The Dispatch

Denmark to open more schools as epidemic eases

COPENHAGEN, March 9 (Reuters) - Denmark will allow more schools across the country to reopen and ease some restrictions on large shops in response to an improving situation in the…

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Two-thirds of tropical rainforest destroyed or degraded globally

Humans have degraded or destroyed roughly two-thirds of the world’s original tropical rainforest cover, new data reveals – raising alarm that a key natural buffer against climate change is quickly…

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Norway will need to tighten COVID-19 restriction further, PM says

OSLO, March 7 (Reuters) - Norway will likely need stronger restrictions to combat the latest resurgence in coronavirus infections, Minister Erna Solberg said in a televised speech on Sunday. She…

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Photo Story: Danish museum adapts to the times

Museum Jorn has opened this year's first physical painting and sculpture exhibition in Silkeborg, Denmark. Because of the coronavirus pandemic, the exhibition was arranged in such a way that it…

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Finland postpones municipal elections as coronavirus cases surge

Finland will postpone municipal elections due next month until mid-June as a surge in coronavirus cases raises concerns about low turnout and a possible spike in infections after polling day,…

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Danish push back final date of vaccination to July 18

COPENHAGEN, March 5 (Reuters) - Denmark has pushed back the final date for when it expects all Danes to have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 to July 18 after shipments…

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Netanyahu says Israel, Austria and Denmark will set up vaccine alliance

JERUSALEM, March 4 (Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday that Israel, Austria and Denmark will establish a joint fund for research and development of COVID-19 vaccines.…

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Sweden registers over 6,000 new COVID-19 cases

Sweden, which has shunned lockdowns throughout the pandemic, registered 6,179 new coronavirus cases on Wednesday, health agency statistics showed. The country of 10 million inhabitants registered 82 new deaths, taking…

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Developing Story : Eight people injured after suspected terrorist attack in Sweden

STOCKHOLM, March 3 (Reuters/Euronews/EPA) - Swedish police is investigating a knife attack in the southern town of Vetlanda earlier on Wednesday as a possible 'terror crime', the police said on…

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Sweden heading into third wave of pandemic

Sweden appeared headed into a third wave of the pandemic, the Health Agency said, as it tightened crowd restrictions for shops amid a recent rise in new COVID-19 cases and…

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Austria and Denmark to produce own Covid-19 vaccine with Israel

Austria and Denmark, chafing at the slow rollout of COVID-19 vaccines within the European Union, have joined forces with Israel to produce second-generation vaccines against mutations of the coronavirus. The move by the…

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UPDATED: Finland declares state of emergency as COVID-19 cases rise

The Finnish government declared a state of emergency on Monday due to rising COVID-19 infections, a step that would allow the Nordic country to shutter restaurants and to impose other…

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Norway’s capital Oslo tightens coronavirus lockdown

Norway’s capital Oslo will tighten lockdown measures to combat a sharp rise in coronavirus infections linked to a more contagious variant, the city’s governing mayor said. The variant, which was…

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Denmark’s economy in biggest drop since financial crisis

Denmark's economy contracted by 3.3% in 2020, the largest drop since the Global Financial Crisis, according to data published by Statistics Denmark on Friday. The Danish economy fared better overall…

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Swedes vaccinated with two COVID doses can start seeing relatives again

Swedes living at nursing homes can start seeing relatives again two weeks after having received two vaccine doses, the government said. “When they have, they can start hugging their grand…

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Airline SAS losses widen as pandemic curbs

Swedish-Danish airline SAS said on Thursday it still expected demand to return to more normalized levels next year after it reported a larger first-quarter loss due to the withering impact…

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Norway proposes easing of drugs law in bid to help addicts

Norway should loosen its strict laws against recreational drug use, switching focus to treatment rather than jail or fines for those in possession of small quantities, the minority centre-right government…

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Denmark to take ‘calculated risk’ by easing COVID curbs in March

Denmark plans to allow shops and some schools to reopen in March in a much awaited move that could however send hospital coronavirus admissions soaring in coming months. Denmark, which…

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Celiac disease does not boost COVID-19 risks

Celiac disease does not increase patients' risk for infection or severe illness from the new coronavirus, new data show. People with celiac disease have defective immune activity and are known…

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Sweden steps up pandemic restrictions in bid to avoid third wave

The Swedish government said it would reduce opening hours for all restaurants, bars and cafes as well as tighten limits on the number of people allowed in shops as it…

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UPDATED: Finland will have 3-week lockdown starting March 8

Finland will go into a three-week lockdown starting on March 8 and is prepared to declare a state of emergency, the prime minister said on Thursday, to try to stem…

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Denmark to ease some COVID-19 restrictions from March 1

Denmark will ease some shopping restrictions and allow schools in parts of the country to reopen on March 1, the government said on Wednesday, potentially allowing hospital admissions to triple…

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Strong 5.6 quake rattles Iceland

A powerful earthquake struck Iceland on Wednesday morning with the tremors being felt in the country's capital, Rekjavik, with the public warning of "several aftershocks". According to the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre…

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Sweden to ease COVID rules for vaccinated care home residents

Sweden will ease restrictions on elderly residents of care homes who have been vaccinated against COVID-19, the country’s top epidemiologist said on Wednesday, at the same time as rules for…

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Egg supply shrinking as bird flu reaches 2016 highs

Avian influenza in Europe is now approaching levels last seen in 2016 with egg supply shrinking in countries such as Poland, one of the hardest hit countries due to the loss of laying…

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Photo Story: Denmark tightens borders with Germany following surge in Covid-19 infections

The Danish / German border at Mollehus closed on 21 February 2021. The closing happened after restrictions have been introduced in Flensburg due to a surge in COVID-19 infections in…

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Norway’s right-wing populist party leader Jensen to step down

OSLO (Reuters) - The head of Norway's anti-immigration Progress Party will step down in May and will not run for parliament in September this year, she said in a surprise…

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Sweden preparing to tighten anti-coronavirus measures

Sweden, known for its softer approach to the pandemic, is preparing to use new legislation to close gyms, restaurants and hair salons ahead of a feared third wave of virus…

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Denmark logs more contagious COVID variant in 45% of positive tests

Denmark registered the more contagious coronavirus variant B.1.1.7, first detected in Britain, in close to half of all positive tests in the second week of February, Health Minister Magnus Heunicke…

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Maersk plans world’s first carbon-neutral container ship in 2023

Shipping group Maersk said on Wednesday it will accelerate plans to decarbonise sea-borne container shipping by putting the world's first carbon-neutral vessel into operation in 2023, seven years ahead of…

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Norway’s economy weakest in 75 years in 2020

The Norwegian mainland economy contracted by 2.5% last year in what was probably the weakest development since 1945, Statistics Norway (SSB) said on Friday, although the decline was far less…

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IKEA branches out into consumer banking

IKEA stores owner Ingka Group said on Thursday it had agreed to buy a 49% stake in financial services partner Ikano Bank as part of a push to boost its…

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Arrests in Denmark, Germany for planning of terrorist attack

Thirteen people have been arrested in Denmark in the last week for acquiring firearms and ingredients to make explosives on suspicion of planning a terrorist attack in either Denmark or…

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Swedish daily COVID deaths hit 2-month low as vaccine begins to bite

Sweden recorded its lowest daily number of COVID-19 deaths in more than two months on Thursday as vaccinations among the elderly began alleviating the impact of a second wave of…

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EU expels three Russian diplomats, defends Borrell’s ill-starred Moscow trip

BRUSSELS, Feb 8 (Reuters) - Germany, Poland and Sweden expelled three Russian diplomats in a coordinated retaliation on Monday for the expulsion of three European Union diplomats by Russia while…

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Sweden COVID death toll tops 12,000 as health agency warns of third wave

STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - Sweden plans to launch a digital coronavirus "vaccine passport" by summer, assuming there is an international standard in place for the document by then, the government said…

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Denmark to launch coronavirus passport

FT - Denmark is to launch a coronavirus passport by the end of this month to help business travel, while Sweden will demand a negative test result from visiting foreigners…

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Sweden sees increase spread of UK variant

Sweden has reported an increased spread of the British Covid-19 variant, with 11% of randomly screened positive tests last week showing the mutation, thought to be a more contagious form of…

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Denmark will reopen schools for children next week – UPDATED

COPENHAGEN, Feb 1 (Reuters) - Denmark will take the first step towards easing its coronavirus lockdown next week, reopening schools for the youngest children, the Nordic country's government said on…

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Norway to start gradual easing of capital region’s lockdown on Feb 3

OSLO, Jan 30 (Reuters) - The Norwegian government will gradually loosen the capital region's coronavirus lockdown, allowing some shops and recreational activities to reopen from Feb. 3 onwards, Health Minister…

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Photo Story: Men in Black group organizes night demonstration in Copenhagen

An effigy representing Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen with a sign around her neck reading 'She must be put down' is pictured before being set alight during a demonstration organized…

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Norway’s capital tightens lockdown to combat more contagious virus variant

OSLO (Reuters) - Norway's capital Oslo and nine neighbouring municipalities imposed some of their toughest lockdown measures yet on Saturday after an outbreak of a more contagious coronavirus variant, first…

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Oslo tightens lockdown to combat more contagious virus variant

Norway's capital Oslo and nine neighbouring municipalities will impose some of their toughest lockdown measures yet after an outbreak of a more contagious coronavirus variant, first identified in Britain, the…

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UAE in talks with Denmark over suspended flights

The United Arab Emirates said it was in talks with Denmark after the Nordic country temporarily halted all flights arriving from the Gulf Arab state, a major travel hub, due…

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Sweden’s Trustly plans $11 billion IPO as digital payments boom

Swedish payments firm Trustly plans to take advantage of a surge in digital transactions in the COVID-19 pandemic with a second-quarter flotation that could value it at up to 9…

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Photo Story: Cold grip on Norwegian fishing vessel

Ice covered fishing vessel Storm is moored in Tromso harbour, Norway, 22 January 2021. Storm Frank seriously hit Tromso in the night. The crew remove ice on board a fishing…

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Denmark halts all flight from Dubai for five days

Denmark has halted all flights arriving from the United Arab Emirates for five days due to potentially unreliable coronavirus tests in Dubai, Denmark’s transport ministry said on Friday. The travel…

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Norwegian Air to get financial backing from government

Norway is willing to take part in the refinancing of Norwegian Air, Industry Minister Iselin Nyboe said in a statement on Thursday, without indicating how much the government would contribute.…

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Sweden extends pandemic curbs amid tentative signs of slowing outbreak

Sweden extended distance learning for high school students and told public employees to continue to work from home, renewing measures to limit the spread of the coronavirus pandemic despite signs…

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Norway says advice on use of Pfizer vaccine is unchanged

Norway said on Monday it was not changing its policy on the use of Pfizer and BioNTech's COVID-19 vaccine following reports of deaths in highly frail recipients after the inoculation…

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Hauliers will need negative COVID test before travel from UK to Denmark, Netherlands

Hauliers require a negative COVID-19 test before travelling from Britain to Denmark and the Netherlands, the British government said on Monday. Last week the French government said people travelling from…

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Norwegian Air to end transatlantic flights, seeks state help

OSLO, Jan 14 (Reuters) - Norwegian Air, which challenged British Airways and other long-established rivals by launching transatlantic flights, said on Thursday it will end those services, causing 2,000 job…

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Climate activist Greta Thunberg to feature on Swedish stamps

STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - Climate activist Greta Thunberg is to feature on a set of stamps issued by Sweden's postal service. She will join a hall of fame of Swedish personalities,…

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Sweden vaccinated 80,000 against COVID-19 through Jan 10 – health agency

STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - Sweden has vaccinated around 80,000 people against COVID-19 since it began with its programme last month, the Public Health Agency said on Tuesday. Sweden had received around…

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Swedish parliament grants government wider shutdown powers

Swedish lawmakers on Friday passed a bill that gives the government the temporary power to shut shopping centres and public transport and to fine people who break social distancing rules…

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Maersk says European lockdowns have not dented demand for shipping

High shipping rates are set to continue for at least several weeks, despite new coronavirus lockdowns in Europe, boosted by demand for furniture, exercise equipment and home improvement goods, shipping…

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Danish prosecutors drop money laundering charges against ex-Danske Bank staff

Danish prosecutors said on Thursday they had dropped charges against six former Danske Bank employees as part of an investigation into the bank's involvement in one of the world's biggest…

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