Oslo - Norwegian telecommunications group Telenor Wednesday said its 2008 fourth quarter earnings increased year-on-year, but added it would not pay a dividend since it wanted to secure cash flow.

Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) were 9.9 billion kroner (1.47 billion dollars), compared to 8.8 billion kroner in the corresponding business period of 2007.

Sales in the quarter were up 4 per cent year-on-year to 29.9 billion kroner.

Oslo  - Nordic foreign ministers welcomed a report Monday recommending increased cooperation in defence and foreign policy matters - including in the mineral-rich Arctic.

"We face new threats," former Norwegian foreign minister Thorvald Stoltenberg said at a news conference in Oslo attended by the five foreign ministers of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden.

Stoltenberg, commissioned last year to write the 36-page report, specified the melting Arctic ice cap and the booming cost of defence technology as areas where closer regional cooperation was needed.

Oslo- The Norwegian government Friday said it would expand its fiscal stimulus package as Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg said the end of the economic downturn was not in sight.

"I don't think we have completely realized the dramatic events that are unfolding," Stoltenberg said at a meeting of his Labour Party.

Citing continued job losses in the United States, Stoltenberg said the "crisis has not bottomed" adding that it impacted the whole world.

Oslo  - Female Norwegian police officers would in future likely be allowed to wear the hijab - the Muslim headscarf, as part of their uniform, the justice ministry said Wednesday.

The issue came to light recently when Keltoum Hasnaoui Missoum, 23, asked if it was possible to wear the hijab during police training and as a trained police officer.

Her query triggered a justice ministry probe and the announcement that regulations for police uniforms would be changed so that "religious headwear can be used with police uniforms."

Oslo- The Norwegian central bank on Wednesday cut its lead rate a further 0.50 percentage points to 2.50 per cent, in line with market expectations.

The new cut takes effect Thursday, the central bank said.

"Global economic growth has weakened further since December," Norges Bank Governor Svein Gjedrem said in a statement referring to when the central bank announced its previous cut.

"The international downturn seems to be having a broad impact and is likely to be deeper than previously expected," he added.

Oslo - A US company that makes cluster weapons and a Canadian mining group with operations in Papua New Guinea have been dropped by Norway's state pension fund, the Finance Ministry said Friday.

A special ethics panel had advised the government to sell its holdings in US group Textron Inc Corporation that makes cluster weapons. Stakes in nine other cluster weapon makers have previously been shed.

"We cannot participate in the funding of this type of production," Finance Minister Kristin Halvorsen said in a statement.

Oslo in December hosted the signing of an international treaty banning cluster weapons.