The Dispatch

NATO Arctic drill takes on new significance after Russia invasion of Ukraine

EVENES, Norway, March 23 (Reuters) - The scenario for the NATO military exercise in the Arctic circle has been similar for years now: Norway is attacked by a fictional country, triggering the…

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Denmark sees lower economic growth this year due to Ukraine war

COPENHAGEN, March 21 (Reuters) - The war in Ukraine will drive up inflation and could shave between 0.6 and 2.8 percentage points off Denmark's expected economic growth this year, the Finance Ministry…

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Europe’s arms imports jump amid tensions with Russia, says think-tank SIPRI

STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - Arms shipments to Europe jumped amid deteriorating relations with Russia in the five years through 2021, even as the global arms trade slowed, the Stockholm International Peace…

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Four Americans die as military aircraft crashes in Norway

OSLO (Reuters) -All four people on board a U.S. military aircraft that crashed in northern Norway on Friday have died, local police said on Saturday. The MV-22B Osprey aircraft belonging…

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Norway economy faces negative impact from Ukraine war, statistics agency says

OSLO, March 18 (Reuters) - The Norwegian economy has recovered from the coronavirus pandemic but now faces a negative impact from Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Statistics Norway (SSB) said as it released…

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Norway prepares for up to 100,000 Ukraine refugees, PM says

OSLO, March 18 (Reuters) - Norway believes the country will receive around 30,000 Ukrainian refugees this year but is preparing for a situation in which up to 100,000 may arrive…

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Factbox: Sweden or Austria as military model for Ukraine neutrality

Ukraine could become a non-aligned or neutral state like Sweden or Austria, Russia said on Wednesday, as it seeks a compromise with Kyiv to end three weeks of war. Here…

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Swedish wind power generation to rise 70% by 2024 – agency

OSLO, March 14 (Reuters) - Wind power generation in Sweden is expected to increase by some 70% by 2024 compared with last year's level amid a boom in capacity additions, the Swedish…

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Norway government says economy booming, must curb spending

OSLO, March 14 (Reuters) - The Norwegian economy is booming and public spending must be constrained in order to prevent interest rates from rising even faster than signalled by the central bank,…

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NATO launches defence exercise in Norway

Some 30,000 troops, 200 aircraft and 50 vessels from 27 nations will take part in the Cold Response 2022 exercise in Norway on March 14, the largest exercise involving NATO…

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Sweden expects 76,000 Ukrainian refugees in coming months, Over 109,000 refugees registered in Germany so far

STOCKHOLM, March 11 (Reuters) - Sweden's main scenario is to receive 76,000 Ukrainian refugees in coming months in the wake of Russia's invasion, Sweden's Migration Agency said on Friday. The agency said…

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Photo Story: Danish National Museum’s colonnade dressed in yellow and blue to support Ukraine

The National Museum's colonnade is dressed in yellow and blue like the flag of war-torn Ukraine in Copenhagen, Denmark. Via EPA-EFE/LISELOTTE SABROE

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Swedish PM vows to raise military spending substantially

STOCKHOLM, March 10 (Reuters) - Sweden's defence needs to be increased significantly as Russia's invasion of Ukraine has seen the security situation in Europe deteriorate, the government said on Thursday,…

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Applying to join NATO would destabilize security situation, Swedish PM says

A Swedish application to join NATO would destabilize the current security situation in Europe, Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson said on Tuesday. "If Sweden were to choose to send in…

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Almost a third of people report lingering symptom 6-12 months after COVID-19 -study

Almost a third of people report at least one ongoing symptom between 6 and 12 months after their coronavirus infection, a survey of 152,000 people in Denmark has found. The…

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Sweden and Finland to further strengthen security cooperation

Sweden and Finland will further strengthen their security cooperation in light of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the prime ministers of both countries said on Saturday, but they were non-committal on…

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Majority of Swedes in favour of joining NATO -poll

STOCKHOLM, (Reuters) - A majority of Swedes are in favour of joining NATO, a poll showed , with Russia's invasion of Ukraine spurring a rapid shift in attitudes in a country long…

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Biden, Niinisto forge deeper ties as Finnish support for NATO grows

WASHINGTON/HELSINKI, March 4 (Reuters) - U.S. President Joe Biden agreed to deepen security ties with his Finnish counterpart Sauli Niinisto on Friday, but stopped short of making any formal guarantees to the…

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Finns warm to NATO in alarmed reaction to Russian invasion of Ukraine

Russia's invasion of Ukraine is causing a rapidly growing number of Finns to support membership of NATO, suggesting the country's delicate balancing act between the Kremlin and the U.S.-led military…

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Finnair starts furlough talks with flight crew amid Russia airspace closure

March 3 (Reuters) - Finland's flag carrier Finnair said on Thursday it had started negotiations regarding possible furloughs among its flight crew after it had to scrap some of its flights following the…

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UPDATED: IKEA temporarily closes stores in Russia, warns of higher prices

STOCKHOLM, March 3 (Reuters) - IKEA, the world's biggest furniture brand, is closing its stores in Russia and pausing all sourcing in the country and ally Belarus, joining the wave of Western…

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UPDATED: Four Russian fighter jets briefly enter Swedish territory

Four Russian fighter jets briefly entered Swedish territory over the Baltic Sea on Wednesday, the Swedish Armed Forces said, sparking a swift condemnation from Sweden's defence minister. Two Russian SU27…

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Norway bans Russian alcohol

OSLO, (Reuters) - Norwegian liquor stores are removing Russian-made alcoholic beverages from their shelves following the invasion of Ukraine, Norway's alcohol monopoly revealed. Vinmonopolet's shops are the only ones allowed…

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In policy shift, Finland approves field guns export by Estonia to Ukraine

HELSINKI, Feb 27 (Reuters) - Finland is to allow neighbouring Estonia to export to Ukraine Soviet-origin howitzer field guns, which were previously sold to Estonia by Finland but could not legally be…

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Commission finds Sweden should have clamped down harder as COVID hit

STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - Sweden should have adopted tougher early measures and the government assumed clearer leadership as COVID-19 hit, though the mostly voluntary no-lockdown strategy was broadly correct, a commission…

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Reinfections with Omicron subvariants are rare, Danish study finds

COPENHAGEN (Reuters) - Getting infected twice with two different Omicron coronavirus subvariants is possible, but rarely happens, a Danish study has found. In Denmark, a more infectious sublineage of the…

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Finland to offset high energy prices with subsidies, tax cuts

HELSINKI, Feb 18 (Reuters) - The Finnish government plans to offset high energy prices with subsidies and tax cuts, Finance Minister Annika Saarikko said on Friday. Saarikko presented a list of 17 measures…

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Sweden recommends fourth COVID-19 jab for the elderly

STOCKHOLM, Feb 14 (Reuters) - Sweden's Health Agency recommended on Monday that people aged 80 or above should receive a second booster shot of COVID-19 vaccine, the fourth jab in…

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Arctic seed vault to receive rare deposits

OSLO (Reuters) - A vault built on an Arctic mountainside to preserve the world's crop seeds from war, disease and other catastrophes will receive new deposits on Monday, including one…

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Norway to end most pandemic curbs

OSLO, Feb 12 (Reuters) - Norway will scrap nearly all its remaining COVID-19 lockdown measures as high levels of coronavirus infections are unlikely to jeopardise health services, Prime Minister Jonas…

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UPDATED: Finland signs deal to buy 64 U.S.-built stealth jets

HELSINKI/WASHINGTON, Feb 11 (Reuters) - Finland signed a $9.4 billion agreement on Friday to buy U.S. F-35 fighter jets, reaching a deal to bring 64 radar-evading warplanes to a country…

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Denmark in talks on hosting U.S. troops

Denmark and the United States have begun talks about a new defence agreement that could include U.S. troops on Danish soil, Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said, adding that the negotiations…

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Maersk expects supply chain chaos to continue in 2022

COPENHAGEN, Feb 9 (Reuters) - Shipping group Maersk on Wednesday said it expects 2022 earnings will reach the same level as last year, as the chaos that has weighed on…

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Sweden ends COVID-19 testing as pandemic restrictions lifted

Sweden has halted wide-scale testing for COVID-19 even among people showing symptoms of an infection, putting an end to the mobile city-square tent sites, drive-in swab centers and home-delivered tests…

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Denmark steps up military readiness amid Ukraine crisis

COPENHAGEN (Reuters) - Denmark said it would sharpen its military readiness including the deployment of two fighter jets to an island in the Baltic Sea "due to the unacceptable Russian…

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Missing tourist plane found at bottom of lake in Iceland

Authorities in Iceland have found a small plane at the bottom of a lake two days after the aircraft went missing with three tourists and a pilot on board. The…

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Carlsberg warns that higher beer prices could hit sales

COPENHAGEN, (Reuters) - Carlsberg plans to raise beer prices to offset rising raw material costs, potentially hitting beer sales this year, the Danish brewer said. The world's third-largest brewer reported…

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Blood donor data suggests Danish COVID tally could be twice as high as registered

The number of adult Danes infected with COVID-19 may be double the official tally, Danish scientists said, after releasing data suggesting one third of the adult population has been infected…

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UPDATED: Stoltenberg says fully committed to NATO until his term ends

OSLO, Feb 4 (Reuters) - NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg will devote his full attention to leading the alliance until his term expires at the end of September, he told a…

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Sweden to lift pandemic restrictions next week

STOCKHOLM, Feb 3 (Reuters) - Sweden will lift pandemic restrictions next week despite record levels of infections as it banks on booster shots and high rates of past COVID-19 infections…

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Norway bans breeding of British Bulldog and King Charles Cavalier spaniel over cruelty to animals

A court in Norway this week ruled that breeding British Bulldogs should be illegal in the country, effectively banning the historic breed. In a landmark ruling, Oslo Discrict Court ruled…

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Norway ends most curbs despite rising COVID infections

Norway will scrap most of its remaining COVID-19 lockdown measures with immediate effect as a spike in coronavirus infections is unlikely to jeopardise health services, the prime minister said. Restaurants…

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Court rejects mass killer Breivik’s parole application

A Norwegian court has rejected mass killer Anders Behring Breivik's parole application, it said in a ruling on Tuesday, ordering that he must stay in prison. Breivik, an anti-Muslim neo-Nazi,…

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Finland moves up planned easing of COVID restrictions

Finland will begin gradually easing COVID-19 restrictions from Feb. 1 instead of mid-February as initially planned as the burden on its hospitals eases, the government said late on Thursday. On…

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Sweden to cut taxes on petrol, diesel as prices soar

STOCKHOLM, Jan 27 (Reuters) - Sweden's government said on Thursday it had asked parliament to approve plans to cut taxes on petrol and diesel amid a surge in energy prices…

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Omicron subvariant appears more contagious, but not more severe, Denmark says

COPENHAGEN (Reuters) - The BA.2 subvariant of the Omicron coronavirus variant, which is dominant in Denmark, appears more contagious than the more common BA.1 sub-lineage, Danish Health Minister Magnus Heunicke…

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Denmark aims to scrap all domestic COVID-19 curbs by February

COPENHAGEN, Jan 26 (Reuters) - Denmark aims to scrap all remaining domestic COVID-19 restrictions next week, following on from similar announcements in the UK, Ireland and the Netherlands in the…

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Sweden extends pandemic curbs by two weeks amid record Omicron spread

STOCKHOLM, Jan 26 (Reuters) - Sweden will extend its current pandemic measures by another two weeks, the minister for health said on Wednesday, as the Omicron variant is spreading at…

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Finland’s opposition come first, nationalists hammered in midterm regional vote

HELSINKI, Jan 24 (Reuters) - Finland's main opposition party, the centre-right National Coalition, outperformed the ruling centre-left coalition in a midterm regional election, while the nationalist Finns Party took a…

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Finland’s PM says NATO membership is “very unlikely” on her watch

Finland does not plan to join NATO in the near future but is ready to stand with its European allies and United States by imposing tough sanctions on Russia if…

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Sweden scraps demand for negative COVID test to enter country

Travelers to Sweden will no longer be required to show a negative COVID test before entering the country, the government said on Tuesday. Sweden introduced rules for a recent negative COVID test on Dec. 28 last year…

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Norwegian killer Breivik begins parole hearing with Nazi salute

Mass murderer Anders Behring Breivik gave a Nazi salute on Tuesday as he entered court for a parole hearing that will decide if he should be released after spending more…

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High gas prices push Norway’s December trade surplus to record

OSLO, Jan 17 (Reuters) - Norway's trade surplus rose to a new record in December, boosted by soaring prices for its natural gas exports, national statistics agency data showed on…

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Photo Story: Monday morning in Helsinki

A man walks in a snowstorm in Helsinki, Finland, on Monday 17 January 2022. Via EPA-EFE/KIMMO BRANDT

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Photo Story: Danish social media sensation Topper visits Amalienborg in Copenhagen

The 5-month-old Cockapoo, named Topper, visits Amalienborg Castle Square in Copenhagen, Denmark. The dog has in a short time become known on social media in Denmark. 'It all started with…

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Swedish police hunt for drone seen flying over Forsmark nuclear plant

STOCKHOLM, Jan 15 (Reuters) - Police in Sweden deployed patrols and helicopters to the Forsmark nuclear plant to hunt for a large drone seen flying over the site late on…

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Photo Story: Denmark celebrates 50th throne jubilee of Queen Margrethe II

Danish Queen Margrethe II arrives to attend the Danish Parliament's celebration of her 50th Regent's Anniversary at Christiansborg Caste, in Copenhagen, Denmark, 14 January 2022. Queen Margrethe II acceded Denmark's…

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