Latest news in Norway? September 12th, 2026

Royal Mourning Following King Harald V’s Passing Norway is currently observing a deep period of national mourning. Just two days after the state funeral of King Harald V at Oslo Cathedral, the Royal Court announced the death of his elder sister, Princess Astrid, at the age of 94. The new monarch, King Haakon VIII, alongside Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre, declared that flags would fly at half-mast nationwide and confirmed that the Princess will receive a state funeral.Domestic Politics & Fuel Price Pressure With the formal mourning period for King Harald concluding, political friction has rapidly resumed in the Storting. Opposition parties, led by the Progress Party and the Center Party, are pushing Prime Minister Støre’s Labour government to reinstate tax relief on fuel. Surging global crude pricesdriven by Middle East trade disruptionscombined with high domestic fuel taxes, have pushed retail pump prices to near-record highs, sparking widespread public backlash in rural municipalities.Nordic Supply Security & Defense Alignment Norway, along with its Nordic partners, recently finalized a joint security of supply declaration designed to guarantee the mutual exchange and resilience of essential goods, medical resources, and energy infrastructure during wartime or regional crises.European Spaceport Milestone Following the recent inaugural orbital flight campaign of the Spectrum launch vehicle from Andøya Spaceport in northern Norway, aerospace authorities and European partners continue evaluating flight telemetry, marking a major commercial launch capability milestone for Norway and Europe.