40 percent of Norwegian board members are women

Scarce rainfall as was the case during the winter of 2008/2009 can cause numerous environmental concerns for Jordan. The country suffers from limited fresh water resources, deforestation, overgrazing, soil erosion and desertification. The recent downpour of 32 mcm of water is thus considered a blessing, and fresh water supplies are filling up. At the same time, heavy rainfall represents a doubl...

The 19 year old chess player born in Tønsberg, Norway has since 1 January 2010 been ranked as the No. 1 chess player in the world, with a FIDE-rating of 2810. This makes him the youngest No. 1 chess player of all times. In an interview with TIME Magazine he nevertheless asserts that he is “just a normal person”.

Jonas Gahr Støre, the Norwegian Foreign Minister visited his Jordanian counterpart; Mr Nasser Judeh, Saturday 16. January. Støre started a regional visit that will take him to Israel, The Palestinian Territory, Egypt and Abu Dhabi in Jordan. He is visiting the region to discuss official efforts to resume peace negotiations.

Norway participated at The Annual Diplomatic Christmas Bazaar 12 December. Representatives from all the Nordic countries sold ginger bread, sweets, gløgg, Norwegian aquevit, handicrafts and Lego (among other things) from the Scandinavian stand. This year saw a new sales record for the Scandinavian countries, with the total income increasing with almost 50 % from earlier years.

During a ceremony in Oslo on 10 December, President Barack Obama received the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize for his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples.