Skiing drama ends World Championships
March 7, 2021
Norway and Russia literally collided when the Nordic World Ski Championships ended Sunday with the tough men’s 50-kilometer race. The ensuing drama capped a week of triumph otherwise for Norway, which totally dominated the competition and collected 32 medals, only to leave with some bad feelings on all sides.
The drama climaxed when Norwegian skiing star Johannes Høsflot Klæbo, who’d already won a pile of mostly gold medals, tried to get around arch rival Aleksander Bolsjunov of Russia just before the finish line. Klæbo’s left ski pole hit Bolsjunov’s right pole, which promptly broke.
Norway appeals disqualification
March 10, 2021
Top Norwegian skier Johannes Høsflot Klæbo had mostly experienced victory, gold medals and admiration from fans all over the world, until last weekend. That’s when his controversial maneuver to get past arch rival Alexander Bolsjunov of Russia during the last race of the Nordic World Ski Championships ended with a disqualification, and cost them both the gold medal.
Norwegian cross-country skier Johannes Høsflot Klæbo has topped the winner’s platform on many occasions, like here at the last World Championship in 2019. He was forced off it last Sunday, even though he crossed the finish line first in the men’s 50K race. PHOTO: NRK screen grab
Hospital outbreak leaves six dead
March 12, 2021
Norwegian health officials are saddened and deeply disturbed by the deaths of six elderly patients following an outbreak of the Corona virus at a hospital in southeastern Norway. “This is something we have not experienced during the entire Corona year behind us,” said Dr Jon Birger Haug, a specialist in infectious diseases.
The relatively new Østfold Kalnes Hospital sprawls over a large area just north of Sarpsborg in southeastern Norway. PHOTO: Sykehuset Østfold
Newspaper
VG reported Friday that the outbreak occurred after an employee tested positive to the Corona virus in early February. Within just a few days, 23 people on staff at the Østfold Kalnes Hospital had also tested positive, along with 10 patients.
Latest Corona-related news in brief:
March 17, 2021
NORWAY’S THIRD CORONA INFECTION WAVE was crashing over the country on Wednesday, as the highest numbers of confirmed virus cases ever rolled in. A total of 1,156 cases were registered during the past 24 hours, with areas like Haugalandet on the West Coast now being hit hard.
“These are high and disturbing numbers,” Jarle Nilsen, the mayor of Karmøy, told state broadcaster NRK. Fully half of all cases in neighbouring Haugesund now involve children and youth. In Oslo, the number of new confirmed cases hit 495 in a just a 24-hour period. That’s 214 more than on Wednesday last week. Numbers were also high in Drammen, Bergen and Tønsberg.
Winter returned with a vengeance
March 11, 2021
A long stretch of springlike weather in southern Norway ended abruptly this week with snowstorms and strong winds, followed by rain at lower elevations. As much as 50 centimeters of snow fell in some areas, setting off all kinds of accidents, especially in the southeast.
This was just one of many weather-related incidents making life difficult for bus drivers in Oslo on Thursday. Nearly 20 centimeters of snow fell even at lower elevations, like here in Vika. PHOTO: newsinenglish.no
“It’s been hectic,” operations leader Terje Skaftnes of the eastern police district told Norwegian Broadcasting (NRK) Thursday morning. “It’s because of the demanding road conditions when there’s so much snow.”