Leader of the Christian Democrats, Knut Arild Hareide, talks on his mobile on his way to Norway's parliament last month. Photo: Vidar Ruud / NTB scanpix

Revealed: spy equipment in central Oslo

Spy equipment that can be used to eavesdrop on the mobile phones of politicians and ordinary Norwegians has been discovered in several places in the Oslo area, including close to the country’s parliament, newspaper Aftenposten has revealed. READ 15 comments

Flags photo: Shutterstock

Norway extends Russian military freeze

Norway announced on Friday it is extending a freeze in military cooperation with Russia until the end of 2015 because of its neighbour's role in the Ukrainian crisis. READ 2 comments

A young Grey Seal pup: Shutterstock

Norway scraps subsidies to seal hunters

UPDATED: Norway's parliament has voted to scrap a controversial subsidy for seal hunting, potentially spelling the end of the much-criticized activity, a lawmaker told AFP on Friday. READ

25/11 Norwegian seals get their own fat app »
27/10 Norway cuts subsidies to seal hunters »
22/05 WTO backs EU ban on Norway seal imports »

Photo: Fredrik Varfjell/POOL/AFP

Malala weeps at sight of bloodied school uniform

Pakistan's teen Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai burst into tears Thursday at the sight of the bloodied school uniform she was wearing the day the Taliban shot her. READ

Nobel Peace Prize 2014

Photo: Cornelius Poppe/NTB Scanpix

Nobel protester sought to decry Mexico 'killings'

A young man who disrupted the Nobel prize ceremony in Oslo by waving a Mexican flag streaked with red said Thursday he did it to denounce the alleged killing of students by Mexican authorities. READ

The National Library of Norway (pictured) said it had digitized the film and sent a copy to The Walt Disney Company. Photo: Nasjonalbiblioteket/Wikicommons

Lost Disney short film found in Norway

A copy of a 1927 Walt Disney cartoon which was thought to be lost has been found in northern Norway, the country's National Library said on Thursday. READ

Nobel Peace Prize 2014

Nobel Peace Prize laureates Kailash Satyarthi (L) and Malala Yousafzai (R) salute the audience at the start of the Nobel Peace Prize awarding ceremony. Photo: Odd Andersen/AFP

Malala and Satyarthi get Peace Prize in Oslo

UPDATED: Pakistani schoolgirl Malala Yousafzai became the youngest ever Nobel laureate on Wednesday when she received the Peace Prize in Oslo, sharing it with Indian child rights campaigner Kailash Satyarthi. READ 2 comments

Nobel Prizes 2014

Norwegian May-Britt Moser with fellow prize-winner John O'Keefe. May-Britt Moser's husband Edvard also shares the Medicine Price. Photo: Anders Wiklund/TT/NTB Scanpix

The Local's guide to the Nobel Prizes 2014

After being nominated in October, the top scientists, activists, and writers selected by the Nobel Prize committees in Stockholm and Oslo this year, will pick up their prizes on Wednesday. Ahead of the ceremonies, here's a recap of the 13 new Nobel names you need to know about. READ

IOC member Gerhard Heiberg during the opening of Norway House in Sochi during the Winter Olympics, Sochi, Russia. Phooto: Terje Bendiksby/NTB Scanpix

Could Norway co-host the summer Olympics?

Changes by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) could result in Norway co-hosting the Olympics with its neighbours. READ

Photo: Sara Johannessen/NTB

Norway nears five billion text messages in 2014

Fleet-fingered Norwegians are closing in on a record year for text messaging. READ

Features

Interview

What makes Norwegians happy? Photo: Shutterstock

The key to happiness: pain, politics and poverty

Long, dark winter nights, the government getting you down, and Christmas bringing an endless cycle of shopping and debt? Well, latest research reveals suffering, bad politicians, and money problems can actually make you happier. The Local meets Professor Joar Vittersø of the Arctic University in Tromsø, who explains why being happy is more about sufferance than smiles. READ

The Local List

Royal reasons why Norway is the world's best 'kingdom'. File photo of a king: Shutterstock

Ten reasons why Norway is king of the world

Norway has more than just government wealth making it officially the most prosperous country in the world. But The Local discovers it's far more than just oil money making this Nordic nation a world-beater. READ 5 comments

Explore Norway

Photo: bearded man in winter hat smiling portrait Shutterstock

10 best places to visit in North Norway this winter

Northern Norway this month made the Lonely Planet's Top 5 list for best regions for travellers to go to in 2015. The Local takes a tour of one of Europe's most scenic destinations and reveals some of the coolest places to see and things to do in the Arctic Circle and beyond. READ

Interview

T-Michael (left) and Alexander Helle of fashion label Norwegian Rain. Photo: Norwegian Rain

Meet Norway's raining kings of fashion

The design duo behind Norwegian Rain, Norway's award-winning fashion brand, tell The Local how making rainwear that is both functional and stylish is not all grey skies. READ

Feature

Helene Meldahl, Norway's selfie supremo. Photo: Helene Meldahl / mirrorsme

Interview: Helene Meldahl, selfie artist

Helene Meldahl is a Norwegian artist who became famous after her unique style of selfie mirror art made her an internet phenomena. The Local asked the multi-media maverick to reflect a little and 'selfie' analyse her work. READ

More News

Photo: Cornelius Poppe/NTB Scanpix

Mexican fined for protest at Nobel ceremony

A man who disrupted the Nobel prize ceremony in Oslo by waving a Mexican flag streaked with red in front of the peace prize laureates has been fined, Norwegian police said Thursday. READ

Malala Yousafzai was speaking at a press conference with Norway's female premier Erna Solberg in Oslo. Photo: Odd Andersen/AFP

Malala sees herself as premier in 20 years

Pakistani Nobel Peace Prize laureate Malala Yousafzai said on Thursday at an Oslo press conference that she could see herself becoming prime minister of her country in about 20 years. READ

Photo: Cornelius Poppe/NTB Scanpix

Police sorry for 'security breach' at Nobel awards

Police apologized for failing to prevent a man from disrupting the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony in Oslo Wednesday after he brandished a Mexican flag near laureates and the Norwegian royal family. READ

Nobel Peace Prize 2014

Photo: Cornelius Poppe/NTB Scanpix

Man with Mexican flag disrupts Nobel ceremony

A man who disrupted the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony for unclear reasons while brandishing a Mexican flag in Oslo on Wednesday was arrested, Norwegian police said. READ 4 comments

Nobel Prizes 2014

Photo: Malala Yousafzai arrives at the Grand hotel with the head of the Nobel Committee, Thorbjørn Jagland. Photo: Audun Braastad/NTB Scanpix

Malala shows blood-stained uniform in Oslo

Malala Yousafzai will pick up her Nobel peace prize on Wednesday, but the youngest ever laureate already has an even more startling memento from her young life: the blood-soaked school uniform she wore when shot by the Taliban. READ 4 comments

Princess Ingrid Alexandra decorates the Christmas tree at the Royal Palace in 2013. Photo: Håkon Mosvold Larsen/NTB Scanpix

No ho ho for Norway Christmas tree exports

Europe has almost completely lost interest in Norwegian Christmas trees, with sales dwindling almost to nothing in recent years. READ 3 comments

21 injured in Oslo bus crash

Twenty-one people were injured, four of them seriously, when two Oslo city buses collided on Monday morning. READ

Ski jumping

Czech Republic's Roman Koudelka celebrates winnng the Ski Jumping World Cup Large Hill event at Lillehammer. Photo: Cornelius Poppe/NTB Scanpix/AFP

Koudelka defies weather for Lillehammer win

Roman Koudelka of the Czech Republic clinched his second World Cup win of the season when he triumphed at Lillehammer where the competition was cut short due to high winds. READ

Climate change protesters in Oslo Photo: Shutterstock.

Norway boosts Green Climate Fund payments

Norway said Friday it would increase its contribution to the United Nations' Green Climate Fund, created to help poor countries cut greenhouse gas emissions and prepare for climate change. READ

Spaced out: This man beat over 600 Norwegian hopefuls to travel to Mars. Photo: NTB scanpix

Norwegian takes a step closer to a life on Mars

A 20-year-old man was one of two Norwegians selected from over 200,000 people to enter the next phase of a competition to win a seat on a space mission to create a settlement on Mars in 2023, on Thursday. READ 4 comments

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From our other editions:

Photo: APA

House collapsing in Vienna shopping street

According to a police report on Saturday afternoon, a building at 178 Mariahilferstrasse has been evacuated due to risk of an imminent collapse. READ

Photo: AFP

Porn film spices up fare at McDonald's restaurant

McDonald’s is normally considered a safe place to bring children, so customers at one of the hamburger chain’s outlets in Switzerland were surprised over the weekend to see a porn film shown to diners on a large video screen. READ

Photo: DPA

Party like a German: 10 top tips

It's party season, and to help you seamlessly blend into German life and culture we've put together our top ten ways you can avoid embarrassment while you're keeping out the winter chill. READ

The Local List

'Tis the season for julefrokoster! Photo: Colourbox

10 tips for surviving a Danish Christmas party

With just a few weeks to go until Christmas, the party season is in full swing and in Denmark that means it's julefrokost time. We've put together some tips to help you survive a Danish holiday party. READ

Protesters wearing gags gather outside Madrid's congress to protest against Spain's new 'gag law'. GERARD JULIEN / AFP

Spain passes tough new 'anti-protest' law

Spain on Thursday finally passed its new controversial Citizen Security Law which opponents say will severely limit civil liberties in the country. READ

Nobel Prize for Literature 2014

Ten things to know about Nobel Prize winner Patrick Modiano. Photo: AFP

Ten things to know about Patrick Modiano

The French author Patrick Modiano picks up his Nobel Prize for Literature in Stockholm on Wednesday. Given that the first question asked by many outside France was "Who is Patrick Modiano? we’ve put together a list of ten things you need to know about him. READ

The Local List

Spaghetti bolognese may be a classic 'Italian' dish abroad but you won't find it anywhere in Italy. Spaghetti bolognese: Shutterstock

Ten 'Italian' dishes that don't exist in Italy

Wherever you travel in the Western world, the chances are you’ll never be too far from a restaurant offering Italian food. But is it really Italian? Here, The Local speaks to an Italian food blogger and culinary tour guide - and dispels a few persistent food myths. READ

Election 2015

Fans of Sweden Democrat leader Jimmie Åkesson. Photo:TT

Support for nationalists swells in Sweden

The number of Swedes intending to vote for the anti-immigration Sweden Democrats has shot up according to a new poll by YouGov released on Monday. READ