By OSLO (Reuters) - Britain’s competition watchdog on Tuesday raised concerns over Adevinta’s planned acquisition of U.S. e-commerce group eBay’s classified ads business, sending the Norwegian company’s shares down 4.3%.Slideshow The $9.2 billion deal announced in July would create the world’s largest classifieds group, but Adevinta and eBay must first resolve the Competition and Markets Authority’s concerns (CMA) to proceed with the takeover.“The CMA is concerned the merger could lead to a loss of competition between Shpock, Gumtree and eBay’s marketplace, with only Facebook Marketplace...…By OSLO (Reuters) - Britain’s competition watchdog on Tuesday raised concerns over Adevinta’s planned acquisition of U.S. e-commerce group eBay’s classified ads business, sending the Norwegian company’s shares down 4.3%.Slideshow The $9.2 billion deal announced in July would create the world’s largest classifieds group, but Adevinta and eBay must first resolve the Competition and Markets Authority’s concerns (CMA) to proceed with the takeover.“The CMA is concerned the merger could lead to a loss of competition between Shpock, Gumtree and eBay’s marketplace, with only Facebook Marketplace...WW…

By , OSLO (Reuters) - Norway is halting its planned easing of coronavirus restrictions and will likely reimpose others to prevent a full lockdown of society as experienced earlier this year, Prime Minister Erna Solberg said on Thursday.“We need to slow down now to avoid a full stop down the road,” Solberg told reporters.Earlier, Norway said it will reimpose a 10-day quarantine from Saturday for all travellers from France, Switzerland and the Czech Republic, due to the rising number of coronavirus cases in those countries.It will also reimpose quarantine for people travelling from Monaco and...…By , OSLO (Reuters) - Norway is halting its planned easing of coronavirus restrictions and will likely reimpose others to prevent a full lockdown of society as experienced earlier this year, Prime Minister Erna Solberg said on Thursday.“We need to slow down now to avoid a full stop down the road,” Solberg told reporters.Earlier, Norway said it will reimpose a 10-day quarantine from Saturday for all travellers from France, Switzerland and the Czech Republic, due to the rising number of coronavirus cases in those countries.It will also reimpose quarantine for people travelling from Monaco and...WW…

By , OSLO (Reuters) - Three health workers in Norway who had recently received the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine are being treated in hospital for bleeding, blood clots and a low count of blood platelets, Norwegian health authorities said on Saturday.Norway halted the rollout of the AstraZeneca vaccine on Thursday, following a similar move by Denmark. Iceland later followed suit.“We do not know if the cases are linked to the vaccine,” Sigurd Hortemo, a senior doctor at the Norwegian Medicines Agency told a news conference held jointly with the Norwegian Institute of Public Health.All three...…By , OSLO (Reuters) - Three health workers in Norway who had recently received the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine are being treated in hospital for bleeding, blood clots and a low count of blood platelets, Norwegian health authorities said on Saturday.Norway halted the rollout of the AstraZeneca vaccine on Thursday, following a similar move by Denmark. Iceland later followed suit.“We do not know if the cases are linked to the vaccine,” Sigurd Hortemo, a senior doctor at the Norwegian Medicines Agency told a news conference held jointly with the Norwegian Institute of Public Health.All three...WW…

By OSLO (Reuters) - Some 329 nominations have been received for this year’s Nobel Peace Prize, likely reflecting the profusion of pressing human rights issues around the world, the secretary of the committee which awards the prize said on Monday.Slideshow “It is the third highest ever total number,” Norwegian Nobel Committee Secretary Olav Njoelstad told Reuters. The record was 376 candidates, reached in 2016.Of this year’s total, some 234 are for individuals and 95 are for organisations.“It reflects a lot of international interest in the Nobel Peace Prize,” he said. “It probably also...…By OSLO (Reuters) - Some 329 nominations have been received for this year’s Nobel Peace Prize, likely reflecting the profusion of pressing human rights issues around the world, the secretary of the committee which awards the prize said on Monday.Slideshow “It is the third highest ever total number,” Norwegian Nobel Committee Secretary Olav Njoelstad told Reuters. The record was 376 candidates, reached in 2016.Of this year’s total, some 234 are for individuals and 95 are for organisations.“It reflects a lot of international interest in the Nobel Peace Prize,” he said. “It probably also...WW…

By , OSLO (Reuters) - U.S. voting rights activist and Democratic Party politician Stacey Abrams has been nominated for this year’s Nobel Peace Prize for her work to promote nonviolent change via the ballot box, a Norwegian lawmaker said on Monday.Abrams, whose work was credited with boosting voter turnout last year, helping Joe Biden win the U.S. presidency, joins a long list of nominees, including both former President Donald Trump and his son-in-law, former White House adviser Jared Kushner.“Abrams’ work follows in Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s footsteps in the fight for equality before...…By , OSLO (Reuters) - U.S. voting rights activist and Democratic Party politician Stacey Abrams has been nominated for this year’s Nobel Peace Prize for her work to promote nonviolent change via the ballot box, a Norwegian lawmaker said on Monday.Abrams, whose work was credited with boosting voter turnout last year, helping Joe Biden win the U.S. presidency, joins a long list of nominees, including both former President Donald Trump and his son-in-law, former White House adviser Jared Kushner.“Abrams’ work follows in Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s footsteps in the fight for equality before...WW…

By OSLO (Reuters) - Norway’s $1.3 trillion wealth fund, the world’s largest, has for the first time pulled investments from companies because of their tax policies, the fund’s CEO told Reuters, adding more such moves were likely in future.One of the world’s largest investors, the fund holds stakes in around 9,200 companies globally, owning 1.5% of all listed stocks. It has set the pace on a host of issues in the environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) field.Nicolai Tangen, who took over the fund in September, said it had sold out of seven companies last year due to “aggressive...…By OSLO (Reuters) - Norway’s $1.3 trillion wealth fund, the world’s largest, has for the first time pulled investments from companies because of their tax policies, the fund’s CEO told Reuters, adding more such moves were likely in future.One of the world’s largest investors, the fund holds stakes in around 9,200 companies globally, owning 1.5% of all listed stocks. It has set the pace on a host of issues in the environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) field.Nicolai Tangen, who took over the fund in September, said it had sold out of seven companies last year due to “aggressive...WW…

By , OSLO (Reuters) - Russian dissident Alexei Navalny, the World Health Organization and climate campaigner Greta Thunberg are among those nominated for this year’s Nobel Peace Prize, all backed by Norwegian lawmakers who have a track record of picking the winner.Thousands of people, from members of parliaments worldwide to former winners, are eligible to propose candidates. Nominations, which close on Sunday, do not imply an endorsement from the Nobel committee.Norwegian lawmakers have nominated the eventual laureate every year since 2014, with the exception of 2019, said Henrik Urdal,...…By , OSLO (Reuters) - Russian dissident Alexei Navalny, the World Health Organization and climate campaigner Greta Thunberg are among those nominated for this year’s Nobel Peace Prize, all backed by Norwegian lawmakers who have a track record of picking the winner.Thousands of people, from members of parliaments worldwide to former winners, are eligible to propose candidates. Nominations, which close on Sunday, do not imply an endorsement from the Nobel committee.Norwegian lawmakers have nominated the eventual laureate every year since 2014, with the exception of 2019, said Henrik Urdal,...WW…

By , OSLO (Reuters) - Norway will impose fresh restrictions to prevent a resurgence in the spread of the coronavirus, Prime Minister Erna Solberg said on Sunday, including a nationwide ban on serving alcohol in restaurants and bars and not inviting guests home.The Nordic country has seen a rise in cases over the past month and now estimates its R number - which represents the average number of people that one infected person will pass the virus on to - stands at 1.3.“We see more signs of a new wave of infections,” Solberg told a news conference, citing Christmas and New Year’s Eve...…By , OSLO (Reuters) - Norway will impose fresh restrictions to prevent a resurgence in the spread of the coronavirus, Prime Minister Erna Solberg said on Sunday, including a nationwide ban on serving alcohol in restaurants and bars and not inviting guests home.The Nordic country has seen a rise in cases over the past month and now estimates its R number - which represents the average number of people that one infected person will pass the virus on to - stands at 1.3.“We see more signs of a new wave of infections,” Solberg told a news conference, citing Christmas and New Year’s Eve...WW…

By OSLO (Reuters) - Rescuers found one body on Friday, two days after a landslide in southern Norway swept away at least nine buildings, police said, with nine people still missing.Slideshow Another 10 people were injured after Wednesday’s landslide in the residential area in the Gjerdrum municipality, about 30 km (19 miles) north of the capital, Oslo.“One person has been found. Unfortunately this person is confirmed dead,” the head of the police operation at the site, Roy Alkvist, told reporters, declining to give any details on the person.Emergency workers are continuing their search in...…By OSLO (Reuters) - Rescuers found one body on Friday, two days after a landslide in southern Norway swept away at least nine buildings, police said, with nine people still missing.Slideshow Another 10 people were injured after Wednesday’s landslide in the residential area in the Gjerdrum municipality, about 30 km (19 miles) north of the capital, Oslo.“One person has been found. Unfortunately this person is confirmed dead,” the head of the police operation at the site, Roy Alkvist, told reporters, declining to give any details on the person.Emergency workers are continuing their search in...WW…