The Dispatch

Swedish budget gives boost for welfare, climate, jobs

Sweden's centre-left government said on Monday it would boost welfare spending by 23 billion Swedish crowns ($2.6 billion) next year in a budget aimed at reducing social inequality and shifting…

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Sweden to ramp up vaccination efforts as jab drive slows

Sweden will ramp up efforts to get more people vaccinated against COVID-19 in the face of a flagging inoculation drive, with authorities warning that the unvaccinated might have to live…

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Swedish court finds man guilty of spying for Russia at truckmaker Scania

A Swedish court on Wednesday sentenced a 47-year-old man to three years in prison for spying for Russia, which involved selling secret information from truckmaker Scania. The court said it…

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H&M’s sales still lag pre-pandemic levels as restrictions bite

Sales at fashion retailer H&M grew less than expected in the three months to the end of August, staying below pre-pandemic levels as restrictions kept shoppers away from stores. The…

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Jewellery maker Pandora bets on ‘Gen Z’ to boost sales

Danish jewellery maker Pandora plans to produce edgy pieces to attract young shoppers and significantly boost sales in the United States and China to meet a revenue growth target of…

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Swedish finance minister tipped to become country’s first female PM

Magdalena Andersson is favourite to become Sweden's prime minister when her Social Democrat colleague Stefan Lofven steps down in November, but major challenges face the current finance minister if she…

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Norway coalition talks start, with climate and oil in focus

Norway's Labour Party began coalition talks with other members of the centre-left bloc on Tuesday seeking to form a government after their parliamentary election victory, with the focus on climate change and…

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Norway’s centre-left opposition wins election, projections show

OSLO (Reuters) - Norway's centre-left opposition parties are on course for a decisive victory in the country's parliamentary election, separate projections by broadcasters NRK and TV2 and newspaper VG showed as…

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Pressure on Sweden’s minority govt eases as opposition splits over budget

STOCKHOLM, Sept 11 (Reuters) - The chances of Sweden's minority, centre-left coalition passing its autumn budget and avoiding a snap election increased on Friday after the head of the opposition…

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Swedish economy powering into third quarter

Sweden's economy powered into the third quarter as the government eased COVID-19 restrictions and the badly hit service sector picked up speed, data showed on Wednesday. The Swedish economy has…

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Sweden to remove most remaining pandemic restrictions this month

Sweden will push ahead with easing COVID-19 restrictions at the end of this month, removing most curbs and limits on public venues such as restaurants, theatres and stadiums, the government…

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Danske Bank uncovers incorrect tax payments, issues affecting up to 6,000 customers

Danske Bank said on Friday it had identified a new issue within its tax services, which could have led up to 6,000 customers to suffer losses from incorrect pay-outs and…

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Abba delight fans with new 10-song album and virtual concert

Pop legends Abba have surprised and delighted fans by announcing their first studio album for 40 years. Abba Voyage will be released in November, before a "revolutionary" set of concerts…

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Norway to offer COVID vaccines to children aged 12 years and older

Norway will begin to offer COVID-19 vaccines to children aged 12 to 15, Prime Minister Erna Solberg said on Thursday. Only the vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech is so…

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Sweden plans budget tax cuts, stimulus measures to continue

Sweden's minority, centre-left coalition said on Wednesday it would cut income taxes by around 10 billion crowns ($1.16 billion) in its 2022 budget as it looks to support recovery from…

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Sweden looks at allowing police to spy on suspected gangs to tackle gun violence

Sweden's government said it would look at extending national security laws to allow police to spy on suspected gangs, as authorities try to halt a surge in shootings that have…

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Denmark to lift all remaining Covid restrictions on 10 September

Denmark is to lift all its remaining Covid-19 restrictions by 10 September after the health ministry declared the virus “no longer a critical threat to society” because of the country’s…

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Swedish economy’s bounce-back extends into August as more stimulus beckons

Sweden's economy powered ahead in the second quarter, final growth data showed on Friday, as a separate business sentiment reading suggested a recovery that has seen GDP already surpass its…

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Court to hear mass killer Breivik’s parole request

A request for parole by Norwegian mass killer Anders Behring Breivik will be heard by a Norwegian court, the prosecutor in the case told Reuters on Friday. Breivik detonated a…

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Photo Story: Swedish East Indiaman Gothenburg arrives in Stockholm

The Swedish East Indiaman Gothenburg, an 18th century rebuilt replica, arrives in Stockholm, Sweden, 26 August 2021 from Gothenburg. Gothenburg will make a long voyage to Asia next year and…

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Finland’s Nokia wins 5G order for three European markets

Finnish telecom gear maker Nokia said on Monday it had won a 5G network order from A1 Telekom Austria Group for operations in Bulgaria, Serbia, and Slovenia. "The multi-country single…

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Sweden warns of rising Covid-19 infections over the coming months

Sweden is likely to see COVID-19 infections gain momentum in the coming months while the current curbs to limit the spread will need to be maintained until a higher proportion…

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UPDATED: Swedish PM Lofven says to step down in November

Sweden's Prime Minister Stefan Lofven of the Social Democrats party said unexpectedly on Sunday he would resign later this year ahead of general elections in September 2022. "I have informed…

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Denmark to recommend COVID-19 booster for vulnerable

Danes with weak immune systems such as cancer patients receiving chemotherapy, or those with organ transplants, will soon be recommended to get a COVID-19 vaccine booster, the Danish Health Authority…

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Norway wealth fund earns $111 bln

Norway's $1.4 trillion sovereign wealth fund, the world's largest, posted a 9.4% return on investment for the first half of the year on Wednesday, driven by a sharp rise in…

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Photo Story: Flooding in eastern Sweden

Rescue personnel approaches a flooded car in Falun, Sweden, 18 August 2021. Due to heavy rains in eastern Sweden several roads and buildings are flooded. Photo: EPA-EFE/Ulf Palm

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Photo Story: Christening ceremony of Prince Julian in Stockholm

Swedish Prince Gabriel looks at his little brother Prince Julian during his Christening ceremony in the Drottningholm Palace Chapel in Stockholm, Sweden, 14 August 2021. Prince Julian is the third…

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UPDATED: Norway to speed up COVID-19 vaccination, ends some COVID restrictions

Norway will get access to one million additional doses of COVID-19 vaccines in the coming weeks, allowing the country to speed up its immunisation programme, the government said on Friday.…

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Finland hits record daily coronavirus infections

Finland on Thursday registered a record number of new coronavirus infections in the space of a day, driven by the highly contagious Delta variant, the Finnish Institute for Health and…

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Norway government faces big defeat in Sept election, poll shows

Norway's centre-left opposition parties are expected to defeat the incumbent Conservative-led coalition government by a two-to-one margin in next month's election for parliament, a new opinion poll showed on Tuesday.…

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Photo Shop: Giant Zeppelin airship at Roskilde Airport

People look at the German zeppelin airship 'Goodyear Blimp' as it is fixed at Roskilde Airport, Denmark. The airship was supposed to fly trips with guests but had to stays…

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Sweden’s COVID czar blames nigh clubs and travel abroad for rising cases

The spread of COVID-19 in Sweden has continued to accelerate with infection rates no longer considered low, the country's health authority said on Friday, blaming increased travel abroad and packed…

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Photo Story: The largest sandcastle in the world

Children look at what is reported to be the world's largest sandcastle, that has been built in the parking lot at Skulpturparken in Blokhus, Denmark. During the summer, thousands of…

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Sweden to widen police data-access powers to fight gang violence

Sweden plans to give police greater powers to access data from mobile phones as it bids to rein in a surge in gang-related violence plaguing its major cities, the government said on…

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EPA’s Eye in the Sky: Parainen archipelago, Finland

A view of the Parainen archipelago in Finland. Finland's archipelago has more than 180,000 islands running along much of the coastline, making the region an island-hopper's dream. The sizes vary…

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Swedish economy keeps growing as vaccine rollout picks up

Sweden's economy grew slightly quicker than expected in the second quarter, as the rollout of vaccines accelerated and more COVID-19 restrictions were lifted, a preliminary estimate from the Statistics Office…

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Norway again postpones end to COVID lockdown

Norway postponed for a second time on Wednesday a planned final step in the reopening of its economy from pandemic lockdown, due to the continued spread of the Delta variant…

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Rumbling meteor lights up Norway, a bit possibly landing near Oslo

An "unusually large meteor" briefly lit up southern Norway on Sunday, creating a spectacular sound and light display as it rumbled across the sky, and a bit of it may…

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Photo Story – 10-year commemoration of the 2011 terrorist attacks in Norway

(L-R) Governing Mayor of Oslo Raymond Johansen, Norwegian Confederation of Trade Unions (LO) president Peggy Hessen, Labour Party member Thorbjorn Jagland, Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg, Labour Party leader Jonas…

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Norway marks ten years since Breivik’s deadly attacks

Norway on Thursday marks 10 years since anti-immigrant extremist Anders Behring Breivik killed 77 people in the worst act of violence in the country since World War Two. Breivik detonated…

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Norway says cyber attack on parliament carried out from China

Norway said on Monday that a March 10 cyber attack on parliament's e-mail system was carried out from China, calling on authorities there to take steps to prevent such activities.…

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Kurt Westergaard, Danish cartoonist behind Muhammad cartoon, dies at 86

Kurt Westergaard, a Danish cartoonist whose caricature of the Prophet Muhammad outraged many Muslims worldwide, has died at the age of 86. His family said he died after a long…

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Greenland puts an end to unsuccessful oil adventure

Greenland has ended its 50-year ambition to become an oil producing nation after announcing it would suspend a strategy of searching for oil and would stop granting exploration licences. Oil…

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Sweden to ease pandemic curbs despite worries over mounting Delta cases

Sweden's government said on Monday it will move ahead with a planned easing of pandemic restrictions this week but warned that new variants of the virus demanded vigilance as it…

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Swedish PM Lofven names unchanged cabinet

Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven reappointed his previous cabinet of Social Democrats and Greens on Friday following his re-election as premier this week. Lofven resigned last month after losing a…

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UPDATED: Sweden’s Lofven re-elected PM in parliament vote

Swedish Social Democrat leader Stefan Lofven was re-elected as prime minister by parliament on Wednesday, ending weeks of political turmoil since his resignation last month. But Lofven, who had quit…

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UPDATED: Swedish Social Democrat Lofven is asked to return as PM

Social Democrat Stefan Lofven will try to win a new term as Sweden's prime minister in a parliamentary vote on Wednesday after the assembly's speaker asked him to return to…

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Norway delays reopening as Delta variant threat looms

Norway is delaying the next major step in unwinding restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic to the end of the month at the earliest, Prime Minister Erna Solberg said on…

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Swedish manufacturing PMI dips again in June

Activity in Sweden's manufacturing sector fell for the second month in a row in June, dropping to 65.8 points from a downwardly revised 66.0 points the previous month, data showed…

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Lofven eyeing return as Swedish premier

Swedish caretaker Prime Minister Stefan Lofven said he would be willing to return to head a government that did not yet have backing for a budget, potentially making it easier…

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Finland’s plan to ease COVID restrictions set back by rise in infections in soccer fans

HELSINKI (Reuters) - At least 300 Finns who went to cheer on the national team at the Euro 2020 soccer tournament have contracted COVID-19, health officials said on Tuesday. The…

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Swedish PM Lofven resigns in wake of no-confidence vote

STOCKHOLM, June 28 (Reuters) - Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven said on Monday he had handed in his notice of resignation, giving parliament's speaker the job of finding a new…

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Bottles to bricks: Lego finds the right fit with recycled plastic

Lego expects to begin selling toy building bricks made from recycled plastic bottles in 18 to 24 months, having found a suitable green alternative to oil-based plastic, the Danish toymaker…

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Swedish PM Lofven still voters’ favourite leader despite crisis

Social Democrat Prime Minister Stefan Lofven is Swedish voter's most trusted leader, a poll showed on Thursday, despite a crisis that saw parliament pass a vote of no-confidence in him…

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Denmark continues exclusion of J&J, AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines

Danish health authorities said on Friday that COVID-19 vaccines from AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson would remain excluded from Denmark's vaccine roll-out following a review of new safety data. "The…

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Swedish government ups GDP forecast as economy bounces back from pandemic

Sweden's economy will grow substantially faster than previously expected this year, as it recovers from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, the government said. Gross domestic product is expected to…

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Swedish snap election looms as Liberals urge PM to step aside

A snap election looked increasingly likely in Sweden on Thursday after the Liberal Party said it would not help restore a Social Democrat-led government after Prime Minister Stefan Lofven lost…

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