Stranded Norwegian PM uses iPad to run country

Jens Stoltenberg catches up on official business while stranded in New York

The Norwegian prime minister, who was stranded in New York because of the volcanic ash cloud over Europe, has been pictured using his iPad to keep in touch.

Jens Stoltenberg said that he had been using the device to communicate with staff back home, after officials released a photo of him using the iPad under the title 'The prime minister is working at the airport.'

"There are good means of communication, I have close contacts with my office all the time, and there are a lot of activities in Norway where we try to reduce the consequences of the volcano," Stoltenberg told CNN.

"It's very normal for a PM to travel abroad so this is not different from the other travels, it just lasts some days more than expected. We have the internet, the mobile phone. I also use an iPad, which is excellent."

Stoltenberg is unlikely to be using official software on the device, since none of the government's internal applications is available in the App Store.

He also seems to have beaten the rush in Europe to import an iPad, after Apple delayed the international launch of the device.

Stoltenberg is now on his way home after catching a flight to Madrid and completing his journey by car.