The Dispatch

UPDATED: Two people stabbed in case of domestic violence in Norway

OSLO (Reuters) -A Syrian man stabbed and wounded his wife and another man in a small village in southeast Norway on Friday, police said, adding that the attack was a…

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Turkey has told allies it’s a ‘no’ to Sweden and Finland’s NATO bid – Erdogan

Turkey has told allies that it will reject Sweden and Finland's membership to NATO, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said in a video posted on his Twitter account on Thursday. Finland and…

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No nuclear arms or NATO bases on Finland’s soil, PM tells paper

Finland does not want NATO to deploy nuclear weapons or set up military bases on its territory even if Finland becomes a member, the Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin told…

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UPDATED: Turkeys Erdogan links Sweden NATO bid to return of “terrorists”

ANKARA, May 18 (Reuters) - President Tayyip Erdogan said on Wednesday Sweden should not expect Turkey to approve its NATO bid without returning "terrorists", and Swedish and Finnish delegations should not come to…

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Erdogan says Swedish, Finnish delegations should not bother coming to Turkey

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Monday that Swedish and Finnish delegations should not bother coming to Ankara to convince it to approve their NATO bid. Sweden's government has formally…

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Photo Story: The fields of Lellinge, Denmark

A general view shows a field of rapeseeds in Lellinge near Koege, Denmark. Via EPA-EFE/Mads Claus Rasmussen

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UPDATED: Putin warns Finland and Sweden any military expansion ‘would demand a reaction’

Vladimir Putin said Russia had no issue with Finland and Sweden, but that the expansion of military infrastructure on their territory would demand a reaction from Moscow, as the Nordic…

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Senate Republican leader says U.S. could ratify Finnish NATO membership before August

HELSINKI, May 16 (Reuters) - The U.S. Congress will seek to ratify Finland's application to join the Western military alliance NATO before going on holiday in August, U.S. Senate Republican leader Mitch…

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Sweden to try to overcome Turkish objections to its NATO bid

STOCKHOLM, May 16 (Reuters) - Sweden will send diplomats to Turkey to try to overcome Ankara's objections to its plan to join NATO, Defence Minister Peter Hultqvist said, with a…

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Sweden’s ruling party poised to back NATO bid

STOCKHOLM, May 15 (Reuters) - Sweden's ruling Social Democrats were poised on Sunday to come out in favour of the country joining NATO, paving the way for an application soon…

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UPDATED: Finnish president confirms his country will apply to join NATO

HELSINKI, May 15 (Reuters) - Finland's President Sauli Niinisto confirmed on Sunday that his country would apply for membership of the NATO military alliance. The announcement came after Niinisto and Prime Minister…

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Russian fighter jets take part in Baltic Sea drills as support grows for Finnish and Swedish NATO membership

Russian Su-27 fighter jets have taken part in drills to repel a mock air strike on Russia's Kaliningrad exclave, Interfax news agency reported on Saturday, citing the Baltic Sea fleet.…

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Foreign ministers of Finland, Turkey, to meet over NATO tensions, Haavisto says

BERLIN, May 14 (Reuters) - The foreign ministers of Finland and Turkey will meet in Berlin later on Saturday to try and solve disagreements over Finland's and Sweden's plan to join NATO,…

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Italy strongly backs Finland-Sweden bid to join NATO

(ANSA) - ROME, MAY 13 - Italy strongly backs Finland and Sweden's bid to join NATO after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio said Friday. "We…

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Moscow will respond if NATO moves nuclear forces closer to Russia’s border – RIA

May 14 (Reuters) - Moscow will take adequate precautionary measures if NATO deploys nuclear forces and infrastructure closer to Russia's border, RIA news agency quoted Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko as saying…

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FACTBOX-A brief history of Finland’s and Sweden’s strained ties with Russia

HELSINKI/STOCKHOLM, (Reuters) - Finland and Sweden, who are expected to decide to apply to join NATO, have long had strained ties with their giant neighbour Russia. - Sweden's and Finland's difficult past with…

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Swedish inflation surges to new high in April

STOCKHOLM, May 12 (Reuters) - Swedish headline inflation surged higher in April as the lingering effects of the pandemic and the war in Ukraine pushed up prices across the board, figures published…

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Denmark hikes economic growth forecast despite war, inflation

COPENHAGEN, May 12 (Reuters) - Denmark's economy could grow as much as 3.4% this year despite the negative effects of the war in Ukraine and record-high inflation, the country's finance ministry forecast…

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A look at Finland and Sweden’s path to NATO membership

HELSINKI/STOCKHOLM, May 12 (Reuters) - Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Finland and Sweden have been considering applying for membership of the NATO military alliance, which would mark a major policy shift for…

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Sweden plans to send NATO application next week

STOCKHOLM, May 12 (Reuters) - Sweden's government plans to submit an application to join NATO next week, following neighbour Finland in re-writing its post-World War Two security policy in the…

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Factbox: Probable steps in any Finnish, Swedish NATO bid

Finnish President Sauli Niinisto is expected on Thursday to say whether his country should join the NATO alliance, with Sweden following suit with its decision in the coming days. Russia's…

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UPDATED: Finland must apply for NATO membership without delay, Finnish President and PM say

HELSINKI, May 12 (Reuters) - Finland must apply to join the NATO military alliance "without delay", Finnish President Sauli Niinisto and Prime Minister Sanna Marin said on Thursday, a major policy shift…

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Norway to ramp up offshore wind in drive to go green

OSLO, May 11 (Reuters) - Norway unveiled plans on Wednesday for a major expansion in offshore wind energy by 2040, aiming to turn a country that has built its wealth on oil…

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UK strikes new security agreement with Sweden and Finland

LONDON, May 11 (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Wednesday said he had agreed new deals with Sweden and Finland to bolster European security, pledging to support both countries' armed…

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UPDATED: Finnish PM says NATO decision will focus on safety of citizens

TOKYO, May 11 (Reuters) - Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin said on Wednesday that if her nation takes the historic step of applying to join the NATO military alliance, it would be…

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NATO chief says alliance will increase presence in Baltic sea if Sweden applies

NATO will increase it's presence around Sweden's borders and in the Baltic sea while a potential application to join the alliance is processed, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg told Swedish public…

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U.S. offers assurances to Sweden, Finland over NATO application

The United States is confident it can address any security concerns Sweden and Finland may have about the period of time after they apply for NATO membership and before they…

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Cash handouts to Danes could worsen inflation, central banker warns

COPENHAGEN, May 5 (Reuters) - Compensating low-income and elderly Danes with cash handouts to ease the impact of higher consumer prices could worsen inflationary pressure on an economy already running on all…

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Sweden says it received U.S. security assurances if it hands in NATO application

Sweden has received assurances from the United States that it would receive support during the period a potential application to join NATO is processed by the 30 nations in the…

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Russian army helicopter violated Finland’s airspace

A Russian army helicopter violated Finland’s airspace on Wednesday, the Finnish defence ministry said, as the country mulls a potential Nato membership bid. “The aircraft type is a Mi-17 helicopter…

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Norway sovereign wealth fund CEO warns of rocky times

Norway's $1.2 trillion sovereign wealth fund, the world's largest, expects difficult market conditions in the time to come, affected by geopolitical events and inflation, its chief executive said on Tuesday. Inflation, already…

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Denmark reshuffles government after Minister of Justice resigns

COPENHAGEN, May 2 (Reuters) - Denmark's one-party Social Democratic government on Monday announced a reshuffle after Minister of Justice Nick Haekkerup resigned to become head of the Danish Brewers' Association. Haekkerup will…

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Russian spy plane violates Swedish air space

A Russian reconnaissance plane briefly violated Sweden’s airspace on Friday, Swedish defense officials said, as the Scandinavian country ponders a bid for NATO membership after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.“A Russian…

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Denmark first country to suspend COVID vaccination programme

Denmark has become the first country in the world to pause its COVID vaccination rollout after health chiefs said the pandemic has been brought under control. The Danish Health Authority…

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Sweden to strengthen military infrastructure on Gotland

STOCKHOLM, April 29 (Reuters) - Sweden's government said on Friday it had put aside up to 1.6 billion Swedish crowns ($163 million) to strengthen its military infrastructure on the strategically important island of Gotland…

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Finland, Sweden could deepen military cooperation if situation worsens

Sweden and Finland could deepen military cooperation if security in the Baltic Sea region worsens, for example during the process of a possible application to join NATO, Finland's foreign minister…

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Norway shuts borders, ports to Russian goods, exempts fishing vessels

OSLO, April 29 (Reuters) - Norway will close its borders and ports to Russian trucks and ships, joining sanctions imposed by the European Union over the war in Ukraine, the Norwegian foreign…

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Swedish PM rejects referendum on possible NATO membership

STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - Sweden’s government does not plan to hold a referendum if its parliament decides to proceed with an application for NATO membership, Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson said on…

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Finland and Sweden could join NATO quickly, Stoltenberg says

Finland and Sweden will be able to join NATO quickly should they decide to ask for membership in the Western military alliance, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said on Thursday (April…

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Finland, Sweden to begin NATO application in May, say local media reports

Finland and Sweden will together express their wish to join NATO in May, tabloid newspapers Iltalehti in Finland and Expressen in Sweden reported, citing sources close to the matter. Despite…

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Carlsberg expects $1.4 bln writedown on Russia divestment

COPENHAGEN, April 21 (Reuters) - Carlsberg expects a writedown of about 9.5 billion Danish crowns ($1.39 billion) related to its decision to divest its business in Russia, the Danish brewer said on Thursday. The assessment…

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Denmark in talks with Rwanda on transfer of asylum-seekers

COPENHAGEN, April 20 (Reuters) - Denmark is in talks with Rwanda about setting up a new procedure for transferring asylum seekers to the east African nation, mirroring a similar move…

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Opinion poll shows growing majority of Swedes back joining NATO

STOCKHOLM, April 20 (Reuters) - A growing majority of Swedes are in favour of joining NATO, a poll showed on Wednesday, as policy-makers in both Sweden and Finland weigh…

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EPA’s Eye in the Sky: Malmi airport, Helsinki, Finland

An aerial view taken with a drone shows a skating rink of the decommissioned Malmi airport in Helsinki, Finland. In early February, the City of Helsinki announced that Malmi's former…

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Finland’s Europe minister says ‘highly likely’ Finland will join NATO

Tytti Tuppurainen is Finland’s minister for European affairs, in an interview on Sky News in the UK about Finland’s prospect for joining Nato, said it is 'highly likely' Finland will…

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Photo Story: Violent protest in Malmo, Sweden

Riot police on site while a city bus burns on Vastra Kattarpsvagen on Rosengard in Malmo, Sweden, 17 April 2022. The unrest in Malmo has continued after Rasmus Paludan, party…

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Swedish inflation highest since early 1990s in March

STOCKHOLM, April 14 (Reuters) - Headline inflation hit its highest level in more than three decades in March as the war in Ukraine pushed up food and fuel prices, data showed on…

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UPDATED: Finland says needs to prepare for changes on Russia border

HELSINKI, April 13 (Reuters) - Finland should prepare for possible changes on its Russia border, although the military situation there currently remains calm, Defence Minister Atti Kaikkonen said on Wednesday. Russia's invasion…

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Finland, Sweden set to join NATO as soon as summer – reports

Russia has made a "massive strategic blunder" as Finland and Sweden look poised to join NATO as early as the summer, the British press has reported on Monday, citing officials. London-based The Times said…

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Sweden Democrats leader wants party to change on NATO membership if Finland applies to join alliance

STOCKHOLM, April 9 (Reuters) - The leader of Sweden's second-biggest opposition party will, should neighbour Finland apply to join NATO, suggest that his party change its stance towards favouring a…

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Finland hit by cyberattack and Russian air violation

Finnish government websites suffered hacking attacks on Friday, the government said, at the same time as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy was giving a video address to Finland's parliament. The ministries…

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Prospect of Finland, Sweden joining NATO discussed at NATO meeting -U.S. official

BRUSSELS, (Reuters) - The prospect of Finland and Sweden joining NATO was part of the discussion between foreign ministers from the military alliance in Brussels this week, a senior U.S. State Department…

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Finland to invest 850 million euros to speed up Russian energy exit

HELSINKI, April 7 (Reuters) - Finland will invest up to 850 million euros ($924 million) in ensuring it meets its energy needs and to speed up breaking away from dependence on Russian…

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NATO chief says Finland, Sweden welcome to apply to join

NATO would quickly welcome Finland and Sweden into its ranks with open arms if they decided to apply, the military alliance’s top civilian official said Wednesday, as Russia’s war on…

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Neutral Sweden, Finland join NATO drills as countries consider membership

The sound of gunfire echoed around the Norwegian fjords as a row of Swedish and Finnish soldiers, positioned prone behind banks of snow, trained rifles and missile launchers on nearby…

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Widely used diabetes drug Metformin linked to birth defects risk -study

One of the world's most widely prescribed diabetes drugs may be linked to major birth defects in the offspring of male patients who were taking it ahead of the babies…

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Denmark would support potential Finnish NATO bid

COPENHAGEN, March 30 (Reuters) - Denmark would fully support Finnish NATO membership if the country were to apply, its prime minister said on Wednesday. "If or when Finland would choose to seek…

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