inflation rose to 3.3 percent in August, up from 3 percent in July. Core inflation reached 3 percent year-on-year. While grocery costs decreased by 1.4 percent from July, food prices remain 1.7 percent higher than they were a year ago. Economists have noted increased uncertainty regarding whether the central bank will implement an interest rate hike in September.

Separately, Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre claimed that a plane carrying Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who was traveling to Oslo for the funeral, was nearly struck by a drone after departing from Moldova. A source within the Ukrainian presidency described the claim as exaggerated, noting that the aircraft was delayed due to airspace closures in Moldova following reports of a Russian drone entering Moldovan and Romanian airspace. Moldovan government spokesperson Dumitru Ciorici confirmed that airspace was closed on Tuesday afternoon to ensure the safety of aircraft, with flight restrictions lifted after authorities confirmed the drone had crashed approximately 160 kilometers from Chisinau International Airport.

Article and image source: thelocal.no